Ukraine-Russia war – live: National air alert as Putin launches suicide drones on Kyiv
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Vladimir Putin’s Russia unleashed a series of missile strikes on Ukraine overnight as Moscow prepares to celebrate Victory Day. Ukraine issued a nationwide air alert just hours after the strikes hit.
Capital Kyiv was among the locations targeted by the Kremlin with Iranain-made suicide drones and missiles used to hit targets.
Officials said Ukraine’s air defences destroyed all 35 Iranian-made Shahed drones Russia had launched.
Kyiv’s mayor said at least five people were wounded in the capital amid damage to a fuel depot, cars, buildings and infrastructure.
A food warehouse was set ablaze by a missile in the Black Sea city of Odesa, where officials reported three people wounded.
Earlier, the top commander of Ukraine’s ground forces says Vladimir Putin is pushing to try and capture Bakhmut before tomorrow’s Victory Day celebrations in Russia, with an increase of shelling in the frontline city.
“Today, it is important to make decisions as quickly as possible and predict the actions of the enemy,” Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi said on his Telegram channel.
“The Russians still hope to capture the city by 9 May. Our task is to prevent this,” he said.
Key Points
Ukraine issues nationwide air alert
Putin launches suicide drone attack on Kyiv
Wagner hopes to take Bakhmut by tomorrow, says Ukraine
Wagner group appears to U-turn on Bakhmut withdrawal threat
UN nuclear watchdog warns of new dangers around Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant
Russian forces evacuate towns near Zaporizhzhia plant
Exclusive: Ukraine says whole of Russia will ‘panic’ when counterattack begins
Ukraine issues nationwide air alert amid attacks
10:35 , Matt Mathers
Air raid sirens wailed across the whole of Ukraine on Monday just hours after Russia conducted massive overnight drone and missile strikes on the country.
Ukrainian military bloggers said the air alerts could have been triggered by a Russian warplane armed with Moscow’s Kinzhal hypersonic weapons taking off.
The claim could not be immediately verified.
Russia launched a wave of drone, missile and air strikes on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, officials said on Monday, as Moscow stepped up attacks while preparing for its cherished Victory Day holiday celebrating the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945.
As many as 16 missile strikes had targeted the cities of Kharkiv, Kherson, Mykolaiv and Odesa regions, in addition to 61 airstrikes and 52 rocket salvos on Ukrainian positions and populated areas, the General Staff of Ukraine’s armed forces said in its morning update on the fighting.
Ukrainian air defences destroyed all 35 Iranian-made Shahed drones Russia had launched, the military said.
Mid-morning recap
10:10 , Matt Mathers
Fighting
Ukraine’s top military command said its forces destroyed all 35 Iranian-made Shahed drones that Russia had launched overnight at targets around the country.
Kyiv’s mayor said at least five people were wounded in the capital amid damage to a fuel depot, cars, buildings and infrastructure. A food warehouse was set ablaze by a missile in the Black Sea city of Odesa, where officials reported three people wounded.
The military said 16 rockets had hit the Kharkiv, Kherson, Mykolaiv and Odesa regions in the last 24 hours, in addition to 61 strikes and 52 rocket salvos on Ukrainian positions and populated areas.
Russia has intensified shelling of Bakhmut hoping to take it by Tuesday - Russia’s Victory Day holiday, Ukraine’s top general in charge of the defence of the besieged city said, vowing to do everything to prevent it.
Ukraine, which as part of the then-Soviet Union endured higher per capita casualties than Russia in battling the Nazis in World War Two, proclaimed May 8 to be Victory Day, rather than May 9 - a clear bid to separate its observance of the day from that of Russia.
Russia’s Wagner mercenary group appeared to ditch plans to withdraw from Bakhmut, saying it had been promised more arms and suggesting it may keep up the assault on what Russia sees as a stepping stone in the Donbas region.
Some 1,679 people, including 660 children, have been evacuated from areas near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, a Moscow-installed official in the Russia-controlled parts of the Zaporizhzhia region of Ukraine said.
Russia scales back Victory Day parades due to security concerns
09:43 , Matt Mathers
Russia has cancelled or curtailed some of the huge military parades that normally accompany Victory Day.
Western countries say this is in part out of security concerns and in part because Moscow has lost so much military hardware in a largely failed winter offensive in Ukraine that has seen the most intense ground combat in Europe since World War Two.
"The Russians still hope to capture the city by 9 May. Our task is to prevent this," Ukrainian ground forces commander Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi said after visiting the front line near Bakhmut, Russia’s main target.
Ukraine, which drove Russian forces back from the ramparts of the capital and recovered substantial territory last year, has kept its troops on the defensive for the past six months, but is preparing a massive counteroffensive in coming weeks.
Watch: Zelensky congratulates King Charles on ‘historic’ coronation
09:20 , Matt Mathers
Volodymyr Zelensky has congratulated King Charles III on his coronation.
The president of Ukraine described the new monarch and his wife, Queen Camilla, as “true friends of Ukraine” as he addressed the royal family.
“On behalf of the entire Ukrainian people, I congratulate Their Majesties, true friends of Ukraine, on this historic event that begins a new era of the British monarchy,” Mr Zelensky said.
“I wish King Charles III many years of successful reign.”
Oliver Browning reports:
Watch: Zelensky congratulates King Charles on ‘historic’ coronation
Bringing Ukraine closer to Europe, Zelenskiy marks 1945 Nazi surrender
08:58 , Matt Mathers
President Volodymyr Zelensky marked the anniversary of the surrender of Nazi Germany in World War Two by saying on Monday he would formalise a day of remembrance in Ukraine on May 8 when other Western countries celebrate Europe’s victory.
Speaking to the nation on a hill overlooking Kyiv, Zelensky said "the old evil" had returned, this time waged by a "modern Russia" pursuing the same goal as the Nazis of "enslavement and destruction" - but that they would not succeed.
Further cementing Ukraine’s break with its Soviet past, Zelensky said he had submitted a bill to parliament officially making May 8 a day of remembrance and victory, while May 9 - when Russia marks victory day - would become Europe Day.
"We are returning to our state an honest history without ideological influences. It is on May 8 that most nations of the world remember the greatness of the victory over the Nazis," he said in a video posted on the president’s Telegram channel.
"Today, I signed the relevant decree, and every year from tomorrow, May 9, we will commemorate our historic unity…the unity of all Europeans who destroyed Nazism and will defeat rashism," he said, using a word Ukrainians have coined to describe what they call Russian fascism.
"The unity that brings peace closer."
China will safeguard its interests over EU sanctions
08:30 , Matt Mathers
China opposes any measures that use China-Russia relations as a pretext for the damage of trade cooperation, China’s foreign ministry said on Monday.
In response to the European Union’s proposed sanctions on Chinese companies over accusations of them aiding Russia’s war machine, ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said if these sanctions come into force, China will take firm action to safeguard its interests.
Russians take language test to avoid expulsion from Latvia
08:10 , Matt Mathers
In a Stalinist skyscraper which dominates the skyline of Latvia’s capital, dozens of elderly Russians wait to take a basic Latvian language test as a proof of loyalty to a country where they have lived for decades.
Clutching red Russian passports, the participants, mostly women, read their notes for last minute revision, fearing they may be expelled from the Baltic country if they fail.
Speaking Russian instead of Latvian has not been a problem until now, but the war in Ukraine changed the picture. Last year’s election campaign was dominated by questions of national identity and security concerns.
The government now demands a language test from the 20,000 people in the country holding Russian passports, mostly elderly and female, as the loyalty of Russian citizens is a worry, said Dmitrijs Trofimovs, state secretary at the Interior Ministry.
"(If I am deported), I would have nowhere to go, I have lived here for 40 years," said Valentina Sevastjanova, 70, a former English teacher and Riga guide after her final Latvian lesson in a private school in central Riga, ready for when she takes her own exam.
"I took the Russian passport in 2011 to easily visit my sick parents in Belarus. They are gone now."
Russia steps up shelling of Bakhmut
07:51 , Matt Mathers
Russia stepped up shelling of Bakhmut, hoping to take it by Tuesday, Ukraine’s top general leading the besieged city’s defence said, after Russia’s Wagner mercenary group appeared to ditch plans to withdraw from it.
Three people were injured in blasts in Kyiv’s Solomyanskyi district and two when drone wreckage fell in the Sviatoshyn district, both west of the capital’s centre, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram.
Kyiv’s military administration said drone wreckage fell on a runway at Zhuliany airport, one of the capital’s two passenger airports, drawing emergency services there, although there was no fire.
Russia steps up strikes on Ukraine ahead of May 9 Victory Day holiday
07:30 , Matt Mathers
Russia launched a wave of drone, missile and air strikes on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, officials said on Monday, as Moscow stepping up attacks while preparing for its cherished Victory Day holiday celebrating the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945.
As many as 16 missile strikes had targeted the cities of Kharkiv, Kherson, Mykolaiv and Odesa regions, in addition to 61 airstrikes and 52 rocket salvos on Ukrainian positions and populated areas, the General Staff of Ukraine’s armed forces said in its morning update on the fighting.
Ukrainian air defences destroyed all 35 Iranian-made Shahed drones Russia had launched, the military said.
Kyiv’s mayor said at least five people were wounded in the capital amid damage to a fuel depot, cars, buildings and infrastructure.
"Unfortunately, there are dead and wounded civilians, high-rise buildings, private homes and other civilian infrastructure were damaged," the military said.
A food warehouse was set ablaze in the Black Sea city of Odesa.
Russia luring central Asian migrant workers to fight in Ukraine – UK MoD
07:07 , Arpan Rai
The British defence ministry has said Russian military recruiters are targeting central Asian migrant workers in Russia to serve in Ukraine.
“Recruiters have visited mosques and immigration offices to recruit. At immigration offices, staff who speak Tajik and Uzbek routinely attempt to recruit migrants,” the ministry said in its latest intelligence update.
It cited Radio Free Europe’s report of recruiters offering sign-up bonuses of USD $2,390 (£ 1889) and salaries of up to USD $4,160 (£3289) a month. “Migrants have also been offered a fast-track Russian citizenship path of six months to one year, instead of the usual five years,” the ministry said.
“The high monthly salary and sign-up bonuses will entice some migrant workers to sign up. These recruits are likely sent to the Ukrainian frontlines where the casualty rate is extremely high,” it added.
Recruiting migrants is part of the Russian Ministry of Defence’s attempts to fulfil its target of 400,000 volunteers to fight in Ukraine, the MoD said.
“The authorities are almost certainly seeking to delay any new overt mandatory mobilisation for as long as possible to minimise domestic dissent.”
Ukraine receives Leopard 1 tanks as training begins
06:50 , Arpan Rai
Ukraine military downs all 35 drones Russia launched overnight
05:38 , Arpan Rai
Ukraine’s air force has said it has destroyed all 35 Iranian-made Shahed drones that Russia had launched overnight at different targets around the country.
“The Russian Federation (also) launched 16 missile strikes last night, in particular on the cities of Kharkiv, Kherson, Mykolaiv and Odesa regions,” the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces said in its daily update.
Additionally, 61 airstrikes and 52 attacks from the heavy rocket salvo fire systems were launched over the past day on the positions of Ukrainian forces and populated areas, the Ukrainian military command said.
“Unfortunately, there are dead and wounded civilians, high-rise buildings, private homes and other civilian infrastructure were damaged,” it said.
How Wagner has decided to fight in Bakhmut and not exit
05:23 , Arpan Rai
Wagner mercenary group’s chief Yevgeny Prigozhin had issued an angry warning on Friday that his fighters, who have spearheaded a months-long assault on the eastern Ukraine city, would pull out after being starved of ammunition and suffering “useless and unjustified” losses.
But on Sunday, he took a U-turn on the warning for the Kremlin.
“We have been promised as much ammunition and weapons as we need to continue further operations. We have been promised that everything needed to prevent the enemy from cutting us off [from supplies] will be deployed,” he said in an audio message shared to his press service channel on Telegram.
Wagner group appears to U-turn on Bakhmut withdrawal threat
Wagner hopes to take Bakhmut by tomorrow, says Ukraine
04:21 , Arpan Rai
Russian forces, including the Wagner mercenary fighters, have amped up their shelling on Bakhmut as they look to take it by Tuesday – Russia’s annual Victory Day – Ukraine’s top general leading the defence said.
This comes as Wagner Group’s chief Yevgeny Prigozhin appeared to climb down on his threat to exit from Bakhmut yesterday amid renewed promises of weapons by Moscow.
In an audio recording posted on his Telegram channel, he said: “We have been promised as much ammunition and weapons as we need to continue further operations. We have been promised that everything needed to prevent the enemy from cutting us off [from supplies] will be deployed.”
Food warehouse in Black Sea city engulfed in fire after Russian attack
04:15 , Arpan Rai
A food warehouse in the Ukrainian city of Odesa near the Black Sea has been set ablaze in an overnight attack by Russia, officials said.
Several other blasts were also reported in other parts of Ukraine.
Photos of a large structure fully engulfed in flames were shared by Serhiy Bratchuk, spokesperson for the Odesa military administration, in what he said was a Russian attack on a foodstuff warehouse, among others.
Other visuals on social media of the food warehouse under attack showed the entire facility up in flames as emergency workers were engaged in rescue efforts at the spot.
Five injured in Russia’s mass strikes on Kyiv ahead of Victory Day holiday
04:14 , Arpan Rai
At least five people were injured in Russian strikes on Kyiv, officials in Ukraine said early today as Vladimir Putin’s forces launched a large-scale wave of drones and missiles across the capital and besieged country.
Mayor Vitali Klitschko said three people were injured in blasts in Kyiv’s Solomyanskyi district and two others were injured when drone wreckage fell onto the Sviatoshyn district.
Some of the drone wreckage also fell on a runway of the Zhuliany airport, Kyiv’s military administration said.
No fire has been reported from one of two passenger airports but emergency services were working on the site, officials added.
This comes a day before Moscow prepares to march its military forces for the cherished Victory Day holiday marking the defeat of Nazi Germany.
Blast heard in Odesa, say reports
03:00 , Liam James
Ukrainian media reported an explosion overnight in the Black Sea city of Odesa.
Air raid alerts were also reported in capital Kyiv, as well as in other regions of the country.
The Independent could not immediately confirm the reports.
Recent weeks have seen Russia resume airstrikes against Ukrainian cities following an attack on a Crimean fuel depot which Moscow blamed on Kyiv.
Ukraine is meanwhile preparing to launch a counteroffensive against Russian forces in occupied territory.
EU mulls sanctions on Chinese firms linked to Russian war effort
02:00 , Liam James
The European Union has proposed sanctions on Chinese companies accused of selling equipment that could be used in weapons to support Russia’s war machine, the Financial Times reported on Sunday.
The bloc’s proposal follows a US move to sanction Chinese business for involvement with Russia. Last month, the US put five firms based in mainland China and Hong Kong on its “entity list,” barring them from trading with any US firms without gaining a nearly unobtainable special license.
Beijing protested, calling it an illegal move that endangers global supply chains.
Nine Ukrainian explosives experts killed in Kherson, says Zelensky
01:00 , Liam James
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly video address that nine Ukrainian explosives experts who were engaged in demining were killed in a single Russian attack in the southern Kherson region on Saturday.
“They were ... restoring safety for our people,” Mr Zelensky said.
Ukraine farmers risk losing their lives or livelihoods
Monday 8 May 2023 00:00 , Liam James
A grassy lane rutted with tire tracks leads to Volodymyr Zaiets’ farm in southern Ukraine. He is careful, driving only within those shallow grooves — veering away might cost him his life in the field dotted with explosive mines (Samya Kullab writes).
Weeds grow tall where rows of sunflowers once bloomed. Zaiets’ land hasn’t been touched since the fall of 2021, when it was last seeded with wheat. Now, it’s a minefield left by retreating Russian forces.
Zaiets eschewed official warnings and demined this patch of land himself, determined not to lose the year’s harvest. He expects that 15 per cent of his 1,600 hectares (4,000 acres) of farmland was salvaged.
Click here to read on:
Ukraine farmers risk losing their lives or livelihoods
Ukraine ‘bombards Crimea targets’ ahead of counteroffensive
Sunday 7 May 2023 23:00 , Liam James
Ukraine launched more than 10 drones overnight on the Crimean Peninsula, including three on the port of Sevastopol, a Russian-installed official said early on Sunday, adding that air defence systems repelled all the attacks on Sevastopol.
“No objects (in Sevastopol) were damaged,” Mikhail Razvozhayev, the Moscow-installed governor of Sevastopol, said on the Telegram messaging app.
There were no immediate details of any damage from the strikes elsewhere on the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia illegally annexed from Ukraine in 2014.
Baza, a Telegram channel with links to Russia’s law enforcement agencies, reported earlier on Sunday that according to the channel’s preliminary information, there were no casualties in what it said was a series of attacks on Crimea.
Russian forces evacuate towns near Zaporizhzhia plant as IAEA warns of ‘very real nuclear safety risk’
Sunday 7 May 2023 22:00 , Liam James
Russian forces evacuated residents from a town near the occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine on Sunday as the head of the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog said he was “extremely concerned” about the safety of the facility.
Ukraine’s military said local Russian passport-holders were being taken to the port city of Berdyansk and the town Prymorsk, both on the coast of the Sea of Azov.
The evacuation, which could not be verified on the ground, comes as Ukraine is expected to launch a much-anticipated counteroffensive to retake Moscow-held territory in the area.
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Russia evacuates towns near nuclear plant as IAEA warns of ‘very real’ safety risk
Russian troops reportedly attack Zaporizhzhia Oblast 75 times over last day
Sunday 7 May 2023 21:00 , Tara Cobham
Russian troops have attacked Zaporizhzhia Oblast 75 times over the last day, according to The Kyiv Independent.
Putin’s forces attacked 16 settlements near the front line in Zaporizhzhia Oblast over the past 24 hours, said Governor Yurii Malashko, although no casualties were reported.
He added homes and cars were damaged.
This comes as the UN has said the situation around the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear station has become “increasingly unpredictable and potentially dangerous” as Moscow-installed officials began evacuating people from nearby areas.
Wagner group appears to U-turn on Bakhmut withdrawal threat
Sunday 7 May 2023 20:00 , Liam James
Russia’s Wagner mercenary group appeared to have to ditch plans to withdraw from Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, saying they had been promised more arms by Moscow and suggesting they may keep up their assault on what Russia sees as a stepping stone to other cities in the Donbas region.
Elsewhere, Ukrainian and Russian media reported explosions across Russian-occupied Crimea, and Russia‘s defence ministry said its air defences had detected and destroyed 22 Ukrainian drones over the Black Sea overnight.
Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin had said on Friday that his fighters, who have spearheaded a months-long assault on Bakhmut, would pull out after being starved of ammunition and suffering “useless and unjustified” losses as a result.
But in an audio message posted on his Telegram channel on Sunday, he said: “We have been promised as much ammunition and weapons as we need to continue further operations. We have been promised that everything needed to prevent the enemy from cutting us off (from supplies) will be deployed.”
A spokesman for Russia‘s defence ministry did not respond to a request for comment after Prigozhin’s latest statement.
Click here to read on:
Ukraine showing at Liverpool Eurovision opening
Sunday 7 May 2023 19:30 , Liam James
This year’s Eurovision acts are being welcomed to Liverpool with an opening ceremony.
The Turquoise Carpet ceremony opened on Sunday afternoon in the city, which is preparing to host the song contest final next Saturday on behalf of last year’s winners Ukraine.
Hosted by Olympian Sam Quek and Ukrainian presenter Timur Miroshnychenko, the ceremony will see all 37 acts take to the carpet for a welcome to the city.
Liverpool ceremony welcomes Eurovision competitors
Air raid alerts across Ukraine due to overnight strikes
Sunday 7 May 2023 18:45 , Adam Withnall
Air raid alerts blared for several hours overnight into early Sunday over roughly two-thirds of Ukraine, with officials saying that air defence systems shot down a number of drones, including one over Kyiv’s airspace.
“During the last air alert, an enemy reconnaissance UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) was detected in the airspace of Kyiv,” the military administration of Kyiv said on the Telegram messaging app. “The drone was destroyed ... Preliminarily, there have been no casualties or destruction.”
The alerts extended from the capital Kyiv and regions to the west of it through to all regions in the east as well as south to Kherson region and Russian-annexed Crimea. A Russian-installed official in Crimea said that Ukraine sent more than 10 drones over Crimea.
Putin is unprepared for the blowback his assault on Ukraine will bring Russia
Sunday 7 May 2023 18:00 , Liam James
Borzhou Daragahi, foreign correspondent, analyses this week’s puzzling attack on the Kremlin:
The small drones managed to bypass security surrounding the Kremlin, Russia’s most sacred political and religious site, before they were blasted out of the sky during the early morning hours of 3 May.
The Kremlin angrily described the drones as a Ukrainian and Western-backed assassination attempt against President Vladimir Putin. It almost definitely was not. It was yet another sign that the fallout from Putin’s disastrous war of imperial conquest was moving closer and closer to the heart of Russian power.
No one should take anything the Russian government says at face value because, well, it’s Russia. The drones did not appear particularly large or sophisticated. Putin, who has over the years slowly turned into a Bond villain caricature of himself, was probably at one of his compounds, bunkers or palaces and nowhere near the fortress-like presidential residence that is the formal seat of Russian power and a major tourist draw.
Russia is unprepared for the blowback to its assault on Ukraine | Borzou Daragahi
Watch: Zelensky congratulates King Charles on coronation
Sunday 7 May 2023 17:03 , Liam James
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky congratulated Britain’s King Charles on his coronation on Saturday and offered him and the British people thanks for their support in the war against Russia.
He described the king and Queen Camilla, his wife, as “true friends of Ukraine” and said his reign marked “the beginning of a new era for the British monarchy”.
Britain has been a key Western partner supplying military aid to Ukraine since Russia invaded in February last year.
Security worries overshadow Russia's Victory Day preparations
Sunday 7 May 2023 15:46 , Tara Cobham
Russia stages its annual Victory Day parade on Red Square on Tuesday amid particularly tight security after a series of drone attacks, including on the Kremlin citadel, symbolic heart of the Russian state, which Moscow has blamed on Ukraine.
Victory Day is a key anniversary for President Vladimir Putin, who often evokes the spirit and sacrifice that helped the Soviet Union defeat Nazi Germany in 1945 to kindle Russians' sense of patriotism, especially since invading Ukraine.
However, Ukrainian intelligence has warned of Victory Day provocations by Russia. The Kyiv Independent suggested Moscow might stage false-flag attacks against Russian and Belarusian populations around 9 May, according to Ukraine's General Intelligence Directorate chief Andrii Usov.
Pope Francis reiterates his appeal for peace in Ukraine on Sunday
Sunday 7 May 2023 14:44 , Tara Cobham
Pope Francis reiterated his appeal for peace in Ukraine as he addressed crowds gathered in St Peter’s Square, Vatican City on Sunday.
Russian forces evacuating town near occupied nuclear plant, Kyiv says
Sunday 7 May 2023 14:00 , Tara Cobham
Russian forces are evacuating residents from the town that serves the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine, the Ukrainanian military said on Sunday.
Ukraine is expected to start soon a much-anticipated counteroffensive to retake Moscow-held territory, including in the Zaporizhzhia region.
In its morning update, Ukraine's General staff said Russian forces were evacuating local Russian passport-holders to the port city of Berdyansk and the town Prymorsk, both on the coast of the Sea of Azov.
"The first to be evacuated are those who accepted Russian citizenship in the first months of the occupation," it said in a statement.
The reports could not be independently verified.
The head of the U.N.'s nuclear power watchdog said on Saturday the situation around the station, Europe's largest, has become "potentially dangerous".
Both sides have accused one another of shelling the plant and efforts to secure a safety zone around it have failed.
Russian troops reportedly attack Zaporizhzhia Oblast 75 times over last day
Sunday 7 May 2023 13:12 , Tara Cobham
Russian troops have attacked Zaporizhzhia Oblast 75 times over the last day, according to The Kyiv Independent on Sunday.
Putin’s forces attacked 16 settlements near the front line in Zaporizhzhia Oblast over the past 24 hours, said Governor Yurii Malashko, although no casualties were reported.
He added homes and cars were damaged.
This comes as the UN has said the situation around the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear station has become “increasingly unpredictable and potentially dangerous” as Moscow-installed officials began evacuating people from nearby areas.
⚡ Russian troops attack Zaporizhzhia Oblast 75 times over past day.
Russian forces attacked 16 settlements near the front line in Zaporizhzhia Oblast over the past 24 hours, Governor Yurii Malashko reported on May 7. No casualties were reported, but homes and cars were damaged.— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) May 7, 2023
Russia claims it destroyed 22 Ukrainian drones over Black Sea overnight
Sunday 7 May 2023 13:05 , Tara Cobham
Russia's air defences detected and destroyed 22 Ukrainian drones over the Black Sea overnight, the country's defence ministry said on Sunday in a daily briefing.
Russia's claim could not be independently verified. A Russian-installed official said earlier that Ukraine had launched drones at Crimea overnight, without providing details.
Separately, the defence ministry said its forces had gained more ground in the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, claiming two "blocks" in the northwestern and western parts of the city.
Polish plane on EU border patrol narrowly avoids collision with Russian jet
Sunday 7 May 2023 12:29 , Tara Cobham
A Polish border guard aircraft on patrol for the European Union's border agency Frontex over the Black Sea near Romania narrowly avoided a collision with a Russian fighter jet on Friday, Romania and Poland said.
A Russian SU-35 jet carried out "aggressive and dangerous manoeuvres" approaching the Polish aircraft without keeping a secure distance, leading to turbulence, loss of altitude and a temporary loss of control of the plane by the Polish crew, Anna Michalska, a border guard spokesperson, wrote on Twitter on Sunday.
"The Russian jet flew just in front of the nose of the Polish plane, crossing its trajectory at a dangerous distance, estimated by the crew at about five metres," Michalska said.
After three approaches the Russian jet flew away, Michalska added. The incident took place in international airspace.
The Romanian Defence Ministry said in a press release that the Russian jet's behaviour was completely unacceptable.
"This incident is a further proof of the provocative approach of the Russian Federation in the Black Sea," the ministry said.
Two combat aircraft belonging to the Romanian Air Force and two from the Spanish Air Force designated for Air Police missions were alerted by the NATO Combined Air Operations Centre in Torrejon, Spain. While the four aircraft were ready to intervene at any moment, their intervention proved unnecessary, the ministry said.
"It looks like a planned provocation by Russia, the crew acted responsibly and luckily nothing happened. We can see that Russia is trying to draw international attention by such provocations," Polish government spokesman Piotr Muller told private television Polsat News on Sunday.
Russia's Wagner group signals it will stay in Bakhmut after threat to quit
Sunday 7 May 2023 11:17 , Tara Cobham
The head of Russia's Wagner mercenary group appeared on Sunday to ditch plans to withdraw his forces from Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine after receiving promises overnight that they would get all the arms needed to capture the devastated city.
Yevgeny Prigozhin announced on Friday that his fighters, who have spearheaded the months-long assault on Bakhmut, would pull out because he said his men had been starved of ammunition and had suffered "useless and unjustified" losses as a result.
Prigozhin, who has publicly heaped scorn on Russia's Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and the top army brass over their conduct of the war in Ukraine, said officials in Moscow consumed by "petty jealousy" were holding back crucial supplies to his men.
However in an audio message posted on his Telegram channel on Sunday, Prigozhin said: "Overnight we received a combat order, for the first time in all this time."
"We have been promised as much ammunition and weapons as we need to continue further operations. We have been promised that everything needed to prevent the enemy from cutting us off (from supplies) will be deployed on the flank," he added.
The battle for Bakhmut, which Russia sees as a stepping stone to other cities in Ukraine's Donbas region still beyond its control, has been the most intense of the conflict, costing thousands of lives on both sides in months of grinding warfare.
Ukrainian troops have been pushed back in recent weeks but have clung on in the city to inflict as many Russian losses as possible ahead of Kyiv's planned big push against the invading forces along the 1,000 km (620 mile) front line.
Prigozhin also said on Sunday that Russia's Defence Ministry had assigned General Sergei Surovikin to work alongside Wagner.
"This is the only man with the star of an army general who knows how to fight," he added.
Surovikin commanded Russia's Ukraine campaign for several months before the chief of the General Staff, Army Army General Valery Gerasimov, was given overall operational command above him.
Exclusive: Ukraine says whole of Russia will ‘panic’ when counterattack begins
Sunday 7 May 2023 10:58 , Tara Cobham
Success for Ukraine in its long-awaited counterattack against Russia could spell the complete “collapse” of Vladimir Putin’s military or even the Russian economy, a Ukrainian minister predicts.
Speaking in an interview with The Independent, deputy defence minister Volodymyr Havrylov was deliberately vague about the timing of the offensive, which is expected imminently as the mud and rains of spring give way to more favourable fighting conditions.
But when it does come – “very soon” was the timing set out this week by Volodymr Zelensky – the offensive will expose Russia’s tightly controlled propaganda regarding the war effort and lead to a reckoning among ordinary Russians, said Mr Havrylov.
Arpan Rai reports.
Russia's Wagner chief says he was promised arms to continue fighting in Bakhmut
Sunday 7 May 2023 10:29 , Tara Cobham
The head of Russia's Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said on Sunday he had been promised overnight as much ammunition and weaponry as needed to continue a months-long assault on the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut.
Prigozhin's comment, made on his Telegram messaging app channel, came two days after he announced plans to withdraw from Bakhmut complaining that his men had been starved of ammunition and had suffered "useless and unjustified" losses as a result.
Russia claims its ‘destroyed two British made howitzers’ in Ukraine
Sunday 7 May 2023 10:00 , Tara Cobham
Russia has claimed it has destroyed two British-made howitzers, which were being used by Ukraine in Donetsk.
Alexander Gordeyev, a Russian military spokesman, told the Russian news agency TASS the suicide drones were also used to destroy a similar UK howitzer and a Buk-M1 anti-aircraft system used by Ukraine near Maksimovka.
“Lancet loitering munition destroyed an enemy’s UK-made L119 howitzer in the area of Shevchenko,” he said.
The munition is a small drone with a range of up to 25 miles and is one of Moscow’s most advanced weapons, used for reconnaissance or attack missions.
Pro-Kremlin writer Zakhar Prilepin wounded by car bomb with Russia blaming Ukraine and US
Sunday 7 May 2023 09:23 , Tara Cobham
A prominent Russian nationalist writer, Zakhar Prilepin, has allegedly been wounded in a car bombing that killed his driver – an attack that Russia immediately blamed on Ukraine and the West.
The state Investigative Committee said the writer's Audi Q7 was blown up in a village in the Nizny Novgorod region, about 250 miles (400km) east of Moscow, which it was treating as an act of terrorism. It said Prilepin had been taken to hospital.
The committee released a photograph showing the white vehicle lying overturned on a track next to a wood, with a deep crater beside it and fragments of metal strewn nearby.
An interior ministry spokeswoman said a suspect had been arrested. State news agency TASS quoted security sources suggesting the suspect was a "native of Ukraine" with a past conviction for robbery with violence.
Interfax news agency quoted a source in the emergency services as saying Prilepin's condition was serious and doctors would operate on him.
Widespread air raid alerts in Ukraine as drone shot down over Kyiv
Sunday 7 May 2023 08:36 , Tara Cobham
Air raid alerts blared for several hours overnight into early Sunday over roughly two-thirds of Ukraine, with officials saying that air defence systems shot down a number of drones, including one over Kyiv's airspace.
"During the last air alert, an enemy reconnaissance UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) was detected in the airspace of Kyiv," the military administration of Kyiv said on the Telegram messaging app. "The drone was destroyed ... Preliminarily, there have been no casualties or destruction."
The alerts extended from the capital Kyiv and regions to the west of it through to all regions in the east as well as south to Kherson region and Russian-annexed Crimea. A Russian-installed official in Crimea said that Ukraine sent more than 10 drones over Crimea.
Local officials in several Ukrainian regions reported that air defence systems were deployed overnight, but there was no immediate information early on Sunday on potential casualties or damages.
Gas pipeline, power lines damaged in Ukraine attacks on Russia's Belgorod - governor
Sunday 7 May 2023 07:55 , Tara Cobham
Overnight Ukrainian shelling of the Belgorod region on Russia's border with Ukraine damaged a gas pipeline and power lines as well as a house in the village of Spodaryushino, the region's governor said on Sunday.
"Most importantly, there were no casualties," Vyacheslav Gladkov wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
The report could not be independently verified.
The Belgorod region is one of several in southern Russia where targets such as fuel and ammunition stores have been rocked by explosions since the start of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.
Ukraine almost never publicly claims responsibility for attacks inside Russia and on Russian-controlled territory in Ukraine, but it has said recently that destroying infrastructure is preparation for its planned ground assault.
UN nuclear watchdog warns of new dangers around Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant
Sunday 7 May 2023 06:00 , Adam Withnall
The head of the UN nuclear watchdog has warned that the situation around the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear station had become “increasingly unpredictable and potentially dangerous”, calling for measures to ensure its safe operation.
Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, issued the warning in view of what he said were evacuations under way in the nearby town of Enerhodar, ordered by the local Russian-installed governor.
“The general situation in the area near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is becoming increasingly unpredictable and potentially dangerous,” Grossi said on the agency’s website.
“I’m extremely concerned about the very real nuclear safety and security risks facing the plant. We must act now to prevent the threat of a severe nuclear accident and its associated consequences for the population and the environment.”
Russian forces seized the Zaporizhzhia plant days after Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of his neighbour in February 2022. Exchanges of fire have frequently occurred near the facility, with each side blaming the other.
Grossi visited the Zaporizhzhia station, Europe’s largest nuclear power installation, in March, as part of efforts to speak to both sides to secure an agreement on safeguards to ensure the plant’s safe operation.
He has repeatedly warned of the dangers of military operations around the plant.
Russia last September proclaimed the annexation of four Ukrainian regions, including Zaporizhzhia region.
The plant is located in the part of that region under Russian control, with many of the staff operating it living in Enerhodar on the south bank of the Dnipro River.
Yevgeny Balitsky, Russian-installed governor of the Russia-controlled part of Zaporizhzhia region, said on Friday he had ordered the evacuation of villages close to the frontline with Ukrainian forces there. He said Ukrainian shelling had intensified in the area in recent days.
A widely expected Ukrainian spring counteroffensive against Russian forces is viewed as likely to take in the Zaporizhzhia region, around 80 per cent of which is held by Moscow.
Ukraine ‘bombards Crimea targets' ahead of counteroffensive
Sunday 7 May 2023 04:50 , Adam Withnall
Ukraine launched more than 10 drones overnight on the Crimean Peninsula, including three on the port of Sevastopol, a Russian-installed official said early on Sunday, adding that air defence systems repelled all the attacks on Sevastopol.
“No objects (in Sevastopol) were damaged,” Mikhail Razvozhayev, the Moscow-installed governor of Sevastopol, said on the Telegram messaging app.
There were no immediate details of any damage from the strikes elsewhere on the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia illegally annexed from Ukraine in 2014.
Baza, a Telegram channel with links to Russia’s law enforcement agencies, reported earlier on Sunday that according to the channel’s preliminary information, there were no casualties in what it said was a series of attacks on Crimea.
According to Ukrainian monitoring of Telegram channels, explosions took place in Sevastopol and Saki - where Russia has an air base - as well as a few other places.
Strikes on Russian-held targets have intensified in the past two weeks, especially in Crimea. Ukraine, without confirming any role in those attacks, says destroying infrastructure is preparation for its long-awaited counterattack.
The ‘happy coincidence’ nod to Ukraine at King’s coronation
Sunday 7 May 2023 03:00 , Martha Mchardy
The carpets at Westminster Abbey, upon which King Charles and Queen Camilla were crowned on Saturday 6 May, resembled the blue and yellow flag of Ukraine.
After months of preparations and anticipation, the United Kingdom has crowned its new king and queen.
Photos and videos showed that the carpets inside the royal church were blue and yellow, resembling the colours of the Ukrainian flag.
Maanya Sachdeva reports:
The ‘happy coincidence’ nod to Ukraine at King’s coronation
Firefighter tells of ‘humbling experience’ delivering equipment for Ukraine
Sunday 7 May 2023 02:00 , Martha Mchardy
A firefighter who was part of a convoy of fire engines and lorries delivering life-saving equipment for Ukraine has described the experience as “very humbling” after reaching Poland.
The timing of the shipment is meant to honour the Eurovision link between Ukraine and the UK, with the vehicles leaving Liverpool on Tuesday, the city which will host the competition later this month.
Darren Cleaves, station manager for South Wales Fire and Rescue Service, was in Poland to help deliver fire engines as well as life-saving equipment for Ukrainian firefighters.
Sarah Ping reports:
Firefighter tells of ‘humbling experience’ delivering equipment for Ukraine
What is Wagner’s role in Ukraine?
Sunday 7 May 2023 01:00 , Martha Mchardy
Wagner has taken an increasingly visible role in the war in Ukraine as regular Russian troops have suffered heavy attrition and lost control over territory in humiliating setbacks.
Prigozhin claimed full credit in January for capturing the Donetsk region salt-mining town of Soledar and accused the Russian Defense Ministry of trying to steal Wagner’s glory. He has repeatedly complained that the Russian military failed to supply Wagner with sufficient ammunition to capture Bakhmut, the reason he cited Friday for his withdrawal threat.
Prigozhin has toured Russian prisons to recruit fighters, promising inmates pardons if they survived a half-year tour of front-line duty with Wagner.
The U.S. estimates Wagner has about 50,000 personnel fighting in Ukraine, including 10,000 contractors and 40,000 of the convicts the company enlisted.
A U.S. official says nearly half of the 20,000 Russian forces killed in Ukraine since December have been Wagner’s troops in Bakhmut.
The U.S. assesses that Wagner is spending about $100 million a month in the fight and has taken delivery of weapons from North Korea, including rockets and missiles.
Ukraine claims to have shot down Russian hypersonic missile in ‘slap in face’ for Putin
Sunday 7 May 2023 00:00 , Martha Mchardy
Ukraine’s air force has claimed to have downed a Russian hypersonic missile over Kyiv using newly-acquired American Patriot defence systems – the first known time the country has been able to intercept one of Moscow’s most modern missiles.
Air Force commander Mykola Oleshchuk said that the Kinzhal-type ballistic missile had been intercepted in an overnight attack on the Ukrainian capital earlier in the week. It was also the first time Ukraine is known to have used the Patriot defence systems.
It comes as Kyiv accused Moscow of using phosphorus munitions in the eastern city of Bakhmut. Drone footage released by the Ukrainian military shows parts of the city – the scene of some of the bloodiest fighting of the war – ablaze as what is alleged to be white phosphorus rains down.
David Rising reports:
Ukraine says it has shot down Russian hypersonic missile in ‘slap in face’ for Putin
Russia's Prigozhin says no further offensive in Bakhmut possible without ammunition
Saturday 6 May 2023 23:38 , Martha Mchardy
The head of Russia’s mercenary Wagner Group said on Saturday that he had still not received additional ammunition from Moscow ahead of the expected withdrawal of his forces from Bakhmut because of heavy losses and inadequate supplies.
“As of today, no one has come to replenish ammunition, to provide it in the necessary volume,” Prigozhin said in an audio message posted on the Telegram channel of his press service. “There can be no offensive without a counter-battery fight, without defeating the enemy’s means.”
Wagner forces, he said, had no ammunition and could not pursue any further offensives near the city, under Russian siege for some 10 months.
“Because I will lead more men to certain death. On the 10th (of May), we will start withdrawing units,” he said.
He added that his forces have taken 95% of Bakhmut, a city in eastern Ukraine that had a population of more than 70,000 before the war.
Prigozhin has, however, prematurely claimed successes before. Reuters was not able to independently verify the claim.
“The remaining 5% plays no role in the so-called development of success and the Red Army’s march to the West,” he said.
Ukraine leads world reaction to King Charles III’s coronation
Saturday 6 May 2023 23:00 , Martha Mchardy
Ukraine released an upbeat video to congratulate Britain’s King Charles III and Queen Camilla during their historic coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey on Saturday, where world leaders gathered to witness the once-in-a-generation royal event.
The video released by Ukraine’s defence ministry was edited to the tune of London Calling by The Clash, and showed British weaponry deployed to the Ukrainian frontline and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky meeting King Charles and British prime minister Rishi Sunak, Labour leader Keir Starmer and former prime minister Boris Johnson.
“On the eve of the historic coronation, we’d like to thank our British friends for your friendship. We are grateful for your unwavering support and partnership, especially in the past year!” the defence ministry said on Twitter.
Shweta Sharma reports:
Ukraine leads world reaction to King Charles’s coronation
Pro-Kremlin writer Zakhar Prilepin wounded by car bomb
Saturday 6 May 2023 22:00 , Martha Mchardy
A prominent Russian nationalist writer, Zakhar Prilepin, has been wounded in a car bombing that killed his driver – an attack that Russia immediately blamed on Ukraine and the West.
The state Investigative Committee said the writer’s Audi Q7 was blown up in a village in the Nizny Novgorod region, about 250 miles (400km) east of Moscow, which it was treating as an act of terrorism. It said Prilepin had been taken to hospital.
The committee released a photograph showing the white vehicle lying overturned on a track next to a wood, with a deep crater beside it and fragments of metal strewn nearby.
Mark Trevelyan reports:
Pro-Kremlin writer Zakhar Prilepin wounded by car bomb
Watch: CCTV captures moment Ukraine ammunition depot explodes
Saturday 6 May 2023 21:30 , Martha Mchardy
What are white phosphorus bombs?
Saturday 6 May 2023 21:00 , Martha Mchardy
Ukraine has accused Russia of attacking the besieged eastern city of Bakhmut with phosphorus munitions.
Drone footage released by the UKrainian military, shows parts of the city – the scene of some of the bloodiest fighting of the war – ablaze as what is alleged to be white phosphorus rains down. While white phosphorus weapons are not banned in their entirety, but their use in civilian areas is considered a war crime.
Writing on Twitter, Ukraine’s defence ministry said the phosphorus attack targeted “unoccupied areas of Bakhmut with incendiary ammunition” – although it is unclear exactly when the alleged attack took place.
Joe Sommerlad reports:
All we know about deadly white phosphorus bombs Russia accused of using in Ukraine
Watch: Ukraine accuses Russia of using phosphorus munitions in Bakhmut
Saturday 6 May 2023 20:45 , Martha Mchardy
Air raid alerts issued for most of eastern Ukraine
Saturday 6 May 2023 20:38 , Martha Mchardy
Ukrainian officials issued air raid alerts on Saturday evening for areas covering roughly two-thirds of the country.
The alerts extended from the capital Kyiv and regions to the west of it through all regions in the east as well as south to Kherson region and Russian-annexed Crimea.
Ukraine raises hundreds of millions of dollars for counteroffensive
Saturday 6 May 2023 20:36 , Martha Mchardy
Hundreds of millions of dollars have been raised by Ukraine for a spring counteroffensive to retake Russian-occupied territory.
Ukraine has reportedly raised $325 million dollars to spend on drones for the counteroffensive through crowdfunding from 110 countries.
The project aims to launch 60 companies to produce attack drones, according to reports.
Preparation for the counteroffensive has also involved training 10,000 drone pilots.
Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister and minister for innovation, said: “We have recently completed the first part of the UAV pilot training project; 10,000 pilots have been trained during this time.“That is, the Drone Army is about the comprehensive development of the UAV sector, both from the point of view of production and from the point of view of their use.”
Wagner chief claims of limited munitions after Bakhmut withdrawal ‘could be legitimate’, according to leaked documents
Saturday 6 May 2023 20:30 , Martha Mchardy
The head of the Russian private military company Wagner’s claim that limited munitions which lead to his withdrawal from Bakhmut “could be legitimate”, according to leaked documents.
Prigozhin said on Friday that his troops will leave the besieged eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, citing a lack of ammunition supplies that he blamed on Russia’s military command.
The documents, leaked on Discord said military officials “could not decisively” say whether Wagner was receiving munitions because they were not directly distributed by the Russian defence ministry, according to The Washington Post.
The documents also noted that “Prigozhin’s claims could be legitimate.”
Deputy Minister of Defence Gerasimov “reportedly ordered to stop munitions supplies … and also planned military transport flights, which were set to transport munitions” to Wagner’s headquarters in Rostov-on-Don, the documents state.
However, as Prigozhin public statements escalated the Defence Ministry “proposed doubling the munitions supply to Wagner,” and in February the ministry said Prigozhin claims about munitions were untrue.
The Wagner chief responded to this by posting pictures of the dead soldiers and a request for munitions directly to Gerasimov. The documents reportedly indicate that Prigozhin was called to a meeting with president Putin as a result of this.
“The meeting almost certainly concerned, at least in part, Prigozhin’s public accusations and resulting tension with Shoygu,” one document said.
Russian forces claim to have destroyed two British-made howitzers in Donetsk
Saturday 6 May 2023 20:26 , Martha Mchardy
Russian forces have claimed to have destroyed two British-made howitzers used by Ukrainian forces in Donetsk.
Russian military spokesman Alexander Gordeyev said a “Lancet loitering munition destroyed an enemy’s UK-made L119 howitzer in the area of Shevchenko.”
The Lancet loitering munition has a range of us to 25 miles and is one of Russia’s most sophisticated weapons.
Leaked files show tension between Russian military and Wagner chief
Saturday 6 May 2023 20:00 , Martha Mchardy
Leaked files show tensions between the Russian military and the head of the private Russian military company Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin.
The documents, allegedly leaked on Discord, indicate that the Russian military leadership struggled to respond to Prigozhin’s public statements, The Washington Post reports.
One document stated: “The officials initially noted that, if the MoD was going to try to counter Prigozhin’s public statements, they should find allies of equal status to fight Prigozhin rather than doing so itself.
“However, they were ultimately unsure how the MoD could successfully fight an information war with Prigozhin if the Russian government did not forbid Prigozhin from making public releases,” according to The Washington Post.
Prigozhin personally appealed to president Putin to intervene.
Russian foreign ministry says Ukraine and West responsible for attack on writer
Saturday 6 May 2023 19:56 , Martha Mchardy
Russia’s Foreign Ministry on Saturday said Ukraine and Western countries backing it were responsible for a car bombing that injured a Russian writer and killed his driver.
A ministry statement, quoted by Russian news agencies, said: “Responsibility for this and other terrorist acts lies not only with Ukrainian authorities, but also their Western patrons, the United States in the first instance...”.
The statement said Washington’s failure to denounce this and other attacks was “self-revealing” for the U.S. administration.
Ukraine’s security service will not confirm or deny involvement in Russia attack
Saturday 6 May 2023 19:56 , Martha Mchardy
Ukraine’s SBU security service told the state Ukrinform news agency on Saturday it could not confirm or deny involvement in a car bombing that injured a Russian writer or other attacks.
“Officially, we cannot confirm or deny the SBU’s involvement in this or other explosions which occur with the occupiers or their henchmen,” Ukrinform quoted the agency as saying.
Russia says bomber who injured novelist acted for Ukraine
Saturday 6 May 2023 19:55 , Martha Mchardy
Russia’s top investigative agency on Saturday said the suspect in a car bombing that injured a prominent pro-Kremlin novelist and killed his driver has admitted acting at the behest of Ukraine’s special services.
The blast that hit the car of Zakhar Prilepin, a well-known nationalist writer and an ardent supporter of Russia’s war in Ukraine, was the third explosion involving prominent pro-Kremlin figures since the start of the conflict.
Russia’s Investigative Committee said the suspect was a Ukrainian native and had admitted under questioning that he was working under orders from Ukraine.
The Foreign Ministry in turn blamed not only Ukraine but the United States as well.“Responsibility for this and other terrorist acts lies not only with the Ukrainian authorities, but with their Western patrons, in the first place, the United States, who since the coup d’etat of February 2014 have painstakingly nurtured the anti-Russian neo-Nazi project in Ukraine,” the ministry said, referring to the 2014 uprising in Kyiv that forced the Russia-friendly president to flee.
In August 2022, a car bombing on the outskirts of Moscow killed Daria Dugina, the daughter of an influential Russian political theorist often referred to as “Putin’s brain.” The authorities alleged that Ukraine was behind the blast.
Last month, an explosion in a cafe in St. Petersburg killed a popular military blogger, Vladlen Tatarsky. Officials once again blamed Ukrainian intelligence agencies.
Russian news outlet RBC reported, citing unnamed sources, that Prilepin was travelling back to Moscow on Saturday from Ukraine’s partially occupied Donetsk and Luhansk regions and stopped in the Nizhny Novogorod region for a meal.
Who is writer Zakhar Prilepin - target of car bomb in Russia?
Saturday 6 May 2023 19:30 , Martha Mchardy
Zakhar Prilepin, 47, is the author of six novels, often focusing on dark themes. His debut novel “The Pathologies” told the story of young soldiers in the Chechen wars. He has also written numerous poems, essays and articles, and is the recipient of various state awards including a 2021 arts prize from the defence ministry.
He is an outspoken pro-war figure on social media, with around 300,000 subscribers each to his Telegram and YouTube channels.
For years, he has organised Russian proxy fighters in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, boasting in a 2019 YouTube interview that his unit “killed people in big numbers”. The extent of his direct combat involvement is not clear.
Mr Prilepin has been politically active as the co-chair of the “A Just Russia - For Truth” party. Last year he took a prominent role in creating GRAD, a parliamentary group that seeks to identify cultural figures with “anti-Russian” views and persuade the state and business to stop funding them. GRAD’s initials stand for “Group to investigate anti-Russian activity in the cultural sphere.” Grad is also the Russian word for “hail”, and the name of a missile system.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine last February, he has been sanctioned by Switzerland, Britain, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the European Union
Watch: Moment malfunctioning Ukrainian drone shot down over Kyiv
Saturday 6 May 2023 19:00 , Martha Mchardy
