Ukraine-Russia war – live: UN warnings over Zaporizhzhia nuclear station as Putin officials begin evacuations
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The UN has said the situation around the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear station has become “potentially dangerous” as Moscow-installed officials began evacuating people from nearby areas.
The head of the UN’s nuclear power watchdog called for measures to ensure the safe operation of Europe’s largest nuclear plant as evacuations were underway in the nearby town of Enerhodar.
Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said on the agency’s website: “The general situation in the area near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is becoming increasingly unpredictable and potentially dangerous.
"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."
Grossi said that while the operating staff of the plant remains at the site, the conditions for the personnel and their families are "increasingly tense".
While the reports could not be independently verified, the Russian-installed governor of the Moscow-controlled part of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region said on Friday that he had ordered the evacuation of villages close to the front line as shelling had intensified in the area in recent days.
Key Points
UN nuclear watchdog warns of new dangers around Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant
Kyiv claims to have downed powerful hypersonic missile for first time
Ukraine says Wagner group preparing for final Bakhmut push
Russian mercenary chief Prigozhin says his forces will leave Bakhmut next week
Moscow’s Victory Day celebration to be muted, British intelligence says
Kherson prepares for curfew after Russian bomb attacks
Gas pipeline, power lines damaged in Ukraine attacks on Russia's Belgorod - governor
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
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
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
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
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?
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
Six Ukrainian explosives experts killed in shelling
Saturday 6 May 2023 18:47 , Martha Mchardy
Russian shelling killed six Ukrainian explosives experts engaged in demining operations in the southern Kherson region, the Ukrainian emergency services said on Saturday.
The emergency services, in a report on Telegram, said two other members of the demining team were injured, along with a female nurse, and were being treated in hospital.
In pictures: Zelensky attends Infantry Day ceremony in Kyiv
Saturday 6 May 2023 18:30 , Martha Mchardy
Pictures show damage after car bomb wounds Russian pro-war writer and kills driver
Saturday 6 May 2023 18:01 , Martha Mchardy
Wagner paramilitary leader says he will hand over Bakhmut positions to Chechen leader’s forces after withdrawal
Saturday 6 May 2023 18:00 , Martha Mchardy
Head of the private Russian military company Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has claimed that he will hand over Bakhmut positions to the Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov’s forces on May 10.
In a statement posted on the Telegram app on Saturday, Prigozhin said: “I thank Ramzan Akhmatovich for agreeing to take our positions in Bakhmut and having, most likely, the opportunity to obtain everything necessary and all the needed resources.
“I am already contacting his representatives in order to start transferring positions immediately, so that on May 10, at 00.00, exactly at the moment when, according to our calculations, we will completely exhaust our combat potential, our comrades will take our places and continue the assault of Bakhmut.”
It comes after 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.
45 prisoners of war returned to Ukraine - presidential office
Saturday 6 May 2023 17:24 , Martha Mchardy
Forty-five prisoner’s of war have returned to Ukraine, the head of Ukraine’s presidential office, Andriy Yermak said on Saturday.
In a message posted on the Telegram app, Mr Yermak said: “Great news today. We are returning home 45 our people. 42 men and 3 women defenders of Azovstal.”
Mr Yermak’s message confirmed 35 privates and sergeants, plus 10 officers had been released, including those who defended the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol.
The message did not include details about how Ukraine secured the prisoners’ release.
Suspect arrested after car bomb wounds Russian pro-war writer and kills driver
Saturday 6 May 2023 16:52 , Martha Mchardy
A suspect has been arrested after a car bomb wounded a prominent Russian nationalist writer, Zakhar Prilepin and killed his driver on Saturday, the Russian interior ministry has said.
The state Investigative Committee said the writer’s Audi Q7 was blown up in a village in the Nizny Novgorod region, about 400 km (250 miles) east of Moscow, which it was treating as an act of terrorism. It said Prilepin had been taken to hospital.
Russia has blamed the attack on Ukraine and the West.
State news agency TASS quoted security sources as saying 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.
Mr Prilepin is the third prominent pro-war figure to be targeted by a bomb since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of its neighbour in February 2022.
Russia has blamed Ukraine for the deaths of journalist Darya Dugina and war blogger Vladlen Tatarsky in the two previous attacks, and Kyiv has denied involvement.
Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak posted a cryptic comment on Twitter about Saturday’s incident, appearing to suggest it was the result of Russian infighting.
Ukraine hails return of 45 Azov fighters as Russia says 3 pilots released
Saturday 6 May 2023 16:11 , Martha Mchardy
Ukraine hailed the return of 45 Azov battalion fighters captured during the battle for Mariupol while Russia said three of its pilots had been released by Kyiv, but neither side gave a full account of the apparent prisoner swap.
The freed Ukrainian prisoners included 42 men and three women from the Azov battalion, said Andriy Yermak, the head of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s office.
Azov battalion fighters, who did much of the fighting in the failed defence of the port city of Mariupol, have been lionized as heroes by many Ukrainians but are widely vilified in Russia.
“Excellent news on this sunny day. We are returning home 45 of our people. Thirty-five privates and sergeants, 10 officers,” Yermak said on the telegram app in a post that did not mention the release of Russian prisoners.
The Russian Defence Ministry said in a statement that three pilots had been returned and were being provided with medical and psychological assistance.
“As a result of a difficult negotiation process, three Russian pilots of the Russian Aerospace Forces, who had been in mortal danger while in captivity, were returned from Kyiv-controlled territory,” said the statement, which did not mention the 45 Ukrainian prisoners. There were no reports on Russian state media of additional Russian prisoner releases.
Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, which coordinates prisoner exchanges with Russia, did not immediately respond to a request for more details.
Moscow and Kyiv have agreed on a number of prisoner exchanges since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February last year.
Russia says it launched its “special military operation” to counter a threat from Kyiv’s relations with the West, while Ukraine and its Western partners say it was an unprovoked land grab.
Saturday 6 May 2023 15:00 , Katy Clifton
Russia is still not satisfied with how the issue of Russian agricultural exports as part of the Black Sea grain deal is being resolved, TASS news agency quoted deputy foreign minister Sergei Vershinin as saying after the latest talks with a top UN official.
“We are still not satisfied with the progress. This is very important for us,” Mr Vershinin said.
He was speaking after talks in Moscow with the United Nations’ top trade official Rebeca Grynspan, TASS said.
Earlier today, Kremlin said that president Vladimir Putin had not yet responded to proposals from United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on how to extend and improve the deal, which allows the safe Black Sea export of Ukrainian grain.
Afternoon recap
Saturday 6 May 2023 14:15 , Matt Mathers
Wagner Group
Russia’s main mercenary group announced plans on Friday to withdraw from the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, but Ukraine said the fighters were reinforcing positions to try to seize it before Russia marks World War Two Victory Day next week.
Wagner Group boss Yevgeny Prigozhin published an expletive-ridden video on Friday personally blaming top defence chiefs for losses suffered by his fighters.
Prigozhin’s extraordinary announcement looks like an exercise in blame avoidance and disinformation, Russia specialists and military analysts say.
Russia says it struck 170 targets in last 24 hours in 150 locations
Saturday 6 May 2023 13:57 , Chris Stevenson
Russia’s defence ministry spokesperson said its forces have launched artillery strikes at 170 enemy targets in the past 24 hours across 150 locations, reported Sputnik News.
“In the Krasny Liman direction, units of the ‘Tsentr’ Group of Forces inflicted fire damage on more than 170 targets within one day, including with the use of over 150 artillery units in areas where enemy manpower and firepower were concentrated,” the spokesperson said.
It said that 20 artillery positions and more than 10 mortar crews were discovered and neutralised.
The strikes also destroyed High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS)-type rockets, Russia claimed
Zelensky to address Switzerland’s parliament
Saturday 6 May 2023 13:30 , Shweta Sharma
Switzerland’s parliament has approved a request from Ukrainian authorities for president Volodymyr Zelensky to address it.
The invitation, confirmed in a statement late on Friday, comes amid pressure on Switzerland’s government to break with a centuries-old tradition of neutrality and end a ban of exports of Swiss weapons to conflict zones such as Ukraine.
So far, the government has refused to change this policy.
The subject of Mr Zelensky’s address, which will the first by video by a foreign leader to the legislature, is unknown. It is scheduled for the summer session beginning on 30 May.
During that session, lawmakers are also set to weigh a motion to provide 5bn Swiss Francs ($5.6bn) of support to Ukraine over 5-10 years.
Russian nationalist writer injured on car bombing blamed on Ukraine
Saturday 6 May 2023 13:00 , Shweta Sharma
One person died and a prominent Russian nationalist writer, Zakhar Prilepin, was injured in a car bombing on Saturday in east Moscow.
Russia has blamed Ukraine for the bombing in Nizny Novgorod region, about 400km (250 miles) east of Moscow.
Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova wrote on Telegram: “The fact has come true: Washington and Nato fed another international terrorist cell - the Kyiv regime.”
The interior ministry said that one person had been killed in the blast and the writer was wounded but conscious after the explosion, according to Tass.
Russia accused of using phosphorus munitions
Saturday 6 May 2023 12:31 , Chris Stevenson
Ukraine has accused Russia of using phosphorous munitions in its attempt to win control of the eastern city of Bakhmut.
Russian troops have been trying to take the city for more than nine months, but Ukrainian forces are clinging to positions on the western edge of the city.
On Saturday, the Ukrainska Pravda newspaper quoted military officials as saying that "the enemy used phosphorus and incendiary ammunition in Bakhmut in an attempt to wipe the city off the face of the Earth".
Russian forces have not commented on the claim but have rejected previous accusations by Ukraine that they used phosphorus.
International law prohibits the use of white phosphorus or other incendiary weapons in areas where there could be concentrations of civilians.
ICYM: Moscow’s Victory Day celebration to be muted after Kremlin strike, British intelligence says
Saturday 6 May 2023 12:00 , Shweta Sharma
Russia will skip Vladimir Putin’s Victory Day reception following the annual parade, with celebrations of 9 May to be marked on a “smaller scale”, Britain’s defence ministry said in its daily intelligence update.
Russia has cancelled Victory Day parades in six Russian regions, including occupied Crimea and 21 cities, citing security concerns.
“Moscow’s Victory Day celebration is likely to go ahead but on a smaller scale. Russian president Vladimir Putin’s reception following the parade (last held in 2019) will not go ahead,” it said.
The defence ministry said that the drone strike on the Kremlin ahead of Victory Day “shows Russia’s increasing vulnerability to such attacks and has almost certainly raised the threat perception of the Russian leadership over the Victory Day events”.
It has also cancelled the traditional March of the Immortal Regiment, where family members display photographs of deceased veterans of the Second World War, associated with Victory Day.
“The potential for protests and discontent over the Ukraine war are also likely to have influenced the calculus of the Russian leadership,” the MoD concluded.
Funeral held in Ukraine for American man killed in action
Saturday 6 May 2023 11:45 , Chris Stevenson
Soldiers from the International Legion of Ukraine said farewell Friday to an American military veteran they served with, who was killed a month ago in the fierce struggle to prevent the eastern city of Bakhmut from falling into Russian hands.
In a funeral service at Kyiv‘s St. Michael’s Cathedral, Ukrainian regular army troops bore the Ukrainian-flag-draped coffin of Chris Campbell while about three dozen members of the International Legion looked on.
After folding the flag, they presented it to Ivanna Sanina, Campbell’s Ukrainian wife.
Funeral held in Ukraine for American man killed in action
ICYM: Wagner chief films dozens of his soldiers died in a day: ‘Where the f**k is ammunition'
Saturday 6 May 2023 11:30 , Shweta Sharma
Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin shared a video purporting to show dozens of his soldiers being killed in the past 24 hours as he abused the Russian defence leadership for not providing the private military group with ammunition.
The two-minute-long video shared on the press service channel of Prigozhin in the early hours of yesterday showed him standing next to three or four rows of dead mercenary forces as he abused defence minister Sergei Shoigu and Russian chief of staff Valery Gerasimov.
Several social media accounts shared the video in which Mr Prigozhin is heard shouting: “Shoigu, Gerasimov, where the f**k is ammunition”.
He is seen flashing a light on the deceased mercenary fighters who he claimed died in just a 24-hour span yesterday, blaming their deaths on Moscow for not giving ample ammunition.
Russia dropping phosphorus bombs on Bakhmut, Ukraine says
Saturday 6 May 2023 11:24 , Shweta Sharma
Ukraine has accused Russia of using phosphorus bombs in the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut.
The Ukrainian defence ministry released drone footage purportedly showing huge parts of a city on fire.
It said the blazes were caused by white phosphorus rain dropping down on the city, a weapon that leads to fast-spreading fires.
The use of white phosphorus is not in itself banned but dropping it in civilian areas amounts to a war crime.
In a tweet, the defence ministry said Russia’s phosphorus attack targeted “unoccupied areas of Bakhmut with incendiary ammunition”.
Not enough shells, but more than enough phosphorus.
Ruscists are shelling unoccupied areas of Bakhmut with incendiary ammunition.
They will burn in Hell.
📷 @SOF_UKR pic.twitter.com/7oqNTumJ34— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) May 5, 2023
Kyiv says it has downed hypersonic missile
Saturday 6 May 2023 11:00 , Chris Stevenson
Ukraine's air force has claimed to have downed a Russian hypersonic missile over Kyiv – using Patriot defence systems recently acquired from Western allies.
It is the first known time the country has been able to intercept one of Moscow's most modern missiles.
Air force commander Mykola Oleshchuk said in a Telegram post that the Kinzhal-type ballistic missile was intercepted in an overnight attack on the Ukrainian capital earlier in the week.
It is also the first time Ukraine is known to have used the Patriot defence systems.
"Yes, we shot down the 'unique' Kinzhal," Mr Oleshchuk wrote. "It happened during the night-time attack on May 4 in the skies of the Kyiv region."
He said the Kh-47 missile was launched by a MiG-31K aircraft from Russian territory and was shot down with a Patriot missile.
The Kinzhal is one of the latest and most advanced Russian weapons. The Russian military says the air-launched ballistic missile has a range of up to 1,250 miles and flies at 10 times the speed of sound, making it hard to intercept.
A combination of hypersonic speed and a heavy warhead allows the Kinzhal to destroy heavily fortified targets like underground bunkers or mountain tunnels.
The Ukrainian military has previously admitted lacking assets to intercept the Kinzhals.
Kherson in photos as weekend curfew begins
Saturday 6 May 2023 10:30 , Shweta Sharma
Some residents left the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson in cars and buses on Friday, and others stocked up on groceries, before the start of an unusually long weekend curfew.
The announcement of the curfew, to last from Friday evening to Monday morning, has prompted speculation in Kherson that the city is about to be used as a launch point for Ukraine’s long-awaited counterattack.
Russian attacks kill 5 civilians in Donetsk Oblast over past 24 hours
Saturday 6 May 2023 10:00 , Shweta Sharma
At least five people have lost their lives and three were injured in attacks by the Russian army in Donetsk Oblast over the past 24 hours, governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said.
Five people were also injured in Sumy Oblast, where two guided bombs launched from theaRussian Su-35 jet struck the Hlukhiv community, Ukraine’s Northern Operational Command reported.
Curfew kicks off in Kherson as Kyiv prepares for counter-offensive
Saturday 6 May 2023 09:30 , Shweta Sharma
A weekend curfew beginning from Friday evening to Monday morning has prompted speculation in Kherson city that it could be used as a launch point for counter-attack.
Residents of the southern Ukrainian city left in cars and buses before the curfew began and others stocked up groceries.
Senol Gezer, a 56-year-old man originally from Turkey, said he and his wife were going to a hotel in nearby Odesa. “We are not afraid. We do not want to sit at home. We have time to leave,” he told Reuters.
“The authorities say they will clean up the collaborators (accused of cooperating with the Russians). But that is what the authorities are saying. I think something big is about to start soon. These are preparations for that, most likely.”
People will not be allowed to enter or exit the city during the curfew and residents have been asked to not go outside their homes.
Poland summons Russian ambassador over assassination comment
Saturday 6 May 2023 09:00 , Shweta Sharma
The Polish foreign ministry summoned the Russian ambassador in protest on Friday after a former Russian official suggested that it would be acceptable to assassinate Poland’s ambassador to Russia.
Pavel Astakhov, Russia’s children’s ombudsman from 2009 to 2016, spoke on a television programme hosted by Russian propagandist Vladimir Solovyov.
He was being interviewed after Polish authorities took over a school building in Warsaw on Saturday that was serving the children of Russian diplomats and the military.
Mr Astakhov argued that murdering an ambassador in retaliation “for unfriendly actions ... is within the framework of international law,” adding: “I was taught this well at the KGB school at the counterintelligence faculty.”
Poland’s foreign ministry said in a statement that it had summoned Mr Andreev and handed him a protest note about Mr Astakhov’s statement “calling for the murder of the ambassador of the Republic of Poland to Moscow”.
“The Polish side protested firmly against this situation and urged that criminal proceedings be instituted immediately and the perpetrator be punished without delay,” spokesman Lukasz Jasina said.
Firefighter who delivered life-saving equipment for Ukraine recalls ‘humbling’ experience
Saturday 6 May 2023 08:30 , Shweta Sharma
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.
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.
“It’s been a very humbling experience because knowing that the small difference we can make to help (firefighters in Ukraine) is really rewarding for us,” the 48-year-old from Monmonth told the PA News agency.
“It has been quite challenging - the logistics behind it in terms of keeping our team of over 80 people fed, watered, truck refuelled, and dealing with maintenance issues, but we’ve managed to overcome all of those.”
Mr Cleaves is part of the biggest party of the convoy with 24 drivers from South Wales Fire and Rescue Service.
“On behalf of the convoy, everyone is very humbled and overwhelmed by the whole experience and I’m proud to be part of this small aid effort in helping Ukrainian firefighters.”
Moscow’s Victory Day celebration to be muted after Kremlin strike, British intelligence says
Saturday 6 May 2023 08:28 , Shweta Sharma
Russia will skip Vladimir Putin’s Victory Day reception following the annual parade, with celebrations of 9 May to be marked on a “smaller scale”, Britain’s defence ministry said in its daily intelligence update.
Russia has cancelled Victory Day parades in six Russian regions, including occupied Crimea and 21 cities, citing security concerns.
“Moscow’s Victory Day celebration is likely to go ahead but on a smaller scale. Russian president Vladimir Putin’s reception following the parade (last held in 2019) will not go ahead,” it said.
The defence ministry said that the drone strike on the Kremlin ahead of Victory Day “shows Russia’s increasing vulnerability to such attacks and has almost certainly raised the threat perception of the Russian leadership over the Victory Day events”.
It has also cancelled the traditional March of the Immortal Regiment, where family members display photographs of deceased veterans of the Second World War, associated with Victory Day.
“The potential for protests and discontent over the Ukraine war are also likely to have influenced the calculus of the Russian leadership,” the MoD concluded.
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 6 May 2023.
Find out more about Defence Intelligence's use of language: https://t.co/7fNDKdzCOF
🇺🇦 #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/lsD4aRxEH2— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) May 6, 2023
Don’t expect an end to sabotage and retribution during the war in Ukraine
Saturday 6 May 2023 08:00 , Shweta Sharma
Ukraine’s “attempt to assassinate Vladimir Putin” in the early hours of Wednesday was followed by a barrage of Russian strikes on Thursday. Some of the missiles that landed in Odessa were inscribed “For the Kremlin” and “For Moscow”.
What unfolded was in line with the two opposing narratives from Moscow and Kyiv – that Ukraine tried to kill the Russian president in the Kremlin using drones; or that it was a false flag operation by the Russians to justify another round of assaults on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.
Russia has accused the US of being the real architect of the Moscow raid. Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesperson, said: “We are well aware that decisions on such actions, on such terrorist attacks, are not made in Kyiv, but in Washington, and Kyiv is doing what it is told to do. It is very important that in Washington they understand that we know this, and understand how dangerous such direct participation in the conflict is.”
The Independent’s Kim Sengupta writes.
Don’t expect an end to sabotage and retribution during the Ukraine war | Kim Sengupta
China ready for ‘political resolution of the Ukrainian crisis’ jointly with Russia
Saturday 6 May 2023 07:30 , Shweta Sharma
China is ready to assist and “promote peace talks” in the Ukraine-Russia conflict, Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang said following bilateral talks with his Russian counterpart in India.
The two met on the sidelines of the SCO summit in India’s coastal city of Goa.
“China will persistently assist and promote peace talks. We are ready to make a practical contribution into the political resolution of the Ukrainian crisis through contacts and coordination with Russia,” a statement by the Chinese defence ministry quoting Mr Gang said.
“China and Russia have been maintaining active contacts at all levels, promoting cooperation in all directions,” he added.
The two sides hailed their growing closer relationship and Beijing said it is ready to “intensify strategic contacts with Russia, to strengthen and deepen cooperation in all areas.”
Zelensky says world has ‘historic responsibility’ to prosecute Putin for war crimes
Saturday 6 May 2023 07:00 , Shweta Sharma
Vladimir Putin has to face justice for war crimes in Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky has declared during a visit to The Hague – the home of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
“We all want to see a different Vladimir here in The Hague, the one who deserves to be sanctioned for his criminal actions here, in the capital of international law,” the Ukrainian president said, referring to the Russian leader. “The aggressor must feel the full power of justice. This is our historical responsibility.” Mr Zelensky added that he was sure “we will see that happen when we win... and we will win”.
In March, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Mr Putin over the suspected deportation of children from Ukraine, which is a war crime. Russia, not a member of the ICC, has called the charges meaningless but the warrant does make Mr Putin’s foreign trips more difficult – with nations signed up to the court obliged to obey.
Zelensky says it is a ‘historic responsibility’ to prosecute Putin for war crimes
Ukraine says Wagner group reinforcing to seize Bakhmut before Victory Day after withdrawal claims
Saturday 6 May 2023 06:30 , Shweta Sharma
Ukraine has suggested that Wagner Group’s warning to withdraw troops from the eastern city of Bakhmut over a lack of military support from Moscow could be a smokescreen for redeployment.
Ukrainian deputy defence minister Hanna Maliar said that Russia is trying “with all its might” to capture Bakhmut by 9 May when it will hold a Victory Day parade in the Red Square of Moscow.
She said Russia’s Wagner Group mercenaries are being reinforced and replaced with paratrooper assault units.
She claimed that Wagner ammunition storage facilities were destroyed in Ukrainian artillery fire.
Russia’s deportation of Ukrainian children ‘may amount to crime against humanity’: OSCE
Saturday 6 May 2023 06:00 , Shweta Sharma
The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) says that the mass deportation of Ukrainian children in Russian-occupied territory would amount to a crime against humanity.
“The Mission concluded that numerous and overlapping violations of the rights of the children deported to the Russian Federation have taken place.” the report said.
“Not only has the Russian Federation manifestly violated the best interests of these children repeatedly, it has also denied their right to identity, their right to family, their right to unite with their family,” it added.
More than 19,000 children have been taken to Russia, according to Ukrainian national database, as thousands remain unaccounted for. So far 364 Ukrainian children were able to return to their homes after being forcibly relocated by Russia, it said.
The 90-page report also said Moscow “violated their rights to education, access to information, right to rest, leisure, play, recreation and participation in cultural life and arts as well as right to thought, conscience, and religion, right to health, and the right to liberty and security.”
Lavrov says Russia will respond to drone attack with ‘concrete actions'
Saturday 6 May 2023 05:30 , Shweta Sharma
Addressing a group of reporters in India, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said they will respond to the alleged Ukrainian drone strike on the Kremlin with “concrete actions”.
“It was clearly a hostile act, it is clear that the Kyiv terrorists could not have committed it without the knowledge of their masters,” Mr Lavrov told a press conference in India.
“We will not respond by talking about ‘casus belli’ or not, we will respond with concrete actions,” he said.
Mr Lavrov arrived in the coastal state of Goa on Thursday to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Summit which was chaired by India.
According to Tass, he said SCO colleagues condemned the attack and said it is now impossible to resolve the Ukrainian issue by “freezing” the line of engagement in Donbas.
Engineers reduce risk of dam bursting near Russian-held Ukraine nuclear plant
Saturday 6 May 2023 05:00 , Shweta Sharma
Engineers have reduced the risk of a dam bursting and damaging the large Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station in Ukraine, a senior Russian official was quoted as saying by Tass news agency on Friday.
Renat Karchaa, an adviser to the general director of the energy engineering firm Rosenergoatom, said specialists had begun discharging water from the Kakhovka hydroelectric dam on the Dnipro River in southern Ukraine.
“As we anticipated, a technical solution to the problem has been found,” Mr Karchaa told Tass, quoting regional officials in Kherson region, where the dam is located.
“A gate of the Kakhovka hydropower plant has been opened and repair works have begun at the Kakhovka canal. Pumps and pipes are being repaired. Water is being discharged. The risks of flooding have reduced considerably.”
The risk would be eliminated once water levels returned to normal, Mr Karchaa said.
He had earlier told Tass that a possible breach of the dam owing to high water levels could flood the cable line for the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant further east and cause nuclear safety risks. Nearby towns could also be affected.
Ukraine’s prosecutor general records 84,500 Russian war crimes
Saturday 6 May 2023 04:30 , Shweta Sharma
Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office said it has recorded over 84,500 Russian war crimes in Ukraine since the war began.
Russian forces have committed 84,764 war crimes and crimes of aggression in Ukraine since launching the invasion of the country, it added.
It said it has already analyzed more than 7,000 photo and video files and identified around 150 individuals involved in these crimes.
Ukrainian PM thank King Charles for ‘unwavering support’ on eve of coronation
Saturday 6 May 2023 03:54 , Shweta Sharma
Ukraine’s first lady Olena Zelenska and prime minister Denys Shmyhal who arrived in England for the coronation thanked the King for his solidarity with the country.
The pair was hosted by King Charles and other royals along with other heads of state from around the world at a Buckingham Palace reception on the eve of the coronation.
King Charles offered Ukraine his "unwavering support" when he met Ukrainian leaders.
Mr Shmyhal said on Twitter: "It is a special honour to attend the reception of His Majesty King Charles III ahead of coronation.
"We received assurances from His Majesty that (Ukrainian) people will have unwavering support until the final victory. Grateful for the solidarity."
In March, King Charles visited Berlin where he met with Ukrainians who had been forced to flee the country.
He told them "I’m praying for you" after condemning the "unimaginable suffering" caused by Russian president Vladimir Putin’s invasion of their homeland.
Russia's Wagner boss threatens Bakhmut pullout in Ukraine
Saturday 6 May 2023 03:30 , Eleanor Noyce
In case you missed it...
The owner of Russia’s Wagner Group military contractor threatened Friday to pull his troops out of the protracted battle for the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut next week, accusing Russia’s military command of starving his forces of ammunition and causing them heavy losses.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, a notorious millionaire with longtime links to Russian President Vladimir Putin, claimed that Wagner had planned to capture Bakhmut by May 9. That day is a major Russian holiday marking the defeat of the Nazi Germany in World War II.
But, Prigozhin said, his force hasn’t received enough artillery ammunition supplies from the Russian military since Monday. Known for his bluster, Prigozhin has previously made unverifiable claims and made threats he hasn’t carried out.
“Wagner ran out of resources to advance in early April, but we’re advancing despite the fact that the enemy’s resources outnumber ours fivefold,” Prigozhin’s statement said. “Because of the lack of ammunition, our losses are growing exponentially every day.”
The Wagner Group has spearheaded the struggle for control of Bakhmut, which is the longest — and likely bloodiest — battle of the war. The more than eight months of fighting there is believed to have cost thousands of lives, though neither side is saying how many.
David Rising reports:
Russia's Wagner boss threatens Bakhmut pullout in Ukraine
Ukrainian MP punches Russian delegate in Turkey after scuffle over flag
Saturday 6 May 2023 02:30 , Eleanor Noyce
In case you missed it...
A Ukrainian leader assaulted a Russian delegate who ripped Ukraine’s national flag out of his hands during a summit in Ankara on Thursday, according to reports.
Ukrainian leader Oleksandr Marikovski was seen unfurling the national flag of his country as Russian delegate Olga Timofeeva was being interviewed.
On seeing this, the Russian team member Valery Stavitsky was seen approaching Mr Marikovski and ripping the flag out of his hands.
The two delegates had gathered at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation.
As the Russian delegate walked away, the Ukrainian MP charged at him and landed a couple of blows as other people present at the venue tried to intervene.
Read more:
Ukrainian MP hits Russian delegate who pulled down Ukraine flag in Ankara
Why did Russia invade Ukraine?
Saturday 6 May 2023 01:30 , Eleanor Noyce
Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine has been raging for one year now as the conflict continues to record devastating casualties and force the mass displacement of millions of blameless Ukrainians.
Vladimir Putin began the war by claiming Russia’s neighbour needed to be “demilitarised and de-Nazified”, a baseless pretext on which to launch a landgrab against an independent state that happens to have a Jewish president in Volodymyr Zelensky.
Ukraine has fought back courageously against Mr Putin’s warped bid to restore territory lost to Moscow with the collapse of the Soviet Union and has continued to defy the odds by defending itself against Russian onslaughts with the help of Western military aid.
Battle tanks from the US, Britain and Germany are now being supplied for the first time and Mr Zelensky toured London, Paris and Brussels in early February 2023 to request fighter jets be sent as well in order to counter the Russian aerial threat, a step the allies appear to have reservations about making, although Joe Biden has since visited Kyiv in a gesture of solidarity.
Read more:
Here’s why Putin really invaded Ukraine
Ukraine war ‘a warning shot’ for possible future energy shortages
Saturday 6 May 2023 00:30 , Eleanor Noyce
The war in Ukraine is a “warning shot” for the possibility of a future with energy shortages, the new chair of the Commons Energy Security and Net Zero Committee has said.
SNP MP Angus MacNeil has been elected as chairman of the cross-party committee of MPs tasked with scrutinising the work of the new Government department of the same name.
Speaking to the PA news agency, Mr MacNeil was critical of what he described as a lack of investment in energy security during the austerity agenda, followed by a lack of focus during the years of Brexit wrangling, and highlighted the importance of renewable energy for future supplies.
Ben Hatton reports:
Ukraine war ‘a warning shot’ for possible future energy shortages
ICYMI: Funeral held in Ukraine for American man killed in action
Friday 5 May 2023 23:30 , Eleanor Noyce
Soldiers from the International Legion of Ukraine said farewell Friday to an American military veteran they served with, who was killed a month ago in the fierce struggle to prevent the eastern city of Bakhmut from falling into Russian hands.
In a funeral service at Kyiv‘s St. Michael’s Cathedral, Ukrainian regular army troops bore the Ukrainian-flag-draped coffin of Chris Campbell while about three dozen members of the International Legion looked on.
After folding the flag, they presented it to Ivanna Sanina, Campbell’s Ukrainian wife.
The Florida native is one of least nine Americans now known to have been killed in fighting in Ukraine, including another last month in Bakhmut. Two Canadian volunteers were also killed there April 26 after Russian artillery hit their position.
The struggle for Bakhmut, located about 55 kilometres (34 miles) north of the Russian-held regional capital of Donetsk, has been one of the bloodiest of the war. It has now been going on for more than eight months.
Nicolae Dumitrache reports:
Funeral held in Ukraine for American man killed in action
Zelensky says world has ‘historic responsibility’ to prosecute Putin for war crimes
Friday 5 May 2023 22:30 , Eleanor Noyce
Vladimir Putin has to face justice for war crimes in Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky has declared during a visit to The Hague – the home of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
“We all want to see a different Vladimir here in The Hague, the one who deserves to be sanctioned for his criminal actions here, in the capital of international law,” the Ukrainian president said, referring to the Russian leader. “The aggressor must feel the full power of justice. This is our historical responsibility.” Mr Zelensky added that he was sure “we will see that happen when we win... and we will win”.
In March, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Mr Putin over the suspected deportation of children from Ukraine, which is a war crime. Russia, not a member of the ICC, has called the charges meaningless but the warrant does make Mr Putin’s foreign trips more difficult – with nations signed up to the court obliged to obey.
My colleague Chris Stevenson reports:
Zelensky says it is a ‘historic responsibility’ to prosecute Putin for war crimes
King Charles hosts overseas Heads of States - including Ukraine - at Buckingham Palace on coronation eve
Friday 5 May 2023 21:59 , Eleanor Noyce
The King has hosted heads of state from around the world at a Buckingham Palace reception on the eve of the coronation.
The Prince and Princess of Wales, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, the Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence also greeted their overseas guests at the event.
Completing the royal contingent were the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and the Duke of Kent.
The event was the last of several engagements by the royals on Friday.
Among the guests was First Lady of the United States, Jill Biden, who was seen speaking animatedly with Kate.
Meanwhile, Charles was photographed sharing warm words with the First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska, and greeting Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark, with a handshake and a kiss on the cheek.
Other dignitaries at the event included King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain, the President of Israel Isaac Herzog and his wife Michal, and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.
US to send $500 million worth of weapons to Taiwan using same emergency authority as for Ukraine, source says
Friday 5 May 2023 21:30 , Eleanor Noyce
U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration plans to send $500 million worth of weapons aid to Taiwan using the same emergency authority that has been used more than 35 times for Ukraine, a source familiar with the plan said on Friday.
As a part of the 2023 budget, Congress authorised up to $1 billion worth of weapons aid for Taiwan using Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA), a type of authority that expedites security assistance and has helped to send arms to Ukraine.
This drawdown, which authorises the president to transfer articles and services from U.S. stockpiles without congressional approval during an emergency, would be the first from that $1 billion authorisation.
China views democratically-governed Taiwan as its own territory and has increased military pressure on the island over the past three years. It has never renounced the use of force to bring the island under its control.
Black Sea grain deal: No new ships authorised on Friday
Friday 5 May 2023 21:00 , Eleanor Noyce
Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the United Nations on Friday failed to authorise any new ships under a deal allowing safe Black Sea exports of Ukraine grain, which Moscow has threatened to quit on May 18 over obstacles to its own grain and fertiliser exports.
Daily inspections of previously authorised ships continue, deputy U.N. spokesperson Farhan Haq told reporters. Officials from the four parties make up a Joint Coordination Centre (JCC) in Istanbul, which implements the Black Sea deal agreed in July.
In an excerpt of a letter seen by Reuters, Russia told its JCC counterparts last month it will not approve any new vessels to take part unless their operators guarantee the transits will be done by May 18 - “the expected date of ... closure.”
Ukraine has been putting forward daily a list of ships to be authorized. Once approved those ships are then inspected by the JCC officials near Turkey before travelling to a Ukrainian Black Sea port via a maritime humanitarian corridor to collect their cargo and return to Turkish waters for a final inspection.
According to JCC data, there is currently one ship authorised for inbound inspection and 25 ships awaiting an outbound inspection - all in Turkish waters; there are 13 ships in Ukrainian ports and there are 5 ships in transit toward Ukraine and 2 vessels in transit heading back to Turkey.
There are eight vessels seeking authorization from the JCC, according to the Ukrainian sea ports website.
The United Nations and Turkey brokered the Black Sea grain export deal to help tackle a global food crisis that has been worsened by Moscow’s war in Ukraine. At the same time, Russia accepted a three-year deal in which the U.N. agreed to help try and remove any obstacles to its grain and fertiliser exports.
While those Russian exports are not subject to Western sanctions imposed following the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Moscow says restrictions on payments, logistics and insurance are a barrier to shipments.
Firefighter tells of ‘humbling experience’ delivering equipment for Ukraine
Friday 5 May 2023 20:28 , Eleanor Noyce
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.
“It’s been a very humbling experience because knowing that the small difference we can make to help (firefighters in Ukraine) is really rewarding for us,” the 48-year-old from Monmonth told the PA News agency.
“It has been quite challenging - the logistics behind it in terms of keeping our team of over 80 people fed, watered, truck refuelled, and dealing with maintenance issues, but we’ve managed to overcome all of those.”
Read more:
Firefighter tells of ‘humbling experience’ delivering equipment for Ukraine
Poland summons Russian ambassador over assassination comment
Friday 5 May 2023 20:00 , Eleanor Noyce
The Polish Foreign Ministry summoned the Russian ambassador in protest Friday after a former Russian official suggested that it would be acceptable to assassinate Poland’s ambassador to Russia.
Pavel Astakhov, Russia’s children’s ombudsman from 2009 to 2016, spoke on a television program hosted by Russian propagandist Vladimir Solovyov. He was being interviewed after Polish authorities took over a school building in Warsaw on Saturday that was serving the children of Russian diplomats and the military.
Astakhov argued that murdering an ambassador in retaliation “for unfriendly actions ... is within the framework of international law,” adding: “I was taught this well at the KGB school at the counterintelligence faculty.”
That school takeover was the latest of several incidents which have added to tensions between Russia and Poland, an ally of Kyiv which has been supplying Ukraine’s military with weapons.
In the interview with Solovyov, Astakhov referred to Poland’s seizure of other properties, its freezing of Russian bank accounts, and an incident last year in which an activist in Warsaw doused the Russian ambassador to Poland, Sergey Andreev, with a red liquid. Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau at the time strongly condemned that incident, calling it “highly deplorable.”
Vanessa Gera reports:
Poland summons Russian ambassador over assassination comment
Wagner withdrawal from Bakhmut ‘hysterical’, says Yuriy Sak
Friday 5 May 2023 19:35 , Eleanor Noyce
Our Chief International Correspondent, Bel Trew, has heard from Yuriy Sak – an advisor to Ukraine’s defence minister. He called Mr Prigozhin’s statement about the Wagner withdrawal from Bakhmut “hysterical”.
“In one way it didn’t come as a surprise. [Prigozhin] has been complaining about the lack of ammunition for quite some time now”, the official said.
“What is quite extraordinary and is quite unprecedented is the format with which he made this most recent statement – it is hysterical. I am not sure what he is playing at.
“Maybe it has become clear that they will not be able to take Bakhmut and that is why he is already trying to explain it: if they fail they will have failed because of a lack of ammunition.”
He added: “But despite the statement, Wagner continues to pound Bakhmut today and has apparently sent some reinforcements there. For the time being it remains but a statement. What it really means we will have to see.”
Don’t expect an end to sabotage and retribution during the war in Ukraine, writes Kim Sengupta
Friday 5 May 2023 19:30 , Eleanor Noyce
Ukraine’s “attempt to assassinate Vladimir Putin” in the early hours of Wednesday was followed by a barrage of Russian strikes on Thursday. Some of the missiles that landed in Odessa were inscribed “For the Kremlin” and “For Moscow”.
What unfolded was in line with the two opposing narratives from Moscow and Kyiv – that Ukraine tried to kill the Russian president in the Kremlin using drones; or that it was a false flag operation by the Russians to justify another round of assaults on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.
Russia has accused the US of being the real architect of the Moscow raid. Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesperson, said: “We are well aware that decisions on such actions, on such terrorist attacks, are not made in Kyiv, but in Washington, and Kyiv is doing what it is told to do. It is very important that in Washington they understand that we know this, and understand how dangerous such direct participation in the conflict is.”
Alongside the fighting on the frontlines there have been clandestine campaigns against both infrastructure and people, writes Kim Sengupta:
Don’t expect an end to sabotage and retribution during the Ukraine war | Kim Sengupta
No new ships authorised on Friday for Ukraine grain Black Sea exports - UN
Friday 5 May 2023 19:00 , Eleanor Noyce
Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the United Nations failed to reach an agreement on Friday to authorise any new vessels to carry out Black Sea grain exports, deputy U.N. spokesperson Farhan Haq said.
Haq said daily inspections of previously authorised ships continued.
Why is Russia's Wagner threatening to withdraw from Bakhmut?
Friday 5 May 2023 18:30 , Eleanor Noyce
A threat by the leader of private Russian military company Wagner on Friday to withdraw his fighters from the battle to seize a city in eastern Ukraine is another episode in his dispute with Russia’s regular military over credit and tactics in the war.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, a millionaire with close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, has led the push to jump-start Russia’s stalemated offensive in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk province. He threatened to pull out his soldiers from the city of Bakhmut next week, citing high casualties and ammunition shortages.
Russia’s nine-month campaign to take Bakhmut has made the city the focus of the war’s longest battle. Ferocious house-to house fighting there has produced some of the bloodiest encounters since Russia sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022.
Here is a look at Wagner’s history and its role in the fighting:
Why is Russia's Wagner threatening to withdraw from Bakhmut?
In pictures: Kherson locals evacuate as Ukraine prepares for counter-offensive
Friday 5 May 2023 18:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Local residents are seen a during an evacuation effort at a bus station in the outskirts of Kherson ahead of a weekend curfew as Kyiv prepares for a counter-offensive against Russian forces.
Russian theatre director accused of 'justifying terrorism' remanded in custody
Friday 5 May 2023 17:50 , Eleanor Noyce
A prominent Russian theatre director was remanded in custody for two months on Friday after being accused of justifying terrorism with an award-winning play about Russian women who married Islamic State fighters, the state news agency TASS reported.
Investigators opened a case this week against Yevgenia (Zhenya) Berkovich and playwright Svetlana Petriychuk, alleging that Petriychuk’s “Finist, the Brave Falcon”, which premiered in 2020 under Berkovich’s direction, had broken the law.
Since Russia sent its armed forces into Ukraine last year, Moscow has intensified a clampdown on freedom of expression, and encouraged citizens to report anyone they suspect of demonstrating disloyalty.
“Finist, the Brave Falcon” won two “Golden Mask” national theatre awards last year, and Berkovich also received a nomination for best director.
The detention of the two women has drawn condemnation from several prominent Russian artists and cultural figures.
Journalist Ksenia Sobchak said the case against them showed “rampant ignorance”, and that the play in fact had an anti-terrorist message.
“The heroines leave their families, their universities, their jobs and go into hell to their new lovers, who promise them love and a happy life,” she wrote on her Telegram channel.
“There they first become semi-slaves in the militant units and then return to their homeland as prisoners. It’s clear that the production has an anti-terrorist message.”
Funeral held in Ukraine for American man killed in action
Friday 5 May 2023 17:20 , Eleanor Noyce
Soldiers from the International Legion of Ukraine said farewell Friday to an American military veteran they served with, who was killed a month ago in the fierce struggle to prevent the eastern city of Bakhmut from falling into Russian hands.
In a funeral service at Kyiv‘s St. Michael’s Cathedral, Ukrainian regular army troops bore the Ukrainian-flag-draped coffin of Chris Campbell while about three dozen members of the International Legion looked on.
After folding the flag, they presented it to Ivanna Sanina, Campbell’s Ukrainian wife.
The Florida native is one of least nine Americans now known to have been killed in fighting in Ukraine, including another last month in Bakhmut. Two Canadian volunteers were also killed there on April 26 after Russian artillery hit their position.
The struggle for Bakhmut, located about 55 kilometres (34 miles) north of the Russian-held regional capital of Donetsk, has been one of the bloodiest of the war. It has now been going on for more than eight months.
