Saturday, May 6

Russia’s war against Ukraine

Residential buildings stand damaged after night missile attack on May 5, 2023 in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine. (Photo by Elena Tita/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)

Defense Ministry: Russia trying ‘with all its might’ to seize Bakhmut by May 9. Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar wrote on May 5 that Russia is trying “with all its might” to capture Bakhmut by May 9.

Prigozhin: Wagner will leave Bakhmut on May 10 due to lack of ammunition. The Wagner mercenary group will leave Bakhmut on May 10 due to lack of ammunition, founder Yevgeny Prigozhin said in a video published online by his press service on May 5.

CNN: HIMARS become less effective in Ukraine due to Russia’s jamming. In recent months, Russia has been blocking the U.S.-provided High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) used by the Ukrainian army more frequently, making them less effective, CNN reported on May 5, citing people familiar with the matter.

Ukrenergo: Russian forces shell power station in Donetsk Oblast for more than 2 hours. Russian forces shelled a power station in Donetsk Oblast for more than two hours on the morning of May 5, Ukraine’s state energy operator Ukrenergo reported.

Ukraine’s Air Force denies ballistic missile shot down over Kyiv on May 4. Air Force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat told Suspilne media outlet on May 5 that ballistic missiles were not shot down or even detected over Kyiv’s airspace on May 4.

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Russian state media: Oil refinery in Krasnodar region targeted by drone attack again. An explosion at the Ilsky Oil Refinery in Russia’s Krasnodar Oblast was allegedly caused by a drone attack, Russian state media RIA Novosti reported on May 5.

UK Defense Ministry: Russia will ‘highly likely remain unable’ to protect railways from further sabotage. The rising number of sabotage acts inside Russia suggests that the country will “highly likely remain unable” to fully protect its rail networks against further incidents, the U.K. Defense Ministry wrote on May 5.

Russian proxies in Zaporizhzhia Oblast announce displacement of civilians from front-line settlements. Russian occupation authorities in Zaporizhzhia Oblast plan to move 70,000 residents deeper into the occupied territories, a top Moscow-installed proxy Andrey Kozenko told Russian state-owned news agency TASS on May 5.

OSCE report: Russia’s deportation of Ukrainian children ‘may amount’ to 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 Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) wrote in its report published on May 4.

President’s Office: 36 countries in Core Group on Special Tribunal for Russian crime of aggression. Ukraine’s Presidential Office deputy head Ihor Zhovkva said on May 5 that 36 countries had already joined the Core Group on the Special Tribunal for the Russian crime of aggression. “And this number literally grows every day, every week.”

Zelensky meets with Bahraini foreign minister. President Volodymyr Zelensky met with Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, the President’s Office reported on May 5.

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Ukraine war latest: Russia attempts to seize Bakhmut, as mercenary boss says Wagner to withdraw due to ammunition shortage.

Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said on May 5 that Russia is trying “with all its might” to seize Bakhmut in Donetsk Oblast by May 9, the day Russia celebrates victory over Nazi Germany.

Photo: Anatolii Stepanov/AFP via Getty Images

Human cost of war

City Council: Teenage girl injured by Russian shelling in Kramatorsk dies from her injuries. Yelyzaveta Nevara, a 16-year-old girl who was wounded by Russian shelling in Kramatorsk, Donetsk Oblast, on April 29, died from her injuries in the hospital, the Kramatorsk City Council reported on May 5.

Russian attacks kill 2 people in Donetsk Oblast over past 24 hours. Two people were killed and five were injured by Russian attacks in Donetsk Oblast over the past 24 hours, Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko reported on May 5.

Russia attacks Sumy Oblast with guided aerial bombs late on May 5, injuring 5. Two guided bombs launched from the Russian Su-35 jet struck the Hlukhiv community in Sumy Oblast, Ukraine’s Northern Operational Command reported.

Russian forces attack Kherson Oblast with guided bombs, 1 injured. Russian forces attacked Kherson Oblast on May 5 with guided bombs, the Kherson Oblast Military Administration reported.

Official: Russian troops hit Avdiivka, killing civilian. Russian forces struck an apartment building in Donetsk Oblast’s Avdiivka on May 5, killing a woman, the city’s military administration head Vitalii Barabash told Suspilne news outlet.

Russian attacks kill 5 civilians in Donetsk Oblast over past 24 hours. Five people were killed and three were wounded by Russian attacks in Donetsk Oblast over the past 24 hours, Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko reported on May 6.

4 civilians evacuated from Bakhmut, 1 killed by Russian fire. The National Police said Russia attacked the fleeing civilians, resulting in a woman being killed. The elderly woman was attempting to flee together with her son, who was also in the vehicle. He survived the attack.

Ukraine retrieves bodies of 80 fallen soldiers. The bodies of 80 fallen Ukrainian soldiers were transferred to Ukraine from the occupied territories, the Reintegration Ministry reported on May 5.

General Staff: Russia has lost 193,210 troops in Ukraine since Feb 24, 2022. The General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces reported on May 5 that Russia had lost 193,210 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24 last year. This number includes 620 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.

This Week in Ukraine Ep. 6 – Ukrainian grain exports,

and the mayhem they cause in Europe

International response

EU Council approves another billion euros to purchase ammunition for Ukraine. The European Council has approved allocating another billion euros ($1.12 billion) to implement the second phase of the EU plan to provide Ukraine with one million ammunition rounds.

NGO: First 3 of 16 crowdfunded air defense radars delivered by Lithuania to Ukraine. The first three of 16 air defense radars Lithuania crowdfunded for Ukraine have been delivered, the non-profit organization Blue/Yellow reported on May 4.

Sandu: “We are only safe today thanks to Ukraine”. In an interview with the Financial Times, Moldovan President Maia Sandu said that Russia might have sent its troops into Moldova if its full-scale invasion of Ukraine had gone as planned.

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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Toma Istomina, Kate Tsurkan, Oleksiy Sorokin, Dinara Khalilova, and Anastasiya Gordiychuk.

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