Ukraine-Russia news – latest: Wagner chief warns Putin his troops will leave Bakhmut next week

The head of Russia‘s Wagner mercenary group has warned Vladimir Putin he will be withdrawing his troops from the eastern city of Bakhmut over a lack of military support from Moscow.

The group founded by Yevgeny Prigozhin – a Putin ally – has been spearheading Russia’s attempt to capture the city in what has become the longest and bloodiest battle of Russia’s 14-month invasion.

However, on Friday he said: “I declare on behalf of the Wagner fighters, on behalf of the Wagner command, that on 10 May, we are obliged to transfer positions in the settlement of Bakhmut to units of the defence ministry and withdraw the remains of Wagner... to lick our wounds.

“I’m pulling Wagner units out of Bakhmut because in the absence of ammunition they’re doomed to perish senselessly.”

Earlier on Friday, Mr Prigozhin appeared in a video surrounded by dozens of corpses he said were Wagner fighters. He swore at Kremlin’s defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, and the chief of the general staff of the armed forces, Valery Gerasimov, blaming them for battlefield losses.

Key Points

• Russian mercenary chief Prigozhin says his forces will leave Bakhmut next week

• Ukraine delegate punches Russian at Black Sea nations assembly in Ankara

• Kyiv says destroyed own drone suffering from technical snag

• Wagner chief films dozens of his soldiers dead in a day: ‘Where the f**k is ammunition'

• Russia’s claims of US involvement in drone attack are false – White House

Russian mercenary chief Prigozhin says his forces will leave Bakhmut next week

09:38 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of Russia‘s Wagner Group mercenary force, said in a sudden and dramatic announcement on Friday that his forces would leave the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut that they have been trying to capture since last summer.

Prigozhin said they would leave on May 10 because of heavy losses and inadequate ammunition supplies.

“I declare on behalf of the Wagner fighters, on behalf of the Wagner command, that on May 10, 2023, we are obliged to transfer positions in the settlement of Bakhmut to units of the defence ministry and withdraw the remains of Wagner to logistics camps to lick our wounds,” Prigozhin said in a statement.

“I’m pulling Wagner units out of Bakhmut because in the absence of ammunition they’re doomed to perish senselessly.”

Wagner has been spearheading Russia‘s attempt to capture Bakhmut since last summer, in the longest and bloodiest battle of the war in Ukraine.

It was not clear if Prigozhin’s statement could be taken at face value, as he has frequently posted impulsive comments in the past. Only last week he withdrew one statement he said he had made as a “joke”.

His latest one followed an expletive-filled video published early on Friday in which Prigozhin, surrounded by dozens of corpses he said were Wagner fighters, yelled and swore at Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov. He said they were to blame for Wagner’s losses because they had starved it of ammunition.

Russian ambassador summoned to Polish foreign ministry

14:19 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russia‘s ambassador has been summoned to the Polish foreign ministry regarding a statement by the former ombudsman for children of Russia calling for the murder of the Polish ambassador, a Polish foreign ministry spokesman said on Friday.

“The Polish side expressed a firm protest regarding the situation and expectation of an immediate initiation of criminal proceedings and immediate punishment of the perpetrator,” Lukasz Jasina said on Twitter, referring to ex-ombudsman Pavel Astakhov.

Already hostile relations between Russia and Poland have worsened since the start of the war in Ukraine; Warsaw has positioned itself as one of Kyiv’s staunchest allies.

Kherson prepares for curfew after Russian bomb attacks

13:50 , Jane Dalton

Small buses and dozens of cars have left Kherson as the southern Ukrainian city prepared to start a 58-hour curfew following a spate of Russian attacks before a widely expected Ukrainian counter-offensive.

Kherson, which Ukraine recaptured from Russian troops last November after eight months of Russian occupation, is regularly bombarded from across the River Dnipro where Moscow’s forces control swaths of the Kherson region.

Two villages in the Ukrainian-controlled part of Kherson region were hit four times today by Russian guided bombs that destroyed a church building and damaged 20 homes, the regional administration said.

One person was also wounded, it said. On Wednesday, 23 people were killed by Russian shelling in the region, officials said.

Why did Russia invade Ukraine?

13:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

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.

Here’s why Putin really invaded Ukraine

Ukraine says Russia deploying Wagner fighters to Bakhmut from along front line

13:15 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

A senior Ukrainian official said on Friday Russia was bringing Wagner mercenary fighters from along the front line to Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, and that Moscow wanted to capture the city in time for May 9 celebrating Soviet Victory Day.

Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar made the comments on Ukrainian television.

Don’t expect an end to sabotage and retribution during the war in Ukraine

12:53 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Alongside the fighting on the frontlines there have been clandestine campaigns against both infrastructure and people, writes Kim Sengupta

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.”

Don’t expect an end to sabotage and retribution during the Ukraine war | Kim Sengupta

Shipments from Ukraine slowing as Black Sea grain deal deadline nears

12:35 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The pace of shipments from Ukraine under a U.N.-backed initiative has slowed as concerns grow over ships getting stuck if a deal is not renewed later this month, according to sources and data.

Russia, which is one of the key parties involved, said it will keep talking although Moscow has threatened to quit on May 18, which has created more uncertainty for traders and shipping companies trying to plan ahead.

Under the accord, Ukraine has been able to export some 29.5 million tonnes of agricultural products, including 14.9 million tonnes of corn and 8.1 million tonnes of wheat.

However, the number of ships coming in to pick up cargoes has dropped this week to two vessels a day from three to four ships on average daily in the past three weeks, data from the agreement’s joint coordination centre showed.

Danish shipping group NORDEN, which is active in transporting grains, is among companies not sending ships into the region.

“We are not participating in that trade at the moment ... It is a risky area - it is very hard to predict what will happen,” NORDEN’s Chief Executive Jan Rindbo told Reuters.

“Things can change quickly ... from the time you agree to go in and pick up a cargo and until the time the ship actually arrives.”

Every shipment takes on average at least nine days currently and involves sailing into one of three Ukrainian ports involved in the pact and undergoing required inspections.

Ukrainian MP punches Russian delegate in Turkey after scuffle over flag

11:54 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

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.

Ukrainian MP hits Russian delegate who pulled down Ukraine flag in Ankara

Russian ex-deputy defence minister joins Wagner as feud escalates - war bloggers

11:45 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Former Russian deputy defence minister Colonel General Mikhail Mizintsev has joined the Wagner Group private militia as a deputy commander, Russian pro-war social media channels reported on Thursday.

In two videos posted by war correspondent Alexander Simonov on Telegram, Mizintsev - clad in Wagner-branded combat gear - was shown visiting a training camp and touring Russian positions in the east Ukrainian town of Bakhmut.

The footage coincided with the release of two video statements by Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin, who furiously renewed long-standing accusations that the defence establishment was starving his forces of ammunition from jealousy of their success.

While Prigozhin has regularly accused the mainstream military including Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu of incompetence, he has singled out individual commanders for praise.

On April 29, Prigozhin’s press service said he had offered to take on Mizintsev, the day after his reported sacking by the Defence Ministry.

Mizintsev, who orchestrated the siege of the Ukrainian city of Mariupol in the early months of the war last year, had only been made deputy defence minister in charge of logistics and supplies last September.

Grey Zone, a strongly followed Telegram channel affiliated with Wagner, wrote that Mizintsev had become “not the first and obviously not the last general who was out of place amid the bureaucracy and sycophancy”.

The European Union imposed sanctions on Mizintsev in June, calling him the “Butcher of Mariupol” for his role in the siege, which devastated the city.

Prigozhin did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Russian Security Council likely to discuss Kremlin drone incident later on Friday

11:25 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russia‘s Security Council is likely to discuss later on Friday what the Kremlin has described as an attempted Ukrainian drone attack on President Vladimir Putin, a Kremlin spokesman said.

Kyiv has denied it was behind the incident, which took place in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Russia, which has also accused the United States of being behind the attack, something Washington has rejected, has said it reserves the right to retaliate.

‘Useless and unjustified losses,’ Wagner chief says as he announces withdrawal from Bakhmut

11:05 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Bakhmut, a town of 70,000 people before the start of the war, has taken on huge symbolic importance for both sides because of the sheer intensity and duration of the fighting there.

The Wagner withdrawal was announced in a statement addressed to the head of general staff, the defence ministry, and President Vladimir Putin as supreme commander.

It was accompanied by a video from Prigozhin in which he appeared in full combat gear in front of dozens of his fighters, an automatic rifle dangling from his shoulder.

“Because of the lack of ammunition, our losses are increasing exponentially every day,” the statement said.

“My lads will not suffer useless and unjustified losses in Bakhmut without ammunition,” Prigozhin added in the video.

“If, because of your petty jealousy, you do not want to give the Russian people the victory of taking Bakhmut, that’s your problem.”

The statement also asked Russia‘s Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov to replace Wagner forces in Bakhmut with Russian troops.

Russia’s Wagner chief says he is pulling his forces out of Bakhmut over row with Putin’s government

10:45 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The head of Russia‘s Wagner mercenary group has said he will be withdrawing his troops from the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut in a row over support from Vladimir Putin’s government.

The group founded by Yevgeny Prigozhin – a Putin ally – has been spearheading Russia’s attempt to capture Bakhmut since last summer, in the longest and bloodiest battle of the war in Ukraine.

“I declare on behalf of the Wagner fighters, on behalf of the Wagner command, that on 10 May, we are obliged to transfer positions in the settlement of Bakhmut to units of the defence ministry and withdraw the remains of Wagner to logistics camps to lick our wounds,” Mr Prigozhin said in a statement.

“I’m pulling Wagner units out of Bakhmut because in the absence of ammunition they’re doomed to perish senselessly.”

Chris Stevenson reports:

Russia’s Wagner chief says he is pulling his mercenary forces out of Bakhmut

Watch: Moment fist fight erupts between Russian and Ukrainian delegates in Turkey

10:25 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Dramatic footage captures the moment a Ukrainian delegate punched his Russian counterpart in the face during a meeting of Black Sea nations in Turkey on Thursday, 4 May.

The brawl broke out after MP Oleksandr Marikovski unfurled the Ukrainian flag behind Russian politician Olga Timofeeva, as she was being interviewed at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (PABSEC).

Earlier during the assembly, a scuffle broke out between Ukrainian and Russian delegations as Ukrainians tried to stage a protest next to Ms Timofeeva as she was due to speak.

Moment fist fight erupts between Russian and Ukrainian delegates in Turkey

Russia says high waters threaten dam near Ukrainian nuclear plant - Tass

10:05 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Record high water levels could overwhelm a major dam in southern Ukraine and damage parts of the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station, a Russian official told Tass agency on Thursday.

Renat Karchaa, an adviser to the general director of nuclear energy firm Rosenergoatom, said if the Nova Kakhovka dam did rupture, the power cable line for the Zaporizhzhia plant’s pumping stations would be flooded.

“This (would create) functional problems for the operation of the plant and risks for nuclear safety,” he told Tass.

Last November, after Russian forces withdrew from the nearby southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, satellite imagery showed significant new damage to the dam.

Both sides have accused each other of planning to breach the dam using explosives, which would flood much of the area downstream and would likely cause major destruction around Kherson.

Karchaa’s comments represent a significant contrast from those made in late March by Ukrainian officials, who said they feared the Zaporizhzhia facility could face a shortage of water to cool reactors by late summer because Russian forces had let water out of a reservoir that supplied the plant.

Russian troops took over the plant as they invaded parts of Ukraine last year. It is at the centre of a nuclear security crisis due to near-constant shelling in its vicinity which Kyiv and Moscow blame on each other.

Russia's Lavrov says Kremlin drone incident was 'hostile act'

09:45 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday that Wednesday’s drone incident at the Kremlin was a “hostile act” and Russia would respond with “concrete actions”.

Russia has accused Ukraine of firing drones at the Kremlin in an attempt to kill President Vladimir Putin, and said the United States was behind the purported attack. Ukraine has denied that, and the White House has dismissed Russian “lies”.

“It was clearly a hostile act, it is clear that the Kyiv terrorists could not have committed it without the knowledge of their masters,” 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.

“Casus belli” is a Latin term for an action that provides justification for war. Russia‘s war in Ukraine is now in its 15th month, though Moscow continues to describe it as a “special military operation”.

What’s the latest from the frontline?

09:25 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

* Ukrainian military command said in its Friday morning report that 18 out 24 drones launched by Russian forces had been shot down. It said the Russian military had launched 10 missile strikes on the cities of Kramatorsk and Zaporizhzhia, and also carried out 75 airstrikes and dozens of rocket attacks.

* Nearly 50 Russian attacks were repelled along the main sectors of the front line in eastern and southern Ukraine, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said Thursday evening. The heaviest fighting is still in Bakhmut and in Maryinka, further south in Donetsk region, it said.

* Reuters was not able to verify the battlefield accounts.

* Record high water levels could overwhelm a major dam in southern Ukraine and damage parts of the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station, a Russian official told TASS news agency.

Russia's Wagner chief Prigozhin says his forces will leave Bakhmut on May 10

09:06 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of Russia‘s Wagner Group mercenary force, said in a statement on Friday that his forces would leave Bakhmut on May 10.

More details to follow.

Surrounded by corpses, Wagner's Prigozhin blasts Russian defence minister in expletive-laden video

08:43 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Standing in a field of corpses, Russian mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin on Friday published an expletive-ridden video personally blaming top defence chiefs for losses suffered by his Wagner Group fighters in Ukraine.

Prigozhin’s tirade reignited and escalated a long-running feud with Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov, whom he has repeatedly accused of starving his forces of ammunition.

Prigozhin appeared next to dozens of bloodied corpses that he said were those of Wagner fighters. His expletives were bleeped out in the video published by his press service.

“We have a 70% shortage of ammunition. Shoigu! Gerasimov! Where is the ******* ammunition?” he yelled into the camera.

Those responsible would go to hell, Prigozhin shouted, before saying that Wagner’s losses would be five times smaller if it was adequately supplied.

“These are Wagner lads who died today. The blood is still fresh,” Prigozhin said, pointing to the corpses around him. “They came here as volunteers and they’re dying so you can get fat in your offices.”

Prigozhin, whose Wagner Group has spearheaded Russia‘s months-long assault on the east Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, began publicly feuding with defence chiefs last year, accusing them of incompetence, and of deliberately depriving Wagner of ammunition out of personal animosity towards him.

In recently weeks, Prigozhin had refrained from public attacks on Shoigu, even as he continued to suggest that deliberate ammunition shortages had exacerbated Wagner casualty figures.

Ukraine delegate punches Russian at Black Sea nations assembly in Ankara

07:51 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

A Ukrainian delegate punched a Russian delegate in the face during a gathering of Black Sea nations in the Turkish capital on Thursday, after his Ukrainian flag was snatched away to stop him photobombing a video interview with Russia‘s lead delegate.

Olesandr Marikovski posted a video of himself thumping the Russian and retrieving the blue and yellow flag on his Facebook page. The incident took place in a hallway of the parliament building, where the Organisation of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) assembly was being held.

Earlier in the day, some Ukrainian delegates scuffled with security officers who had tried to pull them away as they staged a protest, shouting and holding their flags next to Russia‘s lead delegate as she tried to address the assembly.

Pictures of the disturbance were posted by the Turkish parliament on its website, and Mustafa Sentop, the parliament’s head, issued a stiff rebuke.

“I condemn this behaviour that disrupts the peaceful environment that Turkey is trying to establish,” he said.

Ukrainian MP hits Russian leader in Turkey after scuffle over flag

06:54 , Arpan Rai

Ukrainian leader Oleksandr Marikovski struck a Russian delegation member in a physical altercation after the latter ripped Ukraine’s flag out of his hands at a summit in Turkey yesterday.

The widely circulated video on social media shows Mr Marikovski unfurling Ukraine’s national flag behind a member of the Russian delegation in the middle of her interview. On seeing this, the Russian team member Valery Stavitsky is seen approaching Mr Marikovski and ripping the flag out of his hands and damaging it.

As he walks away, the Ukrainian MP then charges at him and lands a couple of blows on Mr Stavitsky as other people present at the spot try to intervene in the altercation.

The Russian team member is then seen being taken away from the spot.

The leaders have gathered in Turkey for a Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (PABSEC).

China will promote peace talks on Ukraine crisis, says minister

06:31 , Arpan Rai

China will persist in promoting peace talks for the Ukraine crisis, and is “willing to maintain communication and coordination with Russia to make tangible contributions to the political settlement of the crisis”, China’s foreign minister Qin Gang said today.

The statement referred to Qin’s meeting with Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Goa, India.

Kyiv says destroyed own drone suffering from technical snag

05:20 , Arpan Rai

Ukrainian air force says destroyed one of its own drones seen flying over Kyiv after it suffered a likely technical snag.

“On 4 May at about 8pm during a planned flight in Kyiv region, control was lost over a Baykartar TV2 drone,” the air force said in a statement on Telegram.

“As the uncontrolled flight of the drone in skies over the capital could have led to undesirable consequences, the decision was taken to use mobile fire groups. The target - destroyed!”

High waters threaten dam near Ukrainian nuclear plant, says Russia

05:01 , Arpan Rai

Record high water levels could overwhelm a major dam in southern Ukraine and damage parts of the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station, a Russian official said.

If the Nova Kakhovka dam ruptures, the power cable line for the Zaporizhzhia plant’s pumping stations would be flooded, said Renat Karchaa, an adviser to the general director of nuclear energy firm Rosenergoatom.

“This (would create) functional problems for the operation of the plant and risks for nuclear safety,” he told Tass.

Last November, after Russian forces withdrew from the nearby southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, satellite imagery showed significant new damage to the dam.

Russian troops took over the nuclear facility shortly after they invaded parts of Ukraine last year.

Wagner chief films dozens of his soldiers dead in a day: ‘Where the f**k is ammunition'

04:13 , Arpan Rai

Wagner group’s chief Yevgeny Prigozhin shared a damning video of dozens of his soldiers killed in the past 24 hours as he abused the Russian defence leaders 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 today showed him standing next to 3-4 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 unlikely to face criticism at Central Asian meeting

03:30 , Martha Mchardy

Russia is unlikely to face backlash over its war in Ukraine at an upcoming meeting of Central Asian foreign ministers and instead could flex its influence with the regional group.

The meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization ministers on Friday in India’s picturesque state of Goa is the latest avenue for the host nation to burnish its geopolitical credentials as it seeks to cement itself as a consequential global player.

Read the full story:

Russia unlikely to face criticism at Central Asian meeting

Artists to Russia: ‘Our Fire is Stronger Than Your Bombs’

02:30 , Martha Mchardy

As Ukrainian artists Jenya Polosina and Anna Ivanenko watched missiles descend on their country, the two decided to use their creativity to push back against Russia‘s invasion. Working in the early days of the war from bunkers or sometimes without electricity and water in Kyiv, they and other artists started drawing.

Some of their war posters are now on display in New Hampshire. In the exhibit entitled “Our Fire is Stronger Than Your Bombs,” posters from Ivanenko show children studying in a bomb shelter and Ukrainians fleeing the country soon after the war started. Polosina’s drawings celebrate a female gymnast and a young mathematician who were killed in missile strikes.

Artists to Russia: ‘Our Fire is Stronger Than Your Bombs’

EU wants to ramp up ammunition production to help Ukraine

01:30 , Martha Mchardy

The European Union announced fresh plans to ramp up the large-scale production of ammunition, seeking to both benefit Ukraine while the country is at war with Russia and to improve the bloc’s geopolitical credentials.

Ukraine is poised to launch a planned spring counteroffensive to recover Russian-occupied territory, but the country has burned through ammunition at a furious rate, according to analysts. Western allies have provided ammunition, and the government in Kyiv has asked them to supply much more.

“Let’s give first, let’s deliver first, what Ukraine needs immediately. Because again, we know exactly what’s happening on the ground,” Thierry Breton, the EU’s internal market commissioner, said.

EU wants to ramp up ammunition production to help Ukraine

Convoy taking fire vehicles and life-saving kit to Ukraine leaves Liverpool

Friday 5 May 2023 00:30 , Martha Mchardy

A convoy taking UK fire and rescue vehicles and other life-saving equipment is on its way to Ukraine.

Fire minister Chris Philp said he was “immensely proud of our continued contributions”, which included 21 fire and rescue vehicles as well as a further 8,000 pieces of equipment, with the convoy expected to arrive in Poland on Friday.

The donations will be received by the head of Ukraine’s fire and rescue service and this shipment takes contributions by England and Wales’s fire services to support Ukraine to 86 fire and rescue vehicles and more than 100,000 items of equipment.

Convoy taking fire vehicles and life-saving kit to Ukraine leaves Liverpool

Trump claims he would end war in Ukraine in one day: ‘It would be easy’

Thursday 4 May 2023 23:30 , Martha Mchardy

Donald Trump has claimed he would end the Russia-Ukraine war in “one day” if he was president.

The former president described the situation as “a disaster” as he spoke to GB News in an interview aired on Wednesday evening (3 May).

“If I were president, and I say this, I will end that war in one day, it would take 24 hours,” Mr Trump said.

“I know [Volodymyr] Zelensky well, I know [Vladimir] Putin well. I would get that ended in a period of 24 hours. It would be easy, that deal would be easy.”

Trump claims he would end war in Ukraine in one day: ‘It would be easy’

What we know about the drone attack on Kremlin

Thursday 4 May 2023 22:30 , Martha Mchardy

Viral videos of two drones exploding over the Kremlin, the residence of the president in Moscow and symbol of Russian power, have set off a frenzied cycle of claims and counterclaims, with the suggestion that Ukraine attempted to assassinate Vladimir Putin sparking both shock and skepticism.

Russia has accused Ukraine of carrying out what it called a “planned terrorist act” in an attempt to eliminate Mr Putin, saying two unmanned aerial vehicles deployed in the mission were neutralised by the Kremlin’s defence systems.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has denied the allegations, saying “we don’t attack Putin” and “we fight on our territory”.

Shweta Sharma reports:

What we know about the blast Russia claims was a Putin assassination attempt

Don’t expect an end to sabotage and retribution during the war in Ukraine

Thursday 4 May 2023 22:00 , Martha Mchardy

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

Ukrainian air force says destroyed own drone

Thursday 4 May 2023 22:00 , Martha Mchardy

Ukraine’s air force said on Thursday it had destroyed one of its own drones after it had begun flying out of control over Kyiv region.

“On 4th May at about 8 p.m. during a planned flight in Kyiv region, control was lost over a Baykartar TV2 drone,” the air force said in a statement on Telegram.

“As the uncontrolled flight of the drone in skies over the capital could have led to undesirable consequences, the decision was taken to use mobile fire groups. The target - destroyed!”

The statement said the drone had probably suffered a technical failure.

With Sudan, the world cannot afford another Ukraine in the making

Thursday 4 May 2023 21:30 , Martha Mchardy

Our readers share their views. Please send your letters to letters@independent.co.uk

Letters: The world cannot afford another Ukraine in the making

Zelensky says world has ‘historic responsibility’ to prosecute Putin for war crimes

Thursday 4 May 2023 20:30 , Martha Mchardy

Vladimir Putin has to face justice for war crimes in Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky has declared during a visit to The Hague – the home of 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, a war crime. Russia, which is 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.

Chris Stevenson reports:

Zelensky says it is a ‘historic responsibility’ to prosecute Putin for war crimes

Russian authorities target play in latest sign of crackdown

Thursday 4 May 2023 20:19 , Martha Mchardy

Russian authorities detained artists involved in a play staged in Moscow on Thursday, demonstrating again that they are widening their crackdown on dissent.

The human rights group OVD-Info reported on Telegram that theatre director Zhenya Berkovich was detained in Moscow on a charge of justifying terrorism because of her play “Finist, the Brave Falcon.”

Her mother reported that her apartment was being searched in St. Petersburg. Playwright Svetlana Petriychuk was also detained and interrogated as a suspect in the case, according to OVD-Info. The director of the theatre that staged the play was also reported to have been questioned.

Justifying terrorism is a criminal offence in Russia, punishable by up to seven years in prison.

The Latvia-based news outlet Meduza says the play is about women who “decided to virtually marry representatives of radical Islam and go to live with them in Syria.”

Since invading Ukraine in February 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin has increased punishments and widened the scope of a years-old crackdown on criticism of government policies, other forms of dissent and actions that his government considers to be supporting terrorism. Hundreds, if not thousands, of Russians have been fined, jailed or fled the country because of the crackdown.

At least one drone downed in new air attack on Kyiv

Thursday 4 May 2023 20:16 , Martha Mchardy

At least one drone was downed after the fourth attack on Kyiv in as many days, officials said.

Drones attacked Kyiv on Thursday evening, subjecting residents to spasms of gunfire and explosions.

At least one drone was downed after anti-aircraft units went into action during the raid, which began just after 8 p.m. and lasted about 20 minutes.

Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said there had been two impacts from downed drones.

“During the last air alert, an unmanned aerial vehicle was spotted over Kyiv. The object was shot down by air defence forces,” Kyiv city military administration head Serhiy Popko said on Telegram.

Popko said a fire was brought under control in a building where the drone was brought down in Solomyanskyi district west of the city centre. He said there were no injuries.

A small fire also broke out in Pechersk district to the east.

Reuters witnesses heard gunfire and repeated heavier explosions near the city centre.

Local authorities had declared an alert for the capital and the surrounding area. Residents who had gone to air raid shelters said the drones had arrived more quickly than usual after the alerts were declared.

One witness said a drone was seen going down in an area near Dynamo soccer stadium and the bank of the Dnipro River just outside the city centre.

In pictures: Ukrainian first lady visits UK

Thursday 4 May 2023 19:30 , Martha Mchardy

US envoy to UN urges Brazil to see Ukrainian side to the war

Thursday 4 May 2023 18:57 , Martha Mchardy

U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield has encouraged Brazil to include Ukraine in any efforts to negotiate an end to “Russia’s war of aggression,” she said on Thursday at the end of a visit to the South American country.

Ms Thomas-Greenfield said she expressed U.S. disappointment in Brasilia over the statements made regarding the war, referring to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s comments calling on the West to stop arming Ukraine to allow peace talks to start.

“We are not telling Brazil not to engage on peace,” the ambassador told a news conference.

“What we said is that any engagement has to take Ukraine into account, and it cannot be a negotiation based on rewarding Russia for taking territory during their unprovoked war on Ukraine,” she said.

Ms Thomas-Greenfield said she encouraged Brazilian officials to visit Ukraine and confirmed that Lula’s foreign policy adviser, Celso Amorim, plans to travel to Kyiv though he gave no date.

“My assumption is that it is going be soon,” she told reporters.

Fighting climate change, defending democracy and promoting racial equality and inclusion were on her agenda of discussions with Brazilian officials during the three-day visit that included a trip to former colonial capital Salvador in the northern state of Bahia, which she called “the heart of Black Brazil.”

The relations between the two largest democracies in the Western Hemisphere are “enduring and built on shared values,” she said.

Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield recalled that at the United Nations Brazil supported an early U.N. resolution in the General Assembly condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and more recently a U.N. peace resolution.

White House denounces Kremlin 'lies' on alleged drone attack

Thursday 4 May 2023 18:43 , Martha Mchardy

The White House on Thursday dismissed Russian “lies” alleging U.S. responsibility for a purported drone attack against the Kremlin.

John Kirby, the White House national security spokesperson, said there still was no conclusive evidence as to the authenticity of a video showing the alleged drone attack.

Zelensky meets wounded Ukrainian soldiers in Netherlands

Thursday 4 May 2023 18:39 , Martha Mchardy

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky handed out watches to wounded Ukrainian soldiers at a Dutch military base on Thursday as part of his surprise visit to the Netherlands.

President Zelensky had earlier met the king and prime minister and called for a new international tribunal to be set up in The Hague to try Russia’s leadership for the crime of aggression over its invasion of Ukraine.

In his visit to the military base in Soesterberg, near Utrecht, the president met a handful of soldiers who are undergoing rehabilitation treatment in the Netherlands after suffering severe wounds in fighting against Russian forces.

He also met dozens of others who are being trained by the Dutch military, including in learning to use Patriot missile defence systems.

“Here we see what help is,” president Zelensky said at the base, where weapons and military equipment destined for use in the war are being prepared for dispatch.

“Help with weapons that protect lives, with treating soldiers, teaching them the military skills needed and with investigating Russian war crimes,” he said.

Zelensky viewed equipment including armoured howitzers, military cranes and mobile hospitals.

Dutch defence minister Kajsa Ollongren said the Netherlands will provide the International Criminal Court (ICC), which is investigating alleged war crimes in Ukraine, with a mobile laboratory for forensic research.

It is “crucial for bringing those responsible to justice,” she said.

Air raid alert for Kyiv, gunfire and explosions in city

Thursday 4 May 2023 18:37 , Martha Mchardy

Drones attacked Kyiv on Thursday evening, subjecting residents to spasms of gunfire and explosions in the fourth attack on the capital in as many days.

Reuters witnesses heard gunfire and repeated heavier explosions near the city centre just after 8 p.m.

One witness said a drone was seen going down in an area near Dynamo soccer stadium and the bank of the Dnipro River - just outside the city centre.

Local authorities declared an alert for both the capital and the surrounding area and anti-aircraft units went into operation.

The gunfire and explosions went on for about 20 minutes.

In pictures: Ukrainian first lady visits No. 10

Thursday 4 May 2023 18:30 , Martha Mchardy

Watch live as Ukraine’s first lady arrives at No 10 for meeting with Akshata Murty Oliver Browning 2 hours ago 1

Thursday 4 May 2023 17:46 , Martha Mchardy

Watch live as Ukraine’s first lady Olena Zelenska arrives at Downing Street for a meeting with Akshata Murty, the wife of Rishi Sunak.

The pair previously met in London back in November 2022 and they exchanged a hug before walking inside No 10.

Ms Zelenska’s arrival on Thursday (4 May) comes after Russia claimed Ukraine was involved in a drone attack on the Kremlin that was intended to kill Vladimir Putin.

Watch live as Ukraine’s first lady arrives at No 10 for meeting with Akshata Murty

Ukraine says it's seized $280 million of exiled billionaire's assets

Thursday 4 May 2023 17:32 , Martha Mchardy

Ukraine has seized assets worth more than $280 million belonging to an exiled billionaire it accuses of aiding Russia, Ukraine’s domestic security service said on Thursday.

It is the second time this year that the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has announced the seizure of property belonging to billionaire Vadym Novynskyi. It said in April that it had seized assets of his worth around $96 million.

Representatives for Novynskyi did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In the previous property seizure last month they said the seized assets no longer belonged to Novynskyi, and described him as a Ukrainian patriot.

His representatives have previously denied the accusation that Novynskyi has aided Russia.

The SBU said in a statement that it had seized assets worth more than 10.5 billion hryvnias ($284.40 million), including the Ochakiv seaport in southern Ukraine.

Kyiv imposed sanctions on Novynskyi in December along with several leaders of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, a minority church accused by Kyiv of retaining deep ties to Russia, which invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

The billionaire is a prominent supporter of the church, which says it severed all links to Russia last year and that it is the victim of a political witch hunt.

US ambassador to UN discusses Ukraine war in trip to Brazil

Thursday 4 May 2023 17:20 , Martha Mchardy

U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said on Thursday she had discussed the war between Ukraine and Russia in a trip to Brazil, adding that peace negotiations could “not be based on rewarding Russia”.

Thomas-Greenfield said Brazil’s top foreign policy advisor Celso Amorim will “soon” visit Ukraine and that relations between the United States and the South American country were “enduring and built on shared values”

US envoy to Russia visits detained American Paul Whelan in prison

Thursday 4 May 2023 17:06 , Martha Mchardy

The U.S. ambassador to Russia visited detained American citizen Paul Whelan in prison in Russia, the U.S. embassy said.

Ambassador Lynne Tracy visited Mr Whelan on Thursday in prison in Mordovia in eastern Russia.

“Paul has been wrongfully detained in Russia for more than 4 years, and his release remains an absolute priority. The U.S. government will continue to engage Russian authorities on his case so Paul can come home as soon as possible,” the embassy said in a tweet.

Mr Whelan, a former U.S. marine, was arrested in December 2018, held for 18 months in Lefortovo prison in Moscow and jailed for 16 years in June 2020 on spying charges. He has denied the accusations.

The United States has designated Mr Whelan as “wrongfully detained”, a term that effectively says the charges are bogus and the case is politically driven.