Live War in Ukraine, Day 437: Ukrainians don’t believe Wagner troops will withdraw from Bahmut / Maia Sandu: We are safe only because of dozens of events on Victory Day in Ukraine / Russia.

Yevgeny Prigozhin said fighters from Wagner’s company would withdraw from the Battle of Bahmud, but instead said mercenaries were brought in from other areas as the Ukrainians wanted to capture the city before Victory Day, a major Russian holiday in May. 9.

Key information on the war in Ukraine, day 437, live text:

10:47 am Attacks on Russian infrastructure, including drone attacks on refineries and rail sabotage, have increased in recent weeks, with experts suggesting they are part of Ukraine’s preparations for a spring offensive.

“All this was done in preparation for an attack. I am seriously committed [atacurilor] will increase,” wrote Mykhailo Samus, deputy director of the Center for Military, Transition and Disarmament Studies in Kyiv.

“These are standard measures to limit the capabilities of the Russian armed forces,” said a senior Ukrainian official, speaking on condition of anonymity. (The Guardian)

10:23 am The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating whether Finance Holdings was used illegally to allow Russians to evade U.S. sanctions and move money through cryptocurrency exchanges, Bloomberg News reported Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.

An investigation by the Justice Department’s National Security Division is investigating whether finance or company officials violated sanctions related to Russia’s aggression in Ukraine.

10:02 am Drone attack on Kremlin: Russians say they have repaired the dome of the Senate Palace

Dozens of Victory Day events were canceled in Russia

09:54Saturday Morning’s UK review looks at the canceled Victory Day events in Russia:

• Six Russian regions, occupied Crimea and 21 cities canceled May 9 Victory Day parades, citing security reasons. Victory Day is celebrated to commemorate the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany.
• Victory Day celebrations in Moscow will continue, but on a smaller scale. A reception by Russian President Vladimir Putin (last held in 2019) will not take place after the parade.
• The Immortal Regiment’s traditional march, in which family members carry photographs of fallen World War II veterans associated with Victory Day, has also been cancelled. The decision comes after the recent cancellation of the International Military Games hosted by Russia.
• The drone attack on the Kremlin, just days before Victory Day, shows Russia’s growing vulnerability to such attacks and certainly increased the sense of threat Russian leaders felt about the Victory Day events.
• The potential for protests and discontent over the war in Ukraine may have also influenced Russian leaders’ decisions.

Maia Sandhu: Ukraine is the only way we are safe

09:32 Zelenski celebrated the successes of the United24 donation platform for Ukraine, which he launched last year, which contributes to financing the country’s defense and reconstruction projects, dpa reports.

Donations raised in 110 countries supported, among other things, the building of the Navy’s drone fleet and all drone-related projects for the frontline. “Thousands of drones make Ukraine stronger,” the Ukrainian president said. (Agerpres)

09:01 The Russian Defense Ministry appears to have prioritized the Bahmuth offensive in favor of preparing defenses against an expected Ukrainian counterattack, putting the Wagner group and Yevgeny Prigozhin in a difficult position. Institute for War Studies says.

Prigozhin’s visible and visceral anger over the past two days suggests that the Russian Defense Ministry may have devalued Bahmuth and shifted operational focus elsewhere in the theater of operations in ways that seriously compromised Wagner’s ability to operate effectively. Source Cited.

08:53 In an interview with the Financial Times, Moldovan President Maia Sandu said Russia might have sent troops to Moldova if its full-scale invasion of Ukraine had gone ahead as planned.

“I don’t think he would have stopped at the border. “We are safe today only because of Ukraine,” Sandu said.

01:24 Video Zelensky: We are fighting together with the US against tyranny, we have reached an unprecedented level of communication between Ukraine and the US

00:50 Video Ukrainians accuse Russians of dropping phosphorus bombs on Bahmut / Pictures of city covered in incendiary munitions

A brief recap of recent events:

• Prigozhin released a defamatory video in which he appeared with dozens of corpses of Wgner mercenaries and personally blamed Russian military leaders for the losses suffered by his fighters. Due to heavy casualties and insufficient supplies, he announced that his forces would withdraw from Bahmut on 10 May – ending their engagement in the longest and bloodiest battle of the war.
• Grain exports from Ukraine under a UN-backed initiative have slowed amid growing concerns that ships could be stranded if the deal is not renewed by the end of this month, according to sources and Reuters data. Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the United Nations have failed to recognize the new ships under the deal.
• A drone strike hit the Ilski oil refinery in southern Russia, the second fire in as many days, the TASS news agency reported.
• Russia has announced that it is completing repairs to the Kerch Bridge in Crimea, which was damaged by the October offensive. Today, rail traffic on the Crimean bridge was resumed,” Deputy Prime Minister Marat Husnulin wrote in a telegram.
• The European Union’s diplomatic chief, Joseph Borrell, said on Friday that now was not the time to hold “diplomatic peace talks” with Russia to end the war in Ukraine.
• Russia is evacuating key cities in the occupied Zaporozhye region, including the nuclear power plant Energodar.
• Former Russian Deputy Defense Minister Mikhail Misindev, also known as the “Butcher of Mariupol,” will join Wagner’s mercenary team as deputy commander.
• Ukrainian anti-aircraft missiles shot down a Russian-launched Kinzhal hypersonic missile at a target in Kiev on Thursday, the publication writes. Defense ExpressReceived images of missile debris.
• A Ukrainian representative punched the Russian ambassador in the face (video) during a meeting in Ankara: “You Russian filth, take your paws off our flag!”

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