War in Ukraine, Day 434. Russia launches new drone attack on Kiev. Separately, a major fire broke out this morning at a fuel depot near the Kerchi Bridge.
Most Important Events in Last 24 Hours:
- Drone attack on Kiev. Russia attacked hard throughout the night
- The Ukrainians announce that they have already launched a counter-offensive
- A new explosion on the railway line in Russia! Russian officials blame Ukraine
- China and India voted in favor of a UN resolution explicitly addressing Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
- An officer in the Ukrainian army was suspended on suspicion of corruption
- Kremlin accuses US of “covering up” losses of Russian forces in Ukraine
- Denmark to donate military equipment worth $250 million to Ukraine
- Russia accuses Germany of increasing meddling in the Ukraine conflict
- Ukraine promises not to give up Bahmuth
- Kiev reveals why Russia is deliberately bombing housing blocks in Ukraine
- Russia has announced its third Ukrainian attack on its border in three days
Update 10:30. Russia launched its third round of nighttime strikes in Kiev in six days, city officials said Wednesday morning, but air defense systems destroyed all of its drones, and there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
Air raid sirens rang out in Kiev, the surrounding area and much of eastern Ukraine for hours, and the skies cleared only at dawn.
“All enemy targets have been identified and shot down in the airspace around the capital,” Kiev’s military administration said on the Telegram messaging app, citing preliminary details.
Russia used Iranian-made Shahid drones in these attacks. It was not immediately clear how many drones were shot down.
Elsewhere, a fuel storage facility caught fire early Wednesday near a major bridge in Russia’s southwestern Krasnodar region, the region’s governor said, but there were no initial reports of casualties.
Videos posted on Russian social media showed flames and black smoke pouring over large tanks emblazoned with red “flammable” warnings.
Veniamin Kondratiev, governor of Krasnodar, across the Sea of Azov from Ukraine, said on the Telegram messaging app, “The fire is classified as very difficult.
The fire broke out in Volna village in Demryuk administrative district, he said. It is close to the Crimean Bridge or Kerch Strait Bridge, which connects mainland Russia with the Crimean Peninsula, which was annexed from Ukraine in 2014.
“All efforts are being made to prevent the fire from spreading further,” Kondratiev added. “There is no threat to the villagers.”
The incident came after a drone strike set fire to a Russian fuel storage facility in the Crimean port of Sevastopol early Saturday in what Moscow said was a Ukrainian strike.
Update 09:15. Yuriy Sobolevsky, first deputy chairman of Ukraine’s Kherson regional council, said he did not believe a specific date would be announced for the expected counteroffensive in the south.
“In fact, what the Ukrainian armed forces are doing in our southern sector can be considered a counterattack: maintaining fire control, constantly destroying military targets and reducing the enemy’s combat capability,” he said.
“So, I don’t think there is a date when a counterattack can be considered to have already started,” Sobolewski said.
He expressed hope that Ukraine will be able to take back its territory from Russia.
“What is happening now in the temporarily occupied territory is just a dream. It should not happen in the 21st century. These are torture chambers, forced passports and deportation of children,” he said.
“All Ukrainians now have only one desire: our victory and peace, because Ukraine has never wanted war, and now it is forced to defend itself. Everything must end in our victory in order to restart our life, the development of our country, the European family and the whole civilized world. We want that.
For me personally, this is important, because our people, the people of Kherson, are now in the occupied territories, and I feel responsible for them as well. It is very difficult for our people in the temporarily occupied territories,” Sobolevsky said.
In November 2022, Ukrainian troops advanced through the city of Kherson and surrounding areas, forcing Russian fighters to retreat to the eastern bank of the Dnipro River.
Update 08:40. A fresh explosion derailed a train in the Bryansk region on the Ukrainian border. Even 24 hours ago, a similar incident happened.
Russia’s investigative team shared a video showing images of several train cars collapsing to the ground as investigators probed the incident.
Russian officials say the attacks are about pro-Ukrainian subversive groups.
Also, a day earlier, it was derailed by another explosive trigger about 150 km from Bryansk.
No casualties have been reported so far.
China and India voted in favor of a UN resolution explicitly addressing Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
Corriere della Sera says that China and India have so far voted against the UN General Assembly resolution against Russia’s condemnation of the war in Ukraine, which explicitly refers to the Russian Federation’s aggression.
The resolution “Cooperation between the United Nations and the Council of Europe” was passed in the UN General Assembly with 122 votes, including China. Several “Russia friendly” countries such as Kazakhstan, Armenia, India and Brazil also voted in favor.
In particular, the document notes the “unprecedented challenges” Europe faces after the Russian aggression against Ukraine, and before that against Georgia, demanding “compensation” for victims of Moscow’s aggression.
“Five well-known human rights activists voted against the resolution, including Russia, Belarus, Nicaragua, Syria and North Korea,” said Ukraine’s UN representative, Serhiy Kislitsia.
China has never publicly supported but criticized the Russian military campaign in Ukraine, and has repeatedly expressed its support for Russia in the face of Western sanctions.
War in Ukraine, May 2 | Kremlin accuses US of “covering up” Russian troop losses in Ukraine: “They don’t have this information”
War in Ukraine, May 1 | Russia’s reaction after the latest wave of missile bombing of Ukraine
War in Ukraine, April 30 | Russia has announced new casualties as it blames Ukraine for shelling the village of Bryansk
War in Ukraine, April 29 | Leader Wagner threatens to withdraw his forces from Bahmut: “Every day we have thousands of bodies piled up in coffins.”
War in Ukraine, April 28 | Ukraine has announced that counter-attack preparations are nearing completion
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