Russia-Ukraine live: Moscow accuses Kyiv of Kremlin drone attack

Read Time:11 Minute, 29 Second

Moscow accuses Ukraine of an attempted overnight drone attack on the Kremlin in a bid to harm Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrives in Finland, where he will meet the leaders of Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Iceland.
At least three civilians were killed in a Russian attack on a supermarket in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, according to Kyiv.
Russia attacks Ukraine for a third straight night, including the capital.
A fuel depot is on fire in Russia near a crucial bridge that links it to Crimea, days after Moscow blamed Ukraine for a drone attack that set fire to an oil storage facility in Sevastopol on the peninsula.

Video on Russian social media appears to show smoke over Kremlin after alleged drone strike

A video circulating on Russian social media appears to show a plume of smoke over Moscow’s Kremlin according to a Reuters report.

The video was posted in the early hours of Wednesday on a group for residents of a neighbourhood that faces the Kremlin across the Mosvka River and picked up by Russian media outlets.

Moscow has accused Ukraine of attempting an overnight drone attack on the Kremlin with the aim of killing President Vladimir Putin who has residence in the walled complex.

Russia accuses Ukraine of attempted drone attack on Kremlin

Russia has accused Ukraine of attempting an overnight drone attack on the Kremlin with the aim of killing President Vladimir Putin.

The allegation was made on Wednesday by the Kremlin and reported by several Russian news agencies.

Russian officials said Putin was not injured and there was no material damage to the Kremlin buildings.

Moscow mayor bans civilian drones in the city

Moscow mayor Sergey Sobyanin says he is banning the use of unauthorised civilian drones in the city, after several drone strikes in Russia that authorities have blamed on Ukraine.

Sobyanin announced the move on Telegram six days before the May 9 Victory Day holiday, when Russia holds a military parade on Moscow’s Red Square to commemorate the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War Two.

EU to increase ammunition support to Ukraine

The European Union pledges to increase support to Ukraine with the delivery of additional ammunition, the president of the bloc said.

Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement, “Ukraine is heroically resisting the brutal Russian invader. We stand by our promise to support Ukraine and its people, for as long as it takes.

“But Ukraine’s brave soldiers need sufficient military equipment to defend their country. Europe is stepping up its support on 3 tracks.”

She added that member states are delivering and will jointly procure more ammunition to support Ukraine.

Weekend curfew announced in Kherson

A 58-hour weekend curfew has been announced in the Ukrainian-controlled city of Kherson, the head of the region announced.

Alexander Prokudin said on Telegram, “From 20:00 Moscow time on May 5, a curfew will begin in Kherson, [it] will last until 06:00 on May 8.

“During these 58 hours, it is forbidden to move and be on the streets of the city. Also, the city will be closed for entry and exit.”

Prokudin added that the curfew was introduced so “that law enforcement officers can do their job and not put you in danger”.

Port of Taman restricted after fire on fuel depot

Rail deliveries to Russia’s Black Sea port of Taman will be restricted until further notice, Russian Railways said on its website, after a fuel depot caught fire near a bridge.

The company did not provide the reason for the restrictions.

Flames and black smoke billowed over large tanks emblazoned with red lettering reading “Flammable” in videos from Taman posted on Russian social media.

Taman’s oil transhipment hub, which lies across the Kerch Strait from Crimea, has the capacity to handle 20 million tonnes of crude oil, oil products and liquefied petroleum gas a year.

The Kerch Strait was damaged last October in an attack that Russia blamed on Ukraine, and has yet to be fully restored.

Zelenskyy to travel to Berlin on May 13

Zelenskyy is expected to travel to Berlin on May 13, the German newspaper Tagesspiegel report.

According to the report, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will receive the Ukrainian president with military honours on May 14 before flying to Aachen later in the day to receive the 2023 Charlemagne Prize.

The prize was created in 1950 after the Second World War and is given to those whose exceptional work is performed in the service of European unity.

Pope Francis greets envoy to Russian Orthodox Church

Pope Francis greeted the foreign envoy of the Russian Orthodox Church, days after revealing a secret “mission” to end the war in Ukraine.

Metropolitan Anthony attended Francis’ weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square and greeted Francis at the end.

While in Budapest, he met with Metropolitan Hilarion, Anthony’s predecessor, as the foreign envoy of Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian church who strongly supported the Kremlin’s war and justified it on religious grounds.

Francis was asked if Hilarion and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has maintained relations with Moscow, could facilitate mediation of the war.

He replied: “You can imagine that in this meeting, we didn’t only talk about Little Red Riding Hood, right?”

He also repeated his willingness to do whatever it takes to end the war.

Grain talks to be held in Moscow with the UN

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova says that talks between Russia and the United Nations on the Black Sea grain deal will be held in Moscow on May 5.

She added that the UN would be represented by top trade official Rebeca Grynspan.

On a call with reporters, the Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also said: “The Russian side will continue contacts with both UN and other representatives, in the hope that the terms of the deal will be fulfilled after all.”

He added: “Of course, Russia will not do anything further that will be contrary to its interests.”Russia has previously complained that its own food and fertiliser exports are still facing significant obstacles and has repeatedly cast doubt on whether it will renew the deal.

Three people killed in attack in Kherson: Ukrainian minister

At least three civilians were killed and five wounded in a Russian attack on a hypermarket in Kherson, the Ukrainian prosecutor’s office and the Interior Ministry said.

Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said the victims were customers and employees of the hypermarket.

“We cannot negotiate with Russian murderers. They must be brought to justice. Or destroyed”, Klymenko said.

The prosecutor’s office said a man was also killed in a Russian attack on a village in the Kherson region on Wednesday morning.

Ukraine recaptured Kherson last November after nearly eight months of occupation by Russian forces.

Zelenskyy arrives in Helsinki for one day Nordic summit

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrives in Finland for meetings with his Nordic counterparts to discuss the war and European relations.

“The theme of the summit is Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, the Nordic countries’ continued support for Ukraine, Ukraine’s relationship with the EU and NATO, and Ukraine’s initiative for a just peace,” the Swedish government said in a statement.

The Ukrainian leader will meet with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto as well as the prime ministers of Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Iceland, according to statements by the Swedish, Danish and Norwegian governments.

Turkey to host meeting with Russian and Ukrainian officials

Turkey plans to host a meeting with Russian and Ukrainian officials in Istanbul later this week to discuss extending the Black Sea grain deal, Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said.

The deputy defence ministers of the three countries are expected in Istanbul on Friday, Akar was quoted as saying by state news agency Anadolu.

Both countries “lean towards” extending the grain exports, Akar said.

“We hope that the grain deal will continue without any disruptions,” he said, adding it is critical to avoid a “global food crisis.”

Akar’s comments came after the Kremlin last week said that an extension is unlikely.

US rumored to send $300 million in military aid to Kyiv

US officials said on Tuesday night that the United States has agreed to send Ukraine about $300 million in additional military aid, including ammunition.

The new package by the US will include Hydra-70 rockets, which are unguided rockets fired from aircraft and an undisclosed number of missiles for HIMARS, the officials said who spoke on condition of anonymity because the aid has not yet been formally announced.

The shipment comes as Ukrainian officials say they are preparing a counteroffensive.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said they are in the “home stretch, when we can say: ‘Yes everything is ready.’”

Once officially announced, this will be the 37th package of Pentagon stocks to go to Ukraine since the war began in February 2022, bringing total US military aid to about $36bn.

Russia says saboteurs were carrying ‘bomb components’

Russia’s FSB security service says members of a Ukrainian sabotage network it had arrested were carrying “explosive devices and detonators.”

It said the bomb components had been smuggled into Russia from Bulgaria via Turkey and Georgia.

The FSB said that the group had been planning to assassinate political leaders including the Moscow-installed head of Crimea, Sergei Aksyonov.

“There is no doubt that the people who ordered these crimes are in Kyiv,” Aksyonov said on his Telegram channel.

The FSB said the same group had carried out a railway sabotage in February.

Russian warplanes to participate in Belarusian airspace patrol exercise

Belarus will hold another round of checks of the combat readiness of its military in May, including joint patrols of its airspace by Belarusian and Russian warplanes, the country’s Defence Ministry said in a statement.

The checks will be mainly focused on units deployed in the Grodno, Brest and Minsk regions, according to the statement issued on Wednesday.

Russia used Belarus as a springboard to invade Ukraine last February, deploying thousands of forces to its neighbour under the pretext of military drills before launching its offensive.

The two countries have since agreed to intensify their military cooperation and held a joint aviation exercises in Belarus in January.

Belarus has backed Russia over its invasion of Ukraine but repeatedly ruled out joining the conflict.

According to Kyiv, Russia continues to use Belarusian airspace for drone and missile attacks.

Russia arrests seven Ukrainian intelligence agents: State media

Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) says seven people connected with Ukrainian intelligence services have been detained in Crimea, state-owned news agency TASS reported.

In a statement, FSB said attacks against Russian-backed Crimea Governor Sergey Aksyonov and other officials had been thwarted.

“The FSB has broken up the activities of an agent network of Ukrainian military intelligence planning to carry out major sabotage and terrorist attacks in Crimea,” the security service was quoted as saying.

Crimea has come under repeated attacks since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Kyiv has repeatedly declared its intention to retake the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia illegally annexed in 2014 to an international outcry.

Missile production must double, Russian defence minister says

Russia’s defence minister urged a state company to double its production of missiles as an expected Ukrainian counteroffensive looms and both Moscow’s and Kyiv’s forces are reportedly experiencing ammunition constraints.

Military analysts have been trying to determine whether Russia is running low on high-precision ammunition as its missile barrages against Ukraine have become less frequent and smaller in scale.

Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu said the state-owned Tactical Missiles Corporation had fulfilled its contracts in a timely manner, but added, “right now it is necessary to double the production of high-precision weapons in the shortest possible time”.

Fuel depot on fire near crucial Crimea bridge

A fuel storage facility is ablaze near a critical bridge linking Russia’s mainland with Crimea though the cause of the fire is unclear.

The incident comes days after Moscow blamed Ukraine for a drone strike that set fire to an oil depot on Crimea’s Sevastopol city. Flames and black smoke billowed over what appeared to be large tanks emblazoned with red warnings of “Flammable” in videos posted on Russian social media.

“The fire has been classified as the highest rank of difficulty,” Veniamin Kondratyev, governor of the Krasnodar region across the Sea of Azov from Ukraine, said on the Telegram messaging app

No casualties were reported.

Kondratyev said the blaze broke out in the village of Volna. The hamlet is close to the Crimean bridge over the Kerch Strait, a major artery for Russian forces, as it links the mainland to the Crimean peninsula that was annexed in 2014 from Ukraine.

Ukraine shoots down drones after Russian night attack

Russia launched a third straight night of air strikes with a drone slamming into a building in the Dnipropetrovsk region.

Ukraine’s Air Force Command said it destroyed 21 of the 26 Iranian-made Shahed-136 drones deployed by Russia. Kyiv officials said defence systems eliminated those sent over the capital with no initial reports of casualties or destruction.

“All enemy targets were identified and shot down in the airspace around the capital,” the military administration said on the Telegram messaging app.

Air raid sirens blared for several hours in Kyiv, the surrounding region, and most of eastern Ukraine with the skies only clearing towards dawn.

One of the drones hit an administrative building in Dnipro, the administrative centre of the Dnipropetrovsk region, Governor Serhiy Lisak said on Telegram. It was set on fire but the blaze was extinguished by morning.

Source:-Aljazeera