Wagner chief asks Moscow to hand Bakhmut positions to Chechen forces

FRANCE 24

6 May 2023 at 7:52 am·2-min read

The chief of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner on Saturday asked Moscow to let him hand over his positions in the hotspot city of Bakhmut to Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov. Read our live blog to see how all the day's events unfolded. All times are Paris time (GMT+2).

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9:29pm: Ukraine issues air raid alerts in the east

Ukrainian officials issued air raid alerts for most of eastern Ukraine on Saturday evening, extending from Vynnitsya in the west to all eastern regions and south to Kherson region and Russian-annexed Crimea.

9:10pm: Ukraine's security service ambiguous on involvement in car blast

Ukraine's SBU security service told the state Ukrinform news agency on Saturday it could not confirm or deny involvement in a car bombing that injured a Russian writer or other attacks.

"Officially, we cannot confirm or deny the SBU's involvement in this or other explosions which occur with the occupiers or their henchmen," Ukrinform quoted the agency as saying.

8:15pm: Russia accuses Ukraine and western allies of car blast

Russia's Foreign Ministry on Saturday said Ukraine and Western countries backing it were responsible for a car bombing that injured a Russian writer and killed his driver.

A ministry statement, quoted by Russian news agencies, said: "Responsibility for this and other terrorist acts lies not only with Ukrainian authorities, but also their Western patrons, the United States in the first instance...".

"I thank you for your support! Thank you to all the British people!"