Russia-Ukraine war – live: Putin launches fresh strikes on Kyiv as explosions rock Ukrainian cities

Explosions rocked cities across Ukraine overnight as millions were subject to air raid alerts.

“Several explosions in the capital. In the Darnytskyi and Dnipro districts,” Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram, adding that the attack on the capital continues. “Do not leave shelters during an air raid!” the mayor said.

Widespread warnings were issued for a range of other regions, including Zhytomyr west of the capital and Kirovohrad, Cherkassy and Dnipropetrovsk in central Ukraine. People in Kyiv reported hearing anti-aircraft units in action.

This comes as the Ukrainian military announced territorial gains in Bakhmut. “We are successfully conducting a defensive operation, counterattacking and during this day our units have penetrated up to 500 metres in some parts,” military spokesperson Serhiy Cherevatyi told Ukrainian television.

He added that Wagner is facing no shortage of ammunition and said the “enemy is seeking to take over the city at will, striking with all systems and calibres”.

Key Points

• Air raid alerts blare across Ukraine, military warns of strikes

• Satellite images of Bakhmut show buildings reduced to rubble

• Ukraine says territory gained in Bakhmut, Wagner firing all weapons

• Ukraine denies Russia destroyed Patriot missile defence system

• Patriot missile defence system likely damaged but not destroyed – reports

• Russia firing more weapons to overwhelm Ukraine, says US official

Air raid alerts blare across Ukraine, military warns of strikes

04:06 , Arpan Rai

Air raid alerts were sounded for all of Ukraine in the early hours today and the military warned of possible Russian missile strikes in a wide arc extending from Kyiv to central regions and the south.

Even an hour after the warnings were issued, the residents in Kyiv were asked to remain in shelters by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on Telegram channel. Warnings were issued for a range of other regions, including Zhytomyr west of the capital and Kirovohrad, Cherkassy and Dnipropetrovsk in central Ukraine.

People in Kyiv reported hearing anti-aircraft units in action. There were also reports of explosions in other major cities, but it was uncertain whether these were from missile impacts or anti-aircraft activity.

The warnings also extended north of Kyiv and to the south and west to Vinnystia, Khmelnitskyi and Chernivtsi regions.

Other Telegram channels warned of possible strikes in the central region of Poltava and further south in Mykolaiv region.

Ukrainian refugees living in EU forced to travel back for abortions, study warns

10:04 , Martha Mchardy

Ukrainian women who sought refuge in European Union countries are being forced to travel through dangerous conflict zones to access abortions and contraception in their native country, a study has warned.

Research found some women from Ukraine now living in Poland, Romania, Hungary and Slovakia are having to temporarily return home as it is “easier” to access reproductive healthcare there, despite the stress of travelling back into the war-torn country.

The study, by the Center for Reproductive Rights and eight global and national human rights organisations, warned refugees are being put “at risk” as they grapple with issues such as legal restrictions and cost barriers when trying to access the right care.

Other barriers include “information shortfalls, poor quality care” as well as “institutional racism and substandard care”, it said.

Maya Oppenheim reports:

Ukrainian refugees living in EU forced to travel back for abortions, study warns

China asks embassies to avoid ‘propaganda’ in apparent nod to shows of support for Ukraine

09:47 , Martha Mchardy

Foreign embassies in Beijing have been asked by the Chinese government to avoid displaying what it calls propaganda in an apparent response to shows of support for Ukraine.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s government says it is neutral in Moscow’s 15-month-old invasion of Ukraine but has repeated Russian justifications, accusing Washington and the US-European military alliance Nato of provoking Moscow.

A Chinese envoy visited Ukraine this week and was due to go to Russia to discuss a possible “political settlement” but little progress is expected.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry asked diplomatic missions last week not to use their exterior walls to display “political propaganda”, according to a European Union spokeswoman and a diplomat from a European government.

The May 8 request cites a need to “avoid causing disputes between countries” but does not define propaganda or give other details, EU spokeswoman Nabila Massrali wrote in a statement.

Ms Massrali said the EU Delegation in Beijing “has not changed any items displayed at its front wall”.

The request did not mention Ukraine, according to the diplomats.

But flags and placards set up by embassies of Canada, France, Germany and other governments are the only public displays by most foreign missions, other than tourism advertisements.

The European diplomat, who asked not to be identified further due to the sensitivity of the issue, said his government does not “see any reason to change” its display.

A placard at the front gate of the Finnish embassy has the flags of Finland and Ukraine and says “#WeStandWithUkraine”.

A billboard hung on Sweden’s embassy has the same phrase and flags of the two countries.

Those displays have been up for months. It is not clear why China made the removal request now.

Asked for confirmation and details, foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said embassies are obliged to “respect Chinese laws and regulations” but gave no details.

“China calls on embassies of all countries in China and representative offices of international organisations in China to perform their duties in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations or relevant international agreements,” Mr Wang said.

One killed after Russian shelling in Donetsk region, according to reports

09:26 , Martha Mchardy

One person has been killed after Russian shelling in Kostyantynivka in the Donetsk region, the ministry of foreign affairs said.

In a message posted on Telegram Ukraine’s state broadcaster Suspilne said: “On the night of 18 May, the Russian army shelled Kostyantynivka in Donetsk region, one person was killed, the ministry of foreign affairs reported. According to preliminary findings, the shelling was conducted from the S-300 complex, several private and apartment buildings, a shop, and administrative buildings were destroyed and damaged.”

The claims have not been independently verified.

Ukrainian troops make gains on Bakhmut flanks - military

09:22 , Martha Mchardy

Ukraine’s military said on Thursday it had made new territorial gains in heavy fighting around the eastern city of Bakhmut, despite being outgunned and outnumbered by Russian forces.

In the past week, Kyiv has said it has stepped up pressure on Moscow’s troops to the north and south of Bakhmut. Russian mercenary forces say they have moved forward inside the city, where Kyiv has acknowledged they have made small advances.

“Despite the fact that our units do not have an advantage in equipment ... and personnel, they have continued to advance on the (Russian) flanks, and covered a distance of 150 to 1,700 metres (165 to 1,850 yards),” military spokesperson Serhiy Cherevatyi said in televised comments.

He did not specify over what period the gains had been made. The claims have not been independently verified.

Moscow sees Bakhmut, a city of about 70,000 before Russia’s full-scale invasion nearly 15 months ago, as a stepping stone towards capturing the rest of the eastern Donbas region.

Ukrainian officials have signalled that the advances around Bakhmut are not part of a broader counteroffensive planned by Kyiv to push back the Russian forces.

Ukraine says it shot down 29 of 30 missiles in overnight Russian attacks

08:53 , Martha Mchardy

Ukraine shot down 29 of 30 missiles launched by Russia in overnight air strikes but one person was killed in an attack on the southern city of Odesa, the Ukrainian military said on Thursday.

All we know so far about Thursday’s air strikes on Kviv and Odesa

08:52 , Martha Mchardy

Russia launched cruise missiles at Ukraine’s capital and the Odesa region early Thursday, officials said, in an escalation ahead of a much-anticipated counteroffensive. Most of the missiles were shot down, and one death was reported from the attacks.

Loud explosions were heard in Kyiv, and falling debris caused a fire in a nonresidential building.

It was the ninth Russian air raid that targeted the capital this month, a clear escalation after weeks of lull and ahead of a much-anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive using newly supplied advanced Western weapons.

The attack was carried out by strategic bombers from the Caspian region, probably using cruise missiles, and Russia later deployed reconnaissance craft over the capital. According to preliminary information, all enemy targets were destroyed, Serhiy Popko, head of the Kyiv Military Administration, said in a Telegram post.

Debris fell on two Kyiv districts and the fire at a garage complex was extinguished. There was no information so far about any victims, Popko said.

In the southern region of Odesa, one person died and two were wounded in a Russian missile attack, Serhiy Bratchuk, a spokesperson for the Odesa military administration, said on Telegram.

“Most of the enemy’s missiles were shot down over the sea by the Air Defense Forces. Unfortunately, an industrial object was hit: 1 person died, two were injured,” Bratchuk said.

Moldova no longer using Russian natural gas, PM says

08:36 , Martha Mchardy

Moldova is no longer using Russian natural gas or electricity after cutting its dependence since war started in Ukraine, prime minister Dorin Recean said on Thursday.

“If at the start of the war 100% of energy consumed in Moldova originated in... Russia, today Moldova can exist with absolutely no natural gas or electricity from Russia,” he told a security conference in Bucharest.

“Moldova no longer consumes Russian gas, it is integrated in the European energy network both technically and commercially.”

In pictures: Russian air strikes hit Kyiv

08:11 , Martha Mchardy

No injuries in Crimea blast, governor says

07:29 , Martha Mchardy

In a statement posted on Telegram, the region’s Russian-backed governor Sergei Aksyonov said that wagons loaded with grain had been derailed and that there were no injuries in the Crimea blast.

Earlier, the Baza Telegram channel, which has links to Russian security services, had reported an explosion on a railway line in the region, which was annexed by Russia in 2014.

Japan military hospital to treat injured Ukrainian soldiers

07:27 , Martha Mchardy

Japan is set to receive injured Ukrainian soldiers at a Tokyo hospital run by its military, a senior member of Japan’s ruling coalition said on Thursday.

It would be the first time the Self-Defence Force Central Hospital has treated foreign soldiers, a lawmaker told Reuters, requesting anonymity because the deal is not yet public.

Details will be decided at a meeting between Japanese defence minister Yasukazu Hamada and Ukrainian ambassador to Japan Sergiy Korsunsky later on Thursday, but costs will likely be shouldered mostly by the Japanese side, the lawmaker said.

Crimea official says railway traffic suspended after reported blast

07:23 , Martha Mchardy

Rail traffic has been suspended between Simferopol, the capital of the Crimean peninsula, and the city of Sevastopol, a Russian-installed official in the area said on Thursday.

Earlier, the Baza Telegram channel, which has links to Russian security services, had reported an explosion on a railway line in the region, which was annexed by Russia in 2014.

Russia banning people from quitting jobs as doubts over war grow, says UK

07:10 , Arpan Rai

The Russian state is likely effectively banning senior officials from resigning from their jobs while the ‘Special Military Operation’ continues, the British Ministry of Defence (MoD) said today.

“The measures likely extend to at least regional leaders, security officials and members of the powerful Presidential Administration,” it said.

It added: “In private circles of Russia, many officials are likely highly sceptical about the war, as well as often experiencing work stress within the dysfunctional wartime apparatus. The ban is likely enforced with strong hints that resignees will face trumped up criminal charges.”

“As well as being concerned about capability gaps resignees would leave, the authorities are likely also attempting to prevent any impression of defeatism, and to bolster a sense of collective responsibility for the war,” the ministry claimed.

Fallen missile debris sparks fires at two Kyiv sites

06:59 , Arpan Rai

Falling debris during an air raid triggered two fires in the eastern districts of Kyiv, officials said today.

One fire had broken out in a garage facility in the Darnitsya region of the capital and debris also fell in the Dnipro region of Kyiv, mayor Vitaly Klitschko said. He added there were no casualties from either of the incidents.

The head of Kyiv’s military administration, Serhiy Popko, said on Telegram that a fire had broken out in non-residential premises in the Desnyansky district, just east of the capital. He provided no information on casualties.

Recap on military activity in Bakhmut

06:30 , Lucy Skoulding

Ukraine, it claims, is still holding on to a large area of Bakhmut after taking some back from Russian troops and continuing to advance in some parts.

“Almost 20 square kilometers liberated in the suburbs in recent days have not been lost. We are moving on. We are advancing in some areas,” said Ukraine’s deputy defence minister Hanna Maliar.

She did however add the “fierce fighting” is still ongoing in the area, and Russian troops are also advancing.

China and Ukraine should work together, says Beijing

06:19 , Arpan Rai

China and Ukraine agreed they should work together to continue their mutual respect and keep their mutually beneficial cooperation moving forward, the Chinese foreign ministry said today.

“China has always played a constructive role in alleviating the humanitarian situation in Ukraine in its own way and will continue to provide assistance to Ukraine within its capacity,” the foreign ministry said.

The statement comes after China’s special envoy of eurasian affairs Li Hui met with the president of Ukraine.

One killed in port city Odesa, missiles downed over Kyiv

05:36 , Arpan Rai

At least one person was killed by a Russian missile strike on an industrial facility in the southern Ukrainian city of Odesa today.

Two more people were wounded in the Odesa attack, military administration spokesman Serhiy Bratchuk wrote on Telegram.

Officials said the falling debris during an air raid triggered two fires in the eastern districts of Kyiv.

Kyiv was attacked with cruise missiles for the second night in a row but all of them were downed by air defences, the head of Kyiv’s military administration Serhiy Popko said.

Council of Europe establishes ‘register of damage'

05:30 , Lucy Skoulding

In a bid to hold Russia more accountable for the loss, damage and injury cause by its invasion of Ukraine, the Council of Europe has set up its first ever ‘Register of Damage’.

“It is one of the first legally binding decisions to hold Russia accountable for its acts,” said Marija Pejčinović Burić, the council’s secretary general.

Wagner not facing any ammunition shortage, says Ukraine

04:50 , Arpan Rai

Ukrainian military spokesperson has said there is no sign of Russian forces facing shortage of ammunition, contradicting statements by Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner mercenary group spearheading the Bakhmut assault.

“The enemy is seeking to take over the city at will, striking with all systems and calibres,” spokesperson Serhiy Cherevatyi said.

“They are moving new units there (to Bakhmut), primarily paratroopers, in an attempt to achieve some kind of intermediate success.”

Questions over Hungary’s support of EU sanctions against Russia

04:30 , Lucy Skoulding

A Hungarian official says it would be difficult for Hungary to support the EU’s next round of sanctions against Russia amid the war due to Ukraine’s blacklisting of a Hungarian bank.

The Ukrainian National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NAZK) included Hungarian Bank OTP on its list of “international sponsors of war”.

Péter Szijjártó Hungarian foreign minister, said “that as long as OTP stays on this list, it will be very difficult for us to even enter into negotiations on the eleventh sanctions package,” and “it will be very difficult for us to negotiate economic restrictions that require additional sacrifices.”

Finland’s bank accounts in Russia frozen

03:30 , Lucy Skoulding

The bank accounts at Finland’s embassy and consulate in Russia have been frozen, Finland’s foreign ministry said on Wednesday.

Speaking to reporters, Pekka Haavisto, the Finnish foreign minister, said: “The accounts of Finnish embassies have been frozen in Russia and at the moment they cannot be used.”

Finland, which has a border with Russia, joined Nato on 4 April this year in a policy shift triggered by the war in Ukraine and the threats from Russia.

Haavisto reported that Finland sent a message to Russia on 4 May requesting answers and an explanation as to why the accounts are frozen but they have not yet responded.

Devastating photos of Bakhmut

02:30 , Lucy Skoulding

Satellite images of Bakhmut show the damage caused by recent attacks and air strikes.

01:30 , Lucy Skoulding

After an announcements from the Bosnian-Serb nationalist leader Milorad Dodik that he would visit Moscow, the head of the EU body responsible for its enlargement warned that ‘EU allies do not visit Russia’.

Bosnia-Herzegovinia applied to join the EU in 2016 and was finally granted candidate status last December over concerns that the war could destabalise the Balkan region.

EU enlargement commissioner Oliver Varhelyi said in a news conference in Sarajevo: “We need Bosnia-Herzegovina to be our ally.” He was referring to the necessity of a common front in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“Our allies don’t go to Russia, that is my message,” Varhelyi continued, “Who wants to be our ally, does not go to Russia.”

New advances for Ukraine at Bakhmut

Thursday 18 May 2023 00:30 , Lucy Skoulding

Serhiy Cherevatyi, Ukraine’s military spokesperson claimed on TV on Wednesday that Ukraine has made new advances in the eastern city of Bakhmut.

Speaking of the heavy fighting in the areas, Reuters quotes Cherevatyi as saying: “We are successfully conducting a defensive operation, counterattacking and during this day our units have penetrated up to 500 metres in some parts of the Bakhmut front.”

He continued: “The enemy is seeking to take over the city at will, striking with all systems and calibres. There can be no talk of any kind of shell hunger. They are moving new units there, primarily paratroopers, in an attempt to achieve some kind of intermediate success.”

Belarus partially restores control on borders

Wednesday 17 May 2023 23:30 , Lucy Skoulding

One of Russia’s closest allies, Belarus, has partially gained control back over its border with Russia.

Sergei Aleinik, Belarusian foreign minister, shared the news on Wednesday.

It’s the first time in 28 years that there has been checks at this border, which spans 770 miles, according to AP.

The aim of border controls was to avoid third-country nationals from entering Belarus.

It comes before the implementation of an intergovernmental agreement on the mutual recognition of visas.

Human rights activists, however, believe these controls will be targeted at Russian men trying to avoid having to be mobilized into the army.

Speaking of the checks at the border, Aleinik said: “It’s not really control, it’s more like monitoring the situation on the border.”

Ukraine denies Russia destroyed Patriot missile defence system

Wednesday 17 May 2023 22:30 , Joseph Rachman

Ukraine denied that a Russian hypersonic missile had destroyed a US-made Patriot missile defence system during an air strike on Kyiv.

Russia’s defence ministry made the assertion that it had destroyed the $1.1bn surface-to-airmissile system on Tuesday after an overnight air attack on the Ukrainian capital.

Two US officials later said a Patriot system had probably suffered damage but that it did not appear to have been destroyed.

“I want to say: do not worry about the fate of the Patriot,” Ukrainian air force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat told Ukrainian television.

He ruled out the possibility of a Russian “Kinzhal” missile knocking out a Patriot system.

“Destroying the system with some kind of ‘Kinzhal’, it’s impossible. Everything that they say there, it can remain in their propaganda archive,” he said.

Russian attack on Kherson Oblast kills 3, including a child

Wednesday 17 May 2023 21:30 , Joseph Rachman

An attack by Russian troops on the village of Zelenivka in Ukraine’s southern Kherson Oblast killed a 5-year-old boy and two men, according to a report by Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office.

Another man and a child were injured when a Russian projectile hit an area near a local shop.

Germany does not have the capacity to help supply Ukraine with jets, defence minister says

Wednesday 17 May 2023 20:30 , Joseph Rachman

Germany lacks the training capacity or military equipment to actively contribute to a British-Dutch initiative to supply Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said.

“We cannot play an active role in such an alliance, in such a coalition, because we have neither the training capacities, the competencies or the planes,” Pistorius said in Berlin after a meeting with Britain’s Defence Minister Ben Wallance.

Germany has previously been reluctant to supply Ukraine with offensive weapons including Leopard 2 tanks.

No progress on delivery of F-16 jets to Ukraine says Dutch foreign minister

Wednesday 17 May 2023 19:30 , Joseph Rachman

“We haven’t reached a solution yet,” said Wopke Hoekstra, the Dutch Foreign Minister, when asked about talks to between the Netherlands , the UK, Denmark, Belgium and other partners to possibly deliver F-16’s to Ukraine.

“When we are ready to cross that bridge and are ready to communicate this, we will.”

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Tuesday that he had agreed with his Dutch counterpart, Mark Rutte, to “work to build an international coalition to provide Ukraine with combat air capabilities, supporting with everything from training to procuring F-16 jets.”

Ukrainian forces are “ready” to start counter-offensive Western official says

Wednesday 17 May 2023 18:50 , Joseph Rachman

Ukraine’s forces are about ready to start a counter offensive claimed a Western official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The key may not be breaking through Russian lines so much as the “cognitive effect” any attack has on the Kremlin says Dan Sabbagh, The Guardian’s defence editor, in a Twitter thread.

Ukrainians will have to be “able to show that they are having momentum” perhaps pushing towards to the Sea of Azov.

Ukraine tells Chinese envoy it won’t accept giving up land to Russia

Wednesday 17 May 2023 18:10 , Joseph Rachman

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told a top Chinese envoy that Kyiv would not accept any peace proposals that involved losing territory to Russia, the Ukrainian foreign ministry said.

Li Hui, China’s special representative for Eurasian affairs and former ambassador to Russia, became the first senior Chinese envoy to visit Ukraine since Moscow’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Since the start of the invasion China has leant towards Russia and avoided referring to Russia’s actions as invasion.

In a statement the Ukrainian foreign ministry said:

“Kuleba briefed the special envoy of the Chinese government in detail on the principles of restoring a sustainable and just peace based on respect for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the ministry said.

“He stressed that Ukraine did not accept any proposals involving the loss of its territories or the freezing of the conflict.”

UN secretary-general welcomes extension of grain deal

Wednesday 17 May 2023 17:45 , Lucy Skoulding

Today UN secretary-general António Guterres has also welcome the extension of the deal that will enable the safe export of Ukraine grain via the Black Sea for 60 more days.

Guterres told reporters: “The continuation is good news for the world.

“Looking ahead, we hope that exports of food and fertilisers, including ammonia, from the Russian Federation and Ukraine will be able to reach global supply chains safely and predictably.”

He noted that there are still issues and Ukraine will continue to discuss these with Turkey, Russia and the UN.

Poland can’t supply Ukraine with F-16 jets president says

Wednesday 17 May 2023 17:30 , Joseph Rachman

Polish President Andrzej Duda said that Poland could not supply Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets.

Speaking to journalists at a summit in Iceland, Duda said Poland has a “relatively small number” of F-16s. This meant that supplying Ukraine with these jets was not an option.

However, Dudad said Poland was ready to “support the process of training Ukrainian pilots.”

“We donated unprecedented amounts of armaments to the EU, we donated more than 300 tanks to Ukraine, we donated almost all our MiG-29s, which Ukraine asked us for from the very beginning of the war,” he added.

Satellite pictures of Bakhmut show devastating destruction of school and university

Wednesday 17 May 2023 17:25 , Lucy Skoulding

Devastating photos show before and after shots of some buildings destroyed in Bakhmut, Ukraine.

The satellite pictures show a school, university and a theatre in Bakhmut before the recent strikes.

They also show homes and shops in the city, which is in eastern Ukraine.

In the photos taken after the attacks, smoke can be seen rising up from buildings and everything has been destroyed, including trees and green spaces.

Black Sea grain deal extended

Wednesday 17 May 2023 16:50 , Joseph Rachman

The Black Sea Grain Initiative, the agreement that allows Ukraine to continue exporting its grain without Russian attacks, has been extended for 60 more days, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on May 17.

“The Black Sea grain corridor deal has been extended by two months with the efforts of Turkey,” said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a televised speech.

He also thanked the Russian and Ukrainian leaders and U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres for their help.

Negotiations went down to the wire with fears of worsening global food shortages if the agreement lapsed.

As part of the agreement Russia will recieve help with exporting its grain and fertiliser.

Activist jailed for 7 years in Russia for ‘justifying terrorism’

Wednesday 17 May 2023 16:10 , Matt Mathers

A Ukrainian-born activist was jailed for seven years by a Russian court on Wednesday for "justifying terrorism", according to a Telegram channel petitioning for his release.

Mikhail Krieger, 63, was arrested last November over social media posts he wrote in 2020 in which he praised two men who staged attacks on buildings of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) as "heroes".

Prosecutors also said Krieger had "incited hatred" when he posted in 2020 that Russian President Vladimir Putin should be hanged, according to Russian news outlet Insider. They had sought a nine-year prison term, according to the Telegram channel organized in Krieger’s support.

He denied the charges against him and spoke out during the trial against Russia’s war in Ukraine.

"I consider this war to be that rare conflict in which the truth is 100% present on one side. And that side is Ukraine," Krieger said on Wednesday, referring to himself as a native of Ukraine, according to the Telegram channel.

Wagner fighters entering Bakhmut ‘like rats’ towards a trap

Wednesday 17 May 2023 15:20 , Matt Mathers

Fighters from Russia’s mercenary group Wagner are entering Bakhmut “like rats” going to a trap, the commander of Ukraine’s ground forces has said.

Oleksandr Syrskyi visited troops on the frontline in Bahmut, which has become the longest-running battle since Russia invaded in February last year.

“Wagner’s men went into Bakhmut like rats into a mousetrap,” he said, referring to the Russian paramilitary group.

Turkish official sees ‘high probability’ of Ukraine grain deal being extended

Wednesday 17 May 2023 15:00 , Matt Mathers

There is "a quite high probability" of the Ukraine Black Sea grain deal being extended, a senior Turkish source said on Wednesday, a day before Russia could quit the pact over obstacles to its own grain and fertilizer exports.

Earlier, the last ship left a Ukrainian port under the deal, which allows for the safe export via the Black Sea of Ukrainian grain but which is due to expire on Thursday without agreement on an extension.

"The talks (in Turkey) are continuing. They’re heading in a positive direction. As far as I can see there is a quite high probability of an agreement being reached," a senior Turkish official said.

"Some contacts are continuing. We are seriously hopeful," the source added.

Hungary demands Ukraine remove OTP from list of war sponsors to get EU military support

Wednesday 17 May 2023 14:10 , Matt Mathers

Hungary will block the next tranche of European Union military support for Ukraine and any new sanctions package against Russia unless Kyiv removes Hungarian bank OTP from its list of war sponsors, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Wednesday.

Hungary did not approve the disbursement of the next tranche of military support for Ukraine provided under the EU’s European Peace Facility (EPF), a government spokesman’s office said on Tuesday.

UK’s defence secretary: We can enable others who wish to supply Ukraine with jets

Wednesday 17 May 2023 13:40 , Matt Mathers

Britain can support Ukraine’s military by enabling other countries which wish to supply fighter jets and other military equipment to Ukraine to do so, British defence minister Ben Wallace said on Wednesday.

"What we can, obviously contribute, is training and support, again, within limits, because we don’t have F16 pilots," Wallace said at a press conference in Berlin with his German counterpart when asked about international plans to send jets to Ukraine.

"We can do, what we’ve done throughout this ... which is we can enable other people who wish to," he added. "Any nation that comes to us and says we want to get tanks into Ukraine ... we will help with that process."

‘Like a scene from Apocalypse Now’: I was there when the missiles shook Kyiv

Wednesday 17 May 2023 13:20 , Matt Mathers

The noise that repeatedly filled the air early this morning was extraordinary: shuddering, horribly percussive waves of sound that burrow down through your chest and into your stomach, writes Kit Macdonald.

You can read Kit’s full piece here:

Opinion: ‘Like a scene from Apocalypse Now’: I was there when the missiles shook Kyiv

India hits back at EU’s criticism over Russian oil: ‘Look at your regulations’

Wednesday 17 May 2023 12:50 , Matt Mathers

India has hit back at the European Union’s suggestion of cracking down on the country for reselling refined Russian oil to Europe by considering it a circumvention of Western sanctions on Moscow for its war on Ukraine.

India’s foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, who was in Brussels during the last leg of his three-nation tour, strongly denied that his country was violating any sanctions imposed on Russia and said the oil in question could not be treated as Russian oil if it is refined in another country before being exported.

Mr Jaishankar was asked a question at a press conference shortly after the EU’s foreign minister Josep Borrel said the the bloc will “have to act” if sanctioned diesel or gasoline is still making its way into Europe via India.

Shweta Sharma reports:

India hits back at EU’s criticism over Russian oil: ‘Look at your regulations’

Finland says embassy bank accounts in Russia frozen since April

Wednesday 17 May 2023 12:28 , Matt Mathers

The bank accounts of Finland’s embassy and consulate in Russia are frozen and the Nordic country has not had an explanation from its neighbour, the Finnish foreign ministry said on Wednesday.

Finland, which has a long border with Russia, formally joined NATO on April 4 in a historic policy shift brought on by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that drew a threat from Moscow of counter-measures.

Finnish foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto told reporters the bank accounts had stopped working on April 27.

"The accounts of Finnish embassies have been frozen in Russia and at the moment they cannot be used," Haavisto said, adding the missions had been using their cash reserves to pay bills.

Haavisto said Finland had sent Russian authorities a notice on May 4 requesting that Russia ensure the missions’ ability to function in Russia and asking for an official explanation for the freeze, but it had not received one so far.

Russia’s central bank did not respond to a request for comment.

Russia says hypersonic missile scientists face 'very serious' treason accusations

Wednesday 17 May 2023 12:04 , Matt Mathers

Three Russian academics who have worked on hypersonic missile technology face "very serious accusations", the Kremlin said on Wednesday, in a treason investigation that has spread alarm through Russia’s scientific community.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he was aware of an open letter from Siberian scientists in defence of the men, but that the case was a matter for the security services.

In the letter, published on Monday, colleagues of Anatoly Maslov, Alexander Shiplyuk and Valery Zvegintsev protested their innocence and said the prosecutions threatened to inflict grave damage on Russian science.

"We know each of them as a patriot and a decent person who is not capable of doing what the investigating authorities suspect them of," they said.

President Vladimir Putin has boasted that Russia is the global leader in hypersonic missiles, capable of travelling at speeds of up to Mach 10 (12,250 kph) to evade enemy air defences. On Tuesday, Ukraine said it had managed to destroy six of the weapons in a single night, although Russia disputed this.

German govt: Russian assets could be used to pay for Ukraine war damages

Wednesday 17 May 2023 11:32 , Matt Mathers

The German government is looking into mechanisms to secure war damages for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, including the possibility of using Russian assets to compensate the country, a government spokesperson said on Wednesday.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz was among European leaders who agreed to set up a register of damages for the Ukraine war during a meeting in Reykjavik this week.

The UK’s prime minister Rishi Sunak, EU Commission president Usual von der Leyen and Emmanuel Macron, the French president, were among other attendees at the Council of Europe conference which primarily focused on the war:

European nations zoom in on establishing system to pinpoint how much damage Russia caused in Ukraine

Kazakhs increasingly wary of Russia’s belligerence - poll

Wednesday 17 May 2023 10:57 , Matt Mathers

The number of Kazakhs who believe neighbouring Russia may invade the former Soviet republic has doubled over the past six months as the war in Ukraine continues, an opinion poll by Kazakh researchers showed on Wednesday.

The Central Asian nation of 20 million has close historical, economic and security ties with Moscow, but has maintained neutrality in the Ukrainian conflict, refusing to recognise Russia’s annexation of parts of Ukraine’s territory.

According to the poll of 1,100 respondents, carried out by non-government organisations MediaNet and PaperLab between May 3 and 12, almost 60% are also neutral with regards to the war, 12.8% support Russia and 21.1% support Ukraine, figures similar to those produced by a similar poll last December.

However, the number of people who think Russia may also invade Kazakhstan has risen to 15% from 8.3% in the previous poll.

Nearly a third of respondents said their perception of Russia had worsened because of the war, over a half said it had not changed and only 4.7% said it had improved.

Kazakhstan is home to about 3 million ethnic Russians and shares the world’s longest continuous land border with Russia. Astana also has close ties with China, another giant neighbour, and the West, which has invested hundreds of billions of dollars into its oil and gas industry.

Russia orders arrest of prominent producer, director who criticized Ukraine war

Wednesday 17 May 2023 10:55 , Matt Mathers

A Moscow court has ordered the arrest of prominent film producer Alexander Rodnyansky and theater director Ivan Vyrypaev for “spreading false information” about the Russian army.

The initial court hearings against Rodnyansky and Vyrypaev were held on 27 April, but not reported by the court until Wednesday.

According to the court’s press service, Rodnyansky and Vyrypaev, who are outside Russia, will be placed in custody once Russian authorities manage to detain them or to get them extradited. Russia’s Interior Ministry additionally put Vyrypaev on the federal wanted list.

Kyiv-born Rodnyansky has been among the most influential figures in Russian cinema in recent decades. He left Russia after the start of the country’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and has repeatedly spoken openly against the war. In October 2022, Russia’s Justice Ministry declared Rodnyansky a “foreign agent.”