by Lorenzo Cremonesi, Giusi Fasano, Marta Serafini, Paolo Foschi
The news of Saturday, April 30 on the war in Ukraine, live: Lavrov accuses the West of colonialism. Zelenskyy: ready to see Putin despite the horror
• The war in Ukraine has reached its 66th day.
• Yesterday, the Pentagon announced the arrival of new weapons in Ukraine within 24 hours, thanks to the US Congress, which approved a measure allowing the President to speed up the delivery. Joe Biden said another $33 billion would be needed to support Ukraine’s military effort.
• According to US intelligence, Russia is a few days behind schedule with its plans to attack the Donbass region.
• A Ukrainian journalist was killed in a raid in Kyiv during the visit of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
• From May 1 in Kherson will buy in rubles.
07:05 – What is holding Russia back?
Why is the battle for Donbass progressing more slowly than observers expected?
A – decisive – answer comes from a high-ranking US defense official, who once again credits the Ukrainian army with resilience that goes beyond all expectations.
“We believe that because of this slow and erratic progress, without perfect knowledge of all aspects of the Russian plan, the Russians are falling behind what they were trying to achieve in Donbass – by several days.”
While the troops are attempting to advance north from Mariupol to advance against Ukrainian forces from the south, their advances are “slow and erratic and by no means decisive,” the official said.
The time variable is crucial: if the Ukrainian army manages to slow down the Russian advance for a few more days, the weapons sent from the West could arrive on the field – and the battle for the Donbass would thus take place at a significant distance smaller means between the Ukrainian and the Russian army.
05:55 – Moscow: NATO is doing everything to prevent peace
NATO countries “are doing everything possible to prevent the conclusion of the Russian special operation in Ukraine through political agreements,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told the Xinhua News Agency in an interview recorded by TASS. “We are witnessing the manifestation of the classic double standards and hypocrisy of the western establishment. By publicly expressing their support for the Kiev regime, NATO countries are doing everything possible to prevent the conclusion of the operation by reaching political agreements,” the Russian minister said.
05:06 – During the night explosions in Kharkiv, the Russians continue to attack
Russian forces are maintaining their pressure on Ukraine’s eastern and southern regions at dawn this morning, particularly around Kharkiv in the northeast, where they are trying at all costs to increase their control despite some setbacks, as reported by Kyiv Field. Heavy explosions were heard overnight in Kharkiv, the country’s second largest city, which had been shelled by Russian artillery for weeks. According to the Kharkiv regional military administration, yesterday these bombings left at least one dead and several injured. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy acknowledged that the situation in the north-east, where Russian forces are refocusing their offensive, is “difficult”. “But our military is having tactical success,” he said.
05:01 – Kyiv: 14 Russian attacks in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions repelled
Ukrainian forces repelled 14 attacks in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. This was reported by the Kiev Independent. According to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, “Russia has lost 11 tanks, 7 artillery pieces, 27 battleships, one combat vehicle and 14 other vehicles in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts”.
03:21 – CNN, the strange case of the oligarchs who died by suicide
At least six Russian businessmen have apparently died by suicide in the past three months, some with their families. CNN reports that four of the six deaths are linked to Gazprom or one of its subsidiaries. Also among the dead is Sergey Protosenya, former president of Novotek, who was found lifeless with his wife and daughter in Spain in what was originally described as a murder-suicide. “My father would never have done that, he loved my mother and my sister, they were all killed by someone else,” is the conviction of his son Fedor.
03:04 – “My husband died in Ukraine”: This is who the former US marine was killed in battle against the Russians
“My husband died in Ukraine. He left with a desire to help people, he always felt that this was his main purpose in life. He dreamed of becoming a police officer or a firefighter”: Brittany Cancel is the widow of Willy Joseph Cancel, 22, who died April 26 in combat in Ukraine, recruited by a contractor to bolster forces in Kyiv against the Russian offensive support. The story of this boy, who is survived by a 7-month-old son and a very young wife, moved America and was told in a lengthy AP report, signed by journalist Jonathan Drew. The news of his death was reported to the media by close relatives and was confirmed by his mother, Rebecca Cabrera. Here is the complete article by Paolo Foschi for Corriere della Sera.
03:00 – Lavrov: NATO support to Ukraine is impeding peace
“NATO support for Ukraine is hampering the achievement of a political agreement to end the conflict.” This was reiterated by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in an interview with China’s Xinhua, Tass Agency reported.
1:25 am – Zelensky thanks the countries that have reopened their embassies in Kyiv
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the countries that have resumed diplomatic operations in Kyiv. “The British Ambassador to Ukraine, Melinda Simmons, returned to Kyiv today,” she said in her evening speech. «Currently 27 foreign diplomatic missions operate in the capital of our country. And this is an extremely important gesture of support for Ukraine, for which we are grateful to them all,” he added. Such gestures, coupled with strong defensive, financial and political support from the free world, mean that the need to end the war is becoming ever more apparent to Russia. The defeat of the occupiers is inevitable,” said Zelenskyy.
01:11 – Economist Guriev: Sanctions on gas and oil are crucial
«The sanctions on gas and oil will be decisive. The sooner we introduce them, the sooner the war will end»: Sergei Guriev, Russian economist and former Kremlin adviser, has no doubts. The economic isolation of Russia could lead to an end to the invasion of Ukraine by Moscow troops. Guriev, a refugee in Paris in 2013 after publicly opposing Putin, teaches at Sciences Po. Stefano Montefiori interviewed him exclusively for Corriere della Sera (full article here)
00:15 – Today the conversation between Macron and Zelensky
The meeting between French President Emmanuel Macron and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy, originally scheduled for Friday, has been postponed to today. This was reported by the French television station BFMTv, citing a source from the Elysée.
April 30, 2022 (Update April 30, 2022 | 07:14)
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