• Prigozhin, announces Wagner’s withdrawal from Bakhmut on May 10th. Kadyrov: «The Chechens are ready to replace them».
• Moscow evacuates parts of the Zaporizhia region. Kiev to the citizens of the region: “Stay at home for the weekend”.
• Ukrainians say they destroyed Wagner’s ammunition depots in Bakhmut.
• Former Russian Deputy Defense Minister Mikhail Mizintsev has joined Wagner as Deputy Commander.
11:32 am – Kiev, three wounded in a Russian attack on Nikopol
Russian forces bombarded Nikopol with Grad rockets and artillery. This was announced by the head of the Dnipropetrovsk regional military administration Serhii Lysak, adding that three people were injured. According to reports, four dozen shells were fired at the city, hitting an industrial plant. “Three workers were injured. They are 48-, 50- and 58-year-old males,” writes Lysak.
11:06 – Kyiv: Russian missile shot down thanks to Patriot defense system
Ukrainian air defense units shot down a Russian Kinzhal missile thanks to a Patriot air defense system. This was announced by the Ukrainian Air Force via Telegram message. “We launched an ‘unprecedented’ Kinzhal missile! It happened during the night attack on May 4 in the skies over the Kyiv region. The Kh-47 missile was fired from a Mig-31K,” said General Mykola Oleshchuk, Air Force Commander of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
10:44am – UK: Fears of attacks following cancellation of May 9 parades
Concerns among Russian leaders about their vulnerability to attack and possible public outcry over the war in Ukraine contributed to the decision to cancel many May 9 Victory Day parades, citing security concerns. That’s what the British Ministry of Defense claims in its latest intelligence update. The ministry said six Russian regions, occupied Crimea and 21 cities had canceled their parades commemorating the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany. “The timing of the drone attack on the Kremlin just days before Victory Day demonstrates Russia’s growing vulnerability to such attacks and has almost certainly heightened the Russian leadership’s perception of the threat compared to what happened on Victory Day. The possibility of protests over the war in Ukraine may also have influenced the calculations of the Russian leadership,” the ministry wrote on Twitter, adding that the Moscow Victory Day celebrations are expected to take place, but on a smaller scale.
10:23 am – Explosions in Crimea. Pro-Russian: Anti-aircraft defenses activated
There were several explosions this morning in occupied Crimea. This was reported by Ukrainian media, citing local Telegram channels, which published videos allegedly taken by residents of the peninsula showing smoke. The blasts were reportedly heard by residents of the Krasnogvardiysky district of the occupied peninsula. Subsequently, Oleg Kryuchkov, adviser to Crimea’s pro-Russian governor, reported that “air defenses were activated in the north” and “there were no casualties or damage”.
09:58 – Kiev has concerns and confirmed: shot down hypersonic missile
After initial denials, the Commander of the Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Mykola Oleshuk confirmed that on the night of May 4 a hypersonic Kinzhal missile was shot down by the US Patriot missile defense system over the sky of the capital Kiev. «Congratulations to the people of Ukraine on a historic event! Yes, we shot down the Kinzhal” with the “Patriots”, he wrote on Telegram. “The Kh-47 missile was fired from the territory of Russia by a MiG-31K,” he added. Yesterday, the Defense Express portal reported the launch of the missile, but the Ukrainian Air Force spokesman later denied it.
07:58 – Kiev, 4 kamikaze drones were shot down over Dnipropetrovsk in the night
During the night, Ukrainian anti-aircraft defenses shot down four Iranian-made kamikaze drones “Shahed” in the Dnepropetrovsk region, which borders Donetsk and Zaporizhia to the east, writes the website of the Ukrinform agency, citing the Telegram account of the governor of the region Serhyi Lysak.
06:41 – Russia’s priority is no longer Bachmut, but the Kiev counter-offensive
The Russian Ministry of Defense shifted its battlefield priority, shifting the operational focus from capturing Bakhmut to preparing for a Ukrainian counteroffensive. This is confirmed by the May 5th report by the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW). According to analysts, this change put the mercenaries of «Wagner» in a difficult position, and the videos with threats from the leader Prigozhin «show his desperation and deep anger». Wagner’s persistence in Bakhmut is at odds with a general slowdown in Russian offensive operations elsewhere in Ukraine, as Russia’s regular military appears to be shifting focus largely to preparing for a long-awaited Ukrainian counteroffensive. It is currently unknown whether Prigozhin really intends to pull out of Bakhmut on May 10, or whether he made this statement in a last-ditch attempt to gain Defense Ministry support.
04:25 – The First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska at Buckingham Palace
Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska met the Princess of Wales Kate Middleton and US First Lady Jill Biden at Buckingham Palace last night. The three women were among the guests at a reception hosted by King Charles II ahead of today’s coronation. “It was an honor for me to attend the official coronation reception of His Majesty Charles III. to talk to the Princess of Wales and the First Lady of the United States, Jill Biden,” Zelenska wrote on her Twitter profile – Dear ladies and great friends of Ukraine”.
– The First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, with Kate Middleton and Jill Biden, wife of the US President
04:17 – More than $397 million is the estimated cost of demining in Ukraine
The resources needed for demining the territories of Ukraine by 2023 will amount to more than $397 million. First Deputy Defense Minister of Ukraine Oleksandr Pavliuk told Ukrinform. The estimated cost of the full range of humanitarian demining activities is $37 billion. According to the World Bank, the need for the current year alone is more than 397 million dollars. These costs are not final, the amount may decrease or increase significantly,” Pavliuk said. Demining spending is the focus of next year’s budget study, starting with the budget needed to create and equip new units that will strengthen the Department of Defense’s demining capabilities.
04:14 – Russia uses phosphorus bombs and incendiary ammunition on Bakhmut
Russian occupying forces used phosphorus bombs and incendiary ammunition in the town of Bakhmut in Donetsk Oblast in the evening. This was written by Ukraine’s Pravda, which shows a video and quotes the press service of Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces (SSO). «The enemy – says the SSO – used phosphorus and incendiary ammunition in Bakhmut and tried to wipe the city off the face of the earth. However, soldiers of the SSO and other units of the Ukrainian Defense Forces continue to valiantly defend the city. And under these conditions we continue to crush the enemy.” Petro Andriushchenko, Advisor to the Mayor of Mariupol, released the video and commented on social media: “Bakhmut. Phosphorus ammunition. Wretched bastards. The same situation was in Mariupol. If If they can’t do anything, phosphorus ammunition will be fired.”