Summary
The time is now approaching 10pm in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. Here’s a roundup of today’s news.
The head of the Wagner Russian mercenary group Yevgeny Prigozhin, has said that a Ukrainian counteroffensive could turn into a “tragedy” for Russia. Prigozhin, a key ally of Vladimir Putin who has led the Russian attack of Bakhmut, complained that his fighters lacked ammunition.
“We (Wagner) have only 10-15% of the shells that we need,” he said, blaming the leadership of the Russian army. He predicted a counterattack could take place in mid-May. “This counteroffensive could become a tragedy for our country,” he said.
Ukraine is preparing for the much-expected counter offensive, with the war entering into a stalemate in recent months. It is hoped Ukrainian forces will have similar gains to autumn last year, where they retook part of Kherson.
Ahead of the offensive, the Russian army has replaced its highest ranking official in charge of logistics. Alexei Kuzmenkov - a former official from the National Guard has replaced Col Gen Mikhail Mizintsev.
Pope Francis has said that the Vatican was involved in a peace mission to try to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. “I am willing to do everything that has to be done. There is a mission in course now but it is not yet public. When it is public, I will reveal it,” Pope Francis told reporters including from Reuters during a flight home after a three-day visit to Hungary.
Four people have been killed from an overnight Ukrainian strike on the Russian border village of Suzemka, the governor of Russia’s western Bryansk region said on Sunday. “Two more civilians have been found and removed from the rubble. Unfortunately, both of them died,” local governor Alexander Bogomaz said on Telegram.
A growing poverty crisis in Ukraine has led many to turn to Kyiv’s pawn shops to surrender mobile phones, appliances and other belongings in order to get by.
Poverty increased from 5.5% to 24.2% in Ukraine in 2022, pushing 7.1 million more people into poverty with the worst impact out of sight in rural villages, according to a recent report by the World Bank. With unemployment unofficially at 36% and inflation hitting 26.6% at the end of 2022, the institution’s regional country director for eastern Europe, Arup Banerji, had warned that poverty could soar.
Funerals for two of the six children killed in a Russian missile strike on a tower block in Uman, central Ukraine, on Friday have taken place. A cruise missile caused a whole section of the building to collapse, killing at least 23, in one of the deadliest attacks on civilians this year.
The number of children killed by the war has reached 477, according to figures just posted to the Ukrainian prosecutor general’s Telegram account. The toll rose after it emerged on Saturday that two more children had died in the rocket attack in Uman.
One woman was killed in Kherson by Russian shelling, Oleksandr Prokudin, head of the oblast’s regional military administration said that artillery had hit Bilozerka and Odradokamianka, during which the 58-year-old was killed. More than 27 attacks were reported on residential areas of the wider Kherson region on Saturday, according to its authorities, with about 135 shells fired.
There have been reports of heavy shelling in the Kharkiv region. Several homes in the city of Kupyansk have been hit with anti-aircraft missiles, according to local officials. The hit caused fires at residential houses and garages and four cars were destroyed. No casualties have been reported.
The UK Ministry of Defence reports that Russian commanders have likely started “punishing breaches in discipline” by detaining offending troops in what they call ‘Zindans’ – which are holes in the ground covered with a metal grille.
Former US House speaker Nancy Pelosi has spoken about her surprise visit to Ukraine just after the Russian invasion had begun, a year on from her trip. “It was very, it was dangerous,” Pelosi told the Associated Press. “We never feared about it, but we thought we could die because we’re visiting a serious, serious war zone.”
In another interview, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy recalled the early days of Russia’s invasion, saying in an interview he carries a pistol and would have fought to the death alongside his inner circle had the Russians stormed his Kyiv headquarters at the start of the war. “I know how to shoot. Could you imagine [a headline like] ‘The president of Ukraine is taken captive by Russians?’ This is a disgrace. I believe this would be a disgrace,” he told the 1+1 television channel. “I think if they had gone inside, into the administration, we would not be here,” he said.
Joe Biden says he is ‘working like hell’ to secure release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, held in Russia on espionage charges. He praised the “absolute courage” of the US journalist and reiterated calls on Moscow for his immediate release. Biden, speaking at an annual dinner for White House correspondents on Saturday night, directly addressed the parents of Gershkovich. “We all stand with you. Evan went to Russia to shed light on the darkness that you all escaped from, years ago. Absolute courage … to the entire family, everyone in this hall stands with you. We’re working every day to secure his release,” Biden said.
Ukraine’s General Staff of the Armed Forces is claiming that 470 Russian troops were killed in fighting on Saturday. A daily update on social media said this brought Russia’s total combat losses to 19,0510 since the start of the war. The total has not been independently verified.
That’s all for today. Thank you for following along.
Pope Francis has said that the Vatican was involved in a peace mission to try to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
“I am willing to do everything that has to be done. There is a mission in course now but it is not yet public. When it is public, I will reveal it,” Pope Francis told reporters including from Reuters during a flight home after a three-day visit to Hungary.
“I think that peace is always made by opening channels. You can never achieve peace through closure … This is not easy.”
The pope added that he had spoken about the situation in Ukraine with Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán.
“In these meetings we did not just talk about Little Red Riding Hood. We spoke of all these things. Everyone is interested in the road to peace,” he said.
Ukraine’s army stopped 20 attacks by the Russian army in the Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Marinka on Sunday.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported it in its daily evening update published on Facebook.
“The Russian Federation continues to use terror tactics. Today, the enemy launched two missile strikes on the cities of Kramatorsk and Kostiantynivka. Also, throughout the day, it launched 15 air strikes and mounted about 30 attacks using multiple launch rocket systems on the positions of our troops and settlements,” the update said.
“The threat of missile and airstrikes remains high across Ukraine.
“The enemy continues to focus its main efforts on offensive operations on Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Marinka. During the past day, Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled more than 20 enemy attacks on the specified axes. Bakhmut and Mar’inka remain places of fierce fights.”
Wagner head: Ukrainian counteroffensive could become Russian 'tragedy'
The head of the Wagner Russian mercenary group Yevgeny Prigozhin, has said that a Ukrainian counteroffensive could turn into a “tragedy” for Russia and complained that his fighters lacked ammunition.
For months Wagner has spearheaded the Russian attack on Bakhmut, the east Ukrainian town at the epicentre of fighting.
Prigozhin is an ally of president Vladimir Putin but as head of the private military group has been involved in a power struggle with Russia’s defence ministry, Agency France-Presse reports.
“We (Wagner) have only 10-15% of the shells that we need,” he said, blaming the leadership of the Russian army.
He spoke in an interview to Russian pro-Kremlin war correspondent Semyon Pegov.
Prigozhin said he expected a Ukrainian counterattack in mid-May.
“This counteroffensive could become a tragedy for our country,” he said.
Shelling has killed a 58-year-old woman in Kherson.
Oleksandr Prokudin, head of the oblast’s regional military administration said that artillery had hit Bilozerka and Odradokamianka.
In a Telegram post, he said that a 29-year-old was seriously injured in Bilozerka with doctors fighting to save his life after he sustained bad chest injuries.
Meanwhile in Odradokamianka, a 58-year-old was killed in the attack at a residential building.
President Zelenskiy has said that it is important that Ukraine’s allies and its population remain “as united as possible” in the fight against Russia.
In a video statement partly to mark the contribution of Ukrainian border guards, he said he had spoken to his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron in recent days about weapons deliveries and further cooperation. He thanked European countries and the US for deliveries of weapons and financial aid.
“It is very important that Russia receives ever stronger signals that the world will not forgive any of Russia’s acts of terror,” Zelenskiy said. “And that as many global players as possible are absolutely principled in upholding the sanctions regime against Russia for terror.”
He said that one day the border guards, who were the first to defend the country against Russian forces, will return to securing Ukraine’s borders again. “The day will surely come when Ukrainian border control for passengers at the international airports of our Donetsk and Simferopol will once again be quite commonplace.”
He added: “[By] remaining as united as possible, maintaining the greatest principled stance to protect our common values and implementing defense agreements as fast as possible, all together in Ukraine, in Europe, in the world, we will be able to prevent Russia from protracting the war and restore a normal, just peace.”
Summary
As the time has just passed 6pm in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, here’s a roundup of Sunday’s news from the conflict so far.
Four people have been killed from an overnight Ukrainian strike on the Russian border village of Suzemka, the governor of Russia’s western Bryansk region said on Sunday. “Two more civilians have been found and removed from the rubble. Unfortunately, both of them died,” local governor Alexander Bogomaz said on Telegram.
A growing poverty crisis in Ukraine has led many to turn to Kyiv’s pawn shops to surrender mobile phones, appliances and other belongings in order to get by.
Poverty increased from 5.5% to 24.2% in Ukraine in 2022, pushing 7.1 million more people into poverty with the worst impact out of sight in rural villages, according to a recent report by the World Bank. With unemployment unofficially at 36% and inflation hitting 26.6% at the end of 2022, the institution’s regional country director for eastern Europe, Arup Banerji, had warned that poverty could soar.
Ukraine is preparing for the much-expected counter offensive, with the war entering into a stalemate in recent months. It is hoped Ukrainian forces will have similar gains to autumn last year, where they retook part of Kherson.
Ahead of the offensive, the Russian army has replaced its highest ranking official in charge of logistics. Alexei Kuzmenkov - a former official from the National Guard has replaced Col Gen Mikhail Mizintsev.
Funerals for two of the six children killed in a Russian missile strike on a tower block in Uman, central Ukraine, on Friday have taken place. A cruise missile caused a whole section of the building to collapse, killing at least 23, in one of the deadliest attacks on civilians this year.
The number of children killed by the war has reached 477, according to figures just posted to the Ukrainian prosecutor general’s Telegram account. The toll rose after it emerged on Saturday that two more children had died in the rocket attack in Uman.
Two people were injured in Kherson by Russian shelling, deputy head of Kherson oblast Council Yuriy Sobolevsky has said. More than 27 attacks were reported on residential areas of the wider Kherson region on Saturday, according to its authorities, with about 135 shells fired.
There have been reports of heavy shelling in the Kharkiv region. Several homes in the city of Kupyansk have been hit with anti-aircraft missiles, according to local officials. The hit caused fires at residential houses and garages and four cars were destroyed. No casualties have been reported.
The UK Ministry of Defence reports that Russian commanders have likely started “punishing breaches in discipline” by detaining offending troops in what they call ‘Zindans’ – which are holes in the ground covered with a metal grille.
Former US House speaker Nancy Pelosi has spoken about her surprise visit to Ukraine just after the Russian invasion had begun, a year on from her trip. “It was very, it was dangerous,” Pelosi told the Associated Press. “We never feared about it, but we thought we could die because we’re visiting a serious, serious war zone.”
In another interview, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy recalled the early days of Russia’s invasion, saying in an interview he carries a pistol and would have fought to the death alongside his inner circle had the Russians stormed his Kyiv headquarters at the start of the war. “I know how to shoot. Could you imagine [a headline like] ‘The president of Ukraine is taken captive by Russians?’ This is a disgrace. I believe this would be a disgrace,” he told the 1+1 television channel. “I think if they had gone inside, into the administration, we would not be here,” he said.
Joe Biden says he is ‘working like hell’ to secure release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, held in Russia on espionage charges. He praised the “absolute courage” of the US journalist and reiterated calls on Moscow for his immediate release. Biden, speaking at an annual dinner for White House correspondents on Saturday night, directly addressed the parents of Gershkovich. “We all stand with you. Evan went to Russia to shed light on the darkness that you all escaped from, years ago. Absolute courage … to the entire family, everyone in this hall stands with you. We’re working every day to secure his release,” Biden said.
Ukraine’s General Staff of the Armed Forces is claiming that 470 Russian troops were killed in fighting on Saturday. A daily update on social media said this brought Russia’s total combat losses to 19,0510 since the start of the war. The total has not been independently verified.
This is Harry Taylor bringing you the latest developments from Ukraine for the rest of the evening.
The Russian army has replaced its highest ranking general in charge of logistics ahead of an expected counter-offensive by Kyiv.
AFP reports:
The announcement followed days of rumours about the sacking of Colonel General Mikhail Mizintsev, under British sanctions for his role in the siege of the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, which Russian troops captured a year ago.
In a statement, the Russian defence ministry said Alexei Kuzmenkov - a former official from the National Guard - had replaced Mizintsev.
“Kuzmenkov was appointed to the position of deputy defence minister of the Russian Federation, responsible for the logistical support of the Armed Forces,” the ministry said.
The statement did not say why Mizintsev was replaced after just seven months on the job.
Nicknamed “the Butcher of Mariupol” by some Western media, Mizintsev was appointed to the logistics post days after President Vladimir Putin announced a mobilisation drive last September.
Funerals for two of the six children killed in a Russian missile strike on a tower block in Uman on Friday took place this afternoon. A cruise missile collapsed a whole section of the building, killing at least 23, in one of the deadliest attacks on civilians this year.
Photographs show residents carrying the caskets of children named by Reuters as Sofia, 11 and Kyrylo, 17. Another shows their younger brother Mikhail, 6, looking on in distress at the funeral.
The children’s father, Dmytro, told the New York Times on Friday that when he went to check the children’s bedroom in the block of flats, “There was no room behind the door, just a cloud of fire and smoke.”
When Dmytro and his wife could not find their older children in the apartment, they initially hoped they might have survived.
Ukrainian forces have released pictures of their troops training in Britain with the Danish military.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said its soldiers were learning about seizing and holding positions and battle manoeuvres. Denmark is supporting the UK-led training of the Ukrainian military.
“This training makes it possible to master combat skills, increase the security and operational strength of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, so that military personnel can acquire the necessary tactical knowledge for the defence of Ukraine,” the Ukrainian armed forces said in a post on its official Facebook account.
The photographs show soldiers on manoeuvres behind dry stone walls in rural Britain.
Russia has attacked nine of Ukraine’s 25 regions in the last 24 hours, according to a round up by the Kyiv Independent.
The regions they list as facing bombardment are Sumy, Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk, Luhansk, and Donetsk.
One civilian was killed and another injured in Kherson, according to the regional military administration, where they reported 27 attacks on 14 settlements.
The most intense Russian attacks were reported in Luhansk Oblast, where Russian forces are said to have shelled the region 93 times over the past day. No casualties were reported.
Russia’s Ministry of Defence is claiming its forces have taken four blocks in western Bakhmut, Reuters reports.
Russian state-owned news agency RIA reported the claim but it could not be independently verified. Fierce battles have been taking place in the eastern city, that Russian forces have been struggling for months to capture.
Death toll from Ukraine strike on Russian border village rises
The death toll from an overnight Ukrainian strike on the Russian border village of Suzemka has risen to four, the governor of Russia’s western Bryansk region said this afternoon.
“Two more civilians have been found and removed from the rubble. Unfortunately, both of them died,” local governor Alexander Bogomaz said on on Telegram.
A further two people are also being treated in hospital, he said. Earlier on Sunday Bogomaz had said two people were killed in the shelling.
Rubble is still being removed and the village has declared a state of emergency.
Updated
A growing poverty crisis in Ukraine has led many to turn to Kyiv’s pawn shops to surrender mobile phones, appliances and other belongings in order to get by.
Poverty increased from 5.5% to 24.2% in Ukraine in 2022, pushing 7.1 million more people into poverty with the worst impact out of sight in rural villages, according to a recent report by the World Bank. With unemployment unofficially at 36% and inflation hitting 26.6% at the end of 2022, the institution’s regional country director for eastern Europe, Arup Banerji, had warned that poverty could soar.
Peter Beaumont is in Irpin and reports on the growing desperation there.
The price of everything has gone up,” says Oleksandr Stepanov, a cashier at a Kyiv pawn shop. “Food is the most expensive and then it is fuel for the car. Some things have gone up by 40-50%. Before the war my wife would go to the supermarket to shop and it would cost 200 hryvnia, now the same shop costs 400-500.
Read the full story here:
Pope Francis has used a visit to Hungary to make an appeal for the end of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
During a Mass on the banks of the Danube at the end of a three-day visit dominated by the Vatican’s concern for the plight of neighbouring Ukraine, he prayed for peace in Ukraine and “a future of hope, not war, a future full of cradles, not tombs, a world of brothers and sisters, not walls.”
He also urged Hungarians and the rest of Europe to welcome migrants and the poor. Among those attending were President Katalin Novak and Hungary’s right-wing populist prime minister, Viktor Orban, whose lukewarm support for Ukraine has rankled fellow European Union members.
Francis has tried to forge a diplomatic balancing act in his pleas to end Russia’s war, expressing solidarity with Ukrainians while keeping the door open to dialogue with Moscow, Associated Press reporter. On Saturday, he prayed with Ukrainian refugees and then met with an envoy of Russian Patriarch Kirill, who has firmly supported Moscow’s invasion.
Multiple Russian rockets have caused damage in Donetsk overnight, according to an update from its regional governor, Pavlo Kyrylenko.
He posted on Telegram that five rockets had hit Kramatorsk at around midnight on Saturday, one near a residential building, two in a field outside the city and two in an industrial area. Velika Novosilka, Ugledar and Avdiivka also came under fire, he said. No casualties were reported.
This post was amended after publication to make a geographical clarification
Updated
Ukraine has been selecting injured soldiers to compete in this year’s Invictus games, due to take place in Düsseldorf in September. Many of its team will be competing for the first time having been injured in fighting over the last year.
Wounded veterans competed in nine different categories, including rowing, athletics and powerlifting.
Getty has images from try-outs which took place yesterday in Lviv. Security around the event was tight, for fear of it becoming a target and the date was kept out of the public domain.
As an imminent counter-assault is planned by Ukraine against Russian forces, colleagues Emma Graham-Harrison and Artem Mazhulin report from Zaporizhzhia for The Observer.
The coming months of fighting will show if Ukraine is able to come good on promises to reclaim all its occupied territory, after more than a year of occupation has allowed Russia to dig in extensive fortifications.
The most optimistic among Ukraine and its allies hope for a repeat of the dramatic military triumphs of last spring and autumn, when Moscow was pushed back from Kyiv and then forced out of swathes of the country’s east and south in a few weeks.
The men and women who have spent time facing Russian troops in the trenches are less sanguine about progress, although also certain about the eventual outcome. “Everyone is waiting for it and thinks we will solve everything with one hit. It will take time, and will be hard,” said Luh.
The Observer met Luh, who under military protocol asked to go by his call-sign rather than his name, at a training camp a few dozen kilometres from the frontlines in southern Ukraine.
Two injured by overnight shelling in Kherson
Shelling through the night in the city of Kherson has injured two people, deputy head of Kherson Oblast Council Yuriy Sobolevsky said this morning.
More than 27 attacks were reported on residential areas of the wider Kherson region on Saturday, according to its authorities, with some 135 shells fired.
It follows increased assaults on the area, that has already faced intense bombardment throughout the war.
Local government is said to be preparing for mass evacuation of the area in the event of further heavy attacks, The Kyiv Independent reports. Regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin said on Saturday that safe routes out and temporary housing are already being identified.
Updated
Reports of heavy shelling in Kharkiv region
There have been reports of heavy shelling in the Kharkiv region this morning. Several homes in the city of Kupyansk have been hit with anti-aircraft missiles, according to local officials.
The hit caused fires at residential houses and garages and four cars were destroyed, but there were no casualties, according to Oleh Syniehubov, head of the Kharkiv regional military administration.
Posting on his Telegram account, Syniehubov also said extensive de-mining has been taking place in the region, with 123 munitions neutralised on Saturday.
Updated
A reminder from Melinda Simmons, British ambassador to Ukraine, that life in Kyiv continues in relative peace, as people in the city enjoy a spring Sunday morning.
Amid bombings, killings of innocent civilians and feverish talk of counteroffensive, Kyivites flock to the park for selfies among the beautiful magnolias and blossom trees that themselves are impervious to war. pic.twitter.com/n15IjbW0cs
— Dame Melinda Simmons (@MelSimmonsFCDO) April 30, 2023
Ukraine’s General Staff of the Armed Forces is claiming that 470 Russian troops were killed in fighting on Saturday.
A daily update on social media said this brought Russia’s total combat losses to 19,0510 since the start of the war.
Ukraine also said that it destroyed two Russian tanks, six artillery systems and six vehicles in a day. The figures have not been verified.
Загальні бойові втрати противника з 24.02.22 по 30.04.23 орієнтовно склали / The total combat losses of the enemy from 24.02.22 to 30.04.23 were approximately pic.twitter.com/AoBDJAzsKu
— Генеральний штаб ЗСУ (@GeneralStaffUA) April 30, 2023
The number of children killed by the war has reached 477, according to figures just posted to the Ukrainian prosecutor general’s Telegram account.
The toll rose after it emerged on Saturday that two more children had died in a rocket attack on a high-rise building in Uman on 28 April. The attack killed 23 people, including six children.
More than 955 children have been injured in the conflict, according to Ukraine’s official figures. The most children were harmed in Donetsk, where 452 were injured or killed.
The figures are still being updated.
Joe Biden says he is ‘working like hell’ to secure release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, held in Russia on espionage charges. He praised the “absolute courage” of the US journalist and reiterated calls on Moscow for his immediate release.
Biden, speaking at an annual dinner for White House correspondents on Saturday night, directly addressed the parents of Gershkovich, who were in the room and were given standing ovations by the more than 2,000 attendees.
“We all stand with you. Evan went to Russia to shed light on the darkness that you all escaped from, years ago. Absolute courage … to the entire family, everyone in this hall stands with you. We’re working every day to secure his release,” said Biden, noting the journalist’s letter to his parents that said he was “not losing hope”.
Some guests at the Washington Hilton function wore buttons with “Free Evan” printed on them.
The US has previously declared Gershkovich to be wrongfully detained, signalling that it views the espionage charges against him as bogus and that he is being held as a hostage.
Russian commanders detain own wayward soldiers in ‘holes in the ground’
The UK Ministry of Defence reports that Russian commanders have likely started “punishing breaches in discipline” by detaining offending troops in what they call ‘Zindans’ – which are holes in the ground covered with a metal grille.
“Multiple recent reports from Russian personnel give similar accounts of being placed in Zindans for misdemeanours including drunkenness and attempting to terminate their contracts,” the defence ministry said in a statement posted on Twitter.
It goes on to note that in the early months of the war, many Russian commanders took “a relatively light touch” in enforcing discipline, “allowing those who refused to solider to quietly return home”.
But sometime around Autumn 2022, there has been reports of multiple increasingly draconian initiatives to improve discipline in the force. It says this especially happened after Russia appointed Valery Gerasimov as its overall commander for the war in Ukraine from January of this year.
His appointment was part of several major shake-ups of Moscow’s military leadership during the stumbling invasion of its neighbour.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy has also recalled the early days of Russia’s invasion, saying in an interview on Saturday he carries a pistol and would have fought to the death alongside his inner circle had the Russians stormed his Kyiv headquarters at the start of the war.
In the first days after the 24 February 2022 invasion, Ukrainian officials said Russian intelligence units tried to break into Kyiv, but were defeated and failed to reach Bankova Street in the centre, home to the presidential offices.
“I know how to shoot. Could you imagine [a headline like] ‘The President of Ukraine is taken captive by Russians?’ This is a disgrace. I believe this would be a disgrace,” he told the 1+1 television channel.
Other Russian units launched an attack on the outskirts of Kyiv, but were unable to advance. Officials also reported several unsuccessful sabotage attempts inside the city.
“I think if they had gone inside, into the administration, we would not be here,” Zelenskiy said. It was not clear which Russian units he was referring to.
“No one would have been taken prisoner because we had a very seriously prepared defence of Bankova Street. We would have been there to the last,” he said.
Asked whether he carried a pistol and practised using it, he replied that he did, while dismissing a suggestion he might have used it to kill himself rather than be captured.
“No, no, no. It’s not (to shoot) myself. To shoot back, surely,” he said.
Former US House speaker Nancy Pelosi has spoken about her surprise visit to Ukraine just after the Russian invasion had begun.
Pelosi and other lawmakers were ushered secretly into Kyiv, via a route that she will not divulge.
“It was very, it was dangerous,” Pelosi told the Associated Press before Sunday’s one-year anniversary of that trip.
“We never feared about it, but we thought we could die because we’re visiting a serious, serious war zone.”
Pelosi’s visit was as unusual as it was historic, opening a fresh diplomatic channel between the US and Ukraine that has only deepened with the prolonged war.
With a new Republican majority in the House whose Trump-aligned members have balked at overseas investments, Pelosi, a Democrat, remains confident the Congress will continue backing Ukraine as part of a broader US commitment to democracy abroad in the face of authoritarian aggression.
She added about the broader implications of the fight: “We must win. We must bring this to a positive conclusion — for the people of Ukraine and for our country,” Pelosi said. “There is a fight in the world now between democracy and autocracy, its manifestation at the time is in Ukraine.”
Hello and welcome back to our coverage of Russia’s war in Ukraine. This is Christine Kearney with the latest developments to bring you up to speed.
The UK Ministry of Defence reports that Russian commanders have likely started “punishing breaches in discipline” by detaining offending troops in what they call ‘Zindans’ – which are holes in the ground covered with a metal grille.
“Multiple recent reports from Russian personnel give similar accounts of being placed in Zindans for misdemeanours including drunkenness and attempting to terminate their contracts,” the defence ministry said in a statement.
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 30 April 2023.
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) April 30, 2023
Find out more about Defence Intelligence's use of language: https://t.co/SIvHuzvKuo
🇺🇦 #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/n6EiQpwtpM
The ministry noted since Autumn 2022 there had been increasingly draconian initiatives by Rusian commanders to improve discipline in its own force.
Meanwhile, Joe Biden has praised the “absolute courage” of Evan Gershkovich, the US journalist detained in Russia on espionage charges, and reiterated calls on Moscow for his immediate release.
Biden, speaking at an annual dinner for White House correspondents on Saturday night, said the Wall Street Journal reporter, who is the first correspondent since the cold war to be detained in Russia on spying charges, sought to “shed light on the darkness” of the country and said American efforts to get him home would not cease.
More on those stories shortly. And in other news:
A huge fire in the Crimean port city of Sevastopol on Saturday has been put out after what was reported to be a Ukrainian drone strike on fuel tanks at a Russian navy depot. Video footage posted on social media showed a large waterside area on fire, with a column of black smoke rising from the burning fuel. The fire was later extinguished, according to Moscow-installed governor Mikhail Razvozhaev. A Ukrainian military intelligence official said more than 10 tanks of oil products with a capacity of about 40,000 tonnes intended for use by Russia’s Black Sea Fleet were destroyed, RBC Ukraine reported.
The death toll from Russia’s aerial attacks on cities across Ukraine early on Friday has risen to at least 26, including five children, as Kyiv said preparations for a counter-offensive against Moscow’s forces were nearly complete. Firefighters tackled a blaze at a residential apartment hit by a Russian missile in the central town of Uman and rescue workers clambered through a huge pile of smouldering rubble searching for survivors.
Two civilians died as a result of Ukrainian shelling on a village in Russia’s Bryansk region on Saturday evening, a local governor said. “According to preliminary information, one residential building was completely destroyed, two more houses were partially destroyed,” Governor Alexander Bogomaz said on the Telegram messaging app. “Emergency services continue to work at the scene.” Ukraine almost never publicly claims responsibility for attacks inside Russia and on Russian-controlled territory in Ukraine.
Ukraine remains in control of a key supply route into Bakhmut, a military spokesperson said on Saturday, as the head of Russia’s mercenary Wagner Group threatened to withdraw some of his troops from the eastern city if Moscow did not send more ammunition.
Russian forces have been trying for 10 months to punch their way into the shattered remains of what was once a city of 70,000. Kyiv has pledged to defend Bakhmut, which Russia sees as a stepping stone to attacking other cities.Russia on Saturday promised it would respond harshly to what it said was Poland’s illegal seizure of its embassy school in Warsaw, an act it called a flagrant violation of the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations. Polish state-run news channel TVP Info had earlier reported that police had showed up outside the Russian embassy school on Kielecka street in Warsaw on Saturday morning. Moscow’s ambassador to Poland, Sergei Andreyev, told Russian state news agencies on Saturday that the move was illegal, but Poland said it was within its rights to take back the building.
Nancy Pelosi has spoken about her surprise visit to Ukraine just after the Russian invasion had begun. Pelosi and other lawmakers were ushered secretly into Kyiv, via a route that she will not divulge. “It was very, it was dangerous,” Pelosi told the Associated Press before Sunday’s one-year anniversary of that trip. “We never feared about it, but we thought we could die because we’re visiting a serious, serious war zone.”
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in an interview on Saturday he carries a pistol and would have fought to the death alongside his inner circle had the Russians stormed his Kyiv headquarters at the start of the war. In the first days after the 24 February, 2022 invasion, Ukrainian officials said Russian intelligence units tried to break into Kyiv, but were defeated and failed to reach Bankova Street in the centre, home to the presidential offices. “I know how to shoot. Could you imagine [a headline like] ‘The President of Ukraine is taken captive by Russians?’ This is a disgrace. I believe this would be a disgrace,” he told the 1+1 television channel.
There is a realistic possibility the Russian missiles that struck Ukraine on Friday were an attempt to intercept Ukrainian reserve units and military supplies that were recently given to the country, the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) said on Saturday. In its intelligence update, the MoD said Moscow launched “the first major wave of cruise missile strikes against Ukraine since early March 2023.” The bombardment killed at least 25 people, and were a departure from Russia’s use of long-range strikes that targeted energy infrastructure over winter, it said.
Russian occupying authorities in southern Ukraine said on Saturday that Ukrainian forces were subjecting the city of Novaya Kakhovka to “intense artillery fire” that had cut off electricity. The city’s authorities said on Telegram: “Novaya Kakhovka and settlements around the district are under very intense artillery fire from the armed forces of Ukraine.” Novaya Kakhovka is in the part of the southern Kherson region that Russia controls.
Five EU countries have agreed on a deal to allow the transit of Ukrainian food exports, the European Commission said, after temporary bans were imposed on the foodstuffs amid protests by farmers. The agreement with Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia comes as limits on Ukraine grain’s export channel via the Black Sea necessitate export overland via the country’s neighbours.
