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Independent English-language journalism in Ukraine. Our website: https://kyivindependent.com/ Become a member: kyivindependent.com/membership/ The official channel of The Kyiv Independent.
⚡️US intelligence chief: Russia unlikely to launch 'significant offensive' in Ukraine this year.
Russia will unlikely be able to launch a "significant offensive operation this year" in Ukraine as it lacks ammunition and troops, Director of U.S. National Intelligence Avril Haines said on May 4, adding that it doesn't depend on the outcome of the Ukrainian counteroffensive.
"In fact, if Russia does not initiate a mandatory mobilization and secure substantial third-party ammunition supplies beyond existing deliveries from Iran and others, it will be increasingly challenging for them to sustain even modest offensive operations," Haines told the Senate Armed Services Committee, as quoted by CNN.
Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
⚡️Bloomberg: EU seeks to target countries helping Russia evade sanctions.
The European Union is discussing a new sanctions mechanism aimed at third countries that are not doing enough to prevent Russia from bypassing restrictions already in place, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the issue.
⚡️Drone downed over Kyiv, debris cause fire.
Ukrainian air defense forces shot down a drone over Kyiv late on May 4, Kyiv City Military Administration reported.
According to the administration, the drone remains fell in the Solomianskyi district on Kyiv’s right bank, causing a fire in a non-residential building.
⚡️Explosions reported in Sevastopol, Russian proxy claims drone attack.
Two explosions were heard in the Crimean city of Sevastopol on the evening of May 4, reported the Krym Realii media outlet.
Mikhail Razvozhaev, the head of the illegal Russian occupation government of Sevastopol, said that Russian air defense had destroyed a drone near the Belbek military airfield, located just outside of the city.
⚡️Zelensky meets Dutch, Belgian prime ministers, signs joint declaration.
President Volodymyr Zelensky, Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte, and Belgian PM Alexander de Croo signed a joint declaration following May 4 trilateral talks in The Hague.
According to Presidential Office, the document includes the countries' pledges to continue providing Ukraine with defense aid, support the Ukrainian peace formula and contribute to imposing additional sanctions against Russia over its invasion.
The declaration also claims the support of Belgium and the Netherlands for holding Russia accountable for its war crimes and their commitment to strengthening Ukraine's military capabilities in the long term.
Photo: Ukraine's Presidential Office
⚡Ukraine's anti-corruption agency designates Hungarian bank as 'international sponsor of war.’
Ukraine's National Corruption Prevention Agency designated Hungary's OTP Bank an "international sponsor of war" on May 4.
The decision was made due to the bank's decision to continue operating in Russia and adherence to a credit law directly referring to the proxy regimes in Russian-occupied Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts.
⚡Media: Bulgaria to lift ban on Ukrainian imports.
Bulgaria will lift its ban on Ukrainian imports once the European Commission's market stabilization measures come into force, Euractiv reported on May 4.
According to Euractiv, the measures include financial packages to support local farmers from Bulgaria, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland – all countries which temporarily banned Ukrainian exports – worth 100 million euros.
⚡Zelensky: We all want to see Putin in the Hague.
During a speech at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague on May 4, President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed confidence that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin would be made to face justice for war crimes committed against Ukraine.
In the speech, which was broadcast on Ukrainian national television, Zelensky said that Ukraine needed only "reliable peace, real peace, real freedom, real justice."
⚡UK Defense Ministry: Sabotage of Russian fuel networks 'likely to force adjustments' to logistics.
Ongoing sabotage of Russian fuel networks will "likely force adjustments" to the Russian military's refueling operations, the U.K. Defense Ministry wrote in its daily intelligence update on May 4.
According to the ministry, these adjustments could include "deploying additional protection measures at fuel storage sites", or turning to fuel networks in "less threatened regions."
⚡Update: 23 killed, 46 injured in Russian attack on Kherson Oblast.
The casualty numbers in the May 3 Russian attack on Kherson Oblast have risen to 23 people killed and 46 injured, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported on May 4.
According to Prokudin, Russian forces shelled Kherson Oblast 98 times over the past 24 hours, firing off 539 shells from heavy artillery, Grads, tanks, drones, and aviation.
These are the indicative estimates of Russia’s combat losses as of May 4, according to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
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⚡Russia deploys military equipment, explosives at Zaporizhzhia power plant.
Russian troops have placed military equipment, weapons, and explosives in the turbine department of the unit four of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, according to the information from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
⚡ISW: Russia may have staged Kremlin drone strike to bring war home to domestic audience.
Several indicators suggest that a drone strike against the Kremlin on May 3 was internally conducted and purposefully staged by Russia, the Institute for the Study of War said in its latest update.
"It is extremely unlikely that two drones could have penetrated multiple layers of air defense and detonated or been shot down just over the heart of the Kremlin in a way that provided spectacular imagery caught nicely on camera," reads the analysis.
⚡️Explosions heard in Kyiv, air raid alert goes off in many Ukrainian regions.
Two loud explosions were heard in Kyiv, as reported by a Kyiv Independent journalist. Kyiv City Military Administration said air defense is at work.
Kyiv Oblast Military Administration warned about possible drone attack and urged residents to remain in shelters.
Air raid alert has been on in Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Poltava, Kirovohrad, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia regions, and the city of Kyiv.
⚡️The Kyiv Independent’s journalist wins 2023 George Weidenfeld Prize.
Asami Terajima, the Kyiv Independent’s reporter, won the 2023 George Weidenfeld Prize.
It is awarded annually for "excellent investigative and courageous research activities" as part of the prestigious German Axel Springer Prize.
Terajima's latest work includes -
‘I work, then I cry’: Exhausted medics near Bakhmut fight for every life
Battle of Bakhmut: Ukrainian soldiers worry Russians begin to ‘taste victory’
⚡️Air Force reports destroying Ukrainian Bayraktar drone that lost control over Kyiv.
One of the drones shot down over Kyiv late on May 4 was a Bayraktar TB2, used by Ukrainian forces, that had lost control "during a scheduled flight," Ukraine's Air Force reported.
According to the Air Force, the incident was likely caused by a technical malfunction. "It's a shame, but it's technology, and such things happen."
⚡️US denies Russia's accusations of coordinating Kremlin drone attack, EU urges Moscow not to escalate war.
White House National Security Council Spokesperson John Kirby called Russian claims that the U.S. was behind the May 3 alleged Ukrainian drone attack on the Kremlin "ridiculous," CNN reported.
The European Union's chief diplomat Josep Borrell also reacted to Russian claims, calling on the country "not to use this alleged attack as an excuse to continue the escalation of the war," as quoted by CNN.
⚡️Air defense at work in Kyiv.
Air defense is at work in Kyiv late on May 4, according to Kyiv City Military Administration. Earlier, sounds of explosions were reported in the Ukrainian capital.
The administration urges residents to remain in shelters due to the threat of attacks.
⚡️Zelensky on Ukraine counteroffensive: 'We don't think about failure.'
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on May 4, as cited by Ukrainska Pravda, that Ukraine is actively preparing for an upcoming counteroffensive, and there are no options for failure for the country's leadership.
"We think about how to prepare for a counteroffensive, but we don't think that we might not succeed. This is not our way," said Zelensky.
⚡️Odesa Mayor detained over embezzlement charges.
Ukraine's High Anti-Corruption Court ordered a 60-day detention of Odesa Mayor Hennadiy Trukhanov on May 4 and set bail at Hr 13 million (about $352,000), the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) reported.
Trukhanov is accused of embezzling over Hr 92 million ($2.5 million) of budget funds while purchasing the former Odesa plant of heavy crane building Krayan into the communal property at an inflated price.
⚡Zelensky criticizes idea of 'hybrid' tribunal during speech at the Hague.
uring his speech to the Hague on May 4, President Volodymyr Zelensky criticized the idea of a hybrid tribunal to punish Russian war crimes.
Zelensky said the world "should not refer to the shortcomings of the current international law but make bold decisions" that would correct them in order to receive "full" justice, citing the Nuremberg trials as a precedent.
⚡Peskov: Russia considering 'variety of options' on how to respond to Kremlin drone attack.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said "a variety of options" were being considered on how to respond to the alleged Ukrainian drone attack on the Kremlin on May 3, according to Russian state media.
Only "well-thought-out steps that meet the interests of the country" can be discussed, Peskov added.
The Kremlin was targeted by two drones overnight on May 3. Video footage from Red Square showed the drones striking the roof of the complex's Senate House building, causing a small fire but no further serious damage.
⚡Media: Russia cancels May 9 celebrations in at least 21 cities.
Russian authorities have canceled May 9 celebrations in at least 21 cities, Russian independent outlet Vertska reported on May 4.
Some of the cities are located close to Russia's border with Ukraine, such as Belgorod and Brynask, while others, such as Tyumen and Nizhnevartovsk, are deeper inside Russian territory.
⚡Zelensky visits the Netherlands, gives 'impressive' speech to government.
President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the Netherlands and addressed the Dutch parliament, the Dutch Broadcasting Foundation reported on May 4.
It is expected that Zelensky will visit the International Criminal Court as well as meet with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren, the Dutch Broadcasting Foundation wrote.
Photo: Remko de Waal / ANP / AFP via Getty Images
⚡Russian forces attack Chernihiv Oblast, killing 1 person.
One woman was killed by Russian strikes in Chernihiv Oblast, regional Governor Viacheslav Chaus reported on May 4.
Around 11:20 p.m. local time, as a result of an airstrike in the village of Ivanivka in the Novhorod-Siverskyi district, a residential building and an outbuilding caught fire, while another building was damaged.
⚡Governor: Drone targets oil refinery in Russia's Rostov Oblast.
A drone allegedly targeted an oil refinery in Russia's Rostov Oblast overnight on May 4, the region's governor Vasilii Golubev wrote on his Telegram channel.
According to Golubev, the fire resulting from the explosion was "immediately extinguished" and damage to infrastructure was "insignificant."
⚡Ukraine downs 18 drones, all aerial targets over Kyiv.
Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russian forces have launched up to 24 Shahed-136/131 attack drones from Bryansk region and the eastern coast of the Azov Sea in the early hours of May 4.
Eighteen drones were downed by Ukraine's air defense in the northern, central, and southern parts of Ukraine.
⚡ Russia shells 6 communities in Sumy Oblast, injuring 1 civilian.
Russian forces targeted the communities of Myropillia, Yunakivka, Znob-Novhorodske, Bilopillia, Vorozhbianska, and Seredyna-Buda on May 3, the Sumy Oblast Military Administration said.
⚡Media: Zelensky lands in Netherlands.
President Volodymyr Zelensky landed in the Netherlands late on May 3, reported NOS news organization.
According to the media, Zelensky is expected to give a speech in The Hague titled “No peace without justice” and visit the International Criminal Court. He will also meet with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, according to the ANP news agency.
Ukraine war latest: Zelensky dismisses Russia’s claims of attempted ‘Putin assassination’ as drone reportedly explodes above Kremlin
President Volodymyr Zelensky has dismissed Russia’s claims that Ukraine attempted to ‘assassinate’ Russian dictator Vladimir Putin after a drone reportedly exploded just above the Kremlin overnight on May 3.
At least 21 civilians were killed and 48 were injured in Russian May 3 shelling across southern Kherson Oblast and the regional capital, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on May 3.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine’s forces would "launch the offensive soon."
Photo: Screenshot from the video circulating on social med