Ukraine Breaking News Today Live on 05-06-2024

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev warned that if the West sends troops to Ukraine that would signal the countries' direct entry into the war, to which Russia would have to respond.

Russia will respond with a nuclear strike on London, Paris, and Washington if Western troops are sent to Ukraine, Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said, in one of his now customary social media rants.

“Sending their troops to the territory of Ukraine will entail their countries' direct entry into the war, to which we will have to respond. And, unfortunately, not on the territory of Ukraine. There will be a global catastrophe,” Medvedev wrote on Telegram on Monday, May 6.

Pavlo Kartashov, former head of the state-owned Ukrainian Startup Fund, gave Kyiv Post a brief overview of the changing startup landscape in Ukraine over the last five years in an exclusive interview.

War or not, business goes on for Ukrainian entrepreneurs.

“Obviously, now the main trend in Ukraine is miltech,” Pavlo Kartashov, former director of the Ukrainian Startup Fund (USF) who just finished his five-year tenure at the end of April, said.

Azov’s nascence began during the 2013-2014 Revolution of Dignity which ended Yanukovych's pro-Russian regime and saw fierce clashes with the Berkut during which future Azov fighters first saw action

Polemos — the embodiment of war

It is impossible to understand what Azov essentially is without knowing how many of its future fighters first encountered history, spent endless cold nights on the Maidans across Ukraine, and witnessed the senseless violence inflicted by the Berkut special police as the pro-Russian Yanukovych struggled to hold on to power.

Armin Papperger, CEO of Germany’s Rheinmetall, said his company could deliver extended-range artillery munitions but only if Berlin guarantees large, multi-year orders to justify the investment.

In a May 3 interview with the Handelsblatt German-language business news outlet, CEO Armin Papperger reaffirmed earlier reports that Rheinmetall would have the capacity to manufacture at least 700,000 155mm artillery shells in 2024, “almost all of which will go to Ukraine.”

This quantity would be equivalent to more than a third of Kyiv’s annual needs at conservative consumption rates or less if the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) attempts a major offensive. Russian rates of fire are currently five times higher than those of AFU forces.

Ukraine's improvement in the ranking is attributed to enhancements in its security indicator, with fewer journalists killed, and its political indicator.

Ukraine has made significant progress in press freedom, moving up 18 places to 61st out of 180 countries in the global press freedom ranking, according to the 2024 World Press Freedom Index by the international non-governmental organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

Norway maintains its top position in the press freedom ranking, while Eritrea has the worst situation.

The Kremlin specified that the exercises were a response to statements by French President Emmanuel Macron and British officials.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has instructed the country's military to conduct nuclear weapons exercises involving the navy and troops stationed near Ukraine, the defense ministry announced on Monday, May 6.

The decision comes as Putin has increasingly raised nuclear rhetoric since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. In February, during his national address, he warned of a "real" risk of nuclear war.

Moscow has made a string of gains on the front in recent months, pressing its manpower and weapons advantage on the battlefield as Kyiv waits for critical supplies of Western aid.

Russia said on Monday its forces had captured two more frontline villages in Ukraine, including in the northeast Kharkiv region, where Kyiv had repelled Moscow's troops earlier in the conflict.

Moscow has made a string of gains on the front in recent months, pressing its manpower and weapons advantage on the battlefield as Kyiv waits for critical supplies of Western aid.

Shmyhal stated that Ukraine currently urgently needs missiles, air defense ammunition, and long-range weapons from its allies rather than boots on the ground.

As quoted by the Canadian news site CBC, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has stated that reinforcements from Western military personnel could aid Ukraine in resisting Russian forces sometime in the future.

When asked about the potential deployment of additional troops from NATO countries, an idea proposed by French President Emmanuel Macron, Shmyhal welcomed the notion, stating, “If the time comes, we will be absolutely grateful, and we will be happy.”

The duo Alyona Alyona & Jerry Heil made a striking entrance on the Turquoise Carpet. Their outfits, adorned with keys, symbolized homes lost due to the ongoing war in Ukraine.

The Eurovision Song Contest 2024 kicked off in Malmö, Sweden, on Sunday, May 5, with a colorful opening ceremony.

Representing Ukraine, the duo alyona alyona & Jerry Heil made a striking entrance on the Turquoise Carpet. Their outfits, adorned with keys, symbolized homes lost due to the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Hakeem Jeffries told the CBS 60 Minute program that funding delays for Ukraine caused by a Republican Party “pro-Putin faction” have made it more likely that US troops may one day have to fight.

Interviewed by Norah O'Donnell on Sunday night’s CBS 60 Minutes program, Democratic Minority Leader in the House of Representatives, Hakeem Jeffries, said the US may one day have to intervene in the war in Ukraine and send troops to the combat zone.

“We cannot allow Ukraine to fall. If this happens, there is a significant possibility that America will have to intervene in a conflict not only with our money, but also with our military personnel,” Jeffries said.

Moscow has intensified strikes on Ukraine's energy facilities in recent months, knocking out a significant chunk of production, and triggering blackouts and energy rationing across the country.

Russian shelling of energy infrastructures led to power outages overnight in the Ukrainian regions of Sumy and Kharkiv that border Russia, Ukraine's Energy Ministry said on Monday.

Moscow has intensified strikes on Ukraine's energy facilities in recent months, knocking out a significant chunk of production, and triggering blackouts and energy rationing across the country.

Citing three separate intelligence agencies, the FT has assessed that Kremlin proxies are preparing to carry out violent sabotage attacks in Europe as part of a broader strategy to confront the West.

European intelligence agencies believe that Russian President Vladimir Putin is planning violent acts of sabotage across Europe as part of a broader strategy to confront the West.

They say that evidence points to Russia stepping up preparations for covert bombing, arson, and sabotage operations on key European infrastructure, with little concern about the likelihood of civilian casualties.

With preparation for a Ukraine Peace Summit in June underway, concerns remain that the talks may lack strong participation from the Global South and from China in particular.

With preparation for a Ukraine Peace Summit in June underway, concerns remain that the talks may lack strong participation from the Global South and from China in particular.

Next month, Switzerland will host a high-level international summit aimed at outlining a roadmap for future peace efforts in Ukraine, with 160 national delegations expected to be invited to the talks.

On May 6, the HUR attacked a Russian speedboat off the coast of Crimea. The extent of damage to the boat is still being established, but the boat was likely destroyed and then sank.

In the early morning of May 6, special forces of the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine (HUR) hit a Russian army speedboat in temporarily occupied Crimea, Kyiv Post sources in the special services have said.

“This is a successful special operation of the HUR,” our source revealed.

Ukraine’s HUR confirmed the elimination of a Russian proxy prison official when a bomb exploded under his car. He was suspected of organizing torture chambers in occupied Berdyansk.

Yevhen Ananievsky, who is alleged to have been responsible for setting up torture chambers on behalf of Russian forces in the occupied Zaporizhzhia region, was killed when an improvised explosive device (IED) blew up underneath his Ford Kuga SUV in occupied Berdyansk at around 9:40 a.m. on Sunday May 5.

Ukraine’s Military Intelligence Directorate (HUR) made the announcement on its Telegram channel on Sunday afternoon: “As a result of the explosion, Yevhen Ananievsky, who was involved in the torture of Ukrainian prisoners, was liquidated.” While it did not officially claim responsibility for the killing, it added its usual reminder when making such announcements: “every war crime will receive righteous payback.”

The world in focus, as seen by a Canadian leading global affairs analyst, writer and speaker, in his review of international media.

Easter Sunday was violent in many parts of Ukraine as Russian forces targeted Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Poltava and the Sloviansk Thermal Power Plant. At least one death and several injuries were reported in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, the country’s second largest. In Odesa, as the faithful attended Easter resurrection services and the traditional blessing of the baskets, air raid sirens sounded at least twice. In Sumy, due to Russian drone attacks, critical infrastructure facilities are being transferred to backup power, water supply and hospitals will also be fully provided with backup power, said Drozdenko, the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "Points of invincibility" are also being deployed in the city, Suspilne reported

Russian forces have allegedly executed at least 15 Ukrainian soldiers who were attempting to surrender since the beginning of December 2023, according to a recent Human Rights Watch (HRW) report. The US-based organisation called for the five analysed instances of alleged executions to be investigated as war crimes. “Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, its forces have committed many heinous war crimes,” said Belkis Wille, associate crisis and conflict director at HRW. “The summary execution - or murder - of surrendering and injured Ukrainian soldiers, gunned down in cold blood, expressly forbidden under international humanitarian law, is also included in that shameful legacy.” - Euronews

As concerns that Russia’s ability to jam Western GPS-guided munitions is severely degrading their effectiveness, the US Defense Department is working on a solution for Ukraine.

The US Air Force has been the first to respond to growing reports that Russian EW jamming is severely impacting the effectiveness of Ukraine’s Western-supplied GPS-guided munitions, including the Joint Direct Attack Munition-Extended Range (JDAM-ER) precision-guided glide bombs that have been in use since early 2023 deployed on Kyiv’s Soviet-era MiG-29 “Fulcrum” and Su-27 “Flanker” fighters.

The Pentagon announced on Friday that the US Air Force had awarded the US company Scientific Applications and Research Associates Inc (SARA) a contract valued at round $23.5 million for the provision of seekers that would allow existing JDAM-ER kits to be modified to home in on the sites where GPS jammers were operating. The seekers would be provided as Foreign Military Sales (FMS) to Ukraine.

Xi is making a state visit to France marking 60 years of diplomatic relations between France and China. The trip is his first to Europe since 2019.

French President Emmanuel Macron was on Monday set to warn Chinese leader Xi Jinping against backing Russia in the conflict over Ukraine but also seek to enlist his help in finding an end to the war.

Xi is making a state visit to France marking 60 years of diplomatic relations between France and China. The trip is his first to Europe since 2019 and will also see him visit Serbia and Hungary later in the week.

Latest from the Institute for the Study of War.

Key Takeaways from the ISW:

• The Russian military reportedly redeployed a battalion of the 76th Airborne (VDV) Division to Kursk Oblast as part of a larger ongoing Russian effort to gather an operationally significant force for a possible future Russian offensive operation against northeastern Ukraine and Kharkiv City.
• The Russian military is reportedly preparing and forming the Northern Grouping of Forces from elements of the Leningrad Military District (LMD) to primarily operate in the Belgorod-Kharkiv operational direction.
• US officials continue to signal their support for new Ukrainian counteroffensive operations in 2025, although ISW continues to assess that Ukraine should contest the theater-wide initiative as soon as possible because ceding the theater-wide initiative to Russia for the entirety of 2024 will present Russia with several benefits.
• European intelligence agencies reportedly warned their governments that Russia is planning to conduct “violent acts of sabotage” across Europe as part of a “more aggressive and concerted effort” against the West.
• The Kremlin-controlled Russian Orthodox Church Moscow Patriarchate (ROC MP) seized on the Orthodox Easter holiday on May 5 to further its efforts to garner domestic support for the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine.
• Russian forces recently advanced near Kupyansk and Robotyne.
• Bureaucratic issues continue to constrain frontline Russian units’ ability to conduct strikes on Ukrainian targets.

Under the harsh light of the lightbulb, the faces appeared tired after more than two years of harrowing warfare.

In a small house near the front line, the location a closely guarded secret, around 40 Ukrainian soldiers gathered for a copious breakfast to celebrate the Orthodox Easter.

Gathered in a canteen, where the windows were blacked out with tarpaulins, the men of the 24th motorised brigade lined up in front of the chaplain.

Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia’s indicted Children's Rights Commissioner, and her family forcibly bring Ukraine’s handicapped to Russia and “legally” relieve them of their money and property.

The independent Russian investigative outlet iStories working with the Ukrainian Reckoning Project NGO have identified yet another potential war crime initiated by Russia’s so-called children's ombudsman Maria Lvova-Belova.

The Kvartal Lui (Louis’ Quarter) charity, the head of which is Lvova-Belova’s younger sister Sofia, are bringing disabled Ukrainians from occupied Kherson and other territories to a community called Novye Berega (New Shores) near the city of Penza 540 kilometers south-east of Moscow. Here, the displaced are given Russian citizenship and are granted a pension - at which point the charity obtains authority from the courts to freely dispose of the disabled person’s property, money, and 75 percent of their disability pension to “cover the costs of their residential support.”