[Korrespondent] 22:11 In the evening, the Russians attacked the village of Kozatskoye, Novokakhovskaya community, Kherson region - one person died, the OVA reported. Also, Russian artillery hit the Dneprovsky Belozersky community in the evening - one person was injured. In total, four people were killed as a result of Russian shelling today, and seven more were injured.
21:52 The wounded, who cannot perform combat missions and are placed at the disposal of commanders, will be assigned to other positions, said Anna Malyar, Deputy Defense Minister. According to her, there are dozens of times more vacancies in the Armed Forces of Ukraine today than the wounded who are now waiting for appointment - the problem is known and the working group of the Ministry of Defense and the Armed Forces is already working on it.
Malyar stressed that there are specific decisions that will be implemented, in particular, a corresponding order of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is being prepared, which should resolve the issue of those who are now waiting for appointment. Also, systemic changes are being prepared in Order No. 402 of the Ministry of Defense and legislation.
21:33 The United States will announce on Wednesday, May 3, a new $300 million military aid package to Ukraine, Politico reports. The package is expected to include artillery ammunition and Hydra-70 missiles.
20:54 In the Bryansk region of the Russian Federation, the railway track was blown up for the second time in two days, Russian media report. As a result of the explosion, the wagons of the freight train were overturned.
20:37 The United States knows that Ukraine is preparing an offensive in the coming weeks, said Secretary of State Anthony Blinken. At the same time, he noted that success on the battlefield is the best and perhaps the fastest way to negotiations that will bring a just and sustainable peace.
20:13 Zelensky said in an evening video message that he had held a meeting today to tighten the sanctions regimes - both Ukrainian and joint with partners. "We are preparing a large sanctions package - decisions will be made soon," the president announced.
In addition, he worked with key commanders and those who provide defense, as well as a meeting with Shmyhal. "We are preparing conceptual solutions for security - for the development of Ukraine, our infrastructure both now and after the war," the head of state said. He added that "this May and subsequent months will be quite active for Ukraine in the international plane. There will be a lot of negotiation work, international events that will strengthen our defense."
19:28 Over the past week, the Ukrainian authorities have been hinting that the Armed Forces of Ukraine will organize such conditions that the Russians will run away from the peninsula themselves. For more details, see Ukraine's Plan for the Return of Crimea .
19:19 Arakhamia clarified that, according to draft resolution No. 9101, which the Verkhovna Rada adopted today, "rashism is a new kind of totalitarian ideology and practice that underlies the regime formed in the Russian Federation under the leadership of President Putin and based on the traditions of the Russian chauvinism and imperialism, the practices of the communist regime of the USSR and National Socialism". The Verkhovna Rada condemns rashism as an ideology and practices that underlie the state policy of the Russian Federation, the People's Deputy added.
19:12 Zelensky met with the head of the Portuguese Parliament, Augusto Santos Silva, who is visiting Kiev at the head of a parliamentary delegation: "We discussed cooperation on the path of Ukraine's integration into the European Union and NATO, the priority needs of Ukrainian defenders. We hope that the government and parliament will be able to make the necessary decisions to strengthen the capabilities of Ukrainian defenders on the front lines."
Zelensky also had the first conversation in the history of relations with President of the Union of the Comoros Azali Assoumani: "I congratulated my colleague on his election as head of the African Union. He noted that Ukraine is interested in developing cooperation with Africa and, for its part, is ready to remain a guarantor of the food security of the world."
18:40 The pseudo-management of the Zaporizhzhya NPP urgently asks for "vacations", including to the Crimea, Energoatom reports. However, due to a critical shortage of personnel, middle-level "managers" are not given consent to this, while the station's chief collaborator Yuri Chernichuk had already left Energodar for Crimea on May 1. At the same time, the collaborators are trying to find a replacement among the ZNPP nuclear scientists.
18:29 In the police department of the occupied Chaplynka, Kherson region, the Russians have set up a torture chamber, where they currently contain up to ten civilians, including minors. According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, people are kept in harsh, inhuman conditions, they are subjected to torture. There are cases when abductees were tortured to death.
18:01 Brigades of the Offensive Guard are fully formed - these are eight brigades, Interior Minister Igor Klymenko said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine. He clarified that there are plans to form additional brigades, "because there is a demand for it, and we have the capacity."
"We are re-equipping the already formed brigades, they will undergo appropriate training - this is 2-3 weeks - and in parallel we are starting to form additional units. The task of each of these brigades is to conduct appropriate offensive assault actions together with the Defense Forces during military operations," - noted Klimenko. In particular, the role of these volunteers, who went to the brigades, will be significant in the counteroffensive, the Interior Minister added. He specified that the brigades will come under the command of the Defense Forces after there is a combat mission.
17:35 Denmark will give Ukraine a military aid package worth more than $250 million to support the counteroffensive, Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said. The package will include demining vehicles, ammunition, field bridges and air defense assets.
17:07 Prigozhin said that PMC Wagner mercenaries allegedly destroyed an armored car in which the commander of the Territorial Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Major General Igor Tantsyura, was located. Sources of the UP in military circles denied this information, and the speaker of the Troop Forces Denis Zelinsky told the publication that everyone in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is "alive and healthy."
16:58 Budanov met with the fourth President of Croatia (2015-2020) Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, who is on a visit to Ukraine, the press service of the GUR reported. During the meeting, the parties discussed the experience of the Croatian War of Independence in 1991-1995, in particular mine clearance processes and ways to bring to justice the perpetrators of crimes against humanity. "Ukrainian Storm and Lightning are still ahead," Budanov said.
16:31 The Verkhovna Rada officially recognized rashism as the state ideology of Russia and called on the UN, the EU and the governments of democratic countries to support the condemnation of the policy of rashism, people's deputy Alexei Goncharenko said. In a statement, the Rada appeals to the UN, the European Parliament, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the OSCE PA, the NATO PA, governments and parliaments of foreign states with an appeal to support the condemnation of the ideology, policy and practice of rashism.
16:25 The Parliament supported the bill No. 9240 on the placement of the National War Memorial Cemetery in Kyiv. We are talking about plots of state, communal property on Brovarsky Avenue in the Dnieper district of the capital.
15:59 Parliament has extended martial law and general mobilization for another 90 days, that is, until August 18, 2023, MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak said. This is the seventh BP vote for martial law since the start of the war.
15:53 ​​Putin "opened" tram traffic in Mariupol via video link, Russian media write.
15:50 In the Kherson region, the Russians dropped two guided bombs on an island near the village of Veletenske: three people were killed, five were injured, the President's Office reported.
15:39 Kuleba believes that the US decision to transfer F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine will depend on the results of the counteroffensive, and it's only a matter of time. At the same time, he added that if Ukraine had these planes now, the counteroffensive would begin much faster, moreover, it would be possible to save more lives of Ukrainian military and civilians.
Kuleba also expressed the opinion that with the presence of the F-16 in service, "the Lviv airport could be safely opened and not worry about anything at all."
15:07 In Melitopol, an attempt was made on another collaborator - the "deputy head of the regional police department" in the occupied Zaporozhye region, Russian media report. An improvised explosive device was planted at the gate of a residential building on Pirogova Street, which was detonated when the collaborator opened the gate. As a result of the explosion, he was hospitalized.
14:36 ​​The Russians fired at the Belozersky community of the Kherson region, in particular the villages of Kizomys and Veletenske: one person was killed, four more were injured, the OVA reported.
14:33 Russian Presidential Commissioner for Children's Rights Maria Lvova-Belova, whose arrest warrant was issued by the ICC for the deportation of Ukrainian children, gave an interview to the US Vice News channel. When asked by a journalist about the verdict against her, she replied: "I'm a mother, that says it all. What kind of war criminal am I, what are you talking about?"
Lvova-Belova noted that Russia does not recognize the jurisdiction of the ICC, and the Geneva Convention gives the right to "evacuate" children from areas where there is a danger to their lives. The journalist noted that the Geneva Convention provides for the evacuation of people to third countries, to which Lvova-Belova replied that such were the so-called "DNR" and "LNR".
To the journalist’s remark that in Russia the identity of children from Ukraine is being erased by granting them Russian citizenship, Lvova-Belova said: “How can citizenship of the Russian Federation erase identity? We always sang songs in Russian and Ukrainian, we told fairy tales. We always lived in friendship and understanding. And what is happening now, on the contrary, in Ukraine they are now erasing everything that is connected with Russia." She also accused Ukraine of allegedly not creating humanitarian evacuation corridors during the invasion.
14:04 Ukraine is the only country in the world that successfully fulfills the tasks of NATO, Reznikov said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine: "The North Atlantic Alliance was created by the Americans as a response to the threat of the Russian Empire, but then it was called the Soviet Union. The main task of NATO is to resist the Russian empire, successfully resist and, in case of aggression, fight back. Today, the only country in the world that successfully fulfills the tasks of NATO is Ukraine. It is difficult, at the cost of our blood, our lives, our homes, today we are fulfilling the mission of NATO."
13:42 Reznikov admits that due to the defeats on the battlefield, Russia may voice another "gesture of good will" under the pretext of a man-made disaster on the territory of its country.
"This is not my forecast, but reasoning, but still I will not be surprised if they have some kind of problem in the scenario, a serious catastrophic type, man-made, on the territory of Russia. Let's say something happens to a power plant, a hydroelectric power plant, a nuclear power plant, with risks for the population, and this will require the immediate attention of the government, the accumulation of resources, including soldiers, and in this way they will allegedly be able to explain to people why they are ending active hostilities in Ukraine. some cataclysm on the territory of the Russian Federation," Reznikov said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.
13:35 The Russians fired at Kherson and several villages in the Belozersky community today. According to preliminary information, seven people were injured, the regional prosecutor's office said. The occupiers shelled the civilian population and launched airstrikes - civilian infrastructure facilities were damaged, including residential buildings, utility rooms and vehicles.
13:06 Due to the limited number of high-precision cruise missiles, the Russians will use them on priority targets, Yuri Ignat, spokesman for the Air Force Command, said: "Without a sufficient number of long-range cruise missiles, they will use what they can afford - X-101 missiles , X-555 and Caliber - they can fly far and accurately. They will use them on their highest priority targets."
At the same time, Ignat added that the Russians daily launch about 20 guided bombs into the frontline zones. They were made recently and not always of high quality, the bombs fly about 70 km and fall into civilian infrastructure.
12:37 All children were taken out of Orekhov, Zaporozhye region, Deputy Mayor Svetlana Mandrych said. According to her, today about 1,700 people remain in the city and three unoccupied villages of the community, which are shelled daily. In particular, there are six more children in the village of Novopavlovka. The biggest threat, she calls the guided bombs that the Russian military fires at the region. Nearly 80% of the houses in the city were destroyed.
12:14 Negotiations to extend the grain deal, which expires on May 18, are scheduled for Wednesday, May 3, Reuters reports, citing a source in Kiev. They will be held with the participation of all parties.
11:55 Reznikov and Zaluzhny appealed to Parliament with a request to postpone consideration of the bill on the return of additional payments of 30 thousand hryvnia to the military, which caused a flurry of criticism, including from the IMF. According to David Arakhamia, head of the Servant of the People faction, the minister and the commander-in-chief are asking to assemble a working group of representatives of the Verkhovna Rada, the government, the General Staff and jointly develop a bill by the end of May that will regulate the issues of remuneration for defenders.
11:34 Lukashenka said that cases of penetration of saboteurs into Belarus have become more frequent recently, and demanded "proposals to counter" from the security forces.
11:18 Russians shelled Kramatorsk, Donetsk region, at night: a school institution, 14 high-rise buildings, a hospital and a children's rehabilitation center were damaged, one person was injured, the OVA reported.
10:57 Russia needs to be cut off from the Crimea, forcing it to make a "goodwill gesture," Andrey Chernyak, a spokesman for the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, told ArmyInform. According to him, Crimea is decisive for this war: "As long as Russia occupies the Crimean peninsula, Ukraine will not be protected. If you look at the map, Crimea with Russian troops resembles a dagger aimed at the stomach of Ukraine."
"Of course, the enemy must be cut off from Crimea - to make sure that Russia cannot use the temporarily occupied peninsula for military purposes and, finally, make the so-called Crimean goodwill gesture," Chernyak explained.
According to him, Ukraine does not stop taking appropriate measures in the Crimean direction, which, in particular, is evidenced by recent events on the peninsula: “Kilometer-long traffic jams on the illegally built bridge from Kerch to Russia is the right reaction. Crimea, while this option is still there."
10:29 In the morning, the Russians fired at the border settlements of the Kharkiv region, in the village of Petropavlovka, Kupyansky district, one person was injured, the OVA reported.
10:11 In Ukraine, data on the missing from May 2, 2023 will be entered into a single register of missing persons, developed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs together with the Commissioner for Missing Persons and other departments, the Ministry of Reintegration reported. The availability of centralized information on missing persons will help to establish more effective search work.
09:56 British intelligence notes that Russia continues to give the highest priority to the mobilization of its defense industry, but it still fails to meet the requirements of wartime. While Russian political leaders are clamoring for success on the battlefield, the defense industry cannot meet all of its arms supply needs, analysts say. The lack of ammunition causes internal disagreements, primarily between the Russian Ministry of Defense and PMC Wagner.
In this context, intelligence also drew attention to the fact that on April 27 it became known about the dismissal of Deputy Defense Minister Mikhail Mizintsev, who was in charge of logistics and held the position for only eight months.
09:33 Commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Alexander Syrsky said that he had arrived with a check on the positions of the Ukrainian military in the Bakhmut direction. According to Syrsky, together with the commanders, they made "a number of necessary decisions" aimed at "ensuring effective defense and inflicting maximum losses on the enemy."
"The focus should always be on people, from a soldier to a brigade commander. No one should be left behind, because it is thanks to their dedication and professionalism that Bakhmut is holding on," Syrsky emphasized.
09:17 Over the past day, the enemy fired at Gulyaypole and Nuts of the Zaporozhye region, as well as front-line villages - four people were injured. Also, two people were injured as a result of shelling in the Donetsk region and two in the Kherson region, according to the IVA.
08:48 Podolyak commented on the disagreements in the councils of Dmitry Lubinets and Irina Vereshchuk to citizens in the occupied territories. According to him, there are no contradictions in their recommendations: "If you can not get a Russian passport, try not to get it. If you need to take a Russian passport in order to avoid repressions, torture, take it."
The adviser to the head of the OP emphasized that "a principled civic position deserves the highest praise, but no one will benefit from an increase in the number of Ukrainian prisoners or tortured citizens." He also assured that Ukraine would not persecute citizens who passively received Russian citizenship.
“The key is passive, under severe coercion. Because this (coercion to an unnecessary Russian passport) is one of the important technologies of intimidation by the Russian Federation and an unconditional sign of the systemic genocidal format of the war… At the same time, each of those who actively assisted the occupiers took positions in the occupation administrations, helped organize "referendums" and took Russian passports under cameras, he will answer before the law," Podolyak explained.
08:27 The General Staff announced the approximate losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of May 2.
- personnel - about 191,420 (+460) people liquidated,
- tanks - 3701 (+1),
- armored combat vehicles - 7193 (+1),
- artillery systems - 2930 (+9),
- MLRS - 544 (+0),
- air defense systems - 298 (+3),
- aircraft - 308 (+0),
- helicopters - 294 (+0),
- UAV operational-tactical level - 2477 (+1),
- cruise missiles - 947 (+15),
- ships/boats - 18 (+0),
- automotive equipment and tankers - 5851 (+6),
- special equipment - 360 (+1).
08:14 Scholz promised that Ukraine will start receiving ammunition for the Gepard self-propelled guns in August, since the production of these shells is just getting started. The Chancellor also stressed that Ukraine cannot use weapons supplied by Germany to shell Russian territory.
08:10 In the evening on May 1 Russians fired from MLRS the settlement of the Kutsurubsky community of the Nikolaev area. As a result of the shelling, two people were injured, private houses were damaged, and there is no electricity, gas, water or Internet in the village, the OVA reported.
07:58 Russia continues to focus its main efforts on conducting offensive operations in the Limansky, Bakhmutsky, Avdeevsky and Maryinsky directions - 41 enemy attacks have been repulsed. Bakhmut and Maryinka remain at the epicenter of hostilities, Ukrainian forces are holding the line, the General Staff said in a morning report .
In the Zaporozhye region, the invaders are strengthening the counterintelligence and police regimes. In particular, in the settlements of Dorozhnyanka, Reshetilovka, Konstantinovka and Chumatskoye, they banned the entry of civilians without registration. Meanwhile, in Gornostaevka, Kherson region, there are significant problems with cellular communications of Russian operators, in contrast to the stable connection of national operators of Ukraine. The local command of the Russian troops explains this fact by the results of the strikes of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
03:47 Canadian citizens Kyle Porter and Cole Zelenko, who defended Ukraine in the International Legion, died in the war in Ukraine in the Bakhmut region, CBC News reports. The men were killed on 26 April when the Russians fired on them with artillery. They became the fourth and fifth Canadians killed in the war in Ukraine.
01:40 Ukraine keeps the plan for the future counteroffensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the strictest confidence, but the Minister of Defense has already stated that his preparation is at the finish line. Read more in the material Forecasts and expectations .
00:59 The United States supports Ukraine's entry into NATO, but at the current stage, the attention of the White House is focused on helping the country counter Russian aggression, said Deputy Speaker of the US State Department Vedant Patel.
00:33 Russia has changed the tactics of missile strikes: if earlier it tried to hit infrastructure and energy facilities, now it is targeting civilians, Podolyak said. In his opinion, in this way the Russian Federation is trying to cause certain reactions in society and provoke the Ukrainian authorities to rash actions - for example, to speed up the counteroffensive so that Ukraine goes on the attack enraged and does not properly prepare.
In addition, the enemy may thus try to influence the inhabitants of the Western countries, who, under the impression of the murders of Ukrainian civilians, may demand urgent negotiations. The Russian Federation is also trying to understand how well the Ukrainian sky is closed. "The main goal of the enemy is the desire to break the Ukrainians," the adviser to the head of the Presidential Office believes.