Thursday, May 2

Russia’s war against Ukraine

Russia launched ballistic missiles at the city of Odesa on the evening of May 1, reportedly striking a postal depot of postal service Nova Poshta. (Odesa regional Governor Oleh Kiper/Telegram)

Zelensky dismisses SBU cybersecurity chief following media investigation. Illia Vitiuk — the former cybersecurity chief of Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) who was suspended from his post following an investigation into his personal finances — was formally dismissed by a presidential decree issued on May 1.

Economy minister: Ukraine reaches pre-war level of exports in April. Ukraine exported more than 13 million tons of products totaling $3.3 billion in April, which is higher than volumes for February 2022 before the start of the full-scale invasion, Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said on May 1.

Governor: 3 children brought back from Russian-occupied territories. At least 19,500 children have been confirmed as abducted by Russia since the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Russian media: Russian official in Urals region arrested on suspicion of bribery. TASS and other media outlets that reported on Andrey Kislitsyn’s arrest did not provide any other details on the charges, but mentioned that he was sentenced to at least two months of pre-trial detention.

Governor: First 5 underground schools to be built in Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Three schools will be built in the regional center of Zaporizhzhia, and the other two elsewhere in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.

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Russia to increase arms production, speed up weapons deliveries, Shoigu says. Russia’s Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has ordered for an increase in weapons production, with the goal of delivering weaponry to the front quicker, Russia’s Defense Ministry shared on May 1.

Parliament to restore limited access for journalists to plenary sessions. Journalists have been banned from attending plenary sessions due to safety measures since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.

UPDATED: Ukrainian drones attack oil refineries in Russia’s Ryazan, Voronezh oblasts. Drones operated by Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (HUR) attacked the Ryazan oil refinery overnight on May 1, Suspilne and Ukrainska Pravda reported, citing their military intelligence sources.

SBU conducts planned counter-intelligence drills in Kyiv. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) is carrying out planned counter-intelligence exercises in Kyiv on May 1 to inspect protection against sabotage activities, the SBU press service reported.

Politico: Russia low on fuel after Ukrainian strikes on oil refineries. The cost of diesel went up almost 10% in the past week, while gasoline’s prices hit a six-month high, going up more than 20% when compared to the start of the last year, Politico wrote, citing government data.

Media: Russia sets up display of captured Western military hardware in Moscow. According to BBC, more than 30 Western-made armored vehicles were on display, including a U.S. Abrams tank.

Read our exclusives

Ukraine war latest: Ukrainian drones hit oil refineries in two Russian regions

Drones operated by Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (HUR) attacked the Ryazan Oil Refinery and a refinery in Voronezh Oblast overnight on May 1, a source in the agency told the Kyiv Independent.

Photo: Christophe Gateau/picture alliance via Getty Images

Smelling weakness, Russia presses advantage in Donetsk Oblast

As Ukraine’s defenders and allies display a constellation of weaknesses, Russian forces are taking advantage and pushing forward in Donetsk Oblast.

Photo: Genya Savilov/AFP via Getty Images

Opinions and Insights

Opinion: Russia’s war may have opened Pandora’s box for Belarus

“As Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine rages on, the stability of neighboring Belarus, which has been backing Russia’s aggression, appears to be fracturing,” writes Sławomir Sierakowski, a senior fellow at Mercator, in this guest op-ed.

Photo: TUT. BY/AFP via Getty Images

Human cost of war

Update: Russia reportedly attacks postal depot in Odesa, injuring at least 14. Russia launched ballistic missiles at the city of Odesa on the evening of May 1, injuring at least 14 people, regional Governor Oleh Kiper said.

Governor: 2 killed, 6 injured in Russian attack on Hirnyk, Donetsk Oblast. Russian troops attacked the town of Hirnyk in Donetsk Oblast on May 1, killing two people and injuring six, regional Governor Vadym Filashkin said citing preliminary information.

Russian attack on Nikopol in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast injures 4. Russia carried out the attack with artillery and launched a “kamikaze” drone, according to local governor Serhii Lysak.

Update: Death toll of Russia’s April 29 strike on Odesa rises to 6. The death toll of a Russian missile attack against Odesa on April 29 has risen to six as an injured man died in the hospital, Mayor Hennadii Trukhanov said on May 1.

Ukrainian writer Aseyev injured in combat in Donetsk Oblast. “I’m alive, although according to all the laws of physics and probability, I should have died,“ Stanislav Aseyev wrote on X, adding: “The positions, unfortunately, have been lost. Now I’m in the hospital with a concussion.”

Updated: Russian attack on village in Kharkiv Oblast kills 2, injures 13. Russia carried the strike out at around 10 a.m. local time with KAB aerial bombs, hitting a house and a car.

General Staff: Russia has lost 469,840 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022. This number includes 1,120 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.

International response

US sanctions Russia, Chinese companies for war effort support. The U.S. imposed new sanctions on May 1 against nearly 300 companies and individuals in Russia and third countries, including Chinese companies, for aiding Moscow’s war effort, the Treasury Department announced.

Zelensky: Ukraine preparing 7 more bilateral security agreements. Ukraine is working on bilateral security agreements with seven more countries, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his evening address on May 1.

Military Intelligence: Nepalese mercenaries desert Russian army in droves. The Nepalese soldiers, assigned to military unit number 29328 of Russia’s Armed Forces, are deserting due to heavy losses, non-payment of salaries, and commanders’ abuse, “including executions for refusing to follow orders,” Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (HUR) said on May 1.

Latvian FM: Some countries have provided Ukraine weapons with no restrictions on strikes in Russia. Some of Ukraine’s allies have sent weapons to Kyiv with no restrictions on strikes inside Russia, Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braze said in an interview with European Pravda published on May 1.

Republican Congresswoman Greene launches effort to oust Johnson following passage of Ukraine aid. Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has voiced a number of complaints against Speaker Mike Johnson but has particularly focused on his decision to allow a vote on aid for Ukraine.

Reuters: Austrian authorities warn Raiffeisen Bank over deal with Russian oligarch Deripaska. Raiffeisen has been interested in buying a 1.5 billion euro ($1.6 billion) stake in the construction company Strabag, which is linked to Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska.

Media: Slovakia grants temporary protection to man accused of running pro-Russian propaganda network. Ukrainian-Israeli citizen Artem Marchevskyi, accused by Czech authorities of running a pro-Russian propaganda network from Prague, has been granted temporary protection in neighboring Slovakia, the Czech news outlet Denik N reported on April 30, citing its undisclosed sources.

Estonia begins to close border crossing with Russia for night. Estonia started to regularly close the Narva-1 border crossing with Russia between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. local time, the Estonian public broadcaster ERR reported on May 1.

G7 agrees to reduce dependency on Russian nuclear energy supplies. “We note the ongoing efforts by countries which operate Russian-designed reactors to make progress in securing alternative nuclear fuel contracts and to reduce dependencies related to spare parts, components, and services,” read the statement issued after a two-day ministerial summit in Torino, Italy.

Polish government backs law amendments on Ukrainian refugees, extending protection status. “We will support Ukrainian citizens who had to flee the war and took refuge in Poland, but we also expect clear and explicit rules. This is all in the act that the government adopted,” Polish Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said.

New York businessman pleads guilty to attempting to sell drone parts to Russia despite sanctions. Nikolay Grigorev, a 36-year-old Brooklyn resident, pleaded guilty to shipping components to companies affiliated with the Russian military. Co-defendants Nikita Arkhipov and Artem Oloviannikov remain at large, the statement read.

In other news

Georgian police arrest 63 demonstrators amid violent crackdown on anti-government protest. Deputy Interior Minister Aleksandre Darakhvelidze said that “participants of the rally continued to attack the policemen,” in unsubstantiated claims that contradicted both the Kyiv Independent’s reporting on the ground and widespread media coverage of the event.

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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Martin Fornusek, Kateryna Hodunova, Alexander Khrebet, Nate Ostiller, Katya Denisova, Lili Bivings, Dmytro Basmat, and Rachel Amran.

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