WAR IN UKRAINE: May 30, 2023
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: Day 461
Russia's capital Moscow has been hit in rare drone attacks, with several buildings damaged after air defences shot them down. The Russian defence ministry says Kyiv staged "a terrorist attack" using eight drones - a claim denied by Ukraine. It's the second such attack to rock Moscow after an alleged attack on the Kremlin earlier this month - but more drones were involved this time. It follows a Russian attack on Kyiv, with Ukrainian officials saying more than 20 drones had been destroyed. One person was killed in what was the 17th attack on Kyiv since the start of May - BBC
The mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko, was on television last night and publicly asked the most senior commander of Ukrainian forces: "If the people of Kyiv can be given nightmares by the Russians, why are the citizens of Moscow having a rest? The same things could be done to each of them, to feel what it means to live in conditions like this," he added, in his question to General Valerii Zaluzhny. Ukrainian officials have denied any involvement in the drone attacks on Moscow. Very rarely do they ever take responsibility for incidents or strikes that take place within Russian territory. But one thing is clear: regardless of who is responsible, the people of Moscow this morning got a taste of what life is like for people in Kyiv almost every morning - BBC
Russia will target and strike any Western weapons supply routes it detects ahead of Ukraine's anticipated counteroffensive, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu was quoted as saying by state media outlet TASS. Shoigu noted that Ukraine's Western allies are boosting arms deliveries to Kyiv prior to what he described as an upcoming "large-scale" Ukrainian offensive. The defense chief said Moscow was imposing "effective fire damage on the enemy" and that Ukraine's Western-supplied arms would not change the result of his country's "special military operation," which is the term the Kremlin uses for its full-scale war in Ukraine that began in February 2022 - CNBC
Finland is hosting NATO exercises for the first time as an official member of the alliance, along with Norway and partner country Sweden. It kicked off the event on Monday. NATO's Arctic Challenge Exercise, which this year is planned and directed by the Finnish Air Force, runs from May 29 to June 9 and has taken place every other year since 2013. "The Arctic Challenge Exercises is part of the NORDEFCO cooperation between Finland, Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. Their Air Forces regularly carry out combined air combat-related Cross Border Training operated from their home bases," a description of the event on NATO's website read - CNBC