WAR IN UKRAINE: May 5, 2023
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: Day 436
The US has denied Russian claims it "masterminded" an alleged drone attack on the Kremlin. The White House said the US had no involvement at all, adding the Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was "lying.” Russia has accused Ukraine of carrying out the alleged attack with Washington's support, claiming it was an attempt to assassinate Vladimir Putin. Ukraine strongly denies the claim, arguing it is a pretext for Moscow to escalate the war - BBC. See my commentary below on BBC World Television.
Earlier, Volodymyr Zelensky told The Hague the Russian president should be sentenced for his "criminal actions.” Ukraine's president also called for the establishment of a war tribunal to hold Russia to account for alleged war crimes
Horrific images emerged from Kherson Wednesday after a day of attacks. The head of the Kherson Regional Military Administration, Oleksandr Prokudin, reported that 23 civilians were killed and 46 injured because of the massive Russian shelling of the Kherson region on May 3, 2023. “Over the past day, the enemy launched 98 strikes, firing 539 shells from heavy artillery, Grad MLRS, tanks, UAVs, and aircraft,” he said.
Ukrainian Air Defense Forces destroyed 18 out of 24 drones launched by Russia on the night of May 4, 2023, the Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reports. The drones were launched from the north (Briansk region) and southeast (the Azov Sea coast). Over Odesa alone, 12 out of 15 drones were destroyed in a barrage of attacks around 4am, the Oblast Military Administration reported. Some debris reportedly caused damage to the dormitory of an educational institution.
At night, the Ukrainian military shot down two Russian "Shahed" drones in the eastern direction, the Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported.
The OSCE issued a report stating that Russia moved a "large number" of Ukrainian children to the Russian Federation and the occupied territories and "clearly violated" their rights. The Center of National Resistance reports that Russians in the occupied territories force passports for children aged 14 and over and threaten their parents with deprivation of parental rights in case of refusal.
On May 4, 5, and 6, Kherson region declared three days of mourning for those killed in the Russian shelling on May 3, the Head of the Kherson Regional Military Administration said.
