WAR IN UKRAINE: May 6, 2023

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: Day 437

  • The advisor to the head of the Office of the President, Mykhailo Podolyak, said on Twitter that Ukraine requires long-range missiles (150+) to destroy ru-supply infrastructure. Tactical aircraft (F16) to stop the terror of the civilian population. Missile defense systems to finally "close the sky". He added: “Only a drastic increase in arms supplies to Ukraine can ensure real de-escalation. Any other scenario is a direct encouragement of the Russian aggressor...”

  • In the evening, Russian troops struck Glukhov in the Sumy region with two guided air bombs: 44 households and an educational institution were damaged, and five people were injured, the Pivnich news agency reported - Suspilne

  • The leader of Russia's Wagner mercenary group says he will withdraw his troops from the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut on 10 May because of ammunition shortages. Yevgeny Prigozhin's statement came after he posted a video of him walking among his dead fighters' bodies, blaming top Russian defence officials. "Tens of thousands" had been killed and injured there, Prigozhin said. In his statement on Friday, Prigozhin, 61, pinned his decision to withdraw from Bakhmut squarely on the defence ministry, using expletives. "Shoigu! Gerasimov! Where is the... ammunition?... They came here as volunteers and die for you to fatten yourselves in your mahogany offices” - BBC

  • The Ukrainian military reported on May 5 that fresh Russian reinforcements were being brought into Bakhmut, the city at the epicenter of Moscow's push in eastern Ukraine. Meanwhile, Russia overnight shelled the southern Ukrainian city of Nikopol, regional authorities said on May 5, as fighting intensified in Bakhmut - RFE/RL

  • A suspected drone attack on the Ilsky oil refinery in southern Russia, the second in as many days, has caused a fire. Russia claims the attacks are by Ukrainian drones, though it has not produced evidence to back that up. Ukraine has not commented - RFE/RL

  • Representatives of Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations could not agree on the extension of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, said the spokesman of the UN Secretary General, Farhan Haq. The UN Secretary-General Guterres urged to continue discussions for the implementation of the initiative - Suspilne

  • Between April 24 and 30, exporters recorded the lowest weekly shipments through the ports of Greater Odesa this year. In total, only 11 ships were sent during this time, which is 4 ships less than the previous week.

Michael Bociurkiwukraine peace talks, ukraine counteroffensive, turkey, grain agreement, agriculture, food and agriculture organization, bsgi, black sea grain initiative, ukraine, warsaw, ukrainian russia war, ukraine war, russian war, russia, russia disinformation, russian war crimes, odesa, kherson, bakhmut, wagner group, michael bociurkiw, atlantic council, osce, organization for security and cooperation in europe, united nations, unicefComment