WAR IN UKRAINE: May 3, 2022
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: Day 68
Today is World Press Freedom Day, and in the past 68 days at least nine Ukrainian and foreign journalists have been killed covering Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. At 15:00 local time, I’ll be joining a panel of experts and journalists here in Lviv to discuss the media landscape in Ukraine. Ukraine Media Center, Rynok Square 32. Follow the panel here on YouTube.
If this was 2021, Ukraine would now be tied with Afghanistan of having the highest number of journalists killed in a single country - nine. The number of journalists killed so far in Ukraine represents almost 20 percent of all journalists killed worldwide in all of 2021. As I told the World Press Freedom panel today at the Ukraine Media Centre, few journalists can recall such a high number of deaths and casualties in such a short period of time. The Russian side seems to be deliberately targeting journalists, leading some to question whether they’re at a higher risk identifying themselves out in the field.
Josep Borrell says the European Union is working on a 6th package of sanctions which aims to disconnect Russian banks from the SWIFT payment system, expose disinformation actors and tackle oil imports. “Russia’s unprovoked war against Ukraine affects global security,” the foreign affairs chief said in a Tweet. “These measures will be presented to the Council for approval.”
Russian missiles hit Odesa: teenagers among those dead and wounded, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Several buildings were also damaged in the attack, including a religious building, according to Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of the National Security and Defense Council.
Russian President Vladimir Putin could formally declare war on Ukraine as soon as May 9, a move that would enable the full mobilization of Russia's reserve forces as invasion efforts continue to falter, US and Western officials believe - CNN
The UN and Red Cross hope to oversee more civilian evacuations from the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol on Tuesday after more than 100 people were previously rescued The Ukrainian defenders of the plant say Russian troops are using planes, tanks and warship missiles to pound the site - BBC
US intelligence reports suggest Russia will try to annex the separatist-occupied regions of Donetsk and Luhansk by mid-May. US and Western officials believeRussia could formally declare war on Ukraine as soon as May 9 - CNN
Ukraine's victory in the war with Russia depends on three factors: sanctions, weapons, and the prospect of EU membership said Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.
A hidden call to Russians to help locate a missing dog name Peace that disappeared on February 24 appeared in a poster broadly posted in Moscow. The QR code links to a NEXTA Live documentary on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, including words by President Zelensky and video of Russian atrocities in Bucha and elsewhere.
