Ukraine Daily Summary - Monday, May 1

Zaluzhnyi meets NATO commander in Europe, discusses war's possible scenarios -- Fire at oil depot in Sevastopol is Ukraine’s preparations for counteroffensive -- Russian commanders likely start new method of punishing soldiers -- Official advises Ukrainians to take Russian passports in occupied territories until liberation -- and more

Monday, May 1

Russia’s war against Ukraine

A couple stands in front of a damaged multistory residential building, where a Russian strike killed 23 people, in Uman, Cherkasy Oblast.

People pay their respects as flowers are laid in front of a damaged multistory residential building, where a Russian strike killed 23 people, in Uman, Cherkasy region, on April 30, 2023. (Photo by Genya Savilov/AFP via Getty Images)

Explosions reported in Kyiv. Ukraine’s Presidential Office head Andrii Yermak said air defense is at work amid a massive air raid alert on May 1. The Kyiv City Military Administration urged residents to remain in shelters

Zelensky holds call with Macron, discusses military needs. President Volodymyr Zelensky said that he and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron had a phone call on April 30, discussing Ukraine’s peace formula and the situation on the frontline, according to the President’s Office.

Southern Command: Fire at oil depot in Sevastopol is Ukraine’s ‘preparations’ for counteroffensive. According to Ukraine’s Southern Command spokesperson Natalia Humeniuk, the large fire that occurred at an oil depot at the Kozacha Bay in Russian-occupied Sevastopol on April 29 is Ukraine’s “preparation” for the awaited counteroffensive.

Explosions reported in Pavlohrad, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. Pavlohrad Mayor Anatoliy Vershina, reported on April 30 that explosions were heard in the, located 75 kilometers east of the regional capital Dnipro, during the siren.

UK Defense Ministry: Russian commanders likely start new method of punishing soldiers. Russian commanders have recently started punishing “breaches in discipline” by detaining them in so-called “zindans,” or “improvised cells consisting of holes in the ground covered with a metal grille,” the U.K. Defense Ministry said in its latest update.

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Intelligence chief vows to eliminate Russian war criminals ‘anywhere in the world’. Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine’s military intelligence chief, said in an interview with PBS published on April 28 that Russian perpetrators of war crimes would not be able to escape punishment.

Zaluzhnyi meets NATO commander in Europe, discusses war’s ‘possible scenarios.’ Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, met Christopher Cavoli, commander-in-chief of NATO and US Armed Forces in Europe on April 30, reporting on the current situation across the entire front line, Zaluzhnyi reported on his Telegram channel.

Official advises Ukrainians to take Russian passports in occupied territories until liberation. Ukrainian human rights commissioner Dmytro Lubinets has advised Ukrainians who currently live in Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine to “make a decision to survive” and take Russian passports.

Mayor: Kharkiv needs $9.5 billion for reconstruction after Russian attacks. Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said on April 30 that the city, located just 30 kilometers away from the Russian-Ukrainian border, needs $9.5 billion to restore all the damage caused by Russia since Feb. 24 last year.

Ukraine exports almost 90,000 megawatt-hours of electricity over April after 6-month break. In April, for the first time since October last year, Ukraine exported 89,700 megawatt-hours of electricity, the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity reported on April 30.

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**Ukraine war latest: Oil depot fire in Sevastopol ‘preparation’ for counteroffensive, says military spokesperson. **

According to Ukraine’s Southern Command spokesperson Natalia Humeniuk, the large fire at an oil depot at the Kozacha Bay in Russian-occupied Sevastopol on April 29 is part of Ukraine’s “preparations” for the awaited counteroffensive.

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Ukrainian State-Owned Enterprises Weekly – Issue 85.

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Photo: Valentyna Polishchuk/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images

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Human cost of war

Prosecutors: Russia has killed at least 477 children, injured 955 during invasion. The Prosecutor General’s Office said on April 30 that Russian attacks across Ukraine had killed at least 477 children and wounded over 955 since Feb. 24, 2022.

Governors: Russia hits 9 regions, kills 1 civilian over past day. Over the past 24 hours, Russian forces have attacked nine out of Ukraine’s 25 regions – Sumy, Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk, Luhansk, and Donetsk oblasts.

Official: 2 injured in Russia’s overnight attack on Kherson. Russia shelled the city of Kherson overnight on April 30, injuring two people, according to deputy head of Kherson Oblast Council Yuriy Sobolevsky.

1 civilian killed, 2 injured in Russian shelling of Nikopol. A 48-year-old man was killed as a result of a Russian heavy artillery attack on the city of Nikopol, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Governor Serhiy Lysak reported on April 30.

Military administration: Russian forces shell Kherson Oblast, killing 1. Russian forces shelled Kherson Oblast, killing one civilian and injuring another, the regional military administration reported on April 30.

General Staff: Russia has lost 190,510 troops in Ukraine since Feb 24, 2022. This number includes 470 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.

International response

Germany confirms second delivery of IRIS-T system to Ukraine. Germany has confirmed the delivery of the second IRIS-T surface-to-air missile system to Ukraine in an April 30 update to its military aid list. The second system was delivered “around April 16,” Spiegel reported, citing its sources.

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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Olga Rudenko, Daria Shulzhenko, Oleg Sukhov, Alexander Khrebet, Francis Farrell, Natalia Datskevych, Anastasiya Gordiychuk, and Anastasiia Malenko.

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