(Reuters) – Russia fired cruise missiles at Kyiv and paraded troops across Red Square for its annual celebration of victory in World War Two, pared back amid shortages of manpower and weaponry at the front after a failed winter campaign in Ukraine.
SYMBOLIC DAY
* President Vladimir Putin said Russians were united in a “sacred” fight with the West over Ukraine but the strains of war were evident at one of the lowest-key anniversaries of the victory over Nazi Germany in decades.
* European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen hailed Ukraine as “the beating heart of today’s European values” in a deeply symbolic visit to Kyiv as Russia marked its World War Two Victory Day.
CONFLICT
* Russia’s defence ministry said its forces carried out missile strikes at targets across Ukraine overnight, disrupting Kyiv’s supplies of ammunition to the front line and troop movements.
* Ukraine said its air defences shot down 23 of 25 missiles, fired chiefly at Kyiv, and there were no reported casualties. It was the second night in a row of major Russian air strikes and fifth so far this month.
* Ukrainian forces shelled the Belgorod region on Russia’s border with Ukraine on Monday, injuring at least five people and damaging houses and power lines, the region’s governor said.
* Arman Soldin, a 32-year-old video journalist for Agence France Presse (AFP) in Ukraine, was killed by Grad rocket fire near Chasiv Yar, in eastern Ukraine, AFP said on Twitter, citing AFP colleagues who witnessed the incident.
* Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russian forces had failed to capture the eastern city of Bakhmut before the May 9 Russian holiday.
* Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin made a cryptic, profanity-laced comment about those in charge of Russia’s war on Ukraine. Earlier he said his Wagner forces had not yet received the ammunition promised by Moscow.
* A British-led group of European countries has asked for expressions of interest to supply Ukraine with missiles with a range of up to 300 km (190 miles) in what would be another step-up in military support for Kyiv against Russia’s invasion.
* The United States announced a new $1.2 billion military aid package for Ukraine that will include air defense systems, ammunition and funds for training, the Pentagon said.
GRAIN
* The United Nations said inspections resumed on Tuesday of outbound vessels under a deal allowing the safe Black Sea export of Ukraine grain, which Moscow has threatened to quit on May 18 over obstacles to its own grain and fertilizer exports.
INTERNATIONAL
* Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang said Beijing would maintain lines of communication with all parties to the war in Ukraine, including Germany, in seeking a ceasefire.
* German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said the European Union is working on ways to prevent the circumvention of sanctions against Russia as it negotiates a new package of measures.
* The European Union must not be intimidated by Moscow’s showcasing of military power but must speed up efforts to integrate its defence industries and the joint procurement of munitions for Kyiv, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said.
* The Group of Seven finance ministers will invite their counterpart from Ukraine to a session on the global economy, Japan’s top financial diplomat Masato Kanda said.
* U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres said he sees no immediate possibility of talks to end the war in Ukraine as both sides are convinced they can win, according to an interview published by Spanish newspaper El Pais.
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(Compiled by Reuters editors)
