They say they have now lost 24,200 people to the invading forces. The claim that on the last day “the greatest losses of the enemy were observed in the direction of Izyum”.
The numbers have not been independently verified.
Updated at 09.45 BST
Russia’s Foreign Ministry continued its diplomatic attack on Israel this morning, writing on Twitter:
We have heeded the anti-historical statements made by Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, which largely explain the current Israeli government’s support for the neo-Nazi regime in Kyiv.
. We paid attention to the anti-historical statements of the Israeli Foreign Minister @yairlapid, which largely explain the course of the current Israeli government to support the neo-Nazi regime in Kyiv.
Αν About whether there are real neo-Nazis in Ukraine: https://t.co/su6LL5VYoX
– Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia @ (@MID_RF) May 3, 2022
They were linked to a 900-word essay by the Foreign Ministry on what they claim is evidence of anti-Semitism in Ukraine and a history lesson on what they say is evidence of Jewish cooperation with the Nazis before the Holocaust.
Reuters reminds us of the context of the controversy. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov claimed at the weekend that Adolf Hitler was of Jewish descent. Lavrov made the claim on Italian television on Sunday when asked why Russia said it should “reward” Ukraine if its president, Volodymyr Zelensky, was a Jew himself.
Israel criticized Lavrov yesterday, saying his claim was an “unforgivable” lie that underestimated the horrors of the Nazi Holocaust.
Updated at 09.45 BST
RIA Novosti reports quoting Major Igor Konashenkov, a spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry, on the overnight operation. He said:
High-precision Onyx missiles in the Odessa region hit a logistics support center at a military airport through which foreign weapons were delivered. Sheds with unmanned aerial vehicles Bayraktar TB2, as well as missiles and ammunition received from the United States and European countries, were destroyed.
The allegations have not been independently verified.
Updated at 09.46 BST
In a TV interview with ITV Good Morning Britain in the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson was asked many questions about Ukraine. The prime minister told viewers that “a large number” of Ukrainians were arriving in the United Kingdom. PA Media reports that he said:
We made a huge amount of money to help Ukrainian women and children in the region, but now we see large numbers coming to the UK. So far 86,000 visas have been issued and 27,000 are already here and I want to say “thank you” – 27,000 is a lot and it is growing rapidly and I want to pay tribute to all those who help care for Ukrainians.
Could we have done it faster? Yes, maybe we could. It is also important to protect women and children from coming somewhere where they are not going to have the reception we would like, that is why the promotion and all the work we have done to fit people.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says 5,563,959 people have fled Ukraine since the start of Russia’s latest invasion.
Updated at 09.13 BST
Slovakia will seek an exemption from any Russian oil embargo agreed by the European Union in the next round of sanctions against Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine, the Slovak Economy Ministry has said.
“If this is an approved Russian oil embargo as part of a further package of sanctions against Russia, then Slovakia will ask for an exemption,” the ministry said in response to questions from Reuters.
Hungary’s Viktor Orban has previously said that extending sanctions on the oil and gas sector is a “red line” for his country.
Updated on 09.14 BST
Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boychenko gave a briefing, reiterating the number earlier, saying more than 200 civilians were still with fighters at the Azovstal steel plant.
Reuters reports that a total of about 100,000 civilians remain in the city of southern Ukraine, which has been occupied by Russian forces.
Mark Voyger is an expert on transatlantic relations at the Center for European Policy Analysis and a former Special Adviser to the US Army. He was interviewed by Sky News in the United Kingdom this morning and told viewers that the virtual speech of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson in the Ukrainian parliament would be considered an important moment of support. He told viewers:
It is absolutely important and crucial for Ukraine to see this massive international support displayed in these difficult times. Obviously, we have already had multiple high-level visits, including from the UN Secretary-General and the leadership of the European Union, the United States.
Therefore, this is a clear sign not only to the government, but also to the Ukrainian people, that the West is ready to do whatever it takes to help them achieve victory.
Regarding the possible extension of NATO membership to include Sweden and Finland as a result of Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, he said:
Mutable areas are only those that are not members of NATO. The history of these conflicts shows that Russia is effectively attacking non-NATO members – that is, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine. He has not yet dared to touch an inch of NATO territory.
I must say that Vladimir Putin with his arrogant aggressive policies in the region really managed the miracle of convincing even the Swedes to renounce their more than 300 years of neutrality. So I expect them to join NATO soon. This is a historic opportunity for them.
Ultimately, this will greatly strengthen NATO’s eastern wing because we will now have a continuous, substantial, NATO frontier from the Arctic Ocean to the Black Sea and the Caucasus. This is extremely important in the global effort to contain Putin’s Russia.
Updated at 08.22 BST
The governor of Luhansk Oblast, Serhiy Haidai, told the Telegram in the last minutes:
12 enemy attacks were successfully repulsed on the front line of Luhansk and Donetsk regions. Six tanks, five artillery systems, 22 units of armored combat vehicles and eight motor vehicles were destroyed. The air defense units shot down five drones controlled by an Orlan-10 remote control.
The allegations have not been independently verified.
Pope Francis has given an interview to the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera in which he says he has no plans to visit Kyiv, but has offered to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The newspaper reports that he said:
On the first day of the war, I called Ukrainian President Zelensky. Putin, I did not call him. I wanted to make a clear gesture for everyone to see.
And then I asked Cardinal Parolin, after 20 days of war, to send Putin the message that I was willing to go to Moscow. We have not yet received an answer. I’m afraid Putin does not and does not want to have this meeting right now. But so much barbarism how can you not stop it? Twenty-five years ago we experienced the same thing as Rwanda.
I will not go to Kyiv at this time. I sent Cardinal Michael Czerny and Cardinal Konrad Krajewski. But I feel I do not have to go. I have to go to Moscow first, I have to meet Putin first. But I am also a priest, what should I do? I do what I can. If Putin opened the door…
The pope also had some critical remarks about Patriarch Cyril, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, who was an ardent supporter of the war.
I talked to Kirill for 40 minutes via Zoom. The first 20 with a card in my hand read all the excuses for the war. I listened and said to him: I do not understand any of this. Brother, we are not clergy of the state, we can not use the language of politics, but of Jesus.
Updated at 07.33 BST
At least three civilians were killed today in a Russian bombing raid on the town of Vuhledar in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, Reuters reported, citing the Ukrainian president’s office.
Here are some of the latest images that came out of Ukraine today.
People ride their bicycles on the street as smoke rises over a factory of Azovstal Iron and Steel Works in Mariupol, Ukraine. Photo: Alexander Ermochenko / Reuters People with children wait after arriving from the Ukrainian city of Tokmak at a displaced center in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine. Photo: Evgeniy Maloletka / AP 64-year-old Tatiana Bushlanova, a resident of the area, sits on a bench near a severely damaged apartment building in the southern port city of Mariupol. Photo: Alexander Ermochenko / ReutersA woman comforts her dog after arriving at an evacuation point for people fleeing Mariupol, Melitopol and surrounding Russian-controlled cities in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia. Photo: Chris McGrath / Getty ImagesWomen waiting on a bus at a displaced center in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine. Photo: Evgeniy Maloletka / AP
Russia’s military now ‘significantly weaker’, says UK Foreign Office
The Russian military is now significantly weaker as a result of its invasion of Ukraine, the UK Department of Defense said in its latest military intelligence report. The report, published shortly before 7 p.m. GMT, states: Russia’s defense budget doubled between 2005 and 2018, with investments in several high-capacity air, land and sea capabilities. Since 2008 it has supported the extensive New Look military modernization program. However, the modernization of its physical equipment did not allow Russia to dominate Ukraine. Failures in both strategic planning and operational execution have left her unable to translate numerical power into a decisive advantage. The Russian army is now significantly weaker, both materially and conceptually, as …
