🔵01.05.2022
23:35 Representative of the United Nations World Food Program Martin Frick according to Radio Liberty
Almost four and a half million tons of grain are blocked in Ukrainian ports. Products cannot be exported through closed sea routes against the background of the Russian military invasion. This was stated by the representative of the UN World Food Program Martin Frick, writes dpa.
Before the war, Ukraine was one of the world’s largest exporters of wheat and a producer of corn. Many countries depend on the supply of Ukrainian wheat, according to the UN.
“Hunger should not be a weapon,” Frick said. He called for the resumption of Ukrainian food supplies to other countries to alleviate the global food crisis.
21:31 Head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration Oleh Syniehubov
Residents of the Kharkiv region continue to suffer from shelling by the Russian occupiers.
Today, the invaders fired on residential areas of Kharkiv, including Saltivka. Bohodukhiv, Zolochiv, and Mala Danylivka came under fire in the region. As a result of these shellings, 3 civilians were killed and 8 were injured.
As in previous days, the hottest in the Kharkiv region is in the Izium direction. Here the enemy continues to try to conduct offensive operations. Thanks to the effective actions of our defenders, these attempts have failed. Today, the Russian occupiers have once again suffered heavy losses in manpower and equipment.
In addition, the aggressor fired on the positions of the Armed Forces in the areas of the settlements of Uda and Prudianka and suffered heavy losses in the area of the village of Staryi Saltiv.
21:02 Centre for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine
The main narratives promoted by the Russian media last week:
1. Sanctions of the West against Russia;
2. Western assistance to Ukraine;
3. Ukraine will lose the war.
How propagandists cover these topics:
1. Due to the sanctions imposed by the West against Russia, economists predict the greatest famine in history. The EU intends to impose a ban on oil from Russia by the end of the year;
2. France handed over 615 tons of humanitarian aid. The Czech Republic and Denmark have refused to pay for Russian gas in rubles. The Bundestag approved the supply of heavy weapons;
3. Despite sanctions and arms supplies from the EU and the US to Ukraine, Russia is seizing new territories and strengthening its positions every day. Ukraine would have already lost the war, but under the guise of civilians, violates the rules of war and delays the inevitable victory of Russia.
21:00 Head of the Luhansk Regional Military Administration Serhii Haidai
On April 29, the enemy sabotage reconnaissance group fired grenade launchers at an evacuation vehicle in Popasna.
Several groups of Ukrainian servicemen visited the place where the evacuation vehicle was shot but found only one damaged bus. There were no people in it, only traces of blood.
The second bus, which was carrying humanitarian aid and was supposed to pick up people on the way back, was not found. There was no communication with the driver.
Today, after two days of searching, Mykhailo Pankov was found. The Russians recorded a propaganda interview with him and showed it on the central Russian TV channel.
The occupiers forced him to say that the Ukrainian authorities were not evacuating people and leaving them to their own devices.
Mykhailo Pankov is alive, but the Russians are now holding him captive.
It also means that the Russians have seized the school bus and can use it for their provocations.
18:33 General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
Russian troops are trying to advance in the Slobozhansky, Donetsk, and Tavriya directions, but have no success and suffer losses.
There is still a threat that the enemy will launch missile strikes on military and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine from Belarus, as well as provocations in areas near the state border of Ukraine, accusing them of Ukrainian defence forces.
17:30 President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy
“The evacuation of civilians from Azovstal began. The first group of about 100 people is already heading to the controlled area. Tomorrow we will meet them in Zaporizhzhia. Thank you to our team! Currently, they, together with UN representatives, are working on the evacuation of other civilians from the plant,” wrote Zelenskyy.
17:03 Radio Liberty
U.N. humanitarian spokesman Saviano Abreu told The Associated Press that the operation to bring people out of the sprawling Azovstal steel plant was being done with the International Committee of the Red Cross and in coordination with Ukrainian and Russian officials.
He called the situation “very difficult” and said he would not provide further details.
According to the UN, about 1,000 civilians live in shelters under the Azovstal plant.
13:44 European Pravda
Ambassador of Ukraine Andrii Melnyk proposes that Germany adopt a law on land lease for Ukraine following the example of the United States.
“We would like to see rapid export of 88 Leopard tanks, 100 Marder infantry fighting vehicles, self-propelled howitzers, etc. But what is very important is a rethinking in people’s minds. We are going through the biggest war in Europe in 80 years. You will no longer be able to win with 30 or 100 tanks. A German land lease law, as in the United States, and a long-term alliance against Russia would be important,” Melnyk told Bild am Sonntag.
10:01 Chief Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine
Russia continues to prepare unrecognised Transnistria for war with Ukraine. A large circulation of the Transnistrian newspaper, dated May 2, 2022, was printed on the territory of the Transnistrian region.
The newspaper contains a series of propaganda materials about “bloody terrorist attacks that fell on Transnistrians on the May holidays, dozens killed, including children, the elderly and women.” As the newspaper was published on the eve of the holidays, there is a danger that the Kremlin authorities plan to commit a series of acts of intimidation among the local population, for which “Ukraine and the Collective West” have traditionally been responsible.
9:05 European Pravda
The Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi arrived in Kyiv on a visit.
The video of Zelenskyy’s meeting with Pelosi was published on the head of state’s social networks.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy awarded Nancy Pelosi the Order of Princess Olga for her significant personal contribution to strengthening Ukrainian-American interstate cooperation and supporting sovereign, independent, and democratic Ukraine.
7:28 General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
The operational update regarding the Russian invasion on 06.00 on May 1, 2022.
The sixty-seventh day of the heroic resistance of the Ukrainian people to a Russian military invasion continues.
The Russian enemy continues to conduct full-scale armed aggression against Ukraine and offensive operations in the Eastern Operational Zone.
- To increase the pace of the offensive operation, the command of the armed forces of the Russian Federation continues to take measures to strengthen the strike potential of its troops. Weapons and military equipment removed from storage in the Western, Central, and Eastern Military Districts and the Northern Fleet are transferred to the border areas with Ukraine by rail.
- In the Volyn and Polissya directions, the Russian enemy did not take active action. There have been no significant changes in the situation in these areas.
- Certain units of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus continue to cover the border in the Brest and Gomel regions.
- There is a threat that the enemy will launch missile strikes on military and civilian infrastructure throughout Ukraine from the territory of the Republic of Belarus, as well as provocations by the enemy on the specified section of the state border of Ukraine.
- In the Siversky direction, Russian enemy units fired on the positions of our troops from the territory of the Bryansk region.
- In the Slobozhansky direction, the Russian enemy group continues to carry out airstrikes and artillery fire on Kharkiv. The occupiers are conducting offensive operations in the directions of Izium – Barvinkove, and Izium – Sloviansk. The enemy’s strike group continues to strengthen. Up to 300 weapons and military equipment were transferred to certain areas, and about a thousand mobilised persons arrived from the temporarily occupied territories of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
- To cover the advancing air forces in four designated areas, the enemy deployed two anti-aircraft missile divisions armed with Buk-M2 (SA-17 “Grizzly”) and Tor-M (SA-15 “Gauntlet”).
- In the Donetsk and Tavriya directions, groups of Russian enemy troops are conducting active operations along the entire section of the line of contact. The enemy is trying to carry out airstrikes and artillery fire on the positions of our troops.
- In the Lyman direction, the Russian enemy is advancing in the direction of Krymka and Oleksandrivka.
- In the Popasna direction, Russian occupiers are carrying out assault operations in the direction of Novotoshkivske – Orikhove and they are fixed on the reached borders. To prevent the manoeuvre of Ukrainian forces and means, they are blocking them in certain areas.
- In the Kurakhiv direction, with the support of artillery, the Russian enemy is trying to break through the defences of our units in the direction of Olenivka – Novomykhailivka.
- In the South Buh direction, the enemy is fighting to reach the administrative borders of the Kherson region and create favourable conditions for the attack on the cities of Mykolayiv and Kryvyi Rih.
- The previous day, the air defence units hit nine air targets: two Su-25 aircraft and seven UAVs.
- In the Donetsk and Luhansk regions only, nine enemy attacks have been repulsed in the past 24 hours, eight tanks, one artillery system, twenty-four units of armoured combat vehicles, one special vehicle and five vehicles (including two tankers) have been destroyed.
