Russia storms Azovstal. Ukrainian media say the Russian troops have managed to break into Mariupol’s Azovstal steel works controlled by the Azov regiment, the marines, and border guards. There’s fierce fighting going on. The Ukrainian troops blocked in Azovstal are back in contact, head of the faction “Servant of the People” (Sluha Narodu) Davyd Arakhamia said. Russian forces broke into the steel works, he added.
“[Russian forces] continue attempts to storm the plant for the second day in a row. Russian troops are already on the territory of Azovstal,” Arakhamia told Radio Liberty quoting the commander of the Azov regiment.
Missile strike on Dnipro. On the evening of May 4, Russia’s missile strike hit the center of Dnipro, the city’s mayor Borys Filatov said. The strike also damaged railway infrastructure in Dnipro, the head of Ukrzaliznytsia (Ukrainian Railways) Oleksandr Kamyshin said. An air raid alert was declared for all of Ukraine’s regions. The air defense system shot down a missile in Brovarskyi district of Kyiv region. In Kirovohrad region, a missile struck an infrastructure object.
In Ukraine, major shift in views of May 9 after Russia’s invasion – survey finds. Only one-in-three (34 per cent) Ukrainians say May 9 is a holiday that carries “significant symbolism” for them, a survey conducted by the Sociological Group Rating finds.
Eighty per cent of Ukrainians say the Day of Remembrance to commemorate the victims of World War II should replace the Victory Day.
There has been a major shift in the views of Ukrainians in 2022, the pollster said. “Earlier than 2022, a vast majority (80 per cent) of adults said the holiday had significant symbolism for them.”
“In 2022, a large share of Ukrainians say the holiday is a relic of the past (36 per cent) or a day like any other (23 per cent),” the authors of the survey say. Yet 78 per cent of Ukrainians acknowledge the contribution of their fellow nationals to the defeat of the Nazi regime in World War II.
Sixty-seven per cent say Ukraine had a crucial role in vanquishing Hitler’s Germany.
In April 2022, nostalgia for the Soviet Union hit a record low. Only 11 per cent of Ukrainians said they regretted the breakup of the USSR, the survey by the Sociological Group Rating finds.
Ukraine in Flames #55: May 9th in Russia as Propaganda Day
May 9 is approaching, a “sacred day” for Putin’s Russia. Unlike most countries who commemorate the victims of the WWII on May 8, Russia and the post-Soviet states celebrate the USSR’s victory over Nazi Germany. There is a clear contrast between the spirits of two memorial events. Russia’s version does not centre around human lives lost in WWII; it is the Victory Day that justifies killings in the name of Russian military triumph. The victory of the “grandfathers who fought” is an excuse for past and present crimes committed by Russia for glory and intimidation.
Putin’s previous plan to achieve any victorious result in the war with Ukraine has clearly failed. The autocrat has little to put on the traditional victory-frenzied table on Victory Day in 2022. According to CNN, Putin may make an official declaration of war on Ukraine on May 9. The Russian masses have expected nothing less than a quick victory in Ukraine. Putin will need to be exceptionally persuasive on the 2022 Victory Day, if he decides to announce mobilization of the Russian reserve forces to continue the war.
Ukraine in Flames #55 will unveil propaganda stunts that happen on Victory Day every year in Russia and discuss possible developments in the war after May 9, 2022.
Speakers:
Galia Ackerman, French writer, historian, journalist, author of “The Immortal Regiment. Putin’s Holy War”
Vitalii Portnikov, Ukrainian journalist and publicist
Roman Osadchuk, researcher at Digital Forensic Research Lab
Ksenia Illiuk, analyst at Detector Media