Russia-Ukraine war: Day 750
Struggling :
- At least four individuals perished and eight sustained injuries following a bombardment by Russian drones on residential structures in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk and Sumy regions.
- Ukraine's army chief, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskii, described the situation on the eastern front as "challenging," noting ongoing offensive operations by Russian forces. He also remarked that Russian activity on the southern front had "markedly diminished."
- In a continuation of heavy drone assaults, Ukraine directed its focus towards oil refineries in Russia's Rostov and Ryazan regions on the second day, resulting in a blaze at Rosneft's largest refinery and a temporary cessation of production. According to a Ukrainian source who informed Reuters news agency, the SBU security services were responsible for orchestrating these attacks.
- Paramilitary groups opposed to Putin and based in Ukraine, supporting Kyiv, have urged civilians to evacuate from Belgorod and Kursk, warning of imminent large-scale assaults on military installations within these Russian border cities.
- Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo cautioned that Russia was preparing for an "extended conflict with the West" and encouraged European nations to enhance expenditure and collaboration on defense measures.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin announced plans to deploy additional troops to Russia's border with Finland, which became a NATO member in 2023 following Moscow's initiation of a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
- Leonid Volkov, a Russian activist in exile and former senior aide to opposition leader Alexey Navalny, who passed away in an Arctic penal colony last month, was assaulted with a hammer and tear gas near his residence in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. Lithuania attributed the attack to Russia, resulting in Volkov being hospitalized.
- The heads of state of France, Germany, and Poland announced their intention to convene urgent discussions in Berlin on Friday to enhance assistance for Ukraine.
- Andriy Yermak, the chief of staff to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, engaged in further discussions with the Chinese ambassador to Kyiv regarding a recent visit by China's special envoy and preparations for an upcoming peace summit in Switzerland. Russia reiterated its stance, declaring no intention to participate in the summit, even if extended an invitation.
- Austria expelled two diplomats from Russia's embassy in Vienna, citing that the Foreign Ministry deemed their actions as incompatible with their diplomatic roles. The Ministry refrained from providing further details.
- After extensive negotiations, European Union member states reached consensus to allocate five billion euros ($5.48bn) for military assistance to Ukraine as part of a restructuring of an EU-operated aid fund.
- Czech National Security Adviser Tomas Pojar stated that the initial shipments of artillery ammunition, as part of a Czech-led initiative to enhance Ukraine's supplies, are expected to arrive in the country no later than June.
Source : Trending Times | Muzahir