Day 439 of the Invasion of Ukraine: New Russian Strikes on Kyiv and Odesa

World » UKRAINE | May 8, 2023, Monday // 11:17
Bulgaria: Day 439 of the Invasion of Ukraine: New Russian Strikes on Kyiv and Odesa @novinite.com

Day 439 of the invasion of Ukraine. Summary of key events in the last 24 hours:

  • New Russian strikes on Kyiv, attack in Odesa region as well
  • Russia has intensified its shelling of Bakhmut, the goal is to capture it by Tuesday, a Ukrainian general announced
  • Russian forces are evacuating a town near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant
  • Russian secret services organize protests in Western Europe


New Russian strikes on Kyiv, attack in Odesa region as well

Ukraine reported at least five casualties in successive Russian strikes against Kyiv, as well as an air strike in Odesa region.

Russia has intensified its shelling of Bakhmut with the aim of capturing it by tomorrow, according to the military leadership of Ukraine.

Kyiv city authorities reported injuries and damage after multiple explosions from yet another massive Russian attack. A missile attack also hit the Black Sea city of Odesa, Ukrainian media also reported explosions in the Kherson region.

The situation on the Eastern Front is "tense, but under control," said the commander of Ukraine's ground forces, General Oleksandr Sirsky. Ukraine's military leadership said earlier that Sirsky had taken over and discussed further steps with the general staff.

The main focus is on the defense of Bakhmut and the plan "to inflict maximum losses" on the Russian private military company Wagner. According to Sirsky's assessment, Russian forces have been using heavy weapons even more intensively in recent days, have deployed more advanced military equipment and regrouped their troops.

"This shows that the enemy will not change its plans and is doing everything in its power to capture Bakhmut and continue its offensive," the Ukrainian general said. Tomorrow, May 9, Russia celebrates the anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany.

Meanwhile, the head of the Russian private army "Wagner" Yevgeny Prigozhin abandoned his intention to withdraw his forces from Bakhmut. He wrote on "Telegram" that Moscow promised him the necessary ammunition and weapons to continue the attack on the city. He had previously said that his fighters would withdraw on May 10. Russian troops have been trying to capture Bakhmut for months. According to the Russian side, they already control most of the city. Ukrainian forces are putting up fierce resistance in Bakhmut.

Moscow reported that new strikes were carried out on warehouses and Ukrainian positions in the Zaporizhzhia region.

The Ukrainian military announced that all the drones with which Russia attacked during the night had been shot down.

The International Atomic Energy Agency has once again expressed concern over the situation around the Zaporizhzhia  NPP, which is located near the front line in Ukraine.

Russia has intensified its shelling of Bakhmut, the goal is to capture it by Tuesday, a Ukrainian general announced

Russia has stepped up shelling of Bakhmut in hopes of taking it tomorrow, Ukrainian General Oleksandr Syrsky, in charge of defending the besieged city, said, vowing to do everything possible to prevent that.

Sirsky, who commands Ukraine's ground forces, said Russian forces had increased the intensity of their heavy weapons fire on the city, started using more advanced equipment and regrouped their troops. "Today it is important to make decisions as quickly as possible and anticipate the actions of the enemy," he stressed on his Telegram channel after what he said was a visit to troops on the Bakhmut front line.

Tomorrow, May 9, Russia celebrates the anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany.

Sirsky noted that the increased fighting "shows that the enemy will not change its plans and is doing everything possible to take control of Bakhmut and continue the offensive."

Earlier last night, Ukrainian official Serhiy Bratchuk, a spokesman for the military administration in Odesa, reported on Telegram that an explosion had been heard overnight. The Black Sea city was hit by an airstrike, and there were airstrike fears in other regions of the country, including the capital Kyiv.

"Air defense is working in the vicinity of Kyiv!", the military administration of the Kyiv region announced on Telegram. "Stay in cover until the air raid alarm goes off!"

Russian forces are evacuating a town near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant

Russian forces are evacuating residents of the town that work in the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine, Reuters reported, citing a statement from the Ukrainian military. Ukraine is expected to launch its long-awaited counter-offensive soon to retake territories controlled by Moscow, including those in the Zaporizhzhia region.

In its morning military briefing, the General Staff of Ukraine said Russian forces were evacuating local Russian passport holders in the port cities of Berdyansk and Primorsk, located on the coast of the Sea of Azov. "The first to be evacuated are those who accepted Russian citizenship in the first months of the occupation," the statement said.

Reuters was unable to independently confirm the claims.

The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi said yesterday that the situation around the power plant, which is also the largest in Europe, has become "potentially dangerous".

The two sides continue to accuse each other of shelling the plant, and efforts to secure a safe zone around it have failed.

Russian secret services organize protests in Western Europe

Russian secret services are infiltrating or organizing demonstrations in major Western cities for propaganda purposes, DPA reported, citing European media.

The German newspaper "Süddeutsche Zeitung" reported yesterday that the purpose of these actions is to create anti-Ukrainian sentiments or to make it difficult for Sweden to join NATO, BTA clarifies.

The newspaper's research was carried out jointly with German and Scandinavian radio and television operators, the French newspaper "Le Monde" and the Swedish newspaper "Expressen". It is based on leaked documents purported to be from the Kremlin's security apparatus. According to reports, small, organized groups are faking anti-Turkish rallies in a major European city, for example, posing as Ukrainians and agitating against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to produce online propaganda material. This is clearly intended to give the impression of widespread anti-Islamic sentiment in Europe.

Examples include a demonstration by alleged members of the Ukrainian community in Paris in early March who protested Erdogan while doing a Hitler salute and wearing balaclavas. They also mocked the victims of the devastating earthquake on February 6.

According to Süddeutsche Zeitung, the Kremlin has not commented on the allegations.

According to European media, the provocateurs apparently also infiltrated demonstrations on other topics in several cities, such as against the shortage of nurses, pension reform and climate change, with propaganda directed against support for Ukraine.

At these events in Paris, The Hague, Brussels and Madrid, partially identical posters were used by the same people, reports Süddeutsche Zeitung. Photos of them appeared on the Internet and created the impression of widespread anti-Ukraine sentiments.

The distribution of the material in this way on social media was mainly controlled by three accounts from St. Petersburg.


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