Monday, May 29, 2023
Explosions have rattled Kiev during daylight as Russian ballistic missiles took aim at the Ukrainian capital, hours after a more common nighttime barrage of the city by drones and cruise missiles.
Russian forces fired 11 ballistic and cruise missiles at Kiev at about 0830 GMT (11:30 am local time) according to Ukraine’s chief of staff, Valerii Zaluzhnyi. All of them were shot down, he said, and puffs of white smoke could be seen in the blue sky over the city from street level.
Debris from the intercepted missiles fell in Kiev’s central and northern districts during the morning, landing in the middle of traffic on a city road and also starting a fire on the roof of a building, the Kiev military administration said.
At least one civilian was reported hurt.
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1703 GMT — Denmark announces additional $2.59B in military aid for Ukraine
Denmark will further boost its military aid to Ukraine by $2.59 billion over the course of this year and next in its ongoing conflict with Russia, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has said.
Frederiksen told Danish state media that her government aspires to contribute another 7.5 billion Danish kroner to the fund this year, and 10.4 billion kroner next year to assist Ukraine for its military needs.
Denmark in March set up a $1 billion fund for military, civilian and business aid to Ukraine in 2023. The Ukraine fund, established with the support of parliamentary parties, will give 5.4 billion kroner for military aid, 1.2 billion kroner toward civilian aid and 0.4 billion kroner for business initiatives.
The Ukraine fund was endorsed by 159 of 179 members of parliament and opposed by the parliamentary parties: Unity List and Alternatives.
1617 GMT — Russian president signs bill amending law on elections under martial law
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed legislation amending the country's election law and allowing voting under martial law, including in Ukrainian regions annexed by Russia during the ongoing conflict.
The bill, which was posted on the Russian government’s online portal, stipulates that referendums and elections may be held on territories where martial law has been declared following consultations between the Central Election Commission (CEC) and the Defense Ministry and the Federal Security Service (FSB).
The bill further said that the elections and referendums in regions under martial law can be held across the entire region or in certain parts with approval from the three bodies.
The bill also delegated Russian-installed administrations in Ukraine’s Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions the right to independently determine certain provisions of the federal election law.
In October, Putin signed a decree on the introduction of martial law in the Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia regions, which were annexed from Ukraine last September following what the West denounced as "sham" referendums.
1531 GMT — Ukraine aide proposes post-war demilitarised zone in Russia
A Ukrainian presidential aide has said a demilitarised zone of 100-120 km should be established inside Russia along the border with Ukraine as part of a post-war settlement.
The zone would be necessary to protect Ukrainian regions from Russian attacks, presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak wrote on Twitter.
"The key theme of the post-war settlement should be the establishment of safeguards to avoid the recurrence of aggression in the future," he wrote.
He made his remarks after the governor of Russia's Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, called in televised comments for the annexation of Ukraine's Kharkiv region to stop Ukrainian cross-border shelling.
1515 GMT — Ukraine approves sanctions against Iran: parliament
Kiev's parliament has approved a sanctions package against Iran, accused of sending weapons to Moscow during its more than year-long offensive in Ukraine.
The package was approved by parliament one day after Ukraine said Russia used Iranian Shahed drones in the largest UAV attack on the capital since the beginning of the conflict.
The package includes a ban on "military and dual-use goods" with Iran and the "suspension of economic and financial obligations in favour of residents of Iran."
It still needs to be signed into law by Zelenskyy - a formality as the Ukrainian leader submitted the bill himself.
1421 GMT — Ukrainian lawmakers back tax breaks for domestic drone producers
Ukraine's parliament has voted to exempt domestic drone producers from customs duties and value-added tax, a senior lawmaker said, in a move intended to help a sector that Kiev sees as vital for its war effort.
The exemptions laid out in two bills that were backed by lawmakers cover imports of equipment and other parts for the production and repair of drones, lawmaker Yaroslav Zheleznyak wrote on the Telegram messenger.
The bills still require President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's approval before they go into force.
1235 GMT — Russia able to respond to possible transfer of US jets to Ukraine: FM
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said that his country's armed forces are capable of responding to the possible transfer of US fighter jets to Ukraine.
"I have no doubt that our armed forces have the ability to react to this," Lavrov said in response to a question on Moscow’s reaction to the issue, during a press conference in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, where he is on an official visit.
Lavrov claimed that the Netherlands and Denmark’s intention to be at the forefront of providing training to Ukrainian pilots for the use of F-16 fighter jets can be described as an attempt to "please the hegemon."
1147 GMT — Russia says it hit Ukraine airfields, 'destroyed' all targets
Russia has said that its armed forces had hit Ukrainian airfields and "destroyed" all its targets after Kiev said a military facility had been struck in western Ukraine.
The Russian defence ministry said its forces carried out strikes "with long-range precision-guided air-launched weapons against enemy targets on airfields," adding that "all the assigned targets have been destroyed".
Kiev said Russian overnight strikes hit a military facility in Khmelnytsky in western Ukraine, damaging five aircraft.
0707 GMT — Russia strikes military target in western Ukraine
Russia has hit a military target in Ukraine's western region of Khmelnytskiy in air strikes early on Monday and rescuers are still fighting to contain fires, the regional governor said.
"At the moment, work is continuing to contain fires in storage facilities for fuel and lubricants and munitions," the Khmelnytskiy regional governor's office wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
0635 GMT — Russia puts US Senator Graham on wanted list over video
Russia's interior ministry has put US Senator Lindsey Graham on a wanted list, Russian media reported, citing the ministry's database.
In an edited video released by the Ukrainian president's office of Graham's meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday, Graham was shown saying "the Russians are dying" and then saying US support was the "best money we've ever spent".
After Russia criticised the remarks, Ukraine released a full video of the meeting which showed the two remarks were not linked.
Russia's Investigative Committee said on Sunday that it was opening a criminal probe into Graham's comments. It did not specify what crime he was suspected of.
0552 GMT — Ukraine shot down 29 of 35 drones, 37 of 40 Russia-launched missiles
Ukraine's Air Force has said that it shot down 29 out of 35 Russia-launched drones and 37 out of 40 cruise missiles overnight.
The Air Force also said on its Telegram channel that Russia targeted military facilities and critical infrastructure in its Monday attacks.
0541 GMT — Russia damages Ukraine's Odessa port in overnight drone attack
A Russian drone attack overnight has damaged some infrastructure in Ukraine's Black Sea port of Odessa, which is key for its grain exports, the Ukrainian military said.
"A fire broke out in the port infrastructure of Odessa as a result of the hit. It was quickly extinguished. Information on the extent of the damage is being updated," the military's southern command said on Facebook.
The military did not specify whether the damage at the port threatened grain exports. It is only through ports in the Odessa region that Ukraine can export grain and other food items as part of an initiative on grain.
0418 GMT — Kiev repels air strikes, day after Russian bombardment
Kiev has repelled another large volley of overnight air strikes, officials said, as the Ukrainian capital was still picking up the pieces from the biggest drone attack to hit it since Russia began attacking.
Local air defences managed to fend off more than 40 drones and cruise missiles, and there were no casualties, authorities said.
Kiev had been mostly spared since the beginning of the year, but this month its residents have been forced to grapple with almost nightly air raid sirens and explosions.
The attack on the city overnight Saturday was the largest since the war in February last year began, Ukraine said.
0255 GMT — Russia launches 15th air assault on Kiev in May
Several explosions shook the Ukrainian capital, city officials have said, in what was Russia's 15th air assault on the city in May and second overnight attack in a row.
"A missile shot down near Kiev," the city's Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on the Telegram messaging channel. "Air defence working!"
He added that blasts were heard in several districts of the city, including Kiev's historic neighbourhood of Podil where falling debris damaged a roof on a house.
According to preliminary information from Klitschko and the city's military administration, there were no casualties in the overnight attacks.
The Monday attack, appearing to be a combination of missile and drones, follows the largest drone barrage launched on Kiev the previous night, which killed one person and injured several. Waves of attacks now come several times a week.
For our live updates from Sunday (May 28), click here.
