The Kyiv Independent [unofficial]
Russia’s war against Ukraine
First responders work at the site of Russian drone attack in Kyiv overnight on May 4. (State Emergency Service / Telegram)
Ukrainian sea drone downs Russian fighter jet in ‘world-first’ strike, intelligence says. The unprecedented operation allegedly took place on May 2 near the Russian port of Novorossiysk in the Black Sea.
Second Russian military aircraft destroyed within 24 hours. President Volodymyr Zelensky said on May 3 that Ukraine’s military destroyed a second Russian military aircraft within a 24-hour time period, having struck military airfield in occupied Crimea.
Ukraine confirms capture of 2 Togolese nationals fighting for Russia. Togo’s Foreign Ministry earlier said the detainees had been misled into leaving the country with promises of scholarships to study in Russia.
Kremlin calls proposed 3-day ceasefire ‘test of Kyiv’s readiness‘ for peace, despite Moscow’s rejection of 30-day ceasefire. Despite previously rejecting a 30-day ceasefire agreement, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov claimed on May 3 that Ukraine’s acceptance of a proposed three-day ceasefire agreement would amount to “a test of Kyiv’s readiness for long-term peace.”
Zelensky rejects Putin’s truce proposal as ‘theatrical,’ backs 30-day ceasefire plan from US. Speaking to journalists in a closed-door session, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the proposal was not a serious attempt to end the war and reiterated Ukraine’s support for a U.S.-backed strategy calling for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire.
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Russia used thermobaric weapons in drone strike on Kharkiv, Ukrainian prosecutors say. Thermobaric munitions is a type of weapon known for generating powerful blast waves and high-temperature clouds, causing severe destruction and posing extreme risks to civilians.
‘US will not turn its back on Ukraine,’ Trump’s spiritual advisor says after briefing American president. Pastor Mark Burns, the man described as U.S. President Donald Trump’s “spiritual advisor,” said he believes he played a small part in strengthening U.S.-Ukraine relations after briefing Trump on what he witnessed during a recent visit to Ukraine.
‘Our best conversation yet‘ — Zelensky praises Vatican meeting with Trump. Speaking to journalists in a closed-door session, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described the April 26 meeting, which took place during a visit to pay respects to the late Pope Francis, as “perhaps the shortest, but the most substantive.”
Ukraine not responsible for safety of foreign officials traveling to Moscow for May 9 parade, Zelensky says. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky cautioned that Russia could orchestrate provocations, including “arsons, explosions, or other actions,” and then attempt to blame Ukraine.
Drone attack targets Russia’s Krasnodar Krai, Russian officials claim. Four were injured as Russia’s Krasnodar Krai was allegedly targeted in a Ukrainian drone attack overnight on May 3, Russian officials claimed.
Read our exclusives
How Russia fueled and weaponized a 2014 Odesa fire that left over 40 dead
On May 2, 2014, a tragic incident occurred in the southern Ukrainian port city of Odesa, becoming one of the most widely exploited narratives in Russian propaganda.
Photo: Maksym Voytenko/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Human cost of Russia’s war
Russian drone attack on Kyiv injures 11 people, including 2 children, damages shopping mall. Debris from the drones damaged houses and vehicles in several areas of the city, including the Shevchenkivskyi, Obolonskyi, and Svyatoshynskyi districts.
Russian drone attack on Kherson kills 1, injures 2. The attacks, launched throughout the day on May 3, struck homes, outbuildings, cars, as well as a multi-storey residential building, officials said.
One night with 3rd Assault Brigade medics in a new age of war
International response
France to ramp up AASM Hammer smart bomb production for Ukraine, media reports. The French-made precision bombs are being transferred to Kyiv as part of ongoing defense support, and their use by Ukrainian fighter jets has grown significantly since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Lithuania to strip residence permits of Russian, Belarusian citizens who frequently travel back home. Russian and Belarusian citizens who reside in Lithuania will have their residence permits revoked if they travel to Russia or Belarus more than once within a three month period, Lithuanian media outlet LRT reported on May 3.
EU condemns Russia’s decision to launch commercial flights to occupied Abkhazia. “This action, taken without the consent of the Georgian authorities and in the absence of a necessary international aviation code for the Sukhumi airport, is yet another step by the Russian Federation violating Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” a statement from Anouar El Anouni, Spokesperson for EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, read.
Opinions and insights
If authoritarians are scared of journalists, we must be doing something right
Oppression of press freedom is by far not limited to Russia — the latest Press Freedom Index, released every year by Reporters Without Borders for World Press Freedom Day on May 3, shows an alarming picture. The overall level of press freedom globally is the lowest since the start of the index in 2002.
Photo: Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images
Backroom diplomacy and battlefield reality: Ukraine at the IMF Spring Meetings
For Ukraine, this year’s IMF meetings were not center stage, but rather the backdrop for two monumental, intertwined developments. First, the critical minerals agreement and the ongoing negotiations towards a peace settlement with Russia, where Trump has actively played an intermediary role.
Photo: Sean Gallup / Getty Images
In other news
Ukraine’s Yaroslava Mahuchikh wins high jump in Shanghai for 10th straight Diamond League victory. Yaroslava Mahuchikh, 23, triumphed over Australia’s Nicola Olyslagers, who finished second with a best jump of 1.98 meters.
Kim Jong Un touts tank development as part of North Korea’s military modernization. In recent weeks, North Korea’s leader has overseen the launch of a new naval destroyer and observed tests of new drone systems.
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