00:00
This live blog is closed
Read more here in the live blog of Friday, May 10.
9:27 PM, Yesterday
Head of Ukrainian security service fired after Russian assassination plot on Zelensky
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has fired the head of Ukraine’s security service. He announced this in a presidential decree. Serhi Roed’s dismissal follows the arrest of two employees of the Ukrainian security service SBOe for their alleged involvement in a Russian assassination plot against Zelensky.
The two suspects worked as colonels at the State Security Department, an organization responsible, among other things, for the protection of the president. They were allegedly recruited by the Russian secret service FSB.
According to the SBOe, the suspects were instructed to recruit people within the presidential guard who would take Zelensky hostage and later kill him. In addition to Zelensky, other high-ranking Ukrainians are also said to have been targeted in the assassination plot. This would include SBOe chief Vasyl Malyuk and Kyrylo Budanov, the head of the military intelligence service GOeR.
It is not clear what stage the plot reached before the arrest of the two intelligence officers. Russia has not responded to the SBOe’s allegations.
Thom Canters
3:54 PM, Yesterday
Czech president: first 180 thousand grenades will arrive in Ukraine in June
The Czech initiative to buy artillery shells for Ukraine outside Europe is getting underway. The first 180,000 grenades should arrive in Ukraine in June, Czech President Petr Pavel told the German channel ARD. Fifteen countries, including the Netherlands, have contributed to the Czech plan. Ultimately, the initiative should help Ukraine obtain at least 800 thousand artillery shells.
Pavel first suggested buying ammunition outside Europe in February. The European Union had previously promised to supply Ukraine with one million grenades within a year. That promise had disappeared due to production problems, causing the Czech Republic to look elsewhere for ammunition. The Netherlands has pledged 250 million euros to support the Czech plan.
Daan de Vries
Read more about the Czech initiative to buy 800 thousand grenades for Ukraine here.
1:50 PM, Yesterday
Ukrainian intelligence claims responsibility for drone attack on Krasnodar oil depots
The Ukrainian intelligence service SBOe says it is responsible for a drone attack on two oil depots in the southern Russian province of Krasnodar. According to the SBOe, Russia used the depots in the village of Yurovka to supply fuel to its troops in Crimea.
Ukraine has been regularly carrying out drone attacks on the Russian oil industry in recent months. With these attacks, Kyiv wants to damage the Russian economy, which is highly dependent on income from fossil fuels. In addition, Ukraine hopes to disrupt the Russian army by targeting refineries and oil depots close to the border with Ukraine.
Russian media reported early this morning that a drone attack had taken place in Yurovka, causing a major fire. According to Russian authorities, the fire was caused by debris from Ukrainian drones shot down by air defenses.
An oil company in the Russian province of Bashkortostan was also hit by a drone attack this morning, the provincial government reported. The attack took place in the city of Salavat, more than a thousand kilometers from the Russian-Ukrainian border. The target was a company that processes various fossil products. The SBOe has not commented on this attack.
According to the Russian Telegram channel Baza, which has ties with Russian authorities, a small fire broke out at the factory. Radi Khabirov, the head of Bashkortostan, called the attack “an attempt to smear our holiday.” Today Russia celebrates victory in World War II.
Daan de Vries
Read more about the Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries and depots here: Ukrainian drones hit Russia’s oil sector, Moscow deploys missile systems
11:38, Yesterday
Ukraine warns of energy shortages after Russian attack on electricity grid
The Ukrainian Ministry of Energy warns of energy shortages ‘for almost the entire day’. The Russian army yesterday carried out a major air raid on Ukraine’s electricity supply, hitting three power stations. Two hydroelectric power stations have been damaged to such an extent that they have been temporarily disabled.
To prevent large-scale power outages, the ministry asks citizens to use electricity sparingly. An emergency schedule has been put into effect in Kharkiv province, requiring citizens to go without power for several hours every day. Industrial customers will be subject to restrictions on the amount of electricity they can use tonight throughout Ukraine during peak hours. Ukraine has also asked neighboring countries Poland, Romania and Slovakia to assist.
Russia has carried out several large-scale attacks on Ukraine’s power grid in recent months. At the end of March, Ukraine had to significantly increase the import of electricity from neighboring countries.
Daan de Vries
Read more about the Russian attacks on the Ukrainian electricity grid here: Ukraine must significantly increase power imports due to Russian attacks on the electricity grid
07:55, Yesterday
Russia reports Ukrainian drone and missile attacks on four border regions
Russia has accused Ukraine of attacking four border regions with drones and missiles on Thursday. This would concern the regions of Belgorod, Kursk, Krasnodar and Bryansk. According to authorities, eight people were injured and 34 apartments were hit in the city of Belgorod.
Ukraine, which regularly carries out attacks in Russia, has not confirmed the shelling. In the border regions, Ukrainian intelligence services often use drones to target military bases, refineries and warehouses. Kyiv hopes to disrupt Russian military operations in eastern and southern Ukraine.
According to authorities in Krasnodar, an oil depot near the city of Anapa was hit by drones that were interfered with by electronic equipment. After this a major fire broke out. The Defense Ministry in Moscow reported that the attacks had been repelled. At least fifteen missiles and a drone were downed in the Belgorod region, according to the department. Five drones were reportedly intercepted in Kursk and Bryansk.
Steven Ramdharie
Twitter message loading…
11:59 PM, the day before yesterday
Welcome to this live blog
This was the most important news about the war in Ukraine on Wednesday, May 8:
• The Ukrainian parliament has passed a law allowing certain categories of prisoners to volunteer for the army. With the measure, parliament hopes to reduce personnel shortages in the Ukrainian armed forces.
• Russia claims to have captured two villages in Ukraine again. This concerns the village of Kyslivka in the Ukrainian region of Kharkiv and the village of Novokalinove in the Donetsk region. Ukraine has not yet responded to the claim, but Russian forces have recently captured more villages on the front. The Russian army seems to be slowly but surely succeeding in advancing further.
• Russia carried out air strikes in various Ukrainian regions during the night from Tuesday to Wednesday. The attacks included energy facilities in the cities of Kyiv, Poltava and Lviv. DTEK, Ukraine’s largest private electricity company, reports serious damage to equipment at three power plants.
Read Wednesday’s full live blog here.
