“Ukraine – Russia”

The French parliament has called on the EU to formally label the Russian mercenary group Wagner as terrorists, as the UK reportedly prepares to do the same.

France’s parliament unanimously passed a non-binding resolution aimed at encouraging the 27 members of the EU to put Wagner on its official list of terrorist organisations.

“Wherever they work, Wagner members spread instability and violence,” MP Benjamin Haddad told parliament on Tuesday. “They kill and torture. They massacre and pillage. They intimidate and manipulate with almost total impunity.”

Western sanctions against Russian oligarchs were meant to put pressure on Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine.

Instead, many elites have simply gone on holiday.

Take Roman Abramovich: the former Chelsea owner has reportedly rented a mansion on the Bosphorus, the waterway that cleaves Istanbul in two and is said to divide Europe from Asia. Abramovich also appears to have moved his superyacht to Turkey.

Orcs 🐽 in the #Vasyliv district received "gifts" from the Forces of Ukraine 🇺🇦.#Ukraine #RussiaIsCollapsing #RussiaIsATerroristState pic.twitter.com/uyMy3nShsz

— Маттайс 🇺🇦 🇳🇱 Слава Україні❤️ (@Roadster1978) May 9, 2023

President Putin used his Victory Day address today to fire a tirade of accusations against the West, claiming that it had provoked conflict, sown hatred and destroyed family values, as he sought to make the case for his faltering war against Ukraine.

Just hours after sending a new barrage of cruise missiles against Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, Putin accused the West of “unleashing war against Russia” after forgetting “who defeated the Nazis” in the Second World War and “creating a new cult of Nazism” through the destruction of Soviet memorials in eastern Europe.

When Ukrainian troops drove into liberated Kherson in November, greeted by ecstatic and tearful residents after eight months of repressive Russian occupation, the 22-year-old Vladislav had only one question for the soldiers. “I asked them, ‘How can I join you?’”

Six months later, after his first trip abroad for military training on Salisbury Plain, Vladislav is preparing for a new liberation, that of the hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians still living under occupation in the south and east claimed by Vladimir Putin as part of Russia.

#Ukraine: A Russian T-72B3 tank was destroyed by the Ukrainian 56th Motorized Brigade near Dubovo-Vasylivka, #Donetsk Oblast, after running over an anti-tank mine and then being finished off by AT fire. pic.twitter.com/BoYU23QBM3

— 🇺🇦 Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) May 8, 2023

KYIV, Ukraine — The Ukrainian military has spent nearly 15 months exceeding the world’s expectations. Now, senior leaders are trying to lower those hopes, fearing that the outcome of an imminent counteroffensive aimed at turning the tide of the war with Russia may not live up to the hype.

“The expectation from our counteroffensive campaign is overestimated in the world,” Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said in an interview this past week. “Most people are … waiting for something huge,” he added, which he fears may lead to “emotional disappointment.”

RIGA, Latvia — Wagner boss Yevgeniy Prigozhin’s threat to pull his forces from Bakhmut, relayed in obscenity-ridden videos in which he blames Russian military chiefs for the deaths of tens of thousands of his soldiers in Ukraine, was only the latest salvo in a months-long feud between the mercenary group and Russia’s military leadership for influence in the war and glory on the battlefield.

#Ukraine: A Russian BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicle was destroyed by a direct artillery hit of the 110th Mechanized Brigade in Novoselivka Druha, #Donetsk Oblast. pic.twitter.com/Z2zF2qPTJ1

— 🇺🇦 Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) May 2, 2023

Ukrainian military command know their next steps could decide the war itself – gain enough momentum and a Russian collapse will follow

The upcoming Ukrainian counter-offensive has to be one of the most over-analysed military operations in history. Starting late last year, two things became clear: firstly, that both sides would conduct offensives in the spring, and secondly, that Ukraine had to make serious progress towards victory this year because US elections in 2024 could put the country’s massive military support at risk.

The Russians decided to go early with their offensive. Since January, they have been slowly grinding away in the eastern Donbas region, mostly around the non-strategic town of Bakhmut.

#Ukraine: A T-90M, the most modern Russian tank deployed in Ukraine, was destroyed by the Ukrainian 5th Assault Brigade using a F-1 grenade dropped through an opened hatch- apparently near Bakhmut, #Donetsk Oblast. pic.twitter.com/6nYX5ac9LB

— 🇺🇦 Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) May 4, 2023

It is far too soon to brand this a ‘false flag’ operation.

What to make of Russia’s claim that, this week, Ukraine tried to assassinate Vladimir Putin with a drone attack on the Kremlin? The alleged attack was seemingly thwarted at the very last moment, providing rather spectacular video footage, somewhat reminiscent of the New Year’s fireworks over Red Square.

Standing in a field littered with corpses, the Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin has recorded an expletive-ridden video personally blaming Russia’s top defence chiefs for losses suffered by fighters in Ukraine.

In a separate message, Prigozhin also said Wagner troops would leave the besieged eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut next week.

“These are Wagner lads who died today. The blood is still fresh,” Prigozhin says in an extraordinary clip, pointing to roughly three dozen bodies that he says are those of the Wagner fighters.

#Ukraine: A Ukrainian Bayraktar TB2 UCAV was shot down by a Ukrainian surface-to-air missile over Kyiv in an example of friendly fire. pic.twitter.com/r9m11PfXND

— 🇺🇦 Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) May 4, 2023

Ending the war in Ukraine is “easy,” according to Donald Trump, who has vowed to stop the fighting “within 24 hours.” The 2024 presidential hopeful spoke in his usual brazen tone on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which he has long insisted would not have taken place were he still in the office, in an exclusive interview with Britain’s GB News.

🚨 Donald Trump says he will end the war in Ukraine in 24hrs if he becomes President.

pic.twitter.com/8Cu57NNvK1

— Nigel Farage (@Nigel_Farage) May 3, 2023

Russian state TV did not show the footage of the drone strike on the Kremlin amid muted coverage of the attack that prompted top Russian officials to call for Volodymyr Zelensky’s assassination.

Prime time news programmes on Channel One, Rossiya 1 and NTV on Wednesday night all ran terse reports on the attack but used archive shots of Red Square instead of one of the multiple CCTV videos showing the suspected Ukrainian drone hitting the Kremlin’s Senate Palace.

KREMLIN DRONE ATTACK

– Russia says two Ukrainian drones attacked Kremlin overnight

– Drones downed with no victims or material damage to the Kremlin

– Moscow says it was a terrorist attack and attempt on Putin’s life

– Russia says it reserves right to respond when and how it… pic.twitter.com/loZA6c3Fvd

— The Spectator Index (@spectatorindex) May 3, 2023

As Ukraine prepares for its major offensive, it will only get harder to hide the troop build up from Russia’s forces. So Ukraine is having to work out ways to confound the enemy.

In a trench on the eastern front, a Ukrainian mortar team knows Russia’s not just trying to hunt them down with drones – it’s also using electronic warfare to try to locate their position.

The men of Ukraine’s 28th Brigade may have access to 21st Century technology – satellites, smart phones, and tablets – to help communicate and identify targets. But they’re also using a machine from the distant past.

Could use the Benny Hill Music

#Ukraine: A Russian T-80BV tank was destroyed by the 72nd Mechanized Brigade near Mykilske, #Donetsk Oblast.

The tank was hit before being abandoned by the crew and later suffered a catastrophic ammunition detonation due to an internal fire. pic.twitter.com/4VSTWZQ69h

— 🇺🇦 Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) May 2, 2023

Moscow has accused Kyiv of attempting a drone strike on the Kremlin with the aim of killing the Russian president, Vladimir Putin.

The Kremlin said on Wednesday two drones had been used in the alleged attack, but they had been disabled by Russian defences.

In a statement published on its website, the Kremlin stated it considered the attack a planned terrorist act and an attempt on the life of the president of the Russian Federation.

A secret Vatican peace mission to end the fighting in Ukraine appears to have been shot down by Kyiv as the country prepares for a long-awaited counteroffensive to drive out President Putin’s invading army.

Pope Francis said on Sunday that the Vatican was involved in behind-the-scenes efforts to end the war. “There is a mission in course now but it is not yet public. When it is public, I will reveal it,” he said after a trip to Hungary that involved talks with Viktor Orban, the Hungarian prime minister, and a Russian Orthodox bishop. “Everyone is interested in the road to peace,” the Pope added.