As the war enters its 430th day, we take a look at the main developments.
This is the state of affairs on Saturday, April 29, 2023:
To fight
- The Russians carried out the most extensive airstrikes in months, killing at least 25 people, including five children, Ukrainian officials say. Russia, which regularly denies targeting civilians, said its strategic bombers carried out precision missile strikes against Ukrainian army reserve units to prevent them from reaching the frontline.
- The Russian-installed mayor of the city of Donetsk said seven people were killed when Ukrainian shelling hit a minibus.
- Ukraine is making final preparations for a counter-offensive that will begin “as soon as God’s will, the weather and a decision of the commanders are there,” Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said.
- The Kremlin said troops who fought in Ukraine will be represented on May 9 in a parade in Moscow to mark the anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory in World War II, Russia’s state news agency TASS reported.
- President Volodymyr Zelensky urged allies to provide Ukraine with better air defenses, including fighter jets, after a barrage of Russian missiles hit residential areas.
- Russia’s private Wagner mercenary force, which is leading the assault on the city of Bakhmut, could soon cease to exist, founder Yevgeny Prigozhin said in video comments to a blogger released on Friday. It was not immediately clear when Prigozhin had spoken and how serious he was. online pharmacy purchase neurontin online with best prices today in the USA
Politics/diplomacy
- Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree formally raising the maximum sentence for treason to life in prison, part of a push to quell dissent since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began.
- The United States said it was “deeply disappointed” by Russia’s rejection of a request from the US embassy to visit Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich in prison. Russia said Thursday it rejected the request in response to Washington’s refusal to grant visas to a group of Russian journalists. online pharmacy purchase doxycycline online with best prices today in the USA
- Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia have agreed on an agreement to allow the transit of Ukrainian food exports, the European Commission said, after a temporary ban was imposed on the foods during farmers’ protests.
- Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin had received a letter from United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres about the continuation of Ukrainian grain exports through the Black Sea, but that an extension of the deal was unlikely.
- A UN commission said it was deeply concerned about human rights abuses by Russian troops and private military companies in Ukraine, including enforced disappearances, torture, rape and extrajudicial killings. online pharmacy purchase cipro online with best prices today in the USA