WAR IN UKRAINE: May 8, 2023
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: Day 439
Ukraine has accused Russia of attacking the besieged city of Bakhmut with phosphorus munitions. In drone footage released by Ukraine's military, Bakhmut can be seen ablaze as what appears to be white phosphorus rains down on the city. White phosphorus weapons are not banned, but their use in civilian areas is considered a war crime. They create fast-spreading fires that are very difficult to put out. Russia has been accused of using them before - BBC
Russia has sparked a "mad panic" as it evacuates a town near the contested Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, a Ukrainian official says. Russia has told people to leave 18 settlements in the Zaporizhzhia region, including Enerhodar near the plant, ahead of Kyiv's anticipated offensive. The Ukrainian mayor of Melitopol, Ivan Fedorov, said there were five-hour waits as thousands of cars left. The UN's nuclear watchdog warned a "severe nuclear accident" could occur. Speaking to the BBC's Newshour programme Rafael Grossi - the director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) - said the evacuation of residents near the nuclear plant indicated the possibility of heavy fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces around the plant. Although the plant's reactors were not producing electricity they were still loaded with nuclear material, he said - BBC
Russia’s Wagner mercenary group appeared on Sunday to ditch plans to withdraw from Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, saying they had been promised more arms by Moscow and suggesting they may keep up their assault on what Russia sees as a stepping stone to other cities in the Donbas region. Elsewhere, Ukrainian and Russian media reported explosions across Russian-occupied Crimea, and Russia’s defence ministry said its air defences had detected and destroyed 22 Ukrainian drones over the Black Sea overnight - Reuters
Expectations from the counteroffensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine may be overestimated in the world. This was stated in an interview with The Washington Post by Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov. "But I can't tell you what the scale of this success will be. Ten kilometers, 30 kilometers, 100 kilometers, 200 kilometers?" said Reznikov. The head of the Ministry of Defense revealed that according to the plan, the offensive will not only liberate villages and cities, but also cut the material and technical chains of the Russian army and reduce their offensive ability.
Meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with WP that Ukrainian soldiers will be ready for a counteroffensive when Ukraine receives all the weapons agreed with the allies. In particular, the timing may depend on weather conditions, since along the front line the ground is out of season. During the expected counteroffensive, he would consider the de-occupation of any Ukrainian territory a success.
Currently, 42,000 women are serving in the ranks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and 5,000 women are on the frontline, according to the Deputy Defense Minister of Ukraine, Hanna Maliar. 107 women were killed and injured.
Required reading…
Opinion: The chilling logic behind Russia’s deportation of children
As Russian forces fled a Ukrainian advance in occupied Kherson late last year, their behavior became synonymous with industrial-scale theft.
In a surreal twist, footage appeared of one hulking soldier crowded into a child-sized amusement park train, driving it away in the midst of a Russian convoy.
Sadly, bizarre images like this aren’t unique to Russia’s 2022 invasion.
Read the full CNN Opinion analysis by Kristina Hook and Oleksandra Gaidai here