The latest on the Russia–Ukraine crisis, May 4. Click here for updates from May 3.
Russian Governor Reassures Residents After New Explosions in Area Near Ukraine
Two explosions took place in the early hours on Monday in Belgorod, a Russian region bordering Ukraine, but there was no damage or security threat, the top official in the area said.
Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said he “wanted to dispel apprehensions among inhabitants of the region that someone or something flew in from the territory of Ukraine“.
“That is not the case. Our military aviation was performing combat tasks as part of the special military operation,” he added, using the official term by which Russia refers to the war in Ukraine.
The fact that he felt the need to reassure residents suggested a degree of nervousness among the population after a spate of fires and explosions in recent weeks at ammunition stores and fuel depots in Belgorod and other southern regions.
Ukraine has not directly accepted responsibility but has described the incidents as payback and “karma” for Russia‘s invasion.
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UN: More Than 300 Evacuated From Mariupol
The United Nations says more than 300 civilians from the besieged southeastern city of Mariupol and four other towns have been evacuated to Ukrainian-held Zaporizhzhia in a second successful operation to get civilians out of areas subject to Russian shelling and attacks.
Osnat Lubrani, the U.N. humanitarian chief in Ukraine, said in a statement that many of the civilians from Mariupol, Manhush, Berdiansk, Tokmak and Vasylivka came Wednesday with nothing but the clothes they were wearing and are now getting humanitarian assistance. She said they’ll also receive “much- needed psychological support.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the 344 evacuated Wednesday are in addition to the more than 150 people who were evacuated earlier this week from the bunkers under the Azovstal steel mill in Mariupol, which is surrounded by Russian troops and reportedly came under renewed fire on Wednesday.
No civilians were reported evacuated from the plant on Wednesday. Zelenskyy said they are trying to reach an agreement to save those remaining at Azovstal, including women and children.
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Air Raid Sirens, Missile Fire in Ukraine
Air raid sirens sounded in cities across Ukraine on Wednesday night and missile fire followed shortly after in the cities of Cherkasy, Dnipro, and Zaporizhzhia.
In Dnipro, Mayor Borys Filatov said one strike hit the center of the city. The strikes in Dnipro also hit a railroad facility, authorities initially said, without elaborating. Ukrainian Railways said none of its staff were injured in the Dnipro attack.
Complaining that the West is “stuffing Ukraine with weapons,” Russia bombarded railroad stations and other supply-line points across the country. Meanwhile, the European Union moved to further punish Moscow for the war by proposing a ban on oil imports, a crucial source of revenue for Russia.
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Olaf Scholz Says Sanctions Against Moscow Will Set Back Russia’s Economic Development by Decades
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says the sanctions imposed by his country and others against Moscow over its war in Ukraine will set back Russia’s economic development by decades if they remain in place.
Scholz told reporters in Berlin on Wednesday that Russia cannot hope to win peace with Ukraine unless Kyiv supports it.
“A peace by diktat will not work,” he said.
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Netherlands Assessing Whether to Supply More Heavy Weapons to Ukraine: PM
Dutch PM Mark Rutte said on Wednesday that the Netherlands is assessing whether it can join Germany, Belgium, and the UK in supplying more heavy weapons to Ukraine.
Rutte said this after a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenskyy during which he praised Ukraine’s steadfastness in the battle against Russia for the Donbas region. “The Netherlands will continue to support Ukraine’s fight to defend democracy and sovereignty, in the short and long term,” he wrote on Twitter.
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Russia’s Gazprom Continues Gas Exports to Europe via Ukraine
Russian gas producer Gazprom said it was supplying natural gas to Europe via Ukraine on Wednesday in line with requests from European consumers.
Requests stood at 98.4 million cubic meters (mcm) for Wednesday compared with 98.96 mcm on Tuesday.
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Biden Says Talking With G7 Leaders This Week About Further Potential Sanctions on Russia
President Joe Biden on Wednesday said he would speak with other leaders from the Group of Seven advanced economies this week about potential additional sanctions against Russia over its war in Ukraine.
“We’re always open to additional sanctions,” Biden told reporters when asked about U.S. plans after the European Union proposed its toughest sanctions yet against Russia on Wednesday, including a phased oil embargo.
“I’ll be speaking with the members of the G7 this week about what we’re going to do or not do,” Biden added.
Russia has intensified its offensive in eastern Ukraine, Ukraine’s defense ministry said on Wednesday, nearly 10 weeks into a war that has killed thousands of people, uprooted millions, and flattened Ukrainian cities.
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Ukraine Welcomes EU’s Proposed Oil Embargo
In a video message posted on Twitter, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba welcomed the European Union’s decision to propose an embargo on Russian oil. He said Ukraine isn’t happy it will be delayed for several months, but “it’s better than nothing.”
Kuleba said it should be clear now “that times for half-sanctions or half-measures when it comes to sanctions is gone.” He says the EU can no longer support Ukraine on one hand by imposing sanctions while continuing to pay Russia for oil and gas and support their “war machine.”
He also said if any country continues to oppose the embargo on Russian oil, it will be a reason to say the country is complicit in the crimes committed by Russia in Ukraine.
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Russia Bars Entry to 63 Japanese, Including PM
Russia’s foreign ministry on Wednesday announced sanctions against 63 Japanese officials, journalists, and professors for engaging in what it called “unacceptable rhetoric” against Moscow.
The list includes Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, and Defence Minister Nobuo Kishi, among other officials.
The sanctions bar the targeted individuals from entering Russia indefinitely, the ministry said.
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Hungary Won’t Support Banning Russian Oil
Hungary’s foreign minister says the country won’t support a European Union proposal for banning oil imports from Russia in a move that could derail the bloc’s efforts to apply united pressure against Moscow over its war in Ukraine.
In a video on social media, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said Wednesday that Hungary’s energy supply “would be completely destroyed” by an EU embargo of Russian oil, which he said would make it “impossible for Hungary to obtain the oil necessary for the functioning of the Hungarian economy.”
Szijjarto’s statement came as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed that EU member nations phase out imports of crude oil within six months and refined products by the end of the year as part of a sixth package of sanctions against Russia.
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Volodymyr Zelenskyy Says No Deal With Moscow When Russian Troops Still Remain in Occupied Territory
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says his country could not accept a deal with Moscow that would allow Russian troops to remain in occupied territory.
Speaking to participants in the Wall Street Journal CEO Council Summit, Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces had halted the Russian offensive in what he described as the first stage of the conflict.
In the second stage, he said, Ukraine would expel Russian troops from its territory and in the third, would move to fully restore its territorial integrity.
Zelenskyy said he would not accept a cease-fire deal that would allow Russian forces to remain in their current positions. “We will not accept a frozen conflict,” the president said without giving further details.
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Mariupol Mayor Says Heavy Fighting Under Way at Azovstal Steel Plant
The mayor of Mariupol said there was heavy fighting on Wednesday at the Azovstal steelworks where the city’s last defenders and some civilians are holding out.
Mayor Vadym Boichenko said on national television that contact had been lost with the Ukrainian fighters still in the sprawling steelworks and that more than 30 children were among those awaiting evacuation from the plant.
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Ukraine Says It Is ‘Ready’ If Belarus Joins Russian War Effort
Kyiv will be ready if Belarus’s armed forces join Russia’s war effort in Ukraine, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian State Border Service said on Wednesday.
Belarus, a close ally of Russia, said its military had begun large-scale drills on Wednesday to test their combat readiness and that they posed no threat to its neighbors.
“We do not rule out that the Russian Federation could at some point use the territory of Belarus, the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus, against Ukraine,” said Andriy Demchenko, spokesperson for Ukraine’s State Border Service.
“Therefore, we are ready,” he said, adding that the border with Belarus had been strengthened since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24.
Russia launched the invasion after holding joint drills with Belarus which had allowed it to move more forces closer to the border with Ukraine.
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Russia Says It Fires Cruise Missiles From Submarine, Warns Again on NATO Arms Shipments
Russia said on Wednesday it had fired two Kalibr cruise missiles at Ukrainian targets from a submarine in the Black Sea and reiterated a warning that it would seek to hit shipments of NATO weapons to Ukraine.
The defense ministry published video footage of the cruise missiles being launched from the Black Sea, and said they had hit unspecified ground targets in Ukraine.
Russia previously said it had mounted similar strikes from a submarine on April 29.
Earlier on Wednesday, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu reiterated a warning that Russia would seek to destroy convoys of arms shipments to Ukraine from Western countries, which in recent weeks have stepped up these supplies.
“The United States and its NATO allies are continuing to pump weapons into Ukraine,” Shoigu told a conference of defense ministry officials on day 70 of what Russia calls its special military operation in Ukraine.
“We view any transport of the North Atlantic Alliance arriving on the territory of the country with weapons or materials destined to the Ukrainian army as a target to be destroyed.”
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EU Takes Major Step Toward Russian Oil Ban, New Sanctions
The European Union’s top official on Wednesday called on the 27-nation bloc to ban oil imports from Russia and target the country’s biggest bank and major broadcasters in a sixth package of sanctions over the war in Ukraine.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, addressing the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, proposed having EU member nations phase out imports of crude oil within six months and refined products by the end of the year.
“We will make sure that we phase out Russian oil in an orderly fashion, in a way that allows us and our partners to secure alternative supply routes and minimizes the impact on global markets,” von der Leyen said.
The proposals must be unanimously approved to take effect and are likely to be the subject of fierce debate. Von der Leyen conceded that getting all 27 member countries—some of them landlocked and highly dependent on Russia for energy supplies—to agree on oil sanctions “will not be easy.”
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Kremlin Dismisses Speculation Putin to Declare War on Ukraine on May 9
The Kremlin on Wednesday dismissed speculation that President Vladimir Putin planned to declare war against Ukraine and declare a national mobilization on May 9 when Russia commemorates the Soviet Union’s victory in World War II.
Putin has so far characterized Russia’s actions in Ukraine as a “special military operation,” not a war. But Western politicians and some Russia watchers have speculated that he could be preparing for a major announcement next Monday with a range of possible scenarios ranging from an outright declaration of war to a declaration of victory.
Asked about speculation that Putin will declare war against Ukraine on May 9, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “There is no chance of that. It’s nonsense.”
Peskov also said that people should not listen to speculation that there could be a decision on a national mobilization.
“It is not true. It is nonsense,” Peskov told reporters.
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Ukrainians Wait in Mexico City for US Entry
Hundreds of Ukrainian refugees are camping out in Mexico City and waiting for the U.S. government to allow them into the country.
About 500 evacuees were waiting Tuesday in large tents under a searing sun on a dusty field on the east side of Mexico’s sprawling capital. The camp has been open only a week and 50 to 100 people are arriving every day.
Some refugees have already been to the U.S. border in Tijuana where they were told they would no longer be admitted. Others arrived at airports in Mexico City or Cancun.
The U.S. government announced in late March that it would accept up to 100,000 Ukrainian refugees. Hundreds entered Mexico daily as tourists in Mexico City or Cancun and flew to Tijuana to wait for a few days to be admitted to the United States at a San Diego border crossing on humanitarian parole.
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Fiji Says US Can Seize Russian Superyacht But Not Right Away
A judge in Fiji has ruled that U.S. authorities can seize a Russian-owned superyacht but has put a hold on his order until at least Friday while defense lawyers mount a challenge.
The yacht Amadea—worth $325 million—had earlier been stopped from leaving the South Pacific nation because of its links to Russia. That order will stand for now, preventing U.S. authorities from taking the yacht to Hawaii or elsewhere.
A question remains over which of two Russian oligarchs really owns the Amadea, with only one of them facing sanctions. There are also questions about how far U.S. jurisdiction extends into Fiji.
Suva High Court Justice Deepthi Amaratunga on Tuesday granted an order allowing the U.S. to seize the superyacht after the U.S. had earlier filed a warrant. But the judge has also allowed for a pause while defense lawyers put together their challenge.
The judge’s next decision in the case will come on Friday, when he will decide whether to continue to put a hold on the yacht’s seizure pending a formal appeal by the defense.
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Ukraine: Russia Hit Railroads Across Country
Ukrainian officials say the Russian military has struck railroad infrastructure across the country.
Oleksandr Kamyshin, head of the Ukrainian railways, said the Russian strikes on Tuesday hit six railway stations in the country’s central and western regions, inflicting heavy damage.
Kamyshin said at least 14 trains were delayed because of the attacks.
Dnipro region Gov. Valentyn Reznichenko said Russian missiles struck railway infrastructure in the area, leaving one person wounded and disrupting train movement.
The Ukrainian military also reported strikes on railways in the Kirovohrad region, saying there were unspecified casualties.
Ukraine’s railroads have played an important role in moving people, goods, and military supplies during the war as roads and bridges have been damaged.
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Zelenskyy: 156 People Evacuated From Azovstal Steel Plant
Some 156 evacuees from the ruins of Mariupol’s Azovstal steelworks reached the Ukrainian-controlled city of Zaporizhzhia on Tuesday after cowering in underground bunkers from Russian shelling for weeks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
In his address to the nation, Zelenskyy accused Russia of breaching agreements to pause fighting long enough to allow vulnerable civilians to be moved to safety.
Russian President Vladimir Putin raised the economic stakes for Kyiv’s Western backers on Tuesday by announcing plans to block the export of vital Russian raw materials.
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Slovakia, Hungary Won’t Back EU Sanctions on Russian Energy
Slovakia and Hungary said Tuesday that they will not support sanctions against Russian energy that the European Union is preparing over the war in Ukraine, saying they are too reliant on those supplies and there are no immediate alternatives.
EU commissioners are debating new proposals for sanctions, which could include a phased-in embargo on Russian oil. The 27 member countries are likely to start discussing them Wednesday, but it could be several days before the measures take effect and it’s not clear if oil would be among them or Slovakia and Hungary would receive exemptions.
Slovak Economy Minister Richard Sulik said the country’s sole refiner, Slovnaft, cannot immediately switch from Russian crude to another kind of oil. Changing the technology would take several years, Sulik said.
“So, we will insist on the exemption, for sure,” Sulik told reporters.
Slovakia is almost fully dependent on Russian oil it receives through the Soviet-era Druzhba pipeline. Hungary is also heavily reliant, though other major energy importers like Germany said it could cope if the EU banned Russian oil, with officials still noting “it is a heavy load to bear.”
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said the country will not vote for any sanctions “that will make the transport of natural gas or oil from Russia to Hungary impossible.”
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
