DIRECT. War in Ukraine: new Russian strikes on several cities, 5 children injured in Pavlohrad

Germany expelled Russian diplomats in mid-April to “reduce the presence of intelligence services” in the country, the government said, justifying this decision which triggered the expulsion of German diplomats from Russia in retaliation.

“In order to reduce the presence of Russian intelligence services (…) members of the Russian Embassy in Germany left in the middle of the month”, explains the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a press release.

“The activity of these people was not in accordance with their diplomatic status,” he explained, adding that he had “been in contact with the Russian side in recent weeks” on the subject.

Berlin had not until then given any justification for the departure of these diplomats, which had triggered the expulsion of some twenty German embassy staff by Moscow in retaliation.

The latter “left Russia on Monday, according to the German Foreign Ministry.

The Belarusian railway company says the derailed train belongs to them. He had left the Belarusian city of Gomel and was destined for Briansk.

According to this source, the explosive device exploded “50 meters” from the train. Images broadcast by several media showed the locomotive and wagons on fire, lying near the rails.

Belarus, an allied country of Moscow serving as a rear base for Russian troops, has already reported sabotage on its railways in recent months and arrested people accused of having organized such actions.

In the attack on Pavlohrad, the Russian Defense Ministry says it carried out long-range precision strikes on Ukrainian ammunition production facilities. “All assigned facilities have been affected,” he said in a statement.

During the attack on Pavlohrad, where at least 34 people were injured, seven missiles were fired at the city, says regional governor Serhiy Lysak. Some were intercepted, but others hit an industrial facility, causing a fire, and a residential area where 19 apartment buildings, 25 homes, six schools and five shops were damaged, he said.

Missiles also hit three other areas in the area, damaging residential buildings and a school, he said.

According to the South African newspaper Sunday Times, South African officials are trying to persuade Vladimir Putin not to travel to South Africa for a BRICS summit in August, due to the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for him. They suggest setting up a videoconference.

A special commission set up by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has concluded that if Putin sets foot in the country for the summit, they would be forced to arrest him, according to the newspaper.

The Ukrainian Judo Federation has announced that it will not send a delegation to the World Judo Championships in Qatar from May 7 to 14 due to the presence of Russian and Belarusian judokas. She claims that some of these judokas are also active soldiers.

The International Judo Federation (IJF) gave the green light on Sunday to the presence of Russians and Belarusians at these world championships on the condition that they do so individually and as neutral athletes, which is not the case according to Kyiv.

According to local sources, the Russian occupation authorities are preparing the evacuation of the workers and their families.

Instructions on how to destroy documents and materials are also being distributed, according to the National Center of Resistance of Ukraine, reports The Kyiv Independent.

Three additional explosive devices were reportedly found in the vicinity of the downed Russian power line in the St. Petersburg area.

Air alerts are lifted in Ukraine. Only the Crimea annexed in 2014 and the Luhansk region remain relevant, which is almost always the case.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov reaffirms his confidence in the fact that Western countries will deliver recent fighter jets to Ukraine. He points to the fact that Ukraine has been told no “several times” since the beginning of the conflict to obtain certain weapons before they are finally delivered to him.

The regions of Chernihiv and Sumy, in the north of the country, are once again placed on air alert.

The Russian Defense Ministry says its army destroyed eight Ukrainian drones in the conflict zone in the past 24 hours.

As regularly after each massive bombardment, the Russian Ministry of Defense puts forward the same justification: Russia was targeting military objectives this morning, such as arms and ammunition depots.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pays tribute, on Telegram, to firefighters, rescuers and soldiers who achieve the “feat” of “protecting life”. “Evil has many manifestations, but always one primary target: human life. Protecting life everywhere is a feat in the fight against evil. »

The state-owned Russian Railways company reports on the derailment of a train near the Ukrainian border. She says the train’s locomotive caught fire after derailing. “Fire units are on site. The company says that, in addition to the locomotive, seven cars derailed. She does not mention for the time being the presence of explosives and simply says that the incident was caused by “the intervention of outsiders”.

Air alerts are lifted in all Ukrainian regions. Only those of Luhansk and Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014, remain concerned. But these two regions are almost constantly on alert.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has spoken with New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins. He thanks him for the training provided to the Ukrainian troops. He is counting on his country to continue providing military and humanitarian aid.

A second region in northern Ukraine is placed on air alert. This is that of Chernihiv.

In addition to a train derailment in Russia near the Ukrainian border, a power line fell near St. Petersburg. The governor of the region assures that an explosive device has been found.

Near the northern border of Ukraine, in the Russian region of Bryansk, an explosion took place. The Russian agency Ria explains that she hit a railroad track, derailing a freight train near Unechsky. It was transporting petroleum products. No casualties have been identified.

Dmitri Medvedev continues his message by using a term from current Russian propaganda: “Ukronazis”. This portmanteau word mixes Ukraine and Nazis to describe the Ukrainian regime and its supporters. The former Russian head of state explains that Russia’s objective is to “inflict a devastating defeat on all enemies: the Ukronazis, the United States, their servants in NATO, including the city of Poland “.

Former Russian President (2008-2012) Dmitry Medvedev and current Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council denounces the attitude of Twitter. In a message on Telegram, he returns to a message that has been blocked by the social network. Medvedev denounces the attitude of Elon Musk, the owner of Twitter. “But we can do without it. It is just a foreign social network operating in the interest of the American establishment. We used it quite cynically to further our propaganda goals,” he acknowledges, however.

The region of Sumy, in the north of Ukraine, is in turn placed on air alert. On the other hand, it is lifted in those of Donetsk and Zaporijjia.

In his daily update on the conflict, the British Ministry of Defense returns to the lines of defense put in place by Russia. He calls it the “most extensive system in decades”. Information from across the Channel specifies that they were not only built as close as possible to the front but also “far in depth”. The northern part of Crimea annexed in 2014 is particularly affected. Hundreds of kilometers of trenches have also been dug, “including in the Russian regions of Belgorod and Kursk”.

The Zaporijjia region, in eastern Ukraine, is now also affected by an air alert.