DIRECT. War in Ukraine: the Wagner militia has begun its withdrawal from Bakhmout, according to Prigozhin

The Russian Foreign Ministry criticizes, in a press release, the investigation carried out by Germany, Denmark and Sweden into the sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipeline. According to him, these countries are trying to hide what really happened.

The head of the regional administration of Lviv specifies that among the 106 Ukrainian prisoners who will be sent home, 68 were missing. Some are wounded by gunshots, others received shrapnel, others still have “burns and fractures”, he explains.

Andriy Yermak, chief of staff of Volodymyr Zelensky, announces the return home of 106 soldiers who fought in Bakhmout and its surroundings. “Among those returning from captivity, many were considered missing,” said an official from the Kherson region on Telegram.

On Twitter, the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, welcomes “the decision (…) of the Council of the EU to extend the temporary liberalization of trade for Ukrainian products for one year”. The abolition of “customs duties and quotas has been extended until June 2024”, he announces.

In early May, Moscow assured that Ukraine had tried to hit the Kremlin in a futile drone attack. The Ukrainian presidential adviser, Mykhailo Podolyak, assures Reuters that with this accusation, Russia was trying to reduce the military aid sent by the West. According to revelations from New York Times the day before, American officials believe that it is possible that Ukraine is behind this drone attack. It would seem, on the other hand, that Volodymyr Zelensky was not aware of the operation, according to American intelligence.

Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Anna Maliar reports that Russia has replaced the Wagner militia with regular army soldiers in Bakhmout, but members of the paramilitary group are still in the city. It thus confirms, partially at least, what Evgueni Prigojine announced earlier this Thursday.

The Chinese envoy to Ukraine will be received in Moscow this Friday for “consultations”, says Russian diplomacy. Li Hui, sent by Beijing to Europe to discuss a political settlement of the conflict in Ukraine, will be received by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and one of his deputy ministers, Mikhail Galouzin, according to the statement released. this Thursday.

Moscow will close the Swedish Consulate General in Saint-Petersburg from September 1st. The country will also expel five diplomats in response to Stockholm’s “confrontational policy”, the ministry said.

Sweden announced at the end of April that it was expelling five Russian diplomats for “activities incompatible” with their diplomatic status.

“Belarus was and remains our trusted ally and a reliable partner,” said Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu in an official statement after his meeting with his Belarusian counterpart.

In his video announcing the gradual withdrawal of his men, Evguéni Prigojine specifies that the Wagner militia will “reinstall in rear bases”, without specifying which ones, by “June 1”. “We retire, we rest, we prepare, then we will receive new tasks,” concludes Evgueni Prigojine.

In a video posted on Telegram, Yevgeny Prigozhin announces that the Wagner militia has begun its withdrawal from the city of Bakhmout and has begun to transfer its positions to the Russian regular army. Earlier this week, he said that this withdrawal would take place by the end of May.

On Telegram, the governor of the Donetsk region, Pavlo Kyrylenko, announces that one person has died in the past 24 hours after Russian bombardments, and that at least two have been injured.

Was there a fire at the Ministry of Defense in Moscow or not? Russian news agency Tass first reported overnight that there was a fire, citing an unnamed government source. But she now assures that this is not the case. “The Ministry of Emergency Situations did not detect a fire at the Ministry of Defense,” reports the news agency.

On Telegram, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky believes that the country has gone through a “difficult night”, with Russia “continuing to terrorize Ukraine”. He repeats, moreover, that none of the 36 drones launched on Ukraine “has reached its target”.

The Ukrainian Air Force claims to have shot down 36 drones during the night, during the 12th massive attack of May. On Twitter, the head of the Ukrainian presidential cabinet welcomed this result.

In a press release, the FSB specifies that the “saboteurs” arrested in Russia are members of the Ukrainian Foreign Intelligence Service. They would have “attempted to blow up around thirty electrical transmission lines of the nuclear power plants of Leningrad and Kalinin” at the beginning of May, to cause “the shutdown of the nuclear reactors”.

The Russian secret services of the FSB announce the arrest of Ukrainian “saboteurs” who allegedly targeted nuclear power plants.

American vehicles delivered to Ukraine are said to have crossed the Russian border during the incursion of anti-Putin Russian armed groups into the Belgorod region. That’s what the Kremlin says. White House spokesman John Kirby announced that Washington would investigate. He recalled that the United States had made it clear in Kyiv that it did not support such use of this equipment.

In a report unveiled on Thursday, the International Energy Agency (IEA) indicates that investments in low-carbon energies (notably solar) have been boosted by the war in Ukraine, which has triggered a rise in the price of fossil fuels.

The pro-Russian governor Sevastopol (in the Crimean peninsula annexed by Russia since 2014) assures on Telegram that drones flew over the region last night. Six were shot, according to the details of the local governor installed by Moscow, Sergei Aksionov.

The “Russian Freedom” Legion and the RDK Russian Volunteer Corps have touted the “success” of their operation in Russia’s Belgorod region. “I want to prove to them that we can fight against tyrants and that Putin’s power is not unlimited,” said Denis Kapustin (RDK), a well-known figure in the hooligan and far-right milieu in Russia, passed by Ukrainian. If Ukraine denied any responsibility in this incursion, Denis Kapoustine assured that kyiv had “encouraged” them, without providing arms or equipment.

As the Guardian reports, Denis Kapustin – the neo-Nazi founder of one of the militias that led an incursion into Russian territory – assures that no American or European weapon was used in this operation. “I know exactly where my weapons come from. Unfortunately, not Western partners,” he says.

The United States announced on Wednesday the sale of advanced NASAMS surface-to-air missile systems to Ukraine for some $285 million.

“Ukraine urgently needs to strengthen its defense capabilities against missile strikes and Russian aircraft,” the US Defense Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said in a statement.

The State Department has approved the sale, which has been notified to the US Congress, which has yet to give its green light.

Air defense proved to be a crucial factor in the conflict against the barrage of Russian missiles.

This sale of NASAMS systems comes alongside the billions of dollars in military aid provided by the United States to Ukraine since the start of the Russian offensive on February 24, 2022.