Moscow’s forces claimed, on Sunday, May 5, to have captured a new village in the east, named Otcheretyne, further nibbling on Ukrainian territory in the face of the Kiev army in difficulty while waiting for financial aid and military force from its allies finally arrives. Visiting Paris, President Xi Jinping, Moscow’s greatest ally but also hope of mediation for the West, told Emmanuel Macron that he wanted to participate, with France, in “resolving the crisis” in Ukraine.
Information to remember
⇒ Putin orders nuclear exercises
⇒ Strikes near Belgorod leave at least six dead and 35 injured
⇒ Xi Jinping assured that he wanted to “resolve the crisis” in Ukraine alongside the West
Putin orders nuclear exercises
Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered nuclear exercises “in the near future” involving troops based near Ukraine, in response to “threats” from Western leaders towards Moscow, the Defense Ministry announced on Monday .
“During the exercise, a series of measures will be taken to train in the preparation and use of non-strategic nuclear weapons,” the ministry said in a statement posted on Telegram. This training aims to “maintain the preparation” of the army, following “provocative statements and threats by certain Western officials against Russia”, he added.
New deaths after several Russian strikes in the east
At least six people were killed and 35 others injured on Monday, May 6, in a Ukrainian attack by explosive drones on the Russian region of Belgorod bordering Ukraine and regularly targeted by strikes by Kiev forces. “Two small trucks transporting employees to their workplace, and a car were attacked by the Ukrainian army using kamikaze drones,” according to the governor.
The day before, several Russian strikes had left three people dead and sixteen injured in the east and north-east of Ukraine, particularly in Kharkiv, the country’s second city and very regularly targeted, local authorities said. The attacks took place as Orthodox Christians in Ukraine and Russia celebrate Easter. A rocket attack killed two people in Pokrovsk, in the Donetsk region (east), and a third person died in a Russian strike against Monatchynivkan (northeast), according to the governors of these areas. Another attack by a “remote-controlled aerial bomb” injured at least ten people in Kharkiv.
Russian army captures new village in the East
The Russian army claimed on Sunday to have conquered a new village in eastern Ukraine, Ocheretyne, a new sign of the push of Moscow’s forces. In recent months, Moscow has regularly claimed control of small towns in the area. On Thursday, his army claimed to have captured Berdytchi, also close to Avdiïvka. The commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian army recently admitted that the situation on the front had “deteriorated”.
The Ukrainian army is facing a shortage of men and ammunition, but hope is reborn after the resumption of American military assistance, validated at the end of April with a plan of 61 billion dollars in aid to kyiv, which should allow Ukraine to consolidate its forces and try to stabilize the front, particularly in the east in the areas of Chassiv Yar and Avdiïvka.
Putin will not celebrate the Landings
Europeans, the United States and Canada will celebrate their historic alliance on June 6, on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings, as war hits the continent again. French President Emmanuel Macron will welcome the transatlantic elite to Omaha Beach, one of the five landing beaches. The American Joe Biden, who should immediately begin a state visit to France, is expected, as is, potentially, the King of England Charles III, who has resumed his public activities despite suffering from cancer.
On June 6, 2014, Russian President Vladimir Putin was present in Ouistreham alongside Barack Obama, François Hollande and Angela Merkel, in the name of the USSR’s contribution to the final victory over Nazism. At the time, this presence allowed a behind-the-scenes meeting with the then new Ukrainian president, Petro Poronchenko, and the launch of a negotiation process known as the “Normandy format”. In 2024, however, Vladimir Putin has become persona non grata. But Russia will be invited, in a rank not yet specified, in order to recall the sacrifices of the USSR against Nazi Germany.
Xi Jinping wants to “resolve the crisis” in Ukraine with France
Barely arriving in Paris on Sunday for a state visit, Chinese President Xi Jinping said he wanted to “work with France and the entire international community” to “resolve the crisis” in Ukraine. He will be received today at the Elysée by French President Emmanuel Macron, who intends to advocate commercial “reciprocity” and the search for a resolution to the war in Ukraine.
Paris wants to ensure that China, the main ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, does not fall into clear support for its war effort against kyiv. Even “encourage it to use the levers” it has over Moscow to “contribute to a resolution of this conflict”, according to the Elysée.