Ukraine
US helped Ukraine with intel to kill Russian generals
The US reportedly provided Kiev with information on Russia's mobile military headquarters, which are said to relocate frequently in the conflict zone, said The New York Times report. Kiev then combined this data with its own intelligence to carry out artillery strikes or other attacks that led to the deaths of commanding officers, sources told the paper, RT quoted the report as saying.
EU proposes Russian oil ban
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that the package was aimed at maximising pressure on Russia while minimising damage to Europe. Russian crude oil would be phased out within six months, BBC reported citing Ursula von der Leyen Military officers involved in suspected war crimes in Bucha and Mariupol would also face new sanctions.
NATO transport with weapons for Ukraine will be destroyed: Russian Minister
Shoigu stressed that the US and its NATO allies continue to pump weapons into Ukraine. "Any transport of the North Atlantic Alliance that arrived on the territory of the country with weapons or materiel for the needs of the Ukrainian armed forces is considered by us as a legitimate target for destruction," he said.
'Russia's military now significantly weaker'
The report said, "Russia's defence budget approximately doubled between 2005 and 2018, with investment in several high-end air, land and sea capabilities. From 2008, this underpinned the expansive military modernisation programme New Look.
Putin could officially declare war on Ukraine as soon as May 9
May 9, known as "Victory Day" in Russia, commemorates the country's defeat of the Nazis in 1945, reports CNN. Western officials have long believed that Putin would leverage the symbolic significance and propaganda value of that day to announce either a military achievement in Ukraine, a major escalation of hostilities, or both.
Blasts rock Moldova as fears rise that Putin could be eyeing next target for invasion
When asked about the risks of war spilling into Ukraine's neighbour after explosions rattled its Transnistria region, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said, "Moldova should worry about their own future. Because they're being pulled into Nato." Transnistria is a breakaway region in the east of Moldova where ethnic Ukrainians and Russians outnumber Moldovans.
Ukraine allocates $4 bn for defence ministry
The Ukrainian government has allocated 119 billion hryvnias (about $4 billion) for the ministry, Shmyhal was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency. "We are trying to provide maximum support for our fighters." The funds will be used to pay salaries to Ukrainian troops, and supply them with equipment, fuel, food, protective devices and weapons, Shmyhal said.
Russian troops ready to put shrapnel into their bodies in order to flee, claims Ukraine
In one intercepted conversation, a Russian soldier tells his girlfriend or wife that he is ready to break his arm or knock a piece of shrapnel into his leg with a "hammer" so that he would be sent home and will receive compensation for his injuries, Ukrayinska Pravda reported. The girl replies that then it would be better to shoot himself in the leg. The guy denies this: "I'd have to use a crossbow. That's impossible!"
President Putin set to declare 'all-out war' on Ukraine 'within days'
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24 in what Putin called a "special military operation" to "demilitarise and de-nazify" Ukraine and barred the use of the word "war", thinking it would be over in a few weeks, The Daily Mail reported. Britain's Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said that Putin might use Russia's victory day parade on May 9 to announce the mass mobilisation of his reserves for a final push in Ukraine.
Ukraine seeks to seize Russia's assets for post-war recovery: PM
Ukraine is in talks with G7 countries over the seizure of Russia's assets, Shmyhal said, adding that Canada has already prepared legislation for such actions, reports Xinhua news agency. Earlier, Shmyhal said that his cabinet has set up a recovery fund for Ukraine's long-term reconstruction and estimated that the country's full-scale recovery will cost around $600 billion.
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