Latest news on Russia and war in Ukraine | Wilnesh News

A Ukrainian airstrike in Russia’s Belgorod region injured eight people and damaged dozens of homes and cars, the region’s governor said on Thursday.

Among the injured was an 11-year-old girl, Vyacheslav Gladkov, who had been taken to hospital, the governor said on the Telegram messaging app.

Some 34 apartments in 19 apartment buildings in the city of Belgorod, the region’s administrative center, were damaged, as well as three dozen cars, Gladkov added.

The Russian Defense Ministry said Russian air defense systems destroyed 15 rockets launched by the RM-70 Vampire system, as well as a drone over the area.

Three drones were also shot down over Russia’s Kursk region and two over the Bryansk region, the ministry said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app. All regions share a border with Ukraine.

Reuters could not independently verify the reports. Ukraine had no immediate comment. Kiev has often said that destroying military, energy and transportation infrastructure within Russia would undermine Moscow’s overall war effort.

— Reuters

As the war with Ukraine enters its third year, Russia kicked off its 79th “Victory Day” parade on Thursday.

The annual event on May 9 commemorates the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, with thousands of Russian troops and military equipment marching through Moscow’s Red Square and other events taking place across Russia.

The parade is not only an opportunity for pomp, pride and ceremony but also for propaganda, with the Kremlin keen to compare the Red Army’s 1945 victory to the conflict in Ukraine, now in its third year.

Russian President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Vladimir Putin reviewed the military parade for the 21st time as Commander-in-Chief. More than 9,000 people and more than 70 pieces of equipment passed through Red Square on Victory Day.

Read more here: As war rages on, Russia holds Victory Day parade amid pomp and propaganda

— Holly Elliot

Russian airstrikes hit a school sports ground in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv on Wednesday, killing several children, the city’s governor, Oleh Syniehubov, said in a statement translated by Google. and adult injuries. postal on the telegraph.

Sinehupov said three male teenagers were injured while playing football, two of whom were seriously injured and have been sent to the hospital. A little girl and three adults were also injured, and some were hospitalized, Sinehubov said.

CNBC could not independently verify developments on the ground.

The Belgian presidency of the European Council said on Wednesday that EU ambassadors had reached an agreement on diverting profits from frozen Russian assets to Ukraine.

“EU ambassadors have agreed in principle on measures regarding excess income generated by fixed assets in Russia,” it said in a statement. postal on social media platform X.

European leaders still need to approve the new law.

Reuters quoted multiple EU sources as saying that up to 90% of the proceeds would be allocated to an EU-administered military aid fund for Ukraine, while 10% would be used for other support to the country.

The move comes after the EU said earlier this year it had capped profits from frozen Russian assets and was discussing whether and how to use those profits to support Ukraine amid unresolved legal issues.

——Sophie Kidlin

Russian troops claimed on Wednesday that they had captured two more villages in the Donetsk and Kharkiv regions.

The Russian Defense Ministry said its central and western forces had captured Novokalinov in Donetsk in eastern Ukraine and Kislivka in Kharkov in northeastern Ukraine.

The ministry provided no evidence for its claims; Announced on TelegramThis comes despite Russian military advances in eastern Ukraine in recent weeks. CNBC was unable to verify the latest battlefield claims.

It has been widely reported that Russian troops are trying to capture the strategic town of Chasiv Yar in Donetsk ahead of a “Victory Day” military parade in Moscow on May 9.

But (if confirmed) the latest territorial gain, or “liberation” as Russia calls it, is not located near Chasiv Yar. Analysts at the Institute of War think tank noted on Tuesday that “Russian forces continued to launch attacks near Chasiv Yar on May 7, but there were no changes to the front lines.”

— Holly Elliot

The Kremlin has doubled down on its warning that the deployment of NATO troops in Ukraine would represent a significant and dangerous escalation in tensions between Russia and the military alliance.

When asked to comment Petition published on the website of the President of Ukraine Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called on the United States, Britain and the European Union on Tuesday to send NATO troops to Ukraine, telling reporters that such a move would be dangerous.

“The regime in Kiev is very unpredictable,” Peskov said Wednesday in comments translated by NBC News.

“We have repeatedly said that the direct intervention of the forces of NATO countries on the ground in this conflict poses a huge danger, a huge danger. Therefore, we consider this an extremely provocative provocation. Of course, we are following this incident closely. ” .

Earlier, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova told reporters that French President Macron said that if Russian troops break through the Ukrainian front line, they do not rule out the possibility of deploying French troops. If French troops are deployed on Ukrainian territory, they will Become a target of Russian troops.

— Holly Elliot