May 5, 2023 - Russia-Ukraine news

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Russian-installed authorities in the annexed Zaporizhzhia region of Ukraine announced on Friday the evacuation of some of the residents in 18 front-line settlements due to “intensified shelling.” 

Meanwhile, Russia’s former deputy defense minister Mikhail Mizintsev has joined the mercenary group Wagner as deputy commander, according to a pro-war Russian blogger.  

If you’re just reading in now, here’s what you need to know: 

Wagner undergoes alleged leadership change: Alexander Simonov posted two videos to Telegram showing Mizintsev wearing a Wagner-branded uniform and apparently touring the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut. The Russian Ministry of Defense announced on Sunday that it had made a leadership change and replaced Mizintsev, who was serving as Russia’s deputy defense minister for logistics since September. 

Wagner chief blames Russian defense leaders for casualties: Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of Wagner, accused Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and armed forces chief Gen. Valery Gerasimov of bearing responsibility for “tens of thousands” of killed and wounded fighters, continuing his criticism campaign against Russia’s military leadership. “The dead and wounded — and that’s tens of thousands of men — lie on the conscience of those who did not give us ammunition,” Prigozhin said in a video statement released Friday on Telegram. 

“It is a constant cat-and-mouse game”: Russia has been thwarting US-made mobile rocket systems in Ukraine more frequently in recent months, using electronic jammers to throw off its GPS guided targeting system to cause rockets to miss their targets, multiple people briefed on the matter told CNN. “It is a constant cat-and-mouse game” of finding a countermeasure to the jamming, a Pentagon official said, only to then have the Russians counteract that countermeasure. 

Ukrainian Black Sea grain exports: Officials overseeing Ukrainian grain and fertilizer exports through the Black Sea have failed to reach an agreement to authorize any new ships, a United Nations spokesperson said Friday. Russian, Ukrainian, Turkish and UN officials are part of the group known as the Joint Coordination Center. The export deal was brokered by the UN and Turkey and was signed by representatives from Russia and Ukraine last July. 

Truck drivers queue on over ten kilometers at the Rava-Ruska border checkpoint on the Ukrainian-Polish border, on April 18, 2023. Ukraine's grain exports have transited through the EU to other countries since the war-torn nation's traditional Black Sea routes were blocked by the Russian invasion.

Officials overseeing Ukrainian grain and fertilizer exports through the Black Sea have failed to reach an agreement to authorize any new ships, a United Nations spokesperson said Friday.

Russian, Ukrainian, Turkish and UN officials are part of the group known as the Joint Coordination Center. For now, the group said it is continuing to inspect previously approved vessels but is encouraging the countries to keep negotiating on new ships.

Some background: The export deal was brokered by the UN and Turkey and was signed by representatives from Russia and Ukraine last July.

It promised to unblock ports on the Black Sea to allow the safe passage of grain and oilseeds, following routes identified by Ukrainian maritime pilots to avoid mines, and with stops in Istanbul to ensure weapons are not being smuggled back into the country.

Rescuers work at the site of a residential area heavily damaged by a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine on May 3, 2023.

Russian-installed authorities in the annexed Zaporizhzhia region of Ukraine announced on Friday the evacuation of some of the residents in 18 front-line settlements due to “intensified shelling.”

“Over the past few days, the enemy has intensified shelling of settlements located in close proximity to the line of contact,” the region’s Russian-appointed acting Gov. Yevgeny Balitsky said in a statement on his Telegram channel. “In this regard, I decided to evacuate, first of all, children with their parents, the elderly, the disabled, patients of medical institutions from enemy fire and move them from frontline territories deep into the region.”

Balitski listed the following towns and villages in his statement:

“We cannot risk the safety of people and will provide funds for organized travel, lump-sum payments, accommodation and meals. Temporary relocation will be organized within the region. Children of senior school age will continue their education in educational institutions to finish the school year, the kids will undergo rehabilitation and rest in children’s camps,” Balitsky added.

Balitsky claimed the evacuations are a “necessary measure” designed to ensure the safety of residents of the front-line territories. Ukrainian officials have said Russian forces have used evacuations as a means to forcibly deport Ukrainians.

On Friday, the local Telegram channels of towns in the Zaporizhzhia region reported sightings of evacuation buses and said local authorities were informing residents they must pack their bags and take their children out of kindergartens. 

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu salutes a troop before inspecting military equipment and troops on Friday in Russia's southern military district according to Russian military.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu inspected troops and military equipment in Russia’s southern military district on Friday, the Russian military said, amid a very public feud with the head of the Wagner private military company. 

The statement said Shoigu has instructed “to keep under special control the issues of continuous and rhythmic supply of the groups of troops in the areas of the special military operation with all the necessary weapons and military equipment.”

Shoigu’s visit followed a flurry of angry statements by Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, who has directly accused Shoigu and the Russian military leadership of responsibility for tens of thousands of Wagner casualties due to a lack of ammunition supply. 

Unit commander Kuzia shows the rockets on HIMARS vehicle in Eastern Ukraine on July 1, 2022.

Russia has been thwarting US-made mobile rocket systems in Ukraine more frequently in recent months, using electronic jammers to throw off its GPS guided targeting system to cause rockets to miss their targets, multiple people briefed on the matter told CNN.

Ukrainian military officials, with US help, have had to come up with a variety of different workarounds as it continues to use the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), which has been perhaps the most revered and feared piece of weaponry in Ukraine’s fight.

But in recent months, Ukraine’s systems have been rendered increasingly less effective by the Russians’ intensive blocking, five US, British and Ukrainian sources tell CNN, forcing US and Ukrainian officials to find ways to tweak the HIMARS’ software to counter the evolving Russian jamming efforts.

“It is a constant cat-and-mouse game” of finding a countermeasure to the jamming, a Pentagon official said, only to then have the Russians counteract that countermeasure. And it is not clear how sustainable that game is in the long term.

Electronic warfare is carried out by both sides, up and down the front line where there is heavy drone activity used for surveillance and in partnership with artillery targeting.

With a major Ukrainian counteroffensive expected to start very soon and Ukraine’s reliance on HIMARS, solutions are even more of a priority so that Ukrainian troops can make significant headway.

CNN’s Oren Liebermann contributed to this report.

Read the full story here.

The head of the private military company Wagner accused Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and armed forces chief Gen. Valery Gerasimov of bearing responsibility for “tens of thousands” of killed and wounded fighters, continuing his criticism campaign against Russia’s military leadership.

“For tens of thousands of those killed and wounded, they will bear responsibility before their mothers and children, and I will make sure of that,” he added. 

In the same video message, Prigozhin praised the former deputy defense minister, Mikhail Mizintsev, who he said has recently joined the Wagner Group as its deputy commander. 

Earlier on Friday, Prigozhin announced that Wagner Group is leaving the besieged eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut on May 10, citing a lack of ammunition supplies that Prigozhin blames on Russia’s military command.

Russia’s former deputy defense minister Mikhail Mizintsev speaks during a session of the Joint Coordination Center of the Defense and Foreign Ministries of Russia in Moscow in July 2018.

Russia’s former deputy defense minister Mikhail Mizintsev has joined mercenary group Wagner as deputy commander, according to a pro-war Russian blogger.

Alexander Simonov posted two videos to Telegram showing Mizintsev wearing a Wagner-branded uniform and apparently touring the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut. 

The Russian Ministry of Defense announced on Sunday that it had made a leadership change and replaced Mizintsev, who was serving as Russia’s deputy defense minister for logistics. 

He had been in the role since September 2022 and developed a reputation for brutality for his role in the siege of Mariupol — the site of some of the invasion’s most notorious strikes and alleged atrocities. 

Private military company Wagner will withdraw from the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut on May 10, its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin has announced. The decision was made due to a lack of ammunition for his fighters, he said. A Ukrainian military spokesperson told CNN it could be a “turning point.”

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has labelled the purported drone attack on the Kremlin a “hostile act,” adding that Moscow would respond with “concrete actions.”

Here are the latest developments:

A representative of Ukraine’s defense intelligence agency has backed a claim by Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin that Russia’s defense establishment is blocking their supply of artillery shells. 

Yusov told CNN that Wagner fighters lead most land offensives around Bakhmut while the regular Russian military conduct air strikes. 

He said there was “internal competition” within the area of Russian defense, with “ different Kremlin towers backing up both parties.”

Key context: Wagner chief Prigozhin said in a Telegram post Friday that his fighters would withdraw from Bakhmut in five days’ time, having taken heavy casualties in the fight for the city. He laid the blame on Russia’s defense establishment for not providing the private military group with enough ammunition and called for the regular army to step in.

Prigozhin has long complained that the Russian government has not provided his fighters with sufficient ammunition in their attempt to take Bakhmut. This week, he posted an expletive-laden video to social media in which he pointed at what he said were dozens of bodies of Wagner fighters and renewed his appeal for supplies.

Wagner’s decision to withdraw from Bakhmut on May 10 could be “a turning point” in the battle for the eastern Ukrainian city, a Ukrainian military spokesperson has told CNN. 

Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said in a Telegram post Friday that his fighters would withdraw from Bakhmut in five days’ time, having taken heavy casualties in the fight for the city. He laid the blame on Russia’s defense establishment for not providing the private military group with enough ammunition and called for the regular army to step in. 

However, Cherevatyi said that Wagner’s “incredible losses” were down to its units “acting foolishly, launching constant human attacks” and that Prigozhin wanted to leave because Wagner was close to being destroyed in the fight for the embattled city. 

Cherevatyi also claimed Prigozhin was “lying” about his fighters’ lack of ammunition. 

Wagner’s mercenaries have been spearheading Russia’s efforts to take Bakhmut. Cherevatyi said he expects the number of attacks against Ukrainian forces in Bakhmut to decrease if Wagner leaves because regular Russian forces would not be able to “waste personnel” as Wagner did.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says Kremlin drone incident was 'hostile act' in Goa, India, on May 5.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Friday that Wednesday’s purported drone attack on the Kremlin was a “hostile act” and that his government would respond with “concrete actions.” 

On Wednesday, the Russian government claimed that two drones had attempted to strike the Kremlin.

Video of the purported attack first appeared in the early hours of Wednesday on Russian social media. The Kremlin was slow to react, eventually releasing a statement calling it a “planned terrorist attack,” a deliberate attempt by Ukraine to assassinate Russian President Vladimir Putin, but presenting no evidence.

On Thursday, Russia also claimed that the United States was “undoubtedly” behind the incident.

Both allegations drew sharp denials from Kyiv and Washington.

Relations between the US and Russia are at their lowest point since the Cold War, but in the aftermath of Wednesday’s purported drone attack, Moscow has dramatically dialed up its rhetoric.

Smoke rises from buildings in this aerial view of Bakhmut, Ukraine, on April 26.

Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin announced on Friday that his private military company would leave the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut on May 10 because his fighters lack ammunition. 

It comes a day after the Wagner boss launched an expletive-laden tirade against Russia’s military leadership. Standing in front of the bodies of dozens of what he claims are his fighters killed in Russia’s war on Ukraine, Prigozhin blamed their deaths on a lack of support from Moscow.

Prigozhin’s forces have played a key role in Russian assaults on Ukrainian territory, including Bakhmut.

He has previously complained of receiving insufficient support from the Kremlin and, in an interview on Sunday, threatened to withdraw his mercenaries from the embattled eastern city.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on Friday’s announcement, telling a conference call with reporters: “Of course, I saw it in the media, but I can’t comment as it concerns the special military operation.”

Ukrainian and Russian delegates are seen at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (PABSEC) in Ankara on Thursday.

Scuffles broke out between Ukrainian and Russian delegates at a summit in Turkey on Thursday, state-run news agency Anadolu reported.

Video posted by Anadolu shows delegates shoving each other after Ukrainian representatives unfurled their national flag and shouted anti-Russia slogans behind a member of the Russian delegation, Olga Timofeeva, while she was speaking at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (PABSEC) meeting in Ankara.

Another video posted to social media showed Ukrainian MP Oleksandr Marikovskyi punching a Russian representative in a separate altercation after the man tore down the Ukrainian flag on the sidelines of the conference.

The speaker of Turkey’s national assembly, Mustafa Şentop, condemned the disruptions, calling the actions “unfortunate” and “unacceptable” on Twitter.

PABSEC aims to promote economic, political and cultural cooperation among its 13 member countries of the Black Sea region, including Russia and Ukraine. 

Sergei Ryabkov attends a news conference in Geneva, Switzerland on March 2.

The US has rejected “ludicrous” accusations from Russia that it was behind an alleged drone attack on the Kremlin as Moscow’s deputy foreign minister warned the two powers are on “the verge of an open armed conflict.”

His remarks comes after Moscow made unsubstantiated claims the US was behind an alleged drone attack on the Kremlin and an assassination attempt against President Vladimir Putin earlier this week. Kyiv and Washington have denied the allegations.

The increase in rhetoric also follows Russia’s largest air attack on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv in a year, the city’s military administration said Thursday.

Here are the latest developments:

Qin Gang delivers a speech in Shanghai, on April 21.

China’s foreign minister told his Russian counterpart on Thursday that Beijing would “maintain communication and coordination” with Moscow during efforts to reach a “political settlement” to the Ukraine conflict.

Beijing has so far refused to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine or call for a withdrawal of its troops, instead urging restraint by “all parties” and accusing NATO of fueling the conflict. It has also continued to deepen diplomatic and economic ties with Moscow.

A vaguely-worded “political settlement” to the conflict released by China on the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion has been widely viewed in the West and Kyiv as being far more favorable to Russia than Ukraine. It calls for a ceasefire but includes no provision that Moscow first withdraw its troops from Ukrainian land, which Ukrainian officials have suggested is necessary for them to engage in negotiations.

During the previous meeting between the two foreign ministers on April 13, Qin told Lavrov that all parties need to take action to build mutual trust and create conditions for peace talks.

Founder of Wagner private mercenary group Yevgeny Prigozhin speaks next to the bodies of what he says are Wagner fighters killed in Russia-Ukraine conflict, in an undisclosed location, in this still image taken from video released on May 5.

The head of Russian private military company Wagner has launched an expletive-filled verbal attack on Kremlin officials in a graphic new video in which he appears beside what he says are the bodies of his mercenaries killed fighting in Ukraine.

“These guys here are Wagner PMC [men] who died today. The blood is still fresh. Film all of them!” Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin says in the video posted to social media.

Prigozhin last month threatened to withdraw his mercenaries from the embattled eastern city of Bakhmut if they don’t receive more munitions to continue the fight.

In the new video, he reiterated his call for munitions, urging Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of General Staff of the Russian Armed forces Valery Gerasimov to look at the bodies.

Prigozhin, whose forces have played a key role in Russian assaults on Ukrainian territory, has often clashed with Putin’s generals and other defense officials in Moscow.

He has complained for well over a month of receiving insufficient support from the Kremlin in the grueling fight for Bakhmut.

“This is simple math,” he says in the video. “If you give the normal amount of ammunition, there would be five times less [dead]. They came here as volunteers and are dying so you can sit like fat cats in your luxury offices.”

Sergei Ryabkov attends a session of the Federal Assembly in Moscow, Russia, on Wednesday, April 12.

Russia and the United States are on what Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov called “the verge of an open armed conflict.” But Ryabkov told Russia’s state-owned First Channel that “Moscow is working to make sure it doesn’t happen,” according to state news agency TASS. 

Ryabkov said Moscow and Washington are in contact as needed, including at a high level, but also added that “Washington has long been a direct party to the Ukrainian conflict and aims to destroy sovereign Russia,” TASS reported.  

Some context: The news comes on the heels of Russia’s unsubstantiated claim that the US was involved in an alleged drone attack on the Kremlin and an assassination attempt against President Vladimir Putin. Both allegations drew sharp denials from Kyiv and Washington.

John Kirby, the National Security Council’s Coordinator for Strategic Communications, called Russia’s allegation that the US directed Ukraine to carry out such an attack “ridiculous.”

Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said the US did not know who was responsible.

The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) shot down Thursday night over Kyiv was a Ukrainian asset that appeared to have malfunctioned, according to Ukraine’s Air Force. It was taken out by Ukraine’s military in order to prevent any incident or accident, the air force said on Facebook.

A Bayraktar TB2 UAV lost control during a scheduled flight in the Kyiv region at about 8 p.m. local time on Thursday night, the agency said in a statement.

Because the “uncontrolled presence” of a UAV in the sky above the capital “could lead to undesirable consequences, It was decided to use mobile fire teams” to destroy the drone, the statement read.

The statement also said the incident was likely due to a technical malfunction, adding the cause was being investigated.

The agency called the downing of the UAV a “pity,” adding “but this is technology, and such cases do happen.”

The tight ring of security that surrounds the seat of the Russian presidency was punctured in dramatic fashion by what appeared to be two attempted drone strikes in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Many details about the incident remain murky. Here’s what we know — and the questions that remain: