Ukraine’s armed forces said Russian troops continue their bid to cut off Bakhmut. Some of the besieged city’s few remaining residents attempted to flee on foot, as military analysts assessed that Kyiv’s troops may be planning a “controlled” withdrawal.
(Bloomberg) —
Ukraine’s armed forces said Russian troops continue their bid to cut off Bakhmut. Some of the besieged city’s few remaining residents attempted to flee on foot, as military analysts assessed that Kyiv’s troops may be planning a “controlled” withdrawal.
The death toll from Thursday’s Russian missile attack on a residential building in Zaporizhzhia rose to 11. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu made a rare visit to Russian troops serving in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, according to a video released by his ministry.
US Attorney General Merrick Garland visited Lviv on Friday to discuss criminal investigations regarding Russia’s actions during the war at a “United for Justice” conference with Ukrainian and European officials.
Key Developments
- US Announces $400 Million in Ammunition and Supplies for Ukraine
- Russia Wheat Exports Nearly Double What They Were Before War
- Putin Orders New Rules for Defense Firms in Case of Martial Law
- Russia Is Getting Round Sanctions to Buy Key Chips for War in Ukraine
(All times CET)
Ukraine Says $460 Million Seized from Russian Banks (7 p.m.)
Ukrainian authorities have seized 17 billion hryvnia ($460 million) from Russian banks operating in Ukraine and will use the funds to rebuild housing destroyed or damaged in the war, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said.
Ukraine needs more than $700 billion to rebuild, Shmyhal told reporters in Lviv.
Ukraine, EU Allies to Gather War-Crimes Evidence (7 p.m.)
Ukraine and six European Union countries agreed to set up a center at The Hague to collect evidence of possible war crimes in Ukraine, Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin told reporters in Lviv. The EU launch countries are Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia. The center will start its work this summer, Kostin said.
“Ukrainian prosecutors and prosecutors from other countries will work at the center, who will gather evidences of crimes of aggression,” Kostin said. It’s the “first practical step toward setting up a tribunal” that would prosecute Russians, he said.
Civilians Killed, Wounded Fleeing Bakhmut, AP Reports (6 p.m.)
At least one civilian was killed and two men badly wounded attempting to flee the besieged city of Bakhmut, the Associated Press reported, citing Ukrainian troops.
Ukrainian forces are attempting to help residents flee the battered town and set up a pontoon bridge to help some of the remaining residents reach a nearby village, AP reported. Bakhmut had about 70,000 residents before the war.
Fighting Continues on Bakhmut Outskirts, Spokesman Tells CNN (3:42 p.m.)
Russia hasn’t taken control of the Donetsk city of Bakhmut, and fighting continues around villages to the north and the west, an official with Ukraine’s armed forces told CNN.
“The fighting in Bakhmut is more on the outskirts, with the city controlled by Ukrainian defense forces,” Serhiy Cherevatyi, spokesman for the eastern grouping of the armed forces, told the TV network.
Commenting on reports that Ukrainian units were withdrawing from the city, Cherevatyi said some controlled, planned rotations were underway.
Saudi Arabia Shipped Humanitarian Aid for Ukraine (3:22 p.m.)
Three airplanes with humanitarian aide for Ukraine, including 135 power generators, have been dispatched by Saudi Arabia, presidential aide Andriy Yermak, said on Telegram.
Ukraine and Saudi Arabia last weekend signed agreements worth a total of $400 million after the kingdom’s foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan visited Kyiv.
Canada’s Chief of Defense Staff in Ukraine (3:15 p.m.)
Wayne Eyre, the chief of Canada’s defense staff, met with Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, commander in chief of the Ukrainian Army, according to Zaluzhnyi’s Telegram.
The pair discussed situation on the front and especially in the east, assistance with weapons and ammunition.
EU Needs to Strengthen Sanctions, Metsola Says (11:40 a.m.)
Roberta Metsola, president of the European Parliament, urged EU member states to “seriously consider” sending fighter jets to Ukraine in comments released by her office during her visit to Lviv on Saturday.
Metsola called for firming up the EU sanctions program against Moscow, saying “there are still gaps and there are countries that abuse the gaps” in the measures imposed over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Speaking to journalists in the western Ukrainian city, Metsola cited Russia’s diamond industry, and added that some members of Russia’s Duma who are close to the Kremlin haven’t been sanctioned yet.
Russian Defense Chief in Rare Visit to Ukraine Front (9:30 a.m.)
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu visited troops in Ukraine, the defense ministry said Saturday, in a rare occurrence for the Kremlin’s top military brass.
Video showed Shoigu touring a ruined town that wasn’t identified, being briefed by staff officers and awarding medals to Russian soldiers in what was said to be Ukraine’s occupied Donetsk region. It’s not clear when the visit took place.
The minister and other senior Russian commanders have come under repeated criticism for their handling of the yearlong invasion, including by war bloggers and mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin.
Russia Is Getting Around Sanctions on Chips (9 a.m.)
Russia looks to be working around EU and G-7 sanctions to secure crucial semiconductors and other technologies for its war in Ukraine, according to a senior European diplomat.
Russian imports in general have largely returned to their prewar 2020 levels and analysis of trade data suggests that advanced chips and integrated circuits made in the EU and other allied nations are being shipped to Russia through third countries such as Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Kazakhstan, the diplomat said, pointing to those private assessments.
Read more: Russia Is Getting Round Sanctions to Buy Key Chips for Its War
Kyiv Eyeing ‘Controlled Fighting Withdrawal’ from Bakhmut, ISW Says (8:30 a.m.)
Ukrainian forces “appear to be setting conditions for a controlled fighting withdrawal from parts of Bakhmut,” said US-based military analysts at the Institute for the Study of War.
The “preemptive destruction of bridges” on Friday suggests Ukraine is trying to inhibit Russian movement in eastern Bakhmut and limit potential Kremlin forces’ westward progress out of the city, ISW said in an update.
“If the Ukrainian military command deems it necessary to withdraw from Bakhmut it will likely conduct a limited and controlled withdrawal from particularly difficult sectors of eastern Bakhmut.”
Russia Pursues Efforts to Surround Bakhmut, Ukraine Says (7:10 a.m.)
The Ukrainian armed forces’ general staff said that Russian troops continue attempts to cut off the city of Bakhmut, the center of heavy fighting since last summer.
Over the past 24 hours, Ukrainian soldiers fought back numerous attacks in the Bakhmut area and in other locations in Donetsk, it said on its Facebook page on Saturday.
Ukraine’s ground forces commander visited Bakhmut troops Friday for the second time in a week. Kyiv denied a claim by Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin that only one road out of the city is still open. The UK defense ministry said Ukrainian resupply routes out of Bakhmut “are increasingly limited.”
Toll Now 11 From Zaporizhzhia Missile Attack (6 a.m.)
Ukraine’s emergency services said Saturday that the death toll from a Russian missile attack on a residential building in Zaporizhzhia has risen to 11, including a child.
Rescue and recovery efforts continue at the site, which was struck by an S-300 surface-to-air missile early on Thursday. So far, 333 tons of construction debris have been removed, and counselors are on site to provide assistance to dozens of residents and relatives of the victims.
Rheinmetall in Talks on Ukraine Tank Plant (2 a.m.)
Germany’s Rheinmetall is in talks with Ukraine to set up a factory for building tanks in the country and expects a decision within two months, Rheinische Post reported.
A plant capable of producing as many as 400 Panther models a year could be built for about €200 million ($212 million), the German newspaper cited CEO Armin Papperger as saying.
Read more: Rheinmetall in Talks on Ukraine Tank Plant, Rheinische Reports
Garland Says US Has Identified War Crimes Suspects (1 a.m.)
Garland and the other prosecutors took part in the United for Justice Conference in Lviv, according to a Justice Department statement.
The attorney general said the US had opened investigations into war crimes “that may violate US law.”
“Although we are still building our cases, interviewing witnesses, and collecting evidence, we have already identified specific suspects,” Garland added in the statement. Zelenskiy’s office issued a statement saying Garland was joined by top prosecutors from Spain, the UK and other European nations, and senior officials from the International Criminal Court and the United Nations.
Biden Praises Germany’s Assistance in Meeting With Scholz (1 a.m.)
President Joe Biden lauded Germany’s commitment to providing military and other support to Ukraine as he met with Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the White House. “Ammunition, artillery, armored tanks, air defense systems — We’ve been together throughout this,” Biden said.
Both leaders are pushing to produce arms and ammunition for Ukraine as Russia’s invasion enters its second year. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has urged allies to address shortages of ammunition, particularly for tanks and air defense weapons supplied by Germany.
US Announces $400 Million in Ammunition, Supplies (8 p.m.)
The Biden administration announced a new $400 million military assistance package for Ukraine, including ammunition for its howitzers and High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, the US said Friday.
The assistance was primarily aimed at replacing the vast quantity of shells and missiles that Ukraine has fired as it seeks to repel Russian forces, and included no new weapons systems. Among the items were 155mm artillery rounds, 25mm ammunition and demolition munitions, plus armored-vehicle-launched bridges and spare parts, the Pentagon said.
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