[Korrespondent] 22:37 Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Dmitry Lubinets advised Ukrainians in the occupied territories not to give up their Russian passports in order to "survive." He assured that the Ukrainian authorities would perceive this as a forced step, and a bill is already being developed that will later allow renouncing Russian citizenship.
"I would advise you to take a Russian passport, still make the decision to survive for yourself. This is the most important thing. We understand that this happens under pressure, physical pressure. Therefore, take a passport, survive, wait until we liberate this territory, or leave from there" - said the Ombudsman.
22:26 Sooner or later, Ukraine will receive modern combat aircraft from Western partners, Reznikov is convinced. At the same time, he added that "this is a very expensive story, it is the most expensive story." The minister explained that it is not only about the decision to hand over the planes - it also takes time to prepare them, check the technical condition and train Ukrainian pilots. In addition, in the future, the partners will have to maintain the aircraft in proper condition, as well as supply them with weapons - bombs and missiles. "They consciously and responsibly want to reach the finish line of this marathon, namely the victory of Ukraine," the head of the Defense Ministry added.
21:41 Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said that the Hungarians have already paid too high a price for the war in Ukraine: "The Hungarian people have already paid an extremely high price for this war. Many Hungarians - members of the Hungarian community of Transcarpathia - have already died in this war."
In this way, Szijjarto reacted to criticism from Zelensky, who said that Hungary's behavior and its ties with Russia contradict the status of a NATO member. Szijjarto stressed that Zelensky has no right to assess whether Budapest's behavior as a NATO member is appropriate. He also recalled that Hungary accepts refugees from Ukraine and provides other assistance.
21:33 From the city of Kizomys, Kherson region, which is constantly being fired upon by the Russian army, all children were evacuated, said the head of the OVA Alexander Prokudin. According to him, the last two families with children were taken to a safe place, who had to be persuaded not to endanger their children and not to stay in the line of fire. They were provided with free temporary accommodation and food.
20:02 The Russians fired heavy artillery at Nikopol in the Dnepropetrovsk region twice today: one person was killed, two were injured, the OVA reported. Six high-rise buildings and six private houses, two gas pipelines, and a power line were damaged in the city.
18:59 Irretrievable losses among the residents of Lugansk and its environs forcibly mobilized into the Russian army are about 70 people a day, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said. To prevent possible manifestations of discontent among the population, ritual services are recommended to allow no more than six people to the funeral processions. In addition, the so-called "MGB" insists on the cremation of the dead instead of burial.
18:13 Zaluzhny said that he had an extended meeting with the Supreme Commander of the NATO Allied Forces in Europe - Commander of the US Armed Forces in Europe Christopher Cavoli: "He spoke in detail about the operational situation along the entire front line. He described possible scenarios, threats and prerequisites for our future actions.
Separately, the parties focused on the importance of timely deliveries in sufficient quantities of ammunition and equipment. Zaluzhny emphasized the need to provide Ukraine with a wide range of weapons and air defense systems. They also discussed issues of training the Ukrainian military.
18:05 The Armed Forces of Ukraine are critically short of ammunition to launch a counteroffensive, Czech President Petr Pavel said after a visit to Ukraine. According to him, the Russians have an advantage in artillery and rocket launchers, but above all in the amount of ammunition - they fire 4-5 times more daily than the Ukrainians. Pavel promised that the EU would look for ways to deliver everything necessary to Ukraine as quickly as possible.
17:54 The Russians fired artillery at residential buildings in Belozerka, Kherson region, one person was injured. The enemy also hit Odradokamenka of the Tyagin community - as a result of a direct hit on a residential building, one person died, the OVA reported.
15:59 Zelensky said that he had a conversation with Macron: "I informed in detail about the situation at the front and the prospects for its development in May-June. Separately, he focused on the priority needs of the Ukrainian defense forces. The speed and specificity of the response is very important, this is what which greatly enhances our capabilities. We appreciate France's confirmation of providing our Armed Forces with a powerful armored package."
15:42 Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel called for an open debate on the situation in Ukraine. When someone like the former head of the Munich Security Conference, Wolfgang Ischinger, talks about negotiations, she said, "we shouldn't immediately hiss at him." She added that "these are not always people who agree with Putin."
| Does anyone care what she thinks anymore? |
| Actually, my dear former head of state, it does mean exactly that. |
14:28 Ukraine has signed three new agreements with the Turkish company Baykar, Minister of Strategic Industry Oleksandr Kamyshin said: "I won't tell you the details, of course, but I assure you that these contracts give our country export earnings and a new generation of weapons."
13:39 Germany confirmed the transfer of the second IRIS-T air defense system to Ukraine, follows from the updated list of military assistance on the website of the Bundestag. In total, Berlin promised to transfer four such systems. In addition to the air defense installation, Germany handed over eight more Zetros trucks and two 8x6 trucks with eight distribution containers to Ukraine.
13:30 Russia is now seeking to take control of numerous paramilitary groups and for this it plans to create a new structure that should put PMCs under the control of the General Staff of the Russian Federation, Kirill Budanov, head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the MOU, said in an interview with the American PBS television channel: "The Russians are striving to create a certain main organization that will lead and command all these paramilitary formations, because, obviously, there is no unity among them now." He also confirmed that the Russian Federation today is able to mobilize from 20 to 22 thousand soldiers every month.
In addition, Budanov assured that anyone who committed war crimes or crimes against humanity in Ukraine, including, for example, gang rape or murder of civilians and children, "will be found and destroyed in any part of the world." According to the head of military intelligence, Ukraine has enough of its own forces and means for this.
12:57 Journalist Dmitry Komarov presented his special project called The Year. Behind the scenes . In the first issue, he shows how a typical day of President Zelensky goes, and also interviews him.
12:01 Explosions and a fire at an oil depot in Sevastopol are part of the preparation of the Armed Forces of Ukraine for a counteroffensive, said Natalya Gumenyuk, speaker of OK Pivden. According to her, the destruction of a large oil depot will force the invaders to reorient and disperse. Also, the explosions in Crimea caused panic both among the civilian population of the occupied peninsula and among the Russian military.
“Now there is a very high degree of anxiety and very large flows moving along all routes where you can go. Even among the military, based in permanent points, families are evacuated,” said Gumenyuk.
09:39 In the Kherson region over the past day, as a result of Russian shelling, one person was killed, one was wounded, the OVA reported.
09:13 In the morning, the Russians fired at the center of Kupyansk in the Kharkiv region from the MLRS - a private house, garages were damaged, fires broke out, Oleg Sinegubov, head of the OVA, said. Also at night, the enemy fired artillery at Nikopol in the Dnepropetrovsk region - seven private houses and a power line were damaged, the head of the OVA, Serhiy Lysak, said. In both cases, people were not injured.
08:46 The General Staff announced the approximate losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of April 30.
- personnel - about 190,510 (+470) people liquidated,
- tanks - 3699 (+2),
- armored combat vehicles - 7189 (+5),
- artillery systems - 2914 (+6),
- MLRS - 544 (+1),
- air defense systems - 295 (+1),
- aircraft - 308 (+0),
- helicopters - 294 (+0),
- UAV operational-tactical level - 2475 (+4),
- cruise missiles - 932 (+0),
- ships/boats - 18 (+0),
- automotive equipment and tankers - 5842 (+6),
- special equipment - 357 (+2).
08:29 Russia continues to focus its main efforts on conducting offensive operations in the Limansky, Bakhmutsky, Avdeevsky and Maryinsky directions - 58 enemy attacks were repelled over the past day. Bakhmut and Marinka are at the epicenter of hostilities, the General Staff said in a morning report .
According to the General Staff, in Sevastopol, after yesterday's fire at an oil depot, there are panicky rumors about the inability of the Russian air defense to ensure the safety of its own strategic facilities. Russian servicemen even began to write vacation reports, indicating the places of its implementation on the territory of continental Russia. The General Staff emphasized that this oil depot provided fuel for the ships of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation, which launch missile attacks on peaceful cities of Ukraine. There were no casualties as a result of the fire at the oil depot.
01:18 Governor of the Bryansk region Alexander Bogomaz announced the alleged Ukrainian shelling of the village of Suzemka, two people were killed, two were injured, a residential building was destroyed.