As 1168 days of war in Ukraine are marked, Ukrainian drones once again target Moscow, where in 72 hours, on May 9, Russian President Vladimir Putin will celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany with a military parade in Red Square, expected to be attended by around twenty foreign leaders.
Nineteen drones were intercepted by air defense systems for the second consecutive day as they headed towards the Russian capital. This time, four Moscow airports imposed temporary restrictions, with some closing all runways. Other major Russian cities like Nizhny Novgorod, Samara, and Volgograd were also affected.
Remnants of these unmanned aircraft fell on a major avenue south of Moscow. Russian media shared images of a cracked supermarket window and a blackened residential building facade.
The Ukrainian Army states that its forces have been fighting for 24 hours in the Russian border region of Kursk, which Russia claimed to have liberated in April.
Furthermore, they claim to have stabilized the front line sector around the city of Pokrovsk, a Russian target to seize the remaining part of the Donetsk region not controlled by Moscow.
Two new Russian attacks on the Ukrainian cities of Odesa and Kharkiv resulted in one fatality and four injuries, respectively.
The head of the Ukrainian army assures that they have stabilized Russian attacks in Pokrovsk
The Ukrainian army has stabilized the front line sector around the city of Pokrovsk, where Russian forces have been attacking for months, said Ukraine's top military commander Oleksandr Syrskyi on Tuesday, as reported by Reuters.
"We have been able to stabilize the situation in this operational zone... and in some places, we have regained tactical initiative," Syrskyi wrote on the social media platform Telegram.
Pokrovsk is a logistical center in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk. It is surrounded on three sides by Russian forces but remains under Ukrainian control, despite intense Russian attacks.
If Russia were to take or surround Pokrovsk, it would advance its goal of seizing the remaining part of the Donetsk region not controlled by Moscow.
At the end of last year, some residents in Ukrainian-controlled areas said they were considering leaving, anticipating Moscow's takeover of Pokrovsk.
The EU to announce a ban on new Russian gas import agreements today
The European Union will announce its plans today to ban new Russian gas agreements by the end of this year and gradually phase out existing contracts with Moscow by the end of 2027, according to three EU officials speaking to Reuters.
The bloc had set a non-binding target to end imports of Russian fossil fuels by 2027 following Moscow's large-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The EU Commission's plan includes proposing a ban on new Russian gas import agreements and spot contracts by the end of 2025 in June. It will also make a legal proposal to ban imports of Russian gas and liquefied natural gas under existing contracts by the end of 2027.
These legal proposals would require approval from the European Parliament and a reinforced majority of EU countries.
The EU has imposed sanctions on Russian coal and oil shipments by sea but not on gas due to opposition from Slovakia and Hungary, who receive gas supplies from Russian pipelines and argue that switching to other suppliers would increase energy prices.
Sanctions require unanimous approval from all 27 EU countries. Around 19% of Europe's gas still comes from Russia, through the TurkStream pipeline and LNG shipments.
The leader of the Communist Party of Vietnam travels to Russia for the Victory Day parade
The General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) and the country's top leader, To Lam, will travel to Russia to participate in the parade marking the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany and meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a meeting also attended by Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
Through state media, the Vietnamese government announced on Tuesday that the CPV leader began a week-long tour on Monday, with initial stops in Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan before joining the activities in Moscow scheduled for this Friday.
"The tour aims to reflect Vietnam's constant efforts to implement its foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, diversification, and multilateralization of foreign relations," the official statement said, as reported by Efe.
To Lam arranged this series of trips to respond to invitations from the leaders of these countries, with whom he plans to meet privately, with agendas that are currently undisclosed.
The itinerary includes a meeting with Putin, set against the backdrop of the US-China trade war and the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, an issue where Vietnam has sought to maintain a neutral stance.
Putin's ceasefire to come into effect from midnight on May 7 to 8
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on April 28 a three-day ceasefire for the 80th anniversary of the victory in World War II.
The ceasefire will come into effect from midnight on May 7 to 8 and will expire 72 hours later at midnight on May 10 to 11, as reported by the Kremlin, urging Ukraine to support the measure, according to Efe.
However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called Putin's initiative a "theatrical gesture" and insisted on the need for a ceasefire of at least 30 days.
"Why a 30-day ceasefire? Because it is impossible to agree on anything in three, five, or seven days," argued the Ukrainian president.
Russia shoots down 105 drones across eleven regions, including Moscow
Russian air defense systems shot down 105 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones last night across eleven regions of the country, including Moscow, as reported by the Russian Ministry of Defense on their Telegram channel, according to Efe.
According to the military report, a total of 19 drones were intercepted near Moscow, where a military parade will be held on Friday to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany, with around twenty foreign leaders invited.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin wrote on his Telegram channel that the downed drones were heading towards the capital "from different directions."
Following the start of the attack, around midnight, all Moscow airports suspended operations, which were resumed a few hours later.
The Russian military command reported that most of the Ukrainian drones shot down last night were destroyed in border regions with Ukraine, such as Bryansk (32), Voronezh (22), Belgorod (6), Kursk (1), and Rostov (1).
The air defense systems intercepted drones in five other Russian regions: Penza (10), Kaluga (9), Lipetsk (2), Samara (2), and Vladimir (1).
Starmer and Macron discuss the Ukraine war
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer discussed the need for a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine, the crisis in Gaza, and irregular migration with French President Emmanuel Macron in a phone call, as reported by the official residence of 10 Downing Street.
"The leaders discussed the need for Russia to commit to a 30-day ceasefire to ensure meaningful peace talks. Ukraine had demonstrated its willingness and readiness to engage in negotiations and was the peace-driving party," Starmer said in a statement released last night, according to Efe.
In the conversation held on Monday night, Starmer and Macron agreed to enhance the defense, security, and irregular migration ambitions of both countries.
According to the statement, the Prime Minister reflected on the privilege of being part of the Victory Day celebrations in Europe this week, marking 80 years since the end of World War II in the European continent.
Attack on Kursk: three dead and seven injured
Ukrainian forces attacked civilians in Kursk, killing three people and injuring seven, as declared by the regional governor on Tuesday, as reported by Reuters.
Xi travels to Moscow to close ranks with Putin
Chinese President Xi Jinping will travel to Moscow tomorrow to attend the parade marking the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany and meet with Vladimir Putin, with whom he is expected to close ranks against the US trade war and EU criticisms, seeing Beijing as a "key facilitator" of the conflict, according to Efe.
Xi, visiting the country for the eleventh time since 2013, will hold "strategic communication" with Putin on "the development of Sino-Russian relations" and "a series of important international and regional issues," according to Beijing.