Sunday, May 5

Russia’s war against Ukraine

Servicemen of the 95th air assault brigade of Ukrainian Army prepare traditional Easter bread and eggs for blessing during a service on the eve of Orthodox Easter in the town of Sloviansk, Donetsk region, on May 4, 2024. (Genya Savilova/AFP via Getty Images)

150,000 Russian soldiers killed during full-scale invasion of Ukraine, France says. “All of this for what? This can be summed up in two words: for nothing,” Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne told Novaya Gazeta Europe on May 3.

Ukraine expects $38 billion in external financing after fulfilling IMF requirements. The besieged country received $42.5 billion in external financing last year, allowing it to function amid the ongoing war.

FT: US aid to Ukraine will help Ukraine launch counteroffensive in 2025, Sullivan says. Ukraine will look to launch a counteroffensive in 2025 with the support of the approved $61 billion aid package from the United States, as well as additional aid funding, U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told the Financial Times on May 4.

Your contribution helps keep the Kyiv Independent going. Become a member today.

Ukraine shoots down Russian Su-25 aircraft in Donetsk Oblast, Zelensky says. Soldiers of Ukraine’s 110th Separate Mechanized Brigade shot down a Russian Su-25 fighter jet in Donetsk Oblast on May 4, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his evening address.

Foreign Ministry: Reports about Zelensky’s placement on Russian wanted list ‘sign of desperation.’ Russian propaganda media reports about Moscow allegedly placing President Volodymyr Zelensky on a wanted list is a “sign of desperation,” Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry said on May 4.

Russian court sentences Ukrainian POW to 18 years in penal colony. Vladyslav Plahotnyk was accused of “participation in a terrorist organization” and “training for terrorism,” by being a member of the Azov battalion which Russia has declared a terrorist organization.

Read our exclusives

What’s in a Ukrainian Easter basket? The answer isn’t chocolate.

For the nearly two-thirds of Ukrainians who identify as Orthodox Christians, Easter is known as Velykden, meaning “Great Day” in Ukrainian.

Photo: Leon Neal/Getty Images

Daryna Shevchenko: It’s time we stop waiting for the Russian people to stop the war.

“Do you cooperate with independent Russian journalists to reach a Russian audience?” We at the Kyiv Independent hear variations of this question at every event we attend, and the audience rarely likes our answer: “No, we don’t; we don’t see the point.”

Photo: Konstantin Zavrazhin/Getty Images

Human cost of war

At least 6 injured in Russian missile strike on Kharkiv. In a post on Telegram, Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov said a civilian enterprise in the Industrial district had been hit.

Governor: Russian missile attack on Odesa Oblast injures at least 3. The attack damaged civilian infrastructure in the Odesa district, according to Odesa Oblast Governor Oleh Kiper.

Russian drone attack on Kharkiv injures 1. Russia launched a drone attack on Kharkiv Oblast during the early hours of May 5, setting fire to at least three residential homes in the city of Kharkiv and injuring one man, local media reported.

Russia attacks 13 communities in Sumy Oblast. Russian forces attacked Sumy Oblast 214 times in 41 separate attacks throughout the day, the Sumy Oblast Military Administration reported on May 4.

Inside embattled Chasiv Yar, Russia’s next target

International response

Georgian president accuses government of being ‘prone to making concessions to Russia.’ Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili was referring to the controversial foreign agents law, known popularly among its opponents in Georgia as the Russian law, which Georgian Dream is attempting to pass in parliament.

Sikorski: Putin not reckless enough to attack NATO country. Russian President Vladimir Putin is not reckless enough to attack a NATO country, Polish foreign minister Radosław Sikorski said in an interview with BBC World, as reported by the Polish outlet RMF24 on May 4.

Italian defense minister rules out sending troops to Ukraine, says the discussion ‘increases tensions.’ Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto ruled out sending troops to Ukraine in an interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, published on May 4.

In other news

Ukraine says close to $500,000 in reconstruction funds for Borodyanka ‘disappeared.’ After an audit, there was a discrepancy of Hr 14 million (around $353,000) related to plastic-metal windows, which were earmarked for installation but never actually put in.

National Bank institutes largest package of currency liberalization measures since February 2022. “This move, together with other measures by the NBU, should allow Ukrainian businesses to ‘breathe to their full potential’ and help attract private capital to recover the economy,” said NBU Governor Andriy Pyshnyy.

2 Ukrainians may have been killed in car accident in Poland. Three people were killed in a car accident in Warsaw on May 3, presumably including two Ukrainian citizens, spokesperson for the District Prosecutor’s Office Szymon Banna said, according to RMF 24.

Want to get the news faster? Follow our website: kyivindependent.com.

Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Nate Ostiller, Kateryna Denisova, Chris York, Lili Bivings, Oleksiy Sorokin, Toma Istomina, Rachel Amran, and Dmytro Basmat.

If you’re enjoying this newsletter, consider joining our membership program. Start supporting independent journalism today.