The day of the war at a glance
Russian munitions factory explodes – 200 civilians hold out in steelworks
May 2, 2022 at 9:24 p.m
The Russian offensive in Donbass is ongoing, but the US military sees “minimal progress” at best. The Russian foreign minister is preparing the public that the war will not end on the May 9 Kremlin parade. With a comparison to Hitler, Lavrov is antagonizing Israel. A munitions factory in the Urals explodes while the rescue operation in Mariupol makes no progress. The 68th day of the war at a glance.
Fragile situation in the rescue of civilians in Mariupol
While new evacuation attempts from the southern Ukrainian port of Mariupol stalled, Russia continued its attacks in eastern Ukraine with undiminished severity. The Ministry of Defense in Kyiv said that “active and heavy fighting” was raging, especially in the Luhansk region. Meanwhile, international aid workers tried to bring more civilians trapped in the Azov steelworks in Mariupol to safety.
After dozens of people were able to leave the huge Azov industrial site in Mariupol for the first time over the weekend, another rescue operation was supposed to start in the morning. However, according to the Mariupol City Hall, the evacuation buses did not initially arrive at the collection point. Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba nevertheless assured that the evacuation operation was “underway”. The situation is “very fragile”.
According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, more than a hundred people were taken out of the steelworks over the weekend. The civilians were expected in the evening in the city of Zaporizhia, 220 kilometers away. Vehicles from the UN children’s charity Unicef and other aid organizations were parked in a parking lot on the outskirts of Zaporizhia. Around 200 civilians are said to be stuck in the steelworks.
USA sees little progress in the eastern offensive
Despite the ceasefire in Mariupol, fighting continued unabated in the remaining parts of eastern Ukraine’s Donbass region. The Ukrainian army reported intense fighting, especially from the cities of Izyum, Rubishne and Lyman. There, the Russian troops tried to “take control to prepare their attack on Severodonetsk,” the General Staff said. Severodonetsk is the last major city in eastern Ukraine still held by Kiev’s troops.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian army sank two Russian patrol boats in the Black Sea. According to the Ministry of Defense in Kyiv, Bayraktar drones, which Ukraine purchases from Turkey, were used in the operation.
According to a US insider, Russia has made “minimal at best” progress on its offensive in Donbass in the past few days. The person, who declined to be named, also gave figures on the training of Ukrainian soldiers on Western heavy weapons. A total of roughly 200 of them are to be trained on M777 howitzers.
Lavrov disturbed with Hitler-Zelenskyj comparison
An end to the fighting does not seem to be in sight for Moscow either. Russia does not aim to end its military operation in Ukraine until the anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany on May 9, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Italian television. “Our military will not artificially align its actions to any date.” On May 9, Russia traditionally celebrates its victory over Nazi Germany with a military parade in Moscow’s Red Square. Experts had long assumed that President Vladimir Putin wanted to announce a major victory in Ukraine on the symbolically important date.
In the interview, the Russian foreign minister repeated the justification for the war that Nazis were at work in Ukraine. As a counter-argument, they say: “How can there be a Nazification when the Ukrainian President Zelenskyj is a Jew? I could be wrong. But Adolf Hitler also had Jewish blood. That means nothing at all. The wise Jewish people say that the most ardent anti-Semites in are usually Jews.”
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said: “His statements are untrue and they serve a wrong purpose.” The goal of such lies is to blame the Jews themselves for the worst crimes in history that have been committed against them. Israel has traditionally had good relations with both Russia and Ukraine. So far, Bennett has only expressed cautious criticism of Russia’s actions. A spokesman for the federal government called Lavrov’s statements “absurd”.
Miles of smoke from a fire in an ammunition factory
According to the authorities, at least three people died in a fire in a Russian ammunition factory in the city of Perm in the Urals. The incident is said to have happened on Sunday evening. Video images show a kilometer-high column of smoke. In addition, eyewitnesses reported that the entire production hall had been blown up. The state-owned “Perm Gunpowder Factory” produces, among other things, charges for the “Grad” and “Smerch” multiple rocket launchers, which Russia also uses in the war against Ukraine. Since the outbreak of war there have already been several accidents and fires in Russian armaments factories and military facilities. There was no information about the causes of the fire.
Meanwhile, the West is working on tightening its sanctions against Russia. A special meeting of EU energy ministers discussed an oil embargo planned by the EU Commission. After initial skepticism, Germany now wants to support an import ban for Russian oil, while Hungary is threatening to veto it.
Scholz does not want to travel to Kyiv, Merz does
Chancellor Olaf Scholz does not want to travel to the capital Kyiv for the time being because the Ukrainian side has uninvited President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. It was “a very remarkable process” to uninvite the Federal President, who had just been re-elected with a large majority, said the SPD politician on the ZDF program “Was nun?”. With a view to his own trip, Scholz made it clear: “That stands in the way of things.”
Regarding the planned trip to Kyiv by CDU leader Friedrich Merz, Scholz said that he had informed him of his plans. “I have no objections.” He approves the trip. Merz said he recommended Scholz to go to Ukraine as well.
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