While Russia continues its offensive in Ukraine and does not seek to end the war, the continuation of the evacuations of inhabitants of Mariupol is planned for Monday morning. It will take place a first operation which took out a hundred civilians from the Azovstal factory, besieged by Russian forces in this strategic port in south-eastern Ukraine.
No end of war on May 9
Russia is not seeking to end the war in Ukraine on May 9, celebrated as Victory Day, its foreign minister said, as analysts believed a possible end to the conflict on that date.
“Our military will not artificially adjust their actions to any date, including Victory Day,” Sergei Lavrov said in an interview with Italian TV Mediaset broadcast on Sunday, referring to the date commemorating May 9, 1945 and the surrender of the Nazis to the Allies, including the Soviet Union.
“The pace of the operation in Ukraine depends, above all, on the need to minimize possible risks for the civilian population and the Russian military,” he added.
The main information:
- Evacuation of residents in Mariupol
- Opening of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant
- European Union plans new sanctions against Russia
Evacuation of civilians from Mariupol
The continuation of the evacuations of residents of Mariupol is scheduled for Monday morning, after a first operation which removed a hundred civilians from the Azovstal factory, besieged by Russian forces in this strategic port in south-eastern Ukraine.
“On May 2, the evacuation in Mariupol begins at 7:00 a.m. (04:00 GMT). Collection point – Shopping center +Port City+”, announced on Telegram Pavlo Kirilenko, regional governor of Donetsk, on the night of Sunday to Monday.
This evacuation operation began on Saturday and was carried out in coordination between Ukraine, Russia and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
It first concerned civilians present in the basements of the huge Azovstal steelworks.
Eight civilians killed
Eight civilians were killed Sunday in bombings in the Kharkiv and Donetsk regions, including four in the town of Lyman alone, close to the front and under the direct threat of the Russian advance, the regional governors announced.
“Russian shelling in the Donetsk region: four civilians killed, all from Lyman,” Donetsk region governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said on Telegram, adding that seven civilians were injured in this city from where the Ukrainian army recently had to fold.
A senior Ukrainian military official underlined “the difficult situation” in the east of the country, particularly in the regions of Izium and Sieverodonetsk, “where the enemy has concentrated most of its efforts and its most prepared troops for fight”.
Russians open Zaporizhia nuclear power plant
An administrative building is charred, but those of the reactors seem intact: AFP was able to visit the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant on Sunday, the largest in Ukraine and Europe, whose capture by the Russian army has aroused concern of the international community.
The plant “is operating normally, in accordance with nuclear, radioactive and environmental standards”, assures Major-General Valéri Vasiliev, a specialist in nuclear and chemical issues, on site, sent by Moscow to secure the site.
Surprise visit to kyiv by Nancy Pelosi
US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during a surprise visit to Kyiv, which took place on Saturday but was not announced until Sunday.
Russian oil: EU finalizes gradual embargo
The European Union is finalizing a gradual halt to its purchases of oil and petroleum products from Russia to sanction the war in Ukraine and will announce a timetable and new measures this week, several European sources said on Sunday.
“There is a political will to stop oil purchases from Russia and we will have measures and a decision on a phased withdrawal next week,” said a European official involved in the discussions.
Wimbledon: the exclusion of the Russians “very unfair” (Nadal)
Rafael Nadal, tennis’ most crowned Grand Slam player, said the banning of Russian and Belarusian players from Wimbledon in response to Ukraine’s invasion was “very unfair” on Sunday before the Madrid tournament.
This decision is a first in world tennis and was immediately strongly criticized by the ATP and the WTA.