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Morning Headlines
Ukrainska Pravda: Four people have been killed and 31 injured in a Russian combined strike on Poltava Oblast on the night of 4-5 May.
The Kyiv Independent: Ukrainian forces launched a large-scale missile and drone attack on multiple Russian regions overnight on May 5, striking sites critical to Russia's military-industrial complex, Russian Telegram media channels reported.
ISW continues to assess that Russia’s priority objective is to seize the Fortress Belt, including Kostyantynivka, but the Russian military command appears to be choosing to reinforce the Pokrovsk direction instead.
The Kyiv Independent: Belarus continues expanding military-related infrastructure that could support Russian operations, even though Moscow does not currently have enough troops stationed there to launch a new offensive against Ukraine, Kyiv's State Border Guard Service said on May 4.
More News
France 24: Russia threatened on Monday to launch a "massive missile strike" on Kyiv if Ukraine breached a two-day truce initiated by Putin to coincide with World War II commemorations. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky responded to Moscow's threats saying Kyiv would observe its own ceasefire beginning at midnight on the night of May 5-6.
Reuters: High global oil prices will not help boost Russian economic growth this year as Ukrainian drone attacks and new Western sanctions weigh on crude output and exports, a think tank close to the government said on Monday.
Politico: As Washington moves to reduce its military presence in Europe, the continent needs to look to Ukraine and learn from its defense-tech revolution, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said on Monday.
Reuters: Authorities in Ukraine have conducted dozens of searches across 16 regions into current and former draft officials suspected of corruption-related offences, police said on Monday.
United24 Media: Berlin authorities will prohibit the display of Russian, Belarusian, and Soviet flags, along with symbols associated with Russia’s war against Ukraine, during commemorations on May 8 and 9.
Reuters: Russia has stepped up its targeting of Ukrainian port infrastructure this year, Kyiv said on Monday, using more than 800 drones in its attacks in the first four months of 2026, more than 10 times the number in the same period a year ago.
Reuters: Russia attacked five facilities of Ukraine's state energy company Naftogaz over the past 24 hours, damaging equipment and causing fires, Naftogaz CEO said on Monday.
United24 Media: Russia has repeatedly expressed interest in exchanging only two captured North Korean nationals held by Ukraine, while showing no engagement regarding other foreign fighters detained on Ukrainian territory, according to Ukrainian officials.
Reuters: Work has begun to lay pipelines for Romania's Neptun Deep Black Sea gas project, one of the European Union's most significant energy deposits with an estimated 100 billion cubic meters of recoverable gas.
CTV News: Canada is sending more military aid to Ukraine as it continues to defend itself against Russia. Prime Minister Mark Carney made the announcement at the European Political Community summit in Yerevan, Armenia, on Monday, saying Canada will contribute about $270 million toward critical military capabilities, drawn from NATO’s prioritized list of needs for Ukraine.
United24 Media: Russia’s military has recorded a fifth consecutive month in which personnel losses exceed recruitment, driven in part by sustained operations from Ukraine’s drone units.
NV: Putin has signed a law to create a sixth gambling zone in the country as the government looks for new revenue sources amid $109b budget deficit.
Reuters: A midmorning Russian missile attack on the town of Merefa, in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region, killed seven people and wounded more than 30, including a 2-year-old boy, Ukrainian officials said on Monday.
Reuters: The Chinese captain of a seized oil tanker with suspected Russian links has been placed under arrest on suspicion of carrying false documents and of violating laws on seaworthiness, a Swedish prosecutor said on Monday.
Reuters: Austria declared three Russian diplomats personae non gratae over an "antenna forest" on the rooves of diplomatic buildings that could be used for spying, the government said on Monday.
worth mentioning
German defence ministry says no 'definitive cancellation' of US weapons deployment
Russian general and first head of Russia's chemical defence troops found dead in Moscow
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