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Morning Headlines
Kyiv Post: Russia launched drones and guided bomb strikes across Ukraine just hours after a proposed ceasefire began, with explosions reported in multiple regions and civilians injured.
Reuters: Russia's services sector contracted for a second straight month in April as weak client demand led to declines in output and new sales, while business confidence plumbed a 40-month low, a survey showed on Wednesday.
ISW: Putin’s insistence on holding the May 9 Victory Day parade reflects his refusal to accept the reality that Ukraine has brought Putin’s war back to Russia.
More News
Reuters: Russian attacks throughout eastern Ukraine killed at least 27 people on Tuesday, including 12 in one of the worst strikes so far this year, hours before a midnight deadline ushering in an open-ended ceasefire proposed by Kyiv.
The Kyiv Independent: EU ministers voted through on May 5 for the bloc to formally join a Council of Europe court that will prosecute Russia's leaders for its illegal war against Ukraine.
The European Commission announced the launch of the EU-Ukraine Drone Alliance on May 5 to strengthen unmanned aerial and counter-drone capabilities using Ukraine's frontline experience.
The U.S. State Department approved the potential sale of Joint Direct Attack Munitions - Extended Range and related equipment to Ukraine for $373.6 million, it said in a statement on Tuesday.
The Moscow Times: Kazakhstan plans to stop importing electricity from Russia by 2027 as it brings new domestic power generation capacity online, Deputy Energy Minister Sungat Yessimkhanov said, in another sign of Astana’s efforts to reduce its dependence on Russian energy infrastructure.
Reuters: Russia's second-largest oil refinery, Kirishi, halted processing on Tuesday after Ukrainian drone attacks damaged three of its four crude distillation units.
The Kyiv Independent: Ukraine condemned Egypt on May 5 for allowing 26,900 tons of Ukrainian grain, stolen by Russia, to be unloaded at one of its ports — the fourth such case reported since April.
Meduza: A group of State Duma deputies, most of them from the ruling United Russia party, has introduced legislation that would bar students from enrolling in master’s programs in fields unrelated to their undergraduate major or prior work experience.
Reuters: Ukrainian troops are rapidly increasing medium-range drone strikes on Russian forces, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Tuesday, demonstrating a growing capability for Kyiv's outmanned military as it fights Moscow in the fifth year of the war.
Reuters: Britain on Tuesday unveiled sanctions against 35 people and entities it said were involved in recruiting vulnerable migrants to fight for Russia against Ukraine and produce drones for use in the conflict.
Reuters: The Swedish government said on Tuesday it was moving ahead with plans for a new foreign intelligence agency after past criticism that security officials failed to predict Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine despite signs of a military build-up.
Meduza: Two scientists who study hypersonic technology, Valery Zvegintsev and Vladislav Galkin, were sentenced to 12.5 years in prison on treason charges by a court in Novosibirsk on May 5, the Russian business daily Kommersant reported. The two have been on trial since 2024, with proceedings held in closed hearings.
Reuters: Russia cut off mobile internet services to many customers in Moscow on Tuesday ahead of the annual May 9 parade commemorating victory over Nazi Germany, which has been scaled back due to the threat of drone attacks from Ukraine.
ERR: Authorities in the Russian border town of Ivangorod are preparing to hold another concert on May 9 for the residents of Narva across the river. In response, Narva Museum has said it will again hang a banner calling Putin a war criminal, which will be visible from across the river. Estonian, EU, Ukrainian and Narva's green and yellow flag are also hanging on the walls.
worth mentioning
ISW Special Report: Russia’s resettlement strategy in occupied Ukraine
Russia seizes stake in farming giant in new high-profile asset grab
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