Blasts reported in Crimea early on Sunday; Russian investigators claim suspect admits acting for Kyiv after Russian nationalist writer wounded in car bombing
There were blasts in Russia-annexed Crimea early on Sunday, according to Russian and Ukrainian media. Russian social media reported air defence systems were repelling attacks. Baza, a Telegram channel with links to Russia’s law enforcement agencies, reported that Ukraine sent drones into the Crimean Peninsula, with Russian air defence shooting down at least one over the port of Sevastopol. There were no casualties, according to the channel’s preliminary information.
A prominent Russian nationalist writer, Zakhar Prilepin, was wounded in a car bombing that killed his driver. The attack took place on Saturday in the Nizhny Novgorod region, about 400km (250 miles) east of Moscow. Russia’s foreign ministry accused Ukraine, while Ukraine’s security services refused to confirm or deny involvement. A senior Ukrainian official accused Russia of staging the attack.
Ukrainian officials issued air raid alerts on Saturday evening for areas covering about two-thirds of the country. The alerts extended from the capital, Kyiv, and regions to the west of it through all regions in the east as well as south to Kherson region and Russian-annexed Crimea.
Ukraine hailed the return of 45 Azov battalion fighters captured during the battle for Mariupol while Russia said three of its pilots had been released by Kyiv. The freed Ukrainian prisoners included 42 men and three women from the Azov battalion, said Andriy Yermak, the head of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s office.
Russia has been accused of attacking the besieged city of Bakhmut with incendiary phosphorus weapons, BBC News reported. Ukraine’s military shared drone footage of what appeared to be fires in Bakhmut as white phosphorus rained down.
Ukraine’s air force claims to have downed a Russian hypersonic missile over Kyiv using newly acquired American Patriot defence systems, the first known time the country has been able to intercept one of Moscow’s most modern missiles. Air force commander Mykola Oleshchuk said the Kinzhal-type ballistic missile was intercepted over the Ukrainian capital during the week.
Russian shelling killed six Ukrainian demining experts in the southern Kherson region, Ukrainian emergency services has said. Two others members of the team were injured, along with a nurse, and were being treated in hospital.
A 56-hour curfew is in place in Kherson, which saw some residents leaving the southern Ukrainian city on Friday before it came into effect. The announcement of the curfew, lasting until Monday morning, prompted speculation in the city that it was about to be used as a launch point for Ukraine’s much-anticipated counterattack.
Concerns in the Russian leadership about vulnerability to attack and the potential for public protests over the Ukraine war have contributed to the decision to cancel many Victory Day parades, the UK’s Ministry of Defence has said. Six Russian regions, occupied Crimea and 21 cities had cancelled their parades this coming Tuesday, said the MoD.
Russia is “still not satisfied” with how the issue of Russian agricultural exports as part of the Black Sea grain deal is being resolved, Tass news agency quoted the deputy foreign minister, Sergey Vershinin, as saying on Saturday after the latest talks with a top UN official.
Poland will demand European Union sanctions on imports of Russian farm products, its ambassador to the EU has said. “Europe isn’t threatened by disruptions in supply chain of farm products now – contrary, we have a problem of surpluses,” Andrzej Sadoś was quoted by PAP news agency as saying. “We are resolving a problem of increased imports of farm products from Ukraine.”
Switzerland’s parliament has approved a request from Ukrainian authorities for Volodymyr Zelenskiy to address it. The invitation comes amid pressure on Switzerland’s government to break with a centuries-old tradition of neutrality and end a ban of exports of Swiss weapons to conflict zones such as Ukraine.
Ukraine sent its first lady, Olena Zelenska, and the Ukrainian prime minister, Denys Shmyhal, as the country’s representatives to King Charles’s coronation in London on Saturday. Zelenska posted on Facebook: “It is an honour for us and prime minister Denys Shmyhal to attend the coronation … to wish on behalf of all of Ukraine successful governance and prosperity to the country.”
