Ukraine says it neutralised Russian hypersonic weapon; Six African leaders to travel to Russia and Ukraine
Ukraine said it had neutralised the Kremlin’s most potent hypersonic weapon, shooting down six out of six Kinzhal missiles launched at Kyiv during a sweeping and “exceptionally intense” night-time attack. It is the first time Ukraine has claimed to have struck an entire volley of Kinzhals, and if confirmed would demonstrate the effectiveness of Kyiv’s newly deployed western-supplied air defences.
The attack on Kyiv was one of the biggest since the 2022 invasion and followed Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s three-day trip to Europe. During meetings in London, Berlin, Paris and Rome, Ukraine’s president secured promises of more military assistance, including long-range attack drones from the UK.
European leaders convening in Iceland for two days pledged to hold Russia to account for its war against Ukraine and unveiled a mechanism to track the losses and damage inflicted by Moscow’s forces.
The British and Dutch prime ministers, Rishi Sunak and Mark Rutte, have agreed to build an “international coalition” to help procure F-16 fighter jets for Ukraine, the British government has announced.
The assembly in a pro-Russian region of Moldova has endorsed the election of a local leader intent on improving ties with Moscow, setting up a clash with the pro-European national government.
Ukrainian forces have taken back about 20 sq km (7.5 sq miles) of territory from Russian forces around the eastern city of Bakhmut in recent days, the Ukrainian deputy defence minister Hanna Maliar said. She said on the Telegram messaging app that Russian forces had advanced “somewhat” in the city of Bakhmut itself, and that heavy fighting continued.
The head of Ukraine’s supreme court, Vsevolod Kniaziev, has been arrested as part of the biggest bribery investigation in Ukraine’s history. Police detained Knaiziev as part of a $2.7m bribery inquiry, as Kyiv pursues anti-graft measures required for closer integration with the EU.
Six African leaders plan to travel to Russia and Ukraine “as soon as is possible” to help find a resolution to the war, the South African president, Cyril Ramaphosa, has said. The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, and his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, had “agreed to receive the mission and the African heads of state, in both Moscow and Kyiv”, Ramaphosa said.
A bill banning Russian uranium imports to the US gained momentum on Tuesday by passing a committee in the US House of Representatives. After Russia invaded Ukraine, the US banned imports of its oil and imposed a price cap with other western countries on sea-borne exports of its crude and oil products, but not uranium.
About 2,000 people who had helped defend the Azovstal plant who were captured and became prisoners of war are still in the hands of the Russians, according to a charity set up to support families and those connected to the factory.
Six people have been killed in Kharkiv and Donetsk over the last 24 hours, according to the regions’ governors. Oleh Syniehubov and Pavlo Kyrylenko confirmed the figures on Tuesday.
Russia said it was still undecided on the extension of a Black Sea grain deal with Ukraine, brokered by the UN and Turkey and due to expire on 18 May. “There are a lot of unanswered questions regarding our part of the deal … now we have to make a decision,” the Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
