On Thursday, the 71st day of the invasion of Ukraine, the ceasefire declared by Russia was to begin at the Azovstal steel plants. This plant is located in the Ukrainian port of Mariupol, the last pocket of resistance in an area almost completely controlled by Russian forces. According to Moscow’s statements, the army will open a humanitarian corridor from 7 am (in France) to allow the evacuation of civilians who are still entrenched in steel plants.
But the fighting continued on Thursday morning, according to Kyiv. Kyiv says Russia is “trying to annihilate” the site’s last defenders. The Ukrainian military noted that Russian forces “resumed the offensive with the support of aircraft to take control of the factory.”
Highlights of the day
> European Commission proposes ban on Russian petroleum products
> Moscow declares a cease-fire at the Azovstal plant in Mariupol
> Russia is denying its territory to the Japanese Prime Minister
>> Follow the highlights of Thursday, May 5:
12:50 pm – Russia announces the expulsion of seven Danish diplomats
“Seven employees of the embassy of the Kingdom of Denmark in Russia have been declared persona non grata + and they must leave the country within two weeks,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. This is retaliation for the expulsion of 15 Russian diplomats from Denmark in early April.
12:46 pm – The European Union is considering the possibility of confiscating the assets of Russians under sanctions
European Council President Charles Michel has called for the confiscation of Russian assets frozen in the European Union as part of the sanctions in order to make them “available” for Ukraine’s reconstruction. He also felt that the Donors’ Conference for the Reconstruction of Ukraine, which he is attending in Warsaw, should constitute the starting point for a “sort of a European Marshall Plan” for the country invaded by Russia.
12:34 p.m. – Zelensky launches a global crowdfunding campaign to help Ukraine
Ukraine’s president has announced the launch of an online crowdfunding platform designed to help kyiv win the war against Russia and rebuild the country’s infrastructure. “With one click, you can donate money to help our defenders, save civilians and rebuild Ukraine,” he said in English in a video posted on Twitter to announce the launch of the United24 platform.
12:30 p.m. – Western support for Ukraine prevents Russia from completing its offensive “quickly”
The Kremlin said that Western military and intelligence aid to Ukraine prevents Russia from quickly completing its offensive on its neighbor, but stressed that all of its goals will be achieved.
12:28 p.m. – Azovstal: Humanitarian corridors are ‘working,’ according to the Kremlin
“The lanes are working today” at the site of the Azovstal metallurgical plant, the last pocket of resistance to Russian attack in the strategic Ukrainian port of Mariupol, a Kremlin spokesman said Thursday. Dmitry Peskov emphasized that the Russian military is respecting the ceasefire announced the day before Thursday in order to allow the evacuation of civilians who have taken refuge in these steel plants where the last Ukrainian defenders of Mariupol are also located.
11:31 am – Maritime traffic disrupted on the Black Sea
The war in Ukraine disrupts the movement of merchant ships in the Black Sea. Supply lines have been disrupted by the blockade of Ukrainian ports and insurance rates have skyrocketed due to the risk of an accident in a marine mine.
11:22 a.m. – Russia ‘attempting to annihilate’ Ukrainian units in Azovstal, Kyiv claims
The Ukrainian military announced that fighting continues at the Azovstal steel plants in Mariupol (southeast) as Russia is trying to “annihilate” the last defenders of the site, even if it has declared a unilateral ceasefire as of Thursday morning. “The Russian occupiers are engaged in obstructing and trying to eliminate Ukrainian units in the Azovstal region,” the Ukrainian military said in a statement.
According to her, the Moscow forces “resumed the offensive with the support of aircraft to take control of the factory.” For his part, Denis Prokopenko, the commander of the Azov Regiment who leads the defense of the site, indicated in a video clip posted on Wednesday evening that Russian forces managed to enter the steel mills where “violent and bloody battles” are taking place.
09:43 – Bombay is “confident” of an agreement on the Russian oil embargo
The French Minister of Environmental Transformation, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the European Union, said she was “confident” of the adoption by the “end of the week” of the European Union’s embargo on Russian oil, despite the objections of some member states. . “It is normal that there will be discussions because some countries depend more on Russian oil than others, so we must try to find solutions so that they can withstand these sanctions,” Barbara Bombelli told franceinfo.
08:22 a.m. – In Germany, industrial orders fell with the war in Ukraine
Applications with German industry fell 4.7% in March in one month, according to figures published Thursday by the Federal Statistical Office Destatis underlining the unwillingness to invest in the context of the war in Ukraine. “The economic consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine became apparent in March,” the Economy Ministry commented in a separate statement. Demands fell sharply from outside the eurozone and in capital goods.
07:22 – The war in Ukraine weakens as a result of Credit Agricole
Crédit Agricole SA saw its results almost halve to €756 million in the first quarter. This is the mechanical result of the group’s “prudent allocations” to both its subsidiary in Ukraine and to its Russia-linked loan portfolios.
04:22 – A truce looms at Mariupol steel station to evacuate civilians
A three-day unilateral Russian ceasefire is set to go into effect Thursday morning around the steel mills in Mariupol, the last stronghold of the Ukrainian resistance in this strategic port city. “The Russian Armed Forces will open a humanitarian corridor from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. from Moscow (7 a.m. to 5 p.m. in France, editor’s note) on May 5, 6 and 7 from the site of the Azovstal Metallurgical Plant to evacuate civilians,” the Defense Ministry said in a statement. Wednesday evening press.
“During this period, the Russian Armed Forces and units of the Donetsk People’s Republic (unilaterally declared by pro-Russian separatists) will cease unilateral firing and hostilities,” he continued. Russian authorities have confirmed that civilians who have taken refuge in the plant will be allowed access to Russia or territory controlled by Kyiv.
For its part, the Ukrainian General Staff said, Thursday, that “the Russian invaders are concentrating their efforts to obstruct and try to destroy our units in the Azovstal region.” The capture of Mariupol would be an important victory for the Russians as it would allow them to consolidate their coastal territorial gains along the Sea of Azov by connecting the Donbass region, partly controlled by their supporters, with the Crimea.
03:05 – US intelligence helps Ukraine bring down Russian generals
The New York Times reported, quoting a senior US official, that US intelligence provided intelligence that helped the Ukrainian army eliminate many Russian generals operating in Ukraine. The newspaper said that Ukraine, having verified this information with its own intelligence, carried out strikes and other attacks in which Russian officers were killed.
Neither the Pentagon nor the White House responded to a request for comment on the report. The Ukrainians said they killed a total of 12 Russian generals, but it is unclear how many were eliminated with the help of US intelligence.
01:05 a.m. – Macron and Modi call for an “immediate cessation of hostilities” in Ukraine
The French president and the Indian prime minister, on a tour of Europe, on Wednesday called for an “immediate cessation of hostilities” in Ukraine. “France and India expressed their deep concern over the humanitarian crisis and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine,” the two leaders affirmed in a joint statement after a meeting and a working dinner at the Elysee Palace.
12:10 am – After the European ban was announced, barrel prices are back on the rise again
On Tuesday, the European Commission presented the new set of sanctions to be imposed on Russia. Europe has taken a very strong step by deciding to impose a comprehensive embargo on Russian oil within six months. Since the announcements from Brussels, the price of a barrel has started to rise again.
00:00 – Russia is becoming increasingly isolated on the international scene
More than 70 days after the start of the war in Ukraine, Russia continues to isolate itself diplomatically. This week, Moscow angered its traditional ally Israel and boycotted a United Nations security meeting. The situation with Japan also deteriorated very sharply. London has just denied the Russians access to many services.
>> The most important information of the night:
> Russia simulated launch of nuclear-capable missiles
Moscow said, on Wednesday, that its military simulated the launch of nuclear-capable missiles in the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad. The statement said that the Russian forces carried out single and multiple strikes on targets simulating the launchers of missile systems, airports, protected infrastructure, military equipment and command centers of an imaginary enemy.
After carrying out the “electronic” shots, the soldiers conducted a maneuver to change the situation in order to avoid a “possible retaliatory strike,” according to the Defense Ministry. The combat units also conducted “operations under conditions of radioactive and chemical contamination.”
> Sweden says it will get US support if it applies to NATO
Sweden’s foreign minister said on Wednesday that Sweden had received assurances from the United States that it would receive support during the decision-making process of the 30 NATO member states if it submitted its candidacy to join the transatlantic alliance. After exiting NATO during the Cold War, Sweden and Finland are rethinking their security strategies since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 and then launched an invasion of Ukraine last February.
The United Nations wants to return Ukrainian and Russian agricultural production to the market
The Secretary-General of the United Nations said he is seeking to bring Ukrainian and Russian agricultural production back to world markets to help end the crisis that has plagued emerging countries since the Russian attack on Ukraine. “There is no real solution to the problem of global food security without the return of Ukrainian agricultural production and the production of food and fertilizers from Russia and Belarus to world markets despite the war,” said Antonio Guterres during a visit to Abuja with Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari. “I am determined to consider all Something to facilitate a dialogue that can help achieve these goals.”