Russian plot to kill Zelensky foiled, Kyiv says

Two Ukrainian security officials are held over a Russian plot to assassinate the president, Ukraine says.

8 hrs ago

Europe

ARMED FORCES OF UKRAINE

AFU Commander-in-Chief Visits Frontline Units in Threatened Avdiivka Sector

The visit coincided with a meeting of Ukraine’s Stavka command group at which President Zelensky said Ukraine was still awaiting the Western artillery ammunition promised to Kyiv in March.

By Stefan Korshak

11h ago

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Ukraine Faces 'Crucial' Battle for Chasiv Yar

Published May 07, 2024 at 9:36 AM EDTUpdated May 07, 2024 at 12:53 PM EDT

Newsweek

8 hours ago

Ukraine Faces 'Crucial' Battle for Chasiv Yar

Newsweek has contacted the Russian Defense Ministry by email to request comment.

Either way, the battle for the city could prove pivotal. Pro-Ukrainian analyst Radu Hossu wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, that a Russian victory in Chasiv Yar may see Moscow exploit "a war-weary Western population and the internal political tensions of each European state" to build international pressure for an "unjust, unfair, morally disarming peace."

"The battle for Chasiv Yar is an essential, almost crucial piece in a potential domino [effect] that certainly none of us want," Hossu added.

ISW map of Bakhmut battle May 6 — This map published by the Institute for the Study of War on May 6, 2024, shows the Russian offensive toward the city of Chasiv Yar in eastern Ukraine. Moscow is pushing to seize all of... INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF WAR AND AEI'S CRITICAL THREATS PROJECT

Russian forces have repeatedly scored new territorial gains, despite being mauled through more than two years of war with casualties reported by U.S. officials to be up to 315,000 killed. Moscow is believed to now be setting up for a fresh summer offensive, perhaps intending to strike a blow hard enough to shake loose new peace talks with Kyiv.

Pavel Luzin, a Russian military analyst and visiting scholar at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, previously told Newsweek it is "hard to say" whether Russian troops will be able to scale up their current drive for a larger summer push. "There are not too many resources for a bigger offensive," Luzin said.

"What we do see is that Russia was trying to surround a significant group of the Ukrainian forces in Avdiivka, exactly like in Ilovaisk in August 2014 and in Debaltsevo in February 2015, but was incapable of doing this. Perhaps, Russia will make another attempt in the same way, because it needs stronger positions in order to get a break in the war."