May 4, 2022: Russia-Ukraine news

The Belarusian army has begun a previously unannounced inspection of its Reaction Force, planning movement of a significant amount of military equipment, according to a statement published by Belarusian Ministry of Defense on its Telegram channel Wednesday.

The defense department noted that "the purpose of the inspection is to assess the readiness and ability of personnel to quickly respond to a possible crisis situation."

According to the statement, "military units and subunits will operate in unfamiliar areas in a rapidly changing environment."

The threat of missile strikes on military and civilian infrastructure of Ukraine from the territory of the Republic of Belarus remains real, said Oleksandr Motuzyanyk, the spokesperson of Ukraine's defense ministry, on Wednesday.

"The Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus are strengthening certain units at the Belarusian-Ukrainian border in Brest and Gomel regions. Demonstrative and provocative actions along the state border with Ukraine are not ruled out in the future," he added.

According to him, the threat from Belarus has never ceased. 

"As you know, today the Russian army is using the territory of the Republic of Belarus as a springboard for the attack on Ukraine. In fact, due to this, Russian units were able to appear in the suburbs of the capital so quickly," emphasized Motuzyanyk.

The United Kingdom's Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has announced further sanctions against 63 Russian citizens and entities, including against Russian media companies "behind Putin's vicious disinformation campaign" and their employees.

Russian war correspondents embedded with Russian forces in Ukraine and several Russian media outlets are among those sanctioned.

Aside from asset freezes and travel bans, new legislation introduced means social media, internet services and app store companies "must take action to block content from two of Russia's major sources of disinformation, RT and Sputnik," according to the UK's Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). 

"These outlets have already been booted off the airwaves in Britain and we've barred anyone from doing business with them. Now we've moved to pull the plug on their websites, social media accounts and apps to further stop the spread of their lies," Tech and Digital Economy Minister Chris Philp said.

The latest sanctions announcement also sees the UK ban service exports to Russia, prohibiting the provision of PR, management consultancy and accounting services to Russian businesses.

"Doing business with Putin's regime is morally bankrupt and helps fund a war machine that is causing untold suffering across Ukraine," Truss said, adding that "cutting Russia's access to British services will put more pressure on the Kremlin and ultimately help ensure Putin fails in Ukraine."

UK services currently make up 10% of Russian imports in these sectors, according to the FCDO.

In addition to proposing a ban on Russian oil, the European Union is taking several other measures against Moscow over its war in Ukraine, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday.

In a series of tweets, she said the bloc plans to:

Von der Leyen laid the blame at the feet of the Russian leader:

As for the oil ban, von der Leyen acknowledged the challenges in switching from a reliance on Russian fossil fuels.

She added:

Von der Leyen is speaking at the European Parliament. 

In response, the Kremlin spokesperson said the sanctions are a double-edged weapon. 

“In general, the sanctions aspirations of the Americans, Europeans, and other countries are a double-edged weapon. In trying to harm us, they too have to pay a heavy price. They're already doing it, paying a big price. And the cost of these sanctions for European citizens will increase every day," Dmitry Peskov said when asked about possible sanctions on Russian oil to be imposed by the European Union.

Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boichenko said that new battles have broken out at the Azovstal plant, where hundreds of civilians are still trapped inside along with the last Ukrainian defenders in the city.

"Today there are heavy battles on the territory of our fortress, on the territory of Azovstal. Our brave guys are defending this fortress, but it is very difficult, because heavy artillery and tanks are firing all over the fortress; aviation is working, ships have approached and are also firing on the fortress," Boichenko said.

Speaking on Ukrainian television, Boichenko said there were 30 children trapped at the plant still waiting to be rescued.

"They are waiting for a new negotiation procedure and a new evacuation mission," he said.

He also said contact had been lost with the Ukrainian defenders.

"Unfortunately, today there is no connection with the guys, there is no connection to understand what is happening, whether they are safe or not. Yesterday there was a connection with them; today, no more."

Meanwhile, the Kremlin said the Russian Armed Forces were not “storming” the Azovstal plant but described it instead as suppressing “attempts by militants” to take new firing positions. 

“There has been a public order by the supreme commander [Russian President Vladimir Putin] to cancel the storming; there is no storming,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday in a call with reporters. 

Peskov added: “We see that there are aggravations associated with the fact that the militants go to firing positions. These attempts are suppressed very quickly. There is nothing else to say here yet."

See Russian strikes on Azovstal steel plant:

Both the European Union and Australia revealed more sanctions on Russian officials Wednesday as diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine continue.

Russian forces launched missile strikes that hit at least six infrastructure targets across Ukraine, but they are still struggling to make progress in their offensive in the east of the country.

Here's what you need to know:

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has asked Bulgaria to help Ukraine with repairs of military equipment damaged in the ongoing war with Russia, Bulgaria's National Television (BNT) reported Wednesday.

Ukrainian Ambassador to Sofia, Vitaly Moskalenko, has presented a letter from Zelensky to Bulgaria's Parliament, in which the Ukrainian President says authorities in Kyiv hope Bulgaria will help repair Ukrainian military equipment and continue assisting Ukrainians fleeing the war.

Zelensky says he hopes Bulgaria will continue providing humanitarian aid, including medicines, clothing and food.

In the letter, Zelensky says he hopes energy cooperation between the two countries and the export of electricity and gas from Ukraine to Bulgaria will continue, according to BNT.

Zelensky also says he hopes Bulgaria will continue supporting Ukraine on its path to EU integration, according to BNT.

The Bulgarian Parliament will decide later on Wednesday whether to support Ukraine with "military-technical equipment," according to BNT.

Some background: Russia cut off natural gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria last week, dramatically escalating its response to Western sanctions imposed on Moscow over the war in Ukraine.

Russian state energy giant Gazprom said in a statement Wednesday that it had fully halted supplies to Polish gas company PGNiG and Bulgaria's Bulgargaz after they refused to meet a demand by Moscow to pay in rubles, rather than euros or dollars.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday there was no chance of Russian President Vladimir Putin declaring war on Ukraine on May 9, Russia’s Victory Day, dismissing those reports as “nonsense.”

When asked by CNN on a regular conference call what the chances were of Putin declaring war on Victory Day, Peskov said “none,” adding: “No, this is nonsense.”

Peskov also rejected reports that Putin may use Victory Day to announce mobilization in the country, which would allow the government not just to assemble troops but also to put the economy on a war footing.

Analysts and Western officials previously said they believe that on May 9, after over two months of calling the Ukraine invasion a “special military operation,” Putin could formally declare war.

Some background: May 9, known as "Victory Day" inside Russia, commemorates the country's defeat of the Nazis in 1945.

It is marked by a military parade in Moscow, and Russian leaders traditionally stand on the tomb of Vladimir Lenin in Red Square to observe it.

Putin has a keen eye for symbolism, having launched the invasion of Ukraine the day after Defender of the Fatherland Day, another crucial military day in Russia, leading Western officials to believe he would use May 9 to either announce a military achievement in Ukraine, a major escalation of hostilities -- or both.

Russia "indefinitely" banned 63 Japanese citizens including Prime Minister Fumio Kishida from entry, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported Wednesday.

Members of Kishida's cabinet, including Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi, and Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki have also been barred from entering the country, as well as members of the parliament, and the military, RIA reported.

"The administration of Fumio Kishida launched an unprecedented anti-Russian campaign, allows unacceptable rhetoric against the Russian Federation, including slander and direct threats," Russia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement, according to RIA.

Since March, Japan has introduced a series of sanctions against Russia including freezing the assets of President Vladimir Putin and his family members in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Some background: Last week, Russia warned Japan of "retaliatory measures" if it expands joint naval exercises with the United States near Russia's eastern borders.

The threat was the latest salvo from Moscow, which has been angered by Japan's support for Ukraine and its growing ties with NATO countries.

More than 5.6 million people have fled Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion in late February, according to the latest United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) data. 

In addition, at least 7.7 million people are internally displaced in Ukraine having been forced to flee their homes, according to the latest report by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

A projected 8.3 million refugees are expected to flee Ukraine, the UNHCR said last week.