May 5, 2023 - Russia-Ukraine news

Scuffles broke out between Ukrainian and Russian delegates at a summit in Turkey on Thursday, state-run news agency Anadolu reported.

Video posted by Anadolu shows delegates shoving each other after Ukrainian representatives unfurled their national flag and shouted anti-Russia slogans behind a member of the Russian delegation, Olga Timofeeva, while she was speaking at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (PABSEC) meeting in Ankara.

Another video posted to social media showed Ukrainian MP Oleksandr Marikovskyi punching a Russian representative in a separate altercation after the man tore down the Ukrainian flag on the sidelines of the conference.

The speaker of Turkey's national assembly, Mustafa Şentop, condemned the disruptions, calling the actions "unfortunate" and "unacceptable" on Twitter.

PABSEC aims to promote economic, political and cultural cooperation among its 13 member countries of the Black Sea region, including Russia and Ukraine. 

The US has rejected “ludicrous” accusations from Russia that it was behind an alleged drone attack on the Kremlin as Moscow’s deputy foreign minister warned the two powers are on "the verge of an open armed conflict."

His remarks comes after Moscow made unsubstantiated claims the US was behind an alleged drone attack on the Kremlin and an assassination attempt against President Vladimir Putin earlier this week. Kyiv and Washington have denied the allegations.

The increase in rhetoric also follows Russia's largest air attack on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv in a year, the city's military administration said Thursday.

Here are the latest developments:

China's foreign minister told his Russian counterpart on Thursday that Beijing would "maintain communication and coordination" with Moscow during efforts to reach a "political settlement" to the Ukraine conflict.

Beijing has so far refused to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine or call for a withdrawal of its troops, instead urging restraint by “all parties” and accusing NATO of fueling the conflict. It has also continued to deepen diplomatic and economic ties with Moscow.

A vaguely-worded “political settlement” to the conflict released by China on the first anniversary of Russia's invasion has been widely viewed in the West and Kyiv as being far more favorable to Russia than Ukraine. It calls for a ceasefire but includes no provision that Moscow first withdraw its troops from Ukrainian land, which Ukrainian officials have suggested is necessary for them to engage in negotiations.

During the previous meeting between the two foreign ministers on April 13, Qin told Lavrov that all parties need to take action to build mutual trust and create conditions for peace talks.

The head of Russian private military company Wagner has launched an expletive-filled verbal attack on Kremlin officials in a graphic new video in which he appears beside what he says are the bodies of his mercenaries killed fighting in Ukraine.

“These guys here are Wagner PMC [men] who died today. The blood is still fresh. Film all of them!” Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin says in the video posted to social media.

Prigozhin last month threatened to withdraw his mercenaries from the embattled eastern city of Bakhmut if they don't receive more munitions to continue the fight.

In the new video, he reiterated his call for munitions, urging Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of General Staff of the Russian Armed forces Valery Gerasimov to look at the bodies.

Prigozhin, whose forces have played a key role in Russian assaults on Ukrainian territory, has often clashed with Putin’s generals and other defense officials in Moscow.

He has complained for well over a month of receiving insufficient support from the Kremlin in the grueling fight for Bakhmut.

“This is simple math," he says in the video. "If you give the normal amount of ammunition, there would be five times less [dead]. They came here as volunteers and are dying so you can sit like fat cats in your luxury offices.”

Russia and the United States are on what Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov called "the verge of an open armed conflict." But Ryabkov told Russia's state-owned First Channel that "Moscow is working to make sure it doesn't happen," according to state news agency TASS. 

Ryabkov said Moscow and Washington are in contact as needed, including at a high level, but also added that "Washington has long been a direct party to the Ukrainian conflict and aims to destroy sovereign Russia," TASS reported.  

Some context: The news comes on the heels of Russia's unsubstantiated claim that the US was involved in an alleged drone attack on the Kremlin and an assassination attempt against President Vladimir Putin. Both allegations drew sharp denials from Kyiv and Washington.

John Kirby, the National Security Council’s Coordinator for Strategic Communications, called Russia’s allegation that the US directed Ukraine to carry out such an attack “ridiculous.”

Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said the US did not know who was responsible.

The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) shot down Thursday night over Kyiv was a Ukrainian asset that appeared to have malfunctioned, according to Ukraine's Air Force. It was taken out by Ukraine’s military in order to prevent any incident or accident, the air force said on Facebook.

A Bayraktar TB2 UAV lost control during a scheduled flight in the Kyiv region at about 8 p.m. local time on Thursday night, the agency said in a statement.

Because the “uncontrolled presence” of a UAV in the sky above the capital “could lead to undesirable consequences, It was decided to use mobile fire teams” to destroy the drone, the statement read.

The statement also said the incident was likely due to a technical malfunction, adding the cause was being investigated.

The agency called the downing of the UAV a “pity,” adding “but this is technology, and such cases do happen.”

The tight ring of security that surrounds the seat of the Russian presidency was punctured in dramatic fashion by what appeared to be two attempted drone strikes in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Many details about the incident remain murky. Here’s what we know — and the questions that remain:

Russia has dismissed claims that it deployed military equipment and explosives at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine.

On Wednesday, Ukraine’s State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate accused Russia of placing weapons, explosives and military equipment in one of the power plant’s units. The body said it received the information during its weekly meeting with International Atomic Energy Agency representatives a day earlier.

“In the event of an emergency situation at the Zaporizhzhia NPP with a potentially possible release of radioactive substances into the environment, the consequences will be felt not only by Ukraine — but they will also have a cross-border nature,” the inspectorate said. 

It called on the international community “for a consolidated and decisive response to the actions of the aggressor country.”

Vladimir Rogov, a member of the Russian-appointed military-civilian administration in occupied Zaporizhzhia, called the claims “a lie.”

Where things stand at the facility: Russian forces control the Zaporizhzhia plant, but it is still physically operated by Ukrainian staff. The plant has frequently been disconnected from Ukraine’s power grid due to intense shelling in the area, raising fears of a nuclear accident.

US Ambassador to Russia Lynne Tracy visited Paul Whelan on Thursday — her first visit to the wrongfully detained American since taking up the post in Moscow.

Paul Whelan was detained in Russia in December 2018 and later sentenced to 16 years in prison on an espionage charge he vehemently denies.

Read more here.