- 4 May 2023 - 19:47(19:47 GMT)
Did Ukraine launch a drone attack on the Kremlin?
Russia says its air defences foiled a US-planned attack by Ukrainian drones, labelling it an attempt to assassinate Putin.
Moscow is threatening retaliation.
Both Kyiv and Washington have denied involvement in any such attack.
What might the consequences of this incident be?
- 4 May 2023 - 19:06(19:06 GMT)
Ukraine says enemy drone downed in Kyiv attack
The head of Zelenskyy’s office says an enemy drone was downed in Kyiv.
Andriy Yermak gave no further details in a post on Telegram.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said a fire had broken out in the Solomyanskyi district in the west of the city. He said on Telegram there could be wreckage from drone fragments and emergency crews were at the scene.
Serhiy Popko, head of the Kyiv City military administration also reported a drone had been downed. There was no word on casualties or damage.
- 4 May 2023 - 17:59(17:59 GMT)
Air raid alert for Kyiv: Gunfire, explosions in city
Drones attacked Kyiv on Thursday evening, subjecting residents to spasms of gunfire and explosions in the fourth attack on the capital in as many days, Reuters news agency reported.
Witnesses heard gunfire and repeated heavier explosions near the city centre just after 8pm (17:00 GMT).
One witness said a drone was seen going down in an area near Dynamo football stadium and the bank of the Dnipro River – just outside the city centre.
Local authorities declared an alert for both the capital and the surrounding area and anti-aircraft units went into operation, Reuters reported. The gunfire and explosions went on for about 20 minutes.
- 4 May 2023 - 17:27(17:27 GMT)
Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, UN to discuss grain deal
Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar says technical personnel from Turkey, Russia, Ukraine, and the United Nations will meet on May 5 to discuss a deal that allows the exports of Ukrainian grains on the Black Sea.
The meeting will come in advance of the planned deputy defence ministers of Russia, Ukraine and Turkey next week, Akar said, adding that Ankara continues its efforts for further extension of the deal that will expire on May 18.
- 4 May 2023 - 16:59(16:59 GMT)
Drone shot down near airbase in Crimea: Russian authorities
Russian-installed authorities say a drone has been shot down near an airbase in Russian-annexed Crimea, the latest in a string of such incidents in recent days.
“Another attack on Sevastopol. At about 7:00pm [16:00 GMT] air defence forces destroyed an unmanned aerial device in the area of the Belbek airfield,” Moscow-installed Governor of Sevastopol Mikhail Razvozhayev said on Telegram.
- 4 May 2023 - 16:19(16:19 GMT)
US envoy to UN discusses Ukraine war in trip to Brazil
US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield says she discussed the war between Ukraine and Russia in a trip to Brazil, adding that peace negotiations could “not be based on rewarding Russia”.
Thomas-Greenfield said Brazil’s top foreign policy adviser Celso Amorim will “soon” visit Ukraine and that relations between the US and the South American country were “enduring and built on shared values”.
- 4 May 2023 - 15:42(15:42 GMT)
US envoy to Russia visits jailed US Marine, Paul Whelan
US Ambassador to Russia Lynne Tracy has visited former US Marine Paul Whelan in Mordovia, a southeastern Russian region.
“Today, Ambassador Tracy visited Paul Whelan at IK17 prison in Mordovia,” the US Embassy in Russia said on Twitter.
“The US government will continue to engage Russian authorities on his case so Paul can come home as soon as possible,” it said, calling his release an “absolute priority”.
Whelan has been imprisoned in Russia for more than four years on charges of espionage.
Today, Ambassador Tracy visited #PaulWhelan at IK17 prison in Mordovia. Paul has been wrongfully detained in Russia for more than 4 years, and his release remains an absolute priority. The U.S. government will continue to engage Russian authorities on his case so Paul can come… pic.twitter.com/0DzL2falKk
— Посольство США в РФ/ U.S. Embassy Russia (@USEmbRu) May 4, 2023
- 4 May 2023 - 15:14(15:14 GMT)
Russia ‘unlikely’ to use nuclear weapons: US
Russia is very unlikely to use its nuclear weapons, a top US intelligence official said, suggesting restraint by Moscow even as it endures heavy casualties.
“It’s very unlikely, is our current assessment,” Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told the Senate Armed Services Committee.
- 4 May 2023 - 14:53(14:53 GMT)
Israeli missile detection system being tested: Ukraine
Ukraine’s ambassador to Israel says an Israeli-designed missile detection system is being tested in Kyiv and may be activated within two months.
Yevgen Korniychuk said the system is fed with data from Ukrainian radars.
“It allows for identifying the different objects, including ballistic missiles, and calculates where they will go and basically that allows us to close certain parts of the country rather than the whole country,” he told the Reuters news agency, referring to the air-shelter orders being issued when Ukraine under attack.
When complete, the system will warn residents of areas about to be struck by Russian missiles or drones, either by sounding sirens nearby or with alerts on mobile phones, he said.
Last year, Israel agreed to share technologies with Ukraine but has not agreed to Kyiv’s requests for weapons.
- 4 May 2023 - 14:27(14:27 GMT)
Talks on F-16 jets progressing, says Dutch PM
Talks on a potential donation of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine are progressing and there are “no taboos”, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said.
“We are working closely with our partners Belgium, others, UK, Denmark, on getting that debate somehow to a conclusion. We are not there yet,” he said.
The Dutch prime minister has previously said the Netherlands would consider any kind of military support for Ukraine if it does not trigger conflict between NATO and Russia.
“But at this moment the panzer-howitzers are in Ukraine, [and] the Leo 2s are being delivered to Ukraine,” he noted.
“So we will work on this diligently, on the F-16s, and clearly there is support in parliament for this government to work on that.”
- 4 May 2023 - 13:59(13:59 GMT)
Former Russian leader calls EU’s Borrell a ‘fool’
The former Russian president and deputy head of the country’s Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, called the European Union’s foreign policy chief an “impudent old fool” after he warned Moscow against escalating the war following an alleged drone attack.
On Twitter, Medvedev said, “[Josep] Borrell has spoken out against using the attack on the Kremlin for possible further escalation of the conflict.
“An impudent old fool. It is exactly to the escalation of the conflict it will lead, the terrorist attack committed by the Kyiv authorities, guided by the US, and approved by the EU leadership.
“This is just what Washington and many dumbheads in Brussels want.”
Borrell has spoken out against using the attack on the Kremlin for possible further escalation of the conflict.
An impudent old fool.
It is exactly to the escalation of the conflict it will lead, the terrorist attack committed by the Kiev authorities, guided by the US, and…— Dmitry Medvedev (@MedvedevRussiaE) May 4, 2023
- 4 May 2023 - 13:37(13:37 GMT)
EU foreign policy chief warns Moscow against escalation
Josep Borrell warns Moscow against using the alleged drone attack to escalate its war in Ukraine.
“We call on Russia not to use this alleged attack as an excuse to continue the escalation of the war,” Borrell told journalists as he attended an EU ministers meeting in Brussels.
“This is what worries us: This can be used to justify more conscription of people, more soldiers, more attacks on Ukraine.”
Borrell said he had heard Zelenskyy deny that Ukraine was behind the attack and that Ukraine’s president said: “Clearly, Ukraine is not involved in the attacks, that they are defending their country, but they are fighting on their soil, that they are not attacking Russian soil.”
- 4 May 2023 - 13:17(13:17 GMT)
Who controls what?
Here are four maps that chart the latest war developments.
- 4 May 2023 - 12:52(12:52 GMT)
Ukraine is ‘realistic’ that it cannot join NATO during the war
Zelenskyy says Ukraine is “realistic” in that it cannot join NATO while still fighting Russia.
“We are realistic, we know we will not be in NATO during the war,” Zelenskyy said after meeting Dutch and Belgian Prime Ministers Mark Rutte and Alexander De Croo.
“But we want a very clear message that we will be in NATO after the war,” Zelenskyy added.
- 4 May 2023 - 12:36(12:36 GMT)
Vital that West speeds up deliveries: Zelenskyy
Zelenskyy says it is crucial that Western governments deliver weapons to Kyiv as quickly as possible as it defends itself against Russian forces and prepares for a counteroffensive.
The Ukrainian leader also told a joint news conference in The Hague with the Dutch and Belgian prime ministers that Ukraine was already a de facto NATO member but should join the alliance formally.
Zelenskyy said Russia was demoralised on the battlefield and that Kyiv believed its planned counteroffensive would be successful.
- 4 May 2023 - 12:13(12:13 GMT)
Netherlands pledges unwavering support for Ukraine
The Netherlands will be unwavering in its support for Ukraine, the Dutch prime minister has said during a visit by Zelenskyy to The Hague.
Mark Rutte added that Russia could not win the war and must be held accountable for what he said were crimes of aggression.
- 4 May 2023 - 11:54(11:54 GMT)
US denies it was behind attack on Kremlin
Russia’s claims that the US was behind a drone attack on the Kremlin are false, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby says.
“I can assure you that there was no involvement by the United States in this. Whatever it was did not involve us,” Kirby told MSNBC in an interview. “We had nothing to do with this.”
The US does not encourage or enable Ukraine to strike outside its borders, he added.
Kirby said it was unclear what exactly happened at the Kremlin and that Washington was still looking into the incident.
- 4 May 2023 - 11:30(11:30 GMT)
Zelenskyy calls for a special tribunal
Zelenskyy says a special tribunal must be created to hold Russia to account for its “crime of aggression”.
“There should be responsibility for this crime. And this can only be enforced by the tribunal,” he told diplomats and officials at the International Criminal Court (ICC).
“Only one Russian crime led to all of these crimes: this is the crime of aggression, the start of evil, the primary crime. There should be responsibility for this crime,” he said in his speech.
“That’s why we insist on the tribunal creation.”
For months, Kyiv has been pressing for a special tribunal to be set up to prosecute Moscow for the crime of aggression.
- 4 May 2023 - 10:53(10:53 GMT)
Russian spokeswoman calls Zelenskyy’s comments ‘nonsense’
Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Maria Zakharova calls Zelenskyy’s statements at the ICC “nonsense about a nuclear bomb”, the Tass news agency reports.
On Telegram, Zakharova quoted Zelenskyy, who said Ukraine wants to “make this war the last in the world”, and responded, “A drug addict is delusional about a nuclear bomb.”
- 4 May 2023 - 10:30(10:30 GMT)
Kremlin says it is unaware of secret Vatican peace plan
The Kremlin says while it knows Pope Francis is thinking about ways to end the conflict, it is not aware of any detailed peace plans from the Vatican.
Francis said on Sunday that the Vatican was involved in a peace mission to try to resolve the conflict but that it was “not yet public”.
“We know that the pontiff is constantly thinking about peace, and we know that the pontiff is thinking about how this conflict can be ended,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
“But we are not aware of any detailed plans that have been proposed by the Vatican in this context,” he said.
- 4 May 2023 - 10:09(10:09 GMT)
Zelenskyy says Putin ‘deserves’ to be punished by ICC
Putin must be brought to justice for his war in Ukraine, Zelenskyy says during a visit to The Hague, where the ICC is based.
“We all want to see a different Vladimir here in The Hague, the one who deserves to be sanctioned for his criminal actions here, in the capital of international law,” Zelenskyy said in a speech, referring to Putin.
“I’m sure we will see that happen when we win,” the Ukrainian president said, adding: “Whoever brings war must receive judgement.”
In March, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Putin for the alleged deportation of children from Ukraine.
- 4 May 2023 - 09:40(09:40 GMT)
‘Absolutely ridiculous’ for Kyiv, US to disown attack: Kremlin
Moscow says it is “absolutely ridiculous” for Kyiv and Washington to try to disown Wednesday’s alleged drone attack on the Kremlin.
Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Washington should be aware that Russia knew it was selecting the targets and Ukraine was merely implementing US plans.
But he did not provide any evidence to support the claim.
“Attempts to disown this, both in Kyiv and in Washington, are, of course, absolutely ridiculous. We know very well that decisions about such actions, about such terrorist attacks, are made not in Kyiv but in Washington,” Peskov said.
He alleged that the US often selected the targets for Ukraine to attack and the means to attack them.
- 4 May 2023 - 09:23(09:23 GMT)
Drone attack ‘must not go unanswered’, Russia says
Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs says an alleged Ukrainian drone attack against the Kremlin “must not go unanswered” and showed Kyiv had no desire to end the war through negotiations.
In a statement, the ministry also condemned the West’s “silence” over the incident and called on others to condemn what Moscow has called an attempt to kill Putin.
- 4 May 2023 - 08:56(08:56 GMT)
Zelenskyy arrives at The Hague
Zelenskyy has arrived at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague during a visit to the Netherlands.
The ICC in March issued an arrest warrant for Putin for the alleged deportation of children from Ukraine.
- 4 May 2023 - 08:38(08:38 GMT)
Russia complains to Finland over vandalism at consulate
Finland has received a diplomatic note from Russia complaining about vandalism at a Russian consulate on the Aland Islands, the Finnish foreign ministry said.
“Aland police is clarifying and investigating the incident. The case is regrettable,” it said in an email.
On Wednesday evening, the Russian foreign ministry also said a group of people had thrown “an explosive noise device”, causing damage to the building.
“The perpetrators’ actions posed a direct threat to the life and health of the staff of the Russian mission,” it said.
Ukraine-Russia updates: Air raid alert after explosions in Kyiv
All the updates from May 4, as they happened.
This live blog is now closed, thank you for joining us. These were the updates on the Russia-Ukraine war on Thursday, May 4:
- An air raid alert sounded in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv after explosions and gunfire were heard.
- After Moscow accused Washington and Kyiv of being behind an alleged attempt on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s life in the Kremlin, the United States said it does not encourage or enable Ukraine to strike outside its borders. Ukraine has denied responsibility while Russia has provided no evidence Kyiv was involved.
- The European Union has warned Moscow against using the alleged drone attack on the Kremlin to escalate the war.
- Explosions were heard in several cities overnight, including Odesa and Zaporizhzhia.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Putin deserves to be sentenced for his actions during a visit to the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
Source: Al Jazeera and news agencies