athletes are not allowed to shake hands with Russians

Most of the aid to Ukraine may not arrive for several months

Most of the allied aid to Ukraine will not arrive until the summer, at best, and until the end of the year, at worst, the New York Times (NYT) reported, citing analysts.

While Ukraine awaits the delivery of nearly $61 billion worth of aid approved by US President Joe Biden, Russia has pushed its advantage, gaining more ground in the east, notes Kyiv Post.

The aid was approved in late April by Biden, and the first deliveries began immediately after the law was enacted.

Ukraine expects $38 billion in external financing after meeting IMF requirements

Ukraine expects $38 billion in financial support from international partners after meeting the requirements of an International Monetary Fund (IMF) program, the governor of the National Bank of Ukraine said on May 4, according to Kyiv Independent.

In a video posted on Facebook, Andriy Pyshny said that Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine had caused the loss of a third of the country’s economy and destruction totaling “hundreds of billions” of dollars.

Russia shoots down four ATACMS missiles over Crimea

Russia says it shot down four long-range missiles made in the US and supplied to Ukraine over occupied Crimea Kyiv Independent.

In a Telegram post, the Kremlin’s Defense Ministry said all four ATACMS missiles were intercepted overnight by “air defense systems on duty.” He did not specify whether the fallen debris caused any damage.

Tajani: Italy will never send soldiers

“Italy will never send an Italian soldier to Ukraine, but will always defend its right to be a free and independent country: we are not at war with Russia.” Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said this in his speech at the Kursaal in Merano, in Alto Adige, on the occasion of the 66th congress of the Suedtiroler Volkspartei.

Kyiv: 13 Russian drones shot down during the night

Ukrainian air defense shot down 13 kamikaze drones launched by Russian forces during the night. “On the night of May 4, 2024, the enemy attacked with 13 Shahed-131/136 attack UAVs (drones) and four S-300 anti-aircraft guided missiles. All launches were carried out from the Belgorod region of the Russian Federation. As a result of the combat operations, the anti-aircraft missile units of the Air Force and the mobile firing groups of the Ukrainian Defense Forces destroyed 13 attack UAVs in the Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk regions,” says a note from the Ukrainian Air Force, reports Ukrinform.

Moscow: Hybrid attacks? Disinformation and anti-Russian hysteria in NATO

Maria Zakharova, the spokeswoman of the Russian Foreign Ministry, defined as “disinformation” the accusations made by NATO according to which Russia would have led hybrid attacks against the countries of the Alliance. Tass reports it. “The North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the leadership of the individual member states are doing what they do best: disinformation, increasing the degree of anti-Russian hysteria to justify the unprecedented scale of the militarization of Europe,” Zaharova said.

Moscow: Cyber ​​attacks? The US likes to accuse us of all the deadly sins.”

Is Moscow behind the cyber attacks against some European countries? The United States likes to accuse Russia of “all the deadly sins.” The Russian ambassador to Washington, Anatoli Antonov, thus responds to the complaint of the US State Department, according to which the GRU, Moscow’s military intelligence service, is linked to the cyber attacks carried out in recent weeks against European countries, such as Germany and the Czech Republic.

ISW accusation: Moscow’s actions against newborns in Luhansk are genocide

Authorities in the occupied Lugansk region of eastern Ukraine are threatening to take mothers from hospitals with their newborns if neither parent can prove they have Russian citizenship: this was reported by ISW, the Institute for the Study of War, commenting that these actions violate Article 2 of the Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. The head of the Lugansk Military Administration, Artem Lisogor, announced that, starting next Monday, mothers who give birth in hospitals in the region will have to prove the Russian citizenship of at least one of the newborn’s parents, so that the newborn can be discharged from hospital, he says, according to the American study center, quoted by Ukrainska Pravda. According to ISW analysts, such actions in particular violate Article 2d of the Convention.

Russia shot down four Atacm missiles launched from Kiev against Crimea

Four Atacm missiles launched by Ukrainian forces against Crimea, shot down by the Russians. The Ministry of Defense in Moscow announced this on its Telegram channel, according to which “an attempt by the Kiev regime to carry out a terrorist attack with American tactical missiles against targets on the territory of the Russian Federation was stopped last night.”

Russian drone attack in Kharkiv, four injured, including a child

Four people injured, including a child. This is the result of two Russian Shahed drone attacks launched in Kharkiv, Ukraine. The mayor of the city, Igor Terekhov, made this known on Telegram, quoted by Ukrainska Pravda. Civil infrastructure in the Osnovianski neighborhood was affected and, in one case, a large-scale fire would have occurred.

Ukraine asks US for unmanned drones, US hesitates to send them for fear they could be shot down by Russians

Ukraine has been pushing for multi-role MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from the United States, but Washington is reluctant to send them for fear that Russia could shoot them down. The newspaper Politico reports it. The UAV is said to be at the top of the list of weapons that Ukraine is requesting from the United States, as Kiev plans a series of military operations for the summer and seeks new ways to identify Russian targets behind the front lines. Ukraine is only interested in using the MQ-9 Reaper for reconnaissance. The MQ-9 Reaper is a modular unmanned aerial reconnaissance and attack vehicle developed by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems. It is equipped with a turboprop engine that allows it to reach speeds of over 400 km/h. The maximum duration of the drone flight is 24 hours. It is capable of carrying air-to-ground and air-to-air missiles, as well as laser-guided bombs.

Reactions after the harsh statements made by Macron and Cameron

The Kremlin considers the words of French President Emmanuel Macron regarding the possible sending of troops to Ukraine a “very dangerous trend”.

Russia also considers British Foreign Secretary David Cameron’s statements about Kiev’s right to use British weapons to strike Russia as “a direct escalation” that “could pose a danger to European security.”

Italian official: “we are not at war with Russia and we will not send soldiers to Ukraine”.

Russian troops bombed Kharkiv, destroying several blocks. Russian military personnel have entered an air base in Niger that hosts US troops, a move that follows Niger’s junta’s decision to expel US forces from the country.

The Olympics, the code of honor for Kiev: Never shake hands with the Russians

The manual for Ukrainian athletes is very strict. The enemy nation should not be called by name, a safe distance should be taken even on the podium and without joint conferences: “Better to pay a fine”.

Despite repeated protests from Ukraine, which wants a total ban, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has agreed that Russian athletes (as well as Belarusians) can participate on their own, without national symbols, if it is clear that they do not support the invasion and they are not affiliated with the Russian military structures.

Russian athletes will only be able to participate in individual competitions, not in team ones, and will not march in the opening ceremony.