Possible withdrawal of Wagner's troops from Bakhmut and end of the COVID-19 pandemic: highlights of May 5

Wagner's mercenaries may be withdrawn from Bakhmut

The owner of the Wagner PMC, Yevgeny Prigozhin, shouted at Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov against the backdrop of mercenaries' corpses.

After that, another appeal was published on Prigozhin's channel. He announced that on May 10, he would withdraw the Wagner mercenaries from Bakhmut because of the alleged “shell famine”. He claims that they will hand over their positions to the Russian Defense Ministry.

However, Ukrainian military intelligence believes that Yevgeny Prigozhin will not withdraw the Wagner mercenaries from Bakhmut, despite his statement. And the spokesperson for the Eastern Group of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Serhiy Cherevaty, noted that Russia is not “short of ammunition” but “short of personnel”. The Russian Defense Ministry is not sending the Wagner mercenaries as much help as they would like, so they are looking for reasons to leave.

Cancellation of the COVID-19 pandemic status

The World Health Organization has canceled the status of the COVID-19 pandemic as a global emergency.

However, the WHO emphasized that this is not a reason to let our guard down: “This virus is here to stay. It is still killing and still mutating. There is still a risk of new variants emerging, causing new outbreaks of infections and deaths”.

Occupiers in Zaporizhzhia Oblast announce “relocation” of civilians

The occupation “authorities” in the occupied territory of Zaporizhzhia Oblast have announced the “temporary relocation” of local residents from Enerhodar and 17 other settlements. The occupiers assure that they will provide funds for departure, one-time payments, accommodation, and meals and that the “temporary relocation” will be organized within the region.

Russia and Belarus were not invited to the coronation of Charles III

The United Kingdom has sent invitations to countries to attend the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla, which will take place on May 6. Russia, Belarus, and several other countries will not receive invitations. However, an invitation was sent to the DPRK.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces could have shot down the Kinzhal hypersonic missile

The Ukrainian military portal Defense Express claims that the Ukrainian military has shot down a Kinzhal hypersonic missile for the first time. The portal emphasized that Ukraine has already officially received means that can combat ballistic targets – Patriot air defense missile systems.

However, the spokesperson for the Air Force Command, Yurii Ihnat, denied that a ballistic missile was shot down. He emphasized that there was a possibility of its use, but it did not happen.

Other news:

• Ukraine returned the bodies of 80 more fallen soldiers;
• Berlin bans the display of Russian and Ukrainian flags at events on May 8-9;
• Bahrain's Foreign Minister arrived in Ukraine. This is the first such visit in the history of relations between the two countries;
• The movie “Luxembourg, Luxembourg” became one of the top 10 highest-grossing Ukrainian films;
• Bill Clinton said that Putin told him back in 2011 that he despised the Budapest Memorandum. Since then, Clinton “knew it was only a matter of time before Putin attacked Ukraine”.
• A court in Moscow remanded Crimean Tatar Umerova in custody. She is charged with espionage;
• The Ministry of Culture added holubtsi (cabbage rolls – ed.) and 4 other items to the list of the intangible cultural heritage of Ukraine.