#donestsk

“Ukraine claims Moskva’s captain was also killed in that explosion.

In a statement on Telegram, Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine’s ministry of internal affairs, said: “1st rank captain, cruiser Moskva flagship commander of the Black sea Fleet, Anton Kuprin died during the explosion and fire on board.”

While Ukraine said its military successfully struck the flagship missile on Wednesday, Russia’s defence ministry said a fire onboard and “stormy sea conditions” were to blame.” -via The Guardian

The crew of the ship was delivered into a port in Sevastopol, according to Russian news agency TASS. No information was provided about how many of the crew were rescued from the ship. -via CNN

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Ukraine expects shelling to intensify after the sinking of the Moskva. -via HB news (Ukrainian)

There was increased shelling last night all over Ukraine, including in Kyiv and Kharkiv, where 8 people were killed. (all links go to Ukrainian language sources)

“Ukrainian officials on Friday reported Russian strikes across the Donetsk, Luhansk and Kharkiv regions in eastern Ukraine, amid warnings of a major Russian offensive in the coming days.” via CNN

Cluster bombs were used in Mykolaiv, and 5 civilians were killed, according to Vitaliy Kim, the city’s governor. Cluster munitions are banned in most nations in the UN.-via CNN

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French and Italian ambassadors and embassy staff are returning to Kyiv. -via Euro Integration (Ukrainian news)

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“More than 900 bodies of civilians have been discovered since the Russian army withdrew from the area, the head of the Kyiv regional police said during a briefing on Friday. 

Andrii Niebytov said the bodies were examined and transferred to forensic medical institutions for detailed examination. 

Niebytov also said that the bodies of some people in the village of Shevchenko ​had been identified, adding that "they were ordinary locals, unfortunately also tortured, and we see that they were shot."” -via CNN

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“Russia this week sent a formal diplomatic note to the United States warning that U.S. and NATO shipments of the “most sensitive” weapons systems to Ukraine were “adding fuel” to the conflict there and could bring “unpredictable consequences.” 

The diplomatic démarche, a copy of which was reviewed by The Washington Post, came as President Biden approved a dramatic expansion in the scope of weapons being provided to Ukraine, an $800 million package including 155 mm howitzers — a serious upgrade in long-range artillery to match Russian systems — coastal defense drones and armored vehicles, as well as additional portable antiaircraft and antitank weapons and millions of rounds of ammunition...

On Friday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova confirmed the diplomatic note, and said that similar démarches on arms shipments to Ukraine were sent to “all countries,” including the United States, Russia’s Interfax news agency reported.” -via Washington Post

This comes after President Biden pledged $800 million in weapons to Ukraine earlier this week, the first shipment of which should reach Ukraine soon. 

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British Special Air Service (SAS) are now training Ukrainian soldiers in Kyiv for the first time since the was began. Additionally, the US will be training Ukrainian forces on the use of the weapons being sent over, but will not be training them in Ukraine.-via The Times 

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Demining Kyiv could take a year or more, according to Oleksandr Pavliuk, the Head of the Kyiv Regional State Administration. He said: 

"We are planning the main measures for settlements and roads by the end of May.For the rest of the territory the term is long - maybe up to a year. Because it is 743 thousand km, where the possibility of dangerous objects is expected. At the moment, we have cleared about 1,200 hectares.” -via Pravda Ukraine (Ukrainian news)

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On a lighter note, the Russian Embassy in Washington DC attempted to stop people from projecting the Ukrainian flag onto their building using a white stoplight. (And on a personal note, the videos in the replies set to music are the best.)

Also, people lined up around the block at post offices to buy Ukraine’s new stamp (I’m not kidding this is a real stamp):