07:47 Alleged interception of ATACMS by Russia

07:47 Russia is claimed to have seized ATACMS.

Russia claims they intercepted nine American ATACMS missiles which flew over the Russian-occupied Crimea during the night. Additionally, a drone was shot down in the same region, as the Ministry of Defense in Moscow shared on Telegram. In Belgorod, three other drones were captured and destroyed near the border while fifty-seven more were taken out over the Krasnodar region. However, these claims haven't been verified.

12:15 Ukraine: Russia loses another 1210 soldersThe Ukrainian army regularly posts on Facebook about the number of Russian soldiers killed or wounded the previous day. Yesterday, they said Russia lost 1210 soldiers, which brings the total Russian losses in this war up to 492,290 soldiers. The Ukrainian army also mentioned destroying 16 tanks and 35 armored vehicles. However, these claims are unverifiable.

11:44 ISW: Russia increases pressure on Chassiv YarThe Russian invasion forces have been stepping up efforts to capture the significant city of Chassiv Yar in the eastern region of Donetsk. This is according to the Institute for the Study of War's most recent analysis. They added that Russia wants to force Ukraine to move troops away from the area around Chassiv Yar due to the ongoing offensive in Kharkiv. Russian troops are also continuing their attack on Kharkiv.

The ISW mentions a statement made by Vladimir Putin's ally Dmitry Medvedev. He suggested the desired "buffer zone" in Ukraine should span the whole country. Medvedev is Deputy Head of the Russian Security Council and a hardliner. ISW states this points to the "buffer zone" being a thinly-disguised justification for Russia's long-term intention to rule over all of Ukraine.

11:14 Drone triggers fire at refinery in southern RussiaA drone crashed on the site of an oil refinery in Slavyansk-na-Kubani, which is situated in southern Russia. The authorities in Krasnodar region have announced that this led to a local fire. But there were no casualties or damage, they declared. Ukraine has targeted Russian refineries for some time now.

10:40 Danone pulls out of RussiaFrench dairy giant Danone has now completed the sale of their Russian business to a businessman connected to Chechnya. This news comes from the Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform, who learned this from the company itself. The Russian dairy company Vamin Tatarstan, owned by the tied-to-Chechnya businessman Mintimer Mingasov, agreed to purchase Danone's Russian business for 17.7 billion roubles - around 180 million euros. Some analysts think the real value is closer to 80 billion roubles. In July last year, Yakub Zakriyev, a relative of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, was appointed as the new head of Danone's Russian branch.

09:40 Explosions in Crimea: Air raid on SevastopolInformation about explosions in Crimea during the night has appeared. The officials of Sevastopol stated that the city's air defenses successfully repelled a missile attack. They also reported no damage to civilian infrastructure.

08:33 Air alert in nearly all parts of Ukraine: Big drone bombardmentsRussia is conducting large-scale drone attacks in Ukraine once more. The Ukrainian Air Force communicated that Kiev, Sumy, Vinnytsia, Cherkasy, Mykolaiv, and Odessa have been targeted. Cities experiencing explosions are being reported, but there's no information yet on any casualties or damage.

07:00 Civilians shelled in Kharkiv regionUkrainian sources claim Russian soldiers attacked civilians in two settlements in the northeastern Kharkiv region overnight. The Ukrainian public prosecutor's office seeks to investigate a Russian air attack on a residential area in Kharkiv as a potential war crime. In Kharkiv itself, six people, including three young people, were left injured by the shelling. Russia rejects targeting innocent civilians deliberately.

05:45 Pistorius calls for almost four billion extra for KievThe German government desires to intensify military aide for Ukraine this year substantially. The Federal Ministry of Defense issued an extra request for 3.8 billion euros for military support. This year, the coalition government has already allocated 7.1 billion euros as military aid. This extra-budgetary expenditure will head for parliament's approval in June. The Finance Ministry has agreed to this.

The Ukrainian General Staff recorded 77 skirmishes over a 24-hour period according to their evening update. Seven of these incidents are still ongoing. The General Staff says on their Telegram channel that Russian troops are attempting to enhance their tactical setup. The Ukrainian military has carried out four assaults on occupied positions, according to the report.

In tragic news, Lieutenant Colonel Denys Vasyliuk, a holder of the "Order of Valor" - a merit awarded for incredible courage and bravery, has perished while undertaking a missions task. The 831st Tactical Aviation Brigade, where Vasyliuk performed his duties, made the unfortunate announcement on Facebook. He was the Brigades' chief of staff and a deputy leader of an aviation brigade. Further information about his passing is unavailable at this time. The Ukrainian air force has so far declined to comment on the deceased pilot.

Putin is at Cannes, where a Polish movie director showed a biopic of the Russian president with the use of AI. The film featuring an AI version of Putin ends with his passing. "It was supposed to have a happy ending," says filmmaker Patryk Vega, who unveiled his biopic about the Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Cannes Film Festival. With a wide smile, he adds "I called Putin and asked if he wanted to take part...oh, I was joking!"

As the real Putin wasn't accessible, Vega resorted to using AI to create a deep fake version of the Russian President. The filmmaker initially considered using real footage of Putin, but the quality proved inadequate for big screens. "AI needs 20,000 high-resolution images to operate," explains the creative mind. In its place, he devised a new technology that utilizes AI to build a face of an actor resembling Putin. "This is the first movie to use this technology," says Vega. The outcome is impressive. The film displays Putin in the way we're accustomed to - positioning himself as a dictator, seated at extravagant desks, but also playing the piano and becoming incontinent in his hospital bed.

Taiwan's Foreign Minister Joseph Wu, in an interview with the Kyiv Independent, states that Taiwan's future depends on the Ukrainian war. "If Russia can do this with Ukraine, China could do the same with Taiwan," asserts the top diplomat for the island nation. The start of the Russian assault against Ukraine served as a warning for Taiwan according to the Foreign Minister. In the event of Moscow's defeat, Taiwan might become the next battleground. Even two years later, Wilder maintains that the outcome of the Ukrainian struggle has a significant influence on Taiwan. If Russia's efforts in Ukraine gain success, Taiwan could be the next target, he concludes.

You can view all the earlier developments here.

A snapshot from the AI-controlled biopic

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Russia's allegations of intercepting American ATACMS missiles in Ukraine conflict escalates tensions, with Volodymyr Zelensky's military forces continuing to engage in military operations against Russian forces in various regions such as Chassiv Yar and Kharkiv, backed by NATO's support and supply of military equipment.
The ongoing cyberwar between Russia and Ukraine involving drone attacks and missile interceptions has resulted in significant casualties and damages, with Russia losing over 492,000 soldiers, according to unverifiable Ukrainian sources, and Russia accusing Ukraine of targeting Russian refineries.
The conflict in Ukraine has severe geopolitical implications, including the potential for Russia to establish a "buffer zone" throughout the country and the impact on other vulnerable regions such as Taiwan, as stated by Taiwan's Foreign Minister Joseph Wu.
The international community, including foreign governments and the film industry, are closely monitoring and responding to the developments in Ukraine, with the German government increasing military aid to Ukraine and Polish filmmaker Patryk Vega utilizing AI technology to create an AI-controlled biopic of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Source: www.ntv.de