10:47 Ukraine: Air alert active in eastern region

Alert for aerial activity in eastern Ukraine at 10:47.

Several Ukrainian media have reported that eastern regions of Ukraine have declared an air alert. There's a Russian missile heading towards Kiev, as per the online platform Ukrajinska Pravda.

10:40: Ukrainian Navy Sinks Russian Minesweeper The Ukrainian Navy has announced the sinking of a minesweeper belonging to the Russian Black Sea Fleet during the night. The navy posted a crossed-out image of the "Kovrovets" - a "Project 266M" class boat that was commissioned in 1974 - on Facebook.

10:18: Ukraine Drone Attacks More Destructive Russian sources have reported that the six drones that hit a refinery in southern Russia were carrying steel balls. They were bigger than expected, carrying much larger loads and filled with destructive elements in the form of steel balls, according to the head of the refinery in the Krasnodar region. The plant has halted operations and is assessing the damage. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, 57 Ukrainian drones were shot down in Krasnodar.

09:52: Chasiv Yar is Once Again the Center of the Conflict The recently passed law on mobilization requires Ukrainian men who are fit for military service to report. Apart from combat drones, missiles and glide bombs are being used in a new wave of attacks. A reporter from ntv examines the current situation in the country from Kiev.

09:35: Glide Bombs: Why They're so Dangerous In an article about Russia's increased use of glide bombs, the BBC explores why it's challenging for Ukraine to shoot them down. The Russians are deploying so many glide bombs that it's nearly impossible to intercept them, according to Justin Bronk from the Royal United Services Institute. The only way to counter them is to shoot down the planes that launch them. But Ukraine lacks the necessary range for this, which poses a risk for their own weapons.

Glide bombs are straightforward, self-propelled munitions that can be launched from a safe distance, making the aircraft less exposed. They're cheap to produce and cause significant destruction. "They enable Russia to bypass the Ukrainian defense lines without the use of infantry," says Ukrainian security expert Mariia Zolkina to the BBC. The Russians are also targets civilian facilities with glide bombs. "The city of Vovchansk has sadly been mostly destroyed by the enemy, who mercilessly attacks with glide bombs," wrote Security Council member Andrey Kovalenko on Telegram on Friday.

08:46: Ukraine Defends Against Major Russian Air Attack Ukraine has reported its successful defense against Russia's night-time air assault. The Ukrainian Air Force states that Russia targeted regions including Kiev, Odessa, Mykolaiv, Sumy, Vinnytsia, Zhytomy, Cherkasy, and Kherson with 37 attack drones. All of the Iranian-type Shahed drones were shot down by the air defense.

08:26: Russia is Draining Ukraine on All Fronts Despite receiving military aid from the US, Ukrainian military units on the front are running low on ammunition. The troops have been reduced in numbers, and recruiting new soldiers is difficult. Russia is using this weakness to attack several regions.

07:47: Russia Alleges Capture of US ATACMS Missiles Russia claims to have intercepted nine US ATACMS missiles over the Russian-controlled Crimea during the night. The Ministry of Defense in Moscow announced on Telegram that an enemy drone was also downed there, as well as three more drones intercepted and destroyed over the Russian region of Belgorod near the border and 57 more over the Krasnodar region. The information could not be verified.

07:10: Ukraine Reports 1210 Russian Casualties on Saturday Every day, the Ukrainian army reports how many Russian soldiers were killed or injured the previous day according to their count. The casualties on Saturday were said to be 1210 soldiers, bringing the total Russian casualties in the war to 492,290 soldiers. The Ukrainian army also claims to have destroyed 16 tanks and 35 armored vehicles. The data is unverified.

06:34: ISW: Russia Intensifies Pressure on Chassiv Yar The Russian invasion forces are putting more effort into capturing the strategically significant city of Chassiv Yar in the eastern Donetsk region. This is the assessment from the think tank Institute for the Study of War. According to the ISW, Russia is attempting to force Ukraine to withdraw troops from the Chasiv Yar region with a new offensive in the Kharkiv region. The Russian army is also expanding in Kharkiv.

The ISW refers to a demand made by former Russian President Medvedev. He said that the proposed "buffer zone" in Ukraine should cover the entire country. Medvedev holds the position of Deputy Head of the Russian Security Council and is considered a hardliner in Putin's circle. According to the ISW, this demand reveals that the supposed "buffer zone" is just a carefully disguised justification for Russia's long-standing plan to subdue all of Ukraine.

A drone crashed onto an oil refinery in the southern Russian city of Slavyansk-na-Kubani, triggering a small fire, according to the authorities in the Krasnodar region. There were no injuries or property damage. It's worth noting that Ukraine has been targeting Russian refineries recently.

French dairy giant Danone has completed the sale of its Russian business to a businessman connected to Chechnya after 30 years of operation in the country. The Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform reports this with reference to the company. Businessman Mintimer Mingasov will take over control of Danone's Russian operations via his company, Vamin Tatarstan. It's speculated that the true value of the sale may reach up to 80 billion roubles. In July 2022, Yakub Zakriyev, a nephew of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, was appointed as the new head of Danone's Russian subsidiary.

Reports suggest that there were explosions on the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula during the night. The Crimean governor appointed by Moscow, Mikhail Razvozhayev, announced on his Telegram channel that the air defenses in Sevastopol repelled a missile attack. However, the Crimean rescue service didn't report any damage to civilian infrastructure.

Russia is launching a string of mass drone attacks across Ukraine during the night. The Ukrainian Air Force reports that the affected areas include Kiev, Sumy, Vinnytsia, Cherkasy, Mykolaiv, and Odessa. Initial reports indicate explosions in these regions. There is no information available about any casualties or damage yet.

There were civilian casualties and injuries during attacks on two northern Kharkiv towns in eastern Ukraine, according to Ukrainian sources. The Ukrainian public prosecutor's office is currently investigating the Russian airstrike on a residential area in the regional capital Kharkiv as a possible war crime. Meanwhile, Russia denies purposefully targeting civilians.

The German government is seeking to significantly enhance military aid for Ukraine this year. The Federal Ministry of Defense has recorded an additional requirement of 3.8 billion euros for military assistance. So far this year, the coalition government has allocated 7.1 billion euros for military aid. The extra-budgetary expenditure will be submitted to the parliament for approval in June. The Finance Ministry has indicated its support for the proposal.

The Ukrainian General Staff reported 77 combat operations within a 24-hour period. Seven of these conflicts are still ongoing. "The Russian troops are trying to improve their tactical position," the General Staff shared on their Telegram channel. The Ukrainian army is trying to push the Russians out of their occupied territories.

Lieutenant Colonel Denys Vasyliuk, a decorated Ukrainian pilot, was reported killed "recently" during a combat mission. The 831st Tactical Aviation Brigade, where he served as the chief of staff and deputy commander of an aviation squadron, announced his death on Facebook. The Ukrainian Air Force has not yet commented on the incident.

A biopic about Russian President Vladimir Putin was screened at the Cannes Film Festival, and it ended with Putin's death. Polish filmmaker Patryk Vega, who made the film, says it was initially supposed to have a happier ending. Since Putin wasn't available for the shoot, Vega chose to use AI-generated deep fakes to depict Putin. "I called Putin and asked if he wanted to participate... -oh, I was joking," adds Vega with a grin. The real Putin has yet to respond.

At first, he aimed to depict his movie character with actual footage of Putin. Unfortunately, the quality was too poor for the silver screen. As the filmmaker explains, "AI needs to be nourished. It takes 20,000 high-resolution images for it to function properly." So, he created a novel technology that employs AI to craft the visage of a genuine actor similar in stature to Putin. Unveiling this globally, Vega notes, "It's the first film to use this cutting-edge tech." The result is astonishing. The film shows Putin the way we generally perceive him - in tyrannical posture, at ornate desks, yet also playing the piano and defecating in his hospital bed.

21:35 Taiwan: FM Wu - Ukraine War Will Determine Taiwan's Fate
In an interview with the Kyiv Independent, Taiwan's Foreign Minister, Joseph Wu, stated that their future hinges on the conflict in Ukraine. The Russian war against Ukraine functioned as a siren call for Taiwan, claims the top diplomat for the island state. If Moscow prevails in Ukraine, Taiwan might face its own conflict. Even two years later, Wu maintains that the fate of the island is intertwined with the Ukrainian war. If Russia manages to triumph in Ukraine, officials across the spectrum assume that Beijing will forcefully annex the two Chinas, says Wu.