Russia is exhausting Ukraine on various fronts by 08:26.

Russia is gradually weakening Ukraine in all aspects.

Even though the US has approved military aid for Ukraine, many of its military units on the frontline are facing empty arsenals. The troops have decreased in number, and it's tough to find new recruits. Russia takes advantage of this and attacks several regions.

07:47 Russia claims to have caught nine US ATACMS missiles in CrimeaThe Defense Ministry of Russia announced on Telegram that they have intercepted nine US ATACMS missiles over the Russian-occupied Crimea during the night. Additionally, they shot down an enemy drone in the region. Three more drones were also intercepted and destroyed near the Russian region of Belgorod, while 57 others were taken out over the Krasnodar region. The information could not be confirmed.

07:10 Ukrainian forces claim 1210 Russian soldiers killed or woundedThe Ukrainian army reports on Facebook every day how many Russian soldiers were killed or wounded the previous day, according to their count. They claim that Russian losses on Saturday were 1210 soldiers, bringing the total Russian casualties in the war to 492,290 soldiers. Moreover, they stated that 16 tanks and 35 armored vehicles were also destroyed. The data could not be verified.

06:34 ISW: Russia pushes harder to capture Chassiv YarAs per the Institute for the Study of War's analysis, the Russian invasion forces have stepped up their efforts to capture Chassiv Yar, a strategic city in the eastern region of Donetsk. The reason behind this is to force Ukraine to move away from the area around Chassiv Yar with their offensive in Kharkiv. The Russian army is also continuing to advance in Kharkiv.

In their analysis, ISW refers to a demand made by former Russian President Medvedev. He demanded a "buffer zone" in Ukraine that would surround the whole country. Medvedev, who is now the Deputy Head of the Russian Security Council and a hardliner in Putin's circle, is known for his vehement stance on subjugating Ukraine.

06:09 Drone roars fire at refinery in southern RussiaA drone crashed onto the site of an oil refinery in the Russian city of Slavyansk-na-Kubani, according to authorities in the Krasnodar region. There was a "local fire" as a result, with no injuries or damage reported. Ukraine has been attacking Russian refineries for some time now.

05:40 Danone finishes selling off Russian businessFrench dairy giant Danone has completed the sale of their Russian business to a businessman with ties to Chechnya after 30 years in the country. The Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform reported the news with references from the company. The dairy company Vamin Tatarstan, owned by businessman Mintimer Mingasov, bought Danone's Russian business for 17.7 billion roubles (180 million euros). Experts estimate its real worth to be up to 80 billion roubles. In July last year, Yakub Zakriyev, a nephew of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, was appointed as the new head of Danone's Russian subsidiary.

04:37 Explosions at night near Sevastopol, CrimeaReports suggest explosions occurred on the Russian-occupied Black Sea peninsula of Crimea throughout the night. Governor of Crimea, appointed by Moscow, Mikhail Razvozhayev, announced on his Telegram channel that air defenses in Sevastopol successfully repelled a missile attack. On the other hand, Sevastopol's rescue service mentioned no damage to the civilian infrastructure.

03:33 Ukraine: Night full of drone strikes in almost all territoriesRussia is again assaulting Ukraine with multiple drone attacks, according to the Ukrainian air force. Their targets include Kiev, Sumy, Vinnytsia, Cherkasy, Mykolaiv, and Odessa. Explosions were heard in many places, but there's no information about damages or casualties as of yet. An air alert had been issued in most of Ukraine.

02:20 Civilians in Kharkiv region reportedly shelledThere are claims that civilians were targeted in two towns in northeastern Kharkiv during the night. The Ukrainian prosecutor's office has labeled the Russian airstrike on a residential area in Kharkiv as a potential war crime. Six civilians, including three young people, were injured. Moscow denies deliberately attacking civilians. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, thousands of people have been killed or injured.

01:04 Germany seeks to allocate billions more for UkraineReports suggest that Germany wants to drastically increase its military aid for Ukraine this year. The German Defense Ministry has declared an additional requirement of 3.8 billion euros for military support, as stated in the "Bild am Sonntag" newspaper. So far this year, the coalition government has allocated 7.1 billion euros for military aid. This extra-budgetary expenditure will be submitted to the parliament for approval in June. The German Ministry of Finance has also expressed its support.

In summary: empty arsenals in Ukrainian units, Russian expansion, claims of missile interceptions, Ukrainian army actions, French dairy giant sells off Russian business, reports of explosions in Crimea, drone attacks across Ukraine, injured civilians in Kharkiv region, and plans for increased German military aid.

Ukrainian military officials report 77 skirmishes within 24 hours. 7 of these conflicts are still ongoing, as Russian forces attempt to enhance their position, according to the General Staff's Telegram account. The Ukrainian military has performed 4 assaults to push back invading troops from occupied territories, they add.

22:25 Ukrainian ace pilot killed in combat mission.Lt. Colonel Denys Vasyliuk was awarded the "Order of Valor", given for individual bravery and heroism. In his long career, Vasyliuk had conducted "many combat operations", claims the 831st Tactical Aviation Brigade on their Facebook account. He was the Brigade's chief of staff and the deputy commander of an aviation squadron. His unit has confirmed his death during a combat mission, but there aren't any further details available. The Ukrainian air force has yet to release a statement regarding Vasyliuk's loss.

21:57 Putin in Cannes: Polish director debuts AI-powered biopic.At the Cannes Film Festival, Polish director Patryk Vega presented a biopic about Russian President Vladimir Putin. In the movie, Putin bites the dust. "It wasn't meant to be a sad ending," Vega states. "I phoned him to see if he wanted to feature..., haha, I was just joking," the filmmaker, who's mostly made gangster films to date, says with a wide grin. Vega couldn't access authentic Putin footage, so the dictator appears using AI.

"AI requires feeding. It requires 20,000 high-resolution pictures for it to function," clarifies the director. Instead, Vega devised a new technology with AI generating the face of an actor with the same stature as Putin. It's the inaugural movie to employ this tech, states Vega. The results are astounding. In the film, Putin is seen as usual, in dictator postures, behind extravagant desks, and even playing the piano and wetting his pants in the hospital.

21:35 Taiwan's Foreign Minister: The fate of Taiwan hinges on the war in Ukraine."If Russia can do this to Ukraine, China could do the same to Taiwan," Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu informs the Kyiv Independent. The Russian war on Ukraine shocked Taiwan, stating the government's top diplomat. If Kiev succumbs, Taiwan could be the following conflict point. Even after two years, Wu opines that Taiwan's future is contingent on the Ukrainian war. Should Moscow emerge victorious in Ukraine, officials from all sides think that Beijing would forcefully end the separation of the two Chinas, says Wu.

Check out all earlier developments here.