By This was CNBC’s live blog tracking developments on the war in Ukraine.
Russia’s leadership and military have been out in force for the annual “Victory Day” military parade on Thursday.
President Vladimir Putin, commander-in-chief of the armed forces, was flanked by veterans as he watched thousands of Russian troops, tanks, armored vehicles and weaponry parade through a mostly rainy Red Square in Moscow.
The May 9 event commemorates the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War II but the Kremlin keen to cast parallels between the Red Army’s victory in 1945 and the current conflict in Ukraine.
In other news, a Ukrainian air attack on Russia’s Belgorod region injured eight people and damaged scores of residential buildings and cars, the governor of the border region said Thursday. Among the wounded is an 11-year-old girl who was taken to a hospital, Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor said on Telegram.
The Ukrainian Parliament on Thursday voted in favor of a bill that aims to crack down on Ukrainians dodging being drafted to the country’s armed forces, Reuters reported.
Fines for anyone trying to avoid being called up to fight would be increased and authorities would be allowed to detain draft dodgers for up to three days under the new bill.
The bill was backed by a majority of lawmakers, but still needs to be signed into law by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
This comes as Ukraine has been struggling with a shortage of soldiers, which has prompted the government to come up with various new ways to expand its army’s manpower. Earlier in the week the Ukrainian Parliament passed a bill allowing some prisoners to enlist.
A new mobilization law is also due to come into effect, which lowers the minimum age for army recruits among other provisions.
— Sophie Kiderlin
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy replaced the commander of the country’s special operations forces for the second time in six months on Thursday.
For special operations chief Colonel Serhiy Lupanchuk was replaced with Brigadier General Oleksandr Trepak, two decrees published on the Ukrainian president’s website that were Google-translated by CNBC, said.
Lupanchuk had held the role since November. No explanation was given for the change.
The special operations forces unit operates in Ukrainian territories that are currently controlled by Russia.
— Sophie Kiderlin
Russia and Belarus will join forces to carry out tactical nuclear weapons drills, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday.
“Since non-strategic nuclear weapons are stationed on the territory of Belarus, this time we invited our friends, allies, and the President of Belarus [Alexander Lukashenko] asked for this, to take part in one of the stages of this exercise. We conduct them regularly,” Putin said, according the Interfax news agency.
Non-strategic — or tactical — nuclear weapons are designed for use in battlefield situations as opposed to their larger and more destructive counterparts, strategic nuclear weapons, which could destroy entire cities.
Russia and its neighbor and ally Belarus had both announced their intentions earlier this week to carry out their own drills.
Russia has stationed tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus but retains control over the weapons. Russia said its decision to station such hardware in Belarus was no different to the U.S.’ positioning of non-strategic nuclear weapons in Europe.
— Holly Ellyatt
Russia has agreed to withdraw its military and border guards from some parts of Armenia, the Kremlin said Thursday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan reached an agreement on the withdrawal of troops at a meeting Thursday, Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov said, RIA Novosti reported.
“Due to the fact that conditions have changed … Pashinyan and Putin agreed on this issue,” Peskov said.
Russian border guards will remain on the border with Iran and Turkey at the request of the Armenian side, Peskov said.
Relations between Russia and Armenia have been strained in recent years as Pashinyan, in power since 2018, has forged closer alliances with Europe.
Relations deteriorated further when Russia turned a blind eye to its rival, Azerbaijan, launching a lightning offensive to seize the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh, an area where Russia had stationed several thousand peacekeeping troops.
Russia’s lack of intervention was widely seen as due to its hands being tied with the war in Ukraine and as a way to punish Armenia for its leanings toward the West. Russian peacekeepers withdrew from Nagorno-Karabakh after Azerbaijan reclaimed the region.
— Holly Ellyatt
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has appointed the former army chief Valery Zaluzhny as Ukraine’s new ambassador to the U.K.
Zaluzhny was a popular and respected figurehead in Ukraine’s armed forces but reportedly fell out with Zelenskyy over the country’s military strategy, and after publicly warning last fall that the war had reached a stalemate. Zelenskyy rejected the characterization.
In February, Zaluzhny was replaced with Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi who has himself warned of a deteriorating situation on the front line in eastern Ukraine.
Zelenskyy and Zaluzhny have done their best to maintain a united front since the latter’s departure from office.
— Holly Ellyatt
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov warned Thursday that Moscow was inclined to bolster its nuclear deterrent because of what he described as the West’s “escalatory course” vis-à-vis Russia.
“Possibilities for the first use of nuclear weapons are clearly stated in the military doctrine and in the fundamentals of state policy in the area of nuclear deterrence. At the moment, there are no changes with regard to this,” Ryabkov said, according to comments reported by news agency RIA Novosti and translated by NBC News.
“But the situation itself is changing, so how the basic documents in this area relate to the needs of ensuring our security is the subject of constant analysis,” he said.
“We warn our opponents that their escalatory course, of course, confronts us with the need to take steps that actually mean strengthening measures of deterrence,” he added.
Exercises involving the use of tactical nuclear weapons were an element of those efforts, he added.
— Holly Ellyatt
Russia’s Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat oil processing, petrochemical and fertiliser plant in the Bashkiria region was attacked by a drone but is functioning as usual, Radiy Khabirov, the region’s head, said on his Telegram channel on Thursday.
— Reuters
Moscow has seen all kinds of weather during its 2024 Victory Day parade today, from sunshine to showers and even a blizzard.
But that wouldn’t be enough to stop the event — the military parade is a highlight in Russia’s public calendar and an important part of the country’s national identity and psyche, recalling the Red Army’s defeat of Nazi Germany at a great cost to Russia. Around 27 million Russian soldiers and civilians are estimated to have died during World War II.
Russia and the U.S. and U.K., are now more enemies than allies as the war continues in Ukraine. The Victory Parade — the third now to take place against the backdrop of the war — is used by the Kremlin as a call to arms as it looks to stir patriotic fervor.
Here are some pictures from the 2024 Victory Parade:
— Holly Ellyatt
Ukraine’s parliament has dismissed Agriculture Minister Mykola Solsky who tendered his resignation in late April as he faces an investigation into alleged involvement in illegal acquisition of state-owned land, Ukrainian lawmaker Yaroslav Zheleznyak said on Telegram.
Solsky, 44, has denied the allegations.
He has been at the centre of Ukraine’s effort to keep its grain industry going as Russia’s full-scale invasion has blocked Black Sea export routes, strewn fields with landmines and seen farmland occupied.
— Reuters
Russia President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Russia will do everything it can to avoid a global confrontation but said the country would “not allow anyone to threaten us.”
Addressing thousands of troops, officials, veterans and guests at the May 9 Victory Day parade in Moscow — an annual event that marks the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War II — Putin said Russia’s strategic nuclear forces were always combat-ready.
Putin said the truth about World War II was being “distorted” while Russia had never denigrated the contribution of allies during the conflict.
Accusing the West of stoking conflicts around the world, Putin said “we know what the exorbitance of such ambitions leads to. Russia will do everything to prevent a global clash,” he said, in comments translated by Reuters.
“But at the same time, we will not allow anyone to threaten us. Our strategic forces are always in a state of combat readiness.”
— Holly Ellyatt
A Ukrainian air attack on Russia’s Belgorod region injured eight people and damaged scores of residential buildings and cars, the governor of the region bordering with Ukraine said on Thursday.
Among the wounded is an 11-year-old girl who was taken to a hospital, Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor said on the Telegram messaging app.
About 34 flats in 19 apartment buildings were damaged, as well as three dozen cars in the city of Belgorod, the region’s administrative centre, Gladkov added.
Russia’s air defense systems destroyed 15 rockets launched from the RM-70 Vampir system, and one drone over the region, Russia’s defense ministry said.
Three drones were also downed over Russia’s Kursk region and two over the Bryansk region, the ministry said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app. All regions border Ukraine.
Reuters could not independently verify the reports. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine. Kyiv has said often that destroying military, energy and transport infrastructure inside Russia undermines Moscow’s overall war efforts.
— Reuters
It might be raining in Moscow Thursday but Russia’s leadership and military are out in force for the annual “Victory Day” military parade.
President Vladimir Putin, commander-in-chief of the armed forces, is watching on as thousands of Russian troops, tanks, armored vehicles and weaponry are paraded through Red Square in Moscow.
The May 9 event commemorates the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War II but the Kremlin keen to cast parallels between the Red Army’s victory in 1945 and the current conflict in Ukraine.
Read more here: Amid pomp and propaganda, Russia holds Victory Day military parade as war rumbles on
— Holly Ellyatt
A Russian air strike hit a school sports field in Ukraine’s city of Kharkiv on Wednesday, injuring multiple children and adults, regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said in a Google-translated post on Telegram.
Three male teenagers were injured while playing soccer, Syniehubov said, adding that two of them were in serious condition and had been taken to hospital. A young girl as well as three adults were also injured, some of whom were also hospitalized, according to Syniehubov.
CNBC could not independently verify developments on the ground.
— Sophie Kiderlin
European Union ambassadors have come to an agreement about using the profits from frozen Russian assets for Ukraine, the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU said on Wednesday.
“EU ambassadors agreed in principle on measures concerning extraordinary revenues stemming from Russia’s immobilised assets,” it said in a post on social media platform X. “The money will serve to support #Ukraine’s recovery and military defence in the context of the Russian aggression.”
European leaders still have to approve the new law.
As much as 90% of the proceeds will be allocated to a fund for military aid for Ukraine that is run by the EU, Reuters reported, citing multiple EU sources, while 10% would be used for other support of the country.
This comes after the EU earlier this year said it had ringfenced the profits from frozen Russian assets and was discussing if and how they could be used to support Ukraine as legal questions remained unresolved.
— Sophie Kiderlin
Russian forces claimed Wednesday that they’ve seized two more villages in the Donetsk and Kharkiv regions.
Russia’s defense ministry said its central and western grouping of troops had occupied Novokalynove in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, and Kyslivka, in Kharkiv, northeast Ukraine.
The ministry did not provide evidence for its claims, announced on Telegram, although Russian forces have been making incremental advances in eastern Ukraine in recent weeks. CNBC was unable to verify the latest battlefield claims.
It was widely reported that Russian forces were looking to try to capture the strategically-valuable town of Chasiv Yar in Donetsk before the May 9 “Victory Day” military parade in Moscow.
But (if verified) the latest territorial gains, or “liberations” as Russia calls them, are not located near Chasiv Yar. Analysts at the Institute for the Study of War think tank noted Tuesday that “Russian forces continued assaults near Chasiv Yar on May 7, but there were no confirmed changes to the frontline.”
— Holly Ellyatt
The Kremlin doubled down on warning that any deployment of NATO troops in Ukraine would represent a significant and dangerous escalation of tensions between Russia and the military alliance.
When asked to comment on a petition posted on the Ukrainian presidential website Tuesday calling for NATO troops from the U.S., U.K. and EU to be sent to Ukraine, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters that such a move would be hazardous.
“[The] Kyiv regime is quite unpredictable,” Peskov said Wednesday, in comments translated by NBC News.
“We have repeatedly said that direct intervention in this conflict on the ground by militaries of NATO countries poses a huge danger, a huge danger. Therefore, we consider this an extremely defiant provocation, no less. And of course we are watching this very closely.”
Earlier, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova told reporters that French troops would be targeted by the Russian army if they were deployed on Ukrainian soil after French President Emmanuel Macron said such a deployment could not be ruled out if Russian troops broke through Ukrainian front lines.
— Holly Ellyatt
Kremlin warns of ‘huge danger’ if NATO troops are sent to Ukraine, is watching the West closely
