The evacuations of civilians from the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol continue, albeit slowly, after weeks of darkness, anguish and deprivation. But the Russians, immediately after the first evacuations, resumed bombing the plant, causing a fire visible from all over the city.

The Russians reported that over 120 civilians have left the steel mill : 46 remained "voluntarily" in the separatist territories of Donetsk, while 96 left for "territories controlled by Kiev, handed over to representatives of the United Nations and the Red Cross". Under the tunnels of the gigantic steel plant, according to Kiev, at least 200 people would have remained , even 20 children. Together with the last handful of marines and fighters of the Azov Battalion, who refuse to surrender.

The bombing continues elsewhere as well, with the Russians keeping the pressure high on the entire coastal front. New raids hit the Odessa region (also hitting a religious building) and the governor spoke of "dead and wounded".

The heart of the Russian offensive, however, remains concentrated on the Donbass , where there is a progression, albeit very slow, thanks to the superiority of men and heavy vehicles. In Donetsk , the advance is pushing towards Sloviansk , one of the major cities still in Ukrainian hands. The fighting is even more furious in Lugansk, around Izyum, Lyman and Rubizhne , as the Russians prepare the attack on Severdonetsk . However, the defense forces continue to resist and in recent days have recaptured some territories in the Kharkiv area.

The de facto war also extended to Russian territory, near the border. In the past two days, the Belgorod region has been targeted again. Powerful explosions were warned by the inhabitants of the capital while a fire broke out in a Russian military structure: one wounded and several houses damaged.

The number of civilian casualties has continued to rise since the start of the conflict . There are over three thousand , according to new data provided by the UN , even if the verification difficulties lead us to assume that there are many more. While the Kiev prosecutor's office - net of the news circulated in the media in recent weeks - announced that it had formally identified the first Russian suspect in the Bucha massacres : Sergey Kolotsey, commander of a unit of the Russian National Guard. He would have killed four unarmed men and tortured another civilian.

(Unioneonline)

The day by the hour:

Dombrovskis: "We will ask countries to do more on energy"

"The war makes the transition to a green economy even more essential, so RePowerEu becomes even more important to reduce dependence on Russian fossil fuels. Then we will ask countries to do more on energy". This was stated by the Vice President of the European Commission Valdis Dombrovskis in his speech to the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee of the European Parliament. "The social aspect is not secondary, right now that there are millions of refugees, because this has costs", he specified.

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Dead and wounded in a bombing on Odessa

"Dead and wounded" are reported in Odessa after a Russian missile bombing. This was reported by the head of the regional military administration, Maxim Marchenko, quoted by the UNIAN agency. According to preliminary reports, a 13-year-old boy also died. According to Interfax Ukraine, a religious building was hit.

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The UN: "Over 3 thousand civilian victims in Ukraine"

Over 3 thousand civilian victims have been killed in Ukraine since the Russian invasion of 24 February. This was stated by the United Nations Office for Human Rights (Ohchr) specifying that the death toll is 3,153 people, 254 more than Friday, even if the verification difficulties suggest that the number is considerably higher.

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Deputy of Kiev: "Dragons are good on arms"

"Mario Draghi and the Italian parliament are doing many things to support Ukraine and our refugees in Italy. Even on weapons, Draghi understands the situation and I believe he is doing the best for our country". This was stated by Daria Volodina, Ukrainian deputy and co-president of the parliamentary group of Italian-Ukrainian friendship, in view of the premier's visit to Kiev. "For us it is an important visit. Sometimes it is not easy to come, it is not safe, but we live here under threat every day. We need these gestures, not just words".

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Bombs in the Kharkiv region

Russian troops bombed the village of Zolochiv in the Kharkiv region, damaging private homes and two schools. This was reported by the press service of the Kharkiv regional prosecutor's office on Telegram, reports Ukrinform.

"On the morning of May 2, soldiers of the Russian armed forces fired on the village of Zolochiv, district of Bohodukhiv. Six residential buildings and two schools were damaged by the bombing," the statement read.

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The father of the Italian fighter: "He is no longer fighting"

"He is no longer fighting but he is not returning to Italy. He is in Europe and he is fine". This was told to ANSA by Pietro Vavassori, the father of Ivan Luca, the 29-year-old former footballer who had gone to fight in Ukraine in the international brigades, alongside the army of Kiev, and who in recent days had ended up in hospital for some injuries after surviving a Russian attack on Mariupol. In the past few hours, the young man wrote on his Instagram profile that he was "tired" and that it was "time to go home, I no longer have the head to go on". Choice for which the father feels "relieved".

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Berlin: "Ready for Russian oil embargo"

With a Russian oil embargo "we would have a local problem and obviously an increase in prices and perhaps the supply chains would not be safe but it would not affect the national economy as a whole. So, after two months of work, I can say that Germany it is not against an oil embargo on Russia. Obviously it is a heavy load to bear, but we are ready to do it. " This was stated by the German Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action Robert Habeck arriving at the Council of Energy Ministers in Brussels.

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Kiev: "Delays in the evacuation of Mariupol"

The evacuation scheduled for today in Mariupol is experiencing delays. This was reported by the BBC, explaining that a councilor of the mayor, who had announced the departure of the buses from the city in the morning, subsequently corrected his comment with a message confirming a delay in the evacuation. Civilians, reports the BBC, are still waiting for the buses, which should have arrived at the pick-up point at 7 local time (6 in Italy).

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The EU: "The Italian media do not evade Russian propaganda"

Hosting Russian media journalists blocked by sanctions - such as Sputnik and Russia Today - must not evade EU sanctions against Russian propaganda on Ukraine. It is not a question of censoring opinions but "it is important that their background be contextualized". Furthermore, "broadcasters in the EU and Member States must not allow incitement to violence or hatred in their programs, as required by the directive" on EU media activities. This was stated by a spokesman for the EU Commission when asked about the fact that Russian journalists are invited to talk shows in the Italian media and that at least two of them are on the list of sanctions.

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Kiev: "Russian missiles against bridge over the Dniester River estuary"

“Russian missiles hit a bridge over the Dniester River estuary in the Odessa region. This was reported by Ukraina 24 on Telegram, citing the spokesman for the regional civil and military administration Serhiy Bratchuk. "The enemy has launched missiles against the bridge over the Dniester estuary in the Odessa region," explains Bratchuk, stating that this is the third time that the bridge has been attacked.

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Kuleba: "Lavrov shows rooted anti-Semitism among the Russians"

"Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov has failed to hide the deeply rooted anti-Semitism of the Russian elites. His atrocious comments offend Ukrainian President Zelensky, Ukraine, Israel and the Jewish people. More generally, they show that Russia today it is full of hatred towards other nations ". The Ukrainian foreign minister, Dmitro Kuleba, writes it on Twitter.

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Kiev: in Azovstal there are still 200 civilians and 20 children

Denys Shleha, commander of the 12th Operations Brigade of the Ukrainian National Guard, said that inside the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, his men had a frenzied night after the first group of displaced people left the plant yesterday and that in the facility they would be about 200 people remained, including 20 children.

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Evacuation of civilians began in Mariupol

The evacuation of residents from Mariupol has begun. This was announced by the advisor to the mayor of the port city, Petro Andryushchenko, on Radio Svoboda, according to reports from Ukrainska Pravda. "According to our information, the buses have departed from Mariupol. By prior arrangement, the buses will collect people in the villages of Mangush and Berdyansk," he explains. "You are also allowed to join the column by your own means. We hope that thousands of our Mariupol residents who have been stranded on the road from Mariupol to Zaporizhzhia will arrive at their destination tonight or tomorrow morning."

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Kiev: "The Russians prepare the offensive in Sloviansk in the east"

Russian forces are preparing an offensive towards Sloviansk, an important Ukrainian city in the Donetsk region. This was reported by the Ukrainian army, according to CNN and the Ukrainian agency Ukrinform. The offensive involves heavy shelling of Ukrainian defenses, the staff said in its daily update. "The enemy fired at the units of our troops on the border between Lyman and Siversk to oust them from their positions and create the conditions for the attack on Sloviansk", the note reads.

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Kiev: "Two Russian patrol boats destroyed today"

Ukrainian forces destroyed two Raptor-class Russian patrol boats near Snake Island this morning at dawn: this was announced by the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian armed forces, General Valery Zaluzhny, in a tweet from the Ministry of Defense. "The Bayraktar combat drone works. Together for victory!" Added Zaluzhny.

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Erdogan, "possible meeting with Putin this week"

"There is a good chance that within the week we will have a meeting" with Russian President Vladimir Putin. This was stated by the Turkish head of state Recep Tayyip Erdogan, according to reports from the Anadolu news agency, without specifying whether it will be an in-person meeting.

The Turkish leader added that he believed his country could be the place where measures will be taken to reach a solution to the situation in eastern Ukraine. Yesterday, according to reports from various Turkish media, the spokesman of the Turkish president Ibrahim Kalin met the Ukrainian head of state Zelensky in Kiev during a visit together with the Turkish deputy foreign minister Sedat Onal.

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Kiev, grain depot destroyed by Russian missiles

A Russian missile attack hit a grain silo in the Dnipropetrovsk region (in eastern Ukraine), destroying the facility. This was reported by Ukrinform, quoting the head of the Dnipropetrovsk regional military administration, Valentyn Reznichenko, on Telegram.

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