The Russian-Ukrainian War at a Glance: What We Know as of Day 432 of the Invasion | Russia

The leader of the Russian mercenary group Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, warned that an expected Ukrainian counter-offensive could turn into a “tragedy” for Russia, and complained that its fighters were running out of ammunition., in an interview with pro-Kremlin war correspondent Semyon Pegov. Prigozhin, whose group is spearheading Russia’s attack on the besieged town of Bakhmut, predicted a Ukrainian counterattack in mid-May and said Wagner had “only 10-15% of the shells we need.

Pope Francis said the Vatican was involved in a peace mission to try to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. “I am ready to do whatever needs to be done. There is a mission going on right now but it is not public yet. When it is public I will reveal it,” Pope Francis told reporters during the a flight home after a three-day visit to Hungary.

The Russian military has replaced its highest-ranking general in charge of logistics, after days of rumors over the sacking of Colonel General Mikhail Mizintsev. In a statement, the Russian Defense Ministry said that Alexei Kuzmenkov – a former National Guard official – had replaced Mizintsev as “Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, responsible for the logistic support of the Armed Forces “. The statement does not specify why Mizintsev was replaced after just seven months on the job.

Ukraine said its troops were clinging to parts of the eastern town of Bakhmut. “The enemy is unable to take control of the city, although it has thrown all its forces into battle and is having some success,” Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar said. The Russian Defense Ministry earlier said its forces took four blocks in western Bakhmut on Sunday, according to Reuters, which could not independently confirm the claim.

Four people were killed in a nighttime Ukrainian strike on the Russian border village of Suzemka, the governor of the western region of Bryansk in Russia said on Sunday. “Two other civilians were found and pulled from the rubble. Unfortunately, they are both dead,” local governor Alexander Bogomaz said on Telegram.

Russian commanders probably began “punishing lapses in discipline by detaining offending troops in ‘Zindans’ which are improvised cells made of holes in the ground covered with a metal grid.said the UK Ministry of Defense in its latest intelligence update. The military has reportedly used “increasingly drastic” measures to enforce discipline since the fall of 2022, the Defense Ministry said, and “especially since Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov took over command of the operation in January 2023”.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he had a “long and significant telephone conversation with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron. The French presidency said Macron had reaffirmed France’s support for Ukraine for Zelenskiy, and that Macron had provided an update on European coordination to provide military aid to Ukraine.

Funerals were held for some of the 23 people who were killed on Friday when two Russian missiles hit a residential building in the central Ukrainian city of Uman.. Six children were among the dead.

With Reuters and AFP