May, 5th, 2022
1. The Russian president called on the West to halt weapons deliveries to Kiev
The West can help stop “war crimes” carried out by Ukrainian forces if it uses its influence over Kiev and ceases the supply of weapons to the country, Russian President Vladimir Putin told his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on May 3rd.
During their phone conversation, which lasted for more than two hours, Putin claimed EU nations have ignored “the war crimes of the Ukrainian security forces, massive shelling of cities and towns in Donbass, resulting in civilian casualties.”
The speaker of the Russian State Duma Viacheslav Volodin said that all heads of states and governments of foreign countries that supply Ukraine with arms will be trialed as war criminals.
2. Who is going to use NW in Ukraine?
Some persons living counties expressing unfriendly attitude towards Russia that cannot be regarded as experts in nuclear arms control have intensified their efforts to unjustifiably blame Moscow for alleged intention to use nuclear weapons (NW).
There are several methods to maintain constant interest to this issue.
The first one is related to the first announcement made by President Vladimir Putin about Russian military action versus Ukraine who began its third aggression against Donbass. The claim was written in the following way "Russian President Vladimir Putin's comments on the current global crisis have caused a great stir. On February 24, he signaled the potential use of nuclear weapons, stating: “To anyone who would consider interfering from the outside: if you do, you will face consequences greater than any of you have faced in history.”
Vladimir Putin has not made any statement in favor of NW employment in Ukraine since he became the head of the Russian state. Russia has already inflicted heavy losses on the Ukrainian aggressors during the current defensive operation: Ukraine does not have Navy, nearly lost its Air Force. Around 3,000 tanks and APCs have been destroyed by conventional arms.
However, there is no term “NW” in Putin’s statement made on February 24th, 2022. Nevertheless, the end of the phrase “… you will face consequences greater than any of you have faced in history” has been interpreted as having the hint to NW. No, it does not have any hints to NW. But it can be applied to non-nuclear hypersonic weapons.
Another claim is like this: “If Russia no longer wishes to do this - if it has very sensibly stepped back from the brink - this is good news.”
It is natural that Russia should not step back from any commitment to use NW in Ukraine because it has never assumed such measure.
But the USA and the UK can use NW in Ukraine. The current U.S. NPR that specified 14 reasons to use NW permits to use them. British PM Boris Johnson threatened to use it in connection with Ukraine. The USA has amassed several hundred TNW in Europe as a forward-based weapon, and several hundred of DCA certified to carry NW. The USA can use 19 military airfields in Europe that can offer landing rights for the U.S. heavy strategic bombers frequently flying over Europe with NW in the form of SOA.
Unfortunately, it is impossible to find such facts frequently in Western nuclear arms controllers’ analysis.
The second one is related to the meeting that took place between President Putin and the Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and his Deputy, the head of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov. The claim said that : "On February 27, the situation escalated even more. He ordered the defense minister and the head of the Russian military to put its deterrence forces, including nuclear forces, on “special alert“ missions against Ukraine and NATO." There have been three intentional mistakes: Putin has not put Russian nuclear forces “on special alert” – there is no such degree in Russia - he instructed to enhance regime of shifts of operators on duty in Russian deterrence forces that include conventional forces of the Air Force and the Navy, and nuclear forces; Ukraine and NATO have not been mentioned in Putin’s remarks at all.
The third one was attributed to some Russian newsmen and political figures who are not involved in drafting nuclear strategy in Russia, cannot change such doctrine. The claim sounded as: “Indeed there was, both in the Putin statement immediately after the invasion commenced and in Simonyans [CEO of the RT] statement more recently. There has never been the slightest shadow of doubt that nuclear weapons and nuclear war are what is being referenced..
The fact is that no single person in Russia (e.g. expert, guest in TV studio, politician and even the President) can unilaterally change the existing nuclear strategy. There are two obstacles: the Constitution and the Senate.
All hue and cry dealt with alleged use of the RF NW in Ukraine blowing in the West is arranged intentionally to cover up the U.S. use of NW in Ukraine. This is a real threat and reality. See the respective remarks recently made by William Oliver Stone.
At the same time the critics of Russian nuclear policy completely ignore the statements made by Boris Jonson, the UK PM, and Ukrainian president Zelensky at the 2022 Munich Security Conference on nuclear weapons. They also ignore the U.S. potential to use biological weapons in Ukraine and Russia as WMD.
A caveat:
The global anti-nuclear movement will not be able to attain positive results in its efforts, if it continues to take sides in nuclear arms domain, by criticizing one side and not noticing the harmful and dangerous policies and actions by the other.
Nuclear war mongers will exploit such phenomenon in their favor.
It is easy to oversleep nuclear attack. To avoid this tragic scenario strong prudence and well-balanced approach in identifying real nuclear threats are badly needed.
3. Humanitarian situation
From Statement of the Joint Coordination Headquarters of the Russian Federation for Humanitarian Response (May 4, 2022, 21:30)
In accordance with the decision of the leadership of the Russian Federation, since March 4, 2022, the Russian Armed Forces, in strict compliance with the norms of international law and for purely humane purposes, every day from 08:00AM to 08:00PM (Moscow time) without any restrictions open a humanitarian corridor in Mariupol direction to evacuate civilians, primarily women, children and elderly citizens in any direction they choose: both to the territory of Russia, the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics and to the areas under control of the Kiev authorities.
In addition, the Russian Armed Forces have been opening humanitarian corridors in the Donetsk, Lugansk, Crimean and Kharkov directions daily since 10:00AM (Moscow time). The Russian side is ready to deploy humanitarian corridors in any other directions as soon as possible and to ensure the safe evacuation of civilians.
Russian servicemen together with formations of the Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics strictly observe the ceasefire on all routes.
The Joint Coordination Headquarters of the Russian Federation for Humanitarian Response, in cooperation with the authorized federal executive authorities, continues to record numerous facts of the inhumane attitude of the Kiev authorities towards civilians, as well as the use of social infrastructure facilities by Ukrainian armed formations for military purposes:
in Kramatorsk, on the territory of schools No. 1, 3 and vocational school No. 39, units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine placed military equipment, heavy weapons and equipped an ammunition depot, while the evacuation of residents from nearby houses was not carried out;
in Kharkov, in close proximity to densely populated residential areas, on the territory of an experimental cement and coke chemical plants, the AFU units placed D-30 howitzers and MLRS. There are a large number of tanks with toxic technical liquids at these plants. If the tanks are destroyed, chemicals will be released into the atmosphere, followed by contamination of the air, terrain and water sources, which will lead to mass poisoning of people. The fighters, knowing that only civilians will become victims of their cynical actions, purposefully provoke the Russian Armed Forces to return fire in order to hold Russian servicemen responsible for possible victims among the local population.
In addition, numerous facts of illegal appropriation of humanitarian aid by officials of military administrations of cities for its subsequent resale to the local population were recorded in the Zaporozhye region on the territory controlled by the Kiev regime.
It is precisely because of such actions of the Kiev regime that international organizations are considering stopping the delivery of humanitarian goods, as the Romanian mission of the International Committee of the Red Cross in the Odessa region did earlier, where massive theft of humanitarian aid vital to civilians was also recorded.
All this, once again, demonstrates the true "face" of the Ukrainian authorities, openly expressing an inhumane attitude to the fate of the people of Ukraine and neglecting the norms of morality and international humanitarian law.
Despite all the difficulties and obstacles created by Kiev, over the past day, without the participation of the Ukrainian authorities, 10,617 people, including 1,421 children, were evacuated from dangerous areas of the Donetsk, Lugansk People's Republics and Ukraine to the territory of the Russian Federation. Since the start of the special military operation, a total of 1,114,318 people, including 199,348 children moved to Russia. The state border of the Russian Federation was crossed by 144,759 units of personal motor transport, including 1,786 over the past day.
In the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, more than 9.5 thousand temporary accommodation facilities continue to operate, which are fully equipped with all necessary property, they provide places for rest and hot meals. Individual work is carried out with arriving refugees and assistance is promptly provided in solving various pressing issues related to further placement, assistance in finding employment, providing children with places in kindergartens and educational institutions, as well as providing the required social benefits.
A significant part of the population forcibly held by radicals in Ukrainian cities is still looking for any opportunities for evacuation to Russia, as evidenced by numerous requests of citizens through various channels to official structures and public organizations of the Russian Federation. Over the past day, the hotline of the Joint Coordination Headquarters of the Russian Federation for Humanitarian Response, federal executive authorities, subjects of the Russian Federation and various public organizations received 198 requests from Ukrainian citizens with appeals for evacuation to the territory of Russia, Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics, as well as to the areas of Zaporozhye controlled by the Russian Armed Forces, Nikolaev, Kharkov and Kherson regions. In total, the database contains 2,754,562 such requests from 2,133 localities in Ukraine.
Since March 2nd , 2022, the Russian Federation has already delivered 17,567.6 tons of basic necessities, food, medicines and medical products to Ukraine, 967 humanitarian actions have been carried out, including five humanitarian actions in the Zaporozhye, Kharkov and Kherson regions over the past day, during which 195 were transferred to the civilian population tons of humanitarian aid.
On May 4, 2022, four humanitarian actions are held in Donetsk, Lugansk people's republics and the Kherson region, during which 169.4 tons of basic necessities and food are transferred to the population.
4. Situation on the battlefields
Armed Forces of Ukraine continue to shell the DPR and the LPR residential and social infrastructure areas May 3rd, 4th and 5th by using 122 mm artillery ammunition.
High-precision long-range air- and sea-based weapons destroyed 6 railway power substations near Podbortsi, Lvov, Volonets, Timkovo and Pyatikhatka railway stations, through which the Ukrainian troops in Donbass was supplied with arms and ammunition manufactured in the USA and European countries.
High-precision air-based missiles of the Russian Aerospace Forces have destroyed: 1 Tochka-U tactical missile launcher near Novaya Dmitrovka, 3 S-300 anti-aircraft missile system locators near Sandjeika, Krysino and Volnyansk, as well as 1 ammunition depot and 9 areas of manpower and military equipment concentration near Novoalexandrovka.
Operational-tactical and army aviation of the Russian Aerospace Forces have hit 40 military assets of Ukraine.
Among them: 1 pontoon crossing near Protopopovka, 4 ammunition and missile-artillery weapons depots, as well as 34 areas of Ukrainian manpower and military equipment concentration.
Missile troops have hit 2 command posts of AFU units, 1 battery of BM-21 Grad multiple rocket launchers, 1 battery of 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled artillery systems, 1 battery of D-30 howitzers, and 4 areas of manpower and military equipment concentration.
Artillery units have hit 16 command posts, 2 fuel depots, as well as 476 strongholds of nationalist units, areas of manpower and military equipment concentration.
The attacks have resulted in the elimination of more than 310 nationalists and up to 53 Ukrainian ACVs.
Russian AAD has shot down 9 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles near Izyum, Topolnoe, Malaya Kamyshevakha, Russkie Tishki, Brazhkovka in Kharkov Region, Zelenyi Gai in Nikolaev Region and Novokrasnyanka in Lugansk People's Republic, including 1 Bayraktar-TB2 near Aleksandrovka in Kharkov Region.
In addition, 4 Smerch multiple-launch rockets have been shot down in the air near Velikaya Kamyshevakha.
In total, 146 aircraft and 112 helicopters, 706 unmanned aerial vehicles, 287 anti-aircraft missile systems, 2,807 tanks and other ACVs, 321 MLRSs, 1,279 field artillery and mortars, as well as 2,609 special military vehicles of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were destroyed during the operation
[https://eng.mil.ru/en/special_operation/news/more.htm?id=12419834@egNews]
5. Terror attack foiled near Ukrainian border – Transnistria
An armed drone has been intercepted near a telecom center in Transnistria. A weaponized cargo drone was intercepted overnight near a large TV center located in the village of Mayak, the Interior Ministry of the republic of Transnistria said on May, 3rd.
In recent days, Transnistria, officially known as the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (PMR), located along a narrow strip of land between the Dniester River and Ukrainian border in the eastern part of Moldova, has endured a string of terrorist attacks involving the region’s critical civilian and military infrastructure. Apart from the attacks on the Mayak broadcasting center, Transnistria’s Ministry of State Security was targeted by three unknown assailants, who fired shoulder-mounted rocket launchers at the building, shattering its windows and damaging its façade. Several explosions also occurred at a military compound outside Transnistria’s capital city of Tiraspol.
Russian experts believe that this area can be converted into the fourth front with Ukraine, if anyone assumes that there are already three active ones: in Donbass, Northern and Southern Ukraine.
6. 'An act of genocide': a witness recalls the 2014 Odessa massacre
Here is just one question with the subsequent reply of a doctor from Odessa Vladimir Grubnik, Ph.D. in Medicine, who participated in the Odessa protests on May 2, 2014, and spent over four years in a Ukrainian prison for his political views.
“Question: Many believe the tragedy of May 2, 2014, was the point of no return in the civil war. What do you think and why?
Answer: It wasn’t a tragedy, but an act of genocide. And it became the detonator of the civil war. It showed the true intentions of people with respect to the unfolding events. … And I think that war, of course, is monstrous, but there are things worse than war. For example, a massacre. May 2 showed that the alternative to war is massacre. Like in Odessa, where we were clearly shown what would happen if we did not put up armed resistance to the Ukrainian Nazis. A huge number of people in the southeastern regions of Ukraine, in the Donbass, and in Russia understood this.
Having seen what happened on May 2, they took up their backpacks and went to fight the Ukronazis to the death, to destroy them. They protected the population from slaughter. And on February 24, 2022, the process of protecting the population from slaughter simply moved into a new phase. Therefore, truth is on our side, justice is on our side. And there is no way to come to an agreement as long as the Ukrainian Nazis hold power. They do not consider us to be people. Therefore, I repeat: war is terrible, but we are in a situation where the alternative is even worse.”
[full interview is posted at: https://www.rt.com/russia/554946-tragedy-odessa-protests-ukraine/]
Written by Vladimir P. Kozin
