CHECHEN warlord Ramzan Kadyrov has blasted Russian leader Vladimir Putin for "going soft' on his targets in the Ukraine war.
Regional leader Kadyrov – believed to be Russia’s wealthiest politician after Putin – is seen as part of a military and security bloc getting increasingly exasperated by the Kremlin leader.
Kadyrov wants Putin to use firepower to grab and control Ukraine’s major cities – and believes the Russian military machine has been fighting with its hands tied, resulting in repeated humiliations.
A general in the Russian national guard as well as head of oil-rich Chechnya, Kadyrov seemed unable to contain his frustration over Putin's tactics yesterday.
In a video aimed at Moscow, the Chechen dictator said: "We need to start the second stage and enter other cities – Kharkiv, Kyiv, Kherson, all cities, entirely, and install governance.
“And then continue dialogue with other countries who want to have relations with us. If they want sanctions, we’ll fight against sanctions, if they want war – we’ll fight… As a warrior, I ask the leadership of the state to take this decision. The sooner the better.
“Vladimir Vladimirovich [Putin], we are waiting for the order. Comrade Supreme Commander, your footmen are 100% ready.”
Follow our Russia-Ukraine live blog below for up-to-the-minute updates…
- Joseph Gamp
Zelenskyy asks UN for help in saving people from Azovstal
President Volodymyr Zelensky last night asked UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for help saving people trapped in the Azovstal steel works in Mariupol.
A statement from his office read: “The lives of the people who remain there are in danger. Everyone is important to us.
“We ask for your help in saving them.”
- Joseph Gamp
Help those fleeing conflict with The Sun’s Ukraine Fund
PICTURES of women and children fleeing the horror of Ukraine’s devastated towns and cities have moved Sun readers to tears.
Many of you want to help the five million caught in the chaos — and now you can, by donating to The Sun’s Ukraine Fund.
Give as little as £3 or as much as you can afford and every penny will be donated to the Red Cross on the ground helping women, children, the old, the infirm and the wounded.
Donate here to help The Sun’s fund
Or text to 70141 from UK mobiles
£3 — text SUN£3
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- Joseph Gamp
Russian official makes oil claims following proposed sanctions
A Russian official predicts Europe will continue buying Russian oil via third countries once EU countries introduce an embargo.
Speaking to Speaking the state-run RIA Novosti news agency senior MP Vladimir Dzhabarov, said: “They say we won’t buy oil from us. Well, don’t buy it, we don’t push it to you.
“You will still buy it, only through third countries. Our oil is the same, only more expensive.”
- Joseph Gamp
Chilling sign Russia is preparing to spark nuclear World War Three
Putin has also been spotted several times around what appears to be Russia’s secret nuclear briefcase.
Last month, he arrived at the Vostochny Cosmodrome via helicopter to visit a space port with Belarus dictator Alexander Lukashenko.
Putin arrived on the scene accompanied by his top military henchman who were seen carrying the alleged launch device – just days after it was snapped at a state funeral.
The secret case is thought to contain the launch apparatus for the Kremlin’s strategic missiles and its presence at the funeral is seen as a chilling threat to the world.
The bag, which has a personalised key code, is normally under 24/7 supervision and completely controls Moscow’s nuclear arsenal.
It is reportedly supervised by an armed security officer who accompanies no-nonsense Putin wherever he travels.
The briefcase, called Cheget in Russian, was developed in the early 1980s and was shown to the world for first time in 2019, with its contents being viewed up close on TV.
According to local media, there are actually not just one but three in total.
Its visible presence in recent weeks is thought to be a chilling sign that the crazed Russian leader could deploy devastating nuclear weapons at any time.
- Joseph Gamp
Hungary and Slovakia can buy Russian oil until 2023
Reuters have reported that the EU have said that Hungary and Slovakia will be able to continue buying Russian crude oil until the end of 2023 under existing contracts.
Both countries would be able to benefit from an embargo on Russian oil.
The EU has been outlining plans this morning to ban imports of Russian crude oil within six months.
- Joseph Gamp
No10 killed plans to hike defence spending after Putin’s Ukraine invasion
BORIS Johnson’s chief of staff stepped in to kill a defence spending hike in the first weeks of the Ukraine war, The Sun can reveal.
MP and No10 chief Steve Barclay squashed attempts by the Defence Secretary to discuss increasing Armed Forces spending with the Chancellor ahead of March’s mini-Budget.
As we revealed on Monday, Ben Wallace wrote to Rishi Sunak on March 11 warning Britain risked missing sacred NATO spending commitments because of inflation in a desperate plea for more cash.
But the doomsday letter sent just days after Russia invaded Ukraine was ignored.
Now a Whitehall blame game has broken out over who gave the order to bin the warning.
Defence officials pointed the finger at the Treasury for pushing them to withdraw the demand for more cash – but Treasury officials say it was PM’s powerful right-hand-man put his foot down.
One said: “It was No10 that ordered the row to cease and put the kibosh on any more money, not the Treasury.”
But a senior Whitehall source insisted: “Steve was concerned about the process rather than the content of the letter and is working with both departments on this matter.”
- Joseph Gamp
EU new sanctions
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen yesterday gave details of a sixth package of sanctions.
The following sanctions will be agreed in the coming days.
Firstly, high-ranking Russian military officers who committed war crimes in Bucha and Mariupol were to be targeted.
Russia’s largest bank, Sberbank, is to be disconnected from the SWIFT bank transfer system.
Three big state-owned Russian broadcasters are to be cut off from the EU on cable, satellite or the internet.
Finally all Russian oil will be phased out, but in an orderly fashion she said.
- Joseph Gamp
Chilling sign Russia is preparing to spark nuclear World War Three
One of Putin’s special so-called Doomsday planes for use in the event of a nuclear war with the West has been seen flying around Moscow in recent days.
A chilling video showed the Ilyushin Il-80 passing low over the outskirts of the capital.
The windowless Il-80 is one of four planes designed to act as a flying Kremlin in the sky in the event of a nuclear attack.
Putin would be able to rule Russia and issue commands to his military – including ordering nuke strikes – from the airborne command post.
- Joseph Gamp
Ukraine accuses Russia of planning to hol May 9 parade in Mariupol
Ukraine has accused Russia of planning to hold a military parade in the destroyed city of Mariupol on May 9 to celebrate victory over the Nazis in World War II.
Kyiv says an official from Russia's presidential administration has arrived in the strategic southern port city.
They are there to oversee plans for the Victory Day parade, although this claim has not yet been verified or confirmed.
- Joseph Gamp
UK says Russia is continuing to hit non-military targets
Russia continues to hit non-military targets in Ukraine such as residential properties and transport hubs in a bid to weaken the country's resolve, Britain's defence ministry said today.
In a regular military intelligence update, Britain also said that despite Russian ground operations focusing on eastern Ukraine, missile strikes continued across the country as Moscow sought to hamper Ukrainian resupply efforts.
"As Russian operations have faltered, non-military targets including schools, hospitals, residential properties and transport hubs have continued to be hit, indicating Russias willingness to target civilian infrastructure in an attempt to weaken Ukrainian resolve," the update, posted on Twitter, said.
"The continued targeting of key cities such as Odessa, Kherson and Mariupol highlights their desire to fully control access to the Black Sea, which would enable them to control Ukraines sea lines of communication, negatively impacting their economy."
- Joseph Gamp
Russia sets Mariupol plant cease fire for civilian evacuation
Russia said its forces would cease fire at the Azovstal steel plant in the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol and open a humanitarian corridor for civilians for three days beginning Thursday.
"The Russian armed forces will from 8 am to 6 pm (Moscow time, 0500 GMT to 1500 GMT) on May 5, 6 and 7 open a humanitarian corridor from the territory of the Azovstal metallurgical plant to evacuate civilians," the defence ministry said on Wednesday.
"During this period, the Russian armed forces and formations of the Donetsk People's Republic will unilaterally cease any hostilities," the ministry said in a statement.
Civilians that have been sheltering at the plant will be allowed to travel to Russia or Kyiv-controlled territory, the statement added.
- Joseph Gamp
Zelenskyy asks UN for help in saving people from Azovstal
President Volodymyr Zelensky has asked UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for help saving people trapped in the Azovstal steel works in Mariupol, his office said in a statement.
The statement read: "The lives of the people who remain there are in danger. Everyone is important to us.
"We ask for your help in saving them."
- Joseph Gamp
'Unacceptable that Ukrainians cannot switch between visa schemes after arrival'
Ukrainian refugees arriving in the UK under the family visa scheme with nowhere to live should not have to register as homeless when residents nearby are offering accommodation, the Government has been told.
They should also not be required to find a sponsor before "escaping a war zone" if their family member cannot give them a room, Labour MP Clive Betts said in a letter to refugees minister Lord Harrington.
Refugees with family connections in the UK are currently unable to transfer on to the Homes For Ukraine sponsorship scheme if their relatives cannot provide accommodation.
This means councils are having to provide them with emergency accommodation, such as hotels.
In a letter to Mr Betts, who is chairman of the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee, Lord Harrington had said it is not possible to switch schemes after arrival.
Ukrainians with relatives who cannot accommodate them are "welcome to apply" under the sponsorship scheme, but must do so before they arrive in the UK, he said.
Mr Betts said the committee had found this "unacceptable", and that he "strongly" urges the Government to rethink the policy.
Responding to Lord Harrington on Wednesday, he wrote: "It should not be incumbent on refugees escaping a war zone to find a sponsor before leaving that war zone simply because their family in the UK does not have suitable accommodation.
"Nor should a refugee arriving on the family scheme have to register with their council as homeless when residents in the area are willing to offer accommodation."
- Joseph Gamp
No10 killed plans to hike defence spending after Putin’s Ukraine invasion
BORIS Johnson’s chief of staff stepped in to kill a defence spending hike in the first weeks of the Ukraine war, The Sun can reveal.
MP and No10 chief Steve Barclay squashed attempts by the Defence Secretary to discuss increasing Armed Forces spending with the Chancellor ahead of March’s mini-Budget.
As we revealed on Monday, Ben Wallace wrote to Rishi Sunak on March 11 warning Britain risked missing sacred NATO spending commitments because of inflation in a desperate plea for more cash.
But the doomsday letter sent just days after Russia invaded Ukraine was ignored.
Now a Whitehall blame game has broken out over who gave the order to bin the warning.
Defence officials pointed the finger at the Treasury for pushing them to withdraw the demand for more cash – but Treasury officials say it was PM’s powerful right-hand-man put his foot down.
One said: “It was No10 that ordered the row to cease and put the kibosh on any more money, not the Treasury.”
But a senior Whitehall source insisted: “Steve was concerned about the process rather than the content of the letter and is working with both departments on this matter.”
- Joseph Gamp
UK schoolboy receives reply from Ukraine's president
A young British boy has been left overjoyed after he received a reply from President Zelenskyy after hidign a letter in a convoy.
Thomas Handley, 12, was delighted to receive a reply from the President after he put a handwritten letter into a convoy of 270 parcels of medical supplies and clothing collected by Durham Trinity School heading to the war-torn country.
Zelenskyy wrote: "Thank you for your letter of support. I am OK and thank you for your help.
"We hope to bring peace to Ukraine and food to the citizens of all the country and rebuild the towns.
"What you have said in our letter and what the United Kingdom does to support brings a smile to my face and to many others."
- Joseph Gamp
Russia violates Finnish airspace – reports
A Russian army helicopter violated Finland's airspace Wednesday, the defence ministry said, as the country mulls a potential NATO membership bid, which it hopes would be speedy.
Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said Wednesday that should Helsinki apply, alone or together with neighbouring Sweden, she hoped the application process would be completed as quickly as possible.
Helsinki is holding talks with key members of the alliance to obtain security guarantees during the application period, which could last several months, Marin told a joint press conference with Nordic leaders in Copenhagen.
Meanwhile, UK defence minister Ben Wallace, who was visiting Finland Wednesday pledged the UK's support in the event of an attack on the Nordic country.
"I cannot conceive a time that we wouldn't come to support Finland and Sweden, no matter where they were with the NATO debate or where they are with the agreements and I think that is what really binds us," Wallace told journalists.
"We would do whatever we need to, to support Finland," the minister said during the trip to Kankaanpaa in the southwest of the country. He was in Finland to attend a military exercise dubbed "Arrow 2022".
- Joseph Gamp
Help those fleeing conflict with The Sun’s Ukraine Fund
PICTURES of women and children fleeing the horror of Ukraine’s devastated towns and cities have moved Sun readers to tears.
Many of you want to help the five million caught in the chaos — and now you can, by donating to The Sun’s Ukraine Fund.
Give as little as £3 or as much as you can afford and every penny will be donated to the Red Cross on the ground helping women, children, the old, the infirm and the wounded.
Donate here to help The Sun’s fund
Or text to 70141 from UK mobiles
£3 — text SUN£3
£5 — text SUN£5
£10 — text SUN£10Texts cost your chosen donation amount (e.g. £5) +1 standard message (we receive 100%). For full T&Cs visit redcross.org.uk/mobile
- Joseph Gamp
Russia's defence chief sends warning to Nato
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu today just issued a stern warning to Nato.
He says, as quoted by Russian state media: “We will view any Nato means of transport arriving on the territory of the country carrying weapons or equipment for the Ukrainian military as a legitimate target for destruction.”
He accuses Nato and its allies of continuing to “pump Ukraine full of weapons”.
- Joseph Gamp
Chilling sign Russia is preparing to spark nuclear World War Three
One of Putin’s special so-called Doomsday planes for use in the event of a nuclear war with the West has been seen flying around Moscow in recent days.
A chilling video showed the Ilyushin Il-80 passing low over the outskirts of the capital.
The windowless Il-80 is one of four planes designed to act as a flying Kremlin in the sky in the event of a nuclear attack.
Putin would be able to rule Russia and issue commands to his military – including ordering nuke strikes – from the airborne command post.
- Joseph Gamp
EU targets head of Russian Orthodox Church in sanctions proposals
The European Commission has proposed freezing the assets of Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, a diplomat said on Wednesday.
The Patriarch has been added to a draft blacklist that already includes hundreds of military officers and businessmen close to the Kremlin whom the EU accuses of supporting the war in Ukraine.
- Joseph Gamp
UK bans Russia from accessing accounting services amid new sanctions
Britain will cut Russia's access to UK-based services including accountancy – and will sanction pro-Kremlin news outlets and their journalists reporting Moscow's invasion from within Ukraine.
Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said in a statement: "By restricting Russia's access to our world-class management consultants, accountants and PR firms, we're ratcheting up economic pressure on the Kremlin to change course,"
The government said UK businesses supply 10 percent of Russia's imports in the services sector and that the UK has now sanctioned over 1,600 individuals and entities.
Russia has responded with tit-for-tat sanctions.
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss added: "Cutting Russia's access to British services will put more pressure on the Kremlin and ultimately help ensure (Russian President Vladimir) Putin fails in Ukraine,"
She also announced 63 sanctions including asset freezes and travel bans affecting media organisations responsible for what she called "the Kremlin's shadowy troll factory tactics".
- Joseph Gamp
Moment Ukrainian drone sinks two Russian gunboats after ‘direct hit’
This is the extraordinary moment Ukraine blitzed TWO Russian Navy boats in a deadly drone attack – sending Putin’s butchers sinking to a watery grave.
Astonishing footage shows what is understood to be Turkish made Bayraktar TB2 drones unleashing hell on two fast-attack boats in the Black Sea.
The infrared video – released by the Ukrainian armed forces – shows one of the Raptor-class craft floating off the coast of the war ravaged country.
But moments later, it is pounded in a direct strike from the sky, sending an enormous fireball into the air as it’s blown to smithereens
While another clip appears to show a boat accelerating shortly before it’s annihilated in a direct strike – obliterating the entire vessel in a hellish inferno.
- Joseph Gamp
Mayor of Mariupol says contact with forces in plant lost
The mayor of the destroyed Ukrainian city of Mariupol said Wednesday that contact was lost with Ukrainian forces holed up in the Azovstal steel plant amid fierce battles with Russian troops.
"Unfortunately, yes, there is heavy fighting in Azovstal today," Vadym Boichenko told Ukrainian television,
He added that city officials had "lost contact" with Ukrainian forces inside the plant and had no way of knowing "what's going on, whether they are safe or not".
- Joseph Gamp
UK provides more aid to help most vulnerable in Ukraine
The UK is providing £45 million in funding to help the most vulnerable in Ukraine and at its borders, the Government has said.
The money will go to UN agencies and charities delivering vital aid and supporting survivors of sexual violence in the war-torn nation, where the Russian invasion continues to exacerbate a massive humanitarian crisis and force people to flee.
This means the UK's full £220 million humanitarian aid package for Ukraine has now been allocated.
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said: "Britain has stood shoulder to shoulder with the people of Ukraine throughout this conflict. As one of the largest humanitarian donors we will continue to make sure those bearing the brunt of (Russian President Vladimir) Putin's vile war have the lifesaving aid they need.
"British aid is supporting the most vulnerable in Ukraine, particularly women and children, who are facing increased risk of sexual violence and exploitation."
Of the £45 million, £15 million will go to the UN Ukraine Humanitarian Fund which distributes food, water, shelter and other basic necessities, as well as working to prevent sexual violence.
Martin Griffiths, UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief co-ordinator, said: "This generous contribution from the United Kingdom will enable the UN's Ukraine Humanitarian Fund to scale up the delivery of fast, effective and lifesaving aid to people who are caught up in this unfolding nightmare."
- Louis Allwood
Fresh attacks
VLADIMIR Putin launched fresh attacks over night in Lviv striking multiple power stations in the city causing huge devastation.
Russia resumed their shelling, striking power stations in the city of Lviv which is seen as relatively safe.
Six railway stations were also struck and blackouts were caused in the western city, the mayor said.
Russia also launched a bid to storm the wrecked Azovstal steel plant yesterday as 400 civilians remained trapped in “hell” in bunkers and tunnels below the bomb-blitzed site.
The devastated Mariupol factory faced airstrikes and bombardment by tanks and naval guns as attempts were made to land infantry by boat after a ceasefire to evacuate the trapped collapsed.
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