Vladimir Putin meets Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin at the Kremlin, May 5, 2025

EA-Times Radio VideoCast: Are There Any US “Adults in the Room” Over Ukraine-Russia?

Monday’s Coverage: Zelensky — Kyiv Expects 3 Million Shells From Allies

Map: Institute for the Study of War

UPDATE 1619 GMT:

A child has been killed and at least six civilians injured by a Russian ballistic missile attack on a suburb of Sumy city in northern Ukraine.

The missile targeted civilian infrastructure around 5:30 p.m. Most of the injured are children, with one in extremely serious condition.

UPDATE 1606 GMT:

The European Commission has presented a detailed roadmap to end the European Union’s energy dependence on Russia by 2027.

The bloc would terminate imports of Russian gas, oil, and nuclear fuel. All new contracts for Russian gas, both liquefied and pipeline, will be prohibited. Spot market purchases will be terminated by the end of 2025.

“Energy that comes to our continent should not pay for a war of aggression against Ukraine,” Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen said. “We owe this to our citizens, to our companies and to our brave Ukrainian friends.”

During Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the EU has reduced reliance on Russian gas from 45% of imports to 19%. Russian coal has been banned and oil imports have fallen from 27% to 3%.

However, there was a modest rebound in Russian gas imports in 2024, with some EU members objecting to a coordinated phase-out.

The Commission is proposing that all governments — including Hungary and Slovakia, who have leaders sympathetic to Vladimir Putin and have insisted on continued gas purchases — will be required to submit individual phase-out plans by the end of the year. Long-term contracts will be terminated early, with the Commission deeming that Russia’s invasion creates force majeure conditions.

EU foreign policy head Kaja Kallas posted:

EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen added, “No more shall Euros go into [Russia’s] war chest. Your gas will be banned. Your shadow fleet will be stopped.”

UPDATE 1355 GMT:

Russia’s oil price has fallen to a two-year low, below 4,000 roubles ($49.29) per barrel, around 40% lower than the figure for the federal budget.

The average price of Russia’s mix of Urals and ESPO blends dipped on May 2 to 3,987 roubles ($48.92) per barrel, the lowest price since May 2023.

Last week the government raised the estimate of the 2025 budget deficit to 1.7% of Gross Domestic Product, up from 0.5%. It reduced the forecast for energy revenue by 24%.

Russia has increased defense spending by 25% in 2025 to 6.3% of GDP, the highest level since the Cold War.

UPDATE 1348 GMT:

As the Trump Administration renews military aid to Ukraine, officials have blamed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s office for halt of assistance flights in early February without notifying the White House.

The suspension reportedly affected 11 shipments of artillery shells and weapons from Dover Air Force Base in Delaware and an American base in the United Arab Emirates.

The flights resumed February 5, after a three-day pause, following an intervention from National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, one official said.

In a January 30 meeting in the Oval Office, the aid cut-off was discussed but was not approved by Donald Trump.

In early March, the Administration halted assistance and intelligence sharing after the ambush of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky by Vice President J.D. Vance in the White House.

The verbal order reportedly originated from Hegseth’s office after a Jan. 30 Oval Office meeting on Ukraine, where cutting off aid was discussed but not approved by Trump.

Four people familiar with the matter told Reuters a small group of Pentagon staffers, many with long-standing opposition to U.S. aid for Ukraine, had advised Hegseth to suspend assistance.

UPDATE 1343 GMT:

Ukraine has secured the return of 205 soldiers in an one-for-one exchange of prisoners of war with Russia, mediated by the United Arab Emirates.

President Volodymyr Zelensky posted:

The exchange is the fifth of 2025 and the 64th durring Russia’s full-scale invasion.

UPDATE 0717 GMT:

At least four people have been injured by another massive Russian drone attack on Ukraine’s second city Kharkiv.

Russia launched 20 Iran-type attack drones overnight, targeting four districts.

The Barabashovo Market, one of the largest in Ukraine; a private house; a restaurant; and cars were set afire.

UPDATE 0707 GMT:

Amid a Ukrainian cross-border incursion into the Kursk region in western Russia, a village head issued an order for evacuation — but soon deleted the post.

Vasily Khudyakov apologized for the message about the evacuation of residents from Gluskhovo “in connection with the complicated situation.”

Once again, forgive me for the panic I unwittingly sowed. No evacuation of the population is being carried out! The situation in the village is under control.

Later the apology was also deleted.

UPDATE 0653 GMT:

Russian proxy authorities in Sevastopol in occupied Crimea have canceled the Victory Day military parade, citing safety concerns, for the third year in a row.

“There won’t be a Victory Day parade this year, as has been agreed with the Defense Ministry,” Sevastopol Governor Mikhail Razvozhayev told a meeting. “For obvious reasons, we won’t be publishing the schedule.”

UPDATE 0617 GMT:

One civilian was killed on Monday night by a drone attack that damaged infrastructure in the Odesa region in southern Ukraine.

Several houses were damaged, with a body found in one of the homes.

Three residents were killed and seven injured, including a 16-year-old boy, by Russian attacks on villages in the Sumy region near the border.

One person was critically wounded and one is in serious condition.

Russia launched guided aerial bombs, mortars, and rockets on the villages of Bilopillia and Vorozhba, damaging civilian infrastructure.

UPDATE 0607 GMT:

Reporters Without Borders has confirmed that it arranged facilitated Russian journalist Ekaterina Barabash’s escape from Moscow to Paris last month.

Barabash told reporters in Paris on Monday, “I fled — I had no other choice. Journalism no longer exists in Russia.”

Barabash, who was born in Ukraine’s second city Kharkiv, escaped house arrest on April 21. She was arrested on February 25 and detained by a Moscow court for posting on her Facebook account about Russia’s invasion.

RSF Director General Thibaut Bruttin told Monday’s press conference:

Her escape from Russia is one of the most perilous operations RSF has been involved in since the draconian Russian laws of March 2022. It sends a clear message to the Kremlin: free voices that dare to speak the truth about the war in Ukraine cannot be silenced.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: As the Kremlin prepares to celebrate “Victory Day” on Friday, Ukraine’s drones have attacked targets near Moscow for the second night in a row.

Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said 19 Ukrainian drones approached the capital between 1 and 2:30 a.m. He claimed debris from an intercepted UAV fell over one of the key highways.

A 9-story apartment building was reportedly struck. Moscow’s three major airports were closed, and restrictions were imposed at 10 others across the country.

Ukrainian officials did not comment.

Russia’s “Victory Day” marks the triumph over Germany in World War II. Hoping to avoid any disruption of ceremonies including a military parade in Red Square, Vladimir Putin has declared a three-day “ceasefire” from May 8 to 11.

Ukraine also hit a power substation in the town of Rylsk in the Kursk region in western Russia. Governor Alexander Khinshtein said two people were injured as two transformers were damaged and power cut.

Russian war monitors reported that Ukrainian forces, firing missiles, smashed through the border in Kursk and crossed minefields with armored vehicles.