On April 29, Ukraine announced that it had successfully countered 55 Russian attacks in multiple villages north and west of Novobakhmutivka in the eastern Donetsk region. One of the villages targeted was Ocheretyne, where intense fighting was reported on Sunday. The eastern front of Donetsk has seen escalated tensions in recent days, with Kiev acknowledging a deteriorating situation on the front lines as they await the weapons promised by the United States as part of a $61 billion aid package.
In Russia, three journalists have been arrested in the past three days. Sergei Mingazov, from Forbes Russia, was detained on charges of sharing false news about the abuses in Bucha by Russian forces. Similar accusations of extremism were made against Sergei Karelin, a video journalist who worked for various media outlets and was arrested in Murmansk, and Konstantin Gabov, a Reuters collaborator apprehended in Moscow.
Furthermore, there have been reports of a deadly shooting in the city of Mara Ayagy in Russia, where two traffic police officers lost their lives and four others were injured. The attackers, who used explosives and automatic weapons, were neutralized by Russian security forces during the incident.
The conflict in Ukraine has taken a toll on Russia, with the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reporting that 467,470 Russian soldiers have been killed since the war began on February 24, 2022. The report also lists a significant number of losses in terms of military equipment and vehicles on the Russian side.
Chinese President Xi Jinping is scheduled to visit France, Serbia, and Hungary from May 5 to 10. This diplomatic tour comes at the invitation of the leaders of these countries and aims to strengthen ties between China and the European nations.