The French judiciary has launched a war crime investigation into the death of AFP journalist Arman Soldin, who was killed in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region, prosecutors said Wednesday. The reporter's death comes as a senior Ukrainian military official said Russian forces had pulled back from some areas near the battleground city of Bakhmut after counter attacks by Kyiv's forces. Follow FRANCE 24 blog to see how the day's events unfolded. All times are Paris time (GMT+2).
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01:09am: Lula envoy meets Ukraine's Zelensky after comments that drew ire
A special adviser to Brazil’s presidency on international affairs met with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday following comments by his Brazilian counterpart that have drawn rebukes from Kyiv, the U.S. and Europe.
Adviser Celso Amorim, who is a former foreign minister, told Brazilian newspaper O Globo after the meeting that Zelensky understood that President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is working for peace.
Newspaper Folha de S.Paulo quoted Amorim as saying his dialogue with Ukrainian officials was positive and built confidence, and that it helped to explain Brazil’s objectives for peace.
10:28pm: Russia acknowledges Ukraine war ‘difficult’ but claims to have realised some goals
Russia's military operation against Ukraine is "very difficult" but certain goals have been achieved, Tass news agency cited Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying on Wednesday.
Russia has succeeded in severely damaging Ukraine's military machine and this work will continue, he added.
9:04pm: US greenlights transfer of Russian oligarch's forfeited funds
US Attorney General Merrick Garland has authorised the transfer of forfeited funds from Russian oligarch Konstantin Malofeyev for use in Ukraine, he said in a statement on Wednesday.
The Justice Department last year charged Russian oligarch Konstantin Malofeyev with violating sanctions imposed on Russia after its invasion of Ukraine, saying he provided financing for Russians promoting separatism in Crimea.
7:17pm: France launches war crime probe into AFP journalist's death
The French judiciary has launched a war crime investigation into the death of AFP reporter Arman Soldin who was killed in Ukraine, anti-terror prosecutors said Wednesday.
Soldin, 32, died when he and his AFP colleagues came under fire by Grad rockets on Tuesday while they were with Ukrainian troops near Chasiv Yar, in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine.
The French probe will be handled by the OCLCH, an investigating unit specialising in crimes against humanity and hate crimes, and will seek to determine the exact circumstances of Soldin's death, the prosecutors said.
His death brings to at least 11 the number of journalists, fixers or drivers for media teams killed since Russia invaded Ukraine more than a year ago, according to advocacy groups.
7:06pm: Black Sea grain deal could be extended for two more months, Turkish foreign minister says
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Wednesday he thought the Ukraine Black Sea grain deal could be extended for at least two more months, as officials held the first day of talks on an extension in Istanbul.
Russia has said it would not extend the pact beyond May 18 unless a list of demands is met to remove obstacles to its own grain and fertilizer exports. Cavusoglu was speaking to reporters on his return from a trip to Moscow.
6:38pm: Kremlin fury at Poland for renaming Russian administrative region of Kaliningrad
The Kremlin said Poland's decision to rename the Russian administrative regionof Kaliningrad, which sits on its border, was a "hostile act".
From now on, it will be designated on Polish maps as Krolewiec, based on the recommendation of the government commission for geographic names abroad.
The Kremlin has reacted angrily: spokesperson Dmitry Peskov called it a “process bordering on insanity,” going beyond Russophobia.
6:05pm: Some Russian units forced to retreat in Bakhmut, Ukrainian colonel claims
A Kyiv military commander claims that some Russian units have been forced to retreat in the eastern city of Bakhmut by up to 2 km as the result of counter attacks by Ukrainian units.
Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, who heads Ukraine's ground forces, made the comments in a post on Telegram.
4:58pm: Canada and Latvia to train Ukrainian soldiers from next Monday
Canada and Latvia will jointly train Ukrainian soldiers on Latvian soil starting May 15, Canadian Defence Minister Anita Anand said on Wednesday.
The training program will complement other Canadian efforts to train Ukrainian soldiers in the United Kingdom and in Poland, said Anand, speaking to reporters along side her Latvian counterpart Inara Murniece in Ottawa.
4:39pm: Putin signs annual military training decree
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree calling up military reservists for training in 2023, according to a document published Wednesday on a government website.
The training of these Russian citizens, who are in the armed forces reserve, is a planned annual event.
3:18pm: Russia's dangerous move to relocate over 3,000 Ukrainian staff from Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant
Russia intends to relocate around 3,100 Ukrainian staff from Europe’s largest nuclear plant, Ukraine’s atomic energy company claimed Wednesday, warning of a potential “catastrophic lack of qualified personnel” at the Zaporizhzhia facility in Russia-occupied southern Ukraine.
Workers who signed employment contracts with various affiliates of Russia’s nuclear agency Rosatom following Moscow’s capture of the Zaporizhzhia plant early in the war are the bulk of those set to be taken to Russia along with their families, Ukraine's state-owned Energoatom said in a Telegram post.
Energoatom didn't specify whether the employees would be forcibly moved out of the plant. It also wasn't immediately possible to verify hte company Energoatom’s claims about Moscow’s plan.
14:35pm: Ukraine forces heavily damage Russian brigade, says military spokesman
Ukraine's military said on Wednesday its forces had seriously damaged though not destroyed Russia's 72nd Separate Motor-rifle Brigade near Bakhmut, and that the eastern city remained Moscow's main target.
Serhiy Cherevatyi, spokesperson for Ukrainian troops in the east, said the situation remained "difficult" in Bakhmut, but that Moscow was increasingly forced to use regular army forces because of heavy losses among the Wagner private army group.
2:19pm: Russian brigade flees Bakhmut according to Ukraine military
A Ukrainian military unit said on Wednesday it had routed a Russian infantry brigade from territory near Bakhmut, claiming to confirm an account by the head of Russia's Wagner private army that the Russian forces had fled.
Moscow has not commented on the reports from either side that its 72nd Separate Motor-rifle Brigade had abandoned its positions on the southwestern outskirts of Bakhmut.
The Russian ministry of defence did not immediately reply to a request from Reuters for comment, and Reuters could not independently confirm the situation in the area.
1:44pm: Georgia president slams Kremlin move to resume air travel as 'provocation'
Georgia's figurehead president on Wednesday slammed Moscow's decision to lift a flight ban and visa regime with the pro-Western country, denouncing the move as a new "provocation".
"Another Russian provocation!" Salome Zourabichvili said on Twitter. "Resuming direct flights and lifting (the) visa ban with Georgia is unacceptable as long as Russia continues its aggression on Ukraine and occupies our territory!"
1:35pm: France asks China to talk to Russia about war 'impasse'
France on Wednesday asked China to make clear to Russia that Moscow is in an "impasse" in its war with Ukraine, as Beijing seeks to mediate in the conflict.
Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna told a cabinet meeting that Beijing should urge Russia to "return to peace", according to a post-cabinet press briefing.
"It is necessary for China to use its relations with Russia to make Russia understand better that it is at an impasse, and to tell Russia to come back to its senses," she said.
1:21pm: Poland summons Russian ambassador over incident involving fighter jet
Poland summoned Russia's ambassador on Wednesday over an incident involving a Russian fighter jet and a Polish border guard aircraft over the Black Sea, a spokesman for the Polish foreign ministry said.
A Polish border guard aircraft on patrol for the European Union's border agency Frontex narrowly avoided a collision with a Russian fighter jet over the Black Sea near Romania on May 7, Romania and Poland said.
"We strongly condemn the provocative and aggressive behaviour of the Russian side, which is a serious international incident," Lukasz Jasina wrote on Twitter.
11:21am: Kremlin expresses 'sadness' over AFP journalist death, says circumstances unclear
The Kremlin said Wednesday it was saddened by the death of AFP journalist Arman Soldin in east Ukraine, but that the circumstances of his killing under rocket fire near Bakhmut were unclear.
"We need to understand the circumstances of the death of this journalist," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. "We can only express sadness on this matter," he added, deferring further questions to the defence ministry.
11:15am: Russia to evacuate more Zaporizhzhia nuclear workers
Russian forces are planning to evacuate more than 3,000 workers from the town that serves the occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, resulting in a "catastrophic lack" of personnel, Ukraine's state-owned Energoatom company said on Wednesday.
Last week, the head of the U.N.'s nuclear power watchdog, Rafael Grossi, said the situation around the Russian-held nuclear station had become "potentially dangerous" after Moscow-installed officials began evacuating people from nearby areas.
Russia's TASS state news agency said on Monday the Moscow-installed governor of the Russia-controlled part of the surrounding region had suspended operations at the plant.
11:15am: Russia offers roadmap to mend Syria-Turkey ties
Russia on Wednesday proposed a roadmap to normalise ties between Syria and Turkey at the first meeting of their foreign ministers since the start of the Syrian civil war over a decade ago.
"Our task is to determine the general guidelines for further progress," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at the meeting that also included Iran's top diplomat.
"The best result of our discussion today would be an agreement to instruct experts to prepare a draft roadmap for Syrian-Turkish normalisation for the next ministerial meeting," he said.
Lavrov said this proposal could then be put to the leaders of Russia, Iran, Syria and Turkey.
11:05am: Russian governor says drones tried to attack military facility
The governor of Russia's Voronezh region said on Wednesday that two drones attempted to attack a military facility in his region, but failed.
"As a result of intervention measures, one of them veered off course and went down, while the second was destroyed by gunfire," governor Alexander Gusev said on Telegram.
11:03am: AFP journalist Arman Soldin killed in eastern Ukraine
AFP's Ukraine video coordinator Arman Soldin was killed on Tuesday by rocket fire near Chasiv Yar in eastern Ukraine, AFP journalists who witnessed the incident said.
The attack happened at around 4:30pm (13:30 GMT) on the outskirts of the town close to Bakhmut, the epicentre of the fighting in eastern Ukraine for several months.
The AFP team came under fire by Grad rockets while they were with a group of Ukrainian soldiers.
12:00am: Britain set to blacklist Russia's Wagner group
Britain is set to formally proscribe Russia's mercenary force Wagner group as a terrorist organisation to increase pressure on Russia, the Times newspaper reported on Tuesday.
Wagner mercenaries have spearheaded Russia's months-long assault on Bakhmut in the industrial Donbas region.
After two months of building a legal case, proscription or a formal blacklisting of the group was "imminent" and likely to be enacted within weeks, the newspaper reported citing a government source.
This would make it a criminal offence to belong to Wagner, attend its meetings, encourage support for it or carry its logo in public, The Times said.
It would also impose financial sanctions on the group and there would be implications for Wagner's ability to raise money if any funds went through British financial institutions, the newspaper added.
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Key developments from Tuesday, May 9:
A French journalist based in Ukraine for AFP was killed on Tuesday near the embattled city of Bakhmut, the news agency reported.
Earlier in the day, Russian President Vladimir Putin gave a speech at the annual May 9 Victory Day parade accusing the West of unleashing a "real war" on Russia.
Officials in Kyiv said Russian forces fired a dozen cruise missiles at the Ukrainian capital overnight
Read yesterday's live blog to see how the day's events unfolded
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)
