May 1, 2023 - Russia-Ukraine news

By Brad Lendon, Sana Noor Haq, Ivana Kottasová, Aditi Sangal, Mike Hayes and Maureen Chowdhury, CNN

Updated 12:31 a.m. ET, May 2, 2023
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5:40 a.m. ET, May 1, 2023

Russian missile strikes in Dnipropetrovsk injure 34, including five children

From CNN’s Josh Pennington and Sebastian Shukla

A local resident reacts as she stands among the remains of her house hit by a Russian military strike in the town of Pavlohrad, Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine, on May 1.
A local resident reacts as she stands among the remains of her house hit by a Russian military strike in the town of Pavlohrad, Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine, on May 1. (Sofiia Gatilova/Reuters)

The number of people wounded in strikes in the Dnipropetrovsk region has risen to 34, according to local officials.

The youngest child injured in the attack is eight years old, according local governor Serhiy Lysak. He added that two women, aged 44 and 55, are in intensive care for their wounds.

The attack was in the Pavlograd district in central eastern Ukraine.

Russia launched a fresh barrage of missiles in parts of eastern Ukraine on Monday.

Ukraine's Air Defense Forces said it intercepted 15 of 18 Russian cruise missiles fired from the northwestern Russian Arctic and the Caspian Sea regions on Monday.

The Ukrainian military said earlier that the eastern cities of Kramatorsk, Kostiantynivka, and Pavlohrad were targeted in the attacks, along with the Dnipropetrovsk region.

5:54 a.m. ET, May 1, 2023

Analysis: As Ukraine prepares counteroffensive, Russia appears in disarray

From CNN's Nick Paton Walsh

Ukrainian soldiers of the 24th Separate Assault Battalion unload ammunition from a military truck near the frontline in Bakhmut, Ukraine, on April 22.
Ukrainian soldiers of the 24th Separate Assault Battalion unload ammunition from a military truck near the frontline in Bakhmut, Ukraine, on April 22. (Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

Ukraine’s much-anticipated counteroffensive appears imminent -- and the way each side is preparing speaks volumes about their readiness.

Kyiv’s front lines are abuzz with vehicle movement and artillery strikes, with regular explosions hitting vital Russian targets in occupied areas.

Ukraine's defense minister has said preparations are “coming to an end” and President Volodymyr Zelensky has assured a counteroffensive “will happen,” while demurring on any exact start date.

It may have already started; it may be weeks away. We don’t know – and that fact is a strong measure of Ukraine’s success as this begins.

11:06 a.m. ET, May 1, 2023

Hungarian foreign minister says his country "already paid an extremely high price" for war in Ukraine

From CNN's Mariya Knight

Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs & External Economy Peter Szijjarto attends an EU Foreign affairs Ministers meeting at the EU Council headquarters on January 24, in Brussels, Belgium.
Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs & External Economy Peter Szijjarto attends an EU Foreign affairs Ministers meeting at the EU Council headquarters on January 24, in Brussels, Belgium. (Thierry Monasse/Getty Images)

Hungary’s Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said people in his country have "already paid an extremely high price" for the war in Ukraine.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his government have always been by far the closest ally of the Kremlin within the European bloc, leading to thorny diplomatic relations with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

After Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Orbán was the most reluctant European Union leader to impose sanctions on Russia and has voiced objections to Western nations sending arms to Ukraine.

Szijjártó's comments came after Zelensky told journalists in an interview over the weekend that Hungary's behavior has been "inappropriate," criticizing the NATO member state for making extensive efforts to block Ukraine from joining the transatlantic military alliance.

Zelensky said:

"I believe that this is inappropriate behavior. I am giving you my subjective opinion. An ally is not just a word, it is a substance. It is a union of states with the same view on security and on values. They treat certain moments differently, but there is an agreement between the allies, who protect each other and their respective values."

Szijjártó said Hungarians have been providing “constant help” to Kyiv and “have been accepting and caring for more than a million refugees from Ukraine," in a Facebook post on Sunday.

He added that "several Hungarians died in this war -- members of the Hungarian community in the Transcarpathian region.”

4:01 a.m. ET, May 1, 2023

1 killed in Russian strikes on Kherson, official says

From CNN's Olga Voitovych in Kyiv, Ukraine

Russian attacks killed at least one person and injured three others, including a child, in the Ukraine-controlled part of Kherson during the past 24 hours, a local military chief said Monday.

Oleksandr Prokudin, head of the Kherson regional military administration, said the southern city was shelled eight times, with residential areas and a government building struck.

Earlier, Ukrainian officials said at least 25 people were injured in the Dnipropetrovsk region after Russia launched a fresh round of deadly missile attacks against Ukraine on Monday.

2:09 a.m. ET, May 1, 2023

Ukraine's military says 400 Wagner recruits have arrived from Russian prisons

From CNN's Josh Pennington

Some 400 Russian convicts have arrived in Ukraine to reinforce Wagner mercenaries fighting for Moscow in the country, according to a statement from the Ukrainian military on Monday. 

The recruits were brought to a field camp in the Berdiansk district of Zaporizhizhia on Ukraine's southern coast, the statement said. As many as 200 more Wagner recruits are expected to arrive soon for training at a camp in the eastern Luhansk region, it added.

In March, CNN reported that Wagner's leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, announced that he plans to recruit about 30,000 new fighters by mid-May.

3:22 a.m. ET, May 1, 2023

Russian missiles injure 25 in Dnipropetrovsk, governor says

From CNN's Josh Pennington

People are seen at the site of a residential area hit by a Russian military strike in the town of Pavlohrad, Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine, on May 1.
People are seen at the site of a residential area hit by a Russian military strike in the town of Pavlohrad, Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine, on May 1. (Serhii Lysak/Telegram/Reuters)

At least 25 people, including three children, were injured in Russian missile attacks on Dnipropetrovsk overnight Monday, the Ukrainian region's governor said.

In a statement, Gov. Serhiy Lysak said the missiles hit a residential area in the city of Pavlohrad, damaging homes, schools and stores.

Ukraine's Air Defense Forces said earlier they had intercepted 15 of 18 Russian cruise missiles fired at the country on Monday.

1:20 a.m. ET, May 1, 2023

Ukrainian commander says air defenses shot down 15 of 18 Russian cruise missiles

From CNN's Josh Pennington

Ukraine's Air Defense Forces intercepted 15 of 18 Russian cruise missiles fired from the northwestern Russian Arctic and the Caspian Sea regions on Monday, the commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces said in a statement.

“At about 2:30 a.m, Russian occupiers attacked Ukraine using strategic aircraft -- there were nine Tu-95s from the area of Olenegorsk (Murmansk region) and two Tu-160s from the Caspian Sea,” Valerii Zaluzhnyi said. 

It comes after the Ukrainian military said Russia launched a fresh round of deadly missile attacks on the country Monday, resulting in an unspecified number of casualties.

1:13 a.m. ET, May 1, 2023

Russia launches new missile attacks, Ukraine's military says

From CNN's Josh Pennington

Russia has launched a fresh round of deadly missile attacks on Ukraine, according to a Ukrainian military update on Monday.

The military said the eastern cities of Kramatorsk, Kostiantynivka, and Pavlohrad were targeted in the attacks, along with the Dnipropetrovsk region.

The Russians also carried out "27 air strikes and fired 45 MLRS (multiple launch rocket system) shells at Ukrainian troops' positions and inhabited areas, resulting in deaths and injuries among the civilian population," the update said.

The statement did not specify the number of civilians that had been killed or injured and where.

Kyiv attacked: Earlier Monday, Kyiv officials reported that Russian missile attacks on the capital appeared to have been repelled by Ukraine's air defenses.

“Based on initial reports, all enemy missiles and drones were destroyed in Kyiv airspace by our air defense forces," Serhiy Popko, head of the Kyiv city military administration, said in a statement.

“Currently, there have been no casualties reported among the civilian population or damage to residential buildings or infrastructure,” Popko said, adding the information was "being verified."

1:53 a.m. ET, May 1, 2023

Ukrainians under occupation should accept Russian passports for their safety, official says

From CNN's Mariya Knight

Dmytro Lubinets attends a meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine on April 20.
Dmytro Lubinets attends a meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine on April 20. (Hennadii Minchenko/Ukrinform/Future Publishing/Getty Images)

Ukraine’s human rights commissioner on Sunday advised Ukrainians living under Russian occupation to accept Russian passports for their safety.

“I would advise you to accept a Russian passport and make the decision for yourself to survive. This is the most important thing,” Dmytro Lubinets said in an interview with Ukrainian media. “We understand that this happens under pressure, under physical pressure. So, take your passport, survive, and wait for us to liberate this territory.”

Lubinets said citizens who obtain a Russian passport “will be able to officially abandon this passport and return to normal life” once Ukraine takes back its territories.

According to Lubinets, a decree signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin that allows the deportation of residents of the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine who have not obtained Russian citizenship, "is not aimed at deporting Ukrainians," but at “legalizing forced passportization that takes place on the territories under Russian occupation.”

“In reality, I believe that all Ukrainian citizens who refuse a Russian passport will simply be arrested," Lubinets said. "And this will form a separate category of civilian hostages that the Russian Federation will hold captive, either imprisoned on its territory or on the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine."