May 8, 2023 - Russia-Ukraine news

By Tara Subramaniam, Christian Edwards, Eliza Mackintosh, Aditi Sangal, Maureen Chowdhury and Christina Maxouris, CNN

Updated 12:04 a.m. ET, May 9, 2023
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5:48 p.m. ET, May 8, 2023

Wagner forces in Bakhmut are receiving more ammunition, head of private military group says

From CNN’s Uliana Pavlova

The PMC (Private Military Company) Wagner Center building in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on October 31, 2022.
The PMC (Private Military Company) Wagner Center building in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on October 31, 2022. (Olga Maltseva/AFP/Getty Images)

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the private Russian military group Wagner, said on Monday that preliminary information indicates that his fighters in the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut have started to receive more ammunition.  

“Ammunition supplies, according to preliminary data, we continue to receive. I haven't seen it in person yet,” Prigozhin said in a voice memo posted to his Telegram channel late on Monday. 

Prigozhin has repeatedly complained that his Wagner units are not receiving enough ammunition from Russia’s defense establishment. Last week, he announced they would withdraw from Bakhmut — a threat he now appears to be rowing back on. 

Earlier Monday, a Ukrainian commander in Bakhmut said his unit faces “constant” shelling and had seen no evidence of the Russian ammunition shortage that Prigozhin had claimed.

2:34 p.m. ET, May 8, 2023

Parts of Russian-installed administration in occupied Skadovsk left Sunday, Ukraine's military says

From CNN’s Kostan Nechyporenko in Kyiv

A significant part of the Russian-installed administration of Skadovsk left the occupied city on Sunday, Ukrainian military officials said. 

The activities of Skadovsk’s district and city administrations were “suspended,” the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said in its daily update.

On Saturday night, “the occupiers loaded documentation, office equipment, and other property of state institutions into vehicles,” before leaving with their families on Sunday morning, Ukrainian military officials said.

The General Staff claims the Russians planned to transport the “documents and looted property," by sea, further into Russian-held territory. 

Skadovsk sits on the Black Sea. 

The statement said that similar activity was occurring in the nearby villages of Krasne, Shevchenko, Shyroke, Ulianivka and Petrivka, as well as in Mykhailivka — some 28 kilometers away. 

1:32 p.m. ET, May 8, 2023

Kremlin-backed officials in occupied Mariupol are mobilizing Russian citizens, city's exiled council claims

From CNN’s Kostan Nechyporenko in Kyiv

Kremlin-backed authorities in the occupied Ukrainian city of Mariupol are in the process of mobilizing residents who have Russian passports, the exiled city council claimed on Telegram. 

“Mobilization has begun in Mariupol. This is reported by the city residents themselves,” the statement read, adding that men working in the public sector were the first to receive referrals from the military commissariat for medical examinations.

The Telegram post included a photo of a document which the authors said is a referral, received by a resident. 

"Draft boards have started working in Mariupol. The occupiers are already looking for citizens who do not fulfill their 'military obligations'. The enemy plans to conscript men until August," said Vadym Boichenko, the exiled Ukrainian mayor of Mariupol.

Denis Pushilin, head of the Russian-backed self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, which administers Mariupol, signed a decree allowing the mobilization of Russian citizens in the occupied region on March 31. 

1:33 p.m. ET, May 8, 2023

Russia launched a barrage of drone strikes on Kyiv and other regions Monday. Here's the latest

From CNN staff

A view shows an apartment building damaged by remains of a suicide drone during a Russian overnight strike in Kyiv, Ukraine, on May 8.
A view shows an apartment building damaged by remains of a suicide drone during a Russian overnight strike in Kyiv, Ukraine, on May 8. Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters

The Ukrainian Red Cross suspended operations in Odesa after a Russian missile struck its warehouse in the southern port city.

“As a result of a missile strike in Odesa region on May 8, the leased warehouse of the Odesa regional organization of the Ukrainian Red Cross Society with an area of 1,000 square meters was completely destroyed,” the Ukrainian Red Cross said in a statement on Monday.

The organization went on to say there had been no casualties.

Russia launched a wave of drone strikes on Kyiv Monday, and other attacks were also recorded in Kharkiv and Kherson areas. The Ukrainian military said it repelled the assault on the capital city, the latest in Moscow’s efforts to wear down its air defense system.

Here are the latest developments:

  • China opposed proposed European Union sanctions to companies selling to Russia: China's foreign ministry said it opposes any measures against trade, based on its relationship with Russia. This comes in response to reports of proposed sanctions by the European Union on Chinese companies over their alleged involvement in supporting Russia's war machine. The latest round of sanctions against Russia will focus on how to effectively cut off ways for Moscow to bypass any existing European sanctions, the EU Commission announced Monday. 
  • Civilian evacuation of Zaporizhzhia has caused fuel and internet issues, mayor says: The evacuation of some civilians from Russian-occupied towns on the front lines in the Zaporizhzhia region has led to fuel shortages and problems with ATMs and the internet, according to Enerhodar Mayor Dmytro Orlov. While Orlov is not currently in the occupied region, he said the evacuation announcement led to “if not panic, then a mood close to it."
  • No evidence of alleged Wagner ammo shortage as Bakhmut shelling is nonstop, official says: A Ukrainian commander in the eastern city of Bakhmut said his unit faces “constant” shelling and they have seen no evidence of the Russian ammunition shortage that Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin has claimed. "The intensity of the shelling is only increasing," Ihor Shepetin, a battalion commander in the territorial defense brigade, told Ukrainian TV.
12:44 p.m. ET, May 8, 2023

Ukrainian commander: No evidence of alleged Wagner ammo shortage as Bakhmut shelling is "constant"

From CNN’s Kostan Nechyporenko in Kyiv

A Ukrainian commander in the eastern city of Bakhmut said his unit faces “constant” shelling and they have seen no evidence of the Russian ammunition shortage that Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin has claimed.

“The enemy is trying to carry out these attacks 24/7… We have not noticed that they have a shortage of ammunition, as they claim. I think it's the opposite. The intensity of the shelling is only increasing," Ihor Shepetin, a battalion commander in the territorial defense brigade, told Ukrainian TV.

Prigozhin, whose Wagner troops have spearheaded the fight to take the eastern Ukrainian town of Bakhmut, has repeatedly claimed his fighters lack ammunition. Last week, he said they would withdraw from the area – a threat he has now apparently backtracked from.

Shepetin said Prigozhin’s statements were an effort to "mislead" the Ukrainian military in the face of his own “enormous losses”.

“I think that the enemy is already desperate. He is using all means at his disposal to try to drive our defense forces out of Bakhmut. But the enemy is not succeeding and will not succeed,” Shepetin said, adding that the Ukrainians were not in danger of being encircled and – while they had “some logistical problems” – were still able to evacuate the wounded and receive supplies of ammunition.

Serhii Cherevatyi, a spokesperson for the eastern grouping of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, agreed, saying in a separate TV interview that "the Russians have no shortage of ammunition. This is absolutely not true." He added that Ukrainian positions had been shelled more than four hundred times in the past 24 hours and enemy troops were using “more than 25,000 shells per day” on average around the eastern cities of Bakhmut, Lyman and Kupyansk.

“He [Prigozhin] comes up with this nonsense about the shell crisis. However, his main problem is the constant annihilation of personnel by our defense forces. And hence, he is unable to replenish personnel because he cannot recruit people from prisons,” Cherevatyi said.

Cherevatyi claimed that Russia had taken some 20,000 casualties in the Bakhmut area over the past nine months because of Wagner’s “meat grinder” tactic of fighting.

1:32 p.m. ET, May 8, 2023

Ukrainian mayor: Fuel, ATM and internet problems arise in Zaporizhzhia region as Russia evacuates civilians

From CNN’s Olga Voitovych in Kyiv

A man with a child look at a destroyed building in Zaporizhzhia after the Russian shelling. 
A man with a child look at a destroyed building in Zaporizhzhia after the Russian shelling.  Andriy Andriyenko/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images

The evacuation of some civilians from Russian-occupied towns on the front lines in the Zaporizhzhia region has led to fuel shortages and problems with ATMs and the internet, according to Enerhodar Mayor Dmytro Orlov.

While Orlov is not currently in the occupied region, he said the evacuation announcement led to “if not panic, then a mood close to it.”

The first wave of evacuations that began Saturday morning was not massive, he said in a Telegram post Sunday.

“Some people who wanted to leave were put onto buses. Some left in their own vehicles. Accordingly, gas stations ran out of fuel yesterday. ATMs are not working or are working with big restrictions, and there is virtually nowhere to withdraw money. The internet has partially disappeared. But the prices of food and medicine, on the contrary, have risen significantly," Orlov said.

Russian forces had removed medical equipment from the city’s hospital, asked patients to evacuate, and a number of hospital departments had ceased operations, he added.

10:21 a.m. ET, May 8, 2023

New round of EU sanctions aims to stop Russia from bypassing previous sanctions, spokesperson says

From CNN’s Xiaofei Xu in London

An 11th round of European Union sanctions against Russia will focus on how to effectively cut off ways for Moscow to bypass any existing European sanctions, the EU Commission announced Monday. 

“[The goal] is to prevent Russia and its military industrial complex from finding a way to reach goods banned for them [by previous sanctions],” the European Commission's chief spokesperson Eric Mamer said at a news conference. 

On Sunday, the Financial Times reported that a new EU package of sanctions under consideration lists seven Chinese companies accused of selling equipment to Russia that could be used in weapons. The sanctions list would need unanimous approval from the 27 member states before it can be enforced.

China said Monday it opposes any measures against trade based on its relationship with Russia. "We urge the EU not to take the wrong path, otherwise China will firmly guard our legal rights," Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a news conference Monday. 

9:55 a.m. ET, May 8, 2023

China opposes alleged EU proposals to sanction companies selling to Russia

From CNN’s Mengchen Zhang in Beijing

China's foreign ministry said it opposes any measures against trade based on its relationship with Russia.

This comes in response to reports of proposed sanctions by the European Union on Chinese companies over their alleged involvement in supporting Russia's war machine.

"We noted the relevant reports. China is firmly opposed to illegal sanctions or long-arm jurisdiction over China because of Sino-Russian cooperation," Wang Wenbin, a foreign ministry spokesperson, said at a regular press briefing on Monday

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin is pictured during a news briefing in Beijing, China, on April 26.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin is pictured during a news briefing in Beijing, China, on April 26. Florence Lo/Reuters

.

On Sunday, the Financial Times reported that seven Chinese companies accused of selling equipment to Russia that could be used in weapons had been listed in a new package of sanctions to be discussed by EU member states this week, which had been seen by the FT. The sanctions list needs unanimous approval from the 27 member states before it can be enforced.

"The economic and trade cooperation between China and Russia is open and frank. It never targets any third party, nor does it tolerate any third-party interference or coercion," Wang added, telling reporters that China would take firm action to safeguard its interest.

A spokesperson for the Swedish presidency declined to comment before an initial discussion among EU ambassadors. Meanwhile, China's state councilor and foreign minister are embarking on a week-long European visit, with stops in Germany, France, and Norway.

China has maintained that it has not supplied weapons to support Russia in its war in Ukraine, and Wang reiterated that Beijing holds an "objective and impartial position" on the war and supports peace talks. Chinese state-owned defense firms have maintained trade relationships with sanctioned Russian defense companies over the past year. A CNN review of customs records of key companies showed no evidence that any of the goods exchanged are directly feeding Russia’s war.

8:21 a.m. ET, May 8, 2023

Red Cross warehouse struck as missiles from long-range bombers hit Odesa

From Olga Voitovych in Kyiv and Vasco Cotovio in Lisbon

The Ukrainian Red Cross suspended operations in Odesa after a Russian missile struck its warehouse in the southern port city.

“As a result of a missile strike in Odesa region on May 8, the leased warehouse of the Odesa regional organization of the Ukrainian Red Cross Society with an area of 1,000 square meters was completely destroyed,” the Ukrainian Red Cross said in a statement on Monday.

The organization went on to say there had been no casualties.

“The fire completely destroyed the humanitarian aid for Odesa region that was stored in the warehouse,” it added. “There were no representatives of the Red Cross at the site at the time of the missile strike.”

A total of eight missiles were launched at Odesa overnight Sunday, killing one and injuring three. Russian missile attacks were also recorded in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Kherson and Mykolaiv regions, according to Ukraine's military.