As of Wednesday, May 31, 2023, the war has been ongoing for 462 days. Here are the latest updates:
Fighting:
Moscow accused Ukraine of a terrorist attack after eight attack drones were shot down over the capital. Russia’s foreign ministry has warned that they may take the harshest possible measures in response to the drone assault. Meanwhile, Russia launched air attacks on Kyiv, killing at least one civilian and causing the evacuation of a high-rise building. One person was also killed and two others injured in an alleged Ukrainian attack on a center for displaced people in the Russian border region.
Diplomacy:
The International Atomic Energy Agency has asked Ukraine and Russia to respect five core principles to safeguard the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. South Africa’s leading opposition party has taken legal action to force the government to arrest Putin if he attends the BRICS summit in August. The ICC issued an arrest warrant against Putin in March over accusations that Russia unlawfully deported Ukrainian children. The UK and Estonia discussed bolstering support for Ukraine ahead of July’s NATO summit. The US urged Turkey to approve Sweden’s accession into NATO.
Weaponry:
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said Moscow was monitoring the supply of equipment and weapons into Ukraine and would attack the supply routes if detected. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked German Chancellor Olaf Scholz for a 3 billion euro ($3.2bn) defense package during a phone call between the two leaders.