Ukrainian power plants attacked by Russia may take up to 18 months to repair

DTEK, the most significant private energy company in Ukraine, reports that after two weeks of Russian bombardment, five of its six facilities have been damaged or destroyed, and 80% of its production capacity has been lost. According to the firm's president, repairs might take up to 18 months. 

The President of Ukraine said that Russia was waging "vile strikes" intended to "bleed" Ukrainian energy. During the more than two years of fighting, Russian missiles, drones, and artillery have frequently struck DTEK, which provides around 25% of the nation's energy requirements, as well as other installations.

The military minister of France said that as part of a fresh assistance package to Ukraine in its conflict with Russia, Paris would send "hundreds" of armoured personnel carriers and anti-aircraft missiles.

"The Ukrainian army needs our VAB vehicles, for example—essential for troop mobility—to hold such a vast frontline," said Sebastien Lecornu. "For 2024 and early 2025, we are talking about hundreds of them," he said. After Kyiv warned that its ammunition inventories were running short, France pressured military businesses to increase output to fulfil the demands of its army and guarantee that it would continue to help Ukraine.

In terms of ammunition and equipment, Russia continues to have a substantial numerical advantage over Ukraine in the battle, according to the most recent intelligence assessment from the UK Ministry of Defence.

Moscow is hiring around 30,000 more people per month, and it will likely be able to absorb casualties and carry out strikes meant to exhaust Ukrainian troops. According to the report, Russian troops have continued their slow March west of Avdiivka. They likely grabbed control of two villages in late March and are now battling for control of others in the region.

Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo expressed her stance on Saturday, stating that Russian and Belarusian athletes would not be welcomed at the Olympics in the French capital this year.

Agency France-Pressed reports. In a video uploaded by the Ukrainian YouTube station United News, Hidalgo said, "I want to tell Russian and Belarusian athletes that they are not welcome in Paris and to tell Ukrainian athletes and all the Ukrainian people that we support them very strongly." Hidalgo made her remarks while visiting a training facility for Ukrainian athletes on a trip to Kyiv, as only neutral Russian athletes are allowed to participate in the July 26–August 11 Olympics in Paris.

Moscow responded with a vehement outburst directed at the International Olympic Committee.

Claiming that the limitations placed on Russian athletes by the IOC amounted to "neo-nazism." Last year, the IOC banned Russia from the 2024 Games but allowed its athletes to participate as neutrals as long as they refrained from openly endorsing the Kremlin's offensive against Ukraine.

Donald Tusk, the prime minister of Poland, warns that Europe is not ready for the "prewar" phase and calls on the continent's nations to increase their defence spending.

Days before Tusk's remarks, during a significant strike on Ukraine, a Russian missile momentarily entered Polish airspace, causing Warsaw to raise the preparedness of its armed forces. Tusk said in a conversation with a group of European media that "war is no longer a concept from the past." He did not want to alarm people. It began more than two years ago, and it is genuine. Amid worries about the future of US help and concerns about military industry capability, Tusk has been using his position to instil a sense of urgency in Europe's discussions regarding defence and aid to Ukraine.

Foreign diplomats in Russia have placed flowers at the scene of the 144-person massacre that occurred last week at a music venue in a Moscow suburb.

Ambassadors from the United States, the European Union, Africa, and Latin America were present. Representatives of "unfriendly states" were among the "roughly 130 diplomatic missions" who took part, according to Russian official news agency RIA Novosti. The assault, the bloodiest on Russian territory in years, was attributed to an Islamic State group affiliate. Nevertheless, as stated by the Kremlin, Kyiv has adamantly rejected any involvement from the West or Ukraine.

A Moscow court has ordered the detention of a Russian journalist who covered the trials of dissidents and the late opposition figure Alexei Navalny as they await an investigation and prosecution for allegations of radicalism.

Earlier last month, Antonina Favorskaya—also known as Antonina Kravtsova by court officials—was taken into custody. The Basmanny district court in Moscow issued an order on Friday requiring her to stay in pre-trial custody until at least May 28. The investigating team requested—and the presiding judge granted—that the hearing be held behind closed doors. Favorskaya and her attorney demonstrated against the ruling, according to Mediazona, an independent Russian news outlet.