War comes closer to Chernivtsi

The authorities of Chernivtsi region that is populated by a significant minority of Romanians issued a decree obliging the men of military age to permanently carry a series of IDs on them. Besides identity cards, they should have a certificate showing that they registered with the conscription section, the soldier’s record or the temporary permit for military personnel.

Lavrov blames Holocaust on the Jews
 
Israel reacted with fury after Russia’s foreign minister claimed that Nazi leader Adolf Hitler “had Jewish blood”. Sergei Lavrov made the comments to try to justify Russia’s portrayal of Ukraine as “Nazi” despite the fact that its President is Jewish.

Israel’s foreign ministry summoned Russia’s ambassador for “clarification” and demanded an apology.

Russia took a step further Tuesday in its escalating row with Israel by claiming that the country’s leadership supported the “neo-Nazi regime” in Ukraine.

The Russian Foreign Ministry reiterated Lavrov’s point that Zelensky’s origins do not contradict Moscow’s claims that Ukraine is run by neo-Nazis.

Freeing Mars from Martians is the next goal

In an interview for Xinhua, the Russian foreign minister said the Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine is contributing to liberating the world from Western neocolonial oppression. “It is obvious that the collective West’ attempts to hinder the natural course of history, to solve its problems at the expense of others are doomed,” Sergey Lavrov said.

Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said that “liberation” in Russian is only mass destruction. “However, the following goals of the special operation of the Russian Federation may relate to the “liberation” of Mars from the influence of the Martians. We are waiting,” Podolyak wrote on Twitter.

Future can be gloomy

The New York Times said the explosions in Moldova’s breakaway republic raise fears of a broader war. “For nine weeks, President Biden and the Western allies have emphasized the need to keep the war for Ukraine inside Ukraine. Now, the fear in Washington and European capitals is that the conflict may soon escalate into a wider war — spreading to neighboring states, to cyberspace and to NATO countries suddenly facing a Russian cutoff of gas. Over the long term, such an expansion could evolve into a more direct conflict between Washington and Moscow reminiscent of the Cold War, as each seeks to sap the other’s power,” runs the article.

End of legend about “special operation”?

Vadimir Putin’s existential decision, the gamble of his life, is whether to declare a general mobilization of able-bodied Russian men. It would mark the end of the pretense that Moscow is simply running a “special operation” in Ukraine and it would usher in a protracted war that would shape Europeans, in the west as well as the east, for a generation, journalist Roger Boyes says in an opinion article for The Times. Boyce cites a comment from a US CNA military analyst who says: Without a general mobilization, Donbass is the last big offensive that the Russian military can carry out, given the current state and availability of forces. Whether it succeeds or not, the Russian military will be depleted in terms of offensive capability.

Word came first...

The Verkhovna Rada banned the activities of pro-russian parties in Ukraine. At the sitting on May 3, 330 deputies voted for this bill.

The authors of the bill note that despite political and ideological pluralism, which is a universally recognized value, it cannot be used to undermine the state, excersize and promote collaborationism in favor of an aggressor state, namely russia. At the same time, an important element of informational, psychological, and military aggression against Ukraine was the activity of collaborating forces within Ukraine, including pro-russian political forces and parties that openly or covertly coordinate their activities with representatives of the Russian Federation

The Verkhovna Rada also adopted a draft decision on the inadmissibility of the  monopolization by the Russian Federation of the victory over Nazism in World War II, and supported a call to the U.S. Congress to recognize Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism.

Transnistria is a huge militarily problem for Russians

Transnistria is not a serious threat to Ukraine. However, this region can be used by the Russian invaders to destabilize the situation in Romania, Moldova and Ukraine, Kirill Budanov, head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, stated in in an interview for the local press.

“Transnistria is a huge problem for them militarily. There is a territory that they completely control. However, they have no approach to it. The border is on one side with Moldova, on the other with Ukraine. And no matter how they were, they shouted, they can’t do anything serious there, those units that are in Transnistria are all their strength, and there are about 1.3 thousand of them – these are Russian official troops in this region. They guard warehouses in the village of Kolbasnoe. There is also a radio center in the village of Mayak and in Tiraspol,” Budanov said.

He also added that Transnistria does not pose a big threat to Ukraine.