Ukraine announced on Tuesday that Russia continued its night attacks on its capital Kiev for the second day in a row, during which it used strategic bombers and drones, while the commander of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner Group Yevgeny Prigozhin continued his unprecedented war of words against the leaders of the Russian Defense Ministry.

The military administration in Kiev said that the Ukrainian capital was subjected to a night missile attack, the fifth since the beginning of May, and that air defenses shot down 6 missiles.

The administration added that the attack was carried out by 4 Tupolev-95 strategic bombers, after launching a number of "Shahed" drones, in an attempt to discover the positions of air defenses.

The department confirmed that there were no casualties, but said that the debris of the missiles fell in a number of neighborhoods and areas in the capital and its surroundings, and the damage was limited to material.

To the south, the governor of Ukraine's Kherson province said 14 civilians, including a child, were wounded in Russian artillery shelling targeting most of the province's southern territory.

In the past hours, Russian forces have carried out 46 attacks on residential neighbourhoods, a school, a medical centre and a shelter for the elderly, he said.

The governor added that dozens of people were evacuated from territory retaken from Russian forces, due to the continuous shelling of the city of Kherson.

In contrast, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that the Russian army shot down a Ukrainian attack plane in Kherson, according to the Russian news agency "Sputnik".

The ministry said air defense systems shot down a Su-25 aircraft of the Ukrainian Air Force near the village of Belozerka in Kherson province.

According to the ministry, 3 Ukrainian missiles from the Uragan and Himars launchers and one tactical missile from the Tochka-O system were intercepted during the day.

Zelensky praises his fighters

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky praised the courage of his fighters on the Baakhmut, Avdyaevka and Marinka fronts. In his evening speech, he said that his country's partners see how effective his forces are in using the weapons handed over to them.

Zelensky called on the European Union to speed up the delivery of ammunition to its troops, and said, during a meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who is visiting Kiev, that the Russian side failed to control Pakhmut and provide any victory on the anniversary of the ninth of May (Victory over Nazism Day), as he put it.

Von der Leyen confirmed that EU countries have allocated more than one billion euros to deliver ammunition and weapons needed to Ukraine, and said Kiev was also making progress in steps to join the EU.

The United States announced a new $1.2 billion military aid package for Ukraine to bolster its air defenses and provide it with additional artillery ammunition.

The Pentagon said in a statement that it continues to support Kiev "by committing to important near-term capabilities, such as air defense systems and munitions, while building the capabilities of the Ukrainian armed forces to defend its territory and deter long-term Russian aggression."

Zelenskiy and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Kiev (Reuters)

Unprecedented escalation

In new remarks, Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin said he had been told that he and his men would be considered traitors if they gave up their positions in the city of Bachmut.

"A combat order issued yesterday clearly states that if we leave our positions (in Bachmut), it will be a betrayal of the homeland. That was the message that was sent to us," he said, adding that his forces would remain in Bachmut and would continue to demand ammunition "for a few more days."

Prigozhin said late on Monday that there were indications that the ammunition problem had been resolved, but said on Tuesday that the size of the shipment had shrunk. "They gave us only 10 percent of what we asked for. We have been deceived."

The gloves are off!!!

Prigozhin refers to Putin as a 'happy grandpa' and ventures a guess that there's a possibility this 'happy grandpa' might be a 'complete a*shole',#Russia #Putin #Wagner #Prigozhin #RussiaUkraineWar #RussianArmy pic.twitter.com/KRPMl0jrPu

— Natalka (@NatalkaKyiv) May 9, 2023

In another remarkable development, Prigozhin accused a Russian military unit of fleeing its positions near Pakhmut, saying the state could no longer defend the country.

"Today a unit of the Ministry of Defence escaped from one of our positions," Prigozhin said. which left the front exposed."

"We have a ministry of intrigue instead of a ministry of defence, so our army is leaving," he said. The 72nd Brigade lost (an area of 3 square kilometers) of territory.

"If the lower ones define the tasks, the soldier leaves the trench, because there is no point in dying unnecessarily. A soldier should not die because of the stupidity of his commanders."

Prigozhin also questioned on Tuesday the Kremlin's ability to defend the country at a time when Ukraine is preparing for a counter-offensive.

Prigozhin. The Ammunition War

Last week, Wagner's chief announced that he would withdraw his personnel from Bachmut on May 10 if the General Staff did not provide him with the ammunition he was demanding. On Sunday, Prigozhin confirmed that he had received a "promise" to receive sufficient quantities of ammunition and appeared to rule out any immediate withdrawal from Bachmut.

The head of the Wagner Group accused Russian military commanders of seeking to "mislead" President Vladimir Putin about the attack in Ukraine, in new evidence of his disagreement with the General Staff.

"If everything is done to mislead the commander-in-chief of the armed forces (Vladimir Putin), either the commander-in-chief will eliminate you or the Russian people, who will be angry if (Russia) loses the war," he said in a statement.

Russia's Defense Ministry said in a statement later Tuesday that "offensive forces" — Wagner units — "continue to fight in the western part" of Bachmut.

It added that paratroopers were "helping" it, without mentioning Prigozhin accusing soldiers of leaving their posts.

Powerful assault- Wagner PMC pushed through the defenses in the last stronghold of the Armed Forces of Ukraine pic.twitter.com/W970afP0PH

— Spriter (@Spriter99880) May 8, 2023

Bakhmout. Victory Day celebrations

At the opposite camp, the Ukrainian military said Russian forces were still attacking Pakhmut but were unable to capture it ahead of Moscow's D-Day on Tuesday.

A Ukrainian general said on Sunday that Russian forces had hoped to capture Bachmut ahead of the annual holiday in which Moscow commemorates the victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two.

Serhiy Cherevati, spokesman for the military command of eastern Ukraine, said that "the enemy has not controlled Pakhmut, there are no major changes in the situation."

The Ukrainian military is expected, preparing to launch a large-scale counteroffensive in a bid to retake territory seized by Russia in southern and eastern Ukraine.

Russia and Ukraine have been fighting over Bachmut for months. Russia believes the capture of the city would open the door to control of other Ukrainian cities.