Fist-Fight Breaks Out Between Russian & Ukrainian Diplomats At Conference

"A Ukrainian diplomatic official has released video of himself punching a Russian official
on Thursday. In the rare moment, rival delegations who were attending a meeting of Black Sea nations in Turkey literally came to blows while the war in Ukraine rages.

Oleksandr Marikovski posted the video, which has since gone viral. It shows a scuffle over display of a Ukrainian flag in a hallway of the parliament building in Ankara. "A Ukrainian delegate has punched a Russian delegate in the face during a meeting of Black Sea nations after his Ukrainian flag was snatched away to stop him from photobombing a video interview," Al Jazeera comments of the scene." ZH

Putin Allies Split Over Using Tactical Nuclear Weapons in Ukraine

"At least two high-profile Russian officials have called on the Kremlin to use nuclear weapons
against Ukraine in retaliation for an alleged drone strike on Vladimir Putin’s Kremlin residence and as the prospect of an imminent Ukrainian counteroffensive looms.....“There can be no negotiations … We will be demanding the use of weapons that can stop and destroy the terrorist regime in Kyiv,” Volodin wrote on Telegram, hinting at the use of tactical nuclear weapons by Russia.....Those calls were soon echoed by Russia’s former space chief Dmitry Rogozin, who published a video update from the frontlines in Ukraine’s southeastern Zaporizhzhya region, where he is currently working as a military advisor....“According to our [nuclear] doctrine we have the right to use tactical nuclear weapons because that’s what they exist for,” he said, calling them a “great equalizer for the moments when there is a clear discrepancy in the enemy’s favor.”  MT

Russia’s FSB arrests Crimea ‘sabotage’ suspects after attacks

"Russia’s FSB said the group had planned to assassinate officials including the Moscow-
installed head of Crimea.......Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said on Wednesday it had arrested seven people connected with Ukrainian intelligence and accused them of planning “a series of high-profile sabotage and terrorist acts” in Russian-annexed Crimea....It said it had seized explosives identical to those used to attack railways in the peninsula in February." SCP

Funeral of US military volunteer killed in Ukraine

"A funeral has been held for a US military volunteer who was killed fighting against Russian  troops in Ukraine. Christopher Campbell was a member of the International Legion for the Defence of Ukraine and died in the frontline town of Bakhmut." SKY

Former CIA Officer Says Decision To Drone Attack Kremlin Was Made By The United States

 "Former CIA intelligence officer Larry Johnson says the decision to launch a drone attack on
the Kremlin was made by the United States.....targeting Russian President Vladimir Putin, was stopped by electronic warfare systems which disabled the drones before they could reach their target. According to Johnson, the attack must have been spearheaded by the Biden administration and the US military-industrial complex because “decisions on such attacks are made not in Kiev, but in Washington.” ZH

Wagner boss announces ‘withdrawal from Bakhmut’

"The head of the Wagner Group Private Military Company, Evgeny Prigozhin, has announced that his forces will be withdrawing from the key Donbass city of Artyomovsk (known in Ukrainian as Bakhmut) on May 10. He has asked the Russian Army to take over the positions Wagner forces held in the city, while fighters recover...... the Wagner chief complained that his forces were not receiving enough artillery munitions and were unable to continue to hold the city....." RT

RFK Jr. Slams Ukraine For Droning The Kremlin: “Deranged Attempts To Escalate The War”

"In a scathing tweet, Robert Kennedy Jr. criticized Ukraine’s recent drone attack on the
Kremlin, calling it a “deranged attempt to escalate the war.” Russia had earlier announced that the Kremlin was targeted by armed drones, believed to be from Ukraine. The attack marks a dangerous escalation in the ongoing conflict between the two nations.

In his tweet, RFK Jr. drew attention to the potentially catastrophic consequences of such actions, warning that they could force Russia to choose between national humiliation and nuclear war." TP

Hungarian PM Calls For Trump’s Re-Election: “Bring Us Peace Again”

"Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán delivered a speech where he called for the United States to reelect former President Donald Trump, saying he believes a war between Ukraine and Russia would have never occurred if Trump was still in the White House. “Mr. President, come back, make American great again, bring us peace again,” said Orbán as the crowd roared its applausy." TP

Zelensky visits Dutch Air Force base

"Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Dutch
Minister of Defense Kajsa Ollongren have visited a Royal Netherlands Air Force base...."All this brings us closer to victory, our joint victory, dear friends. Remember, we will destroy Russian evil, yes, we will protect our freedom, our common European way of life. Weapons from this base help our defenders, protect life, normal life, free life, with respect for the lives of Ukrainians, all Europeans and all free people of the world. I thank everyone who helps. Glory to Ukraine," Zelensky said." Ukrin

Bank Panic Grows

"Shares of PacWest Bancorp plunged about an hour after the Federal Reserve chairman
finished his press conference yesterday. Soon afterward, shares of many U.S. regional banks were indicated down steeply in after-hours trading. .....Western Alliance WAL.N is exploring strategic options including a potential sale of all or part of its business....PacWest Bancorp PACW.Oalso said it was in talks with potential partners and investors about strategic options......." Breitbart

Blasts reported across Ukraine

"Ukrainian media reported a series of explosions in the capital and several other cities, with air defenses activated to repel supposed Russian drone and missile attacks..... explosions were reported in Odessa." RT

Ukraine Concentrating Forces at Forefront in Zaporozhye Region

"The enemy has accumulated enough forces on the front line to launch a counteroffensive in
the Zaporozhye Region. Their tactic is to conduct reconnaissance operations in order to break through our first line of defense, and then use the main forces for a breakthrough and a full-scale offensive." Sputnik

Atomic Energy Agency Confirms That Russia Placed Explosives at Ukraine’s Largest Nuclear Plant

"The International Atomic Energy Administration has issued a warning that Russian security forces allegedly placed high explosives near the Ukrainian nuclear plant at Zaporizhzhia." TP

Russia accuses Ukraine of attempted drone attack on Kremlin

"Russia has accused Ukraine of attempting an overnight drone attack on the Kremlin with the
aim of killing President Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin warned that Russia reserves the right to retaliate and that it viewed the alleged assault as a “terrorist” attack.." AlJazeera

Another train derailed by sabotage in Russian region bordering Ukraine

"A freight train with some 20 cars derailed outside the city of Bryansk, in a Russian region
near the northern border of Ukraine. Authorities have blamed the incident on “interference by unauthorized persons in the work of railway transport.” RT