Ukraine Latest: IAEA Says Atomic Plant Situation ‘Unpredictable’

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(Bloomberg) — Ukraine’s air force commander said the military’s air defense intercepted a hypersonic Kh-47 “Kinzhal” missile, one of Russia’s most modern weapons, fired during a night attack on May 4, with the aid of a US Patriot defense system. 

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Russian pro-war writer Zakhar Prilepin was injured when their SUV was destroyed by a car bomb hundreds of miles east of Moscow, not long after leaving the occupied territories of Ukraine. Prilepin was said to be out of a medically-induced coma on Sunday and in stable condition.   

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Six state emergency workers were killed Saturday in a Russian attack while they were clearing mines in the Kherson region, according to emergency services. Russian missiles targeted the Mykolayiv region overnight after air alerts sounded widely. 

Key Developments

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(All times CET)

IAEA Calls Situation at Atomic Plant Unpredictable, Dangerous (10 a.m.)

Rafael Mariano Grossi, head of the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency, called the situation around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southeastern Ukraine “increasingly unpredictable and potentially dangerous.”  

The IAEA said its staff at the facility had advised them that residents are being evacuated from the nearby town of Enerhodar, where most live, according to the agency’s website. The agency’s staff on site at ZNPP haven’t been able to visit Enerhodar in recent days.

The agency also cited site director Yuri Chernichuk’s assurance that operating staff were not being evacuated and that the facility is being maintained  in line with nuclear safety regulations. All six reactors at Zaporizhzhia are in shutdown mode.  

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Russian Pro-War Writer ‘Stable’ After Bomb Blast (8:30 a.m.)

Zakhar Prilepin is conscious and in stable condition after being brought out of a medical coma following Saturday’s car bombing, Nizhny Novgorod Governor Gleb Nikitin said on his Telegram channel. 

The Russian writer and politician, a vocal supporter of the invasion of Ukraine, was injured and his driver killed when an explosive device detonated under their car on Saturday, the Tass news service reported citing emergency services.  

The incident followed the bombing deaths of pro-war blogger Maxim Fomin, or Vladlen Tatarsky, in a St. Petersburg cafe in April, and Darya Dugina, daughter of a prominent Russian nationalist, in August. Dugina was also killed by a car bomb.

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Six Killed While Demining Around Kherson (8:30 a.m)

Six state emergency workers were killed and two injured by Russian fire while demining on Saturday, the emergency service said.  

“Our explosives experts were shelled while out clearing an area in the Kherson region from mines,” said Serhii Kruk, head of the service. 

Russian Missile Barrage Slams Mykolayiv Region (8 a.m.)

Air-raid alerts sounded widely for several hours across most of Ukraine late Saturday night and early Sunday. The Mykolayiv region was attacked by five Russian Kha-22 long-range missiles launched from a Tu-22M3 fighter jet, regional governor Vitaliy Kim said on Telegram. An industrial plant was damaged but no casualties were reported.

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Explosions were also reported in the Zaporizhzhia region, along with shelling around the city of Kherson and elsewhere. 

A Russian reconnaissance drone was downed Saturday in the Kyiv region, Serhiy Popko, head of city administration, said on Telegram.

War is Driving Russian Labor Shortage, UK Says (7 a.m.) 

Russia faces its worst labor shortage in decades, with the war in Ukraine, the Covid epidemic and emigration among the factors, the UK defense ministry said. 

“Russia saw up to 1.3 million people leave the country in 2022, including many younger and well-educated people in high-value industries,” the ministry said in a Twitter update. That includes about 10% of its IT workforce. 

“Mobilization, historically high emigration, and an aging and shrinking population is limiting the labor supply,” the UK said. “This will likely lead to a reduction in the potential growth of the Russian economy and risks stoking inflation.”   

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Russian Su-35 Buzzed Patrol Plane, Romania Says (9:30 p.m.)

A Russian Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jet repeatedly conducted dangerous maneuvers around a Polish Border Guard plane over the Black Sea in international waters, causing turbulence that led to “major difficulties” in controlling the unarmed aircraft, according to Romania’s defense ministry.

The May 5 incident “is further evidence of the provocative approach of the Russian Federation in the Black Sea,” the ministry said in a statement. It called the Russian plane’s actions “totally unacceptable.”

The Polish two-engine turboprop was on a patrol for Frontex, the European Union’s border and coast guard agency, in cooperation with Romanian police. The crew landed it safely at a Romanian air base. No injuries were reported.

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Wagner Chief Seeks Exit From Bakhmut in Days (7:25 p.m.)

Wagner Group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin asked Russia’s Defense Ministry to order a handover of the mercenary group’s positions in the long-embattled Ukrainian city of Bakhmut to Akhmat special forces by midnight May 10.

In a letter dated Saturday to Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, Prigozhin blames a persistent munitions shortage  for weakening Wagner’s fighting strength and says Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov is ready to send in his fighters as replacements. Prigozhin’s press office posted an image of the letter on its Telegram channel.

Prigozhin stood in a field of corpses in a video released this week, accusing Shoigu and Russian army chief Valery Gerasimov of failing to supply his troops in Ukraine with enough ammunition.  

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Russia Says Two Ballistic Missiles Shot Down Over Crimea (4:46 p.m.)

Russian air defenses shot down two ballistic missiles over occupied Crimea on Saturday, Tass reported, citing a Telegram post from Oleg Kryuchkov, an adviser to Sergey Aksyonov, the peninsula’s Kremlin-installed governor. There was no detail on where the missiles were intercepted. 

The missiles were fired from Ukraine’s Grom-2 operational tactical missile system (OTRK), the officials said, adding that there had been no damage or injuries. Ukraine hasn’t commented and the claim can’t be independently verified. 

The Grom-2 is a short-range surface-to-surface missile system developed by Ukraine over the past decade.   

Ukraine Says 45 Soldiers Returned in Prisoner Swap (2:30 p.m.) 

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Some 45 Ukrainian soldiers were returned in the latest prisoner exchange with Russia. The service members were part of the defense of Mariupol last spring, said Andriy Yermak, chief of staff to Ukraine’s president. 

Yermak didn’t elaborate on how many Russian POWs were exchanged. Three Russian pilots were returned from captivity in Ukraine, TASS reported, citing Russia’s defense ministry. It didn’t say if the aviators were the only service members involved in the swap.   

Russian Pro-War Novelist Prilepin Injured in Car Bombing (11:34 a.m.)

Russia novelist and journalist Zakhar Prilepin was injured and his driver killed when an explosive device detonated under their car in the Nizhny Novgorod region of central Russia, the TASS news agency reported citing emergency services. 

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Prilepin, 47, is known to be a vocal support of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He’s been hospitalized; the extent of his injuries isn’t yet known.  

The incident follows the bombing deaths of pro-war blogger Maxim Fomin, or Vladlen Tatarsky in a Saint Petersburg cafe in April, and Darya Dugina, daughter of a prominent Russian nationalist, in August. Dugina was also killed by a car bomb. 

Ukraine Shot Down a Russian ‘Kinzhal’ Missile in Historic First (9:26 a.m.)

Ukraine’s air defense shot down a Russian hypersonic Kh-47 “Kinzhal” missile on May 4 that had been fired by a MiG-31K fighter jet in Russian territory, Ukrainian Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk said on Telegram. 

It was the first official comment from Ukraine on the incident, discussion of which circulated widely on social media on Friday along with photos said to be of the missile’s remains. “Yes, we shot down the ‘unique’ Dagger,” Oleshchuk said. 

On April 26 Oleshchuk said Patriot air defense systems donated by the US and Western allies have been deployed in Ukraine with the goal of neutralizing Russian ballistic missile attacks.