KHARKIV, UKRAINE - MAY 5: Ukrainian officials inspect the area after the explosion of a Russian ... [+]
Dispatches from Ukraine. Day 802.
Kharkiv. On May 5th, on Orthodox Easter Sunday, Russian forces attacked a residential area in the center of Kharkiv, injuring at least 15 people, by glide bombs. Twenty apartment buildings have been damaged in the attack.
On the same day, Russian missiles killed a woman, additionally injuring 24 people in a different residential neighborhood.
Donetsk. In the Donetsk province, Russian rocket fire killed two civilians and wounded six more in the settlement of Hirnyk on May 1. Local authorities are still tallying the victims of the attack.
Odesa. Russian ballistic missiles struck the southern city of Odesa on May 2, primarily targeting civilian and industrial facilities. The attack wounded 14 residents, razed an entire depot of Ukraine’s Nova Poshta postal company and set off a fire that destroyed some $75,000 worth of merchandise in shipment, including children’s toys and medicines.
Russian attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure have caused more than $1 billion in damage in recent months. Meanwhile, Russian forces have advanced near Avdiivka and in Kharkiv province. Analysts say that Ukrainian defenders apparently have decided to trade ground for time as they await emergency aid from the United States and other countries. U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan even believes that this additional aid will help Ukraine launch a counteroffensive next year.
Latvia has approved the transfer of NBS anti-aircraft guns and tactical reconnaissance systems to Ukraine in support of the country’s air defense capabilities. Over the past two years, Latvia, which has been one of Ukraine's the most vocal supporters, has provided some $420 million of aid to the country. “Latvia annually allocates 0.25% of GDP to the military support of Ukraine,” said Latvian Prime Minister Evika Siliņa. “We will continue to support Ukraine both bilaterally and together with our allies.” Latvia also participates in a coalition established in January to coordinate efforts for strengthening Ukraine's UAV arsenal.
Google
Ukraine’s foreign ministry has designed an AI-powered digital personality, Victoria Shi, to help in disseminating consular updates to the public and media. The ministry will use Victoria Shi, whose visual prototype is Ukrainian singer and influencer Rosalie Nombre, as a tool for spreading timely information about alterations in Ukraine’s consular processes. “My name symbolizes our main goal – Ukraine’s victory, and my surname is the artificial intelligence that created me,” said Victoria Shi as she introduced herself. Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that using an AI-generated digital person is “primarily about saving time and resources.... It is not a whim, but a wartime requirement.”
Ukrainian theater and film actor Yevhen Shumilov was killed in battle on April 30. According to his close friend Ivan Marchenko, Shumilov volunteered to fight two years ago following Russia’s invasion, served as a combat medic in Ukraine’s 3rd Assault Brigade and died while trying to evacuate a wounded comrade-in-arms. Ukraine’s renowned film producer, Antonio Lukich, paid tribute to Shumilov, saying that it had been an honor to work with him on a set where “he glanced so piercingly and hopefully right into the future.” Shumilov’s professional career included Ukrainian grassroots projects such as “Agents of Justice” and “Department 44.”
By Daria Dzysiuk, Alan Sacks
