Ukraine updates: Russia replaces 'Butcher of Mariupol'

Russia's Defense Ministry announced on Sunday that it has replaced one of its deputy ministers.

Colonel General Alexei Kuzmenkov is taking over from Mikhail Mizintsev and will oversee logistical support for the armed forces, according to the ministry.

Mizintsev had been in the office since September 2022. He was appointed after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the partial mobilization.

He was under British sanctions for his role in the siege of the southeastern Ukrainian port city of Mariupol. Some Western media gave him the nickname "the Butcher of Mariupol."

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has 12 deputies.

Russian war correspondents reported Mizintsev's dismissal last week, citing internal disputes within the Russian military.

Here are some of the other headlines concerning Russia's war in Ukraine on Sunday, April 30:

Funerals held for children killed in Russian missile strike

The families and friends gathered in the Ukrainian city of Uman on Sunday to bury six children who died during a Russian missile attack.

Mourners held candles while others cried near the coffins.

Local priest, Father Fyodor Botsu, told the Associated Press that he "personally knew the children."

He added that he prayed "that the war should end and peace should come to our homes, city and country."

A total of 23 people were killed on Friday when two Russian missiles hit an apartment building in Uman. Local mourners have laid flowers and other memorials outside the severely damaged building.

Wagner's Prigozhin warns against 'tragedy' from Ukrainian counteroffensive

The head of the Russian mercenary Wagner Group, Yeveny Prigozhin, has said that a Ukrainian counteroffensive could turn into a "tragedy" for Russia and reiterated his demands for more ammunition.

"We (Wagner) have only 10-15 percent of the shells that we need," he said.

He said that he expected a Ukrainian counteroffensive in May.

Prigozhin has been involved in a power struggle with the Defense Ministry, which he accuses of failing to supply Wagner with sufficient ammunition.

Russian soldiers 'accomplices' to war crimes — Zelenskyy

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russian soldiers are complicit in war crimes and will face justice after civilians were killed in recent Russian missile strikes.

At least 23 people — including six children — were killed during an attack on the city of Uman on Friday.

"Anyone who prepares such missile attacks cannot but know that he will be an accomplice in the murder," Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address late on Saturday.

Soldiers who pilot and fire missiles, as well as maintain Russian ships and planes used in attacks on civilians are complicit in their deaths.

"Not only the commanders, but all of you, you are all terrorists and murderers and all of you must be punished," the president said, addressing Russian soldiers directly.

Zelenskyy also repeated his call for the formation of an international tribunal against Russia to try war crimes, like the Nuremberg trials against Nazi German leaders.

Kyiv to boycott judo tournament over Russian, Belarusian athletes

Ukrainian broadcaster Suspilne reports that Ukraine plans to boycott world judo championships taking place next week.

Kyiv has a policy of boycotting international sports events that allow Russian and Belarusian players to compete.

The IJF International Judo Federation (IJF) said on Saturday that it plans to allow Russians and Belarusians to compete as neutral athletes without national flags.

The body said that Russian and Belarusian athletes would be subjected to background checks, including an examination of social media accounts for "war propaganda."

Ukraine seeks scope for China as mediator

Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Andriy Melnyk says the possibility of China adopting a mediating role in the Ukraine war is "not unrealistic."

Melnyk, an outspoken former Ukrainian ambassador to Germany, said he thought the Chinese leadership would be likely to see the benefits of taking such an approach.

"The Chinese are of course pursuing their own interests," he told Germany's Funke media group. "But I do believe that a just and peaceful solution and the end of hostilities are more in line with Beijing's interests than this huge never-ending earthquake for the entire world order."

Melnyk said a recent phone call between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Chinese leader Xi Jinping — the first since the war began — "was a big step forward in strengthening our relations with China and ending Russian aggression."

However, he pointed out that the withdrawal of all Russian troops from the occupied territories was a prerequisite for Kyiv.

A Russian withdrawal from the areas it has occupied in the past year, or from the Crimea peninsula which Moscow annexed in 2014, is not part of China's position paper on a political solution to the conflict.

Russia not able to cut Ukrainian supply routes to Bakhmut, says Kyiv

Despite fierce fighting over a key supply road to the embattled city of Bakhmut, Russian forces have not been able to disrupt logistics deliveries for Ukrainian troops, a Ukrainian military official said.

"The Russians have been talking for several weeks about conquering the 'road of life' as well as keeping fire control over it. In reality, everything is different," a spokesman for the Eastern Group of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Serhiy Cherevaty, told online outlet zn.ua.

Weapons, ammunition and other supply deliveries to Ukrainian forces are still secured, while engineers have also already laid new roads to Bakhmut, Cherevaty said.

The Ukrainian military claims could not be immediately verified.

Ukrainian and Russian forces have been locked in a bloody battle for Bakhmut, with both sides suffering heavy casualties.

Russia vows 'harsh' consequences after Poland seizes embassy school

Polish authorities took control of a school near the Russian Embassy in Warsaw that was meant for the children of Russian diplomats.

"Our opinion, which has been confirmed by the courts, is that this property belongs to the Polish state and was taken by Russia illegally," Lukasz Jasina, a Polish Foreign Ministry spokesman, told Reuters news agency.

Russia has slammed the move as "illegal" and warned there would be consequences for the move.

"Such an insolent step by Warsaw, which goes beyond the framework of civilized inter-state relations, will not remain without a harsh reaction and consequences for the Polish authorities and Polish interests in Russia," Russia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Pope thanks Hungary for taking in Ukrainian refugees

During a visit to Hungary on Saturday, Pope Francis met with Ukrainian refugees and made an appeal for peace.

Among the refugees was a Ukrainian man who fled with his wife and five children following Russia's invasion.

"I'm glad to be here with you," the pope said. He also thanked the Hungarian Church for "taking in so many refugees who come from Ukraine."

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his government's refugee policies have caused friction with the EU — often conflicting with international laws on asylum.

Francis also met with a high-ranking representative of the Russian Orthodox Church in Budapest, describing the talks as being held in a "cordial tone."

Pro-Putin bikers set off for 'patriotic' rally in Berlin

Hundreds of members of the Night Wolves motorcycle club have left Moscow with the goal of holding a "patriotic" rally in the German capital on May 9.

The club is known for its pro-Kremlin stance and its support of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In the past, the Russian nationalist biker club has traveled to Berlin to mark the end of World War II and Nazi Germany's capitulation to the Allies on May 9.

This year, the ride comes against the backdrop of Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine — with several of the bikers decorating their motorcycles with symbols in support of the Russian military.

The Night Wolves' leader, Alexander Zaldastanov, has described himself as a "friend" of the Russian president.

As part of their trek to Berlin, the bikers plan stops in Volgograd — previously known as Stalingrad — which was the site of a turning point for Soviet Union troops in their fight against Nazi Germany in World War II. They also plan a stop in the Russian-occupied Donbas region in eastern Ukraine.

More DW content on Russia's war in Ukraine

It's alleged that over 16,000 children in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine are being brought to Russia and Belarus against their will. Authorities there say the children are merely recovering abroad. DW spoke with a Belarusian opposition politician who is collecting evidence to pass on to the ICC and Ukrainian prosecutors.

Gagauzia, a region in the south of the Republic of Moldova, will elect a new governor on Sunday. Despite the fact that the region was modernized with EU funding, most people there remain loyal to Russia.

rs/sri (dpa, AP, AFP Reuters)