to withstand the russian onslaught, but using the help of the united states, we will be able to crush them , thank you very much serhiy zgurets , defense express expert, bohuslav my name is vasyl zima, i will say goodbye to you until tomorrow at 19, finally i will say that today the first president of ukraine, leonid kravchuk, i think we'll talk more about it tomorrow, there's a lot to talk about, but eternal memory, he did his mission in the history of ukraine, and now for your attention, a news release from my colleagues from the ukrainian editorial office of bbc news, let's watch it together take care until we meet with ukraine live from london - this is the 76th day of russia's war against ukraine, but we start with another important news. leonid kravchuk, the first president of independent ukraine, died. he was 88 years old. a few months ago, it became known that he had been in intensive care for a long time after underwent heart surgery and later underwent rehabilitation in

germany. kravchuk played a key role during ukraine's independence in 1991. he was the head of the verkhovna rada. when ukraine declared independence on august 24. in december, he won the first presidential elections at the same time a referendum was held in which more than 90% of ukrainians supported the country's independence. a few days after that, kravchuk, together with the russian leaders of belarus, boris yeltsin, stanislav sushkevich, signed the belarus agreement, which ended the existence of the soviet union. kravchuk called this event the most important in his life for kravchuk, who the soviet union buried bialowieza, the agreement became a kind of conclusion of his long career as a party figure, he was certainly the main ideologist of the ukrainian communist party and the beginning of a new life already as the first president of independent ukraine in 1994 , kravchuk lost the presidential election to leonid kuchma, but remained in politics and in 2020, volodymyr zelenskyi appointed kravchuk as the head of the ukrainian delegation in the tripartite contact

group regarding donbas, and we know in direct contact with kyiv as a colleague olha melchevska olya the news that leonid kravchuk died has just appeared , is there already any reaction to this in kyiv? congratulations, zhenya , it is still under martial law in kyiv, so it is quite difficult to quickly get any information but i can say that here from the little balcony we saw that just a few minutes ago a convoy of cars came with sirens in the direction of the government quarter, we can make an assumption that it may be somehow related to this, because apart from that, the city remained quite empty all day, you could only see rare single cars, it is still too early to talk about some kind of global reaction, because even here, the internet does not work very well here, and i hope that it will not disappear when we turn it on, but what was known before that leonid

makarovich was actually really sick, then he disappeared from the media for a while, he underwent heart surgery, he was in intensive care for a while, and after that not much was known about him, and e is so associated with him that quite a lot is associated with him in the first president of ukraine was remembered not only for his actions, with apt phrases, in particular, such loud words as "we have what we have, we have what we have" - ​​that is, he actually played a very large role in the formation of a certain mental stratum of modern ukrainians, but regarding the reaction, i think we need to wait and if we are in touch with you, we will be able to talk about it. i hope later in the issue, well, now let's move on to what is happening in ukraine, the war, and let's start with the diplomatic front, so today to kyiv

the ministers of foreign affairs of germany and the netherlands arrived, they met with president zelensky, who said at the meeting with them that we can win with joint forces. let's learn more about these visits. was the minister of foreign affairs of germany olena berkbock in kyiv? the visit was significant, she is the most highly regarded representative of germany who came to ukraine, so did the ukrainian authorities hear the desired words of support from willowka, and preferably support, it is actually difficult to comment on the insertion of the ukrainian authorities into what elena gribok said, but she made some really loud statements first of all, she visited bucha, where the bodies of more than 400 dead people were found after the place was liberated from the russian occupation, she also reopened the german embassy, ​​which began working in kyiv after the break, and the statements she made

relate primarily to such strategic matters for ukraine as the fact that olena brobok stated that germany wants to completely abandon russian fossil fuels, as well as russian gas and oil, this is quite such a strong statement that to which it can be assumed that the ukrainian government was obviously expecting it, and it can also be said that olena berbok stated that she supports ukraine's membership in the european union, and earlier dmytro kuleba, who held a press conference together with with his german colleague, he talked about that in an interview in the final, everyone and you are talking about the fact that if ukraine is not granted this membership to the usual case prime, it is quite negative. there was no zhenya well, this is not the first such visit yesterday in

odessa the chairman of the european council char-michel and at the same time the russian military shelled the region so that the european politician had to hide in a bomb shelter together with the ukrainian prime minister in odesa, the russians fired a number of rockets yesterday, there was destruction, that's what the situation is in the city now, really about the rockets, 7 rockets were fired, as far as we know now and it was confirmed that one person died and five were injured, the situation in the city remains difficult, very tense, and we have seen photos, videos of broken houses windows, there was information about the fact that a strategic enterprise was targeted, but for more details about it, he offers to see the plot of kyrylan davis, who worked on the site, russia celebrated victory day, odessa was on fire. it was one of the city's shopping centers that burned down after

a rocket attack, the russian authorities reported that seven rockets were fired into the city yesterday, one person was killed and five others were injured this morning the air still smells of burning last night when we were here it was hard to see the extent of the damage but this morning they are clearly visible a rocket crashed into the back of a shopping center it is visible whether it is completely destroyed there is enough fire that the fire brigade is trying to put out russia attacked a city on the southern coast how strategically important ukraine was before the war. it was the main international port that delivered ukrainian products to the world without our agricultural exports . dozens of countries in different regions of the world are already on the brink of food shortages. over time, the situation may become frankly dire. politicians are already discussing what the consequences of price

crisis and famine in african countries and asian countries, this is a direct consequence of russian aggression, missile strikes not only destroy infrastructure, they destroy life even 300 m from the epicenter, the force of the explosion broke many windows in this apartment building inside was kateryna and her daughter two-year-old arina, we were going to bed when the air alarm started, i heard a very loud sound of an explosion, grabbed two pillows and covered my daughter's ears with them she did not want to live the sound of the explosion was afraid of it what will we do when we hear air siren, even children here are already used to living with a constant threat in the conditions of war further russia systematically

gennadiy trukhanov stated that the company that kissed the russian rockets has no relation they had no idea about military infrastructure olga , speaking of the south here for ukraine there is another threat from transnistria, this pro-russian enclave of moldova, according to observers, russia can use to attack odesa, it is difficult for russia to transfer its additional forces there, but it can try to attract transnistrian security forces and to open a conditional second front, and here it is important to say that since the beginning of the war, the moldovan government has been very careful in its actions and rhetoric, worried that it could be drawn into a conflict of destabilization moldovans were especially wary of provocations on may 9, bbc correspondents saw what was happening there. moldova remembers the victory over nazi germany, the fascists will never win, they exclaim now

that the war in neighboring ukraine is ongoing, this once soviet republic has applied to join the european union, and some fear that russia has plans and for this country, you are afraid that president putin wants moldova to become part of russia. i would like other countries to remain within their own borders, so that we are a separate country and russia is within its borders today the spirit of the holiday is felt here as moldovans celebrate the end of the second world war and the coming of peace, along with this there is concern that this country may be engulfed in a new european war in neighboring ukraine, but the reason for these fears is that just a few minutes' drive from the capital you can see the russian troops that have been stationed here in the moscow-controlled

territory of transnistria for 30 years. these shots were taken last month when a group of masked men opened fire on government buildings. the authorities accused to this ukrainian agents, ukraine declared that it was the work of the russian special services for the minister of internal affairs, a rather disturbing period has come, we realize that it could be the so-called shadow forces that could use the current vulnerability and, let's say, create certain provocations. what do you think are the chances that russia will invade moldova? the biggest concern and threat as representatives of the ministry of internal affairs is the destabilization of the internal border, however, for serhiy, a musician who sells his instruments at the local bazaar more worrying are the statements of the kremlin under the power of russia for 70 years, but we have been

independent for 30 years and they don't like it, they would like to take over not only moldova, but also the whole of europe due to the fact that moldova's military resources are limited and the country itself is too dependent on russian energy carriers to act we need to be very careful and grab for peace with all our might and actually today the russians hit the bridge over the dniester liman in odesa odesa, the ukrainian military thought about it olya, the south-east remain hot spots but what is the situation in the capital, what is the situation in the kyiv region , yes, zhenyu, rights remain hot spots in the south and east of ukraine in kyiv, luckily today, everything is calm, our air alarm went off only once a few hours before the broadcast, but they did not extend the curfew. it starts again at 10:00 a.m. 00 p.m. we know that in some cities, for example, in dnipro, the curfew starts even later at 11 p.m. we did not see

any riots or provocation today, but in principle, i have to say that here people are already so are used to being in this state of readiness for everything that they have already rested this mechanism of reaction to any possible and development of events and very carefully monitors the announcements of the authorities regarding the east, of course the situation there remains extremely tense, in particular in the temporarily occupied city of izyum as far as it has become it is known that today the bodies of forty-four people were found under zavaliv on the fifth floor, and shortly before the broadcast, the prosecutor's office of the kharkiv region reported that 14 people among those who pulled out from under the rubble. unfortunately, the dead were two families of five people, actually new tragic details and the headquarters of the ukrainian armed forces reports that it was possible to recapture four settlements in the east of zhenya. they were on their way to rescue dogs when

russian troops invaded ukraine vadim took his pregnant wife and parents from ivankov in the north of kyiv. the next day, he and his father decided to return home and take their three dogs. at that time, there were already russian troops in the village, and this video was filmed on the way back. we were moving from the side of the settlement, somewhere around here, we saw the convoy leave . at this place, you can see. and from this distance, he is there, where the car is standing, uh, at the intersection, they started shooting. dad, wait, endure,

endure, no, no, the first thing that hit my father was in the leg . one leg was torn off and the other was also wounded on friday, stand, stand, dad, lie, lie, lie, when i was lying behind the car, i saw that there were moving columns with a pole, because of that, it is more clear that this is russian equipment, you are from bullets, vadim dragged the wounded father into the ditch, please, i'm begging you don't pull yours somehow, my father and i lay there for three hours after the shelling, i

cut his leg, but the bleeding was strong and, in fact, no one could give help in the medical professional and in the blood institute. oleg was 48 years old, he worked as a construction worker. and this is whose car he was driving that day, he says that russian soldiers fired from large-caliber machine guns and here you can see bullet holes , here a bullet hit the engine and the car stalled. several other bullets went through the windshield. vadim had to bury his father in the garden and only after the departure of the russian troops. he was able to count him in the cemetery. his wife gave him a daughter . the birth of a little milia was a consolation for his soul and helps him overcome the loss. this is how a resident of ivankovo ​​told the bbc that the russian military killed

his father during the occupation. he is preparing for a long war in ukraine. this is how the director assessed the situation. of american intelligence in x-rays at the sonnet hearings, in particular, counting on the fact that the united states and europe will lose their resolve , and she says that putin is ready to take the war to transnistria, as we have already talked about the threat from transnistria, this is the assessment of american intelligence, meanwhile, fighting continues in donbas, as the russians said in the general staff meeting , the pace of the offensive is increasing in the east, fire is being fired along the entire line of contact and in the depth of the defense of ukrainian troops from the east of ukraine the following article by bbc correspondent andrew harting: a donbas village quietly sends ivan on his last journey the invasion of russia, his wife begged him to stay , his father is now killed by grief, but a certain feeling

hangs in the air over this village, which throughout the region is a burning feeling of defiance in all of us, that we may be free and independence, a lonely military plane buzzes overhead, the front line is somewhere behind the next village in the north but when the bombs fall randomly in the cities and villages around, they do not destroy, but only fuel the defiant spirit of resistance , seizing this corner of eastern ukraine with its close ties to russia seemed easy a task for putin's clumsy army, but his army only continues to multiply its clumsiness , the store can hardly be called a strategic target , says lilia contemptuously, such hits only strengthen the determination of ukrainian soldiers, this

tank unit, which was met by the bbc film crew, held its position, while it did not try to break through to the russians, and it is extremely necessary more powerful weapons but so far their strength is different we have unity we fight for our independence from russia russian soldiers fight for money they are not motivated like us russians for several weeks they are shelling the front line, but the catch here in donbas is that the kremlin's offensive has largely stalled, they have hardly taken any important positions, and the ukrainians are making them pay a high price for every piece of land, a deserted wasteland stretches further, where ukrainian volunteers collect the abandoned bodies of russian soldiers, too many to to count , oleksiyukov thinks, such losses that they have. well, it's so simple, it's unbelievable, it's crazy how many people to put for the sake of

what in the village where ivan's father was killed by grief, a young woman a widow brings her five-year-old son to the edge of the grave he was resolute and kind, she tells us about her husband and her voice sounds stronger while the struggle for donbas continues and in the surrounded mariupol on azovstal while more than a hundred civilians are staying, the head of the donetsk region and also a representative said this at the same time , more than a thousand ukrainian soldiers remain at the plant. many of them are wounded, deputy prime minister iryna vereshchuk said that, according to her, turkey is ready to help carry out an evacuation across the last sea, but guarantees are needed what the russians will not shoot at this time the russians continue their relentless attempts to capture the last bastion of mariupol peru from the air from the sea the ukrainian military has published a photo of wounded fighters at the azov plant, a separate special forces unit, which published the photo on its telegram channel, emphasized the conditions in

which the wounded are and the crippled defenders of mariupol should be seen by the whole civilized world, i quote, in complete unsanitary conditions with open wounds bandaged with non-sterile remains of bows without the necessary medicines and even food. this is how the military describes these conditions. meanwhile, the mayor of mariupol, vadym boychenko, said that in order to confirm the end of the civilian steel season, a regime of silence is needed. the russians are violating it. the troops continue to attack our fortress. unfortunately for the fortress, this is happening now and that is why it is a very difficult and very difficult situation that it was possible to say for 100% that the evacuation of the local population has been completed, it is necessary so that there was a stable, uh, silence regime, so that there was an opportunity to go

to all the bomb shelters to check that everyone had evacuated, but unfortunately, they do not give such an opportunity. did you see what these enemy russian troops did when there was already a white-white rocket and a volley up and it was it is obvious that the regime of silence is beginning, but unfortunately these soothsaying troops, these scum killed our three heroic guys , six were wounded and this happened when this mission began, that is, our heroes not only protect, they also save lives and at the cost of their own life is such a situation in mariupol, and we are returning to the fact that we started our issue , the first president of ukraine, leonid kravchuk, died, and the bbc political correspondent

svyatoslav khomenko is in touch with us now, and we will talk about it with them. thank you, you recorded an interview with leonid kravchuk to the 30th anniversary of the independence of ukraine, let's start with this date from the 91st year, what was the role and importance of leonid kravchuk in achieving the independence of ukraine, in fact, i was lucky and i communicated with leonid makarov more than once and every time the impression of communicating with him was that you are touching history, in fact, you can treat kravchuk differently, but when we say that today an era has passed, in this case it absolutely looks like an exaggeration. leonid kravchuk was literally the father of the ukrainian state and the father of ukrainian statehood he was the last of the participants in the bialowieza meeting that took place in december 1991, at which the disintegration of the union was documented, and there is a certain irony in this; for

most of his career before that time, he was to the propagandists of the communist party of ukraine, as he later said his views, er, only fools and dead people do not change leonid tkachuk became the first president of ukraine and formally spoke on an equal footing, for example , with the president of the united states and other powerful people of this world. provinces of the soviet union, parts of russia. how do you think it will be a full-fledged participant in international relations ? to print hryvnias despite the fact that later they were run by the national bank of viktor yushchenko during the presidency of leonid kuchm and leonid kravchuk. paradoxically, he was an active propagandist of the ukrainian communist party. he had a very good relationship with metropolitan filaret, who was the leader of the ukrainian sunset in the 60s. was called, and accordingly, after the collapse of the union, together with philaret, they actually came up with the idea that an independent ukraine should have an independent church , so leonid kravchuk can be said to have stood near

origins and the kyiv patriarchate, and now it has actually turned into a political party. kravchuk had his own political style in many respects, which is described by this mega -famous anecdote about between drops, and this, according to historians, experts, is allowed, for example, to take a balanced position during the communist party of ukraine, one of the key moments of his political and i would say dear. and i recorded interviews with him several times, he was already at a very advanced age, all the same , he had such a peculiar volyn sense of humor, he understood and respected journalists very much, but on the other hand, he was criticized for a lot of things, he was a soviet politician for many reasons, he did not understand how a market economy works, therefore one of the attributes of the presidency is, of course, hyperinflation, which reached 10,000% in 1993, and kravchuchka, a cart, was not called by his name just like that. first of all, due to economic reasons, he lost the presidential election to leonid kuchmov in 1994 , and here it should be emphasized that he was the first in the soviet space to peacefully hand over power after

the presidential election program. well, after that how he stopped being the president, there were many questions, he created political projects with medvedchuk, he was a confidant of yanukovych in the presidential elections, but in recent years he has completely withdrawn from politics, except that he formally headed the negotiating group of ukraine at the minsk negotiations, and already in the last years of his life he said that his main mistake as a politician was that he believed in russia, and another very strong quote from his last years is that if someone with parachutes and a russian flag to land on his dacha in the koncha-zaspa, he will shoot for the impression that kravchuk was an avid hunter , he says. he shot very well. i am sure that it would not be easy for the russians if they really decided to land on his dacha. and if kryvchuk was at least 10-20 years younger, yes kravchuk kravchuk will be remembered for his aphorisms , as he said, just at the beginning of this war between russia and ukraine, in the first days, the addresses of the former presidents of ukraine appeared, and it was there that

they said all together we will win, we will stand russia will pay for its crimes. what was the attitude towards kravchuk, especially in these last years of his life, towards russia already after the 14th year ? was most of his political career, he was oriented towards moscow, i can say, he received some instructions from it. at the same time, as one of the historians who researched his role in ukrainian politics in ukrainian history said, he was a person in which the bagpiper defeated the komunyak and at some point after 1991. i think he started quietly, very quietly, very correctly, very carefully, and between the drops, they began to take ukraine away from russia and the apopholosis began, in fact, in the last years,

when kravchuk headed the negotiating delegation of ukraine at the minsk negotiations when he was so deep that some people who represented there simply broke down, i don't know. for example , the self-proclamation of the dnr of the lnr and in the one that could actually press with its authority even on its russian visas. well, here is his quote about that that he is laden to shoot russian paratroopers who will decide to land with parachutes on his dash. it seems to me that it shows so convincingly how he has changed, for example, since the same year in 1994 when he signed the agreement on the distribution of the black sea fleet when under him in fact , this budapest memorandum was being prepared, according to which ukraine got rid of nuclear weapons, kravchuk changed and kravchuk changed sides . this is my impression

of nationalism. thank you. thank you. we were accompanied by sviatoslav khomenko , a bbc political columnist who spoke with leonid kravchuk more than once and, on the 30th anniversary of independence, gave him one of the last interviews with kravchuk about how this independence surprised him because leonid kravchuk said that events happened very quickly and every day was important, every day in the 91st year was important until ukraine gained independence and on this we have to finish our issue. leonid kravchuk, the ideologue of communism who brought independence to ukraine, died at the age of 89.

good evening to all who watch us. this is a live broadcast of the direct channel and espresso and my name is andriy sachuk. listen, well, actually, also look carefully, of course, at the work of the bbc ukraine collection and the case when for example, i do not agree with either the beginning, the premise, or the conclusion. leonid kravchuk died today. kravchuk, you know, they say that the dead are either good or nothing but the truth, and the truth is that leonid kravchuk did not bring independence to ukraine and he was not the creator of ukrainian independence.

is not true, at least that's what i think