Ukraine's Third Assault Brigade confirmed on May 9 that the 72^nd Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the Russian Armed Forces has fled Bakhmut, the Kyiv Independent writes. The news, prior to the confirmation, was originally announced by Wagner mercenary group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin. “Prigozhin's report about the escape of the 72^nd Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the Russian Armed Forces from Bakhmut and the '500 corpses' of Russians who remained there is true,” the Third Assault Brigade wrote.

On Wednesday the EU countries are beginning discussions of the 11^th package of sanctions Russia. Diplomatic sources familiar with the proposal - drafted by von der Leyen's Commission - said it also included blacklisting "tens" of new companies, including from China, Iran, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. It would mark the first time the bloc had targeted China over accusations of Beijing's role in the war, something China's foreign ministry warned the EU against, Reuters reports.

The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky called for lifting the temporary European restrictions on the import of Ukrainian grain in five countries, among them Bulgaria, imposed until 5 June. “Any restrictions on our exports now are absolutely unacceptable because they do not strengthen all of us in Europe, instead they strengthen the aggressor's capabilities,” he said. The Russian state news agency TASS has reported that a quadripartite meeting is to take place in Istanbul on Wednesday and Thursday on the resumption of grain exports from Russia and Ukraine.