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Ukrainian Perspective: Invasion of Ukraine: May 17th, 2022
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.[Korrespondent] 23:10 Negotiations between Ukraine and Russia are not currently being conducted in any format, said a member of the Russian delegation, Leonid Slutsky. 23:08 Arestovich on the evacuation from Azovstal: "There is a solution, which is that while the operation is underway, we do not comment. Everything is too fragile there, and one careless word can bring everything down. We will not substitute the guys and girls. When they Those who are involved in the evacuation will say yes, we will comment."  23:05 Russian Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin visited the occupied Kherson region and said that it "has great prospects, the region will take its rightful place in the Russian family." 23:02 The Russian army went on the defensive along the entire section from Kherson to Kharkov. The only place where they still do not do this is the Izyum and Lugansk directions, Arestovich said. According to him, the occupants are trying to reach areas that are more convenient to defend - mainly hills, settlements and natural boundaries such as rivers, ravines. They began to dig very actively, added the adviser to the head of the OP. 22:57 Elizabeth II in a yellow and blue outfit opened a new line of London Station 22:24 Zelensky today delivered a speech via video link at the Cannes Film Festival. "I am sure that the dictator will lose. We will win this war," the president said. 21:56 The Russians are trying to make a breakthrough in the Popasnaya area and in the Severodonetsk direction, said the head of the Lugansk OVA, Sergei Gaidai. According to him, Severodonetsk, Gorskaya hromada and the Lisichansk-Bakhmut highway are under constant shelling. However, the evacuation along this route continues. Gaidai also said that new attempts by the Russians are expected to cross the Seversky Donets near Belogorovka and cut the Lisichansk-Bakhmut highway at this point, which is the only route connecting the Lisichansk-Severodonetsk agglomeration with the Donetsk region. 21:51 The founder of the Azov Regiment, the leader of the National Corps party, Andriy Beletsky, said that he was in contact with the Ukrainian defenders of Azovstal, and asked not to comment on their evacuation: “The main thing now is not to harm with your conjectures, ideas, any insiders of the rescue operation itself Therefore, I have a big request to everyone who wants to share their thoughts about what is happening at Azovstal, or to those who have some kind of "secrets", "insiders" and want to share these "insiders" with the whole world, - keep them to yourself, as well as your opinions. In two or three days, I think that the garrison itself will prove it, make it clear how everything went." 21:37 Russia can beat the world record for the loss of an army that invaded the territory of another country, Borrell said at a briefing after a meeting of the EU Council. 21:33 Despite the ongoing war, the EU is already developing a plan for the restoration of Ukraine, writes Sueddeutsche Zeitung. According to the draft document, the allocation of funds will be strictly monitored for corruption and the efforts of the Ukrainian government to carry out reforms. Such reforms should bring the country closer to the EU. According to the document, the reconstruction of Ukraine may take more than ten years. At the same time, the principle of "doing better than it was" should be applied, which will include concern for the climate. 21:26 Because of the destroyed water supply system, Mariupol is threatened with the spread of infectious diseases, including cholera, said Dorit Nitzan, Regional Director for Emergency Situations of the WHO. According to her, WHO is preparing cholera kits and vaccines, and is also collaborating with other non-governmental organizations to help residents in the occupied territory. According to her, the water supply in Mariupol has been "partially restored", but many pipelines have been destroyed: "It's just a swamp on the streets, and sewage water is mixed with drinking water. This is a huge danger of the spread of many infections, including cholera. We remember that before 2011 there were cases of cholera in Mariupol, and we are getting ready." 21:18 The Cabinet of Ministers has expanded the list of citizens who can qualify for monthly payments of 2,200-2,500 hryvnias from international humanitarian organizations, Shmyhal said. Previously, such payments were provided only to internally displaced persons from among the most vulnerable social categories, and now Ukrainians from the de-occupied territories, settlements located in the zone of active hostilities, as well as citizens in the temporarily occupied territory will be able to receive them. 21:09 Budapest is ready to be a mediator in peace talks between Kiev and Moscow, Hungarian President Katalina Novak said: "This is not our war, but it is also being waged against Hungarians who love peace, strive for security, mutual respect and well-being. We demand an investigation of the military crimes and punishment of the guilty. Novak also stressed that Hungary supports Ukraine's accession to the European community. 21:06 Germany will expand military cooperation with Finland and Sweden, Scholz said: "We will intensify our military cooperation, especially in the Baltic Sea region and through joint exercises." He also stressed that Berlin would seek "very fast" ratification of the entry of European partners into NATO. 21:00 Russian Transneft has restricted access to the monthly schedule of oil shipments from seaports in an attempt to save the Russian oil market, writes Reuters. 20:58 The Russian army uses the Belgorod airport, which previously served only civilian flights, Schemes (Radio Liberty) report, citing satellite images and data from military analysts. So, Planet Labs recorded eight helicopters and several cars on the territory of the civil airport on May 14. The military expert identified the helicopters as Mi-8s. This explains the fact that, according to the Russians, all flights at the Belgorod airport and a number of other airports in central and southern Russia are "limited." One of the assumptions about the purpose of such a "schedule" is the reception of transport aircraft and helicopters for the transportation of military cargo and personnel, urgent medical evacuation of the wounded. 20:47 The Cabinet of Ministers will temporarily suspend the regulation of prices for gasoline and diesel fuel in order for operators to saturate the market. According to First Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Sviridenko, such an agreement was reached today with market operators. The government expects prices to be up to UAH 58 for diesel fuel and UAH 52 for gasoline. Sanctions will be applied against market participants abusing the market situation, "the situation will be monitored daily," Sviridenko warned. 20:41 Macron, in a conversation with Zelensky, said that arms supplies to Ukraine would increase in the coming weeks, the press service of the French president said. He also noted that the issue of grain export from Ukraine was discussed. The heads of state also spoke about post-war security guarantees for Kyiv. Macron also confirmed that the Ukrainian application for EU membership will be considered in June, and reiterated his idea of creating some kind of "European political community" for countries that are not members of the European Union. Earlier, Kyiv categorically rejected the possibility of replacing EU membership with other entities. For Ukraine, the proposal on "alternative options for European integration" is unacceptable, Yermak said. 20:39 Seven buses with Ukrainian defenders of Azovstal arrived at a former penal colony in the DPR-controlled city of Yelenovka near Donetsk, Reuters reports. 20:32 The war is moving into a protracted phase, Reznikov said in an address to the EU Foreign Affairs Council and the UN Secretary General. According to him, in the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions, the invaders are carrying out engineering and fortification work in order to go on the defensive. At the same time, the minister stressed that the war is destroying the Ukrainian economy, and its prolongation entails the risk of a global food crisis, as well as another migration crisis. Reznikov noted that Belarusian troops are actively maneuvering near the border with Ukraine, so Ukraine reserves forces in case Moscow nevertheless forces Minsk to invade. The head of the Defense Ministry is convinced that Russia can be defeated on the battlefield - this will free the world from tyranny, and Europe from a constant threat. In connection with the upcoming NATO summit in Madrid, Reznikov wants the alliance to answer the question - what future does he see for Ukraine: "The NATO Strategic Concept for the next ten years will be adopted. What place will Europe see for Ukraine in the interests of protecting its eastern borders? All of us present here are thinking about updating the security architecture of Europe, at least." 20:13 The NATO leadership says that they will accept Sweden and Finland as soon as possible, but the President of Turkey was on the way. To expand the alliance, the votes of all members are needed. What the international press writes about this is in the article Why Erdogan is against Finland and Sweden in NATO . 20:07 Investigators will interrogate the Ukrainian military from Azovstal, the RF IC said. 20:06 The Coca-Cola plant in Bolshaya Dymerka, Kiev region, will resume work. The company said it plans to restore 100% capacity by the end of May. 19:50 Washington sees no systemic attempts by China to circumvent Western measures to tighten export controls on Russia, US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said. 19:48 Slovakia will send a payment for the supply of Russian gas in euros to an account with Gazprombank, which, in turn, will convert the funds into rubles and credit them to Gazprom's ruble account, Deputy Prime Minister, Economy Minister Richard Sulik said. "We will have nothing to do with the second part of the operation. What is important for us is that we pay in euros to Gazprombank," he explained. 19:36 Zelensky reported on a "long and intense" telephone conversation with Macron: "He spoke about the course of hostilities, the operation to rescue the military from Azovstal and the vision of the prospects for the negotiation process. He touched on the issue of fuel supplies to Ukraine. It was also about defense support from France, the preparation of the sixth package of sanctions, possible ways of exporting Ukrainian agricultural products. We discussed in detail the consideration of our application for obtaining the status of an EU candidate." 19:23 In all regions of Ukraine, mobile teams have been created to monitor chemical, radiation and biological threats, Igor Kuzin, chief medical officer, said. He said that mobile groups would respond quickly to emergencies if the Russians use new banned weapons. In addition, the teams are engaged in epidemiological well-being in the de-occupied territories - they test drinking water, carry out disinsection, disinfection and deratization, examine the soil, etc. Such work has already been completed 100% in the Kyiv region, 70% in the Chernihiv region and 40% in the Sumy region. 18:58 Putin accused the West of what is happening around Ukraine: "Everything that is happening today, including, unfortunately, around Ukraine, is connected with the ill-conceived policy of the so-called collective West, which for decades has ignored Russia's absolutely legitimate concerns in the field of security his security and encouraged the nationalist neo-fascist elements in the Kiev leadership in every possible way. Also, according to him, the West allegedly "disregarded the problems that developed in the south-east of Ukraine and, in fact, contributed to the continuation of hostilities initiated by the Kyiv regime for eight years." 18:56 In the Donetsk direction, the Russians are trying to conduct offensive operations along the entire line of collision, shelling settlements from artillery, rocket and bomb strikes from Su-35 aircraft, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reports. In the Severodonetsk direction, with the support of artillery, the occupiers are trying to launch an offensive in the direction of the settlements of Borovenki and Severodonetsk. In the Bakhmut direction, the enemy tried to break through the defense of the Ukrainian troops, but had no success, retreated. In the Avdeevka direction, the enemy carried out assault operations in order to take control of the section of the Novobakhmutovka-Novoselovka Second road, but was not successful. In the Kurakhovsky direction, with the support of artillery and aviation fire, he is advancing on Novomikhailovka, the fighting continues. Also, the units of the invaders made an unsuccessful attempt to attack in the direction of the settlement of Maryinka. Enemy ship groupings in the waters of the Black and Azov Seas carry out the tasks of isolating combat areas and blocking civilian navigation. In Crimea, measures are being taken to restore the combat capability of Russian units that have suffered significant losses. 18:48 Dmitry Polyansky, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the UN, said that the Ukrainian military from Azovstal "surrendered without any conditions." 18:39 The head of the Donetsk OVA, Pavel Kirilenko, confirmed the blow to the Knauf building materials plant in Bakhmut. According to him, rescuers are still putting out the fire, no one was injured. 18:31 Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto signed an application for the country's accession to NATO. 18:16 At least seven buses with the Ukrainian military left Azovstal on Tuesday, accompanied by Russian armored vehicles, Reuters reports, citing eyewitnesses. 18:00 The Tverskoy Court of Moscow fined Radio Liberty 18 million rubles for refusing to remove materials about the war in Ukraine and the number of civilians and Russian soldiers killed. 17:57 Russia used long-range missiles from a submarine in the Black Sea to bomb Lviv. The American publication Defense One cites the opinion of military experts who believe that the use of long-range missiles from submarines in the Black Sea may indicate that the Russian Federation is running out of precision-guided missiles. 17:53 The evacuation bus from Lisichansk and Severodonetsk was fired upon by the Russians with Gradami, said the head of the Luhansk OVA Serhiy Gaidai. According to him, patrol officers took 36 people from Severodonetsk and Lisichansk. Near the oil refinery and in the Vladimirovka area, the bus came under fire. "Everyone is alive. They got through. The armored truck is working. Everyone is already safe," he said. 17:49 The representative of the US Treasury at the G7 meeting will propose the EU to impose duties on Russian oil as a faster alternative to a direct oil embargo, writes Reuters. Funds from the payment of the fee can be directed to the Fund for the Reconstruction of Ukraine. 17:47 In Mariupol, the occupiers are imitating Ukrainian military attacks on civilians to shoot propaganda videos. So, near the 33rd school, a checkpoint "disguised" in the form of the Armed Forces of Russia of Russians was set up, the City Council reports. The reburial of the bodies of Mariupol residents killed by the Russian army is taking place nearby, a lot of equipment and cleansing brigades are working. Residents report that the occupiers can arrange provocations with real attacks on the local population. 17:41 Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said that Finland and Sweden will jointly apply to NATO on Wednesday, May 18. 17:38 On May 18, the State Duma of the Russian Federation will consider a draft resolution banning the exchange of "Nazi criminals". 17:37 The Ministry of Justice of Russia asked the Supreme Court to recognize the Ukrainian association of Azov as a terrorist organization. The meeting will take place on May 26, 2022. 17:34 Ukraine for the first time received two important awards in the field of cybersecurity CYBERSEC Award - for the heroic resistance to Russian aggression and the protection of the digital borders of the democratic world. The ceremony was held today at one of the largest cybersecurity events in Europe, the CYBERSEC European Cybersecurity Forum, Fedorov said. 17:22 The Russians launched a missile attack on Bakhmut in the Donetsk region, as a result of which a five-story building was completely destroyed and caught fire, said the head of the OVA, Pavel Kirilenko. According to him, at least one person died, and a nine-year-old child was also seriously injured. It is possible that there are other people under the rubble. Earlier today, local publics reported a severe fire at the Knauf dry building mix plant in Soledar near Bakhmut. 17:06 The Italian Eni has officially announced that it has begun the procedure for opening a double account with Gazprombank to pay for Russian gas in rubles. 16:48 In Kharkov, the only bank of plants in Ukraine and one of the largest in the world burned down. The seeds of many species have been destroyed, some of which can no longer be restored, said the doctor of agricultural sciences, a leading researcher at the Institute of Plant Industry. Yuryev Sergey Avramenko. According to him, more than 160 thousand samples were kept in the bank for hundreds of years and even survived the Nazi occupation. 16:44 G7 finance ministers plan to meet in Bonn this week to agree on the allocation of 15 billion euros to help Ukraine, Reuters reports citing a senior German official. The package will cover three months with short-term funding primarily in the form of grants, which, unlike loans, do not need to be repaid. 16:35 In the Luhansk region, there is electricity only in one settlement out of 42 controlled by Ukraine, said the head of the OVA Serhiy Gaidai. 818 transformer substations were destroyed or disconnected, 41 settlements are completely de-energized. In addition, after the occupiers got into the main gas pipeline near Severodonetsk, gas supply remained only approximately in five settlements, in two of them there is gas only in certain areas. 16:27 The "Ministry of Emergency Situations" of the so-called "DPR", referring to the reports of the Ministry of Units of the Russian Federation, working in Mariupol, stated that 12 people were killed during the bombing of the Drama Theater. Even according to the minimum scenario, more than 300 people died there, said Petr Andryushchenko, an adviser to the mayor of Mariupol. “We also understand where the bodies of the rest have gone. They are hidden under numbers in the unmarked mass graves of Mangush,” he wrote. 16:04 Serbia plans to reduce its dependence on Russian gas by 40% in the second half of 2023, the country's Energy Minister Szopan Mihajlovic said. Now Serbia receives all gas only from Russia. 15:59 Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine Anna Malyar said that the Russians no longer have advantages in the air: "The possibility of air strikes throughout Ukraine remains. If until February 24 it was believed that there was almost no Ukrainian air defense, now we state that the enemy has no advantages in air. It is thanks to the work of air defense. And these are hundreds of thousands of saved lives. " 15:40 The Finnish state energy company Gasum refused to pay for gas in rubles and is filing a lawsuit against Gazprom in International Arbitration because of this requirement. 15:37 Biden on Thursday, May 19, will receive the leaders of Sweden and Finland at the White House to discuss their desire to join NATO. 15:30 The Parliament of Finland voted with 188 votes out of 200 for the country's entry into NATO. 15:16 Russian troops attacked the bridge across the Dniester estuary in the Odessa region for the fifth time, this time they fired two rockets. Repair work will require a long time, but so far they are impossible, as well as the operation of the bridge, the Pivden operational command reports. 15:12 Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine Anna Malyar said at a briefing that the proposal of the State Duma of the Russian Federation to ban the possible exchange of Azov fighters for Russian prisoners of war is designed for the Russian audience: "This is a political statement designed for internal propaganda and internal political processes in the Russian Federation. From our side we can say that the negotiation process is ongoing and the rescue operation itself is also ongoing." 14:32 Russia is trying to attract foreign media to create fakes. According to the military intelligence of Ukraine, the Department of Information and Mass Communications of the Russian Defense Ministry is urgently preparing a "press tour" of foreign journalists to the occupied territories of Ukraine. From May 18 to May 21, the invaders plan to show the destroyed areas of Mariupol to the media representatives. In order to accuse Ukraine of the destruction of the city and the massacres of civilians, Russian propagandists have already brought fragments of Ukrainian ammunition collected from all the occupied regions of the Donetsk region to Mariupol, and they are preparing "local eyewitnesses" brought from Donetsk and Gorlovka who will tell reporters about the "crimes" Ukrainian military in Mariupol. The so-called "press tour" also includes the departure of the group from Rostov-on-Don and visits by journalists to Kherson, Nova Kakhovka, Skadovsk, Armyansk and Donetsk, where a meeting with Pushilin is scheduled. Moscow is trying to attract media representatives from France, the United States, Germany, Japan, Greece, China, Belarus, India, Venezuela, Bulgaria and the United Arab Emirates to participate in the "press tour". 14:13 The Ukrainian military are advancing in the northern and northeastern direction of the Kharkiv region. Active hostilities are going on in the Volchansk direction, said Oleg Sinegubov, head of the Kharkiv OVA. 13:59 In the Kharkiv region, since May 17, the sale of strong alcoholic beverages has been banned until the end of martial law. The ban does not apply to low-alcohol drinks, the sale of which is allowed from 9:00 to 15:00. In catering establishments, the sale of low-alcohol drinks is allowed until 21:00. 13:42 Podolyak confirmed that the negotiation process between Ukraine and Russia has been suspended. "However, it will be restored, and, it seems to me, Zelensky will be the moderator," said the adviser to the head of the Presidential Office. He also stressed that Ukraine is not going to give anything to "save Putin's face". 13:39 From an air strike on the village of Desna in the Chernihiv region, eight people were killed, 12 were injured , the State Emergency Service reported. The enemy fired on the village with four rockets from aircraft on May 17 at about 5:00. 13:37 Minister of Culture Oleksandr Tkachenko assured that Eurovision 2023 will definitely be held in Ukraine, no spare venues will be looked for. 13:29 In Ukraine, 363 people who have expressed a desire to go to the front have been released under the pardon procedure. According to Minister of Justice Denys Malyuska, they are not going to return them back to prison: “We released only those where we were convinced that such persons did not pose a danger to society. <...> As a rule, this concerned those persons whose sentence was served was in the final stages. 13:25 The massacre in Bucha was carried out by fighters from Rubtsovsk, a city in the Altai Territory, "where there is nothing but zones," said Olga Romanova , a Russian human rights activist and head of the Rus Foundation. Commenting on the information that Russian "volunteers" with serious convictions have been seen in Ukraine, she did not rule out that those who, according to documents, are serving sentences, may also end up in Ukraine. These people can be entrusted with the dirtiest work. “Many were lured by parole. I wouldn’t be surprised if special, special tasks in this so-called army will be performed by people who have this criminal record and according to the documents they are in prison, this has already happened,” said Romanova in air channel Air . And although the convicts have the option to refuse such an offer, they are unlikely to want to use it, the human rights activist notes: “The Russian prison is now very pro-Putin, Putin is his boy for the Russian prison, he is a godfather, he speaks this language. this violence. The massacre in Bucha was carried out by fighters from Rubtsovsk, a city in the Altai Territory where there is nothing but zones." 13:14 Mariupol was given under the "patronage" of the Kadyrovites, said the adviser to the mayor of the city, Petr Andryushchenko. According to him, the first working meeting was held today with the participation of the occupation "administration", State Duma deputy Dmitry Sablin (curator of the occupation of Mariupol since 2014), Adam Delimkhanov and Akhmed Dolgaev, who are, in fact, part of the political power of Chechnya. The meeting participants discussed plans to "restore Mariupol", while the Kadyrovites behaved like masters, and the meeting itself was more like an assessment and inventory of what was left. 13:06 The Embassy of Israel has resumed work in Kiev. 13:05 Podolyak about the defenders of Mariupol: "The 83 days of the defense of Mariupol will go down in history as Thermopylae of the 21st century. The defenders of Azovstal broke the enemy's operational plans to seize the east of Ukraine, pulled back the huge forces of the enemy and proved to the whole world the real "combat capability" of the Russians. This is completely changed the course of the war. 13:02 Zelensky said that he had "productive talks" with Scholz: "We discussed the situation at the front, continued pressure on the Russian Federation, tougher sanctions, prospects for achieving peace. We appreciate Germany's support, including defense support. We count on Germany's further assistance on the path of Ukraine to full EU membership. 12:59 The State Duma of the Russian Federation intends to ban the exchange of Azov military for captured Russians. "Nazi criminals should not be exchanged. They are war criminals, and we must do everything to bring them to justice," said State Duma head Vyacheslav Volodin in response to the proposal of deputy Anatoly Wasserman to ban the exchange of Azov people. 12:54 In the Kharkov region on May 16, the enemy opened fire on the settlements of the Kharkov and Chuguev regions. According to the OVA, ten people were injured in just 24 hours, two died. Fighting continues in the Izyum direction, the invaders are trying to hold their positions and prevent the advance of Ukrainian troops. 12:49 Russians on May 16 fired at one of the districts of Nikolaev with prohibited cluster munitions, the Office of the Prosecutor General reported. As a result of the shelling, one man received shrapnel wounds, residential buildings, cars and urban infrastructure were damaged. 12:23 Law enforcement officers have identified another occupant who raped women in the Kiev region - he turned out to be a 20-year-old radio operator of the 30th separate motorized rifle brigade Bulat Fassakhov, Venediktova said. According to her, this is the second exposed Russian rapist. 12:18 The Russian Foreign Ministry said that there are no negotiations with Ukraine , Kiev has actually withdrawn from this process. According to Lavrov, "Russia has information that the Ukrainian negotiators are being 'led' by Washington and London," and they "want to drag out negotiations with Moscow, hoping to inflict damage and wear down Russia." 12:13 The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation announced that Ukrainian reserves were destroyed by missiles, "completing combat coordination in training centers near Akhtyrka in the Sumy region and Desna in the Chernihiv region." 12:03 Thousands of cars got stuck at the exit from the Kherson region. People who want to leave for the territory controlled by Ukraine have been standing in a multi-kilometer column near Berislav in the direction of Krivoy Rog for four days. Occupiers at Russian checkpoints do not let them through. Videos are published by Telegram channels . 11:59 Vereshchuk said that "in the interests of saving lives, 52 seriously wounded of our servicemen were evacuated yesterday, after their condition is stabilized, we will exchange them for Russian prisoners of war." Work continues on the next stages of the humanitarian operation. 11:57 The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation confirmed strikes on the Lviv region: sea-based Kalibr missiles near the Starichi station allegedly destroyed "personnel of Ukrainian reserve formations, as well as parties of foreign weapons and military equipment from the United States and European countries, prepared for shipment to Donbass." 11:54 The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation stated that on May 16 "surrender began" of the soldiers of the Azov regiment and the Ukrainian military, blocked at Azovstal in Mariupol. According to Moscow, during the day "265 militants laid down their arms and surrendered, including 51 seriously wounded, all those in need of medical care were sent to the Novoazovsk hospital in the DPR." In turn, Lavrov said that Russia is ready "to continue to resolve humanitarian issues" in Ukraine, "as it was earlier with the removal of the wounded from Azovstal." 11:41 The enemy has been shelling the border settlements of the Sumy region from the Russian side all morning, the Pivnich Operational Command reports. So, today, at about 8:45 a.m., observers recorded five shots from Russia in the Esmani region, from 9:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. - 70 explosions in the direction of Boyaro-Lyazhachy, and at about 10:10 a.m. six explosions were recorded in the area of Sopich. There are no losses among personnel and equipment. 11:37 On May 18, residents of Simferopol will take to a peaceful rally against the genocide of the Ukrainian people. The action was initiated by the public organization Zhovta strіchka . Crimeans will take to the streets to condemn the Russian invasion, to honor the memory of the Ukrainian heroes who died in this war, to support the territorial integrity of Ukraine in order to return home - to Ukraine. 11:32 The Kremlin authorities are exponentially punishing the commanders of units and formations of the Russian army for defeats in Ukraine. So, for the loss of the cruiser Moscow, the commander of the Black Sea Fleet, Vice Admiral Igor Osipov, was removed from his post and arrested. Investigative actions were also launched against his first deputy, Vice Admiral Sergei Pinchuk, according to the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. Also, Vladislav Ershov, who led the 6th Army of the RF Armed Forces, was removed from his post for unprecedented losses of personnel, weapons and military equipment. For the same reasons, the commander of the 1st Tank Army of the Western Military District, Lieutenant General Sergei Kisel, was removed. "Contrary to the order of the top leadership," the general sent conscripts to carry out punitive operations in Ukraine. In connection with the unsatisfactory fulfillment of the assigned tasks, the commander of the 22nd Army Corps of the Southern Military District in Crimea, Major General Arkady Marzoev, was removed from his post. The commander of the 103rd separate logistics brigade, Colonel Mikhail Ponomarev, was also removed from his post. All these demonstrative punishments only contribute to the spread of distrust among Russians in their commanders, Ukrainian military intelligence notes. 11:24 Ukraine has already agreed with the EU countries on building alternative routes for the supply of Ukrainian food exports to world markets, Kuleba said. 11:18 Ukraine is opening a Diya.Business center in Warsaw - the first abroad, said Mikhail Fedorov, head of the Ministry of Digital Development. He said that he went with the team to a series of international meetings and events in Europe, and the main point of the trip was "Let's lead the delegation of Ukraine at the World Economic Forum in Davos, present to the whole world a digital Ukraine, which is without unnecessary bureaucracy and all in two clicks." 11:13 Scholz sees no signs of a quick end to the war in Ukraine. Moreover, he is concerned about a possible escalation. In an interview with RTL, the chancellor said that he personally asked Putin how long the war would last. So far, the Russian side has not taken steps to reach a peace agreement, he added. "We must be able to make smart, very conscious, and also very courageous decisions. And we made them," Scholz said and promised further arms supplies to Ukraine, in particular Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft guns. 11:09 Peskov denied Turkish media reports about Putin's upcoming visit to Ankara. 11:07 Canada is ready to send cargo ships to transport Ukrainian grain, Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said. She clarified that many routes are being discussed with European, American and Canadian agencies. "We are also in contact with other jurisdictions - from Poland to Romania, the Baltic countries and Turkey," the Foreign Minister added. 11:04 Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde signed an application for the country's entry into NATO. 10:57 American M777 howitzers are helping Ukrainians to strengthen their counteroffensive, Pentagon official said: “You can already see how Ukrainians can go on a counteroffensive. In Donbass, they have returned several cities that the Russians captured earlier. And in Kharkiv, this is a great example of what they are doing more than just defending the city. Now they are pushing the Russians east and north, and we believe that howitzers are particularly affecting this, especially in Kharkov." The Pentagon spokesman added that the M777 is not the only weapon that allows the Armed Forces to conduct a counteroffensive effectively. 10:53 Germany donated 2,450 RGW-90 disposable anti-tank grenade launchers, 1,600 DM22 anti-tank grenade launchers and 3,000 DM31 anti-tank mines to Ukraine, writes Spiegel. Information about new deliveries was confirmed to the publication in Ukrainian government circles. Ukraine ordered and paid for the RGW-90 anti-tank weapon, which is called the Matador in the Bundeswehr, directly from the German manufacturer. Anti-tank mines apparently come from the stocks of the Bundeswehr. Berlin delivered to Ukraine mainly anti-tank weapons, armored vehicles, ammunition of various calibers and explosives. The supply lists also include 15 weapons to destroy bunkers. Deliveries of heavy weapons have not yet begun. 10:47 In Mariupol, the regime of silence is still maintained, adviser to the mayor of the city Petr Andryushchenko told Radio Liberty. According to him, yesterday the Russian forces still tried to storm Azovstal, but then negotiations began. "As far as I understand, a regime of silence has been declared, and so far, as far as we know, it has not been violated by any of the parties," Andryushchenko said. 10:31 Turkey is expecting Putin's visit in the coming days, local publications write. 10:18 The European Commission plans to adopt a document on May 18 that will call on EU member states to intensify preparations for a "complete cessation of Russian gas supplies", considering emergency measures such as a temporary cap on gas prices, writes Euractiv. 10:15 Positional war in Ukraine may drag on for 2-3 years, adviser to the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Viktor Andrusiv said in a commentary to the Country. The most likely scenario, in his opinion, is that the Ukrainian troops will be able to liberate some territories, while the Russians will defend some. In this case, by September the war will become positional. The expert is inclined to believe that the hot phase of the war with a large number of shelling, rocket attacks and deaths will end before September 2022. And the positional war will drag on for at least two years, and its outcome will depend both on the sanctions pressure on Russia (which it will feel in full only in two years), and on the internal political situation in the Russian Federation. In turn, his colleague Anton Gerashchenko urged not to hope that Russia is about to fall apart. In his opinion, "it takes 3, 4, 5 months and a lot of weapons to defeat Russia by military means." 10:07 Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi called the nighttime missile attack on the Yavorivsky district one of the largest in terms of the number of missiles. According to him, there were two waves of missile attacks, all missiles were shot down. However, in one of the villages of the Yavorivsky district, fragments of a rocket partially damaged a railway infrastructure facility, glass flew out in neighboring houses. This happened in a 20-kilometer zone to the border with the EU. 10:01 German Finance Minister Christian Lindner does not exclude the confiscation of the funds of the Russian Federation frozen by the West and their use for the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine. According to him, this issue is being discussed in the EU and the G7, separate proposals are already on the table. 09:58 On the night of May 17, a Russian cruise missile was destroyed by a unit of anti-aircraft missile forces of the Pivden air command, the Command of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported. The missile was fired by a strategic bomber that attacked Ukraine from the Caspian direction. She moved towards the western regions. 09:55 At night, the enemy launched a missile attack on the infrastructure facility of the Lviv railway in the Yavoriv district. The explosion damaged the railway infrastructure, there were no reports of injuries or deaths. Previously, the missiles were flying from the east, said the head of the OVA Maxim Kozitsky. Air defense also shot down three cruise missiles. 09:34 On Akhtyrka of the Sumy region this morning Russian troops launched a missile attack. Five rockets hit residential buildings and a kindergarten, five people were injured, said Dmitry Zhivitsky, head of the OVA. 09:19 The command of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that tonight the enemy launched a missile attack on infrastructure facilities in the Lviv region. Three cruise missiles were destroyed by air defense units. They attacked the Lviv region from the southeast with sea-based cruise missiles. 09:14 The General Staff announced the approximate combat losses of the enemy on the morning of May 17. The enemy suffered the greatest losses over the past day in the Liman and Zaporozhye directions.
08:55 Free travel in public transport cost Kiev 500 million hryvnia per month, Klitschko said. He explained that the return of paid travel was a forced decision, but they would not increase tariffs. 08:53 The governor of the Kursk region announced the shelling of the village of Alekseevka, bordering Ukraine, in the Glushkovsky district. Three private houses and a school building were damaged, there were no casualties, "the shelling was quickly suppressed by return fire from border guards." 08:50 In the Kiev region near Makarov, Buchansky district, the police found the bodies of three civilians killed by Russian invaders. Two were killed in the head, one in the stomach. Documents of one of the victims were found at the burial place - he was a citizen of the Czech Republic. The identity of the rest has not been established, but they were in civilian clothes. 08:46 British intelligence predicts that Russia will continue to rely on the massive use of artillery in this war, which will become the main offensive in the Donbass. As an example, analysts cite the Chernihiv region, where 3,500 buildings, mostly residential, were damaged during the Russian offensive. Intelligence also considers this a sign of unwillingness to risk their aircraft to deliver more accurate strikes. 08:41 In the Luhansk region, the Russians fired at the hospital and the building of the research and production association Impulse in Severodonetsk, launched airstrikes in the Popasnaya area. As a result, ten people died, three were injured, said the head of the OVA, Sergei Gaidai. 08:36 In the Chernihiv region, the invaders fired at the village of Desna this morning, the head of the OVA Vyacheslav Chaus said. Previously, there are dead and many wounded. 08:27 According to the American Institute for the Study of War, Russian troops near Kharkov are afraid of the advance of Ukrainian troops into the zone from which the artillery of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will reach the outskirts of Russian Belgorod. For this reason, the occupiers around Kharkov are trying to hold their positions and prevent the advance of the Armed Forces of Ukraine further north, which is different from their previous retreat from Kyiv, Chernihiv and Sumy. 08:01 Of the 106 operational battalion tactical groups that Russia deployed in Ukraine, more than 50 are concentrated in the south, the Pentagon said. On May 9, the Pentagon reported the presence of 97 BTGs in Ukraine. 07:39 Russian troops have concentrated their main efforts in the Donetsk direction, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said in the morning report . They don't have success. In the Severodonetsk direction, in the area of \u200b\u200bthe settlement of Sirotino, during the hostilities, the enemy suffered losses and retreated. Near Bakhmut, the Russians also tried to carry out offensive operations, which were unsuccessful. 07:10 Ukraine manages to redeem Zaporozhye and Kherson activists from the Russian occupiers, Mustafa Dzhemilev said: “Now the question is how to take these activists out. of our fellow citizens. It starts from $250 and more. Depending on who you negotiate with. Not all of them are possible. For example, I managed to ransom seven people." 06:57 Greenpeace activists did not let a tanker with fuel from Russia into the British port. The Andromeda tanker, carrying what was believed to be 33,000 tons of Russian diesel fuel, was about to dock in Essex, but activists who stood on the pier with an anti-war poster turned around and is now anchored near Marghita. The tanker was carrying fuel worth £30m, Reuters reported. At the same time, the publication notes that the Andromeda tanker is Greek. 06:40 US Senators are drafting a bill that would allow courts to hear war crimes cases even if neither party is a US citizen. 04:26 Borrell said that the EU is working to help take out the Ukrainian grain blocked by the Russians by trains through the "corridors of solidarity." 04:04 OK Pivden reported that a composition of fuels and lubricants near Chernobyevka was destroyed by rocket artillery fire. 29 people were liquidated, the Strela-10 anti-aircraft missile system, the T-72 tank and other armored vehicles were destroyed. 03:51 In the Lviv region, the Russians again fired at a military infrastructure facility on the territory of the Yavorivsky district, said the head of the OVA Maxim Kozitsky: "Thanks to the air defense for the work! Again, a military infrastructure facility was fired at on the territory of the Yavorivsky district, almost on the border with Poland." 03:37 The US Air Force reported a successful test of a hypersonic weapon. 03:23 The US Senate voted for the final consideration of the project on the allocation of assistance to Ukraine in the amount of $40 billion. The main voting can take place as early as Wednesday, May 18. 00:40 The Ministry of Defense explained what order the Azov regiment was talking about: “The Mariupol garrison completed its combat mission . Ukraine and the whole world - to save the lives of the defenders of Mariupol." Among the defenders of Mariupol - a separate detachment of special forces Azov, the 12th brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine, the 36th separate brigade of the Marine Corps, border guards, policemen, volunteers, the terrorist defense of Mariupol. Holding positions on Azovstal, they did not allow the enemy to transfer a group of 17 battalion tactical groups (about 20,000 personnel) to other areas, the Defense Ministry said. Thus, they prevented the implementation of the plan for the rapid capture of Zaporozhye, reaching the administrative border of the Donetsk and Zaporozhye regions and creating conditions for encircling the JFO group. Pinning down the main enemy forces around Mariupol made it possible to prepare and create defensive lines on which Ukrainian troops are still today and give a worthy rebuff to the aggressor. Ukraine received critically needed time to form reserves, regroup forces, and receive assistance from partners. 00:25 264 Ukrainian soldiers were evacuated from Azovstal, all of them in the territory not controlled by Ukraine , said Deputy Defense Minister Anna Malyar: “53 seriously wounded were evacuated from Azovstal to a medical facility in Novoazovsk to provide them with medical care. Another 211 people were delivered through the humanitarian corridor to Elenovka. For their further return home, an exchange procedure will be carried out." According to Malyar, the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard and the Border Guard Service are jointly carrying out activities to rescue the fighters who still remain on the territory of the blocked plant. 00:19 Zelensky confirmed the evacuation from Azovstal: "Thanks to the actions of the Ukrainian military - the Armed Forces of Ukraine, intelligence, the negotiating group, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the UN, we hope that we will be able to save the lives of our guys. Among them are seriously wounded, they are being helped. <. ..> The operation to rescue the defenders of Mariupol has begun to bring the guys home, the work continues, and this work requires delicacy and time." Posted by: badanov 2022-05-18 |
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