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Ukrainian Perspective: Invasion of Ukraine: May 19th, 2022
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.[Korrespondent] 23:57 Zelensky on the evacuation of the defenders of Mariupol from Azovstal: "I am doing everything so that the most influential international forces are informed and, as far as possible, involved in the rescue of our military."  23:33 Biden approved the allocation of $ 100 million in additional military assistance to Ukraine , Blinken said: "On behalf of the President, I am authorizing the tenth withdrawal of additional weapons and equipment for the defense of Ukraine from the stocks of the US Department of Defense in the amount of up to $ 100 million. Thus, the total amount U.S. military aid to Ukraine has reached approximately $3.9 billion in arms and equipment since Russia launched its brutal and unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24. 22:51 Zelensky, in an address to Ukrainian students, said that the last phase of the war is the most difficult and lengthy, so he cannot yet recommend returning home: "The final stage is the most difficult, the bloodiest, it exists. We cannot dissociate ourselves and say - everything I will tell you frankly that in Kiev after the de-occupation of the Kiev region there is such a feeling that everything, there is no war ... Today I cannot shout "come back home" to everyone who is abroad, because the war has not ended. It's still the choice of each person." 22:48 Biden announced an additional aid package for Ukraine. The U.S. will provide artillery, radar and other equipment, he said: "These weapons and equipment will go straight to the front lines of freedom in Ukraine and reaffirm our strong support for the courageous people of Ukraine defending their country from Russian aggression." 22:46 G7 finance ministers agreed to allocate $18.4 billion to help Ukraine pay its bills in the coming months and said they were ready to support Kiev throughout the war with Russia. More details - in the material How to save the economy of Ukraine . 22:27 Zelensky welcomed the approval of the US Senate bill on additional appropriations for Ukraine for 2022: "$40 billion is a significant contribution of the United States to the restoration of peace and security in Ukraine, Europe and the world as a whole." 21:58 The new package of US military assistance to Ukraine includes 36 counter-battery radars and 18 howitzers, the shipment of these weapons will begin immediately, the Pentagon said. 21:51 Podolyak said on the air of the telethon that negotiations with Russia have not ended - they are suspended, since any war ends with negotiations. The adviser to the head of the Presidential Office added that Zelensky’s negotiations with Putin would take place when the Ukrainian president needs them. Podolyak also stressed that Russia "must understand that it will not win this war": "They must understand that as a result of this war they will lose everything, so they must stop it." 21:47 The length of the line of contact between Russia and NATO will immediately more than double due to Finland alone, whose foreign policy in Moscow was considered "the most reasonable" among Europeans. Neutral Switzerland also decided to move closer to NATO, while the Baltic countries are asking for more troops. For more details, see NATO Expansion - Who Else Can Join the Alliance . 21:22 The Russian Foreign Ministry told RIA Novosti that Russia does not interfere with the export of Ukrainian grain - "logistic problems arose through the fault of Kiev: its troops themselves mined their ports." 21:01 Germany will help Ukraine restore the healthcare system, promised the head of the German Ministry of Health, Karl Lauterbach. In particular, German specialists will help with the development of trauma and burn centers for patients with severe injuries. 20:55 Deputy commander of the Azov regiment, Captain Svyatoslav Palamar, recorded a short video message in which he said that he, along with the command, was on the territory of Azovstal: "A certain operation is ongoing, the details of which I will not disclose." 20:22 Washington is working on organizing the supply of long-range anti-ship missiles to Ukraine to lift the blockade of the Black Sea, Reuters reports citing US officials. 20:21 The US Congress approved the allocation of military assistance to Ukraine in the amount of $40 billion. The final stage remains - the President's signature. 20:13 Germany will allocate about 1 billion euros of budget support for Ukraine, said Finance Minister Christian Lindner. According to her, we are talking about grants that should be paid from the budget for 2022, without creating additional debt. The funds will be used to ensure the viability of Ukraine. 20:04 France does not rule out that the war in Ukraine may spread to neighboring countries, Macron said, receiving Moldovan President Maia Sandu at the Elysee Palace: "The recent incidents in Transnistria show that it is impossible to exclude the spread of the conflict to neighboring countries." France, he said, "intends to pay special attention to the situation with regional security and any possible encroachment on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Moldova." 19:57 The Russians have formed two detachments of warships to fortify on Zmeiny Island, but due to stormy weather they are hiding in the Crimea, reports the Operational Command Pivden. According to OK, there are two other Russian ships with cruise missiles in the Black Sea. 19:48 British Armed Forces Minister James Hippie believes that the heroic defense of Mariupol on the territory of Azovstal will be included in military history textbooks as a key factor in Ukrainian success in the war with Russia. 19:46 The G7 countries intend to provide Ukraine with $18.4 billion in financial support, Reuters reports. 19:38 The European Parliament supported a resolution calling on the EU to create a special tribunal for Russian war criminals, Kuleba said. 19:22 In the Kiev region, the Russians destroyed more than 4,000 residential buildings in 46 out of 69 communities, said Kirill Tymoshenko, deputy head of the OP. 19:19 Currently, 36% of the sanctions Plan of the McFaul-Yermak group has been completed. Work on the rest continues. In particular, Ukraine expects sanctions from its allies against the energy sector and the banking system of Russia, Yermak said. 19:17 Foreign Policy correspondent Jack Detch reports, citing Pentagon officials, that in the last 24 hours the Russian Federation has carried out only 140 airstrikes, which is about 100-150 less than the daily count in recent weeks. Including the Russians have sharply reduced the number of strikes on Mariupol. According to the Pentagon, Russia still has 106 battalion tactical groups in Ukraine, and the US does not see any hints of mass mobilization from the Russian side. At the same time, Russia still has a numerical advantage on the battlefield, and its combat capability remains "significant." At the same time, Ukraine continues to retake territory east of Kharkiv from Russia - earlier this week, Ukrainian troops pushed the Russians back within three kilometers of the border with the Russian Federation. In the Donbas, Russia is still making slow progress due to serious logistical problems, despite focusing on a smaller geographic area. Also, Russia brought into the battle in the Donbas some units that were not 100% restored after they suffered losses during the unsuccessful assault on Kyiv. The US sees signs that Russian commanders are being fired for poor performance in Ukraine. 18:58 Biden said that Finland and Sweden meet all NATO criteria. 18:47 As a result of Russian shelling of Severodonetsk today, at least 12 people were killed and more than 40 were injured , said the head of the Lugansk OVA Serhiy Gaidai. According to him, the Russians began chaotically shelling the regional center with heavy weapons from the very morning, shelling continues now. Basically, these are targeted hits on residential buildings. Gaidai noted that the data on the dead and injured are still being specified, since it is impossible to examine the territory under shelling. 18:42 NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that Russia's offensive in the Donbass has stalled, but this does not mean that the Russian Federation has abandoned its strategic goals. 18:39 In Vasilyevka, Zaporozhye region, there are more than a thousand cars in front of the checkpoint of the occupiers, which the Russian military does not allow to enter the territory controlled by Ukraine, or in the opposite direction, the OVA reported. 18:38 Speaker of the Estonian Parliament Jüri Ratas sent a letter to his colleagues from the national parliaments of the European Union, in which he called on them to support granting Ukraine the status of a candidate country for EU membership. 18:36 The European Parliament called on the EU Council to start negotiations on joining the European Union with Albania and North Macedonia, especially in the context of the war in Ukraine. 18:30 On May 18, 127 Mariupol residents, including 12 children, were brought from Mariupol to the occupants' filtration camp in the village of Bezymennoye, Novoazovsky district, said Petr Andryushchenko, adviser to the mayor of Mariupol. 18:09 The European Union will completely abandon Russian oil and gas by 2027, said the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. The plan for energy independence from oil and gas from the Russian Federation, presented today, will cost more than 200 billion euros and will ensure energy independence for the EU until 2027. 18:04 On May 19, 37 people managed to be taken out of Severodonetsk under shelling, said the head of the Luhansk OVA Serhiy Gaidai. 17:49 WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that he had asked Lavrov for safe access to Mariupol, Kherson, Yuzhne, Zaporozhye and other occupied areas for the delivery of medical assistance. "Civilians must be protected," he stressed. 17:44 Johnson announced that Ukraine will receive an additional £1.3 billion military aid package from the UK. It will include long-range artillery, anti-ship missiles and drones. 17:30 The National Council of Ukraine on Television and Radio Broadcasting announced that Russian Radio will now sound like Radio Bayraktar on the air. 17:18 In the Kharkiv region, from the towns and villages liberated by the Armed Forces of Ukraine over the past week, yesterday, in just one hour, ten people turned for support after experiencing sexual violence. Of these, eight were raped minors, including two boys of ten years and one-year-old babies, said Lyudmila Denisova, Commissioner for Human Rights of the Verkhovna Rada. 17:02 The Minister of Digital Transformation, Mikhail Fedorov, entered the Politico Tech 28 European digital leader rating. He was shortlisted and took first place in the Rulebreakers category. Fedorov especially showed himself during the war unleashed by Russia. 16:56 Ukraine and the United States signed a memorandum on transport cooperation. According to Infrastructure Minister Alexander Kubrakov, the document provides for the renewal of the entire fleet of locomotives and wagons by 2030, the creation of a fast rail system between large cities and the improvement of railway infrastructure, especially in large cities. Also in the sphere of priorities is the modernization of existing roads. 16:43 In the Luhansk region, the enemy is throwing all his forces into seizing Severodonetsk and the Lisichansk-Bakhmut highway, said the head of the OVA Serhiy Gaidai. According to him, the situation in the region is difficult. If enemy troops capture the Bakhmut-Lysichansk highway, this may cut off the entire region from communication with other regions of Ukraine. 16:28 The prosecutor's office demands a life sentence for the Russian military Vadim Shishimarin, who is accused of killing a civilian, representatives of the prosecution said during the trial. The wife of the deceased, Yekaterina Shelipova, also asked for a life sentence for the accused, but noted that she would not mind exchanging him for the military with Azovstal. 16:15 There will be less blocking of content from Ukraine related to the war and Azov on Facebook and Instagram, Mikhail Fedorov, head of the Ministry of Digital Development, promised after a meeting with Meta President for Global Affairs Nick Clegg. 16:08 The UK intends to transfer long-range artillery, anti-ship missiles and drones to Ukraine, Johnson's office said. 15:56 The Pechersk District Court of Kiev has given permission for the arrest of Yanukovych, the Office of the Prosecutor General said. The ex-president who fled to Russia is suspected of organizing the illegal transfer of people across the state border. So, on February 23, 2014, Yanukovych illegally transported at least 20 people from the village of Urzuf, Donetsk region, to the city of Anapa, Krasnodar region of the Russian Federation. 15:47 In the Kharkiv region, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have liberated 23 settlements since the beginning of the counteroffensive on May 5, said Brigadier General, Deputy Chief of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff Alexei Gromov. He also said that Russian troops have intensified shelling of Ukrainian positions in order to contain their advance to the border. 15:31 Kuleba spoke with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri and thanked him for refusing a Russian ship with grain stolen in Ukraine. The parties also agreed to coordinate efforts so that Russia unblocks the export of food products from Ukraine. 15:24 The European Parliament voted to impose sanctions against ex-German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, as he continues to act in the interests of Russian energy companies such as Rosneft. The text of the EP resolution also calls on the EU countries to expand the list of persons subject to restrictions at the expense of European board members of large holdings and politicians who continue to receive money from the Russian Federation. 14:48 In Zaporozhye, from May 20, the duration of the curfew will be reduced by an hour - it will last from 22:00 to 5:00, OVA reports. 14:47 Zelensky received a letter from the President of North Macedonia, Stevo Pendarovsky, who expressed support and solidarity with Ukraine and the Ukrainian people and stated that the process of EU enlargement should not stop in the Western Balkans. He supported granting Ukraine the status of a candidate country already during the EU meeting in June this year. "Such support from a country that received the status of a candidate country back in 2005, but is still fighting for the right to start accession negotiations, is very important for Ukraine," Yermak wrote. 14:42 The US is considering a number of measures to deprive Russia of oil profits, writes NYT. Among them, in particular, the introduction of a price ceiling, blocking Russia's access to payments for oil exports, forcing banks to transfer money for Russian oil imports to escrow accounts so that the Russian Federation can spend them only on essential goods, as well as the imposition of secondary sanctions against countries that do not comply with US sanctions. 14:41 Peskov said that the future of the "liberated" Ukrainian territories cannot be decided "without expressing the will of their inhabitants." 14:40 Italy has proposed a four-stage plan for resolving the situation in Ukraine, writes La Repubblica. According to the publication, the document would have been drawn up by the country's Foreign Ministry with the participation of the Chigi government palace and has already been submitted to the UN Secretary General:
14:36 The letters Z and V are not official military symbols, Moscow City Duma deputy Stupin said, citing the response of the Russian Defense Ministry to his request. At the same time, the letter says, these signs are "recognizable and positively accepted by the military and citizens of Russia, the DPR and LPR, and many others." 14:33 Great Britain has included three Russian airlines in the sanctions list - Aeroflot, Russia and Ural Airlines. The sanctions include freezing the assets of companies, according to the website of the British government. 14:32 Ukrzaliznytsia asks the Russians to take the bodies of their military. The company said that for the third month they have been storing hundreds of bodies of Russian soldiers in refrigerated wagons in order to return them to their mothers and wives: "We appeal to the Russians: we know that you are reading this. Your cargo of 200 is waiting." 14:31 In Mariupol, the invaders continue to sort out the rubble of the Drama Theatre. According to the mayor's adviser Petr Andryushchenko, yesterday and today the bodies of the dead were taken out several times by trucks in the direction of Stary Krym. The clearing area is guarded and not given access to the locals. The operation to cover up the consequences of war crimes continues. 14:25 The SBU detained Oleg Tsarev's brother while trying to organize sabotage in the eastern regions. After a full-scale invasion, he was confident in the imminent victory of Russia, he was waiting for the occupation of the region and the promised post of head of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional State Administration. When the hopes for the arrival of the Russians did not materialize, he began to receive instructions from his curators. In particular, his task was to destabilize the situation in the region through a series of explosions at transport and critical infrastructure facilities, the SBU said. 14:19 Arestovich denied the information about the train being blown up by partisans in Melitopol: “I have to disappoint you a little. The rails were blown up, but in front of the train. According to my information, not a single occupier died, and the train was not injured. that the rails were mined near the railway station, and the explosion damaged the track. This indicates that our heroes are acting decisively and boldly. This is the first such case, but not the last." 14:16 The US Department of Defense cannot confirm the information about the use of laser weapons by Russian troops in Ukraine, as Moscow has stated. "I haven't seen anything to support reports of lasers being used. Yes, we've seen some open press reports about it, but we haven't seen anything to support it," a Pentagon spokesman said. 14:07 NSDC Secretary Alexei Danilov said in an interview with NV that Russia "is not as weak as we would like": "And those people who say that the war will end in May or in a week are frivolous. It is very difficult and multicomponent process, and the help of our partners with weapons is the key moment in determining the situation today.Depending on what and in what time frame will be delivered, the scales will fluctuate one way or the other." 14:03 The European Parliament supported the abolition of EU import duties on all Ukrainian goods for one year. 13:59 The Swiss Embassy resumes work in Kiev. 13:57 Australia will send 14 M113 tracked armored personnel carriers and 20 Bushmaster armored personnel carriers to Ukraine, Defense Minister Peter Dutton said. 13:54 Russian deputies have submitted a bill to the State Duma that will allow Putin to create "interim administrations" outside of Russia. 13:38 The Russian Foreign Ministry said that in order to open access to seaports in Ukraine, "it is necessary to consider, among other things, the possibility of lifting sanctions against Russia." 13:22 The delivery of heavy weapons to the defending country is not an escalation, Scholz said: "To help in the defense of a country that has been severely attacked, there is no escalation. It is a contribution to repelling an attack and thereby ending violence as soon as possible." 13:13 The International Committee of the Red Cross has started registering prisoners of war who left the Azovstal plant. The Red Cross records information about each captured Mariupol defender in order to track their fate. The operation started on Tuesday and will continue further. At the same time, the committee does not participate in the transportation of the Ukrainian military. 12:54 Lukashenka said that he expects to develop an Iskander-type missile in the country with the assistance of Russia by the end of the year. 12:52 Zelensky said that he had spoken with Ursula von der Leyen: "Thanked for 9 billion euros and 0.6 billion euros of financial assistance. We discussed the Platform for the restoration of Ukraine proposed by the European Commission. It should become a common success story. Agreed on the advisability of introducing joint border control Ukraine and Poland". 12:50 The Center for Counteracting Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council called manipulation the information that the United States is afraid to transfer weapons to Ukraine because of the likelihood of using it against targets on the territory of the Russian Federation. According to the JRC, this was reported by "Russian propaganda media". 12:44 The NBU received from the UK 5 million pounds (or more than 182 million hryvnias in equivalent) to a special account opened to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This is the largest amount received in support of the Ukrainian army in one payment in foreign currency from foreign philanthropists since the beginning of the war with Russia, the regulator said. 12:40 Finland does not plan to deploy nuclear weapons or military bases of the alliance in the event of joining NATO, Prime Minister Sanna Marin said. According to her, these issues are not in the negotiation process. At the same time, she noted the importance of negotiations with Turkey, which objects to the membership of Finland and Sweden in NATO. 12:36 Pushilin gave the command to radically reduce the police corps in Mariupol and return it to Donetsk. According to the mayor's adviser Petr Andryushchenko, there are several reasons for this, one of them is the growing riots of the relatives of the mobilized and dissatisfied residents of Donetsk, where there has been no water for more than a month. The second is purely political, as part of the internal struggle of political clans - conditional Donetsk and Mariupol. "An interesting trend. Little by little it becomes clear who exactly is lobbying the idea of Kadyrov's control over Mariupol from the inside and why," Andryushchenko wrote. 12:29 Poland is ready to build permanent NATO bases to accommodate light units, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said. 12:28 Scholz promised Ukraine further assistance in defending itself against a Russian attack and said that Putin would not be able to dictate peace terms: "Putin still believes that he can bomb and dictate peace. But he is wrong. Just as he was wrong about the determination of Ukrainians and the unity of our unions. Because Ukrainians do not accept this, and neither do we." 12:26 In Ukraine, since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Russia, 88 DRGs have been exposed, about 800 people involved in sabotage activities have been detained, First Deputy Interior Minister Yevgeny Enin said. Almost all of them were transferred to the SBU, he specified. 12:23 Finnish Ambassador to Ukraine Päivi Laine has returned to Kiev, the country's Foreign Ministry said. 12:20 In Nikolaev, the curfew will begin an hour later - at 22:00 and end as usual, at 6:00, said the head of the OVA Vitaly Kim. He also said that the region will soon allow the sale of low-alcohol drinks in cafes. Since the end of March, the sale of alcohol in Nikolaev is allowed only on weekends. 12:14 The Polish state oil and gas company PGNiG has filed a new lawsuit against Gazprom and is demanding interest for an overpayment of $ 1.5 billion for gas supplies in 2014-2020. 12:06 The Russians are shelling the border areas of Ukraine, including in order to divert the attention of Ukrainian troops from the counteroffensive, said Rostislav Smirnov, adviser to the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs: “We must understand the nature of these shellings, why they began to occur in Sumy, in particular, in the direction. This due to the fact that at the strategic level we are starting to launch a certain counteroffensive. Perhaps not quickly, but if you look at the last few days, we have liberated several settlements in the Kharkiv and Lugansk directions." 12:03 The Russians launched another air strike on Bakhmut in the Donetsk region, shells hit a five-story building, a private house and an office building, said the head of the OVA, Pavel Kirilenko. According to him, in a private house, rescuers got six people out of the rubble, their condition is satisfactory. In the five-story building, an entire entrance was destroyed, but, according to preliminary information, there were no victims. Kirilenko once again asks everyone who has the opportunity to leave the Donbass, since there are no safe places left in the region. 11:59 In Kharkov, early this morning, the Russians fired at the Kiev region. The projectile hit the boiler room of the Institute of Endocrine Pathology Problems, according to preliminary data, there were no casualties, Oleg Sinegubov, head of the OVA, said. 11:56 The SBU liquidated a large-scale scheme for the theft of humanitarian aid intended for Ukrainian defenders. The attackers tried to illegally sell more than a thousand body armor for a total amount of more than 12 million hryvnia. They were made in Ukraine by one of the public organizations, and through the Cherkasy military administration were supposed to be transferred to the needs of defense, but instead they appeared in a supermarket chain. 11:48 Today, on the day of the 100th anniversary of the creation of a pioneer organization in the USSR, a bill was submitted to the State Duma of the Russian Federation on the creation of a similar children's movement called Big Change. Its goal is "preparing children for a full life in society, shaping their worldview based on traditional values, traditions of the peoples of Russia, the achievements of Russian and world culture, developing socially significant and creative activity, high moral qualities, love and respect for the Fatherland, hard work , legal culture". 11:45 Kuleba again criticized Europe for trying to offer Kiev "surrogates for the status of an EU candidate": "The strategic uncertainty regarding the European perspective of Ukraine, practiced by some EU capitals in recent years, has failed and must stop. This only encouraged Putin. We do not need surrogates for EU candidate status who demonstrate second-rate attitude towards Ukraine and hurt the feelings of Ukrainians." 11:18 The European Commission will assess Ukraine's request to join the European Union "presumably at the end of June," Scholz said. "Ukraine has requested membership in the European Union. The Commission before the European Council will give its assessment to the request," 11:14 Minister of Culture and Information Policy Oleksandr Tkachenko warned foreign journalists against participating in press tours organized by Russia in the occupied Ukrainian territories: "Fakes and disinformation of Russia have taken on some incredible forms. Now the occupiers are trying to hold a press tour for foreign journalists on the territory of the occupied Mariupol. The primary goal of the enemy is to discredit the role of Ukraine in the war. Now special "decorations" for foreign media have already been brought in: fragments of Ukrainian ammunition collected from the occupied regions, extras have been assembled, which will be passed off as local eyewitnesses." 10:48 The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation stated that 771 servicemen of Azov surrendered from Azovstal during the day, since May 16, a total of 1,730 soldiers, including 80 wounded, have surrendered. 10:34 The presidential representative in the Constitutional Court, Fyodor Venislavsky, explained that martial law would be extended immediately for three months, since the counteroffensive takes more time than defense. 10:32 In Kharkov, on Saltovka, a monument to the Russian prince Alexander Nevsky was thrown from the pedestal. The bronze figure was hooked with a rope and knocked down with the help of a truck. 10:29 For Vyshyvanka Day, the world's first military vyshyvanka was created in Cherkasy. The initiator was a fighter of the 118th separate brigade of the territorial defense from Cherkasy - a specialist in art criticism. 10:27 Lavrov urged the WHO to "pacify Kiev's attempts to hinder the special operation." The head of the Russian Foreign Ministry, in particular, turned to WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and asked to influence the Ukrainian authorities so that it "does not interfere with the implementation of Russia's measures to protect Donbass." 10:23 A ceasefire is impossible until the complete withdrawal of Russian troops and the liberation of the occupied Ukrainian territories, Podoliak said: "Do not offer us a ceasefire - this is impossible without the total withdrawal of the Russian troops. Ukrainian society is not interested in the new "Minsk" and the return of the war in a few years. Until Russia is ready to fully liberate our lands, our negotiating platform is weapons, sanctions and money." 10:07 The leader of the "DPR" Pushilin said that more than half of the Ukrainian military left Azovstal. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation put the commanders of the national battalion Azov Velichko and Nemichev on the wanted list. They are accused of "involvement in the encroachment on life" of at least eight military men in the Kharkiv region. 09:36 British intelligence reports that top commanders are being fired from the Russian army who did not complete their tasks at the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine. So, due to failures in Kharkov, Lieutenant General Sergei Kisel was removed - he commanded the elite 1st Guards Tank Army. Vice Admiral Igor Osipov, who commanded the Black Sea Fleet, was also likely removed after the sinking of the cruiser Moskva. Russian Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov is likely to remain in office, but it is unclear if he has Putin's confidence. British intelligence notes that the system of concealment of information and "scapegoats" is still being cultivated in the Russian army. Many officials involved in the invasion of Ukraine are likely to become increasingly distracted by attempts to avoid personal responsibility for the failures of the Russian army in Ukraine. This will put additional strain on Russia's centralized command and control model as officers increasingly seek to shift key decisions to their superiors. 09:33 Ukraine's presence in NATO would reduce the threat of nuclear war, Ukrainian ambassador to Germany Andriy Melnyk believes: "Then Putin would know that if he attacks Ukraine with nuclear weapons, he should expect a retaliatory nuclear strike. And this would deter him from attack ". At the same time, the ambassador admits that the process of Ukraine's accession to NATO is unlikely to be as fast as in the case of Finland and Sweden. Melnyk added that only a political decision is needed to integrate Ukraine into the alliance. 09:30 Russian media report that representatives of Kiev and the Red Cross visited the Ukrainian military, who left Azovstal, and made sure that they were kept "in normal conditions." 09:28 The Pentagon notes that Russia has recently reduced the scale of its actions, which demonstrates a decrease in ambitions. According to the Washington Post, citing a US Department of Defense spokesman, Russian troops are working in smaller groups with significantly "smaller" tasks - instead of formations of several hundred people, actions are carried out in groups of several dozen to hundreds of military personnel. Also, if earlier it was about big cities and entire regions, now efforts are focused on villages or crossroads. 09:24 The Economic Security Bureau secured the seizure in Ukraine of Russian and Belarusian assets totaling over 30 billion hryvnias. Half of the seized assets are almost 18,000 railcars, including those with inventory worth UAH 3 billion. 09:23 Energoatom reported that the Zaporozhye NPP continues to operate in the energy system of Ukraine and provides industrial facilities with energy. 08:57 The General Staff announced the approximate losses of the enemy on the morning of May 19. The enemy suffered the greatest losses over the past day in the Slavyansk, Krivoy Rog and Zaporozhye directions.
08:51 Finance ministers and heads of central banks of the G7 countries will hold talks on Ukraine today, Reuters reports. Financial assistance to Kyiv and food security issues will be discussed, as well as non-Ukraine topics of inflation, public debt and healthcare costs. 08:42 The Government of Japan will provide Ukraine with an additional loan in the amount of $300 million. 08:41 The US Senate will vote today on the next package of military, economic and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine in the amount of $40 billion. 08:34 Even those who are usually called Moscow's allies are in no hurry to support Russia in the war against Ukraine. Read more in the material Complete isolation . 08:30 Russian military continue to fire at Luhansk region, including from aircraft, the area is de-energized. Severodonetsk received the greatest damage - there are four dead, as well as settlements of the Popasnyanskaya community, said the head of the OVA, Sergei Gaidai. 08:19 Troops of the Russian Federation five times fired at the Zelenodolsk community in Dnepropetrovsk region. They beat from Gradov and Hurricanes along Velikaya Kostroma, said the head of the OVA, Valentin Reznichenko. People were not hurt, houses were damaged and destroyed, the village was partially without electricity and gas. 07:55 Poland will transfer 25,000 tons of gasoline from its reserves to Ukraine, Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Sviridenko said following a meeting with Polish Climate Minister Anna Moscow. Deliveries will begin next week and will help "balance the fuel market." 07:48 Ukraine is disappointed that the United States does not send American multiple launch rocket systems to it, writes Politico. According to the publication, the Ukrainian leadership has been asking the United States for several months to send long-range MLRS, but the White House fears that such weapons could be used to strike at Russian territory, thereby expanding the conflict. 07:37 Over the past day in the Donetsk and Luhansk directions, Ukrainian defenders repelled 16 enemy attacks, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reports in the morning summary . 05:01 The US Senate unanimously approved the candidacy of Bridget Brink for the post of US Ambassador to Ukraine. 02:15 The US does not see that Russia needs negotiations, US State Department spokesman Andrea Kalan said: "In order to negotiate with Russia, the US must see that it wants to de-escalate the situation and withdraw its troops from Ukraine, but now Russia is only showing aggression ". 01:27 The Russian military leadership decided to mobilize the servicemen in Crimea, who betrayed Ukraine in 2014. In total there were about 14 thousand of them, in eight years many of them were demobilized and left the service. Now they are forcibly mobilized and replenish broken brigades that are on regrouping in the Crimea, said Viktor Andrusiv, adviser to the Minister of Internal Affairs. "The peculiarity of this news is that traitors are not subject to exchange. They are subject to article 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (treason)," he clarifies. 01:12 The Parliament of Canada recognized the deportation of the Crimean Tatars in 1944 as genocide, Ukrainian Ambassador Yulia Kovaliv said. From now on, in Canada, May 18 every year will be celebrated as the Day of Remembrance of the Deportation of the Crimean Tatars (Crimean Tatar Deportation (Sürgünlik) Memorial Day). 00:43 US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken announced that Washington will provide Ukraine with an additional $215 million in new emergency food aid. 00:27 Volunteer of the morgue in Bucha, editor-in-chief of the publication Babel Evgeny Spirin told Present Time that the headquarters of the Russian army was located on the territory of the pioneer camp Radiant, in which the occupiers equipped a torture room, where they brought veterans of the 2014 war. The bodies of the tortured and executed inhabitants of Bucha were found in it. One of them had no skin on his back, he was tortured for several days, after which he died. Posted by: badanov 2022-05-20 |
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