[Korrespondent] 22:58 The Bundeswehr has unnecessary Marder infantry fighting vehicles that Berlin does not provide to Ukraine, writes Bild with reference to an internal document of the German Ministry of Defense, which was at the disposal of the publication. "Ukraine urgently needs these Marder infantry fighting vehicles," Ukrainian Ambassador to Germany Andriy Melnyk commented on the publication.
22:56 The leader of the "DPR" Pushilin said that the Ukrainian military could still remain at Azovstal, now the premises are being checked.
22:54 Zelensky said that he had spoken on the phone with Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi on his initiative: "We talked about cooperation in the defense industry, the need to accelerate the sixth package of sanctions and unblock Ukrainian ports. He thanked for the unconditional support of Ukraine on the way to the EU."
22:32 Portugal sent a plane with military equipment to Ukraine, Prime Minister António Costa said following talks with Zelensky in Kiev: "We sent military support. At first it was non-lethal, then lethal weapons were sent as part of requests, which were sent to Ukraine in accordance with our capabilities, because we do not have all the resources that Ukraine needs now. This work of ours has not yet been completed. This will continue further. Now, a plane with military equipment is just arriving through Poland, which will be sent to Ukraine in accordance with specific requests."
22:30 Arestovich says that the most difficult situation is now at the front - in the direction of Bakhmut, where the Russians have deployed additional forces. According to him, they are trying to advance to the west and north of Popasna. Arestovich called the situation "unpleasant".
22:28 Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olga Stefanishyna said that Ukraine has done everything it could to join NATO. According to her, Kyiv considers its application for membership in the alliance valid, is waiting for actions from NATO and does not believe that the ball is now on the side of Ukraine.
22:17 Vice-President of the European Parliament Katarina Barly called for an oil embargo against Russia without Hungary, given that Orban "leads the EU by the nose." She also called the demand to provide the country with billions in aid in exchange for consent "almost arrogant", given that "everyone knows where the money will go."
The EP vice president accused Orban of using the oil embargo controversy for his own political games. And the money he demands will be distributed in a corrupt way in the pocket of his "family and clans," Barley suggested, calling Hungary openly corrupt.
21:44 Moody's rating agency has downgraded Ukraine's long-term credit rating from Caa2 to Caa3, with a "negative" outlook.
21:36 Slutsky clarified that, in his opinion, a tribunal should decide the fate of the Azov people and there should not be any exchange. He stressed that questions regarding Medvedchuk should be discussed by those "who have the appropriate competence."
21:22 Recruitment for volunteer military service has begun in Poland. According to the Minister of Defense of the country, Mariusz Blaszczak, the strengthening of the combat capability of the Polish army is a response to Russian aggression in Ukraine.
In Poland, they expect to attract 15,000 volunteers. Volunteer service in Poland was introduced by amendments to the law on the defense of the Fatherland. According to them, the armed forces of Poland should have 300,000 troops, of which 250,000 - in operational units, another 50,000 - in the territorial.
20:56 In the Donetsk region, the invaders launched an airstrike on the church in the village of Bogorodichnoye, in the basement of which about a hundred church ministers and children lived and hid, the National Police reports. The skete of the Svyatogorsk Lavra was destroyed, but the people were not injured. They were taken to a safer place.
20:31 In Ukraine, on the night of May 21, the nephew of the Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, Adam Khamkhoev, who was the commander of the airborne assault company, was destroyed, The Magas Times reports with reference to the "officer corps" of Ingushetia. Another local publication Fortanga writes, citing a source, that the victim was the nephew of the Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, the former head of Ingushetia, Yunus-Bek Yevkurov.
20:02 Ukraine receives protocols from the United States and Israel to combat the psychological consequences of the war, Olena Zelenska said: "We have the support of the WHO, we receive the expertise of countries that have worked with military trauma, for example, the protocols of the United States, Israel." According to the first lady, an audit of the system for providing psychological assistance is already beginning in Ukraine.
19:53 In the Lugansk region, the Ukrainian military destroyed the Russian self-propelled gun Pion, which destroyed the Pavlograd bridge and fired at Severodonetsk. It was possible to destroy it thanks to the video of Russian propagandists, said the head of the OVA, Sergei Gaidai.
19:34 In the Donetsk direction, the enemy is trying to break through the line of defense of Ukrainian troops and reach the administrative border of the Luhansk region, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will report in the evening report . In particular, with the support of aviation and artillery, the enemy conducted assault operations in the areas of the settlements of Lipovo, Vasilievka, Maryinka and Novomikhailovka in the Donetsk region, but was not successful.
The Russians launched air and artillery strikes on civilian targets in Bakhmut and Vrubovka, as well as on Nikolsky in the Volnovakhsky district. The preparation of units of the occupying forces for the resumption of the offensive in the Slavic direction continues.
19:08 Erdogan held telephone conversations with Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson and Finnish President Sauli Niiniste. The parties agreed to continue "close dialogue".
19:06 Deputy "head" of Mariupol Evgeny Kharmyshev announced the resumption of voluntary squads. Now the men of Mariupol will patrol the city together with the Russian military and the "People's Militia of the DPR". As adviser to the mayor of the city Petr Andryushchenko reports, the real goal of such "patrolling" is to strengthen the search activities: this time they are looking not only for activists, but, first of all, for public utilities, teachers and other specialists. Another goal is "soft" preparation for mobilization.
In addition, the "leadership" of the city disseminates information about the start of conscription into the army of the so-called "DNR" in September.
19:00 The Russian authorities intend to study the possibility of exchanging Medvedchuk for the defenders of Azovstal, Leonid Slutsky, a member of the negotiation process, chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs and head of the LDPR faction, said: "We will study the possibility of exchanging Medvedchuk for the Azovites. Not we - the Liberal Democratic Party, but those people in Moscow, which have such powers".
18:51 Chaotic burials and summer rains can lead to an epidemic catastrophe in Mariupol, Mayor Vadim Boychenko said on television: "In addition to the humanitarian catastrophe created by the occupiers and collaborators, the city is on the verge of an outbreak of infectious diseases. One hundred thousand people continue to live without water. Sewerage does not work.There are chaotic burials all over the city.During the summer rains typical for Mariupol, all this will fall into the rivers, seas and sources from where people take water.Therefore, we need green corridors for the evacuation of Mariupol residents.Together with international partners, we must do everything to save people."
18:33 In the Luhansk region, the invaders destroyed the bridge between Severodonetsk and Lisichansk, said the head of the OVA Serhiy Gaidai. This happened for the second time - the first was in July 2014 during the liberation of Lisichansk - then the Russians blew up the span of the bridge during the retreat. Since then, communication between the two cities has been difficult. The bridge was restored in 2016.
18:19 Zelensky does not rule out a military way of unblocking the Black Sea ports of Ukraine: "22 million tons of grain is blocked today, and the Russians are still constantly stealing and exporting it somewhere... We need to unblock these ways, because there will be a crisis in the world. You can unblock it in different ways ways. One of the ways is military. Therefore, we turn to partners with such requests regarding the appropriate weapons."
18:17 Kuleba said that only Kiev will decide when hostilities end: "Ukraine and only Ukraine will determine when and how the war will end. We will exercise our right to self-defense in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter after a brutal armed attack. President Zelensky said everything clearly. We do not need foreign land, but we will not give up ours."
18:15 The US Department of Defense reports that "M777 155-mm towed howitzers have been loaded for transportation to Ukraine by US Air Force pilots as part of US security assistance."
18:13 The EU and partner countries issued a statement to limit or suspend the participation of Russia and Belarus in the work of the World Customs Organization, the State Customs Service of Ukraine reports. In a statement, the EU and partner countries expressed support for Ukraine and condemned the Russian invasion with the participation of Belarus.
18:09 In the Zolochiv district of Kharkiv, the bodies of Russian servicemen were found and exhumed from unmarked graves. According to Sergey Bolvinov, head of the Investigation Department of the Main Directorate of the National Police in the Kharkiv region, local residents reported the appearance of graves on different streets without any markings, except for homemade crosses.
"We had to dig these graves to identify individuals and transfer them in accordance with international procedures. In total, six corpses were found in the uniform of the RF Armed Forces, one of them is Lieutenant Colonel V.S. Gerasimov," Bolvinov said.
17:44 Ukraine will launch a large-scale counteroffensive in a month and a half to two months, Ruslan Leviev, head of the Conflict Intelligence Team, said in an interview with Meduza: "There are resources for this. Martial law has been introduced in Ukraine. They already have new equipment. In a month and a half to two months "we will see a turn of the situation not in Russia's favor. Most likely, they will start from the Donbass and will try to cut off the supply lines of the Russian army."
17:37 Ukraine should receive the status of an EU candidate and considers proposals for alternative solutions incorrect, Zelensky said at a joint press conference with Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa: "We do not need any opportunities or access to certain finances. This is important for the economy Ukraine, but we do not need it as an alternative to the EU candidacy. We do not need these compromises, because these will not be compromises with Ukraine. This will be another compromise between Europe and the Russian Federation. I am absolutely sure that this is the pressure and influence of Russian officials, bureaucrats and lobbyists."
17:34 Portugal will provide Ukraine with up to 250 million euros of financial support - the corresponding memorandum was signed by Prime Minister Denys Shmygal with his Portuguese counterpart António Costa. The first tranche of up to 100 million euros is due this year.
17:29 At the filtration checkpoints and checkpoints around Mariupol towards Zaporozhye, the occupiers are being rotated: collaborators and representatives of the so-called "People's Militia of the DPR" are being exchanged for representatives of the National Guard and Kadyrovtsy. In addition, the occupiers are installing additional control points on dirt roads, which could bypass the filtration control, said Petr Andryushchenko, adviser to the mayor of Mariupol.
According to him, from today any evacuation from the city becomes impossible until the opening of the corridors agreed by the Ukrainian authorities. "Everyone who, trusting in the propaganda and informational stuffing of the invaders, was going to temporarily return to Mariupol to take out personal belongings, do not do this. Now you must remember: this is a one-way road," Andryushchenko wrote.
17:13 In Nikolaev, the monument to Pushkin, which was installed in the square at the intersection of Pushkinskaya and Naberezhnaya streets, disappeared from the pedestal. According to eyewitnesses, the monument was dismantled on Saturday, May 21. Dismantling was carried out using a truck crane. The bronze figure of the poet was removed from the granite pedestal and taken away in an unknown direction.
16:52 Prominent architect Norman Foster has already begun work on the creation of a master plan for the restoration of Kharkiv, Mayor Igor Terekhov said in an interview with ZN.UA: "I am very grateful to Norman Foster, with whom we began the creation of a new master plan for Kharkiv today. This will be a unique project, a lot of new and interesting things - interchanges, highways, parks, new neighborhoods and road logistics."
16:39 A Russian helicopter fired at the territory between Kharkiv and Sumy regions, the State Border Service reports. The border guards confirmed that in the afternoon the Sumy region was fired from the territory of Russia from Gradov - in total they counted about 15 shots. At the same time, in the direction of the villages of Gremyach, Nikolaevka and Kucherovka, the Russians fired mortars.
16:26 Zelensky, during a meeting with Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa, said that he expects a decision to transfer American long-range multiple launch rocket systems to Ukraine from a meeting of defense ministers of more than 40 countries: "Such meetings are already a positive result ... We expect a positive on the supply of MLRS "I have no secrets. We appeal to all countries about MLRS systems, thanks to which Ukraine will be able to take the initiative and liberate its territory."
16:04 Zelensky thanked Biden: "I thank the US President for signing the law on additional support for Ukraine. The leadership of the United States, President Biden and the American people in supporting Ukraine in the fight against the Russian aggressor is important. We expect new powerful defensive assistance. Today it is needed more than ever."
15:41 Poland has handed over to Ukraine a huge stock of spare parts and weapons for the MiG-29, Onet reports. This will allow the Ukrainian Air Force to restore the combat capability of aircraft on an ongoing basis.
15:40 Traffic on the Warsaw highway M-07 along the Kiev-Kovel route has been fully restored, said Minister of Infrastructure Alexander Kubrakov. According to him, due to damage by the Russians to the main bridge across the Irsha River, near the village of Ukrainka, traffic for vehicles was temporarily closed. Now there is a temporary crossing.
15:37 Ukraine has established two alternative routes for food exports while ports are blocked, Kuleba said: "Russia is putting millions of people at risk of starvation by blocking our ports. Ukraine, together with partners, has established two alternative land routes to deliver food exports and save Africa and other regions from hunger".
15:29 The Russians will not have time to hold a referendum in Melitopol, Mayor Ivan Fedorov believes. He said that in Melitopol, the invaders and collaborators had already appointed the second sacred date after May 9 - the 220th anniversary of the founding of the Taurida province. In particular, they have already sealed the city with thematic posters. This date is celebrated in the autumn, and it is for this date, most likely, that the Russians are preparing a "referendum" and the announcement of annexation.
In addition, the city has already begun to change license plates on cars with a new coat of arms, the flag of the Taurida province and the letters TVR. "It all looks ridiculous. On Ukrainian license plates they stick the flag of Ukraine and draw birds with felt-tip pens. They really cannot organize a referendum. Except maybe a picture. They can bring grandmothers from Rostov or Chechnya for it and make a propaganda movie. That's all they can do. But they will not have time to hold a referendum," Fyodorov is convinced.
15:14 The entry of Sweden and Finland into NATO means "the continuation of the war in Ukraine", says Erdogan's ally, the leader of the Nationalist Movement Party Devlet Bahceli: "The entry of Sweden and Finland into NATO means the continuation of the war in Ukraine. In our opinion, this intention is a crime against humanity."
15:12 The Russian project Important Stories has identified one of the suspects in the executions of civilians in Bucha. The footage was published by The New York Times.
15:08 The Russian Foreign Ministry imposed "sanctions" against citizens of the United States and Canada, banning almost a thousand Americans and almost 30 Canadians from entering Russia. In particular, Biden and his son, Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin, Trudeau's wife and other officials and top managers will not be able to enter Russia.
15:02 Yermak said on the occasion of Europe Day that Ukraine sees no alternatives to EU membership: "Integration into the European Union for Ukraine is not only a way to modernize and reform the state and increase GDP, but also one of the factors of assurance of our security."
15:00 The official hryvnia exchange rate against the dollar remains fixed at UAH 29.25/USD. Fixing the exchange rate makes it possible to contain inflationary processes (due to cheaper critical imports) and keep inflationary expectations under control, the NBU explained. At the same time, from May 21, the regulator lifted restrictions on the establishment of the cash exchange rate and for card payments abroad.
14:58 In the near future, they plan to hold a "referendum" in the Donbas, as a result of which they intend to join the region to Russia. Such plans were voiced by a member of the negotiating delegation of the Russian Federation Leonid Slutsky at a meeting with the leader of the "DPR" Denis Pushilin, Russian media write.
"I am sure that in the coming months there will be significant events here. The population of the "DPR" and "LPR" will express their position, as they did earlier in Crimea and Sevastopol, as they themselves consider how to live on. This is their own position, not Kyiv's" - said Slutsky.
14:56 Last day at Azovstal. Video edited by BABYLON'13 based on materials provided by the Mariupol garrison:
14:46 The Mariupol City Council asks not to distribute video materials filmed by Russian propagandists with Ukrainian defenders who left the territory of Azovstal: "Let's respect our heroes and not play along with the occupiers by distributing enemy materials."
14:37 Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa arrived in Ukraine at the invitation of Shmyhal and visited Irpin: "I will never forget my visit to Irpin. The levels of destruction and violence are absolutely devastating... What strikes me most is the violence against civilians. We condemn Russia's barbaric invasion. Portugal support Ukraine.
14:32 Ukraine is tightening the regime on the southern border with Transnistria. According to the Belgorod-Dnestrovsky border detachment, from May 23, it is prohibited to enter a certain area along the state border, as well as rest, grazing, accumulation and long stops of vehicles, the use of drones, etc. It is also prohibited to drive on a section of the Odessa-Reni highway in the Palanka area. An exception is made for the military, workers in industry and agriculture.
13:59 In the Chernihiv region today, around noon, the enemy fired from a mortar at the border areas in the direction of Gremyach and Nikolaevka. There are no losses, OK Pivnich reported.
13:57 This morning, the Britta K civilian ship flying the flag of the Republic of Togo, making a transit passage through Ukrainian territorial waters near Zmeiny Island, received a signal from the Russians demanding to leave the territorial waters of the Russian Federation, otherwise weapons will be used against it, the Navy of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reports.
13:52 The Russians destroyed to the ground a music school in Svyatogorsk, Donetsk region, which the government of Japan helped Ukraine to repair in 2016, said the head of the UVA Pavel Kirilenko.
13:48 Leonid Slutsky, a member of the Russian delegation at the talks with Ukraine, said that "humanitarian tasks for the exchange of prisoners and bodies of the dead between Ukraine and Russia will be resolved in the near future."
13:46 Biden signed a bill on the allocation of assistance to Ukraine in the amount of about $ 40 billion.
13:18 Residents of the occupied territories are stepping up cooperation with the intelligence and law enforcement agencies of Ukraine, reports the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense. The population of Donbass is trying to sabotage the instructions of the invaders and avoid any cooperation with the "authorities", and the men flatly refuse to fight for Russia.
According to Ukrainian military intelligence, the occupying administrations received an urgent order from Moscow to carry out urgent measures to "raise morale" in military units and among the local population. The Russian propagandists brought to Donetsk and Lugansk are already making propaganda videos and films about successes and victories, organizing concerts and creating museums of military glory.
Recently, an exhibition called Nazism in Ukraine opened in the so-called "Ministry of Internal Affairs of the DPR" . The occupiers are mediocrely trying to pass off World War II items as personal belongings of Ukrainian defenders. Information about the organizers of the exhibition on their own initiative was transferred to the Ukrainian authorities at once by several dozen patriotic residents of Donetsk.
12:49 Reznikov will be a key participant in the second discussion in the Ramstein format - a group of about 40 countries supporting Ukraine in the war with Russia, the Pentagon said: "Of course, they will want to hear from Reznikov what opportunities the Ukrainians continue to need. And then there will be a discussion among members of the contact group on how they can better meet these needs."
12:43 Russia will not be among the guarantors of Ukraine's security, Zelensky said: "Today we are considering a circle of security guarantors from partner states that we trust." As for Russia, according to him, a separate agreement should be concluded with it.
Negotiations with the Russian Federation are still possible, since the condition for saving the lives of the defenders of Mariupol was met, the President noted: “Today we see that they gave an opportunity, found a form so that these people were alive, and they took them out. There will be an exchange further. From the results of these processes also depends on a lot."
12:41 The Ukrainian authorities saw Russia's preparations for aggression last fall, Zelensky said: "The pressure was before a large-scale invasion. We understood that preparations were underway. I would start talking about the offensive from September-October. Hybrid shelling began in the fall, you remember about problems with fuel, energy, cyberattacks... But no one fully understood the volume, impudence that we saw. It's one thing when you realize that tanks will most likely come from Belarus. "Russia will attack you through Belarus. It's another matter when missiles are specifically flying from Belarus. The difference is big - you are at war with those who are on the territory of Belarus, or you are at war with two countries."
Speaking about warnings from Western intelligence agencies, Zelensky noted that "no one knew the details completely. We had our own training, the intelligence agencies of our partners had their own training. No one had more details than we knew."
12:32 A missile strike was inflicted on the territory of the Rivne region, a military infrastructure facility was hit, said the head of the OVA Vitaliy Koval. The number of victims and the scale of destruction are being specified.
12:28 The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation stated that in the area of \u200b\u200bthe railway station of the Zhytomyr region, high-precision Caliber missiles allegedly destroyed "a large batch of weapons and equipment delivered to Ukraine from the USA and Europe." And at the Odessa port plant, according to Moscow, high-precision air-launched missiles of the VKS destroyed fuel storage facilities.
12:24 The SBU announced that it had received "indisputable evidence" of Russia's involvement in the shelling of the railway station in Kramatorsk on April 8, as a result of which 61 people died and 121 were injured.
Thus, thanks to a series of studies of the missile's flight path and analysis of other aspects, the SBU established that the strike was carried out from the territory of the Donetsk region controlled by Russia. Experts confirmed that a Tochka-U missile was used for the shelling. According to the SBU, several complexes with Tochka-U are located in the uncontrolled territories of Donbass and have been used by the enemy for eight years.
12:21 Arakhamia said in social networks that the information of the Western media about the transfer of the Patriot air defense system to Ukraine "is not yet confirmed."
12:18 Zelensky said that he would consider it a victory if Ukraine manages to return to the demarcation line on February 24. According to him, it will be very difficult to return all the territories of Ukraine by military means and will cost a huge number of Ukrainian lives. After reaching the line on February 24, the second stage should begin - through negotiations, return the remaining territory.
12:14 Moldova must be armed with NATO standards in order to resist possible Russian aggression, British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said in an interview with The Telegraph. She said that the allies are negotiating to help smaller countries defend themselves because, despite very limited successes in Ukraine, Putin still dreams of creating a "great Russia", which, in particular, involves the occupation of Moldova.
12:04 The war in Ukraine is entering its final phase, Podolyak said on the air of the telethon: "The question is how long it will take. It can drag on, because the Russians, with all the loud statements, have concentrated the rest of their resources and want to go into the so-called positional war ".
The adviser to the head of the Presidential Office emphasized that Ukraine needs to unblock all regions, including Donetsk and Luhansk: "This phase of the war, which will be called the counteroffensive phase, will be tough enough for us, and, unfortunately, we will lose our people ... But we will have to live this bloody phase of the liberation of their territories in any case."
12:02 Ukrainian air defense shot down a missile near Nemirov, Vinnytsia region, the OVA reported.
11:55 "We have already broken the back of the world's second army. We did it. They will not get back on their feet for the next few years," Zelensky said. “The Ukrainian rebuff inflicted unbearable damage on the Russian army, we broke them both physically and morally.”
The President again emphasized that in order for negotiations with Russia to become possible, it "must go to the borders on February 24." "I hope that country is smart enough to do that," he added.
11:52 Zelensky said that no country in Europe had ever faced such a volume of forces that Russia threw against Ukraine: "We are 28 times smaller, it was necessary to concentrate forces. All the amount of equipment and resources that we had was spread all over the country."
Nevertheless, the president believes that Ukraine was prepared for war: "All analysts said that they would come to Kyiv in 2-3 days, analyzing their volumes. So, we were prepared."
11:49 Zelensky and his wife Elena gave a long interview to Ukrainian journalists:
11:44 Zelensky said that intelligence is leading the process of withdrawing the Ukrainian military from Azovstal - "removal, withdrawal and preparation for dialogue, exchange, etc." The President assured that the defenders should be exchanged: "Then everything depends on what obligations the UN, the Red Cross, Russia assumed. <...> We are waiting for this or that exchange format. We will take them home."
11:42 Zelensky said that 700,000 soldiers are defending Ukraine today: "You see the result of the work of 700,000 warring people. 700,000 are at the time of the war."
11:38 Zelensky, in an interview with Ukrainian journalists, said that the war between Russia and Ukraine would be completed through diplomacy, but the format of peace negotiations would be hybrid. According to the president, he used to think that it was possible to end the war with the Russian Federation through "pure dialogue" and that this dialogue had "an appropriate timeframe"; it would be possible to find "answers to many questions and many solutions" in it.
"And now it's like a car, not a gasoline or electric car - a hybrid. That's why the war is so complicated, and the victory will be very difficult, it will be bloody, it will definitely be in battle, but the ending will definitely be in diplomacy. I'm sure of this "Zelensky said.
At the same time, he added that some issues between Ukraine and Russia could not be resolved anywhere except at the negotiating table: "Because we want to return everything, and the Russian Federation wants not to give everything away, that is, not to give anything away."
11:17 In the Kharkiv region over the past day, Russians from multiple launch rocket systems fired at Alekseyevka, Saltovka; the missile attack actually destroyed the Palace of Culture in Lozova. A 66-year-old woman died in Dergachi, Oleg Sinegubov, head of the OVA, said.
Also in the region there were shelling in Dergachi, Malaya Danilovka, Chuguevsky district, Tsirkuny. At night, the invaders fired on the Zolochiv community, residential buildings were on fire. In just one day, as a result of Russian aggression in the region, 20 people were injured.
11:06 The General Staff announced the approximate combat losses of the enemy on the morning of May 21. The enemy suffered the greatest losses over the past day in the Bakhmut direction.
- personnel - about 28,850 (+150) people liquidated,
- tanks - 1278 (+15),
- armored combat vehicles - 3116 (+26),
- artillery systems - 596 (+0),
- MLRS - 201 (+1),
- air defense systems - 93 (+0),
- aircraft - 204 (+0),
- helicopters - 169 (+1),
- UAV operational-tactical level - 462 (+2),
- cruise missiles - 104 (+1),
- ships/boats - 13 (+0),
- automotive equipment and tankers - 2178 (+16),
- special equipment - 43 (+0).
10:48 The Lithuanian authorities announced that from May 22, the country will stop purchasing electricity from Russia. Thus, from Sunday there will be no Russian gas, no oil, no electricity in the country.
10:44 A half-naked activist burst onto the red carpet of the Cannes Film Festival with the inscription Stop raping us (Stop raping us) on her body and a Ukrainian flag on her chest in protest against rape by the Russian military in Ukraine. The French feminist collective SCUM said that "the inaction of Europe and the rest of the world in the face of the violence of pimps and Russian soldiers is a form of complicity."
10:36 Podolyak urged not to believe the "horror stories" from the "experts": "If you listen to the experts, then Ukraine should have been frozen three times in winter, left without electricity in March, and the Russian flag would have fluttered over half of the country. Remember this when you hear another a horror story that the country will not survive next winter, and people will be left on the street without work.If every time someone says "this is impossible", we gave up, we would no longer have a country.If you hear "Ukraine will have to sacrifice territories because Russia is strong,” says a loser who has already lost in his soul. We have no other country, we know what we are fighting for. That is why we will win.”
10:17 The head of the Sumy OVA Dmitry Zhivitsky said that this morning the Russian military opened fire from artillery from their territory on the Esman community of the Shostka district. There are no losses.
09:56 Zelensky knew about Russia's intention to attack Ukraine, said Polish President Andrzej Duda in an interview with Polska Times: "I was in Kiev before the attack, we left Ukraine just a few hours before it. In parting, Vladimir Zelensky told me that he was sure: Ukraine attack in the next few hours. It was a very touching meeting and a very touching moment for me... At the end, Zelensky said: Andrzej, maybe this is the last time we see each other."
09:43 This morning, the Russian military again fired at the border areas of the Sumy region from the territory of the Russian Federation, the OK Pivnich reported. The observers recorded six shots fired in the direction of the Kucherovka settlement. There were no fatalities or losses among the equipment.
09:19 British intelligence reports that in the Russian-Ukrainian war, unmanned aerial vehicles played a key role for both sides, although they suffered high losses. UAVs proved vulnerable to both shooting down and electronic interference.
Russia has tried to implement the "reconnaissance strike" concept it has perfected in Syria. It involves the use of reconnaissance UAVs to determine targets, which are then hit by aircraft or artillery. At the same time, the Russian Federation is likely to experience a shortage of suitable reconnaissance UAVs for this task, which is exacerbated by the restrictions on its domestic production capacity as a result of sanctions.
Russian aircraft continue to largely avoid flying over Ukrainian territory, likely due to the threat from Ukrainian anti-aircraft missile systems. If the Russian Federation continues to lose drones at the current rate, the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities of the Russian forces will further deteriorate, which will negatively affect operational efficiency.
09:02 Podolyak criticized The New York Times for an editorial calling on Ukraine to agree to territorial concessions in order to stop the war. An adviser to the head of the OP called such a statement "very strange." According to him, "it's very cool when you sit somewhere in a warm office, drink coffee and think about global world problems."
“But doesn’t this person who writes “let’s give up something” want to come here and talk to families in which their loved ones were killed or raped? Doesn’t want to talk to them? NYT, what’s the problem? in Bucha, talk to them," Podolyak said on the air of the telethon. According to him, if some territories are “conceded” to the Russian Federation, the Russians will want to take others in a few years.
08:39 In the Donetsk region, as a result of Russian shelling over the past day, three people were killed, said the head of the OVA Pavel Kirilenko. According to him, since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Russia, it is known about 400 civilian deaths in the region, not counting the victims in Mariupol and Volnovakha, the number of which is impossible to know.
08:37 The governments of Germany and Italy have allowed their gas importers to pay for it on Russian terms. According to Reuters, this position of Berlin and Rome is agreed with the European Union so that EU sanctions against Russia are not violated.
08:29 The former commander of the US Ground Forces in Europe, Lieutenant General Ben Hodges is convinced that at the end of the summer the forces of the Russian army will weaken. It is during this period that Ukraine will be able to launch a full-fledged counteroffensive and push the enemy out at least to the positions of February 23, he said in an interview with Voice of America.
08:14 In the Lugansk region over the past day, as a result of Russian shelling, six people were killed, said the head of the OVA Serhiy Gaidai. According to him, the invaders fired at the school, in the basement of which, since the beginning of the war, residents of the new districts of Severodonetsk have been hiding. Two people died on the spot, three more were hospitalized. In the evening, two more people died near their home in Severodonetsk, two more died in Lisichansk and Privolye. About 50 houses were destroyed during the day.
07:54 Adviser to the mayor of Mariupol, Petr Andryushchenko, showed how the deportation is going on. According to him, the invaders deliver buses to the Metro area and announce the evacuation. Already at landing, they report that the bus is taking them to the Bezymennoe of the Novoazovsky district and then to Russia. The Russian military and official "volunteers" block any attempts to leave the place and refuse to evacuate.
07:48 Russian troops plan to resume offensive operations in the Donbass with the crossing of the Seversky Donets River, according to the morning summary of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine . Also, the Russian troops are trying to resume offensive operations in the Yampol-Seversk direction and in the Slavyansk direction.
07:43 According to the American Institute for the Study of War, Russia is preparing for a counteroffensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and a protracted war in the south. Russian troops concentrated on strengthening the existing defensive lines and developing defensive lines on the southern axis. Over the past 24 hours on May 20, they were unable to achieve any progress. The purpose of the invaders in this direction is to protect the occupied Kherson from counterattacks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
07:38 Canada will provide Ukraine with an additional loan in the amount of 250 million Canadian dollars (more than 195 million US dollars).
07:36 The Russian occupiers have thrown all their strength to encircle the territory of the Luhansk region or enter the cities as if they were in ashes. Shoigu has already stated that the region will be seized in the near future, which means that a lot of equipment will be thrown here, said the head of the Luhansk OVA, Sergei Gaidan. He said that the occupiers were destroying Severodonetsk, like Mariupol, now there are battles in the vicinity of the city. Popasnaya has already been turned into ashes.
04:57 US Senator Mitch McConnell believes that a new package of US assistance to Ukraine may affect the opening of the port in Odessa: "I think this package of weapons is designed in such a way as to give them what they need now, not only to win in ground war, but also, hopefully, to have some influence on reopening the port of Odessa, because the lack of Ukrainian food will be reflected throughout the Middle East and Africa.
03:21 Biden appointed Pentagon spokesman John Kirby as coordinator of the US National Security Council for strategic communications.
01:23 In the three months of the war against Ukraine, Russia has not achieved any significant success. But sooner or later the war will end with a ceasefire or a truce. Read more in Five Scenarios for the End of the War by The Wall Street Journal .
00:05 The heroic defense of Mariupol lasted 86 days. The top military leadership of Ukraine issued an order to preserve the life and health of the defenders of the garrison and stop the defense of the city. All Ukrainian soldiers left Azovstal. About what awaits the military and the city - in the material The end of the battle for Mariupol.