[Korrespondent] 22:35 Zelensky said in an evening video message that he took part online in the work of the Council of Europe summit, which is taking place today in Reykjavik: "All the countries of free Europe, the strong leaders of our Europe ... Thanked them for supporting our state and urged them to act together and in further by 100%, so that we are protected - all of Ukraine, all of Europe, the entire free world - by 100%."
According to Zelensky, the Netherlands, along with France and the UK, supported the coalition of fighters: "We will work on a coalition of fighters - training, aircraft, results."
The president also held several meetings on international events: "We are doing everything to give our soldiers even more opportunities to make the end of this war with our victory even closer."
22:28 Belgium also wants to train Ukrainian pilots, including training them on the F-16, said the office of Prime Minister Alexander De Croo.
22:18 The Armed Forces of Ukraine still do not have enough military equipment for a counteroffensive, Igor Zhovkva, deputy head of the President's Office, said in an interview with Sky News. He clarified that Ukraine needs armored vehicles and tanks, as well as a sufficient number of artillery systems and ammunition to liberate its territories. According to Zhovkva, the main purpose of Zelensky's European tour was to request additional military aid packages.
22:13 British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak during a meeting with Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte at the Council of Europe summit in Iceland agreed to work on creating an international coalition to purchase F-16 fighter jets for Ukraine. Sunak also stressed that "Ukraine's rightful place is in NATO."
22:04 Shoigu said that Russia did not launch "as many daggers" in Ukraine as they allegedly shoot down with their statements every time. According to him, the number of Ukrainian interceptions is allegedly "three times more than we allow." He also believes that with the type of missiles, Ukraine also "makes mistakes all the time, and therefore does not hit."
21:58 The White House cannot confirm the information that the Patriot system was damaged in Ukraine as a result of a Russian strike, said National Security Adviser John Kirby. According to him, if the system was damaged and needed repair outside of Ukraine, the United States would help with this.
21:29 PACE head Tiny Cox believes that Ukraine should hold parliamentary and presidential elections even under martial law. According to him, the allies will not have claims against Kyiv if the elections are "not ideal."
In turn, NSDC Secretary Oleksiy Danilov said that there could be no elections during martial law: “PACE must clearly understand that we have our own Constitution and the laws of our country, by which we must live. And these PACEs would be better were engaged in other things - they did not allow the presence of the Russian Federation at home. We will figure it out on our own - in accordance with our laws and in accordance with our Constitution. When there is the introduction of the situation in which we are today, no elections can take place. Period. "
20:54 The General Staff clarified that on the night of May 16, 25 Russian missiles were shot down, and not 18, as previously reported. In particular, the enemy used six Kinzhal aeroballistic missiles, nine Caliber cruise missiles and ten ground-based missiles (S-400, Iskander-M). Two more S-300 missiles were used by the invaders against the civilian infrastructure of Konstantinovka, Donetsk region.
20:26 Almost 300 marines defending Ilyich's plant were considered deserters, but as it turned out, they were betrayed by one of the commanders. Details about this story are in the material Sabotage in Mariupol.
20:15 During the night attack of the Russian Federation on Kiev on May 16, one of the two Patriot air defense systems was damaged, but it was not destroyed, CNN reports, citing a US official. According to him, the United States is still assessing the extent of the damage, after which a decision will be made - to completely collapse the system or repair it on the spot.
19:44 The Russians shelled a village in the Kherson community: as a result of an aimed strike on a residential building, four people were injured - a woman and three children, the Prosecutor General's Office said.
19:39 A two-day Council of Europe summit has begun in Iceland. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he intends to discuss long-term security plans for Ukraine with other European leaders.
19:10 As of mid-May, the Russian grouping in Ukraine is about 400 thousand, Budanov said in an interview with the program Different People. According to him, we are talking about about 370,000 military components, more than 20,000 troops of the National Guard and about 7,000 different types of paramilitary formations.
According to the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate, now Russia does not have the potential for serious offensive operations, but it has built a powerful defense: "They built a defense layered, correct, powerful. But this is no longer the Russian army that could conduct serious offensive operations."
19:03 Budanov admitted that the Ukrainian special services are behind some of the bombings of Russian propagandists: "Come on, we have already got a lot of them. There are such media, public cases that become public, as they say."
At the same time, he refused to comment on the involvement of the GUR in specific cases of bombings of Russians: "When you get personal, I must answer you, as is the classic answer in any intelligence service in the world: we cannot comment, we cannot confirm or deny."
18:51 Ukraine is already using British long-range Storm Shadow missiles against Russian targets, CNN reports, citing two Western officials. The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine declined to comment.
18:29 Budanov believes that 80% of what Prigozhin says is true, not IPSO: “The worst thing is that what Prigozhin says is mostly true. There are some things that you can’t even talk about to say that they are untrue - they can be perceived in two ways, but 80 percent of what he says is generally true. ”In particular, according to the head of the GUR, Prigozhin is completely sincere in criticizing Shoigu and Gerasimov.
Budanov also said that PMC Wagner showed "its maximum effectiveness", unlike the Russian army, whose command, out of envy, is trying to "physically erase" private units. The scout added that the Kadyrovites also lose in efficiency to the Wagnerites.
17:55 This summer, the volume of planned repairs at power plants, which are necessary to prepare for the heating season, will be greater than in previous years, since all thermal and key hydroelectric power plants were damaged due to Russian attacks. In this regard, Ukrenergo asks consumers, if possible, to reduce the load on the power system during the morning and evening peaks.
17:37 The German company Hensoldt announced that it has signed a contract for the supply of six more TRML-4D airborne surveillance radars to Ukraine in the amount of 100 million euros. Ukraine already uses them as part of the IRIS-T SLM air defense system, and Germany has promised to supply two more separate radars.
17:01 Ukrainian Ambassador to Turkey Vasily Bodnar announced online negotiations on a grain deal in the coming days. The diplomat hopes that following their results there is a chance to renew the agreement after May 18.
16:51 During a visit to Seoul, Olena Zelenska, together with First Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Economy Yulia Sviridenko and Deputy Head of the President's Office Rostislav Shurma, discussed with the President of South Korea Ukraine's need for modern air defense systems, and also talked about demining territories and medical equipment for rescue of Ukrainian citizens, the OP reported.
16:48 Within a few days, Ukrainian troops liberated about 20 square meters in the north and south of the suburb of Bakhmut. km, but at the same time the enemy is advancing somewhat in Bakhmut itself, destroying the city with artillery. In addition, the enemy is pulling up units of professional paratroopers, there are heavy battles "with different results," Deputy Defense Minister Anna Malyar said. She stressed that information about the course of hostilities should be considered in the complex of all measures of the defense operation and not taken out of the context of events.
16:42 Chinese authorities have asked foreign embassies and international organizations located in Beijing to remove signs of support for Ukraine, writes Kyodo. In particular, they are asked not to use the walls of their buildings for "political propaganda". Some embassies in Beijing placed signs, Stand with Ukraine and Ukrainian flags on their territories. Most of the posters in support of Ukraine are on the territories of the embassies of Canada, Germany and Poland.
16:14 Speaker of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Yuriy Ignat refused to comment on the message of the Russian Defense Ministry about the alleged destruction of the Patriot air defense system in Kiev: "We will leave this without comment. We will not comment on Russian sources."
16:11 The IAEA conducted an unannounced inspection at the Institute for Nuclear Research of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine - experts checked the absence of undeclared nuclear material. The inspection passed without remarks, the State Inspectorate for Nuclear Regulation of Ukraine reported.
15:43 Ukraine has officially joined the NATO Cyber Defense Center of Excellence, the Foreign Ministry said.
15:24 The EBRD predicts that Ukraine needs $250 billion of foreign capital over five years for a speedy recovery.
14:50 At the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, control over nuclear workers has again increased, of which about 2,500 people are left to work, Energoatom reports. After the recent ban on using even push-button telephones at the plant site, the nuclear workers were banned from any movement within the territory of the Zaporizhzhya NPP, except for those that the local "guards" clearly identified. It is also forbidden to communicate even with each other.
Going not only outside the station, but simply on the street is strictly prohibited. While at work, employees now have the right to look only straight ahead - turning their heads, even just looking to the side, is strictly prohibited. Thus, the Russians are trying to disguise their firing positions and a large amount of military equipment on the territory of the station.
14:33 South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said that on behalf of African countries he spoke with Putin and Zelensky, they agreed to accept the mission of African leaders on a peace initiative. Ramaphosa added that Washington, London and the EU have been informed about the African peace initiative on Ukraine, the plan has received "cautious support".
13:48 The night attack of the Russians in Ukraine did not cause new damage to the energy infrastructure, Ukrenergo reported. At the same time, in the front-line regions, as a result of Russian shelling, one of the main power lines was damaged, which supplies power to a power plant in the east of the country, and restoration work is underway.
13:09 First Lady Olena Zelenska met with South Korean President Yun Sok Yel in Seoul, Yonhap reports. In an interview with the publication, she expressed her readiness to invite the leader of South Korea and his wife to Ukraine, noting that such a visit "would greatly support the Ukrainians." According to Zelenskaya, "for Ukrainians, South Korea and its history are a model of sustainability and development."
13:03 Minister of Culture and Information Policy Oleksandr Tkachenko said that he had applied to the European Language Union about Zelensky's online performance at Eurovision 2023, but was refused.
12:59 The State Duma of the Russian Federation adopted a law on the denunciation of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, signed with NATO countries in 1990. The treaty limited the number of weapons and military equipment for the participating countries.
12:57 The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation stated that tonight a blow was allegedly struck at the points of deployment of units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, places of storage of ammunition, weapons and equipment "delivered from Western countries." In addition, according to the Russian defense department, in Kyiv, the Patriot air defense system was allegedly hit by a "high-precision strike by the Kinzhal hypersonic complex." And Russian air defense allegedly intercepted seven Storm Shadow cruise missiles in a day, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
12:35 Zelensky said that he had held a meeting of the Headquarters: "We reviewed the general operational situation and intelligence data. We adjusted the schedule for the supply of weapons and ammunition, their distribution among combat units and reserves. We heard the results of checking the combat readiness of the newly created brigades."
12:32 The head of the "Crimean Parliament" Vladimir Konstantinov instructed to work out an appeal to the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation on the "cancellation" of the 1954 decree on the transfer of Crimea to Ukraine. Earlier, the "senator" from the Crimea, Sergei Tsekov, proposed to officially cancel the 1954 decision to transfer the peninsula to the Ukrainian SSR from the RSFSR. In his opinion, "Russia, as the legal successor of the USSR, has every right to do so."
12:13 Reznikov thanked the air defense forces for the night work and the impressive result. According to the minister, the Russians had 80 Kinzhal missiles, of which Ukraine has already shot down seven - one on the night of May 4 and six this night. Reznikov stressed that Western weapons can and should shoot down the missiles of Russian terrorists.
11:52 British intelligence reports that over the past four days, the Ukrainian Defense Forces have achieved tactical success in the Bakhmut region and were able to stabilize the flanks, despite the fact that the Wagner group continues to gradually advance in the city center.
In particular, in addition to advancing south of the city, Ukrainian troops managed to push the Russian front line northwest of Bakhmut. This could allow Ukrainian forces to resume safer use of key supply route 0506, analysts say. According to intelligence, Ukraine is holding back the advance of Russian troops to the west along the line of the Seversky Donets-Donbass canal, turning the water artery into an obstacle as part of a deep defense zone around the city of Chasov Yar.
11:36 Russia launched a large-scale shelling of the Ukrainian capital with the most difficult missiles to intercept. About where the Russians wanted to go and what an incredible result our air defense forces showed - in the material Russia's dense attack on Kiev .
11:27 The CIA has launched a campaign on Telegram to recruit Russians who are dissatisfied with the war in Ukraine and life in the Russian Federation, writes CNN. The video, in particular, tells how to anonymously and securely contact the CIA. US officials believe Russia's invasion of Ukraine created a historic opportunity "for the Russians to come to us and provide the information the US needs." They also noted that the previous campaign, launched after the start of the Russian invasion, was successful and helped to "make contacts".
10:59 Syrsky said that he visited the commanders and soldiers at the forefront in the Bakhmut direction: "The Wagnerites climbed into Bakhmut like rats into a mousetrap. Using the principle of active defense, we resort to counter-offensive actions in some directions near Bakhmut. The enemy has more resources, but we are ruining his plans. Together with the commanders of units and subunits, we discussed and made the necessary decisions to continue the defense operation. We calculated all possible scenarios for the development of events."
10:35 On the evening of May 15, a drone attacked the administrative building of the border control of the FSB in the Kursk region of the Russian Federation in the village of Glushkovo, five border guards were injured, the Baza telegram channel reports.
10:28 The State Bureau of Investigation reported suspicion of treason to one of the leaders of the 501st Separate Brigade of Marines of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, because of which 277 soldiers were captured. The investigation established that the head of the clothing service of the rear of the 501st OBMP went over to the side of the enemy and actually persuaded the commander to surrender. 277 servicemen of the brigade were ordered to relocate, but in fact they were transferred to the “DPR”. The military was misled, so they did not realize the illegal nature of the order or order to surrender.
The State Bureau of Investigation announced that it had decided to close the proceedings against 277 servicemen of the 501st OBMP on suspicion of desertion - this gives grounds to restore the violated rights of captured marines in terms of payments to their relatives.
After the sabotage in Mariupol, the head of the clothing service of the rear of the 501st OBMP moved to his native Berdyansk, Zaporozhye region, where he again began to agitate the Ukrainian military to go over to the side of the enemy. The traitor faces life imprisonment.
10:16 All six X-47 Kinzhal missiles shot down this night flew to Kiev, Air Force spokesman Yuri Ignat said. "The work is extremely successful. Six Daggers is an impressive figure. Kiev remains at the epicenter, the capital has always been a priority for the Russians, so it is protected by serious means. There are infrastructure facilities and other important state facilities," he explained.
09:57 Ukraine wants to receive from 40 to 50 F-16 fighters to form three or four squadrons, Reznikov's adviser Yuriy Sak told Politico. Kyiv says the need for modern aircraft has become more urgent since Russia began making extensive use of long-range guided glide bombs in March. Currently, Ukraine has nothing to stop Russian planes with such bombs, Sak explained.
Zelensky expects the topic of combat aircraft to be the focus of attention at the G7 summit in Japan and at the NATO summit in Lithuania. The publication writes that he received assurances from Western leaders during his European tour that they would discuss this issue in the coming days.
09:36 This night, during the air raid, several bloggers posted a video of the air defense operation on the social network. Yuriy Ignat, spokesman for the Air Force Command, said that this is not critical, although Ukrainians are constantly asked not to do this: "Can you prevent this, with today's technologies? Only people should have consciousness here. After all, the enemy himself can remove it "Do you think that there are few Russian agents walking around the territory of our state? In addition, the enemy monitors launch sites using other means."
Ignat also assured that air defense throughout Ukraine is working dynamically: after combat work, launch sites and deployment sites change.
09:29 In the Kharkiv region over the past day, as a result of Russian shelling, the village of Dvurechnaya killed two people, another one was injured. In the Donetsk region, four civilians were killed (in Avdiivka), four more were injured. In addition, the body of a man who died during the occupation was exhumed in Bogorodichnoye. In the Kherson region, six people were injured, including a 17-year-old teenager, according to the IVA.
09:15 The American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) writes, citing unnamed sources in the Kremlin, that the Putin administration is preparing an information operation to publicly discredit Prigozhin. At the same time, analysts believe that the Kremlin is unlikely to threaten him while Wagner's forces are on the front line. First, Moscow should try to get the PMC Wagner out of Prigozhin's control.
08:56 Macron said in an interview with TF1 Info that France will send missiles to Ukraine, the range of which "will allow it to resist."
08:33 At night, Russia attacked Ukraine with 18 missiles of various types, all of them were shot down , Zaluzhny said. The enemy launched air, sea and land-based missiles from the northern, southern and eastern directions. In particular, six MiG-31K aircraft launched six X-47M2 Kinzhal aeroballistic missiles, nine Caliber cruise missiles from ships in the Black Sea, and three land-based missiles (S-400, Iskander-M).
In addition, on the night of May 16, the enemy attacked with six attack drones of the Shahed-136/131 type, and also conducted aerial reconnaissance with three operational-tactical drones - Orlan-10, SuperCam. All of them were destroyed.
08:12 The General Staff announced the approximate losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of May 16.
- personnel - about 199,980 (+520) people liquidated,
- tanks - 3762 (+3),
- armored combat vehicles - 7348 (+12),
- artillery systems - 3150 (+13),
- MLRS - 562 (+0),
- air defense systems - 316 (+0),
- aircraft - 308 (+0),
- helicopters - 294 (+0),
- UAV operational-tactical level - 2732 (+12),
- cruise missiles - 973 (+0),
- ships/boats - 18 (+0),
- automotive equipment and tankers - 6048 (+14),
- special equipment - 410 (+3).
08:07 The Russian army is concentrating its main efforts on the Limansky, Bakhmutsky, Avdeevsky and Maryinsky directions. Over the past 24 hours, 49 combat clashes took place in the indicated sectors of the front. Bakhmut and Marinka remain at the epicenter of hostilities, the General Staff said in a morning report .
07:55 At night, the air defense forces of the air command Pivden shot down four Russian Caliber-type sea-based cruise missiles fired from the Black Sea, the head of the Nikolaev OVA Vitaly Kim said.
07:18 Iceland will transfer a field hospital to Ukraine, said Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir.
06:44 Governor of the Bryansk region of the Russian Federation Alexander Bogomaz said that Russian air defense allegedly shot down a Ukrainian drone in Klintsy, there were no casualties.
05:47 Russia launched a complex attack on Kiev at night from different directions at the same time, using UAVs, cruise missiles and, probably, ballistic missiles. The attack was exceptional in its density - the maximum number of attacking missiles in the shortest period of time, said the head of the KGVA, Sergei Popko.
According to preliminary information, the vast majority of enemy targets in the airspace of the capital were detected and destroyed. Previously, a fall of debris was recorded in Solomensky, Shevchenkovsky, Svyatoshinsky, Obolonsky and Darnitsky districts. The greatest damage was in the Solomensky district - there was a fire in a non-residential premises and several cars. There is no information about the victims, Popko added.
04:34 In Kiev, after a short break, there is again an air raid, Klitschko said that south of Boryspil, air defense forces are working on UAVs.
03:59 In the Solomensky district of Kiev, according to preliminary information, as a result of the fall of rocket debris, several cars caught fire, a building with an area of 200 square meters was damaged. m, three people were injured, Klitschko said. Also, two cars were damaged in the Darnytskyi district. In the Obolonsky district, where debris also fell, there were no casualties.
03:31 In Kiev, according to preliminary information, after the work of air defense, debris fell in the Obolonsky and Darnitsky districts, there are no data on the victims and destruction yet, said the head of the KGVA Sergey Popko. In turn, Mayor Vitali Klitschko wrote about several explosions in the Solomensky district, and fragments of a rocket fell on the territory of the zoo in Shevchenkovsky.
03:12 Very strong explosions were heard in Kiev during the air raid. The city military administration reported that air defense was working.
00:16 Kuleba said that Ukraine "has an understanding of the time frame" regarding decisions to receive aircraft: "Wait for news. In the near future there will be even more of them - specifically in relation to aircraft. Now there is very intensive diplomacy at all levels, which brings us closer to the fact that we will effectively close the Ukrainian skies, significantly strengthen our Armed Forces from the air, that we will receive fundamentally new capacities."