In the 77th day of the war, Russia continues to intensify its offensive in eastern Ukraine, where fighting for the city of Yazumi continues. Fighting is also taking place at the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol, where there are believed to be more than 1,000 Ukrainian fighters and more than 100 civilians. Officially, 3,300 civilians have been killed in Ukraine since the start of the war. The UN believes, however, that the actual death toll is much higher.
At the same time, Ukraine claims that it has recaptured four settlements in the Kharkov region and pushed the Russians close to the border. In his speech last night, President Zelensky emphasized this good news and said that it could signal the beginning of a new phase of the war.
The Russian offensive continued to focus on the pro-Russian region of Donbas (east), the neighboring region of Kherson and southern Ukraine, especially in Mariupol, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported on Wednesday, EFE reports. Russian forces are conducting offensive operations in the eastern operational area to establish full control over the territory of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions, plus Kherson, and to maintain the land corridor between these territories and occupied Crimea.
To secure these positions, the Russians are using electronic warfare systems to suppress radio signals, the Ukrainian General Staff said. The Russian military continues its offensive in Nikolaev, east of the port city of Odessa, which was attacked on Tuesday with several missiles.
Ukrainian soldiers stationed at Azovstal are calling for help
The Azov Regiment released a series of photos of wounded people on Wednesday morning, saying they were Ukrainian soldiers hiding under the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol besieged by Russian forces. The photos of Ukrainian soldiers, which show the difficult conditions in which Ukrainian defenders survive, were accompanied by a new call for their rescue.
“The whole civilized world must see the conditions of the wounded, crippled defenders in Mariupol and take action! In completely unhealthy conditions, with open wounds bandaged with non-sterile debris, without the necessary medicines and even without food. We call on the UN and the Red Cross to show their humanity and reaffirm the principles on which they were created, by rescuing the wounded who are no longer combatants. The soldiers you see in the photos and hundreds of others from the Azovstal plant have defended Ukraine and the entire civilized world at the cost of their own health. Are Ukraine and the international community now unable to protect and care for them?” reads the Azov Regiment’s Press Service.
Breaking the Silence Regime with Deadly Consequences
In early May, Ukraine and Russia agreed to a peaceful evacuation of civilians. Two countries have adopted a regime of silence to protect children, women, and the elderly.
However, after the first day of the evacuation of people to the territory of Ukraine, the Russian military began to violate humanitarian norms and the human rights to life. From 2 to 5 May, Russia used missiles and artillery weapons to destroy the factory’s building, which had become an unruly sanctuary. But on May 6, the Russian criminals passed all the norms. The occupiers opened fire with guided anti-tank missiles during the ceasefire in the territory of the Azovstal plant. Enemy missiles hit the vehicle of a Ukrainian convoy. Luckily, the car was only approaching buses with evacuees. Thus, no civilians were injured. Read more here.
British Ministry of Defense: Fighting continues on Serpent Island
In Wednesday morning’s analysis of the war, the British Ministry of Defense reports that fighting continues on Serpent Island, with Russia repeatedly trying to strengthen its vulnerable garrison there. London says the Ukrainians have successfully hit Russian air defenses and Bayraktar resupply ships.
Russia’s resupply ships have minimal protection in the western Black Sea, following the withdrawal of the Russian navy in Crimea after the loss of the ship Moskva, the British Ministry of Defense points out. The British note that Russia’s current efforts to increase forces on Snake Island offer Ukraine more opportunities to attack Russian troops and destroy equipment.
If Russia consolidates its position on the island of Snakes with strategic air defense and coastal defense cruise missiles, it could dominate the northwest of the Black Sea, the British Ministry of Defense also notes.
Another Russian Chemical Attack Against Ukrainians
On May 11, the Russians blew up a warehouse with ammonia in the Donetsk region and also used chloride weapons against the Armed Forces of Ukraine, good-time-invest.com reports.
In the city of Kramatorsk, Donetsk region, the enemies fired at the storage of ammonium nitrate. This agricultural fertilizer is poisonous and requires special conditions of use. Due to the impact of enemy shelling, the vault exploded. You can see the photo of the explosion on the intro of this article.
“Attention! Due to enemy shelling in the Kramatorsk region, a warehouse with ammonium nitrate was damaged. We emphasize that there is no immediate threat to the life of the inhabitants of the Slaviansk community. But the leadership of the city military administration asks to limit the stay in the open air and tightly close the windows for a day,” the military-civil administration of the city of Sloviansk.
Zelensky: We are doing everything we can to liberate all cities
Volodymyr Zelensky: “The armed forces of our country have given us all the good news in the Kharkov region. The occupants are gradually removed from Kharkov. But I want to urge all our citizens not to spread excessive emotions. We should not create an atmosphere of moral pressure, in which victories are expected weekly and even daily. The armed forces of Ukraine are doing everything to liberate our land and our people, to liberate all our cities – Kherson, Melitopol, Berdiansk, Mariupol and all the others.”
The US is helping Ukraine with further $ 40 bln
A huge $ 40 billion package of US support for Ukraine has been approved by the United States House of Representatives. The law now goes to the Senate, where it is expected to be passed. Of the 40 billion – 6 billion, it would allow Ukraine to be equipped with armor and strengthen its air defense. Another 9 billion is for Ukrainian democratic institutions. The package also has a large humanitarian component. So far, the United States has released nearly $ 14 billion for the crisis in Ukraine.
Ukraine blocks transit of Russian gas to Western Europe in the Lugansk region
Ukraine has blocked the transit of Russian gas to Western Europe in the Lugansk region, saying on Tuesday that the occupation of the eastern territory by Russian forces makes it impossible to monitor the flows, reports dpa.
The decision means that 32.6 million cubic meters of gas a day are about to be stopped, about a third of Russian exports that cross the Ukrainian territory every day, according to Ukrainian regulators.
Ukraine said the occupation made it impossible to reach a junction at Sohranovka and direct gas along other routes, citing at least one incident of “increased violence”.
Gazprom disputed the Ukrainian side’s explanation, saying it “has absolutely no confirmation of any cases of increased violence.” It added that there is no technical way to redirect along other routes.
US intelligence chief: Putin could use nuclear weapons if he feels his regime is under threat
Vladimir Putin could see the prospect of defeat in Ukraine as an existential threat to his regime, which could push him to use a nuclear weapon, warned the top US intelligence official, according to The Guardian.
The head of the US intelligence community, Avril Haines, warned the US Congress on Tuesday about global threats. Regarding Ukraine, Haines said a long, worn-out war was looming, which could lead to an escalation by Putin, including full mobilization, martial law enforcement, and whether the Russian leader would feel like losing the war and its function is endangered, it could even resort to the use of nuclear weapons.
Russian Cyber Attack on Ukrainian Systems on February 24
During the Russian invasion in Ukraine on February 24, a massive attack was carried out on the internet connection in Ukraine and some countries of Europe.
The United States, Britain, Canada, Estonia, and the European Union have found evidence of Russia’s involvement in a massive cyberattack at the moment when enemy tanks crossed the border of Ukraine. This was reported by Reuters.
“This cyberattack had a significant impact, causing indiscriminate disruption of communications between several government agencies, businesses and users in Ukraine, and also affected several EU member states,” the EU Council says. Read the entire story here.
The occupants hung the bodies of the raped girls in the woods
Russian men raped girls brutally, soullessly. After abusing Ukrainians, Russian criminals killed those who had not yet died of pain. Russian soldiers hung the bodies of raped girls and women on trees in villages and forests. This is evidenced by both Ukrainian and foreign official sources, quoted by good-time-invest.com.
British newspaper The Guardian published an interview with a Ukrainian Oksana Lytvynenko who lives in Poland. She lives in Warsaw and during the war takes in refugees from Ukraine. About some of its guests, Oksana Lytvynenko was able to tell because it is important to hear in the world.