Friday, May 24

Russia’s war against Ukraine

Ukrainian first responders transport a body of a civilian killed in a Russian missile attack on a publishing factory in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on May 23, 2024. (Francis Farrell/The Kyiv Independent)

Partisans: Attack on occupied Crimea damages communications equipment, casualties reported. An attack on Russian communications hub in the city of Alushta in occupied Crimea has caused “significant damage to equipment,” with numerous casualties reported, the partisan group Atesh claimed on May 24.

Russian attack on Kharkiv kills 7, injures 21. Russian forces launched attacks against Kharkiv Oblast on May 23, killing at least seven people in Kharkiv and injuring at least 20, as well as at least 11 elsewhere in the oblast, as reported by local officials and a Kyiv Independent reporter.

Syrskyi: Russia ‘completely bogged down’ in Vovchansk street fighting, deploys reserves. Russian troops are “completely bogged down” in street battles for the town of Vovchansk in Kharkiv Oblast, having suffered “very heavy losses,” Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi said on May 23.

Norway announces new $190 million package of military assistance for Ukraine. “We stand with and support Ukraine as long as necessary,” said Norwegian Defense Minister Bjorn Arild Gram.

Media: US to announce $275 million in additional military aid for Ukraine. The U.S. government will announce an additional $275 million in ammunition and artillery for Ukraine in the coming days, two U.S. officials told the Associated Press (AP) on the condition of anonymity.

NYT: Blinken favors lifting ban on Ukrainian strikes inside Russia with US arms. After his “sobering visit” to Kyiv, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken wants the White House to allow Ukraine to strike inside Russian territory with American-supplied arms, The New York Times (NYT) reported on May 22, citing undisclosed official sources.

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General Staff: Ukraine hits Russian S-400 air defense system. Ukraine’s Air Force and rocket and artillery forces also hit two Russian artillery pieces, two drone control stations, two command posts, an electronic warfare station, and a Su-25 fighter jet, according to the report.

Ukraine downs another Russian Su-25 fighter jet in second reported shoot-down in one day. It is reportedly the sixth Russian Su-25 jet that Ukraine has shot down this month.

Military: Russian troops trying to advance near Chasiv Yar but haven’t entered town. The Russian troops are trying to advance near Chasiv Yar in Donetsk Oblast, but they have not entered the town, Kyrylo Sazonov, a soldier of the 41st separate mechanized brigade, told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s (RFE/RL) on May 23.

Finance minister: Ukraine’s budget lacks $5 billion for military spending. There is a gap in Ukraine’s state budget of $5 billion needed for military expenditures, Finance Minister Serhii Marchenko told in an interview with Hromadske Radio on May 22.

Zelensky: Norway concludes talks on security agreement text, confirms participation in global peace summit. Ukraine and Norway finalized negotiations on the text of a bilateral security agreement, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on May 23 after a call with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, who also confirmed the country’s participation in the upcoming global peace summit for Ukraine.

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Ukraine war latest: Syrskyi says Russia is ‘completely bogged down’ in Vovchansk street fighting

Russian troops are “completely bogged down” in street battles for the town of Vovchansk in Kharkiv Oblast, having suffered “very heavy losses,” Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi said on May 23.

Photo: Libkos/Getty Images

Russia’s latest offensive into Kharkiv Oblast is stretching Ukrainian defenses

Russia’s two-pronged assault in Kharkiv Oblast that began on May 10 is exploiting Ukraine’s troop shortage, forcing it to make difficult decisions about where to commit reserves.

Photo: Libkos/Getty Images

Human cost of war

Russian attack on Zaporizhzhia Oblast village kills 74-year-old man. Russian troops attacked the village of Mala Tokmachka in Zaporizhzhia Oblast on May 23, killing a 74-year-old man, Governor Ivan Fedorov said.

International response

Putin signs decree authorizing confiscation of US companies, individuals in retaliatory measure. The decree would enable Russian citizens, companies, and the central bank to appeal to courts that the seizure of their assets is unjustified. In turn, the Russian government could offer U.S. assets in Russia as compensation.

China denies UK claims of supplying lethal weapons to Russia.

“We condemn the U.K. politician’s groundless and irresponsible vilification of China,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin.

Baltic countries to push for 2.5% of GDP defense spending during NATO summit. The defense ministers of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia met in the Lithuanian town of Palanga on May 22 and agreed on their key goals ahead of the upcoming NATO summit, including an allied commitment to invest at least 2.5% of GDP in defense.

Politico: Zelensky to visit France, Italy, urge NATO to down Russian missiles over Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelensky is planning to visit the D-Day commemoration in France and a G7 meeting in Italy in June to ask partners for more military aid, Politico reported on May 22, citing two undisclosed sources.

Kuleba calls for additional Patriots in wake of ‘heinous attack’ on Kharkiv. “This heinous attack must remind everyone around the world that Ukraine still urgently needs seven ‘Patriot’ systems,” Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on X, thanking Germany for pledging an additional system last month.

FT: EU seeks to stop Russian imports of Western luxury cars via Belarus. The European Union is considering imposing sanctions on Belarus as a way to close a trade loophole that has allowed Russia to import luxury cars and other banned goods produced in Western countries, the Financial Times reported on May 23.

Estonian authorities say Russian border guard removed river border markers from Estonian territory. Eerik Purgel, head of the PPA’s Eastern Prefecture, said that Estonian and Russian authorities install the buoys that separate the territories on a yearly basis in order to ease navigation on the river and prevent fishermen and others from accidentally straying across the border.

Poland increases security at Ukraine aid export hub over sabotage concerns. Polish authorities are increasing security at the main transit hub for foreign military aid to Ukraine amidst increased threats of Russian-backed sabotage, Bloomberg reported on May 23.

Opinions and insights

Russian missile strike reduces Kharkiv printing press to ashes, killing 7 (Photos)

Russian forces destroyed one of Ukraine’s largest printing presses amid a mass missile attack on the city of Kharkiv on the morning of May 23.

Photo: Francis Farrell/The Kyiv Independent

Opinion: Russia’s shadow fleet strategy draws from Iran’s playbook

“Russian President Vladimir Putin is trying to revive the Soviet Union, but two can play this game. To complete the Kremlin’s grotesque historical reenactment, the West should launch a new economic Cold War in response,” writes Roman Sulzhyk, former executive at JP Morgan and Deutsche Bank.

Photo: Dmitry Kostyukov/AFP via Getty Images

In other news

Man who shot Fico cites policy towards Ukraine as motivation for assassination attempt. The man charged with shooting Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico cited his country’s policy towards Ukraine as a motivation for the attempted assassination, Slovak media reported on May 23.

Ukrainian court releases first prisoners to join army under new conscription rules. The court said that the two men had been convicted of theft in 2022 and sentenced to four years and nine months and five years and five months in prison, respectively.

Russian media: Gerasimov’s deputy detained over suspected bribery. Lieutenant General Vadim Shamarin, the deputy chief of the Russian Armed Forces’ General Staff and head of the Main Directorate of Communications, was detained for allegedly receiving a large bribe, the Russian state-owned news agency RIA Novosti reported on May 23, citing a court statement.

Rosneft asks Kremlin to compensate for costs of protecting oil refineries from drones. The CEO of Russia’s state-controlled oil company, Rosneft, sent a letter to Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin asking the Kremlin to approve tax breaks to offset the cost of preventing drone attacks on the company’s oil refineries, Russian state-controlled media reported on May 23.

Ombudsman: 13 more children return to Ukraine from Russia with Qatar’s assistance. Qatar acts as a mediator between Ukraine and Russia to bring back Ukrainian children illegally held by Russia.

UK man arrested on suspicion of helping Russian intelligence. U.K. authorities did not clarify the specifics of Howard Michael Phillips’ alleged espionage activities but said that there was unlikely to be a threat to the general public.

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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Dmytro Basmat, Abbey Fenbert, Rachel Amran, Toma Istomina, Martin Fornusek, Kateryna Denisova, Nate Ostiller, and Chris York.

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