Saturday, May 27

Russia’s war against Ukraine

Firefighters extinguish a fire in a hospital building hit by a Russian missile on May 26, 2023 in Dnipro, Ukraine. (Photo by Yurii Tynnyi/Suspilne Ukraine/JSC “UA:PBC”/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)

Air Force: 25 drones, 10 cruise missiles shot down overnight in Ukraine. Russia launched 17 different types of missiles and 31 drone strikes in the overnight attack, Ukraine’s Air Force reported on May 26.

France calls latest Russian missile attacks ‘flagrant violation’ of international law. The French Foreign Ministry released a statement on May 26 calling the latest Russian missile attacks targeting civilian infrastructure in several oblasts “a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law.”

Military: Russia uses drones to identify air defenses for ballistic missile strikes. The Russian military is using drones like the Shaheds to distract and identify Ukraine’s air defense systems, military spokesperson Natalia Humeniuk said on television on May 26.

Media: Ukraine asks Germany for Taurus cruise missiles. A German Defense Ministry spokesperson confirmed that Ukraine has submitted a request asking Germany to supply long-range Taurus cruise missiles, Spiegel reported.

Governor: Drone attack damages Gazprom building in Russia’s Belgorod Oblast. An explosive device dropped from a drone damaged an administrative building of the Russian state-owned energy company Gazprom in Belgorod Oblast, Russia, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.

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Top US general: Russia cannot win in Ukraine militarily. U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, said that Russia can no longer achieve victory over Ukraine through military means.

Ukraine’s military intelligence says Russia planning large-scale provocation at occupied nuclear plant. Ukraine’s military intelligence reported on May 26 that Russian occupying forces at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant were preparing a large-scale provocation “in the next few hours.”

UK Defense Ministry: Russia’s top proxy in Crimea likely concerned about the military’s ability to defend it. Russia-installed proxy in occupied Crimea Sergei Aksyonov is likely concerned about the ability of the regular forces to defend the peninsula in case of a Ukrainian counteroffensive, the U.K. Defense Ministry reported on May 26.

128 children evacuated from settlements in Donetsk Oblast due to active hostilities. One hundred and twenty-eight children were evacuated along with their families or legal guardians from settlements located near active hostilities, the Donetsk Oblast Administration reported on May 26.

Read our exclusives

How Turkey’s presidential runoff may affect balancing act between Russia and the West

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan fell short of a simple majority in the first round, with 49.5% of the vote. His main challenger, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, trailed with 44.8%. The third most popular candidate, Sinan Ogan, who got most of the leftover votes, endorsed the president.

Photo: Getty Images

Ukraine war latest: Russian missile strike on Dnipro kills 2 as Zelensky says Ukraine doing best to procure air defense

A Russian missile strike hit a medical clinic in Dnipro, killing at least two people and wounding 31, including two kids, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Governor Serhii Lysak reported on May 26.

Photo: Mikhailo Moskalenko/AFP via Getty Images

Human cost of war

Russian missile strike on Dnipro clinic kills 2, injures 31. A Russian missile strike that hit a clinic in Dnipro on the morning of May 26 killed at least two people and injured 30, according to Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Governor Serhii Lysak. The strike also damaged a nearby veterinary clinic, according to Lysak.

WHO has recorded 974 attacks against health care in Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion. According to the World Health Organization, out of 974 recorded attacks, 873 impacted medical facilities. The attacks have killed at least 101 people and injured 136 others since Feb. 24, 2022.

General Staff: Russia has lost 205,720 troops in Ukraine. The General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces reported on May 26 that Russia has also lost 3,796 tanks, 7,435 armored fighting vehicles, 6,161 vehicles and fuel tanks, 3,384 artillery systems, 570 multiple launch rocket systems, 328 air defense systems, 310 airplanes, 296 helicopters, 2,910 drones, and 18 boats.

Opinions and insight

Illia Ponomarenko: Why some Ukrainian soldiers use Nazi-related insignia

“Ukraine is no more ‘Nazi’ than any country that has its small number of misfits who admire Adolf Hitler and form fringe groups and gangs based on those views,” writes Kyiv Independent Defense Reporter, Illia Ponomarenko, in his op-ed.

Photo: Sean Gallup/Getty Images

International response

Canadian Defense Ministry announces new military aid package for Ukraine. The Canadian Defense Ministry announced a new military aid package for Ukraine, including ammunition and an expansion of the training programs for Ukrainian soldiers.

US senator meets Zelensky, calls for supplying ATACMS to Ukraine. U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on May 26 and called for supplying long-range ATACMS missiles and cluster munitions to Ukraine, news agency Interfax-Ukraine reported.

Dutch PM: Netherlands ‘seriously considering’ giving F-16s to Ukraine. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said at a press conference on May 26 that the Netherlands was “seriously considering” giving F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, Reuters reported.

CNN: Iran likely ships drones to Russia through Caspian Sea. Tehran is likely using the Caspian Sea shipping route to supply Moscow with weapon supplies, including the Shahed kamikaze drones, CNN wrote on May 26.

US Treasury sanctions head of Wagner operations in Mali. The U.S. Treasury announced on May 25 that it had sanctioned Ivan Maslov, the head of operations in Mali for Russia’s Wagner mercenary group. Maslov has worked “in close coordination” with Malian government officials to secure accommodations for Wagner mercenaries.

WSJ: Ukraine, NATO dismiss Chinese peace plan set to benefit Russia. Western officials pushed back against China’s calls for an “immediate” ceasefire in Ukraine during the European tour of Chinese Special Representative for Eurasian Affairs Li Hui, the Wall Street Journal reported on May 26. Freezing the conflict would essentially mean that occupied Ukrainian territories remain under Russian control.

Media: NATO unlikely to offer Ukraine swift membership, considers ’upgraded relationship’ instead. NATO members are unlikely to provide a swift membership plan to Ukraine, instead considering an “upgraded relationship format,” Euroactiv wrote on May 26, citing unnamed sources in NATO.

EU condemns Russia’s placement of nuclear weapons in Belarus. The EU’s chief diplomat Josep Borrell released a statement on May 26 condemning Russia’s decision to place nuclear weapons in Belarus, calling it “a step which will lead to further extremely dangerous escalation.”

This Week in Ukraine Ep. 9 – What actually happened near Belgorod?

In other news

NGO: 38 Crimean political prisoners in critical health condition. At least 38 Crimean political prisoners jailed by Russia are in critical health condition, caused by the inhumane imprisonment environment, the human rights group CrimeaSOS wrote on May 25.

Ukraine’s Supreme Court elects new head. Stanislav Kravchenko was elected as the new head of Ukraine’s Supreme Court on May 26 after former Head Vsevolod Kniaziev was charged with corruption.

Serviceman killed in car accident with allegedly drunk judge driving. A car driven by a judge of a Kyiv district court hit a serviceman of the National Guard at a checkpoint in the capital shortly before midnight on May 25.

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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Toma Istomina, Martin Fornusek, Oleksiy Sorokin, Oleg Sukhov, Kate Tsurkan, and Anastasiya Gordiychuk.

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