“Everything is drenched with smoke, tears and human pain.” The war scenario is repeated once more, this time in Dnipro, immortalized in the first images of the rescuers. The race between the ruined buildings, the broken windows, the crumbling walls. And the wounded, their faces and clothes covered with blood, were carried in the arm or supported to walk. Two people didn’t make it, they died in the attack on a psychiatric hospital and a veterinary clinic in Dnipro, a city hit by the recent Russian attacks. The raid injured 31 people, including two children, ages three and six, while three missing doctors are still missing. “It’s another crime against Russian humanity,” thundered Ukrainian President Zelenskyy.
Ukraine, Rocket hits a hospital in Dnipro, Pictures of the burning building
Russia, on the other hand, has made no comment as it grapples with a new day of attacks on its border area. While in the evening the pro-Russian population of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic reported that “two long-range missiles of the Ukrainian armed forces hit Mariupol”. Kiev’s goals continue to include the counteroffensive and its consequences, which apparently can make life difficult even for Crimea. According to the British Ministry of Defense, the peninsula’s pro-Russian leader Sergei Aksyonov is indeed concerned about the ability of the regular Russian army to defend the territory and would instead focus on the paramilitary groups concentrated in Crimea in 2019 have spread greatly in the last twenty years.
Important points
07:29
Commander of the Ukrainian army ready for a counter-offensive: Soldiers pray on video. Danilov: “We can’t go wrong”
00:04
007 from Kiev: “The Russians are preparing a provocation in Zaporizhia”
10:46
Explosions in Russian-occupied Bardyansk
A few hours after the video of the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Valeriy Zaluzhny, which indicated the beginning of the counteroffensive, explosions in the Berdyansk district occupied by Russian armed forces are reported on social networks, especially the strongest explosions were in the city center, in the port area and in the centers Khimik and Vesna, as well as in the village of Novopetrovka, where “a large number of Kremlin troops” are stationed. This was reported by Ukrainian media publishing videos
10:44
Moscow: Attack on an oil pipeline in Russia’s Pskov region
Two drones have attacked the headquarters of an oil pipeline in Russia’s Pskov region. This was denounced by the region’s governor Mikhail Vedernikov, citing the Russian news agency RIA Novosti. Nobody was injured in the accident.
10:33
Kiev asks Germany for Taurus cruise missiles
Ukraine has submitted an official request to the German government for the delivery of Taurus air-to-surface cruise missiles with a range of at least 500 kilometers, the German Defense Ministry told the AFP news agency today. “In the last few days we have received an inquiry from the Ukrainian side,” said the spokeswoman, without giving details of the quantities involved. It now remains to be seen whether Berlin agrees, which is likely to lead to a heated internal debate. The Taurus is a fighter-borne air-to-surface cruise missile developed by the German-Swedish company of the same name. Thanks to its range, it would be able to hit targets far from the current front line in eastern Ukraine.
10:17
Counterattacks by the Ukrainians around Bakhmut held back the Russian army
According to the analysis of the US think tank Isw (Institute of the Study of War), the ongoing Ukrainian counterattacks on Bakhmut’s flanks could complicate the deployment of the Russian army to replace Wagner’s soldiers. Russian military bloggers said Ukrainian forces carried out successful counterattacks near Orikhovo-Vasilyvka (11 km northwest of Bakhmut) and Klishchiivka (7 km southwest of Bakhmut). A leading military blogger said Ukrainian counterattacks near Orikhovo-Vasilivka had caused elements of the Wagner Company to withdraw as much as a kilometer from previously held positions in the area. And they reported that Ukrainian forces had captured high positions along the E40 highway (from Bakhmut to Sloviansk) and fighting continued in the area. Ukrainian units advanced towards Klishchyivka and crossed the Siverskyi-Donets canal. They may have threatened to encircle the settlement and force Russian forces to retreat eastwards. However, geolocated images released on May 24 and 25 indicate that Russian forces may have retaken limited positions west of Klishchyivka, the ISW report said.
09:52
Secret Service GB: Wagner troops are moved around Bakhmut
Wagner’s mercenaries have probably begun withdrawing from some of their positions around Bakhmut and are likely to be used for other offensive operations in the Donbass region. The British secret service writes about this in its latest daily report on the situation at the front, published by the Ministry of Defense in London. Wagner Group forces have probably started withdrawing from some of their positions around the Donetsk town of Bakhmut. On May 25, Wagner’s chief, Yevgeny Prigozhin, declared that the withdrawal of his troops from Bakhmut had begun and that the transfer of positions to the Russian Defense Ministry would continue until June 1. The Deputy Defense Minister of Ukraine also confirmed the rotation of forces on the outskirts of the city.” In recent weeks, elements of the 31st Brigade of the Russian Airborne Troops have withdrawn from the Svatove-Kreminna area to reinforce Bakhmut’s flanks. “By May 16, Ukrainian forces – he concludes – had captured 20 square kilometers on the outskirts of Bakhmut. The rotation of Wagner’s forces will likely continue in phases to prevent a collapse in pockets around the city. Despite the differences between Prigozhin and the Russian Defense Ministry, Wagner’s forces are likely to be used for further offensive operations in the Donbass.
09:40
Danilov: “Ready for the counter-offensive: It could be tomorrow, the day after tomorrow or in a week”
The Ukrainian armed forces – explained Danilov – will launch the attack when the commanders have calculated that “at this very stage of the war we can achieve the best result”. And when asked if the Ukrainian armed forces were ready for the offensive, he replied: “We are always ready.” Just as we were always ready to defend our country. And it’s not a matter of time. “We must understand that we cannot miss this historic opportunity that God has given us for our country, so that we can truly become a great independent European country,” he added. “It could happen tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, or in a week,” he continued. “It would be strange,” he then remarked, “if I had to give the starting dates of this or that event.” That’s not possible… We are facing a task with great responsibility towards our country. And we understand that we have no right to make mistakes.” Regarding the rumors about an already ongoing counter-offensive, Danilov pointed out that they were unfounded: “The destruction of Russian control centers and Russian military equipment” has been going on since February 24 last year the task of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. We don’t have days off in this war.
09:24
Tehran vs. Kiev: propaganda against us to get support and weapons from the West
“Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s repetition of false claims is consistent with the anti-Iranian axis’ propaganda and media warfare and aims to attract more financial and armed support from Western countries,” the ministry spokesman said today. Foreign Minister Nasser Kanani. So commented on Kanani Zelenskyy’s statement that he called on the Iranians to reconsider their role as “accomplices” of Russia in the war against Ukraine by supplying Moscow with drones. “Such an unfounded statement is a projection to distract public opinion and a worthless political show,” the spokesman stressed, adding that Iran believes in a political solution to the Ukraine war.
08:52
Hundreds of Germans have to leave Russia. Media: «Moscow diplomatic declaration of war»
“Hundreds of German civil servants have to leave Russia, including diplomats, teachers and employees of the Goethe Institute. But that is not necessarily the end of Moscow’s diplomatic escalation»: writes the Süddeutsche Zeitung with the headline «Moscow’s diplomatic declaration of war». Russia has reduced the number of employees of German institutions in the country to 350.
08:06
Drone drops bomb on administration building in Belgorod. Governor: “Structure of Gazprom concern affected”
A drone attacked the building of the Russian Interior Ministry in the village of Maysky in Belgorod Oblast, the Kiyv Independent’s online Telegram News Baza reported. The unmanned aircraft would have dropped an explosive device on the building. Belgorod governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said an explosive device dropped by a drone damaged an administrative building of Russia’s state-owned energy company Gazprom.
07:56
Warship Ivan Khurs was attacked by western drones. Media: “Launched from a Starlink Controlled Operations Center”
The naval drones Ukraine used to attack the Russian fleet ship Ivan Khurs three days ago were Western-made and launched from a naval operations center opened with US participation in Ochakov in southern Ukraine and controlled by Starlink, a source told Russia’s state news agency RIA with Novosti.
07:29
Commander of the Ukrainian army ready for a counter-offensive: Soldiers pray on video. Danilov: “We can’t go wrong”
The Commander of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valeriy Zaluzhny published a video on Telegram that foreshadows the beginning of the counteroffensive: The video shows Ukrainian soldiers preparing for battle and saying a prayer. “It’s time to take back what is ours,” said Zaluzhny. National Security Council Secretary Oleksy Danilov, who is a member of the War Cabinet, told the BBC that Ukraine was ready to launch a counteroffensive, stressing that the Ukrainian government had “no right to err on this decision”. because it is a “historic opportunity that should not be missed”.
07:08
Biden: “Moscow’s nuclear weapons in Belarus? Very bad”
Joe Biden criticizes Moscow for stationing nuclear weapons in Belarus. In fact, when reporters asked his reaction, the American President replied, “Extremely negative.”
07:03
Kiev on the WHO board despite resistance from Moscow
Despite attempts by Russia to prevent this, Ukraine has joined the Executive Committee of the World Health Organization (WHO). North Korea is among the ten new “entrants” for the three-year mandate. Moscow tried to block Kiev by forcing a vote instead of the usual nod, the first since 1977, but lost 123 to 13. During the General Assembly, WHO member countries supported a resolution condemning the war in Ukraine and Russia’s attacks on health services in the country. It was a “crushing defeat for Russia, which has failed in its ruthless attempts to undermine the authority of WHO regional committees and disrupt the work of the World Health Assembly and its Executive Committee,” he commented. Ukraine’s Ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Yevgenia Filipenko. For its part, the Russian delegation said it was “deeply regrettable that the assembly voted for a country that will only further politicize the work of the Executive Committee” and declared that it was opposed to the “politicization of the work of the WHO”.
00:55
Estonia: EU and NATO must become stronger
“We need Ukraine in Europe and in NATO. “The enlargement of NATO and the European Union has brought more stability in the past and will do so now,” said Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas during the joint press conference of the prime ministers of the three Baltic states with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Kallas also stressed Ukraine’s right to defense: “The United Nations Charter – said the Prime Minister – affirms that every country has the right to defend itself and that every country must have the opportunity to do so. It also means that Ukraine can use the right “arms supplied to her”.
00:04
007 from Kiev: “The Russians are preparing a provocation in Zaporizhia”
Russia “is preparing a large-scale provocation in the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant with an accident simulation”. This was reported by the Ukrainian military intelligence service, reports Ukrinform. “For this purpose, an attack is carried out directly on the territory of the nuclear facility. After that, an emergency release of radioactive substances is reported. “As always, Ukraine is blamed for the incident,” the Gur said, adding that the Russians’ goal is “to launch a detailed investigation, which will result in a cessation of all hostilities” to allow time for a “regrouping.” According to the Kiev intelligence service, in order to hide their actions as much as possible, the occupiers stopped the rotation of the staff of the IAEA permanent surveillance mission. “The purpose of this action is to urge the international community to conduct a detailed investigation that will cease all hostilities. Therefore, the rashists are hoping for the long-awaited pause, which will serve to reorganize the occupation contingent and stop the Ukrainian counteroffensive,” say the Main Directorate of Intelligence and the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
00:01
The annual meeting of the Russian opposition takes place in Lithuania
“The threat from Russia and the Kremlin regime remains, as long as this regime is in power, nobody in Europe and the world can feel safe,” said Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis today in his speech at the annual forum of the Russian political opposition that took place in Vilnius today. “It remains important,” Landsbergis said again, “to continue to provide comprehensive help to Ukraine.” At the same time, we want to see an opposition that is not only actively involved in the fight against Putin, but also in Russia itself. This is the only way to create a real alternative to the Putin regime, which we don’t see at the moment.” Well-known representatives of Russian civil society took part in the forum, which was devoted to the war in Ukraine and the hottest issues on the Russian opposition’s political agenda , including Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Garry Kasparov.