Video summary of the war Ukraine – Russia: May 12, 15:44
(CNN) — A Ukrainian counterattack in the north continues to disrupt Russian supply lines.
The Russian armed forces “did not conduct offensive operations in the direction of Kharkiv. The main efforts were focused on preventing the advance of our troops to the Vesele settlement area,” the Ukrainian General Staff said on Friday.
The Ukrainians have captured several villages in this area east of Kharkiv.
CNN reported earlier this Friday that two bridges in the area had been demolished, according to satellite imagery. It is likely that the Russian units destroyed the bridges to protect their supply lines from further Ukrainian advances.
Elsewhere in the Kharkiv region, the Russians appear to be using artillery sporadically but with deadly effect.
This Thursday, the shelling of the city of Derhachi killed two people and destroyed the humanitarian center and medical facilities, according to the local administration.
Derhachi is about 16 kilometers north of Kharkiv, the second largest city in Ukraine.
Russia uses “strategic aviation” and strengthens units in the south
Ukraine’s General Staff said Russian forces would continue to “launch artillery and air strikes on Mariupol” while blockading Ukrainian units near the Azovstal plant.
Azovstal has been under constant fire from Russian forces for about two months, and although a Ukrainian official at the facility said any trapped civilians were likely evacuated, Ukrainian militants are still holding out.
“In order to gain full control of the city and suppress the resistance of the Ukrainian defenders, it uses strategic aviation. In view of the evacuation of local residents, an increase in the fire is expected in the near future,” the General Staff said.
The Azovstal Steel Plant in the port city of Mariupol, Ukraine, was badly damaged on May 12. (Photo: Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters)
Zaporizhia: In the south, the Zaporizhia regional administration said there are signs that the Russians are trying to strengthen their units by bringing more equipment and troops. He said a new Russian contingent had arrived at Mykhailivka, just south of the current front line.
Enerhodar: In the nearby town of Enerhodar, which has been occupied by Russian forces since early March, the regional administration reported this Friday that “the town is almost out of medicines and humanitarian aid is not always available.” Residents of Enerhodar, he said, “are already afraid to go to protests and organize rallies” as they are constantly patrolled and intimidated by Russian soldiers.
In his daily speech on Thursday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the Russian offensive was hidden behind missile, air and artillery strikes.
“Russia’s strategic defeat is already evident to the whole world and even to those who still communicate with them. Russia simply lacks the courage to admit it so far. They are cowards,” said Zelenskyy.
“Therefore, our task is to fight until we achieve our goals in this war,” he said.
The first war crimes trial against a Russian soldier in Ukraine begins in Kyiv
A 21-year-old soldier will become the first Russian to stand trial for war crimes in Kyiv on Friday.
Vadim Shishimarin will appear before the first war crimes trial since Russia invaded Ukraine in February. He is accused of killing a 62-year-old man in Ukraine’s Sumy region, according to the country’s Attorney General’s office.
Finland closer to joining NATO 1:02
The investigation alleges that Shishimarin fatally shot an unarmed civilian riding a bicycle on the side of the road in the village of Chupakhivka on February 28. According to prosecutors, Russian troops entered the village in a stolen car with flat tires after their convoy was attacked by Ukrainian forces.
While talking on the phone, when they saw a man on his bicycle heading home, one of the group members ordered the sergeant to kill him so he wouldn’t report them to the Ukrainian army.
Shishimarin allegedly fired a Kalashnikov through an open window several times at the civilian’s head, prosecutors say.
“Shishimarin is currently in custody. Prosecutors and SBU investigators have gathered sufficient evidence of his involvement in violating the laws and customs of war along with premeditated murder,” Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova said in a statement on Facebook on Monday.
If convicted, Shishimarin faces between ten years and life imprisonment.
China complains about UN “double standards” in Ukraine war
China’s foreign ministry slammed the UN Human Rights Council after it adopted a resolution on Russian abuses in Ukraine, saying the body was showing “double standards”.
At a news conference on Friday, spokesman Zhao Lijan accused the council of tolerating aggression by some nations and condemning others.
The UN Human Rights Council passed a resolution on Thursday to investigate alleged human rights abuses by Russian troops in Ukraine. All members except China and Eritrea voted in favor of the resolution.
“Political double standards and selective practices are increasing in the Human Rights Council. The reason why China voted against Ukraine is based on China’s principled position on the Ukraine issue,” Zhao said.
“The Human Rights Council frequently holds special sessions in some countries but has been unable to act against others,” Lijian said, questioning the UN’s record on unrelated issues such as misinformation, racism, armed violence and abuse of migrants .
The Russian government says Brittney Griner’s detention is based on “objective facts and evidence”.
Russia has dismissed the US State Department’s claim that basketball player Brittney Griner’s detention was “unlawful,” saying her arrest was based “on objective facts and evidence.”
A statement released to CNN on Thursday said: “She was caught in the act trying to smuggle hash oil. In Russia this is a crime. According to paragraph “c” of Part 2 of Article 229.1 of the Russian Criminal Code Federal (drug smuggling), he faces a term of imprisonment of up to 10 years.”
According to the statement, based on the February 18 decision of the Khimki District Court of Moscow Region, Griner was detained and is being held in one of the detention centers.
“The charges are serious and based on objective facts and available evidence. The State Department’s attempts to question the validity of B. Griner’s detention are explained solely by a desire to influence the judiciary by politicizing a situation that is widely understood,” the ministry said.
“The final point in this case is for the court to make,” the statement added.
A bit of context: Griner, who plays for Russian team UMMC Ekaterinburg during the WNBA off-season, was arrested by Russian authorities at a Moscow airport in February and charged with smuggling substantial quantities of a narcotic, a crime carrying up to 10 years in prison
Kremlin says reports Russia will halt gas supplies to Finland this Friday are ‘hoax’
The Kremlin said Russia has no plans to halt gas supplies to Finland from this Friday, calling Finnish media reports claiming this would happen a “hoax”.
“Gazprom supplies gas to various consumers in Europe, including NATO member countries,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a conference call with reporters on Friday.
“Most likely, this information is another hoax from the newspapers,” he said.
However, Peskov added that he does not know the details of the payment related to Russian energy giant Gazprom “because there is a presidential decree on a new payment regime for gas supplies.”
Finland closer to joining NATO 1:02
a bit of context: The Finnish government plans to release a second white paper this Sunday proposing the country’s entry into NATO, Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto told the press on Thursday. The proposal would then go to a parliamentary vote, with a plenary session scheduled for Monday morning.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry said Finland’s possible NATO membership represented a “radical change in the country’s foreign policy” and warned against countermeasures.
“Russia will be forced to take both military-technical and other retaliatory measures to contain the threats to its national security that arise in this regard,” he said.
In late April, Gazprom said it had completely halted supplies to Poland’s PGNiG gas company and Bulgaria’s Bulgargaz after they refused to comply with Moscow’s demand that they pay in rubles instead of euros or dollars.