• Today Zelenskyy is received by Mattarella in Rome. Meetings with the Pope and the Prime Minister are also on the agenda
• The Russians fall back on Bachmut. Prigozhin: “The General Staff plays down the situation”
• Moscow: Sending missiles from London is an “extremely hostile” measure
• The White House: “There are no concessions on the anti-Russian front”
• There is no agreement in Brussels on the new sanctions package.
07:07 – The Battle of Bakhmut: “Today we cannot die, today we advance”
(From our Bakhmut District correspondent, Marta Serafini) When the doctors of the 225th Regiment unload Sergeant Viktor from the ambulance, everyone breathes a sigh of relief. He is conscious despite suffering from chest, groin and head injuries. “You can’t die today, we’re making progress today,” the stretchers tell him as they transfer him to a second vehicle that takes him to the nearest stabilization point.
“We’re not breaking through yet, but we’re making progress,” the soldiers of the 225th declare, while maps from Deep State, the mapping app used by Ukrainian soldiers, show the blue dots for the first time in seven months of the battle The Reclaimed Territories. Almost five square kilometers near the river Siversky-Donets, between the villages of Ivanivske and Kurdiumivka, south of Bakhmut, were liberated by the 3rd Assault Brigade.
But there is also movement north of the city. Ukrainian artillery is deployed near the M-03 in the direction of Bakhmut and Soledar, a column of armored personnel carriers is moving towards Sloviansk. The news from the front only a few kilometers away is good. Since yesterday morning, the Ukrainians have also been advancing on Bakhmut’s northern flank. This was also recognized by the Russian Ministry of Defence, which had to admit the retreat in the afternoon and explain that the Ukrainian troops now control the road to Chasiv Yar, the “Road of Death”, which has been disputed for months. “The entire operation to enter Bakhmut has been running for seven months last October. At this time we took the Berkhovskoye reservoir, the Berkhovka settlement and moved towards Sloviansk along the Bakhmut-Slovyansk road. Now the process is reversed.
Evgeny Prigozhin, meanwhile more present on the net than a Tiktoker and perhaps also angry about the statements of a Ukrainian commander, who speaks on CNN about fleeing Wagner militia officers, continues to pound on the Kremlin and accuses it: The Ministry of Defense “must stop lying immediately to tell.” “, says the Wagner boss and adds that what has been described is not about a retreat. “There was simply a rout of MoD units from the flanks,” resulting in a loss of 5 square kilometers of land.
Among the Ukrainian observers (but also among the pro-Russian and, according to Prigozhin himself), there are those who see the advance as an attempt to encircle Wagner’s troops on both the northern and southern flanks. A step that would go far beyond mere progress. And that would really suggest a counteroffensive. In Kiev, however, no one is overwhelmed. Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar speaks of “an advance of 2 km”. But he invites us to look at it from a defensive perspective: “We haven’t lost a single position to Bakhmut this week.” For Major Maksym Zhorin, Ukraine is instead in an “active offensive phase”. And as a senior US Army official told CNN, Ukraine has begun operations to prepare for the counteroffensive. In “shaping” jargon, hitting targets such as weapons depots, command centers, and tank and artillery systems to prepare the battlefield. To Bachmut and beyond.
06:16 – The G7 reaffirms its commitment to provide financial support to Ukraine
G7 finance ministers reiterated their “firm commitment” to providing economic support to Ukraine for as long as needed and continuing to impose sanctions on Moscow, as well as working to prevent Russia from backing down from these pressures. The G7 “will continue to address Ukraine’s near-term financing needs” and will support “joint efforts to repair its critical infrastructure” and assist neighboring countries affected by the refugee influx, said the joint finance ministers’ statement adopted at the end of the meeting in Niigata, Japan ). The text also underscores the G7’s “unwavering will” to impose sanctions and other measures against Russia “to undermine its ability to wage war” and “to thwart any attempt to circumvent those sanctions.” The volume of pledges of economic and budgetary assistance to Ukraine for 2023 and early 2024 amounts to $44 billion, said the statement adopted at the end of the meeting of finance ministers and G7 central bank governors in Japan.
06:13 – War Research Institute: Kiev troops are advancing on Bakhmut
As of May 12, “Ukrainian troops were gaining ground through local counterattacks northwest of Bakhmut,” write analysts from the War Research Institute, also citing a video showing Russian troops fleeing Ukrainian artillery fire on the south bank of the Berkhivske river- Reservoir, about 4 km northwest of Bachmut. “This footage visually confirms the claims of several Russian military bloggers that Ukrainian forces have gained ground northwest of Bakhmut in the area between Bohdanivka and Berkhivka.” On Friday, Deputy Defense Minister of Ukraine Hanna Malyar said the Ukrainian army was 2 km towards Bakhmut advanced and Wagner Group head Yevgeny Prigozhin invited Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to Bakhmut to “independently assess the current situation.”
04:53 – Armored Rome for the arrival of Zelensky: no-fly zones and snipers
Armored Rome for the arrival of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The Rome Police Headquarters has launched a security plan that also includes a no-fly zone and a no-fly zone for drones. The use of bomb squadrons, helicopters and snipers is planned. Clean-ups and inspections are also carried out underground. The Tiber and the parks are patrolled, with vigilance also ensured by the mounted detachment, while aerial control is carried out with police helicopters. The units of the anti-terrorist police and the carabinieri are also on site.
An increase in controls is also expected in train stations, airports, federal roads and motorways. In addition, starting tomorrow, a task force will be set up in the police headquarters’ operations room, in the area reserved for handling major events, in which all public order and security services will be coordinated.
There will be about a thousand police officers on site. According to the findings, the security device also envisages the deployment of special departments to support the staff already accompanying the Ukrainian president on trips and meetings with President Sergio Mattarella, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Pope Francis.
– Security for Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to Rome (Claudio Guaitoli)
04.45 – Sirens sounded in 12 regions of Ukraine
Air raid alert deployed in 12 Ukrainian regions. This was reported by the Kiev Independent website, adding that the military administration of the city of Kiev had asked residents to stay in shelters.