Newsletter 20/05/2024
Daily news digest
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Fighting rages near Starytsia and Vovchansk in Kharkiv sector
In the Kharkiv sector, fighting continues near Starytsia and Vovchansk. The Russian army is most actively attacking in the Pokrovsk sector, with the number of combat engagements increasing to 24.
"In total, the occupiers have made 58 attempts to dislodge our soldiers from their positions. Combat actions are still ongoing in 17 areas. The enemy continues to attack most actively in the Pokrovsk sector," said General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said this in a situation update as of 16:30 on Monday, May 20.
IAEA investigation finds no indications of nuclear material misuse in Ukraine
“When there were allegations of nuclear security breaches (in Ukraine – ed.), the IAEA was there to investigate with impartiality and science. We set the facts straight that no nuclear material had been diverted, cutting through the fog of war, and diffusing a tense situation,” said IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi
Russian railroad alternative to Kerch Bridge operational only on one section - Pletenchuk
The railroad, which the occupiers are building as an alternative to the Kerch Bridge, is currently operating on only one section and is not fully operational. For the Defense Forces of Ukraine, it is a legitimate target, and the defenders have enough capabilities to destroy it.
Enemy intensifies propaganda campaign around issue of Ukraine elections - watchdog
"Actually, there are no doubts about the legitimacy of the Head of the Ukrainian State because in the conditions of a full-scale invasion and martial law, the election process is impossible by law and for security reasons. Article 108 of the Constitution clearly states that ‘the President of Ukraine shall exercise their powers until the newly elected President of Ukraine takes office.’ Ukraine's international partners have no questions about the legitimacy of the Ukrainian authorities," reported Center for Countering Disinformation.
War
Death toll from Russian attack on recreation centre in Kharkiv region rises to seven
"Unfortunately, the 51-year-old man who was reported missing has died. As of now, the diving unit of the State Emergency Service has found fragments of his body. The operation is ongoing. This brings the death toll to 7. 28 people were injured,"reported Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor's Office reported this on Telegram.
A total of 12 people died as a result of Russian shelling in Kharkiv region on 19 May.
Partisans record movement of Russian military vehicles in Mariupol
Russians are moving military vehicles in temporarily occupied Mariupol from one place to another to avoid strikes by Ukrainian forces.
Russians intensify campaign to discredit mobilisation in Ukraine - CCD
The Centre for Countering Disinformation (CCD) has recorded the intensification of Russian propaganda efforts as part of the Maidan-3 disinformation campaign, which aims to destabilise the situation in Ukraine as much as possible.
Russia keeps imposing propaganda, disinfo on residents of occupied areas - watchdog
In the temporarily occupied territories, the enemy is intensifying measures to spread disinformation among the local population. All employees of ‘state’ institutions are told to get ‘newspapers’ created by the enemy in each of the captured districts.
Politics
Ukraine realizes war to end with talks – NSDC secretary
"Ukraine is clearly aware that the war will end in negotiations. That is why President Zelenskyy’s Peace Formula has been prepared and is being promoted," said Oleksandr Lytvynenko, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, who addressed the 16th Baltic Sea Region Forum "NATO 2024 and the Arctic, Europe".
Lytvynenko emphasized that the position pursued by the Ukrainian government is very simple. "I am convinced that it will be supported by the participants of the Peace Summit in Switzerland in June 2024," he added.
Ukrainian-Polish partnership basis for forming "Three Seas’ Hub" - Vice PM
During a video address on the occasion of the launch of the Baltic Business Forum "Cooperation for the Ukraine Recovery", held in Swinoujscie (Poland), Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereschuk of Ukraine emphasized that the Ukrainian-Polish partnership is an important link in enhancing cooperation in the Black, Baltic and Adriatic seas.
Defense
Military aid to Ukraine from "Ramstein" members reaches $95B - Austin
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says members of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group have allocated a total of $95 billion in military support to Ukraine, and promised that the United States, for its part, will continue to provide regular aid packages to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Society
Interreligious prayer event dedicated to Day of Remembrance of Victims of Political Repression held in Kyiv.
The event was also attended by representatives of the government and the public: acting Minister of Culture and Information Policy Rostyslav Karandieiev; First Deputy Head of the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience Viktor Voynalovych; Head of the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory Anton Drobovych; Ambassador of Poland to Ukraine Jaroslaw Guzy; and representative of the World Congress of Ukrainians Andriy Shevchenko.
"We are convinced that today, by uniting, Ukrainians, Poles and the whole world, we are resisting the enemy and anti-human ideology, which will enable us to say with certainty that human values win, that the word of God prevails over the word of the devil. It is very important to remember all those pages in our lives, especially the tragic ones, because on their basis we form our vision, the vision of our children, of what the world should be like: without hatred and without indulging in human rights violations," Karandieiev said.
Publications
Ukrainian grown cotton for the domestic defense indstry
Despite the fact that during the war, Ukraine began to produce many times more military equipment and weaponry, one of the key remaining problems is the lack of a domestic gunpowder industry. Hence the critical dependence on imported supplies. And it is not easy to ensure regular supplies in conditions where demand, provoked by the Russo-Ukrainian war, is surging all over the world. Therefore, it is time to think seriously about the setting up of self-sufficient production of gunpowder, starting with the cultivation of the necessary raw material - cotton. This is a matter that should be addressed with urgency. After all, our enemy has preserved its gunpowder industry which is growing production day by day. And the Russian Federation, while preparing for the war, made sure the supply of the critical raw material needed for gunpowder production, the cotton pulp, be smooth and uninterrupted.