Newsletter 20/05/2026
Zelensky: Russia has five scenarios for expanding war through northern Ukraine, responses are being prepared. NATO chief warns Russia will face ‘devastating’ response for using nuclear weapons.
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Zelensky: Russia has five scenarios for expanding war through northern Ukraine, responses are being prepared
President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that during the High Command meeting, they reviewed Russia’s plans for offensive operations in the Chernihiv-Kyiv direction.
“I held a meeting of the High Command. We analyzed in detail the available intelligence data regarding Russia’s plans for offensive operations in the Chernihiv-Kyiv direction. We are preparing responses to every possible scenario of enemy action, should the Russians actually dare to expand their aggression. Our forces in that direction will be reinforced,” Zelensky said.
Zelensky names directions Russia considers for additional attacks
President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Russia is considering Belarus and Russia’s Bryansk region as directions for additional attacks on Ukraine.
Zelensky assured that the Ukrainian side is working to strengthen defenses in that direction. According to him, the military command has received the relevant instructions. At the same time, the President noted that preventive measures are continuing both with regard to Belarus and certain parts of Russia from which threats may arise.
Zelensky added that he expected Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry to be as active as possible in diplomatic work concerning Belarus, emphasizing that pressure and coordination with international partners needed to be strengthened.
Ukraine strengthens border defenses from Volyn to Chernihiv region amid Belarus threat
Ukraine is continuing to reinforce its defensive capabilities along the border with Belarus, citing potential security risks from the neighboring country.
NATO chief warns Russia will face ‘devastating’ response for using nuclear weapons
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has warned that Russia will face “devastating” consequences if it decides to use nuclear weapons against Ukraine amid ongoing joint military exercises with Belarus involving nuclear capabilities.
EU’s Dombrovskis signs memorandum on macro-financial assistance for Ukraine
Ukraine and the European Union have finalized negotiations on a Memorandum of Understanding for EUR 8.35 billion in macro-financial assistance under an EU loan program, with European Commissioner for Economy and Productivity Valdis Dombrovskis signing the document on Wednesday morning
Russia, following Belarus, announces start of nuclear exercises
The Russian Armed Forces are conducting drills from May 19 to May 21 focused on the preparation and use of nuclear forces “under conditions of a threat of aggression.”
War
Ukraine confirms strike on Lukoil oil refinery in Russia’s Kstovo
The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces has confirmed strikes on the Lukoil-Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez oil refinery in Russia and provided details on the damage inflicted on the Yaroslavl-3 oil pumping station.
USF destroys enemy UAV operator training center in Donetsk region
The Unmanned Systems Forces, together with the Security Service of Ukraine, destroyed a drone operator training center in the temporarily Russian-occupied city of Snizhne in the Donetsk region. The facility had been financed by the “Russian Academy of Rocket and Artillery Sciences,” and a Russian Armed Forces lieutenant colonel was eliminated.
Air defense neutralizes 75 out of 84 Russian drones since morning
Air defense neutralizes 131 out of 154 Russian drones overnight
War update: 250 combat engagements on front line, 43 of them in Pokrovsk sector
Russian army loses 920 troops in war against Ukraine over past 24 hours
Shellings
Russia's attacks on Dnipropetrovsk region leaving one killed, two injured
Injury toll from Russian drone attack on Konotop rises to 11, one dead
Casualty toll from Russian strike on Pryluky rises to four, 30 injured
Russian strikes in Kharkiv region leave one killed, six injured over past day
Defense
First contracts under Drone Deal await for approval – Umerov
Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Rustem Umerov stated that a meeting of the Staff discussed the implementation of controlled exports of Ukrainian defense products and further steps under the political agreements of the Drone Deal.
MoD to use drones, magnetometers for mine clearance
To minimize risks to human life, specialists from the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense’s demining units are training to locate explosive objects using drones and special magnetometers that detect changes in the Earth’s magnetic field.
Demining Capability Coalition sends 20 Roshel Senator armored vehicles to Ukraine
Units of the State Special Transport Service of Ukraine have received 20 mine-protected armored vehicles as part of cooperation under the Demining Capability Coalition.
Politics
Intel obtains Kremlin plans to intensify media campaign against Ukraine
Foreign Intelligence Service Ukraine (FISU) has obtained access to a number of Russian documents detailing plans to discredit Ukraine in the media.
In particular, the Russian Presidential Administration’s Department for Strategic Partnership and Cooperation has identified three agenda items. The first is to discredit the mobilization in Ukraine and the military leadership responsible for manning Ukraine’s defense forces. It is emphasized that this task is critical for the Russians amid heavy losses on the front lines.
The second issue concerns the discrediting of the President of Ukraine, his team, and his family members.
The third issue is preventing the “media scandal surrounding former Head of the Presidential Office Andrii Yermak and the interview with former presidential press secretary Yuliia Mendel” from being sidelined.
Ambassador to Hungary: Ukraine must maintain close communication with Orbán’s supporters
Despite the shift in political sentiment in Hungary, millions of Fidesz voters remain an important audience with whom Ukraine needs to actively engage, as personal contacts and interpersonal ties are the best defense against Russian manipulation and disinformation.
Magyar says Ukraine must receive strong security guarantees, unlike Budapest Memorandum
New Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar has stated that Ukraine has the right to defend itself by all available means and must receive strong security guarantees – unlike those provided under the 1994 Budapest Memorandum.
Economy
Zelensky speaks with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic: ‘We expect negotiations on free trade zone to resume’
President Zelensky discussed bilateral relations between the two countries with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and announced the upcoming work in Belgrade of Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, Taras Kachka.
Society
Head of UINR discusses how Ukrainians’ understanding of “victory” is changing
Ukraine differs strikingly from the Russian Federation in its understanding of the concept of “victory” and its attitude toward the relevant dates.
Ukraine cannot stay solely on defensive when it comes to national remembrance - head of UINR
The structural independence of the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance (UINR) helps shift the focus from a defensive stance in the struggle for national memory to a historical “offensive.”