Newsletter 24/05/2024
Daily news digest
Photo
Stepnohirsk in Zaporizhzhia. Consequences of destruction from an enemy anti-aircraft missile.
Every day the situation in the village worsens. The Russians do not stop hitting with artillery, "hail", they use various modifications of drones, and now they have increased the number of aerial bombardments.
The last KAB hit the premises of the village council, in which people were staying, the other fell nearby. As a result, three people were injured, and three floors in the building were completely destroyed, and the surrounding high-rise buildings were damaged.
Top
Scholz seeks to avoid "speculation" over Ukraine’s use of Western weapons against targets on Russian soil
"The situation of Ukraine is far from idle. Therefore, we must make every effort to continue and strengthen military support for Ukraine. First of all, we are talking about air defense systems and the restoration of the badly damaged energy infrastructure," said German Chancellor Olaf Scholz
When asked to comment on the discussions in NATO regarding the possibility of allowing the Armed Forces of Ukraine to use Western weapons for strikes on military targets on the territory of Russia, the head of government said he saw no sense in speculating on the topic of such proposals.
"From my point of view, it is much more important to remember that we have clear rules..." he emphasized, without elaborating, but obviously referring to the principle of not allowing NATO countries to be drawn into a direct confrontation with Russia.
Germany sends additional tanks, ammunition, rifles, vehicles to Ukraine
As part of a joint project with Denmark, the Bundeswehr delivered ten more Leopard 1 A5 main battle tanks in addition to the 30 that were sent to Ukraine before, as well as 20 more MG3 machine guns for Leopard 2 tanks, Marder infantry fighting vehicles and Dachs armored engineer vehicles (158 have already been delivered).
The package also includes 8,500 rounds of 155mm ammunition; more than 1.5 million rounds of ammunition for fire arms, over 300 MK 556 assault rifles and 70 HLR 338 precision rifles with 60,000 rounds of ammunition, 11 CR 308 rifles, and 400 LED lamps.
FM: Putin is afraid of success of Peace Summit, so he sends false signals about readiness to end war
The purpose of anonymous statements by Russian sources about Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin's alleged readiness to freeze the war on the current contact line is to disrupt the Peace Summit in Switzerland initiated by Ukraine, whose success the Kremlin is very much afraid of.
Funds for construction of fortifications allocated in full - PM
"Regarding fortifications. In 2022, 2023 and 2024, money was allocated for the construction of appropriate fortifications. In total, much more than 30 billion was allocated for this period. The General Staff, which together with the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine is responsible for the construction of fortifications in our country during wartime, planned to build all the first, second and third line fortifications, and all these projects were fully funded," this was stated by Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.
Zelensky visits Kharkiv printing house destroyed by Russians
“It is one of the largest printing houses in Kharkiv and all of Ukraine. Yesterday, a Russian missile strike killed seven people here. My condolences to their families and friends. Another 21 people were injured. The production complex was destroyed, and tens of thousands of books were burned. A lot of children's literature, textbooks, manuals... Russian terror must never go unpunished. Step by step, we are making sure that the Russian state feels the consequences and the price of its evil,” said President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky
Source: official telegram channel of the President of Ukraine
War
Russia disrupts Starlink signal on Ukraine frontlines - media
Shortly before Russia launched an offensive in Kharkiv region, it disrupted the Starlink satellite service in the area, widely used by Ukraine’s Armed Forces for communication, reconnaissance, and drone attacks.
According to the NYT, Ukrainian officials have indicated that Russia has deployed more powerful electronic warfare systems and more sophisticated tools to disable the Starlink system.
The latest outages appear to be the first time the Russians have caused widespread disruption to Starlink, the article notes, adding that in case of further success, this would mark a tactical shift in conflict that will highlight Ukraine's vulnerability and dependence on services provided by Musk's company. Since the US and other countries' governments cooperate with SpaceX, these failures will call into question the reliability of Starlink in the fight against a technically capable adversary.
Russian forces employ “Africa Corps” in Vovchansk offensive - British intel
Over the past week, during the offensive on Vovchansk in Kharkiv region, Russia deployed units of the African Corps under the control of the Russian Ministry of Defense, alongside their regular troops and Storm Z assault units.
Russia building up group of forces on border with Chernihiv, Sumy regions - General Staff
"As for the Sumy sector, the situation there is stable and controlled today. Russia keeps a respective group of forces in border areas, which is carrying out restraining actions to prevent the transfer of our units to other threatening sectors," Ihor Prokhorenko, acting deputy chief of the Main Operational Department at the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said.
Guerrillas: occupiers' communication hub destroyed in Crimea
“ATESH agents report that a communication hub of the Russian occupiers (military unit 28735) was hit in Alushta,” ATESH guerrilla movement on Telegram
Russia holds over 400 Ukrainian women in captivity - Coordination Centre
There are currently 403 Ukrainian women in Russian captivity. Many of them are illegally detained civilians.
The Coordination Headquarters noted that there are also women whose fate has been unknown since 2014, who have gone missing. The Russian side responds to numerous appeals demanding the return of captive women with silence and ignores all appeals.
The conditions of detention of Ukrainian women in Russian captivity do not comply with the Third Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War. The women released from captivity report, among other things, humiliation, inhumane conditions of detention, inadequate nutrition, and the inability to receive qualified medical care and contact their families. The Russians also continue to deny the International Committee of the Red Cross access to places of detention of prisoners and civilians, of which there are more than 100 in Russia and the TOT.
Defense
MFA Ukraine calls on Lithuania to increase defense aid
First Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andrii Sybiha during a meeting with the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, Simonas Satunas, emphasized the need to increase defense assistance for Ukraine.
Politics
EU demands that Russia cease acts of provocation on border with Estonia
The European Union criticized as “unacceptable” Russia's actions to remove the Estonian light buoys marking the border between Estonia and the Russian Federation on the Narva River, and appealed to the Kremlin to stop this provocative campaign and immediately return the buoys to their rightful place.
Ukraine and Poland start official negotiations on text of security agreement
On 24 May, Ukraine and Poland will begin official negotiations on the text of an agreement on security guarantees between the two countries.
Japan slaps sanctions on Russia over arms purchases from North Korea
The Japanese government has introduced sanctions against nine Russian-based entities and a Russian national, as well as two Cyprus-based firms through which Moscow purchases weapons from North Korea amid the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
Estonian FM summons Russian diplomat after Russian border guards steal buoys
Russian Charge d'Affaires in Estonia Lenar Salimullin was summoned to the Estonian Foreign Ministry after Russian border guards stole more than 20 border buoys from the Narva River.
Society
Over 1,000 km on bicycles: veterans honored the fallen heroes with a bike ride
Two veterans - Ivan Balashov and Anatolii Veresenko - covered the way from Uzhhorod to Kyiv on bicycles. The length of the route was 1120 km. On the way, the men met with the families of the victims and veterans.
The cycling race lasted 9 days and ended near the wall of memory of those who died for Ukraine in Kyiv. It was organized jointly with the Ministry of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine. During the bike race, fundraising continued for the support of sports rehabilitation projects for veterans.
Fact Check
Russian propagandists sharing fakes about Ukraine’s alleged role in attempted assassination of Slovak PM Fico
Leading Russian mass media outlets, targeted at both domestic and international audiences, are sharing claims that the wife of Juraj Centula, the man accused of attempting to assassinate Slovak Prime Minister, Robert Fico, is a Ukrainian "refugee" and an active participant in the Euromaidan protests in Ukraine in 2013-14, that she, allegedly, “incited” her husband to assassinate the politician, and, after the incident, tried fleeing to Poland when detained by the police.