Newsletter 27/05/2024
Daily news digest
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Death toll from attack on Kharkiv's Epicenter rises to 18
On May 25, Russia attacked the Epicenter shopping mall in Kharkiv with an aerial bomb. At the moment, 18 people are reported killed and 48 are injured. A 12-year-old girl and her mother are among the victims of the Russian terrorist attack. The mutilated bodies of the victims were unrecognizable. Many residents of Kharkiv had to submit DNA samples to identify their dead relatives.
The attack on a civilian object during a large gathering of people was made deliberately, because Russia used a high-precision UMPB D-30 air bomb with GPS guidance for this purpose. The moment of the crime was recorded by the Epicenter surveillance cameras. The servers that saved the videos of the deaths of people survived.
Before and after the attack on the Epicenter, Russia continued to shell Kharkiv with missiles and bombs. And Kremlin propaganda brazenly lies about ‘’hitting military facilities.’’
Zelensky and Sanchez sign security agreement
In Madrid, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and Prime Minister of Spain Pedro Sanchez signed a bilateral security agreement.
Russia uses more than 3,000 bombs against Ukraine each month - Zelensky
"Russia uses more than 3,000 guided aerial bombs per month. Some 3,200 bombs were used this month, and 3,500 might be used next month. Thousands of aerial bombs are flying over people's heads. No one -- with any weapon in their hands, with any training -- is able to withstand this," President Volodymyr Zelensky said this at a joint press conference with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez in Madrid
Spain to announce over EUR 1.1B in military aid for Ukraine - media
On May 27, Spain is going to announce the allocation of a record military aid package for Ukraine, worth EUR 1.1 billion.
Ukrainian drone attacks over-the-horizon radar in Russia at record distance - source
A drone of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Main Intelligence Directorate has attacked a Voronezh M over-the-horizon radar in Orsk, Russia's Orenburg region, at a distance of more than 1,800 kilometers.
War
Enemy conducts air strikes on village in Kharkiv region, woman wounded
Three killed, six wounded in Russian strike on car wash in Snihurivka
Two injured as Russian missile hits car wash in Snihurivka, Mykolaiv region
Russian missile strike damages Zaporizhzhia airport terminal
Russia's combat losses in Ukraine rise to about 500,080
The Russian army’s combat losses in Ukraine from February 24, 2022 to May 25, 2024 amount to about 500,080 invaders, including another 1,140 troops killed or wounded in action in the past day.
Russia concentrating forces on border with Kharkiv and Sumy regions - ISW
Russian forces are reportedly concentrating forces of unspecified size in western Belgorod region near the border with Ukraine, likely to fix and draw Ukrainian forces to the area and prepare for offensive operations that aim to expand the Russian foothold in the international border area in northeastern Ukraine.
Defense
France to send military instructors to Ukraine – CinC Syrskyi
France will send its instructors to Ukraine to train Ukrainian military personnel, and Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi has already signed the necessary permits.
Politics
Lithuania cancels all weapons permits issued to citizens of Russia and Belarus
Following the Lithuanian parliament's decision a year and a half ago to ban Russian and Belarusian citizens living in Lithuania from owning weapons, all permits issued to them were cancelled.
According to the Police Department, as of the end of 2022, when the relevant decision was made, 294 Russian citizens and 46 Belarusian citizens had permits to keep or carry weapons. All of these permits have been cancelled.
At the beginning of the year, all owners were informed in writing about the possibility of voluntarily selling their weapons or handing them over by 1 April.
Some of the seized weapons were transferred to gun shops for consignment sale. A small number of weapons are temporarily stored in police stations, the police department said.
Economy
Ukraine, IMF start discussions on fourth review of Extended Fund Facility Arrangement
Today, on May 27, Minister of Finance of Ukraine Sergii Marchenko participated online in the opening of the IMF mission for the fourth review of the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) Arrangement. Ukraine is represented by the Ministry of Finance, the National Bank, and other government institutions responsible for economic, energy, anti-corruption, and rule of law policies.
Publilcation
Why does the West need to intensify aid for Ukraine?
Artilleryman’s sweat protects infantryman’s blood. Our conversation should be started with this old army proverb, because it really is. In all modern wars, the ‘’infantry-artillery’’ connection plays one of the key roles. Infantry holds territory, but without adequate artillery (as well as tank and air) support, it suffers heavy losses and may lose territory over time.
In the conditions of Russian aggression against Ukraine, which has been ongoing since 2014 and a full-scale invasion since 2022, the Ukrainian Defence Forces are experiencing this first-hand. The soldiers and officers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, National Guard, Police, Border Forces, and Security Service are defending their country, sovereign territory, and citizens from Russian occupation at the cost of extreme effort.
The Centre for Strategic Communications and Information Security explains the role of an appropriate and timely provision of Western weapons and ammunition to Ukrainian soldiers, as well as why the efforts currently being made by our partners are no longer sufficient for quality changes on the battlefield.