kyivindependent.com

Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit China on May 16-17 to hold talks with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, RIA Novosti reported on May 14, citing the Kremlin press service.

Integrating the military with Russia's economy is a key task for its Defense Ministry, soon-to-be-appointed Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov told the Federation Council, Russia's upper house of parliament, on May 14.

A Russian ammunition depot exploded in the occupied town of Sorokyne (Krasnodon) in Luhansk Oblast, on May 13, Governor Artem Lysohor said.

Berlin will provide Kyiv with another IRIS-T air defense system in May, German Ambassador to Ukraine Martin Jager said on May 13.

Vovchansk is ground zero of Russia’s new offensive into Kharkiv Oblast, the first time a serious push has been made to take territory across the border since the area was liberated from Russian occupation in Ukraine’s lightning counteroffensive in September 2022....

The comments came after the head of Estonia's Armed Forces, General Martin Herem, said earlier in May that there had been talks about the possibility of sending Estonian soldiers to western Ukraine.

Ukraine's 110th Separate Mechanized Brigade shot down another Russian Su-25 fighter jet, the unit said on May 13.

Without a doubt, there has been a cost in the "months-long delay in getting the supplementary budget request approved and the equipment sent out to Ukraine," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on May 12.

South Korea's intelligence service is conducting a review into suspicions that North Korea has provided Russia with artillery shells and other weaponry made in the 1970s, the country's National Intelligence Service (NIS) said on May 12.

Ukraine has identified Russian Air Force personnel responsible for carrying out cruise missile strikes on civilian infrastructure, Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) announced on May 13.

Ukrainian forces shot down a Russian Ka-52 Alligator attack helicopter on May 13, the 47th Mechanized Brigade reported.

President Volodymyr Zelensky is planning a trip to Spain in the coming days to sign a bilateral security agreement, the El Pais newspaper reported on May 13, citing unnamed sources in the country's government.

The construction of fortifications around the border town of Vovchansk in Kharkiv Oblast was "difficult" due to constant Russian shelling, Tamaz Gambarashvili, the head of Vovchansk City Military Administration, told Radio Svoboda on May 13.

Where the downing occurred was not specified but the brigade that shot it down is known to be operating in the Avdiivka direction in Donetsk Oblast.

The U.S. State Department approved on May 10 an emergency sale of three HIMARS rocket systems and associated equipment to Ukraine worth $30 million, with Germany providing the funding.

Russia does not seek cooperation with Europe, and if European countries want to ensure peace and prosperity, they must set "clear boundaries" for Moscow, Czech President Petr Pavel said in an interview with the Austrian newspaper Die Presse published on May 11.

With their song "Teresa & Maria," Ukraine's Alyona Alyona & Jerry Heil received a total of 453 points, securing a third place in the Eurovision finals in Sweden's Malmo overnight on May 12.

An autocratic regime like Russia can readily prioritize the expansion of its defense industries over economic well-being to sustain their military actions in Ukraine, along with help from Iran and North Korea, said Lt Gen. Steven L. Basham, U.S. Air Forces in Europe deputy commander.

Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov claimed without evidence that a building in the Kharkovskaya Gora district of Belgorod Oblast was hit by a Ukrainian projectile during an air raid alert in the oblast.

Cameron stressed that Kyiv’s allies must do everything they can to “help the Ukrainians.” He pointed to the U.K.’s recent £3 billion ($3.74 billion) yearly package to Ukraine, adding that Westminster is “encouraging others to do the same.”

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"The First Peace Summit for Ukraine is in June — and Canada will be there," Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wrote on X. "I look forward to joining other world leaders to advance our shared goal of just and lasting peace for Ukraine."

Russian troops attacked 27 settlements in Kharkiv Oblast over the past day, killing three people and injuring six, Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported on May 12.

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