In response to #russia#Kharkiv assault, #Ukrainian forces are slowly falling back and are now about 5 miles from the border.
Although this tactic allows #Russia to gain ground it means that #Ukrainian forces are able to slowly deplete the enemy's military capabilities, NYT reports.
On May 16, Russia launched a spacecraft into #space in the orbit of U.S. satellites. U.S. intel believes the #satellite could attack and spy on other satellites.
It was also reported that the #us believes #Russia is developing a space weapon that is able to take out networks of satellites.
#Russia planned to partially encircle Kharkiv and shell it with artillery, writes The Economist, which has obtained a plan of the Russian occupiers' offensive in the #Kharkiv region.
Despite their attempts, the occupiers were quickly stopped by the 92nd Separate Assault Brigade, which pushed the enemy back 10 kilometers from their original goal.
"Where they are being used is not the seller's issue," an #Iranian diplomat said.
The #Kremlin responded to the death of #raisi#Putin said that he “knew President Raisi to be a reliable partner… who made an invaluable contribution to friendly relations between #Russia and #Iran
The cooperation between #Russia and #Iran has been significantly strengthened with the war in #ukraine Iran has supplied Russia with Shahed drones and also the technology to build its own drones.
Good morning to readers, Kyiv remains in Ukrainian hands.
Ukrainian clothes are undergoing a modern resurgence.
In the face of Russian aggression, designers like Anastasia preserve Ukrainian heritage through items like embroidered blazers, and traditional bags called taystras.
When the full scale invasion began, the marketing agency she owned was forced to close down.
All of her sources of income were cut off. But still, she decided to stay in #Ukraine and make clothing that would be a clear statement of her identity, and protest against the war.
Ukrainians have to deal with the problem of not knowing what their original clothes looked like.
The USSR desperately tried to stereotype Ukrainian culture as being simple: restricted only to red satin sharovary (men's wide trousers), and cheap wreaths with plastic flowers.
The consequences were dramatic.
Without proper representation of their identity for decades, entire generations of Ukrainians perceived their cultural heritage as something insignificant and ridiculous.
#Ukraine has refused President Macron’s Olympic Cease Fire proposal citing concerns that #Russia would use any lull in fighting to move troops and re-arm.
Macron’s proposal would offer a truce during the summer Olympic Games in Paris.
Earlier this week, a box I haven’t seen in over a year appeared in our office elevator.
The brown box is marked for emergencies, and includes water, cookies and diapers — in case you are trapped inside the elevator when the power goes out.
Russian strikes destroyed the largest power plant in the Kyiv region last month; the Dnipro hydroelectric power plant has stopped producing energy; and various generation sites in Kharkiv have also been destroyed -- among many others that have been targeted in recent months.
While Ukraine is importing electricity from Poland, Romania and Slovakia, this will not compensate for the loss of generating capacity.
This has made emergency blackouts inevitable. All regions of Ukraine are now facing rolling power outages, the Energy Ministry of Ukraine said.
The Russian strikes and the damage will continue "as degraded Ukrainian air defense capabilities persist until US-provided air defense missiles and other Western air defense assets arrive at scale,” the ISW recently reported.
By mid-week #Russia was 20 miles from #Kharkiv city. If they are within 15 miles they can hit the city with 152 mm #artillery which could cause immense damage and people to flee the city.
Sri Lanka has sent a delegation to Russia to bring back 600-800 Sri Lankans that are believed to be fighting in Russia.
The men are promised high salaries and Russian citizenship. There have also been similar reports of Nepalese and Indian citizens fighting in the Russian army.
There will be rolling #blackouts throughout #Ukraine today, announced Ukrenergo, a Ukrainian energy company.
This is due to recent cold weather which has led to increased energy use. #Ukrainian power plants are struggling to meet these demands following attacks on #energyinfrastructure
In #Vovchansk, #Kharkiv region, where active hostilities are taking place, the first executions of civilians by #Russian troops have been reported, police said. A man who tried to flee on foot was killed. Civilians are also being captured.
Evacuations had been taking place, but now the Russian military, trying to gain a foothold in the city, is not allowing locals to evacuate.
Using a loophole in sanctions, #Turkey is disguising Russian oil as its own and exporting it to the #EU, bringing billions in profits to #Russia, Politico writes.
Between February 2023 and February 2024, Turkey increased its purchases from Russia by 105% compared to the previous 12 months. During the same period, Turkish fuel exports to the EU increased by 107%.
Russian forces advancing up to 4 miles in several areas within 5 days raises doubts about Kyiv's defense, The Guardian reports.
Despite warnings from #Moscow, ISW, and British intelligence, #Ukraine's preparation was hampered by insufficient fortifications and a four-month pause in #US arms deliveries.
#Russia are succeeding in their assault on #Kharkiv due to: delayed #US aid, poor fortifications and #Russia battlefield tactics and #russia is benefitting from the US preventing #Ukraine from using #US weaponry on Russia territory, Max Boot writes for the Washington Post.
In the last 72 hours the language of #Ukraines military reports has changed: going from "ongoing defensive fighting" to "significantly worsened" and to #russia "tactical success". This comes as #Russia pushes on four points in the frontline, forcing #Ukraine to spread their resources thin.
Last night Blinken played Neil Young's song 'Rocking' in the Free World' in a #Kyiv bar with the #Ukrainian band 19.99. While a 19.99 band member said the performance was important, many in #Ukraine feel the performance was disrespectful given the situation on the front.
Russian attacks in #Kharkiv region are pushing Ukrainian forces to the brink, Ukr intelligence head #Budanov said in a video call from a bunker in Kharkiv, writes the NYT.
“We don’t have anyone else in the reserves,” he said.
In #Tbilisi, clashes erupt between opponents of the "foreign agents" law and the police. Thousands protest against the law, fearing it could stifle dissent, while security forces withdraw from the main square after a standoff. Critics dub it the " #Russia law," with the final vote scheduled for Tuesday.
In #Kharkiv, Russian forces persist in their offensive despite heavy shelling. The defense forces are pushing them back, according to AFU General Staff spokesman Lykhoviy.
The prosecutor's office has launched an investigation into the captivity of residents of the #Vovchansk community in the Kharkiv region, said spokesman Dmytro Chubenko.
Investigators found that people spent two days in the basement, were not let out, and were forced to provide medical care to Russians.
The replacement of Sergei #Shoigu with Andrei Belousov as Russia's defense minister strongly suggests that Putin is taking significant steps to mobilize the Russian economy and military-industrial complex - particularly to support the ongoing war in Ukraine and possibly prepare for a future confrontation with #NATO, according to the Institute for the Study of War.
KREMLIN CLAIMS NINE VILLAGES CAPTURED: The Russian government – known to lie – has named a number of villages that it said it had now captured, along the Ukraine-Russia border in the Kharkiv region, according to The Telegraph.
The actual road is usually safe, but with Ukraine now having more landmines than any country in the world, pulling over is not always a safe option. You are frequently told if you need to stop – stay on the tarmac.
Strewn around Kharkiv, in the third year of this war, there are blown up, rusted cars along the side of the road, eerie reminders of what might be hidden under the earth.