[Korrespondent] 22:59 The United States can teach Ukrainian pilots to fly the F-16 in four months instead of 18, as previously thought. This assessment was given by the Pentagon after two Ukrainian pilots passed a two-week test on flight simulators, Yahoo News reports, citing a report by US officials.
22:27 The White House, among other scenarios, is considering the possibility that the Russian-Ukrainian war will turn into a frozen conflict. Read more in New Korea?
21:33 The German camera manufacturer Leica, despite the announcement of its withdrawal from the Russian market, supplies night vision scopes and binoculars with a laser rangefinder to the Russian Federation, which can be used to adjust artillery fire, writes The Insider.
21:28 The Pentagon confirmed that one Patriot system was damaged in Ukraine - but it has already been repaired, now it is in working condition , said US Department of Defense Deputy Speaker Sabrina Singh.
21:25 Zelensky said that he had held a meeting of the Military Cabinet: "This is our special format for working in a narrow circle with those responsible for the defense of the state. First: the defense brigades are great. We have completed the main strategic tasks - now is not the time to report details. Second: offensive brigades - well done. Getting ready - no details. Third, on the protection of civilians: Air Force, well done - here with details. Our priorities for this week, next and in the near future as a whole are additional air defense systems, additional missiles, training and aircraft, long-range weapons. And it will be."
The President also visited the office of the Crimean Platform and met with the leader of the Crimean Tatar people, Mustafa Dzhemilev: “I am glad to know that our joint work with the Mejlis brings the result Ukraine needs. By the way, we are preparing some very important joint steps in the near future. Issues of Crimea, Crimean prisoners and all we are bringing our people in Crimea to a new international level."
20:58 Scenarios for freezing the war in Ukraine are not discussed anywhere, and they are not on the "real agenda," Podolyak said, commenting on a resonant article by Politico. The article, citing "informed sources in Washington," reports that the US authorities are allegedly discussing the "Korean scenario" of freezing the war in Ukraine. We are talking about the fact that active hostilities will be stopped, and the front line will become the actual border, albeit unofficial.
Podolyak said that any ideas about freezing the war in Ukraine that periodically appear in the media are a "pseudo-analytical product" and the result of the lobbying efforts of Russian diplomacy: "There are no such scenarios on the real agenda, they are not discussed in any cabinets. All players perfectly understand limited resources and time in the Russian Federation and Putin's elite. The path is unchanged. We will pressurize."
20:26 Italy will train Ukrainian recruits in schools and military installations, and will also take part in EU training programs for Ukraine in Brussels, Poland and Germany, Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said.
20:17 Kiev prioritizes reaching a consensus of partners on three key decisions: Ukraine's entry into NATO, the provision of Western aircraft and the introduction of new tough sanctions against the Russian Federation, Kuleba said.
19:59 The Pentagon overestimated the American equipment sent to Ukraine by about $3 billion - a mistake that could allow more weapons to be sent to Kiev, Reuters reports, citing a US Department of Defense spokesman. The mistake was the result of a higher-than-guaranteed value of weapons that were withdrawn from US stockpiles and then sent to Ukraine. Congress will be notified of the accounting adjustment.
19:36 The Russians pulled most of their reserves to Bakhmut and significantly strengthened the group. Today, the enemy attacked Bakhmut all day, but all attacks were repulsed. Today, Ukrainian forces control the southwestern part of Bakhmut, Deputy Defense Minister Anna Malyar said. According to her, in the vicinity north of Bakhmut, the enemy also attacked - the attacks were repulsed, in some areas there is an advance of Ukrainian troops by 500 meters.
In the suburbs of Bakhmut in the south, the enemy went on the offensive during the day and tried to regain the lost territories, but suffered losses and was unable to complete their tasks. In some areas, Ukrainian troops advanced 1 km. "The defense of Bakhmut and the suburbs is fulfilling military tasks. Now we are gaining time for certain planned actions," Maliar added.
19:24 The Ukrainian brigade, numbering from three to five thousand soldiers, was trained in Sweden on modern Western equipment and may be one of the most combat-ready units that will take part in the upcoming counteroffensive, writes The Times. The brigade is equipped with Leopard 2 tanks, CV-90 combat vehicles and Archer artillery systems, making it one of the most powerful units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the newspaper writes. It is expected that the Ukrainian military will return to Ukraine in May.
19:17 Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said that Ukraine should not join NATO and become a border in a big power confrontation in Europe, and lasting peace on the continent can only be built through dialogue between European states and respect for each other's interests.
"We hope that all parties will strive for common, comprehensive and sustainable security and build a balanced, efficient and durable security architecture based on respect for each other's legitimate security interests in order to realize lasting peace in Europe," Wenbin said.
19:08 Norway, together with the UK, will transfer eight M270 long-range MLRS and three Arthur artillery-guided radars to Ukraine, the country's Ministry of Defense said.
18:52 British Defense Minister Ben Wallace confirmed that Ukraine has begun using long-range Storm Shadow missiles provided by London, but declined to elaborate.
18:13 NATO defense ministers will discuss the possible transfer of Western fighter jets to Ukraine at a meeting in June, which will precede the Alliance's July summit in Vilnius, writes Der Spiegel.
17:35 The third assault brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine announced a successful offensive on the western outskirts of Bakhmut, which resulted in a breakthrough of a strip 2 km wide and 700 meters deep. The Ukrainian defenders managed to create a foothold for further counteroffensive. During the offensive, 50 Russians were liquidated, about a hundred more were wounded, four were taken prisoner. Enemy ammunition depots were also destroyed.
17:32 Zelensky will take part in an online meeting of G7 leaders on Sunday, May 21, said Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
17:27 The Russian Foreign Ministry said that the grain deal has been extended until July 17 inclusive without any changes, while the "fundamental assessments" of the implementation of the agreements remain the same: there is no progress on the Russia-UN memorandum, most of the grain allegedly goes to "well-fed European markets ", the supply of Russian agricultural products is blocked. There is also no progress in resuming ammonia supplies and reconnecting Rosselkhozbank to Swift. Without fulfilling these requirements, "there is no question of any expansion of the Black Sea initiative," and the agreement itself will be terminated after July 17, Moscow said.
17:08 The Russians fired at the northern regions of the Donetsk region from the S-300 air defense system, Smerch MLRS, cannon artillery, and also used the FAB-250 high-explosive fragmentation bomb, the Office of the Prosecutor General said. In Konstantinovka, as a result of a direct hit by a shell in a private house, one person was killed, and seven more people were injured in Avdeevka, Toretsk, and Chasovoy Yar.
17:03 Moscow and Kiev agreed to the proposal of Pope Francis to receive his special envoys to discuss a truce, Vatican Cardinal Matteo Zuppi said. It is assumed that Archbishop Claudio Gugerotti, the head of the Conference of Italian Bishops, Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi, could go to Moscow as a papal special envoy.
16:40 The grain agreement does not provide for satisfying any wishes of Russia that Moscow is trying to initiate, Ukrainian Ambassador to Turkey Vasily Bodnar said: "The agreement provides for the mechanisms for the functioning of the grain corridor from Ukrainian ports to international markets. What Russia is trying to attach now, "These are issues related to the ammonia pipeline, the lifting of sanctions on banks and organizations involved in the trade in grain and fertilizers. These issues are still under discussion."
16:26 In Kiev, the beach season will not be opened, residents and guests of the capital are advised to refrain from visiting beaches and recreation areas, since there are no shelters. The corresponding decision was made by the Defense Council of Kyiv, the Kyiv City State Administration reported.
16:22 In Mariupol, the Russians are waiting for the arrival of Shoigu and are holding demonstrative "trainings" with cannon artillery in order to create a "picture of the front line" for the Russian Defense Minister, said Petr Andryushchenko, an adviser to the mayor of the city. He refers to the intercepted conversation of the Russian military, in which they say that yesterday they were given shells, and today they woke everyone up at six in the morning and ordered them to get guns and shoot in the field. When asked why to do this, they answered that Shoigu was coming.
16:00 The Russians hit the village of Tsirkuny, Kharkiv region - a shell hit a private house, one person died, two were injured, Oleg Sinegubov, head of the OVA, said.
15:57 Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk visited an enterprise in Norway that produces NASAMS air defense systems, and said that "very soon" Ukraine will have even more such systems.
15:52 In Belarus, 20 km from the border with Ukraine, a line of "dragon's teeth" has appeared, the monitoring group Belaruska Gayun reports. Anti-tank fortifications were installed 10 km from Gomel, near the M8 highway towards the border with Ukraine. In addition, very close to the "teeth" construction work is underway to build, presumably, fortifications.
15:28 Kiev calls on Western partners not to have high expectations about the Ukrainian counter-offensive and not to consider it something decisive, said Natalia Galibarenko, head of the Ukrainian mission to NATO. According to her, "now it is more important to think about what else can be done to make this counteroffensive successful."
15:09 The SBU reported suspicion to a clergyman of the UOC-MP of one of the communities of the Izyumsky district of the Kharkiv region for cooperation with the occupiers. During the occupation of Izyum, he agitated the locals to go over to the side of the Russian Federation, sanctified the Russian military and starred in propaganda videos. The traitor faces up to eight years in prison.
14:53 The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation stated that tonight, strikes were allegedly carried out on "large warehouses of weapons and equipment of foreign production and enemy reserves", all designated objects were hit.
14:26 Russia has deployed ten Russian Aerospace Forces fighters - eight Su-34s and two Su-30SMs - to the Machulishchi airfield in Belarus, the monitoring group of Belarus Gayun reports.
14:07 The African countries that have come up with a "peace initiative" on Ukraine before visiting Moscow and Kiev want to receive guarantees of a temporary ceasefire and a new "referendum" in the Donbass, writes Jeune Afrique. In turn, the Russian media reported, citing the South African embassy, that the president's representative on the "peace initiative" could come to Moscow this weekend.
13:34 NATO is preparing for a possible conflict with Russia and is developing a specific defense plan for the first time since the Cold War, writes Reuters. It is expected that the document may be approved at the July NATO summit in Vilnius. The head of the NATO Military Committee, Rob Bauer, said that the countries of the Alliance should be prepared for the fact that "a conflict may arise at any moment."
NATO also prepares recommendations for participating countries on the modernization of their armed forces and logistics. "The Allies will know exactly what forces and means are needed, including where, what and how to deploy," Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said.
13:31 Damage to the energy system of the Kiev region from Russian strikes is about 1 billion hryvnia, said the head of the regional military administration Ruslan Kravchenko. According to him, local authorities have already begun preparations for the next heating season, "but the energy system is in a very difficult state." Kravchenko recalled that since October 2022, 33 strikes have been carried out on energy facilities in the region.
13:25 On May 19-21, the leaders of the G7 states will hold a meeting in the Japanese city of Hiroshima, where they will discuss, in particular, an international peace summit regarding Ukraine, as well as further sanctions against Russia.
Deputy Head of the President's Office Igor Zhovkva said in an interview with the Japanese agency Kyodo that Zelensky will definitely take part in the G7 summit, but it is not yet known in what format - in person or online.
13:16 As a result of several waves of Russian missile attacks on the night of May 18, there was only one hit - Kh-101 / Kh-555 missiles in the Khmelnytsky region, the remaining reports of destruction relate to damage from hit targets that fell to the ground, the speaker of the Air Force told UP Yuri Ignat. In particular, according to him, a wrecked rocket fell on an object in the Odessa region, causing destruction, the death of one and the injury of several more people.
In this regard, Ignat stressed that downed missiles also pose a threat, therefore, during an alarm, it is necessary to observe security measures and be in cover.
12:49 After a conversation between Putin and the President of South Africa, it was decided that a number of countries would send a delegation to resolve the "Ukrainian crisis," Peskov said. According to him, the dates of arrival in Russia are being coordinated.
12:44 Yermak said that he had held a briefing on the current security situation in Ukraine for the Chinese government delegation led by the Special Representative of the PRC Government for Eurasian Affairs Li Hui: "He stressed that Ukraine, defending itself from an aggressor who made an unprovoked invasion of our territory, operates exclusively within the framework of international law and the UN Charter. Our state strives to establish a stable and just peace, restore its territorial integrity, as the Ukrainian formula of peace implies."
12:08 Peskov announced a "relative result" in the negotiations to extend the grain deal. In particular, speaking about the possibility of connecting Rosselkhozbank to SWIFT, he noted that options "equivalent to unblocking" are being worked out, there are hopes. As for solving the problem of Russian ammonia supplies, according to Peskov, work continues.
11:53 Lukashenka said that the counter-offensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is "the biggest big disinformation", and there can be no counter-offensive: "It's just crazy. One to five at the front to fight on equipment and manpower is just crazy." In his opinion, in order to end the war in Ukraine, the parties must develop a "new document for negotiations."
11:31 Chinese Special Representative for Eurasian Affairs Li Hui completed a two-day visit to Ukraine, during which he met with Zelensky. "There is no panacea for overcoming the crisis, all parties should start from themselves, accumulate mutual trust, create conditions for ending the war and peace negotiations," the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement following the visit.
11:28 As a result of the massive night shelling, there are hits on energy infrastructure facilities, more than 20 settlements were left without electricity, the Ministry of Energy reported. However, in general, the energy system works stably, restrictions for residential consumers are not planned.
11:24 Over the past day, Ukrainian forces have advanced another 150-1700 meters near Bakhmut in different areas, said Serhiy Cherevaty, spokesman for the Eastern Group of Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
11:20 Russians this night again carried out several waves of air attacks from different directions. In total, they fired 30 missiles in Ukraine. Details of the new missile attack - in the material What Russia seeks .
11:16 The Russians have already twice tried to kill the commander of the Territorial Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Igor Tantsyura, the UE reports, citing sources in military circles. Recently, Prigozhin claimed that his mercenaries killed Tantsyura on the way to Bakhmut. According to the publication, then the commander of the Troop Forces was really attacked: his column was fired upon and hit the car in which Tantsyura was supposed to be. But that day he got into the escort car, she managed to get away from the shelling.
Earlier, the Ukrainian side intercepted the data of the Russians, according to which they knew in detail the route of Tantsyura's movement at the front. Thanks to the timely interception, changes were made to the route. At the same time, it remains unknown where the enemy received information from in both cases.
11:01 A Russian cruise missile Caliber fell in Crimea, ASTRA reports. According to journalists, a shepherd found a rocket in the forest near the village of Vulkanovka, Leninsky district, on the morning of May 17. The experts who went to the scene came to the conclusion that the fallen rocket was Caliber, which belonged to the RF Ministry of Defense.
10:52 Andrey Nebytov, head of the Kiev region police, published a video of the remnants of a Russian missile shot down by air defense forces:
10:46 In the Zaporozhye region over the past day, one person was killed as a result of Russian shelling of Hulyaypol, three more people were injured in Stepnogorsk, according to the OVA.
10:27 In Kazan, on the railway, unknown people set fire to four relay cabinets, as a result of which five freight trains were detained, Russian publics write.
10:18 Kiev is now attacked most often - the capital is in the zone of greatest risk, therefore it requires a high level of protection, said Yuri Ignat, speaker of the Air Force. At the same time, he added that the Patriot is working, and may have been working that night. “Therefore, I ask everyone to remain calm, air defense is working and will continue to protect,” he assured.
In turn, the speaker of OK Pivden, Natalya Gumenyuk, said that the Russians were changing tactics again: in the evening there was not a single launch vehicle in the Black Sea, and before the attack on the Odessa region, the ship with Caliber quickly went to sea. According to her, this is how the enemy wanted to lull the vigilance of the Ukrainian air defense.
09:49 In the Kirovohrad region, air defense forces destroyed a cruise missile in the sky over the Alexandria region and a drone in the Kropivnitsky region. The warhead of the downed missile exploded on the territory of a private household, three houses were damaged, said Andrey Raikovich, head of the IVA. In addition, fragments of a downed drone hit one of the objects - a fire broke out, residents of the surrounding courtyards were evacuated. In both cases, people were not injured.
09:34 Governor of the Kursk region of the Russian Federation Roman Starovoit said that a Ukrainian drone allegedly dropped an explosive device on a sports and recreation complex in Glushkovo, two people were injured.
09:30 In Crimea, a railroad track was blown up, as a result, five wagons with grain derailed, Russian media reported. Preliminarily, the version of the explosion of railway tracks near the village of Chistenkoye, 9 km from Simferopol, is being considered. Trains on the stage Simferopol-Sevastopol temporarily do not run, passengers will be delivered by bus.
09:26 The United States does not allow Ukrainian pilots to start training on F-16 fighters in Europe, despite the willingness of several countries to conduct such training, writes The New York Times, citing a Ukrainian official. According to him, without the permission of Washington, Ukrainian pilots can only get acquainted with the technical language and conduct tactical lessons, while test flights on the F-16 are impossible.
A US senior official told the newspaper that the White House is opposed to delivering F-16s to Ukraine because the fighter jet is too expensive, which means they could take too much of the budget to support Ukraine. Instead, the US administration is going to concentrate on the supply of other weapons. At the same time, the official did not rule out that the Biden administration may allow European countries to transfer their F-16s to Ukraine.
09:17 During the night attack of the Russians, 29 out of 30 missiles were destroyed , the command of the Air Force reported. In particular, from strategic aircraft - two Tu-160s and eight Tu-95s - the enemy fired 22 Kh-101/Kh-555 cruise missiles (21 were shot down); from ships in the Black Sea - six Caliber cruise missiles; from ground-based operational-tactical missile systems - two Iskander-K cruise missiles. In addition, the air defense forces shot down two Shahed-136/131 strike UAVs and two reconnaissance UAVs.
08:53 In the morning, the Russians launched a missile attack on the Khmelnitsky region - there is a hit in an infrastructure facility in the Khmelnitsky region, people were not injured, the OVA reported.
08:32 In the Donetsk region over the past day, as a result of Russian shelling, one person was killed (in Konstantinovka), five more were injured. In addition, the body of a child who died during the occupation was exhumed in Tatyanovka.
In the Kherson region, three people were killed, including one child, eight more were injured (including one child), according to the IVA.
08:24 The General Staff announced the approximate losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of May 18.
- personnel - about 201,100 (+510) people liquidated,
- tanks - 3773 (+2),
- armored combat vehicles - 7373 (+8),
- artillery systems - 3198 (+32),
- MLRS - 563 (+1),
- air defense systems - 318 (+0),
- aircraft - 308 (+0),
- helicopters - 294 (+0),
- UAV operational-tactical level - 2759 (+11),
- cruise missiles - 990 (+8),
- ships/boats - 18 (+0),
- automotive equipment and tankers - 6073 (+6),
- special equipment - 418 (+1).
08:20 The Russian army continues to concentrate its main efforts on the Limansky, Bakhmutsky, Avdeevsky and Maryinsky directions - there were 36 clashes. Bakhmut and Marinka remain at the epicenter of hostilities, the General Staff said in a morning report .
07:18 Late in the evening on May 17, the Russians launched a missile attack on Odessa. According to OK Pivden, the enemy fired different missiles from different directions. Most were destroyed by air defense, but there are also industrial infrastructure hits. One person died, two were injured.
06:12 At night, the Russians attacked Kiev again - this time from Tu-95MS, Tu-160 strategic bombers from the Caspian region, probably with Kh-101/555 cruise missiles. After launching the missiles, the enemy launched reconnaissance UAVs, said the head of the KGVA, Sergei Popko. According to preliminary information, all enemy targets in the airspace of the capital were detected and destroyed.
A fall of debris was recorded in the Desnyansky and Darnitsky districts of the capital. In the Darnitsky district, a fire broke out on the territory of a garage cooperative, it has already been eliminated. In other areas, debris could fall on parked cars, the local area or a forested area. Information about the victims was not received.
00:51 During a Russian missile attack on May 16, two components of the Patriot air defense system were damaged - a battery generator and part of the system's electronics, CNN reports, citing sources. The damage was minimal, the system remained functional throughout the attack and continues to remain online.
The US sent inspectors to test the system. US officials are still evaluating exactly how the SAM components were damaged, as it does not appear that any of them were directly hit by a Russian Kinzhal missile or other munition. One theory is that rocket debris may have damaged Patriot components, but officials are considering other options.