[Korrespondent] 22:30 The Dutch government has canceled an agreement to sell its F-16 fighter jets to the private company Draken International, Oryx, an online defense analysis service, said. According to analysts, the company was supposed to receive 40 F-16 fighters, the first 12 of which have already been sold in 2022. Another 28 fighter jets are to be taken out of service by May 2024. "It's easy to guess where they will actually end up," Oryx experts say.
22:28 Pope Francis instructed the head of the Conference of Italian Bishops, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, to lead a special mission related to the war in Ukraine, said the speaker of the Holy See, Matteo Bruni.
22:22 The German concern Rheinmetall plans to produce Fuchs armored personnel carriers in a joint venture with Ukroboronprom, the head of the company, Armin Papperger, said: "We will start with the maintenance and repair of ambulances and we want to produce armored vehicles, for example, Fuchs armored transport vehicles, as soon as possible."
21:01 The Russians have again launched an information wave about the alleged disappearance of Zaluzhny, said Deputy Defense Minister Anna Malyar. "The Commander-in-Chief is in place. He is doing his job. We just talked. This is a typical information technology aimed at demoralizing our army," she said.
According to her, the moment of spreading such misinformation is understandable - the peak of tension in Bakhmut, when even a few demoralized Ukrainian soldiers will ease the situation for the enemy. “Actually, for the sake of this, there are a lot of premature reports about the “capture” of Bakhmut,” added Malyar.
20:29 The Russians fired heavy artillery at the Nikopol district of the Dnipropetrovsk region: one person was injured, 17 houses were damaged - private and high-rise, said the head of the OVA Serhiy Lysak.
20:05 Prigozhin said that from May 25, Wagner PMC units will be withdrawn from Bakhmut for "rest and retraining." According to him, during this time, defense lines will be created, the city will be transferred under the control of units of the Russian army.
19:18 The Russians fired on Kupyansk, Kharkiv region, two people were injured, the head of the OVA, Oleg Sinegubov, said.
18:32 The Russians fired from Gradov Toretsk, Donetsk region: five people were injured, including an 11-year-old child, residential buildings and other civilian facilities, including a hospital, were damaged, Pavel Kirilenko, head of the OVA, said.
17:41 The EU will include more than 90 companies around the world in the 11th package of sanctions against the Russian Federation, for which there is evidence of assistance in circumventing already imposed restrictions, said the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.
17:30 Reznikov said that the next meeting in the Ramstein format will take place next week: "Strengthening air defense / missile defense remains our number 1 priority. Ground systems - from MANPADS to powerful batteries - and missiles for them are invariably in focus. About this, in particular , we will talk with colleagues at the next meeting."
The minister also stressed that the decisions that Ukraine's partners in aircraft are making today are "an important stage, but not the end of the road." "It will take time, resources and a lot of very skilled labor to make our skies safer," he said. At the same time, he expressed confidence that "our air aces are no less skilled in their craft than the Ukrainian crews of Patriots, Irises or NASAMSs - they will do their job at the highest level."
16:46 Heavy fighting continues in Bakhmut, the situation is critical, Deputy Defense Minister Anna Malyar said. At the same time, according to her, Ukrainian troops are holding the defense in the Airplane area - they control certain industrial and infrastructure facilities in this area and the private sector.
16:25 Zelensky said that he met with Macron, thanked for the military and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, France's support for the fighter coalition and its participation in a training mission to train Ukrainian pilots.
The president also met with Scholz: "He thanked for the powerful defense assistance that Ukraine receives from Germany. It is important to implement the points of the Ukrainian peace formula."
15:51 Prigozhin said that Russian forces allegedly established full control over Bakhmut today.
15:03 Ukraine hopes to receive F-16 fighters in the fall of 2023, Reznikov's adviser Yuriy Sak said.
14:48 Zelensky announced that he had met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Japan: "He spoke about Ukraine's needs for humanitarian demining and mobile hospitals. He informed in detail about the initiative of the Ukrainian peace formula and invited India to join its implementation."
Zelensky also met with President of the European Council Charles Michel: "We discussed the implementation of the recommendations of the European Commission to start negotiations on our country's accession to the European Union. We discussed specific ways to implement the Ukrainian peace formula and consolidate global support for our peace initiative."
14:21 Russia is pulling up airborne and motorized rifle units to Bakhmut, said Sergei Cherevaty, spokesman for the Eastern Group of Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
13:59 The United States may agree to the transfer of modern combat aircraft, in particular F-16s, to Ukraine, provided that they are not used for strikes on Russian territory, Biden's national security adviser Jake Sullivan said.
13:27 Zelensky said that he met with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in Japan: "Thanked for the leadership of Great Britain in the international coalition of fighters. We discussed the further implementation of the agreements reached during the negotiations in the UK, which took place on May 14. We talked about the development of bilateral relations between Ukraine and the UK and coordinated our positions in the run-up to participation in the G-7 summit."
The President also met with Italian Prime Minister George Meloni.
13:06 The leaders of the G7 countries agreed on a joint communiqué on the results of the summit in Japan. In particular, they once again condemned Russia because of its full-scale aggression against Ukraine and announced their intention to continue to support Kyiv. "We reaffirm our unwavering support for Ukraine for as long as it takes to achieve a comprehensive, just and lasting peace," the document says.
11:25 The Russians launched a missile attack on Sloviansk in the Donetsk region in the morning, the head of the city's military-civilian administration, Vadima Lyakh, said. According to him, ten private houses were damaged due to shelling in the city, people were not injured.
11:04 The Japanese government announced the introduction of additional sanctions against Russia. In particular, Japanese companies will be prohibited from providing architectural and engineering services to Russian clients. The assets of about 100 individuals and organizations will also be frozen. It is planned to introduce export restrictions against 80 Russian companies.
10:58 Biden's national security adviser Jake Sullivan confirmed that the US will take part in a "coalition of fighters." According to him, in the coming months, the United States and allies will discuss when and in what quantity Ukraine will receive F-16 fighter jets.
09:52 Zelensky announced that he had arrived in Japan: "Japan. G7. Important meetings with partners and friends of Ukraine. Security and strengthening cooperation for our victory. Today the world will become closer."
09:06 The American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) writes that Russia has deployed units of two GRU special forces brigades to the border areas of the Kursk region. According to analysts, in this way the Russian Federation is trying to consolidate part of the Ukrainian troops in the border regions and disperse them to critical sectors of the front.
09:03 In the Donetsk region over the past day, as a result of Russian shelling, two people were killed (in the city of Chasov Yar), two more were injured. In the Kharkiv region, one person died in the Kupyansky district, another was injured. In Zaporozhye region, nine civilians were injured during shelling, including a 14-year-old child, according to the IVA.
08:55 By providing weapons to Ukraine, Washington seeks to prevent a Third World War, Biden's national security adviser Jake Sullivan said: "We will do everything possible to support Ukraine in protecting its sovereignty and territorial integrity. And we are also going to act in such a way that avoid World War III.
Sullivan also stressed that the United States is not considering transferring the F-16 to Ukraine in the near future, and the pilots will be trained for the "future armed forces." "We are counting on a long-term transition of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to fourth-generation Western fighters," he explained. According to Sullivan, at this stage, the US has provided "everything necessary to be able to launch a counteroffensive this summer" - tanks, artillery and armored vehicles.
08:46 The General Staff announced the approximate losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of May 20.
- personnel - about 202,430 (+670) people liquidated,
- tanks - 3781 (+4),
- armored combat vehicles - 7382 (+5),
- artillery systems - 3229 (+19),
- MLRS - 564 (+0),
- air defense systems - 325 (+6),
- aircraft - 308 (+0),
- helicopters - 294 (+0),
- UAV operational-tactical level - 2801 (+32),
- cruise missiles - 1011 (+0),
- ships/boats - 18 (+0),
- automotive equipment and tankers - 6103 (+20),
- special equipment - 423 (+4).
08:32 The Russian army continues to focus its main efforts on the Limansky, Bakhmutsky, Avdeevsky, Maryinsky and Miner directions. Over the past day, more than 80 clashes took place in the indicated sectors of the front, the hottest battles were fought for Bakhmut, Maryinka and in the areas of Avdeevka, Stepnoy and Novomikhailovka, the General Staff reported in the morning report .
In Kakhovka, Kherson region, the invaders are trying to speed up forced passportization, for which they carry out demonstrative raids, intimidate the local population with mobilization and confiscation of property. In particular, the occupiers bypass apartments and houses, conduct a population census and exert psychological pressure, forcing passportization. Those who refuse to obtain a Russian passport are threatened with eviction and power cuts.
08:09 Air forces destroyed all the drones with which Russia attacked Ukraine at night. In particular, 20 Shahed-136/131 drones were destroyed, of which 18 were fired from the northern direction in Kyiv, and two more - in the eastern direction. In addition, a reconnaissance UAV Merlin-VR was destroyed in the southern direction.
06:23 Saudi Arabia officially takes a neutral position in the Russian-Ukrainian war, said Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan. According to him, Saudi Arabia has chosen "active neutrality." The Guardian writes that this could be a positive result for Zelensky, because last year "relations between Russia and Saudi Arabia were at an all-time high level."
05:12 The Russians again attacked Kiev with kamikaze drones at night. All detected air targets were destroyed, said the head of the KGVA Sergei Popko. As a result of the fall of debris in the Dnipro region, a fire broke out on the roof of a residential building, it has already been eliminated, people were not injured. Also, due to the fall of debris in the Darnitsky district, the service station building and parked cars were damaged, the windows of a residential building were damaged in the Pechersky district, and the road surface and vehicles were damaged in Solomensky district.
03:18 Biden intends to announce a new $375 million military aid package to Ukraine after meeting with Zelensky at the G7 summit, writes Politico. US and Ukrainian government sources said the aid package would include artillery shells, armored vehicles and anti-tank weapons.