Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 22:08 Zelensky said that the US aid package includes badly needed long-range missiles: “Right now this package is critically important as the enemy is intensifying attacks on the front line. Today in Kharkov I saw with my own eyes the importance of strengthening our soldiers to protect our people, our cities and our communities."
22:00 Arrests began in the structures of the Russian Ministry of Defense - within a month, three generals, including a deputy minister, were detained on suspicion of taking bribes, and the former commander of the 58th Army, Ivan Popov, was detained on charges of fraud. Read more about the purges in the Russian army in the material How to eliminate the guilty.
21:56 German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius confirmed the transfer of another IRIS-T air defense system to Ukraine.
21:52 The defense forces managed to take combat control over the border area in the Kharkov region, where Russian troops entered, Zelensky said in an evening video message.
21:47 Blinken announced a new package of military aid to Ukraine worth $275 million. According to the Pentagon, it included, in particular, 155 mm and 105 mm artillery shells; 60 mm mortar mines; TOW missiles; Javelin and AT-4 anti-tank systems; precision aircraft munitions; small arms and additional small arms ammunition and grenades; demolition ammunition; anti-tank mines, etc.
21:38 Germany will not transfer Taurus missiles to Ukraine, since the Ukrainians allegedly will not be able to program them themselves, and Berlin will not send its soldiers there due to the “risk of escalation,” Scholz said.
21:06 Putin is allegedly ready to stop the war in Ukraine through ceasefire negotiations that will fix the current position of the parties on the front line, Reuters reports, citing high-ranking sources from Russian political and business circles who have worked or are working with the Kremlin leader. For this story, Reuters spoke to a total of five people who work or have worked with Putin at senior levels in the political and business world. Read more in the article New rumor about a truce.
20:39 The accuracy of some types of Western weapons has decreased due to the work of Russian electronic warfare, which is why Kiev stopped using them, writes The Washington Post. We are talking about weapons that have satellite guidance, in particular, Excalibur shells and HIMARS systems. According to an American official, the United States is equipping HIMARS with additional equipment to ensure accurate targeting. And one of the ways the Ukrainians counter Russian electronic warfare is by using drones before targeting enemy targets.
20:10 Another Iris-T air defense system from Germany has arrived in Ukraine, writes Spiegel. Currently in Ukraine there are four medium-range Iris-T systems and one short-range Iris-T system.
20:04 Russia is holding 403 Ukrainian women in captivity, many of whom are illegally detained civilians, the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War reported. There are also women whose fate has been unknown since 2014. The Russian side simply ignores numerous appeals demanding the return of women.
Women released from captivity talk, among other things, about humiliation, inhumane conditions of detention, inadequate nutrition, and the inability to receive qualified medical care and contact with relatives. The Russians also prohibit representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross from accessing places of detention of prisoners and civilians, of which there are more than 100 in the Russian Federation and temporarily occupied territories.
19:16 Moscow is spreading anonymous statements about Putin’s alleged readiness to freeze the war in order to disrupt the Peace Summit, Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said: “Why are Russian “sources” suddenly telling the media that Putin is ready to stop the war on the current line of contact? It’s all very simple. Putin is desperately trying to disrupt the Peace Summit in Switzerland. He is afraid of its success."
“Now Putin has no desire to stop aggression. Only the principled and united voice of the world majority can force him to choose peace over war. This is what the Peace Summit is designed to achieve. That is why he is so afraid of it,” the Foreign Minister explained.
18:41 On Saturday, May 25, hourly power outage schedules will be in effect for industrial and household consumers throughout Ukraine from 20:00 to 22:00 - during the hours of maximum evening consumption, Ukrenergo reported.
18:32 Putin said that he is ready for negotiations with Ukraine, but considers Zelensky illegitimate: “We are aware that the legitimacy of the current president has ended. When resuming negotiations with Ukraine, Russia needs to understand with whom it can and should deal when signing documents."
The head of the Kremlin also repeated that Moscow is ready for negotiations “only based on today’s realities in the special operation zone.” In addition, he blamed the West for the breakdown of negotiations, and the Istanbul agreements of 2022, according to him, allegedly suited both Kyiv and Moscow. Putin added that it is possible to return to negotiations “based on the agreements already reached.” “We see that conversations about the need to return to negotiations on Ukraine have resumed again. Let them return,” Putin said.
18:10 The government has set profitability at 25% for domestic ammunition manufacturers - the same as was previously established for drone manufacturers, said the head of the Ministry of Digital Development, Mikhail Fedorov. This will allow manufacturers to expand and modernize their lines. The minister noted that over the past two years, Ukraine has significantly increased the production of its own weapons, and among the most successful cases is the revolution in the production of various types of drones. One of the factors for this success was the attraction of private manufacturers. As a result, drone production increased 100 times over the year.
17:59 In parallel with the peace summit in Switzerland, Russia is convening a BRICS meeting at the level of foreign ministers, Politico writes, citing sources. This means that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi may travel to Russia rather than Switzerland, as can the foreign ministers of India, Brazil and South Africa, the newspaper writes.
17:14 As a result of the Russian attack on the printing house in Kharkov, the total capacity of book publishing in Ukraine may decrease by 30-40%, said the owner of the Factor-Druk printing plant, Sergei Polituchy. According to him, this also applies to textbooks - the printing house produced up to 50% of all textbooks printed in the state. Recovery will take at least several months and international assistance.
16:36 Zelensky visited the destroyed Factor Druk printing house in Kharkov and showed the consequences of a missile strike, which killed seven workers:
16:08 British intelligence reports that Russia sent an African corps of former Wagnerites to attack Volchansk. The Afrika Korps of the Russian Ministry of Defense, created in December 2023, consists of more than 2,000 regular soldiers and officers, as well as experienced mercenaries, many of whom previously served in the Wagner PMC. According to intelligence, Afrika Korps troops are likely to have previously deployed to Syria, Libya, Burkina Faso and Niger.
15:55 The General Staff conducted a study to optimize the staff and decided to reduce it by 60%, said the head of the Main Directorate of Defense Planning of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Evgeniy Ostryansky. According to him, the Armed Forces of Ukraine plan to further staff the operational and tactical levels of command and control, as well as combat military units. This will allow for the rotation of units that have been in the combat zone for a long time.
15:47 More than 1 million citizens updated their data through the Reserve+ application, the Ministry of Defense reported. For comparison, the number of people liable for military service who did this through the TsNAP is 40,865 people, and through the TCC - 21,735 people. Reserve+ is currently available in 176 countries. Soon, a military registration document will appear in the application, which will have the same legal force as a paper one.
15:03 Radio Liberty showed fresh satellite images from the Kushchevskaya airfield in the Krasnodar region of the Russian Federation, which was attacked by drones on the night of May 19. The Planet Labs satellite recorded damage to at least two Russian fighters - the Su-27 and Su-34. The photographs also show that after the strikes, most of the fighters were removed from the airfield.
14:49 Defense forces stopped Russian troops in the Kharkov direction and are carrying out counter-offensive actions, said Igor Prokhorenko, a representative of the Main Operations Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In the Sumy and Chernihiv regions, according to him, the situation is under control. The enemy is amassing troops on the territory of the Russian Federation and daily strikes at border settlements.
14:11 Yanukovych’s plane has arrived in Belarus, where Putin and Lukashenko are meeting today. According to Belarusski Gayun, the Dassault Falcon 900C landed at Gomel airport today at 12:50. The last time Yanukovych was in Belarus was in March 2022.
14:02 Orban believes that Russia does not have enough strength to attack NATO: “Russian troops have already shown the limits of their capabilities in Ukraine. If the Russians were strong enough to defeat the Ukrainians in one fell swoop, they would have done it already. That’s why I I don’t think it’s logical that Russia, which can’t even defeat Ukraine, would suddenly come and swallow the entire Western world. The chances of this happening are extremely low.”
13:56 Germany, together with Denmark, announced a new package of military assistance to Ukraine. It included, in particular, ten Leopard tanks, 54 Vector and Heidrun reconnaissance drones, 8,500 155 mm artillery shells, 20 MG3 machine guns for Leopard-2, Dachs tanks and Marder infantry fighting vehicles. In addition, three HIMARS MLRS are being prepared for shipment.
13:17 Zelensky said that today he is on a visit to Kharkov and held a meeting on the operational situation in the region and preparations for the heating season.
12:58 Reuters writes, citing Russian sources, that Putin is allegedly ready to end the war in Ukraine through negotiations that recognize the current front lines.
12:19 Orbán said Hungary is working to “rethink” its NATO membership status to potentially avoid involvement in future operations outside the Alliance and increased NATO support for Ukraine. “Our lawyers and officers are working hard on how Hungary can maintain its NATO membership in such a way that it does not have to participate in NATO activities outside the territory of the Alliance,” the Hungarian Prime Minister said.
12:07 The Ministry of Reintegration announced the forced evacuation of children from 36 settlements in the Bogodukhovsky, Izyumsky, Kupyansky and Chuguevsky districts of the Kharkov region. In total, it is planned to take out 123 children. We are talking about orphans and children deprived of parental care.
11:41 In Lvov on May 23, a Russian Opposition Forum was held, in which representatives of the political and armed opposition to the Putin regime took part, including delegates from volunteer units fighting as part of the Ukrainian Defense Forces, the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense reported. According to the report, the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the MOU, Kirill Budanov, “supported the holding of such an event as one of the manifestations of the struggle against the Kremlin dictatorship, which also contributes to Ukraine’s victory over the aggressor state.” The media reported that Khodorkovsky, Kasparov, Feigin, Shenderovich and others took part in the forum.
11:27 The Khmelnitsky City District Court reported that it granted all 50 requests for parole of convicts who expressed a desire to mobilize into the Defense Forces.
11:02 Brazil and China are calling for a peace conference with the participation of both Russia and Ukraine, Bloomberg writes. The day before, Chinese Foreign Affairs Representative Wang Yi met with Brazilian President Celso Amorim's chief adviser, following which they issued a statement outlining a "common understanding" on the path to resolving the war in Ukraine. This is the first time that China has signed a joint declaration of war with another country, the newspaper notes.
"China and Brazil support holding an international peace conference at an appropriate time, recognized by both Russia and Ukraine, with equal participation of all parties, as well as fair discussion of all peace plans," the statement said. It also condemns the potential use of weapons of mass destruction.
10:46 As a result of yesterday's Russian strike on Kharkov, 50 thousand books burned in the destroyed printing house, Zelensky said.
10:32 Russia is increasingly succeeding in disrupting the operation of Starlink in Ukraine, writes The New York Times. So, for the first time this happened on the morning of the Russian offensive near Kharkov, which disoriented the Ukrainian Armed Forces, after which such cases were repeated. According to Ukrainian officials, the Russians have deployed more powerful electronic weapons and more sophisticated tools to degrade Starlink, which "poses a serious threat to Ukraine."
The publication notes that this “could mark a tactical shift in the conflict, highlighting Ukraine’s vulnerability and dependence on services provided by Elon Musk’s company.” Ukraine is communicating with the management of SpaceX to solve problems, said the head of the Ministry of Digital Development, Mikhail Fedorov. Starlink's service quality should improve soon, he said.
10:09 The police will forcibly deliver to the TCC those persons liable for military service who are on the wanted list, said the head of the National Police, Ivan Vyhovsky. According to him, police will check the documents of those liable for military service in public places. If a person is wanted, he will be forcibly taken to the TCC.
09:44 Late in the evening of May 23, the Russians shelled Kharkov again - the building of the enterprise was damaged, one person was injured, said the head of the OVA Oleg Sinegubov. He also said that as a result of yesterday’s S-300 attack on a printing plant, seven people were killed and 21 were injured. Eight people were injured in Dergachi, ten in Lyubotin.
In addition, over the past 24 hours, one person was killed as a result of shelling. Redkodub, Kupyansky district; one person was killed and two were injured in the village. Kondrashovka, Kupyansky district; in the village An 11-year-old child was injured in Ryasnoye, Bogodukhovsky district; one person was wounded in the village of Prikolotnoye, Kupyansky district.
09:26 Biden is likely to skip the Peace Summit in Switzerland next month because it coincides with a campaign fundraiser in California, which the American president is scheduled to attend with Hollywood stars, Bloomberg writes.
09:01 In the Donetsk region over the past 24 hours, two people were wounded as a result of Russian shelling - in Toretsk, said the head of the OBA Vadim Filashkin.
08:49 In the Zaporozhye region, one person was killed as a result of an enemy attack in the Pologovsky district, said the head of the OVA Ivan Fedorov.
08:47 At night, the Russian army again attacked the railway infrastructure in the Kharkov region, Ukrzaliznytsia reported. As a result of the shelling, tracks, buildings, non-working freight cars and an electric train car were damaged. No people were injured, trains are running on schedule.
08:35 The General Staff announced the estimated losses of the Russian Federation as of the morning of May 24:
- personnel - about 498,940 (+1240) people,
- tanks - 7635 (+13),
- armored combat vehicles - 14,775 (+27),
- artillery systems - 12 902 (+42),
- MLRS - 1080 (+3),
- air defense systems - 813 (+0),
- aircraft - 356 (+1),
- helicopters - 326 (+0),
- UAV of operational-tactical level - 10 401 (+10),
- cruise missiles - 2209 (+0),
- ships/boats - 27 (+0),
- submarines - 1 (+0),
- automotive equipment and tank trucks - 17,569 (+56),
- special equipment - 2101 (+7).
07:42 In the morning, the Russians struck Nikopol, Dnepropetrovsk region, several times with kamikaze drones, and also fired artillery at the Marganets community. According to preliminary information, two people were injured, a four-story house and a store were damaged, said the head of the OVA, Sergei Lysak.
07:26 On the evening of May 23, at least six ATACMS missiles hit the communications center of the radar and air defense forces of the Russian Army in Alushta, Crimean public pages write. At the site of the impact there is a radio antenna of a space observation station and several buildings of the facility. At the time of the attack, high-ranking military personnel of the Russian Armed Forces were allegedly present there. Explosions were also heard in Simferopol, Saki, Yalta, Dzhankoy and Yevpatoria. According to the “head” of annexed Crimea, Sergei Aksenov, two people were killed as a result of an attack by the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Simferopol, and in Alushta the attack was allegedly “on an empty commercial facility.”
The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that air defense systems allegedly destroyed three ATACMS missiles over Crimea and two drones over the Belgorod region overnight. Also, naval aviation allegedly destroyed three unmanned boats in the Black Sea, heading in the direction of Crimea.
05:53 The first group of Ukrainian pilots completed training on F-16 aircraft at a military base in the US state of Arizona, said Arizona National Guard representative Erin Hannigan. The pilots trained at the 162nd Air National Guard Base in Tucson. Hannigan did not say how many graduated or the exact graduation date "out of concern for their safety." Pilots are currently heading to Europe for additional training.
05:14 Japan imposed sanctions against nine organizations and one individual from Russia, as well as two companies associated with Russia and Belarus. Among those included in the sanctions lists are Transmorflot LLC, State Airlines 224 Flight Detachment and its general director, military unit 25969, the Vladimirovka research complex and the Ashuluk training ground. South Korea also announced its sanctions - the Russian vessels MAIA-1 and MARIA were subject to restrictions.
00:38 Putin arrived in Minsk for negotiations with Lukashenko. The head of the Kremlin said that he plans to discuss with Lukashenko “security issues and the second phase of the Russian Federation’s nuclear exercises with the participation of the Belarusian military.”
00:21 The Financial Times writes, citing a source close to the leadership of the Russian Armed Forces, that a new partial mobilization in Russia “will become inevitable” by the end of 2024 or the beginning of 2025. At the moment, the authorities are “ready to sacrifice some operational successes at the front” in order to “protect society” from participation in hostilities, the source claims. However, without announcing a new mobilization, he said, carrying out major offensive operations is not possible.