Prepared by Sofia Oliynyk and Maryana Zaviyska
Photo: President of the European Council Charles Michel
and the Prime Minister of Ukraine Denis Shmygal in a shelter in Odesa/ European Union
Cities under attack. Russian troops shelled Odesa several times on Monday. At least 7 missiles were launched at Odesa. Due to the shelling, the tourist infrastructure was destroyed, including 5 buildings. At least four Onyx-type missiles were fired at Odesa region. Shelling of Odesa and air-raid alarms in Kyiv took place right after Putin laid flowers at citiesβ memorial during Victory Parade. Another shelling hit territories of the two amalgamated communities in Sumy region. In the Mykolaiv region, one person was killed due to the shelling. Russian forces fired regularly at the settlements in Mykolaiv region, leading to the damage of the local infrastructure. In the Kharkiv region, in Izium the bodies of 44 dead civilians were found under the rubble of a house destroyed by the occupiers in March. Slovyansk in the Donetsk region was actively shelled. In Dnipropetrovsk region, air raid alarms lasted regularly throughout the whole night, as the Zelenodilsk community, bordering with Kherson region, was once again shelled. In the Luhansk region, the fight concentrated around Belogorovka (between Popasna and Lysychansk), while the shelling of Severodonetsk and Lysychansk continued. The Lysychansk oil refinery plant, one of the biggest in the region, was once again hit by the shelling. As a result, the fire covered an area of 360 sq.m. In the Donetsk region, significant destruction of civilian infrastructure is reported in Maryinka. In Avdiivka, Russian forces held artillery shelling, directly hitting apartment blocks both non-stop in the evening and in the morning. At night also two airstrikes hit Avdiivka town. Toretsk, Zalizne, and New York remain under the non-stop shelling. See the map of the current military theater developments.
Mariupol. Russian forces attempted to blow up the bridge on which the evacuation from Azovstal was going once the evacuation convoy left. The bridge is targeted in order to prevent the possible evacuation of the Ukrainian troops from Azovstal. Mariupol City Council Deputy Oleksandr Lashyn reports that Russian forces are considering the usage of chemical weapons against Ukrainian troops remaining in Azovstal. In Mariupol, the Russian army was trying to blow up the bridge where the evacuation took place, β said the adviser to the mayor of Mariupol Petro Andriushchenko.
Cities under occupation. Russian forces were attempting to organize Victory Parades in the temporarily occupied territories. These parades are simple, but very effective means of Kremlin propaganda, whose primary purpose is to strengthen the populationβs confidence in Russiaβs military greatness. In Melitopol, the mayor says the locals did not join May 9 celebration events. The staged parade was organized with the participation of the people brought from the Crimea, Luhansk and villages of Melitopol region. Overall, more than 60% of the population has already left Melitopol, this is around 70,000 inhabitants.
In the Kherson region, the occupiers are forcing local entrepreneurs to obtain temporary work permits and threatening to confiscate property. Russian representatives are forcing people to cooperate, especially the food producers, to whom they come with weapons and demand to continue working. According to the new regulations, the business is allowed to operate only with a βtemporary permitβ to work from the βmilitary-civil administrationsβ.
Following the orders of the new administration in Kherson, Russian forces proceeded with confiscation of the apartments of Kherson residents. Local self-proclaimed authorities require all heads of housing cooperatives to βprovide lists of apartments whose owners have left the city of Kherson to hand over empty housing to temporary migrants who have arrived from the zone of active hostilities.β
Currently, every fifth resident of Kherson region left the temporarily occupied territories, despite the lack of official green corridors. Head of the Regional Military Administration Gennady Laguta reports 45% of the total population who left the territory.
Foreign policy. EU. Ukraine submitted completed the second part of the questionnaire for obtaining the status of a candidate for EU membership. Meanwhile, on Monday, European Council President Charles Michel made a surprise trip to Odesa, but was forced to take shelter during a missile attack. The European Union is considering the issuance of joint debt to finance Ukraineβs long-term reconstruction, which may end up costing hundreds of billions of euros, writes Bloomberg. Ukrainian officials report needed $5 billion to $7 billion monthly to fill a budget gap caused by Russiaβs invasion. If further proceeded, the package could be similar to the one the European Commission adopted two years ago in response to the covid pandemic.
On May 9 the closing ceremony of the EU’s Conference on the Future of Europe took place in Strasbourg. The Conference presented proposals for a better Europe on Monday to French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. French President Emmanuel Macron called for more wide-sweeping reforms to revamp the EU. In his speech, he backed efforts to discuss changes to the treaties that govern the bloc. Macron said that while Ukraine βis already a member of the family of the European Union,β under current protocols it would take βyears if not decadesβ for Kyiv’s membership bid to be finalized. However, thirteen EU member-states, however, pushed back against βunconsidered and prematureβ revision of the EU’s treaties.
US. President of the United States Joe Biden signed the Lend-Lease and Protection of Democracy in Ukraine β 2022 Act. The measure is designed to make it easier for the US to send weapons and supplies to Ukraine. The Lend-Lease was in effect during World War II and allowed the United States to provide weapons to the Allies and more. The US Department of Commerce suspended the 25% tariff on steel imports for the duration of one year.
Council of Europe. The Secretary-General of the Council of Europe Maria Peichynovych-Burych visited the Ukrainian cities of Borodianka and Irpin on May 9.
Japan. After the G7 meeting, Japan agreed to an embargo on Russian oil. The Prime Minister of Japan has announced the decision will come into force gradually, providing a phase-out period to minimize the effect on the economy.
UN. The U.N. Human Rights Council will hold a special session on Ukraine on Thursday. The meeting will focus on the review of the situation there, including reports of mass casualties in Mariupol. The meeting is called among the request of Ukraine βThe current situation requires the urgent attention of the council in view of the recent reports of war crimes and large-scale violations in the town of Bucha and other liberated areas of the country and ongoing reports of mass casualties in the city of Mariupol,” wrote Ukraine’s ambassador to the United Nations, Yevheniia Filipenko, as reported by Reuters.
Media. In 2022, the Pulitzer Prize board awarded a special citation to Ukrainian journalists who cover the war in Ukraine, unleashed by Russia, with courage and endurance. βDespite bombardment, abductions, occupation and even deaths in their ranks, they have persisted in their effort to provide an accurate picture of a terrible reality, doing honor to Ukraine and to journalists around the world,β said prize administrator Marjorie Miller.
Reading corner.
- βPobedobesieβ (Victoryfrenzy) in its purest form. How Victory Day in Russia raises young murderers and rapists | war.ukraine.ua
- As war rages, Ukraine contemplates years of recovery β POLITICO
- How to Think About Rebuilding Ukraine – Bloomberg
Statistics.
- General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine announced the total estimated losses of the Russian military as of 10 a.m., May 10, 2022: personnel β around 26 600, tanks β 1170, APV β 2808, artillery systems β 519, MLRS β 185, anti-aircraft warfare systems β 87, fixed-wing aircraft β 199, helicopters β 158, soft-skinned vehicles and fuel tankers β 1970, boats and light speed boats β 12, operational-tactical level UAV β 380, special equipment β 41, cruise missiles β 94. Also, follow the interactive counter of Russian losses.
Every action counts, no contribution is too small!
- Support Vostok SOS. A non-governmental organization helping to find shelter for internally displaced persons, evacuating people from the conflict zone, collecting and distributing humanitarian aid to IDPs in Kyiv, delivering humanitarian aid to front-line settlements, and providing psychological first aid.
- Share this up-to-date information about the situation in Ukraine, either on social media, with local media or by spreading around this brief update.
- Subscribe to our daily updates on Twitter and our website.
- You can support our project with donations via PayPal. More information here.
