Prepared by Sofia Oliynyk and Maryana Zaviyska
Photo: Nataliia Azarkina/ Projector Creative & Tech Online Institute
Cities under attack. The Russians are storming Ukrainian positions in several directions at the same time, said Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar. Russian forces shelled residential areas of Kharkiv. Due to the attack, 7 civilians died, and 17 were injured, including a 9-year old child. Last night, Russian forces shelled Dnipropetrovsk region, destroying a significant infrastructure, rescuers are searching for people under the rubles. In the Luhansk region, heavy battles continue for the control of Severodensk. Russian forces are shelling the city with artillery and aviation. Thousands of troops are attacking from three sides trying to encircle Ukrainian forces in Severodonetsk and Lysychansk. If the two cities fall, nearly all of the Luhansk region would be under Russian control. Yesterday, the Russian occupiers killed five more civilians in the Donetsk region. The number does not include information from Mariupol and Volnovakha, as it is almost impossible to obtain accurate information on the number of victims in the occupied territories.
Cities under occupation. Kherson region. The humanitarian crisis in the occupied Kherson region is worsening due to a lack of medical supplies. As previously report, majority of the pharmacies in the region shut down, while only a few small ones are still operating with increased the prices of medicines by 3-5 times. Meanwhile, the occupiers are illegally importing drugs from Crimea and selling them at the local markets. All medicines are not certified and can endanger human life and health. General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reports that the invaders do not allow to repair of two hydraulic units at the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant (HPP), which led to the partial flooding of Nova Kakhovka.
In Mariupol, self-proclaimed authorities called the remaining citizens to rebuild their damaged houses on their own. The occupation authorities said that “Russia will help”, but with rebuilding of kindergartens, schools, and administration facilities, and the rest โ only with building materials.
Foreign policy. Prime Minister of Finland Sanna Marin visited Kyiv, Irpin and Bucha. During the visit, the Prime Minister named all that happened in Ukraine is a turning point for the world and relations with Moscow could not go back to how they were before its invasion. At the meeting with Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal, the counterparts agreed to involve Finland in the future reconstruction of Ukraine’s infrastructure and to participate in the reconstruction of Ukrainian cities and towns. Moreover, they agreed on the close coordination of cooperation within the EU, in particular on assistance from Finland in implementing reforms in Ukraine on the way to membership in the European Union.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said in an interview with Greeceโs online media that the Russian war in Ukraine โmay last a long time and we need to be prepared,โ calling on allies to be prepared to provide support for a long time and to be restocked.
President of the EBRD Odile Renaud-Basso in the itnerview to POLITICO underlined Ukraine is not yet in the reconstruction phase, but is needs support while in war. EBRD, which announced a โฌ2 billion package of measures for Ukraine immediately after the invasion, is focusing on keeping Ukraineโs infrastructure operational. The financial package aims to support primarily electricity and gas companies, railway in order to keep the networks functioning and to ensure a storage of gas for next winter. Another part of the support includes the agriculture sector and overcoming disruptions caused to logistics channels. The EBRD also sees an opportunity to develop โnew economic models for Ukraine.
Health security. The World Health Organisation assembly voted in favor of a resolution condemning Russian attacks on the health-care system in Ukraine. Ukraineโs successful resolution raises the possibility that Russia could be suspended from the assembly if attacks on hospitals and clinics continue (*and they most likely will continue). The resolutions come alongside a report from WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, which highlights the “devastating” health consequences of the Russian invasion, including 235 attacks on healthcare as well as wider mass casualties and life-threatening disruptions to health services, says Reuters.
Food security. Minister of agriculture of Ukraine warned that by midsummer the world would start to feel the squeeze to food supplies and rising grain prices caused by Russiaโs blockade of Ukrainian sea exports. Global food distribution networks, still recovering from the shocks of the pandemic, are now facing a new crisis as a result of Russiaโs invasion of Ukraine โ the two countries that together supplied over a quarter of the worldโs wheat.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Italy’s Prime Minister Mario Draghi on Thursday discussed ways to help ease the international food crisis, with the Kremlin saying this could be done only if the West lifts sanctions, reports Reuters. While Russia still denies its any role in disruption of the food supply chains, it continues to blackmail the West โ lifting sanctions in exchange for opening food supply routes. This type of blackmailing is nothing new, as it has been already observed in case of the gas supply.
Media. Russia committed 280 crimes against journalists. As of May 24, the Russian soldiers had killed 29 journalists, including seven media workers while reporting from the frontlines. At least 15 journalists are missing. Russian forces continue to kidnap and capture media representatives. Nine cases of journalists being abducted are reported. At least 113 regional media outlets were forced to shut down due to threats from the Russian forces, seizure of newsrooms, and inability to operate under temporary occupation.
War crimes. Two Russian soldiers pleaded guilty on Thursday to firing on eastern Ukraineโs Kharkiv region from across the border in Russia. The second war crimes trial is to take place in Ukraine since Russiaโs full-scale invasion began.The soldiers, Alexander Bobikin and Alexander Ivanov, acknowledged being part of an artillery unit that shelled the village of Derhachi, destroying a school, from a position near the Russian border city of Belgorod. The men, who served as an artillery driver and a gunner, crossed the border and continued shelling before being captured, prosecutors said.
Over the last three months, Russia shamelessly violated the Geneva Convention. As one can observe there are no rules follow for it in this war. In our new factsheet, Anastasia Nekrasova, lawyer, presents of 5 the most common and evident examples of the Geneva Convention violation.
Recent polls. 92% of Ukrainians have a negative attitude towards Russia, only 2% of all have a good attitude. The recent results of the Kyiv International Insitute of Sociology present change of the attitude towards Russia. A few weeks before the full-scale Russian invasion, 34% of respondents said they had a good attitude towards Russia. The absolute majority of citizens (82%), who continue to live in the territories occupied after February 24, 2022 have a negative attitude towards Russia, and only 6% have a positive attitude towards it.
Reading corner.
- Ukrainian fighters use electric bikes in the war against Russia – The Washington Post
- Rubles for gas: Whoโs paid so far? โ POLITICO
- Invasion of Ukraine pushes Georgia to reexamine its fraught history with Moscow โ Coda Story
- Putin’s Mariupol Massacre is one of the 21st century’s worst war crimes – Atlantic Council
Statistics.
- For the last 16 days, the flow of Ukrainians returning to Ukraine is higher than those leaving. The total net inflow to Ukraine during these days amounted to a record 120 thousand people.
- General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine announced the total estimated losses of the Russian military as of 10 a.m., May 27, 2022: personnel โ around 29 750, tanks โ 1322, APV โ 3246, artillery systems โ 623, MLRS โ 201, anti-aircraft warfare systems โ 93, fixed-wing aircraft โ 206, helicopters โ 170, operational-tactical level UAV โ 503, cruise missiles โ 115, boats and light speed boats โ 13, soft-skinned vehicles and fuel tankers โ 2226, special equipment โ 48.
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Thank you for supporting Ukraine! Slava Ukraini! Glory to Ukraine!
