Summary of the Events
Ukraine continues to liberate communities north of Kharkiv while losing no ground to Russian attacks along the Donbas Contact line. Most of the soldiers defending Mariupol have surrendered.
Battle for the Donbas (Donetsk, Luhansk, Mariupol)
Russia keeps scaling down their goals. They have slowed down their drive to take Kramatorsk and are now focusing everything on taking Severodonetsk, which will give them all of Luhansk. One of the main reasons is that Ukraine has inflicted heavy damage every time they attempt to cross the Siversky Donetsk River.
Luhansk – The last electrical station in Lysychansk has been destroyed completing cutting off the Severodonetsk area from electricity. Russian forces attempted to take Nyzhnye without success. Shelling of residential areas resulting in 25 deaths, 15 alone in Severodonetsk.
Siversky Donets – Russian forces are mostly trying to reinforce the settlements they have occupied. One child was killed in shelling of Lyman.
Donetsk – Russian forces conducted 28 attacks in the Donetsk region on Wednesday. Bakhmut was hit the most. A factory and a five-story apartment building were hit killing five people including a two-year-old child and seriously injuring another child. A school in Avdiivka was struck and burned to the ground. The weapons fired were banned phosphorous chemical weapons which causes burns to the bone. Fortunately, no one was hurt in the attack as it occurred at night and all those on guard duty were able to escape. All in all, 52 structures were hit including residential apartments, three schools, a factor, a farm, and critical infrastructure facilities. Russian forces gained no territory in the attacks.
Mariupol – After Ukraine gave the order to the Azov National Guard to save their lives and surrender, around 1750 did including 100 injured soldiers. But there are dozens, if not hundreds, who have remained in the tunnels beneath the Azovstal steelworks to continue partisan attacks.
Battle for Kherson
Russia fired two missiles against themselves in Kherson and shot them down to make the claim that they saved residents of Kherson from an attack by Ukraine. They are trying to convince the citizens of Kherson to vote for Russian annexation of their city.
Battle for Kharkiv
Ukrainian forces pushed Russian troops back another ten miles in liberating Dementiivka which is twenty miles north of the center of Kharkiv. Unable to hit Kharkiv with artillery, Russia has begun firing missiles on Ukraine’s second city and the surrounding villages against civilian targets.
Russia claims that Ukraine has begun shelling civilians in the Russian village of Solokhi to the north of Kharkiv. Ukraine denies any such attack was made and claims that the images that show missiles flying over Solokhi were fired by Russia to create disinformation.
Other Ukraine Regions
Chernihiv – Russian forces have intensified artillery attacks against Chernihiv again. It is believed that Russia is trying to keep Ukrainian troops from being able to reinforce the defenders of the Donbas by forcing them to stay and defend Chernihiv.
Dnepropetrovsk – Two Russian missiles were fired on residential areas in Dnepro, but one was shot down. The one missile that hit fell in the yard of a home injuring one woman and damaging two homes.
Mykolaiv – A missile struck a residential region in Mykolaiv killing one civilian.
Odesa – A missile struck Odesa on an infrastructure target causing no casualties.
Sumy – Russian forces have intensified artillery attacks on border town in the Sumy Region and the capital city of Sumy as well to distract Ukrainian troops from reinforcing the Donbas. Russia claimed that Ukraine shelled a distillery in the Russian village of Tetkino just over the border killing one civilian. Ukraine denied any attack on Russian territory.
Zaporizhia – Partisans are becoming more and more active in the Russian-occupied city of Melitopol which was taken on the first day of the Russian invasion. Two Russian officials were assassinated in a car explosion which also damaged an armored train and the track it was on. And a hand grenade was thrown at the Russian headquarters set up in the center of the city.
Russia
The war has come to Russia. Ukrainian forces shelled Russian troops near Tetkino, Kursk Region just over the border of the Sumy Region. One person died in the attack.
Other News
French President Emmanuel Macron called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and promised that military support from France will “increase in intensity”.
The International Criminal Court based in the Hague has sent the largest deployment of investigators in their history to Ukraine to gather evidence of Russian war crimes.
Vadim Shyshymarin, the first Russian soldier to be tried for war crimes in Ukraine, plead guilty. The 21-year-old shot a 62-year-old Ukrainian man who was walking home under orders from his superior through an open window as they were driving by in a stolen car.
Belarus broadened the death penalty to be applied to anyone who is interfering in the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Belarusian partisans have been blowing up railroad tracks to slow down Russia’s movements within Belarus.
UN chief Antonio Guterres warns of worldwide famine due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and has urged Russia to allow Ukraine, the world’s largest food basket, to export grain.
Martial law in Ukraine is scheduled to come to an end on May 25. President Zelensky has requested a three-month extension to the Ukrainian Rada (legislature).
International Support
The European Alliance of News Agencies suspended Russia’s TASS media group from membership.
The International Basketball Federation banned all teams from Russia and Belarus from the eight upcoming international competitions.
The United States has reopened its embassy in Kyiv. President Joe Biden nominated Bridget Brink as the new ambassador to Ukraine who was unanimously approved by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and is expected to be approved by the full Senate.