Ukraine – 5/22 Sitrep
Compiled by: Robert Homans
Twitter - @rhomansjr
May 22, 2022
5/22 Sitrep (my comments in bold face)
Since the start of the War, “Javelina” has become a very popular name for parents of newborn baby girls.
INTERNATIONAL
Corriere della Sera: Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has said that Europe must force Ukraine to accept Putin's terms. "Peace must be achieved as soon as possible. I believe that a united Europe must make a peace offer, try to persuade Ukrainians to accept Putin's demands.” - BERLUSCONI ASKS UKRAINE TO COMMIT SUICIDE - UKRAINE’S ANSWER TO BERLUSCONI = ITALIAN HAS BEEN GO FUCK YOURSELF
Two important points to keep in mind: 1. Neither “Europe” nor the United States cannot “force” Ukraine to accept Putin’s terms - Ukraine has its own terms; 2. In effect, Berlusconi is telling European leaders to do business with the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Armed Forces, an organization that has committed serial atrocities on Ukrainian territory.
The President of Ukraine and Prime Minister of Italy held talks yesterday on the sixth package of EU sanctions and Ukraine’s entry into the EU.
Tagesspiegel: Former German ambassador in Moscow - With the war in Ukraine, Putin is specifically trying to create hunger crises in the Middle East and North Africa. He wants to destabilize Europe with new streams of refugees and build up political pressure so that Western countries give up their tough stance on Russia.
The Czech Republic will become the presidency of the EU Council on 1 July, replacing France. «The desire of our government - that during the Czech EU presidency, one of the priorities will be the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine, which naturally implies a peaceful situation in this country».
Reuters: US President and his new South Korean counterpart agreed on Saturday to hold enormous military drills and deploy more U.S. weapons if necessary to deter North Korea while offering to send COVID-19 vaccines and potentially meet Kim Jong Un.
Spiegel: Relations between Germany and Poland deteriorated due to negotiations on the supply of weapons to Ukraine.
Member of the Russian negotiation team: Russia will consider the possibility of exchanging Medvedchuk for Ukrainian soldiers from the 'Azov' regiment. Later he refuted his statement.
Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation: Russia has serious problems with logistics because of anti-Russian sanctions. “Those sanctions currently imposed broke all the logistics in our country. And we are forced to look for new logistics corridors.”
Russian Media: A Molotov cocktail was thrown through the window of a recruiting station in Udmurtia. A fire broke out and the entire reserve room burned out. This is the fifteenth Russian army recruiting station hit by Molotov cocktails.
Estonia is in favor of bringing NATO ships into the Black Sea to unblock Ukrainian ports according to the former commander of the Estonian Defense Forces, and currently member of the European Parliament.
There are 3 NATO members bordering the Black Sea, Turkey, Bulgaria, and Romania. At the very least, ports in these countries can be used as staging areas to support the escorting of bulk grain carriers in and out of the Port of Odesa. The Turkish Navy includes several frigates, produced in Turkey, Germany and the United States. NATO aircraft can offer air cover over the Black Sea, in international air space.
Ally of Turkish President: The accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO now can prolong the war in Ukraine. "We consider the membership of these two countries in NATO to be an untimely, unjustified and unnecessary development of events."
The Portuguese Prime Minister arrived in Ukraine and visited Irpin. His comment on Twitter "I will never forget a visit to Irpin. The destruction and violence is absolutely terrible. I have testified to vicious, indiscriminate and unjustified attacks."
● Following a meeting with the President of Ukraine at a press conference an announcement was made that Portugal will provide Ukraine with 250 m Euro in aid
● Portugal may help Ukraine to restore schools and kindergartens
Bloomberg: For the first time in half a century, the United States can overtake China in economic growth. Due to coronavirus quarantine, China's economic growth may lag behind the United States for the first time since 1976. According to Bloomberg analysts, China's GDP will grow by at least 2% and US GDP by at least 2.8%.
Russian Foreign Ministry: Moscow imposes sanctions against the wife of Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau.
Kursk Governor : The Kursk region is restless again. There is shelling in Tetkino and nearby settlements.
Poland handed over spare parts and ammunition for Onet fighters to Ukraine.
Social Networks: TsAGI, the largest Russian research center in the field of aviation and cosmonautics, is burning near Moscow.
Canadian Minister of Finance: On May 20, announced the provision of an additional $ 200 million in financial assistance to Ukraine.
NATIONAL
The Russian military is demanding from civilians who want to evacuate from the occupied territories of southern Ukraine $1,000 each for permission to leave. But even after receiving this amount, they open fire.
British Defense Intelligence: Russia's only operational company of BMP-T Terminator tank support vehicles has likely been deployed to the Sievierodonetsk axis of the Donbas offensive. Their presence suggests that the Central Grouping of Forces (CGF) is involved in this attack, which is the only formation fielding this vehicle. CGF previously suffered heavy losses while failing to break through to eastern Kyiv in the first phase of the invasion.
Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration: Ukraine has done everything it could to join the NATO Alliance. According to her, Ukraine considers its application for membership in the Alliance valid, is waiting for actions from NATO and does not believe that the ball is on the Ukrainian side.
Conflict Intelligence Team: Today, 80 thousand soldiers of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation remain on the territory of Ukraine. Initially, it was about 200 thousand that Vladimir Putin sent to Ukraine, but this number has seriously decreased.”
The Belarusian battalion named after Kastus Kalynovskyi, fighting in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, announced its expansion and transformation into a regiment. The Belarusian regiment will include the battalions "Lytvyn" and "Volat".
General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine:
● In the Siversk direction (North), the Russian troops fired on the settlements of Semenivka, Bleshnia, Horsk, Chernihiv region. Launched missile attacks on targets in the Zhytomyr and Poltava regions.
● In the Slobozhansk direction (Kharkiv), the Russian troops launched air strikes and fired artillery at the areas of the settlements of Chornohlazivka, Prudianka, Dementiivka and Ternova.
● In the direction of Donetsk, the Russian troops inflicted fire damage on the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine along the line of collision. In addition, air strikes were carried out on civilian infrastructure facilities in the areas of the settlements of Vrubivka in the Luhansk region and Bakhmut in the Donetsk region.
● Russians planned to transfer personnel and heavy armored vehicles by a pontoon crossing across the Seversky Donets River near Serebryanka. "Our units inflicted a fire defeat. As a result, the Russians lost significant forces - at least one battalion tactical group. The pontoon bridge equipment was also disabled."
● With the support of aviation and artillery, the Russian army conducted assault operations in the areas of the settlements of Lypovo, Vasylivka, Mariinka and Novomykhailivka in the Donetsk region, but was not successful. It launched an air strike on the settlement of Nikolske, Volnovakha district, Donetsk region.
● In the Novopavlivsk and Zaporizhzhia directions, the Russian troops fired on civilian infrastructure in the areas of the settlements of Vremivka, Donetsk region, Olhivske, Zatyshshia, Huliaipole, Orekhiv, Novodanylivka and Kamenske, Zaporizhzhia region.
● The occupying Russian authorities are working on the so-called "nationalization" of companies providing telecommunications services.
● Russian troops deployed the operational-tactical missile system "Iskander-M" launchers in the Belgorod region.
Human Rights Ombudsman: There are almost 4,000 men from Mariupol in "filtration camps" in the occupied territory of the Donetsk region. The Russians say that already in July-August they will be “mobilized” into the ranks of the illegal armed formations of the Occupied territories of Ukraine.
● The men are in terrible conditions, they sleep on the floor, in stuffy and unsanitary conditions, they are tortured and abused.
Operational Command Pivnich (North): The Russians are shelling the border territories of the Chernihiv region with mortars. Also missile attacks, cluster bombs and mortar shelling on the Kharkiv and Sumy border regions.
Social Networks: Europe Day was celebrated in Borodyanka, Kyiv region yesterday.
Ministry of Health: Will continue payments to medical institutions in the temporarily occupied territories if they can do so through the heads of institutions.
Twitter: Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs: Russia puts millions at risk of starvation by blocking our ports. Together with partners, Ukraine has established two alternative land routes to deliver food exports and save Africa and other regions from starvation. Russia must end the blockade to allow full and free exports. Today the Polish President, Andrzej Duda, spoke to the Ukrainian Parliament. He offered Polish assistance in establishing land routes to move grain out of Ukraine.
President of Ukraine: His explanation why Russia was able to take a significant area in the first days both in the north and south - To date, 700,000 Ukrainians have been involved in repelling the Russian invasion. Russia deployed so many troops that no European army would be able to stop significant progress immediately.
● Ukraine can on its own unblock its Black Sea ports if it had the right missiles.
General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine: In Mariupol, the Russian Federation is taking measures to resume the operation of the port. In particular, Russia is conducting demining of port infrastructure.
Deputy Interior Minister: After the current war, Ukraine will demine for another 5-7 years. This is based on the fact that one day of active hostilities is equal to 30 days of demining, according to the most optimistic forecasts, we need 5-7 years before full demining.
State Security Service: Our analysis showed that the rocket attack on the Kramatorsk railway station was carried out from the occupied Donbas. The security service received unequivocal evidence of the involvement of Russian soldiers in the shelling of the Kramatorsk railway station on April 8, which killed 61 people and injured 121.
● Residents of the occupied territories help Ukraine’s intelligence and law enforcement agencies. People in Donbas are trying to avoid any cooperation with Russian soldiers, and men are refusing to fight in the Russian armed forces.
● Intercepted mobile phone conversation: Soldiers mobilized in the so-called "Donetsk People's Republic" are seeking help from human rights organizations to flee the war. They compare service in the Russian army with slavery, call it a violation of human rights and are ready to desert.
POLTAVA
Regional Military Administration: The head of the Myrhorod district military administration has been detained on suspicion of receiving a bribe.
KHARKIV
Regional Military Administration: The Russian army destroyed 90% of the houses in the village of Vilhivkait.
● The Russians fired at the territories of the Lozovskyi, Chyhuivskyi districts and the Shevchenkivskyi community of the Kupyanskyi district. As a result of shelling, three more people were injured - one in each of the districts.
The police discovered a mass burial of Russian military personnel in the Kharkiv region. Among them is a lieutenant colonel, Serhii Bolvinov, the head of the investigation department of the Main Department of the Ministry of Defense.
Mayor of Lozova: As a result of yesterday's Russian missile strike on Lozova, more than 1,000 apartments were damaged.
LUHANSK
Regional Military Administration: Three doctors and five nurses are all the remaining staff at the Severodonetsk hospital. There are 20 patients in the hospital. The medical facility was practically destroyed by the Russians. A lot of unexploded ordnance remains near the buildings. The hospital is provided with medicines and food for about ten days.
● Russian troops destroyed the bridge between Severodonetsk and Lysychansk for a second time. A connection between the cities still exists.
● Russians are throwing all their forces into seizing Severodonetsk, and they are not abandoning their attempts to cut off the city from communications with other regions, taking control of the Lisichansk-Bakhmut highway
● The Russian army is destroying the regional center, as it has already destroyed Rubizhne and Popasna. The shelling doesn't stop at all.
● Russian media published a video showing Russian forces mining and destroying a bridge. The video was aired immediately after the explosion and it enabled Ukrainian artillery to target and destroy the Russian group and their armored personnel carrier.
DONETSK
The Russians tried to build a pontoon bridge near the village of Serebryanka on the border of Donetsk and Luhansk regions. But they were hit by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the press service of the 30th brigade reports.
National Police: Russian troops shelled 14 towns and villages in the Donetsk region yesterday. There are dead and wounded. The Russians fired from aircraft, tanks, and heavy artillery. The following communities were under fire: Bakhmut, Lyman, Avdiivka, Krasnohorivka, Svitlodarsk, Zvanivka, Yelyzavetivka, Ocheretyno, New-York, Sukha Balka, Yakovlivka, Pokrovske, Soloviove.
● Russian troops launched an airstrike on the Russian Orthodox Church Monastery in Sviatohorsk. There were monks and children there. The church named in honor of the icon of the Mother of God "Joy of All Who Sorrow" of the Sviatohorsk Lavra was destroyed. More than 40 women, 20 children and men were taken by the police to a safe place. This is the fourth attack on the Monastery.
The head of the Azov Regiment press service, before leaving the Azovstal plant, handed over footage to documentary filmmakers of the last day in the besieged fortress of Mariupol.
Mariupol Mayor’s Office: Russian soldiers stole medical equipment from Mariupol hospitals №1 and №4 yesterday and took it to Kalinin Clinic in Donetsk. There they said that the stolen equipment was charitable aid from the United Russia Party, Putin’s political force.
● Russian troops are being rotated at the filtration checkpoints and checkpoints around Mariupol towards Zaporizhzhia.
● Collaborators and representatives of the so-called People’s Militia of the Donetsk People’s Republic are being exchanged for representatives of the National Guard and Chechen fighters on Ukraine’s side.
● In addition, the occupiers are setting up additional checkpoints on dirt roads, which could bypass the filtration control. In fact, from today, any evacuation from the city becomes impossible until the opening of separate corridors as a result of negotiations by the country's leadership.
Mariupol City Council asked Ukrainian media: "Please do not distribute videos made by Russian propagandists showing heroic Ukrainian defenders of Mariupol leaving Azovstal. Let's respect our heroes and not the enemy."
Social Network: Locals report that a large fragment of a Tochki-U ballistic missile fell in their community this morning after the Ilovaisk air defense system fired at the incoming threat.
● In Mariupol, instead of the branch of "Nova Poshta", there is a morgue.
ZAPORIZHYA
Regional Military Administration:
● On the night of May 21, in the temporarily occupied Melitopol, Zaporizhie region, the Armed Forces of Ukraine, together with partisans, attacked the military infrastructure of the Russian armed forces. Radar stations of the Russians were destroyed, which jammed communications and carried out reconnaissance for several artillery crews.
● Russians are massively stealing grain from the temporarily occupied territories of Vasylivskyi district of the Zaporizhzhya. They stole 1,200 tons of grain from the granary of Blagovishchenskyi Zernoproduct LLC.
● Today, on May 22, around 02:44, Russian troops launched missiles on the civilian infrastructure of one of the villages in Vilniansk, Zaporizhzhia region. At present, the relevant services are working at the location. It has been provisionally established that there are injured citizens.
● Yesterday Russian troops bombarded the positions of Ukrainian defenders near Stepne village. Also shelled along the line of fighting in the area of settlements Orikhiv, Vremivka, Kamianske, Mala Tokmachka, Malynivka, Poltavka, Olhivske, Novodanylivka, Hirke, Huliaipole, Huliaipilske, Zelena Roshcha, Novoandriivka
● Ukrainian armed forces in cooperation with local partisans destroyed 4 Russian artillery systems.
Russian occupiers are threatening to close and confiscate businesses that refuse to accept roubles as payment.
In Enerhodar today, local partisans blew up the entrance where the so-called «people’s mayor» Andrii Shevchyk lives. When Shevchyk entered the entrance, the door was blown up. According to eyewitnesses, the «mayor» was not injured, but his guard - yes.
Social Media: In temporarily occupied Beryslav, local residents painted the state flag of Ukraine on a pedestal under the flagpole after the Ukrainian flag was removed by the Russian military.
KHERSON
Regional Military Administration: Russian troops mined bridges and roads in the Kherson region "Stably difficult situation in the whole region, over the past day - explosions and shelling in all areas. Confirmed information from residents of territorial communities about the mining of bridges and roads on which residents of Kherson region are trying to go to the controlled area".
● The communities of Vysokopolska, Stanislavska, Kalinovska, Novovorontsovska, Velikoaleksandrovska that are on the border of occupied Kherson have been cut off from water, light and gas.
MYKOLAIV
In Mykolaiv, a monument to the poet Oleksandr Pushkin was removed from the pedestal in the park at the intersection of Pushkinska and Naberezhna streets. According to eyewitnesses, the monument was dismantled on Saturday, May 21, by municipal workers.
Regional Military Administration: A Russian missile hit the base of a construction company in the Mykolaiv region. Building materials, a gas station and warehouses burned down.
● As a result of Russian shelling of the Mykolaiv region, three people were injured over the past day.
● On the evening of May 20, Russian soldiers fired on the outskirts of Mykolaiv from the 'Smerch' MLRS. Cluster munitions exploded in agricultural fields, and fires broke out in several fields near the city.
● As of the morning of May 21, there are 141 people in Mykolaiv hospitals who suffered from attacks by Russians in the Mykolaiv region.
● Mykolaivv Mayor confirms shelling of the city with cluster shells.
ODESA
Regional Military Administration: Russians threatened to fire on a civilian foreign ship near the Zmiinyi Island. "This morning, the "Britta K" civilian vessel flying the flag of the Republic of Togo, which was making a transit passage through Ukrainian territorial waters near Zmeiny Island, received a signal from the Russians demanding to leave Russian territorial waters, otherwise weapons will be used against it."
REST OF UKRAINE
Emergency Services continue to find new bodies of civilians killed by Russians in the Kyiv region. Yesterday, near Bucha, the body of a grandmother killed in her yard and her grandson were exhumed . Police say they have already found and examined 1,290 bodies of citizens killed during the fighting in the area
Yesterday a Kyiv farmer was wounded while working in his field. His tractor hit a mine and was also damaged. This is the second incident this week of farmers hitting equipment mines in Kyiv Oblast.
Kyiv Police: Areas in the Kyiv districts of Pushcha Vodytsia, Vinohradar, Sviatoshyn and the roads to Zhytomir and Vyshorod are unsafe until fully demined.
Mayor of Zhytomyr: Facebook page: “Yes, today the siren is really loud! The military is working! That's right! But! Air raid alerts - do not ignore! The enemy is awake. The war is not over!"
Rivno Regional Military Administration: Russian soldiers fired a missile at the Rivne region. They hit military infrastructure. There were no deaths, 6 people were injured, their condition is stable.
Comparing Soviet invasion of Afghanistan to Russian invasion of Ukraine using Wikipedia and Ukraine Ministry of Defense Daily Bulletins. Soviet and Russian military losses not including captured equipment.
SOURCES
https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/
https://euromaidanpress.com/
https://invite.viber.com/?g2=AQBD3wxTrZ6XUU7IdXeHUfjVCydekezQCCGuwYnT6qPd1r7n1aVbFIewa6ng6Lis