Ukraine – 5/25/23 Sitrep
By: Robert Homans & Bohdan Chomiak
May 25, 2023
Tina Turner at Basin Street West in San Francisco, 1969
Yesterday Tina Turner, who in my opinion is America’s greatest Rock-n-Roll singer of either gender, passed away at 83. This is a song she performed, along with her then-husband Ike Turner, at Basin Street West in San Francisco, entitled “Goodbye: So Long.” I’m sure that she would’ve been happy to perform this song at a celebration of Ukraine’s victory, with the title referring to the Russians departure from all of Ukraine’s territory.
I saw Tina Turner perform twice, once in November 1969 at a Rolling Stones concert in San Diego. At the time, I was a U.S. Navy Officer assigned to a destroyer that based in San Diego. I got the night off. My date was a U.S. Navy nurse. She outranked me. Seats cost $7.50 each, and I bought them one morning on my way to the ship, the first day they went on sale. They were located on the 1st row of the balcony at the San Diego Sports Arena, just to the side, and a bit in front of the stage.
The second time was a few years later, at Basin Street West, a club in San Francisco. The club took up a narrow space, and the stage ran along one side of the room, so no one in the audience was more than 4 rows from the stage. We were in the 2nd row. The configuration of the stage gave Tina Turner and the Ikettes ample room to strut their stuff.
Enjoy, and remember a great performer and a very courageous person who overcame many obstacles in her life to reach the top.
News From the Battlefield
If today’s “Reporting From Ukraine” is any indication, Ukraine’s counteroffensive has already started. At around 50 seconds into the video, he reports on installation of anti-tank “Dragon’s Teeth” in areas in the Kharkiv Region. Several months ago Denys Davidov, aka “The Latest Denys,” reported that the dragon’s teeth were placed in the ground without any anchors, making them very easy to move. Danys postulated that the Russian company responsible for placing the dragon’s teeth had likely benefited from substantial graft by overcharging for the work, likely with the full knowledge of the Russian Defense Ministry. A small example of how graft depleted the Russian Armed Forces before the war even started.
Another interesting piece of information from “Reporting From Ukraine” is that in Bakhmut, the Wagners are being replaced by troops from the Donetsk People’s Republic. They, along with the Luhansk People’s Republic, are probably the least competent units that make up the Russian Army. Expect Ukraine to try to test them.
Meduza IO reported that Russia has been using untrained conscripts to defend the Belgorod region, the area where the recent incursion took place. In today’s Wall Street Journal there was an article that in order to protect their trained troops for the counteroffensive, Ukraine was using conscripts with minimal training inside Bakhmut.
Prigozhin Interview
This is an English transcript published in Meduza IO of an extraordinary interview with Evgeny Prigozhin conducted by pro-Kremlin political strategist Konstantin Dolgov. Sometimes I think that what Prigozhin says about the Shoigu and Gerasimov is all disinformation, that he really doesn’t mean any of it.
5/25/23 Sitrep
Russian Invasion of Ukraine 12:00 noon May 24 to 12:00 noon May 25, 2023
Abbreviations:
RMA = Regional Military Administration SBU = Security Service of Ukraine
RASHISTS = russian Facists/all russian invaders
INTERNATIONAL
Thursday May 25
12:21 am: NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated that now the war has become quite static, the Russians have created many kilometers of defense lines.
· "Understand, this war is not over yet. Ukraine needs to break through the defensive lines that the Russian Armed Forces have been building for months," he said.
8:22 am: Lithuania will strengthen the control of flows of goods subject to sanctions, - Delfi.
8:23 am: In Moldova, they want to cancel Victory Day on May 9 - a draft law was registered in the parliament, - NewsMaker.
Wednesday May 24
12:27 pm: The Netherlands allocates 260 million euros for the joint purchase of ammunition for Ukraine.
· This was reported on the website of the Ministry of Defense of the Netherlands following the meeting of EU defense ministers in Brussels.
· We are talking about 155 mm caliber ammunition. In general, the total military aid of the Netherlands to Ukraine reached €1.2 billion.
2:57 pm: The Ambassador of Ukraine to Germany showed Leopard 1 tanks for Ukraine
· "110 Leopard 1A5. Soon," Oleksiy Makeev wrote on Twitter and published a video with tanks that Germany and other countries promised to hand over to Ukrainian fighters.
5:21 pm: The Ministry of Defense of Japan held a ceremony to hand over 100 vehicles and 30,000 dry rations for the Armed Forces to Ukraine.
· The Ambassador of Ukraine to Japan Serhiy Korsunsky reported this on Facebook.
· "The first two cars are already on their way to Ukraine, the others will be sent after passing the technical inspection and the necessary preparation," Korsunskyi wrote.
6:11 pm: Poland should be ready for an uprising in Belarus, because it will definitely happen.
· This was stated by the ex-Deputy Minister of Defense of Poland, General Waldemar Skzypchak.
· According to him, we must be ready to support those units that will carry out operations against the Lukashenka regime.
9:01 pm: Norway will support the training and education of Ukrainian pilots and personnel on F-16 fighters.
· This is reported by NRK with reference to the statement of the Minister of Defense of Norway Bjorn Arild Grama.
· "Together with allies and partners, Norway is now evaluating how we can contribute to the training," Gram said.
11:24 pm: The US State Department approved the sale to Ukraine of one NASAMS mobile anti-aircraft missile system and related equipment for $285 million
· This was reported in the Pentagon.
NATIONAL
Thursday May 25
7:07 am General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine: During the past day, the Russians carried out 30 airstrikes and fired 39 anti-aircraft missiles at the positions of our troops and populated areas.
· Russian troops continue to focus their main efforts on the Kupyan, Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiiv and Marin directions. There were 28 combat clashes on the specified areas of the front.
· Aviation of the Defense Forces made 7 strikes on areas of concentration of personnel and military equipment of the Russian Federation
· During the past day, our soldiers also destroyed 3 "Shahed" type attack UAVs and 1 "Orlan-10" reconnaissance drone.
· Missile and artillery units hit 2 manpower concentration areas, 4 ammunition depots, an electronic warfare station, 4 artillery units in firing positions and 4 more important targets.
8:08 am: 36 attack UAVs were destroyed at night, - Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
9:32 am: Ukraine's counteroffensive has already started and continues for several days, — adviser to the head of the President's Office Makhiylo Podolyak
· "The counteroffensive has been going on for several days, there is an intense full-scale war on 1,500 kilometers of the border, but individual actions have already begun," he said.
9:45 am: A fragment of a mine hit the heart, - for the first time the head of the GUR of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine Kyrylo Budanov spoke about his serious injury.
· The injuries were received during special operations in Donbas. There were three of them. One of them is difficult: after the explosion of an anti-personnel mine, one of the fragments fell under the heart.
· "It cannot be removed from the body, it is dangerous. My back and neck were broken. "I went across the front line at my own pace, on adrenaline, for about 5 km, and then fell down exhausted," Budanov said. "The injury is serious, but in principle you can live."
Wednesday May 24
12:07 pm SBU press service: The SBU detained one of the organizers of pro-Kremlin provocations in the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.
· The organizer is the deputy head of the pro-Russian organization "Edynoe otechestvo" and a member of the religio-political organization of the Russian Orthodox Church "Union of Orthodox Brotherhoods of Ukraine".
· According to the investigation, he was one of the organizers of the provocations on the territory of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra at the end of March 2023. He also recorded and broadcast his destructive speeches on the "Holy Rus" YouTube channel, which has more than 23,000 subscribers.
12:50 pm: Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting of the Staff of the Supreme Commander.
· "The operational situation was reported by the Chief of Staff, the General Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, the commanders of the Khortytsia and Tavria air defense units. We heard from the Ministry of Defense about the state of supply of ammunition to advanced units and reserves.
· Work has begun on a comprehensive concept for the development of our aviation, taking into account the transition to new types of aircraft," the president wrote.
1:40 pm: 6 enemy ships are on combat duty in the Black Sea, the Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine inform.
· "Among them is 1 Kalibr cruise missile carrier, a total salvo of up to 8 missiles," the message reads.
2:00 pm: Events in the Belgorod region may be repeated in other regions of Russia, suggested the Secretary of the National Security Council Oleksiy Danilov.
· "Bryansk, Kursk, Voronezh region and other territories cannot be safe, taking into account the number of Russian citizens who are categorically against the regime that has been in place for the last 23 years on the territory of the Russian Federation," Danilov said.
2:21 pm: The Orthodox Church of Ukraine approved the transition to a new calendar at the Synod of Bishops in Kyiv. Now Christmas will be celebrated on December 25.
· Other holidays will also be included: Intercession - on October 1, Epiphany - on January 6, Nicholas - on December 6. However, this will not apply to Easter and Trinity.
3:11 pm Operational Command North: As of 2:00 p.m., Russian troops shelled the border areas of Chernihiv and Sumy regions 4 times.
· From 07:00 to 12:10, 24 arrivals were recorded. No information was received about losses among the local population or damage to civil infrastructure.
3:41 pm: "Ukrenergo" calls on Ukrainians to limit electricity consumption in the evening hours — from 19:00 to 22:00.
· The company notes that the spring water is gradually decreasing, and with it the amount of electricity generated by the hydroelectric power station. Also, power units of nuclear and thermal power plants are gradually being stopped for repairs.
6:32 pm Operational information from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine as of 18:00 on May 24:
· "During the day, the enemy carried out 17 airstrikes, carried out about 20 attacks from rocket salvo systems on the positions of our troops and populated areas.
· The enemy continues to concentrate its main efforts on the Kupyansk, Lymansk, Bakhmutsk, Avdiivsk and Marinsk directions.
· In general, during the past day, 23 combat clashes took place on the specified areas of the front."
· "During the day, the aviation of the Defense Forces made 7 strikes on areas of concentration of personnel and military equipment of the enemy.
· During this day, our defenders destroyed 2 enemy attack UAVs of the "Shahed" type and 1 reconnaissance UAV of the "Orlan-10" type."
· "Units of missile forces and artillery hit 2 areas of concentration of manpower, 4 ammunition depots, an electronic warfare station, 4 artillery units in firing positions and 4 more important targets enemy".
7:15 pm: The meeting in the format of "Ramstein" will take place tomorrow, said Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of the NSDC.
· "We understand that this will be another meeting. This has already entered the classic form of the team's work," said Danilov.
· According to him, such meetings will be held continuously until Ukraine wins.
8:27 pm press service: Specialists of the Special Operations Center "A" of the SBU destroy enemy equipment with the help of kamikaze drones.
· "Heavy armored vehicles, trucks with infantry and ammunition, even an enemy drone - SBU special forces are actively adding to the list of Russian casualties," the report says.
10:33 pm: Two former policemen who raped a woman in the Kagarlytskyi branch in 2020 were sentenced to 11 years in prison.
· This was reported by the victim's lawyer on Facebook.
· According to her, the victim will also receive compensation for the damage in the amount of 1 million 296 thousand hryvnias.
10:50 pm: Advisor of the Ground Forces Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine published today's joint photo with Valery Zaluzhny and denied the rumors about the general's illness spread by Russian propaganda.
· "I handed over a gift from our pilots - Army Aviation. Guys, now your coin is in safe hands," she wrote.
Mordor - Russia
Thursday May 25
12:56 am: Smoke is visible near the building of the Ministry of Defense in the Russian Federation. Video from local social networks.
1:44 am: An explosion was heard in the temporarily occupied Dzhankoi, Crimea, local social media reports.
8:22 am: A fire broke out in the building of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. Videos of the smoke began to be published by local publics. Pro-Kremlin mass media first confirmed the event, and then denied it.
9:10 am: Drones attacked the temporarily occupied Sevastopol at night, the so-called "governor" Mykhailo Razvozhaev reported.
· "In the area of Kachi, the forces of the Black Sea Fleet shot down 2 UAVs with small arms, several more drones were silenced and planted by EW means. No objects in the city were damaged," - Razvozhaev.
10:00 am: Prigozhyn's press service announced that the "Wagner" PMC has begun withdrawing units from Bakhmut.
· Prigozhin stated that by June 1, the main part of the Wagnerites would be relocated to the rear camps.
11:17 am: A FAB-500 aerial bomb was found in a field near the village of Kalinine in the Belgorod region of the Russian Federation, 20 km from the border with Ukraine, — rosSMY
· According to their information, the ammunition was discovered during field work, the territory was surrounded, and guards were placed. The nearest houses are a little more than 300 meters away.
11:31 am: Russia and Belarus signed a document on nuclear weapons, the Ministry of Defense of Belarus reported.
· According to the message of the Belarusian agency, during the meeting of the defense ministers of the two countries, documents were signed defining the procedure for keeping Russia's non-strategic nuclear weapons in a special storage facility on the territory of Belarus.
Wednesday May 24
3:45 pm: Local social networks report a powerful explosion around temporarily occupied Feodosia, Crimea. We are waiting for official information.
4:57 pm SBU press service: The SBU laid charges against the general director of Ural Airlines, which provided civilian planes for the transfer of Russian troops to Ukraine.
· As a result of the investigative actions, an evidentiary base was collected on the general director of the Russian airline "Ural Airlines" Serhiy Skuratov.
· It was established that since the beginning of October last year, with the assistance of Skuratov, the aggressor made 11 "military" flights to the airport "Platov" in the Rostov region.
5:48 pm: Ukrainian intelligence has information about Russia's intentions to move its units from the occupied territories to the Russian Federation.
· Andriy Yusov, spokesman for the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications of Ukraine, stated this.
· According to him, this process (relocation of troops - ed.) requires preparation and implementation, but the GUR is closely monitoring this information.
7:55 pm: Putin and Prigozhin head the list of people Ukraine wants to eliminate.
· This was stated by Vadym Skibitskyi, a representative of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, in an interview with Welt.
· According to him, the list also includes the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Shoigu and others responsible for the invasion of Ukraine.
9:15 pm: A video report showing a confused Russian tank that shot its own positions.
· Video from Ukrainian soldiers from the 67th OMBr "DUK".
11:08 pm: Russians are removing secret military documentation from temporarily occupied Crimea to Russia.
· This was reported by the Center of National Resistance.
· "Also, they took encryption equipment from the military administration," the report says.
KHARKIV
Thursday May 25
3:08 am Social Networks: Explosions are heard in Kharkiv.
3:17 am: Head of Kharkiv RMA Oleg Sinegubov reported that the city and the region are under fire from the Russians.
10:15 am Kharkiv RMA: Last night, the Russians launched a missile attack on the village of Circuses of the Kharkiv district. The missile, formerly S-300, hit the ground. A private house was damaged, no one was injured.
· During the day, they also shelled the settlements of Kharkiv, Kupyan, Bogodukhiv and Chuguyiv districts.
· In the village Oleksandrivka was blown up by a 33-year-old civilian with an explosive device. Hospitalized with an injury.
DONETSK
Thursday May 25
10:49 am: The SBU detained an FSB saboteur who was preparing to blow up a railway track near Avdiivka
· He was supposed to take explosives from a cache prepared in advance and covertly install them near the line of the rolling stock.
· According to the investigation, the FSB agent is a railway station employee from the city of Ukrainian, whom the FSB remotely involved in secret cooperation in March of this year. He faces life imprisonment.
11:46 am Donetsk RMA: In the Donetsk direction, the Russians shelled Kurakhove with artillery and Hurricanes — they aimed at the territory of several enterprises.
· Shelling also took place in the Chasovoyarsk community, Kostyantynivka, New York, Zvanivka, Torsky, and Zarichny.
· In just one day, the Russians killed 1 resident of Donetsk region and injured 6 more.
Wednesday May 24
4:06 pm: Yesterday, Russian troops shelled the city of Toretsk, injuring five people, including a 3-year-old child, the State Emergency Service reported.
7:35 pm: In the city of Bakhmut, the number of enemy assaults has been reduced, the enemy is replacing units.
· This was stated by the Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Hanna Malyar.
· "Our defenders control some part of the Litak district in the southwestern part of the city," Malyar wrote.
8:16 pm: An explosion was heard in the temporarily occupied Mariupol.
· This was reported by Petro Andryushchenko, adviser to the mayor of Mariupol.
ZAPORIZHIA
Thursday May 25
11:03 am Zaporizhia RMA: Over the past day, 78 artillery strikes and two from anti-aircraft missiles were fired at 16 settlements: Gulyaipol, Gulyaipil, Stepnohirsk, Zaliznychny, Olhivsky, Plavnyi, Poltava and other front-line villages.
· 24 reports of destruction were recorded. Housing and property of local residents were again damaged. People were not affected.
Wednesday May 24
2:41 pm: Russian troops continue to militarize the territory of the Zaporizhzhya NPP, reports the GUR of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
· Intelligence notes that the 1st, 2nd and 4th power units are used as a logistics and military base. Equipment, the number of which can reach 20 units in one place, is hidden on their sites.
· Employees of regular shifts who have to inspect power units are not allowed. Those who tried to conduct rounds were beaten and tortured, several victims are in hospital in serious condition.
8:45 pm: Today the Russians began to relocate heavy artillery near Melitopol, Zaporizhzhia Region.
· This was announced by the mayor of temporarily occupied Melitopol, Ivan Fedorov.
· "Trenches were dug there a few weeks ago, and heavy artillery, including the Hyacinth self-propelled gun, has been brought in for the past few hours," Fedorov wrote.
DNIPRO
Thursday May 25
8:54 am Dnipro RMA: Last night, the Russians attacked the Nikopol district with a kamikaze drone. The drone hit in the Marganets community.
· Damaged private house. People survived. And already in the morning they hit Nikopol again. Information on the consequences of shelling is being clarified.
KHERSON
Thursday May 25
11:09 am Social Networks: Explosions are heard in Berislav district of Kherson region.
Wednesday May 24
3:26 pm press service of the SBU: In Kherson Oblast, regular accomplices of the aggressor state were arrested by the SBU.
· One of the suspects is a former employee of the Odesa Railway JSC Ukrzaliznytsia regional branch. Another suspect was a local resident. Another accomplice of the enemy was one of the doctors of the "Gornostaev Central Hospital".
· All of them supported the invasion of the Russian Federation and helped the aggressor in the temporarily occupied territory. The traitors were charged with complicity with the Russian Federation.
3:46 pm Social Networks: Explosions are heard in Kherson.
MYKOLAIV
Thursday May 25
7:52 am: Air defense forces shot down 3 kamikaze drones over Mykolaiv Oblast and 1 more over Odesa Oblast at night. There were no hits in the area of responsibility of the Defense Forces of Southern Ukraine, - OK "South".
KYIV
Thursday May 25
12:23 am: Kyiv RMA warns that there is a threat of attack by enemy UAVs in the region. Air defense forces are already working.
12:29 am: KMVA reported on the work of air defense forces on the outskirts of Kyiv.
2:07 am: Explosions are heard in the Kyiv region, subscribers report. Previously - air defense work.
7:37 am: All detected air targets moving in the direction of Kyiv were destroyed by air defense forces and means. Attacks on Kyiv are repulsed, - Kyiv City Military Administration.
SUMY
Wednesday May 24
4:31 pm Sumy RMA: Today, the enemy carried out 1 airstrike on the territory of the Velikopysarovsk community.
· Previously - without victims and destruction of civil infrastructure.
· Also today, the Russians inflicted fire damage on the KAB kindergarten in the Yunakivska hromada.
LVIV
Thursday May 25
9:23 am Lviv RMA: 10 Shaheds flew to Lviv region this night. All of them were destroyed by air defense forces.
CHERNIVTSI
Thursday May 25
10:31 am Chernivtsi RMA: In the Chernivtsi region, due to falling fragments of the downed "Shaheed", a fire broke out in a garage at night, 3 residential buildings and two power lines were damaged.
· Currently, 140 subscribers in the Dnistrovsky district are disconnected from electricity. There is no information about the victims.
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://espreso.tv/
https://cutt.ly/Blyskavka