Bob Homans May 26

20220527

Ukraine – 5/26 Sitrep
Compiled by: Robert Homans
Twitter - @rhomansjr
May 26, 2022

Sorry for the delay – power failure in Kyiv.  Everything is back up now.

5/26 Sitrep (my comments in bold face)

One positive effect of the war is that Ukraine’s endless political squabbles have subsided as all key political actors agreed to a political truce until the end of the war.  Unfortunately, one of the key political actors, Pres. Zelenskyy, decided to unilaterally break the truce and attack his main political opponent, Poroshenko. 

According to reports Ukraine’s security service, the SBU, released a transcript of an interview the SBU conducted with Viktor Medvedchuk, the former Head of a pro-Russian political party in the Ukrainian Parliament, now under arrest and charged with treason.   In the interview, Medvedchuk reportedly said that in 2014 and 2015 former President Poroshenko had asked for Medvedchuk’s help in securing shipments of coal from mines located within the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics, a violation of the import ban that Ukraine had placed on exports from the 2 people’s republic.   In addition, Medvedchuk said that Poroshenko asked for his help in privatizing the Samara – Zakhidnyi Pipeline that supplies diesel fuel, in a manner that would benefit Poroshenko personally.    If Zelenskyy ordered release of the transcript, it would appear to violate the understanding that he and Poroshenko reached at the beginning of the war, referenced earlier.

Aggressive verbal attacks play well against Putin, but diminishes Ukraine and the institution of the Presidency, when the object of attack, former Pres. Poroshenko in this case, is defenseless because he is keeping his word. 

INTERNATIONAL

Russian media:  Google has notified several Russian service providers that they are terminating their contracts for servicing Google Global Cache servers, which are used to speed up the loading of Google services, including YouTube content.

NATO Secretary General urged the Alliance to be ready to support Ukraine "for a long time." According to him, the conflict has already turned into a "war of attrition" and no one can predict with certainty when it will end.

Transparency International France has filed a complaint regarding cover-ups in the search for assets of Russian oligarchs and high-ranking officials close to Putin. Press release of the organization.

Ukrposhta became the first post office in the world to open an online store on eBay. This will enable potential buyers in other countries to purchase iconic postage stamps dedicated to the victories of Ukrainian weapons in the war with the Russian Federation, as well as themed sweatshirts, souvenir magnets and other products.

World Bank President:  A war in Ukraine could trigger a global recession.  As we look at global GDP, we can't see right now how we can avoid a recession. He stressed that the crisis will be felt not only in Russia and Ukraine, but also in other countries. He noted that disruptions in the supply of grain will hit Lebanon, which does not have its own reserves, and other states are already experiencing a slowdown in the agricultural sectors.

PTC: President of Serbia Serbia does not yet see the possibility of imposing sanctions against Russia.  I don’t know what will happen in the future, what life will bring us, and how everything will look. I like to do something rather than swear. Serbia is the only country in Europe that pursues its own independent policy - neither pro-Russian nor pro-Western.

DW:  German President called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to start negotiations with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. He also demands an end to hostilities on Ukrainian territory. "Mr. Putin, stop the suffering and destruction in Ukraine! Withdraw your troops! And do not refuse direct and serious negotiations with President Zelensky! "

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the United Kingdom calls for responding to Russian aggression by force. She considers dangerous attempts to "calm down" Putin and calls on the world to defeat Russia.  Russian aggression cannot be subdued.  It must be answered by force.  We must be steadfast in securing Ukraine's victory with military aid and sanctions.  Now we can't take our foot off the accelerator.

Reuters: Brussels has announced that $ 24.5 billion (€ 23 billion) in assets of the Russian Central Bank, are frozen in EU member states.  The EU named this amount for the first time.  Russian funds of about $ 300 billion were blocked as a result of sanctions, including $ 100 billion in the United States.

Figaro:  The scandalous French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo has created a Ukrainian issue, using the works of Ukrainian cartoonists from Odesa.  The publication notes that the money received from the sale of this issue will be transferred to the "Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Territorial Defense of Odesa."

Accounts Chamber of the State Duma:  Russia, admitted it has no plan to prevent the fall of the economy.

Axios:  Israel banned the supply of Spike anti-tank missiles, produced in Germany under an Israeli license, to Ukraine.

Prince of Wales arrived in Romania to support Ukrainian refugees and see with his own eyes what kind of help they receive.

Romanian deputy:  Moldova will not be able to become part of the EU in the next 15-20 years, but the fastest way could be to unite with Romania.

Swedish Prime Minister said that negotiations with Turkey on Sweden's accession to NATO are ongoing.

Ukrainian Ambassador to Poland:  Poland is preparing for possible shelling from Russia. According to him, given that Russia is shelling Lv’iv or Yavoriv, located a few dozen kilometers from the border, it is quite possible that these missiles can fly 20 kilometers towards the West. And this will be the territory of Poland.

Chechen Kadyrov threatens Poland:  "Ukraine is already a closed issue, don. I'm interested in Poland, don. After Ukraine, don, if there is a team, don, in 6 seconds, don, we will show what we are capable of, don. Better take away your weapons and mercenaries, don".

US Embassy in Ukraine:  The United States provided Ukraine with $4 million for a mine and unexploded bomb clearance program.

Reuters:  Italy, Hungary and Cyprus propose to include a clause on the need for peace talks between Ukraine and Russia in the draft final statement of the EU meeting on May 30-31

European Commission communique:  Violations of the sanctions regime will be considered a crime at the EU level.  This will determine the basic standards relating to the definition of the fact of committing crimes and punishments throughout the European Union .

AFP:  Activists staged a protest outside the building of the oil company 'Total' in France, demanding to stop new Russian oil and gas projects, as well as to completely withdraw from Russia.

Russian Treasury press service:  Since the US Treasury refused to renew a license that allows Russia to make payments to service its foreign debt in dollars, the Russian Treasury decided to make payments in rubles.

The New York Times:  Negotiations between Turkey, Finland and Sweden are now taking place in Ankara.  The countries are discussing Turkey's objections to two other countries' bids to join NATO.

Reuters:  The UK Defense Minister:  The UK refused to lift sanctions on Russia in exchange for a corridor for grain exports.

CNN:  Slovak Prime Minister  "If Ukraine fails, Slovakia will be next. They must win.  We have been exchanging our values for cheap gas and oil for too long. The compromise with Putin provoked a war in Ukraine. The European Union does not need Ukrainians to shed blood for their values.”

CNN:  European Council President is ""confident"" that any issues on the proposed ban on Russian oil imports will be resolved before the next council meeting on May 30.

Bloomberg:  The United Arab Emirates send oil to Europe for the first time in two years.

Food security expert: Global wheat reserves have shrunk to 10 because of the war in Ukraine.

●        Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister:  Russia is blackmailing the world and demanding the lifting of sanctions in exchange for unblocking Ukrainian ports and grain exports. "Any foreign politician or official who might consider accepting this game should first visit the graves of murdered Ukrainian children and talk to their parents."

ERR:  Estonian Defense Ministeris convinced that Ukraine will win the war, and for Russia the war must end in real defeat.  Russians just need to be expelled from Ukraine. He said.

Putin signed a decree on simplified admission to Russian citizenship of residents of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions.

State Department: "The world must unite to stop Putin," US President met with leaders of QUAD countries (Australia, India, Japan and the United States) to discuss the situation with Russia's aggression against Ukraine.

The former Moldovan President Igor Dodon, suspected of corruption and treason, could face up to 20 years in prison, said his lawyer.  Dodon is currently behind bars awaiting bail hearings.

Prime Minister of Belarus confirmed that Belarus is supplying weapons to Russia.

The Guardian:  The British government has agreed to sell Chelsea football club for £4.25 billion, writes. Under the terms of the agreement, 2.5 billion will go to a charity account to help victims of the war in Ukraine.

The State Duma of the Russian Federation unanimously adopted a bill on the abolition of the age limit for military service.

Twitter:  Lithuanian Defense Minister  Lithuania will give Ukraine a new batch of military aid. 20 M113 armored personnel carriers, 10 military trucks and 10 off-road vehicles (for mine clearance) will soon be delivered to Ukraine.

Spiegel:  The value of Russian oligarchs’ assets frozen by the EU is about 10 billion euros.

DAVOS: President of Ukraine is satisfied with China's policy regarding the primary actors in the Russian invasion.  China’s policy is better than helping the aggressor.

●        The only positive moment in the negotiations between Ukraine and Russia was unblocking Azovstal and the removal of people from Mariupol.

●        Ukrainian Prime Minister: In early July, a conference on Ukraine will be held in Lugano, Switzerland, at which a plan for rebuilding the country will be presented.

NATIONAL

Ukrainian delegation to the UN:  Russia kidnaps Ukrainian children and transports them to its territory in order to destroy the Ukrainian nation.  The abduction of at least 230,000 Ukrainian children among the 1.4 million Ukrainian citizens forcibly deported to Russia is a crime aimed at destroying the Ukrainian nation by depriving its younger generations, which is a modern manifestation of colonialism.

The New York Times published a photo from an unsuccessful crossing for Russians in Belogorovka, Luhansk region. There, according to the newspaper, when trying to cross the Seversky Donets, about 400 Russian soldiers died.

British intelligence:  The "elite" Russian Airborne Forces have suffered a complete failure in Ukraine.  Namely: the attack on Kyiv through Gostomel in March, where Russian paratroopers captured the airfield, as well as the unsuccessful crossing at Belogorovka and the stop of the advance near Izyum. The failure to anticipate Ukrainian resistance and the subsequent complacency of Russian commanders has resulted in significant casualties for many of Russia's most elite units.  The misuse of the airborne forces in Ukraine shows how Putin's significant investment in the military over the past 15 years has led to an imbalance in the overall force.

Minister of Internal Affairs:  The units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs are ready to repulse any attempts to re-invade Russia from the northern direction.

The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation announced the opening of two corridors for the exit of foreign ships from seven ports of the Black and Azov Seas: Kherson, Mykolaiv, Chornomorsk, Ochakov, Odesa, Yuzhny, Mariupol. Green corridors will be open daily from 08:00 to 19:00 Moscow time.

●        US State Department: USA will not lift sanctions on Russia in exchange for empty promises to unblock Ukrainian ports

NV:  Ukrainian businessman Rynat Akhmetov, said he would file a lawsuit against the Russian Federation demanding compensation for all losses as a result of a full-scale invasion, in particular, the destruction of the 'Azovstal' plant in Mariupol.

Operational Command Pivden (South)  Transnistra authorities cancelled the red level of terrorist threat, and a yellow one was set.  The authorities are confused by the mass departures of potential conscripts from the unrecognized republic, so they abandoned the idea of mobilization.

●        Near Zmeiny Island (“Snake Island”) the Russians are preparing a provocation with a Ukrainian boat stolen in Berdyansk, a city on the Sea of Azov temporarily occupied by Russia. A small armored artillery boat of the Ukrainian Navy, captured by the Russians in Berdyansk at the beginning of a full-scale invasion, was found near Zmeiny Island. The command considers it quite likely that Russia will try to use the boat, also under the Ukrainian flag, in its provocations with the shelling of foreign civilian ships, and maybe coastal areas of both Ukraine and other states of the Black Sea region.

President's Office: Germany has agreed to purchase liquefied natural gas from the United States.  RWE signed an agreement to buy 2.25 million tons per year from the Sempra plant in Port Arthur, Texas for 15 years.

●        Supported introduction of visa’s for Russian citizens to enter Ukraine.

Washington Post:  Russia started stockpiling troops and equipment near the borders of Chernihiv and Sumy regions. Border guards are preparing for a possible Russian re-invasion from the north.

Ministry of Defense of Ukraine:  Russian divers removed the bodies of dead sailors and secret equipment from the sunken cruiser Moskva.

●        Russia has used 60% of its stockpiles of high-precision weapons. According to some types, even more - about 70%. At the same time, Russia cannot replenish stocks quickly due to sanctions and low production capacity.

●        In the east of Ukraine, the Russian army concentrated its efforts on Bakhmut. It is trying to achieve success in the Lyman direction.

●        In addition, the Russians continue to actively prepare for offensive operations in the Novopavlivsk and Zaporizhzhia directions.

●        Russian troops attempted offensive operations in the areas of Dovhenke, the Kharkiv region and Bohorodychne, the Donetsk region, but failed and withdrew with losses.

●        The enemy attempted offensive and assault operations around Severodonetsk, in the areas of the settlements of Berestove, Lypove and Nyrkove, but to no avail, retreated to the previously occupied lines.

●        In the Avdiivka direction, Russian soldiers conducted unsuccessful assault operations in the areas of the settlements of Krasnohorivka, Kamianka, Avdiivka and Pisky.   These towns are very close to Donetsk City but have been under continual Ukrainian control.

●        Belarus will simultaneously hold military exercises in several regions at the end of May this year.  The exercise plan includes using stored weapons and military equipment and marches.

●        Over the past day in the Donetsk and Luhansk areas repulsed 10 attacks, destroyed 4 tanks, 2 artillery systems, armored personnel carriers, cars and 1 unit of special equipment. Air defense units destroyed 5 Orlan-10 UAVs.

●        Shock aircraft of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine struck at the positions of the Russian troops - destroyed personnel and 10 units of light armored vehicles. Ukrainian fighters intercepted and shot down 2 cruise missiles.

●        Russia is building a third line of defense in the occupied south of Ukraine and sending reinforcements to consolidate and hold positions.  Russian troops are regrouping and strengthening in the Kherson and Zaporozhzhia directions.  From the Crimean peninsula, the Russian Federation is transferring its forces to these areas.  In addition to the ground forces include air and naval components.

International Institute for the Study of War: Russian soldiers are preparing three "encirclements" for the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Donbass. The traps are planned in the area of ​​Severodonetsk and Lysichansk, around Zolote to the northeast of Popasna, and also around Avdiivka.

●        Russia may launch battle for Severodonetsk.  Russian forces have been prioritizing advances east and west of Popasna to complete efforts to encircle Luhansk region.

●        The Russian army probably entered Liman to use offensive coordination southeast of Izyum to launch an offensive to the North

●        Russian troops struck Zaporizhzhia, in an attempt to disable a key logistical hub for Ukrainian forces operating in the east

Security Service of Ukraine:  Russian soldiers can escape the Ukrainian war by returning in a coffin, or by surrendering.  Therefore, now they surrender even more willingly than in the first weeks.

Ukraine’s winner of Eurovision 2022, the Kalush Orchestra will put up for auction Oleg Psyuk's iconic pink bucket hat and the Eurovision statuette. All the money will go to help the Ukrainian army,

Commander of the Ukrainian Navy:  Russian vessels fear being in proximity with our coasts and ports. However, they are still capable of inflicting long range fire damage, and carry out surveillance and control of our shipping.

KHARKIV

Regional Military Administration:  A 64-year-old man died, 7 more people were injured as a result of the shelling of Balakliia says.  Among the victims is a 9-year-old child who was taken to Kharkiv. He is currently in a stable condition.

●        Over the past 24 hours, shelling was recorded in Kharkiv in the Piatykhatky area, a 62-year-old man was injured.

●        The Russian troops fired on Balakliia: 10 people, including a 9-year-old child, were injured. 2 people died: men 64 and 82 years old. Only a 9-year-old girl was able to be taken out of Balakliia to Kharkiv.

●        The Russians fired on Tsyrkuny, residential buildings were on fire, 1 victim. Also 1 victim as a result of the shelling of the Chuhuiv district.

●        This morning they again fired on the Zolochiv community and Slatyne, the Derhachi community - 2 wounded.

Kharkiv Highway Service:  Russian soldiers damaged or destroyed 1059 km, or 45%, of roads in the Kharkiv region during the three months of the war.

LUHANSK

Regional Military Administration:  Russian fire destroyed the last gas distribution station in the region yesterday, as a result of which the entire region was left without gas.

●        Russia has occupied 95% of the territory of the Luhansk region. 

●        Severodonetsk is not surrounded, up to 15 thousand inhabitants remain in the city and villages of the community.  In total, there are more than 40,000 people in the region controlled by Ukraine, of which 99% do not want to leave.

●        In Luhansk region, police have replaced funeral homes.  Police officers go to places of death, as a result of shelling or natural death of citizens, and they carry out burials of people. In one of the districts of Lisichansk, 150 people are buried in a mass grave.

●        Three dead in Lysychansk and the suburbs, a shelter of humanitarian aid, in Severodonetsk.  The Russians inflicted a powerful and prolonged artillery strike on Lysychansk on May 25. 

●        Russian troops tried to storm the Ukrainian defenses near Ustynivka and at the same time used artillery to destroy this village and the nearby town of Lysychansk.

DONETSK

Regional Military Administration: Yesterday morning, Russia launched two missile strikes on Pokrovsk, Donetsk region. Four wounded civilians are now known - they were taken to the hospital. Three facilities were damaged.

●        Today Russian troops killed 4 civilians of the Donetsk region were killed today. Another 12 people were injure.

Adviser to the Mayor of Mariupol: Russian soldiers opened another filtration point in Mariupol in the premises of a Metro store.  "Cynicism from the occupiers - humanitarian aid, headquarters and filtration in one place. Filtration, together with the (FSB RF), is again being carried out by thugs from "state volunteers."

●        Today, the so-called Donetsk National Republic announced the start of distribution of Russian passports for Mariupol residents and newly occupied territories of Donetsk. The actual annexation of Mariupol has begun.

●        Russians have announced an extension of the school year until September 1.  That is without a vacation.  The main goal is de-Ukrainization and preparation for the school year under the Russian program.  Children will be taught Russian language and literature, Russian history and mathematics in Russian all summer.

●        In the temporarily occupied Mariupol, the Russians installed 12 large TVs in crowded places, where propaganda materials are played non-stop.  They also brought 3 mobile "propaganda auto" with a huge screens, which show the same "content ".

ZAPORIZHIA

Regional Military Administration:  Russian artillery fire damaged the historical estate of the Mennonite Johan Yantsen.  The estate was built in the 1870s in the city of Orekhov, Zaporizhzhya region. 

●        30 units of Russian equipment entered the village of Kyryllovka.  According to locals, there are armored personnel carriers at almost every intersection.  There is also a possibility that Kyryllov recreation centers may become a refuge for Russians and as a result suffer from looting, as was the case in Berdyansk.

●        Russians are reinforcing the grouping of troops in the Pohovsky and Vasilyevsky districts of the region. Probably, for the resumption of offensive operations in the direction of Vasilyevka - Kamenskoye, as well as in the direction of Orekhov and Gulyaipol. The possibility of missile and air strikesи remains. The Russians fired artillery from the areas of the settlements of Novopol, Charivnoe, Orekhov and Kamenka.

More on the Mennonites - In 1780 Mennnonites were invited by Catherine the Great to re-settle in southern Russia, including in what is now Ukraine.  Many of them settled in and around what is now the Ukrainian City of Melitopol.   Mennonites were expelled from Russia in various stages starting in the late 19th Century.  Many of them emigrated to Canada, where they have provided substantial assistance to Ukraine starting in the 1920’s, during the first of several famines.   The Mennonite Economic Development Authority, based in Waterloo, Ontario Canada, continues to provide substantial economic and technical assistance to Ukraine.

DNIPROPETROVSK

Regional Military Administration:  Yesterday, the Russians fired several times on the territory of the Kryvyi Rih district.  Russians’ fired artillery at Velyka Kostromka. The territory of the kindergarten and the church came under shelling, there are also destructions of residential buildings. There were no casualties. After lunch, the Russians hit the village of Marianske. There a residential building was damaged, a gas pipeline was destroyed. There were no casualties.

●        There were shootings again in the Kryvyi Rih District. At midnight, Russian troops fired artillery at the Apostolic Community. People were not hurt.

Social Media:  Russians shelled the Marianske cemetery in the Dnipropetrovsk region.

MYKOLAIV

Mayor:  Last night Mykolaiv was hit by a ballistic rocket salvo from a Tornado-S system. As a result of the shelling, a high-rise building was damaged. One person was injured.

REST OF UKRAINE

Prime Minister of Finland Sanna Marin visited Bucha (the Kyiv region)

Mayor:  Kyiv will have its own recovery plan "on the day after the war.”  Restoration of infrastructure, logistics and the construction of a number of facilities are planned even during wartime.

State Border Service of Ukraine:  The Russian army is trying to demonstrate its presence on the Chernihiv border to constrain actions of the Ukrainian military and their use in other areas.

Bucha City Council Secretary:  Another 420 victims were found in Bucha, the city hall. About 100 dead have not yet been buried due to the fact that either the examination has not yet been completed, or there are some moments with relatives."

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

www.ubn.news