Ukraine Latest News. Weekly Overview for May 27 – June 2
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27.05/ Stupak: Putin’s nightmare: Will Russian forces go to face-to-face combat with NATO forces?
28.05/ Povkh: Kharkiv at the ready
28.05/ Kovalenko: Putin’s Russia (isn’t) offering peace
28.05/ Mezentseva: Peace Summit in Switzerland: Will peace be coming on?
29.05/ Bratchuk: South at the ballistics range
29.05/ Nazarenko: Eastern frontline: We will hold out
29.05/ Documentary on soldier rehabilitation at Forest Lawn Mental Health Center
30.05/ Vihirinsky: Summit on Peace and War
30.05/ In memory of combat medic Iryna Tsybukh (alias Cheka)
30.05/Katkov: Reinforcement in anticipation of F-16s
31.05/ Dolhov: Squeezing the West: How many more Ukrainians will have to die?
31.05/ Documentary on how inmates are being recruited for war
31.05/ Voloshyn: Ukrainian military pushing Russians out of northern Kharkiv region
27.05/ Conference at Ministry for Veterans’ Affairs
28.05/ Servicemen of 215th Battalion, 125th Brigade, Land Forces, AFU, Artur Dron hosted charity reception for his brigade
28.05/ Alley of Heroes outside of Cherkasy
28.05/ Ukraine’s Minister of Culture and Information Policy, Rostyslav Karandeev’s working trip to Kharkiv city
28.05/ Graffiti alleys in memory of fallen heroes, Kamianka
29.05/ In Lviv, fallen defenders’ families were presented with the "Honorary Badge of St. Yuri" awards
30.05/ Press briefing by defense ministers of Ukraine and Germany, in Odesa
30.05/ 2024 edition of the "Book Arsenal" exhibition launched in Kyiv
31.05/ In Kharkiv, debris is being dismantled after nighttime Russian shelling
31.05/ The Last Bell Festival at the Kharkiv metro school
31.05/ In Zaporizhzhia, schoolchildren met with a defender who lost a leg in the war
31.05 A beach bomb shelter opened in Odesa
31.05/ In Dnipro, entrances of a house on Naberezhna Peremohy destroyed by Russian shelling are being dismantled
31.05/ Unbroken Kids children's rehabilitation unit opened in Lviv
31.05/ Opening of the “Book Arsenal” exhibition and presentation of the book “Living the War: Children”, in Kyiv
01.06/ Aftermath of Russian missile attack on Zaporizhzhia
01.06/ Citizen action in support for prisoners of war, Vinnytsia
02.06/ The farewell ceremony for military paramedic Iryna Tsybukh, in Kyiv
HOSTILITIES
760 combat clashes took place at the front line in the week from May 27 to June 2, according to the General Staff.
Air defense forces destroyed 38 out of 39 Shahed-131/136 strike UAVs launched by Russia from May 27 to June 2
On 27.05, a drone of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense’s Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) attacked and hit Russia’s over-the-horizon radar station "Voronezh-M" located in the city of Orsk, Orenburg region, at a distance exceeding 1,800 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.
On 30.05, Ukraine’s Defense Forces had successfully attacked and hit the Kerch ferry crossing with ATACMS missiles, seriously damaging two ferries carrying rail cars and vehicles.
On 31.05, the Ukrainian Navy’s strike grouping of forces and capabilities used Neptune missiles to hit ferry crossing and oil terminal at the Kavkaz port in Russia’s Krasnodar region.
On 30.05, special forces of the Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) attacked four Russian KC-701 Tuna-class boats using Magura V5 unmanned surface vehicles (USV), or naval drones in Crimea, leaving two of them destroyed and the other two seriously damaged.
On 30.05, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi visited the brigades and battalions holding defense at Kharkiv front line.
Overnight on May 30, drones operated by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) obliterated a Russian Nebo-SVU long-range radar system in Crimea. The destruction of this sophisticated radar system, valued at approximately USD 100 million and located near Armiansk, marks a significant blow to Russian surveillance and protection of its military assets in Crimea. The radar was a critical component in monitoring a 380-kilometer-long (around 235 miles) stretch of the front, thereby playing a vital role in safeguarding Russian military facilities in the area.
Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said on May 28 that Russia is planning to deploy another 300,000 troops to its northern areas bordering Ukraine.
France will send its instructors to Ukraine to train Ukrainian military service members. The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi has already signed relevant authorization documents.
Front line situation
27.05.
• At Kharkiv front line, Ukraine’s Defense Forces have limited success; they successfully repelled a new attempted Russian offensive advance towards the town of Lyptsi.
• The largest number of combat clashes took place at Pokrovsk front line. The defense forces are restraining the onslaught of Russian invaders and conducting active measures in some areas.
28.05
• The enemy continues with offensive operations, which are most active at Pokrovsk and Kupyansk front lines.
• At Kharkiv front line outside of the town of Lyptsi, Ukrainian defenders are reinforcing their defenses and actively resisting the enemy.
29.05
• The Russian invaders are attacking along almost all of the front line, focusing their efforts on Kharkiv and Pokrovsk axes.
• On Kharkiv axis, Russian troops continue their assault on the town of Vovchansk, launching their attacks from Murom towards the village of Starytsia.
• During May 29, Russian troops were intensifying their assault operations on Kurakhove axis.
• The enemy is pulling up reserves on Lyptsi and Vovchansk axes to maintain the pace of advance.
30.05
• At the southern stretch of the frontline, the situation on the line of combat contact was escalating, with 19 attempted Russian assaults on Ukrainian positions reported over the previous day.
• On Kupyansk axis, Ukrainian forces successfully fought off a Russian attack near the village of Synkivka.
• On Kramatorsk axis, the enemy made eight unsuccessful attempts to breach out through Ukrainian defense lines. The situation is under control.
• On Pokrovsk axis, the number of combat clashes remains the highest; Ukrainian soldiers continue repulsing Russian assaults on the villages of Yevhenivka and Umanske.
31.05
• The defense forces fought off two attempted attacks by Russian forces aiming to enter and occupy Chasiv Yar.
• The enemy is striving to attack on Kupyansk and Siversk axes, and intensified its assaults on Lyptsi, Kharkiv axis.
01.06
• Russian invaders are most active on Pokrovsk, Kurakhove, and Siversk axes.
• Invading forces continue their intense assault on Pokrovsk axis, while increasing the intensity of attacks on Siversk and Kurakhove axes.
• On Lyman axis, Russian invaders never cease their attempts to gain a tactical success at Torsk and Terny front lines.
02.06
• On Kharkiv axis, a battle was going on since early hours of the day at the Starytsia front line. The situation is under control. The Armed Forces continue measures to strengthen the front edge of defense.
• On Lyman axis, Russian assault on the village of Terny had ended without success.
• On Pokrovsk axis, the enemy is making attempts to advance deeper into the areas of Novooleksandrivka and Sokol. The situation remains tense. Defense forces are taking measures to stabilize the situation.
• On Kurakhove axis, Russian forces made three unsuccessful attempts to approach Kostyantynivka. Ukrainian forces had been able to hold out their positions.
The front line in northern Kharkiv Oblast is stable as of May 30; in Vovchansk it runs along the Vovcha River.
Russia on 28.05 was rotating its forces and equipment out of Ukraine, from Sumy region. Overall, it had decreased the number of its military personnel deployed in the region.
WAR: LOSSES AND AFTERMATH
ENEMY: LOSSES AND CONSEQUENCES
Russia’s combat losses in the war in Ukraine in the period from May 27 to June 2, 2024 had totaled:
• 8,670 personnel
• 103 main battle tanks
• 175 armored combat vehicles
• 280 artillery systems
• 5 MLRS
• 7 pieces of air defense equipment
• 284 operational-tactical UAVs
• 58 cruise missiles
• 453 automobiles and fuel tanks
• 84 pieces of specialized equipment.
Overnight on May 27, Ukrainian drones reportedly attacked targets in Gelendzhik, Krasnodar Territory, where one of Putin's palaces is located nearby.
27.05/ GRAPHIC/ May 26, 2024: Russia’s toll of combat casualties from the war had surged up to 502,340 soldiers dead and irreversibly wounded
Russia’s total combat losses as of May 27 amounted to (see the graphic below):
Графіка
Personnel – 502,340
Tanks – 7,671
Armored combat vehicles – 14,818
Artillery systems – 12,981
MLRS – 1,084
Pieces of air defense equipment – 815
Fixed-wing aircraft – 357
Rotary-wing aircraft – 326
Unmanned aerial vehicles – 10,467
Cruise missiles – 2,221
Naval ships and boats – 27
Automobiles – 17,694
Submarines – 1
Special-purpose vehicles – 2,118
Over May 2024, Ukraine Defense Forces had destroyed 1,160 Russian artillery systems – a record high number since the war broken out in February 2022
UKRAINE: RUSSIAN ATTACKS AND AFTERMATH
As a result of Russia’s shelling attacks on the Donetsk, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Chernihiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Sumy, and Kharkiv regions, 13 people died and 78 were injured.
Since the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine, Russian military had killed 550 children and injured at least 1,364 more as of June 1, 2024.
A total of 673 Ukrainians had been injured by Russian explosive traps as of May 29.
212 bodies of fallen defenders were returned to Ukraine as a result of repatriation measures.
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Russia’s missile and drone attack on May 30
• Air defense forces destroyed 7 out of 19 missiles and 32 out of 32 attack UAVs launched by Russian forces.
• Seven people injured as a result of Russian missile and drone attack on a critical infrastructure facility in the city of Kharkiv.
• Energy facilities in Khmelnytskyi region were damaged, leaving 500 consumers without electricity supply.
Missile attack on May 31
• Air defense forces destroyed all of the four Shahed attack drones and one Iskander-K cruise missile launched by Russia at Ukraine.
• In Kyiv, a service station and six cars were damaged, and a transformer substation in Holosiiv District was destroyed.
Missile and drone attacks on June 1
• The Ukraine Defense Forces took out 35 out of 53 cruise missiles and 46 out of 57 Shahed-131/136 strike drones launched by Russia
• Russia attacked energy infrastructures in five Ukrainian regions: Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Kirovohrad, and Ivano-Frankivsk
• Equipment was seriously damaged at two DTEK thermal power plants as a result of Russian strikes.
• In Lviv Oblast, four people were injured as a result of a Russian attack on energy and civilian infrastructures.
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Overnight on May 31, the Russians launched S-300 and S-400 missiles at Kharkiv and hit a 5-story residential building, killing nine and injuring 25 people, according to military authorities of Kharkiv Oblast.
On the evening of May 31, the Russian military launched an Iskander ballistic missile with a cluster warhead toward Odesa, targeting the port infrastructure; two people were injured in the aftermath of this attack, according to military authorities of Odesa Oblast.
Iryna Tsybukh, a 25-year-old manager of Suspilne broadcaster’s regional public broadcasting projects and a military paramedic of the "Hospitaliers" volunteer battalion, died on May 29 at Kharkiv front line. Eternal memory of the Heroine.
A serviceman, director Kostyantyn Petryk died while performing a combat mission at the front line. Eternal memory of the Hero.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense verified that Viktoriya Roshchyna, a Ukrainian journalist remains in detention in Russia.
WAR: POLITICAL DECISIONS, TECHNOLOGICAL BREAKTHROUGHS, ARMAMENTS, AID FROM ALLIES
UKRAINE’S HOME FRONT
President Volodymyr Zelensky
• On 29.05, Zelensky heard reports of the Commander-in Chief, Chief of the General Staff, and the Minister of Defense regarding the current front line situation and relevant measures being taken by Ukraine.
• On May 30, Zelensky announced that the security agreements signed by Ukraine with 12 countries include more than USD 23 billion worth of military aid and financial support for Ukraine.
In an interview with The Guardian on May 31, he said:
• negotiations with Russia are unrealistic. A peace agreement with the Russian Federation will be a "trap", because Putin will violate any agreement, and he "cannot be trusted".
• This is the real Third World War. Putin is not crazy, he is dangerous. And it's much scarier. He will not stop.
• He called on US President Joe Biden to overcome his fears about a possible nuclear escalation with Moscow and give Ukraine permission to strike Russian territory with Western-supplied weapons.
• US presidential candidate Donald Trump's intentions to end the war between Ukraine and the Russian Federation through concessions to Putin may be dangerous not only for Ukraine, but for the U.S. global standing as well.
***
Visits to Ukraine
• US Deputy Finance Minister, Wally Adeyemo visited Ukraine on May 29 to discuss with Iryna Mudra, a deputy head of Zelensky’s office, measures to limit Russia's ability to purchase dual-purpose products of critical importance to it.
***
Cabinet of Ministers:
• endorsed a draft agreement with the USA that will entitle Ukraine to almost USD 7.9 billion worth of financial and economic support.
In a new war prisoners swap, 75 soldiers and civilians got back home to Ukraine from Russian captivity.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense has shortened to 10 days the procedure for introducing new weapons and military equipment items into operational use.
The State Bureau of Investigations, in the case on the breach of the state border in Kharkiv region by Russian Federation’s troops, is investigating the level of provision and staffing of the Armed Forces units, the construction of fortifications and unit-to-unit cooperation.
It is impossible to hack the "Reserve+" application to get access to its databases, because they are not stored there. Since May 18, more than 14,000 draft-liable persons in 124 countries had updated their personal data through the "Reserve+" application.
May 29. /GRAPHIC/ Draft deferment: who is eligible (see the graphic below)
Графіка
DEFERMENT FOR HEALTH REASONS
Granted by a Military Medical Commission (MMC) only, for a period of from 6 to 12 months, depending on the illness and the duration of treatment
DEFERMENT FOR FAMILY REASONS
Who cannot be drafted:
* men and women who support three or more children aged under 18, or are guardians of a child aged under 18
* men and women who support a minor child (children) or a spouse in active military service
* adopting parents, guardians who support orphan children or children deprived of parential care, aged under 18
* men and women who support an adult child with a disability of group I or II
WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR DRAFT DEFERMENT
Persons supporting parents, spouses or spouse’s parents in need of permanent care
Persons supporting spouses with a disability or spouse’s parents with a disability of group I or II
Guardians of persons recognized by the court as incapacitated
On May 27, members of an IMF mission and the Ukrainian government began negotiations on the fourth revision of the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) program.
Ukraine launched a compensation program for farmers affected by mine contamination; farmers whose lands had been decontaminated by certified mine action operators (CMOs) in the period from February 24, 2022 to April 15, 2024 are eligible for compensations under this program.
ALLIES AND PARTNERS
Visits by the President of Ukraine
SPAIN, May 27
In Madrid, Volodymyr Zelenskyi and Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez signed a bilateral security agreement.
At an audience with the King of Spain, Felipe VI, President Zelensky thanked Madrid for its humanitarian aid and support for Ukrainian citizens in Spain.
BELGIUM, May 28
• The President of Ukraine signed a bilateral agreement on security and long-term support with the Prime Minister of Belgium, Alexander De Croo. The agreement includes €977 million worth of military support in 2024, along with the transfer of 30 F-16 fighter jets.
• During his audience with King Philippe of Belgium, Zelensky was talking over issues relating to the upcoming peace conference in Switzerland.
• Zelensky visited a military base where Ukrainian pilots are trained on the F-16.
PORTUGAL, May 28
In Lisbon, the President of Ukraine and Prime Minister of Portugal Luiz Montenegro signed a bilateral agreement on security cooperation.
• Zelensky, accompanied by Mr. Montenegro, met with families of Ukrainian servicemen and members of the Ukrainian community in Portugal.
• Volodymyr Zelensky met with the President of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa to discuss countering Russian invasion and preparations for the Global Peace Summit
SWEDEN, May 31
• The President of Ukraine and the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Sweden, Ulf Kristersson signed a bilateral agreement on security cooperation.
• President Zelensky was talking over Ukraine's defense needs and preparations for the Peace Summit with the President of Finland and the Prime Minister of Denmark.
• President Zelensky attended the third Ukraine-Northern Europe summit in Stockholm and warned about aggressive provocations Russia can commit in the Baltic Sea region.
• The President of Ukraine and the Prime Minister of Iceland, Bjarni Benediktsson signed a bilateral agreement on security cooperation and long-term support on May 31.
• In Stockholm, the President of Ukraine and the Prime Minister of Norway, Jonas Gahr Store signed a bilateral agreement on security cooperation and long-term support on May 31.
SINGAPORE 02.06
• President Zelensky arrived in Singapore to attend the Shangri-La Dialogue conference
• The Presidents of Ukraine and Indonesia met on the sidelines of the conference to discuss future avenues for bilateral cooperation, as well as progress achieved in the implementation of the Ukrainian Peace Formula;
• Zelensky held a meeting with a bipartisan delegation of the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs;
• The President of Ukraine met with the President of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, Jose Ramos-Horta, the first such meeting in history of bilateral relations;
• Zelensky discussed Ukraine's defense needs with the Pentagon Chief, Lloyd Austin.
May 31, 2024/ GRAPHIC/ Ukraine has signed security cooperation agreements with 15 countries (see the graphic below). What are the countries and what the agreements are about
Графіка
US President Joe Biden ordered his team to change position regarding a permission for Ukraine to use American-supplied weapons, excepting ATACMS missiles, against military targets on Russia’s sovereign territory.
Between May 27 and June 2, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, France, Latvia, Denmark, Poland, Canada, Finland, Sweden, the USA, Estonia, Germany, and NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg agreed that Ukraine can attack targets inside Russia with weapons it has received from allies. US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken confirmed in an official statement that President Joe Biden had given permission for Ukraine to use American provided weapons for attacks on military targets inside the Russian Federation, but this does not apply to ATACMS missiles. The European Union countries share a vision that Ukraine, being a victim to Russian aggression, has a legal right to self-defense, including by destroying military targets on the territory of the aggressor country.
China will not attend the Global Peace Summit on Ukraine, which will be hosted by Switzerland in the middle of the month.
Belgium has committed to transfer thirty F-16 jet fighters to Ukraine, with initial deliveries expected in 2024.
The Swedish government will provide Ukraine with a new package of military aid worth SEK 13.3 billion (EUR 1.16 billion). Ukraine will receive two ASC 890 airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft.
The government of Lithuania has approved the allocation of EUR 13.5 million for the purchase of air surveillance radars within the framework of Germany-led air defense coalition for Ukraine.
At its session on May 30, the Parliament of Moldova adopted a declaration condemning Russia's genocidal policy towards Ukraine.
At the proposal of the Czech Republic, the European Union has decided to include Viktor Medvedchuk, Artem Marchevsky and the Voice of Europe media platform on its sanctions list.
Sweden allocates a new aid package worth SEK 650 million (EUR 56.5 million) to increase Ukrainian power generation and transmission capacities.
The EU Council introduced restrictions against six more individuals and three legal entities involved in North Korea's activities related to illegal weapons programs and support for the Russian Federation in its war in Ukraine.
Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, during an online address to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly session, called on neighboring countries to secure the sky over Ukraine’s western regions from their respective territories.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba attended a meeting of the EU Council of Foreign Ministers, where he called for increasing and speeding up military aid to Ukraine, in particular the supply of additional air defense systems, as well as to support Ukraine’s right to hit military targets on the territory of the Russian Federation.
Ten countries in and outside of the European Union, in a joint statement, condemned illicit military cooperation between Russia and North Korea.
Russia will not be invited to the events celebrating the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings on June 6, 2024, because of its "aggressive war" against Ukraine.
PUBLICATIONS AND INTERVIEWS
27.05/ Hitting Russia with American weapons: does such a ban really exist?
27.05/ Ideological war. The code of victory is unity.
05/27/ Tetyana Sheptytska, deputy director of the "Bykivnyanski Mohyly" Reserve: What do we see in archive documents? That we have the same old enemy – Moscow.
27.05/ Oleksandr Kachura, People's Deputy, member of the President's working group on the creation of a specialized tribunal on the crime of aggression: There should be no immunity from prosecution for top Russian leaders.
28.05/ From a welder and electrician to the National Guard’s medical servicemen.
05/28/ Russia’s toll in the war has surged past half a million. What does this toll level suggest?
29.05/ A gray area for the dodger, or disability "for all the money in the world".
05/29/ Mobilization and a feeling of well-being of Ukrainians in the third year of the Great War.
29.05/ Barber, who became a "Baron" in the Armed Forces.
05/29/ Paladin self-propelled artillery gun crew: We are fighting for our lives.
30.05/ Book Arsenal - 2024: Why it is important to read and write in times of war.
30.05/ Mariupol pastor and his 11 soldier sons.
30.05/ Olha Stefanishyna, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration: Ukraine’s path to NATO is irreversible.
30.05/ Iryna Tsybukh, alias "Cheka", combat medic from "Hospitaliers": Honoring is not for the dead, but for those who will continue to cherish their memory.
30.05/ Evhen Czolij: Canada should provide more military aid to Ukraine for its own sake.
31.05/ Children -- the most valuable thing saved.
31.05/ Informatics in Ukraine is unprecedented, it has never been seen in history.
31.05/ Mobilization of prisoners: "I want my family to be proud and not to be called a prisoner."
01.06/ Little witnesses of big crimes.
01.06/ Michael Carpenter, senior director for European affairs at the US National Security Council: Biden ordered that position on strikes inside Russia be changed immediately upon receiving a request from Ukraine
Compiled by Maryna Dmytriv, Kyiv
