Live Updates from the Ukrainian War: May 22

Live text broadcast – short and concise about the most important in the Ukrainian war on May 22. Ukraine has been heroically defending its land against the aggressor’s invasion for a whole year.

22:32 The United States does not encourage Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory, but leaves Kiev the right to choose how to conduct military operations. This was recalled by the State Department in response to a request to comment on the latest developments in the Belgorod region, where, according to Ukrainian intelligence services, Russian volunteers fighting on the side of Ukraine are conducting an operation.

21:30 Representatives of the Legion “Freedom of Russia” stated that the goal of their special operation in the Belgorod region is the creation of a demilitarized zone, “Suspilne” writes.

The organization said that such a zone is being created so that the Russian Federation cannot fire on Ukraine. According to the Legion, the situation in the Belgorod region is currently difficult.

“In the future, we will move towards liberating all of Russia from Putin’s dictatorship and ending the criminal war,” the volunteers said.

20:32 Military expert Oleg Zhdanov said that despite the statements of Wagner’s PMC leader Yevgeny Prigozhin that they will leave Bakhmut on May 25, the Wagnerites will not be able to leave. They will not be allowed to leave the city because of Prigozhin’s conflict with the Russian military leadership.

Zhdanov is sure that the Russian General Staff and the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation will not allow Wagner’s PMC to leave Bakhmut. In particular, Valery Gerasimov, the head of the General Staff, will not allow this.

20:03 Russian troops are concentrating their main forces in the directions of Kupyansk, Limansk, Bakhmut, Avdiyivka and Marinsk, there have been 25 military clashes during the day, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reports in the operational information about the Russian invasion at 18:00.

19:18 Part of the Russian Federation’s stockpile of nuclear weapons is being evacuated from Belgorod.

According to the correspondent of UNIAN, this was announced by the speaker of the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine Andriy Yusov.

“The Belgorod-22 nuclear weapons storage facility is being urgently evacuated. This place is located near the Graivoronsk district,” Yusov said.

18:45 Residents of the border areas of the Sumi region are offered to move to safer places.

“The enemy has significantly increased shelling in some areas of the border villages of the Akhtirsk district. In order to prevent casualties, measures are being taken to ensure the safety of residents, including the transportation of those who want to be in safe places. These villages are provided with vehicles. The district administration is now in on the spot. Military administration, police representatives,” the Sumi Regional Military Administration reported in a telegram.

18:00. The European Union’s (EU) High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Jozef Borel, has announced that the training of Ukrainian pilots has already begun, and expressed the hope that Ukraine will soon receive F-16 fighter jets.

17:00. Denmark would be ready to hold a summit in July with the aim of finding peace between Ukraine and Russia, but India, China and Brazil should also participate in such a meeting, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Leke Rasmussen said on Monday.

16:07. The Russian Legion “Freedom of Russia” and the “Russian Volunteer Corps” fighting in Ukraine are conducting an operation in the territory of Russia’s Belgorod region to create a “security zone” for the protection of Ukrainian civilians, Andrii Yusov, a representative of the Main Intelligence Department (HUR) of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, announced on Monday.

15:06. The Traffic and Transport Affairs Committee of the Riga City Council today supported the city council’s draft decision on the donation of three used cars by the municipal agency “Rīgas Vaisma” to Ukraine. The “Light of Riga” society plans to donate two “Renault Kangoo” cars from 2008 and 2006 and a “Renault Thalia” car from 2005 to the “Ukrainian Support Society”.

14:29. Invaders shelled Kherson region. A man died. At the time of the shooting, he was repairing the roof of the house. One of the fragments hit him in the heart, reports pravda.com.ua.

12:47. The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs, Joseph Borel, hopes that the delivery of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine will start soon, reports pravda.com.ua.

11:52. The Ukrainian Zaporizhia nuclear power plant (NPP) occupied by the Russian army has been disconnected from the external power grid again, the occupiers and the Ukrainian Atomic Energy Agency announced on Monday.

“Because the high-voltage line was broken, the NPP lost its external power supply,” Russian NPP administrators said on the Telegram website, adding that the cause of the outage was under investigation and backup diesel generators were operating.

10:56. Yesterday, May 21, in the evening of Kherson region, a Russian-made fourth-generation Su-35 multipurpose fighter was shot down, reports pravda.com.ua.

09:56. Ukrainian air defense forces shot down 15 drones and four cruise missiles in the Dnipropetrovsk region during the Russian air attack on the night of Monday.

The head of the military administration of the Dnipropetrovsk region, Serhii Lisak, announced this on the Telegram website. During the Russian air attack, damage was done to residential houses and the buildings of a private company, as well as to cars. Eight people were injured in the airstrike, three of whom were hospitalized.

09:20. The loss of Russian troops in Ukraine has reached 203,880 soldiers by Monday morning, according to the General Staff of the Ukrainian Army. According to the data of the general staff, 720 invaders were destroyed during the day.

Since the beginning of the repeated invasion on February 24 of last year, the Russians have lost 3,785 tanks, 7,407 armored personnel carriers, 3,278 cannons, 565 multiple rocket launchers, 327 anti-aircraft artillery systems, 309 airplanes, 294 helicopters, 2,830 drones, 1,011 cruise missiles, 6,129 cars and tankers, 18 ships and speedboats, as well as 427 units of specialized equipment. The extent of Russia’s losses is being clarified, as the acquisition of information is hindered by hostilities.

08.41. Fighters of the Russian mercenary group “Wagner” are likely to hold the western administrative borders of Bakhmut, but will not be able to continue offensive operations outside Bakhmut, according to analysts of the US Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces continue to focus on counterattacks on the outskirts of the city.

07.07. Brazilian President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva said on Monday that he was “upset” because his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky did not take place during the G7 summit, adding that his Ukrainian counterpart did not seem interested in peace talks with Russia.

Zelensky, who had received strong diplomatic support and new promises of military aid in Hiroshima, had expressed interest in meeting Lulu face-to-face. However, the leaders of the two countries later announced that the meeting did not take place due to schedule conflicts.

04.56. The foreign ministers of the European Union (EU) member states will gather today in Brussels for a meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council, where they plan to discuss Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, according to information on the EU Council website.

00.10. The President of Ukraine, during a meeting with US President Joe Biden, voted for the need for security guarantees for Ukraine before joining NATO. Following Biden’s comments, the US Department of Defense voted to provide Ukraine with additional aid to cover critical needs. The new “critical” package will help raise up to $375 million for ammunition.

The President of Ukraine also mentioned that talks are being held with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. In the course of the conversation, mutual security and defense are discussed, reports pravda.com.ua.