Russia is failing to achieve its goals in eastern Ukraine. Current May 11 / Article

Today, 6:51

Updated today, 8:01 p.m.

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Battles and attacks

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video address that the armed forces repel the invaders from Kharkiv. However, he urged people to be realistic and not expect big news every day. Ukrainian armed forces are doing everything to liberate all cities, including Kherson, Melitopol, Berdyansk and Mariupol.
• The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reports this morning that Russian troops are trying to take full advantage of the Luhansk region. The city of Rubyžne and continues to Severodonetsk and Lima. At the strategically important town of Kharkiv in the Kharkiv region, enemies are not attacking but firing on Ukrainian troops. In the last day in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions, the Ukrainians destroyed 12 Russian tanks, 19 armored personnel carriers and four artillery systems, the Ukrainian side reports.
• Representatives of the Ukrainian presidential office say that the Ukrainian defense forces have generally released them 1003 settlements, and 70% of them have already resumed work with local authorities. Demining has taken place in 224 settlements and road and rail traffic is being restored. Meanwhile, new evidence of the brutality of the invaders is being discovered in the liberated areas. For example, 44 corpses of civilians have been found in the ruins of a five-story house destroyed by the Russian army in the recently occupied city of Izjum in Kharkiv Oblast.
• Russian troops continue in Mariupol to bomb the territory of the Azovstal plant, where the last defenders of the city are located. It is still unclear whether the plant is still occupied by civilians.

Political and economic situation

• Kirill Stremousov, deputy chairman of the Kherson Oblast administration appointed by the Russian occupation forces, said the regional authorities intends to claim Kherson Oblast inclusion in Russia. The Ukrainian government emphasizes that the city of Kherson and the Kherson region are integral parts of Ukraine, which have temporarily come under the control of the Russian occupation forces, but will be released sooner or later.

• Ukraine on Tuesday announced that suspends part of Russian gas transit Western Europe in the Luhansk region, as the occupation of the region by Russian troops makes it impossible to monitor gas transit feeds. Ukraine’s decision means that the transit of 32.6 million cubic meters of gas per day will be suspended from 7.00 on Wednesday. This is about a third of the amount of gas that Russia exports through the territory of Ukraine every day, Ukrainian regulators said. Ukraine stated that the occupation made it impossible to access the Sohranovka junction and divert gas to other transit routes.

• Ukraine cited at least one case of “increased violence” as a reason for the partial suspension of Russian gas transit. Russian concern “Gazprom”, which supplies gas through these pipelines, disputed Ukraine ‘s argument, stating that it had “absolutely no evidence of increased violence”. Gazprom added that there was no technical possibility to divert the gas to other routes.
• The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine on Tuesday approved a document according to which all Russian assets The territory of Ukraine is being transferred to the state, said Prime Minister Dennis Smihhal. He added that the government continues to work with international partners to ensure that Russian assets in other countries are confiscated and handed over for the reconstruction of Ukraine.
• In March, the Ukrainian parliament passed a law on the nationalization of Russian property and assets on Ukrainian territory. The law includes a legal basis for the expropriation of property rights of Russia and its residents in Ukraine. Compensation for Russian property in Ukraine nationalization is not intended in view of the aggressive war waged by Russia against Ukraine and its people.

Civilian population

• From the war-torn areas will continue the civilian population evacuation. So far, 35,000 people have been rescued, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said. Civilians were evacuated from Sumy, Kiev and Enerhodara on Tuesday.
• In the capital of Ukraine Kiev is beginning to recover former rhythm of life and returns people fleeing the city war. At the same time, Western embassies are reopening in the city. Kiev Mayor Vitaly Klichko informed that about 3.5 million people lived in the capital before the Russian invasion. A large part of the population has left the city, but now, in cooperation with mobile operators, it is estimated that the city has 2.5 million subscribers.
• The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has stated that since the Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February, killed at least 3459 civilians, including 238 children. However, the bureau acknowledges that the true number of civilian casualties is much higher. Proponents of Mariupol, for example, have said up to 25,000 people could have been killed in the devastated city.
• Mariupoles The management has warned that by the end of the year, various illnesses and unsuitable conditions could kill more than 10,000 people. The city, which is almost completely destroyed, still has a population of about 170,000. Before the war, more than 400 thousand people lived in Mariupol.

World reaction

• An attack by Russian troops in Donbass is lagging behind Russian President Vladimir Putin’s plan for at least two weeks, found the U.S. Department of Defense. “According to our estimates, this is two weeks or more behind Putin’s plans to be in Donbass and [Ukrainas] in the south, “said a statement on the Pentagon ‘s website. The Pentagon believes Putin has not achieved its objectives after the fighting was concentrated on the Donbass.
• U.S. intelligence predicts that Russian leader Vladimir Putin is preparing for protracted fighting in Ukraine, so even Russia’s success in Donbass may not dampen his desire to move on. Lieutenant General Scott Berryer, director of the US Defense Intelligence Agency, said the war was now In the “same” situation, because neither Ukraine nor Russia wins. And so it can continue for even longer.
• Russia could possibly use Ukraine chemical or biological weapons whether to set up a so-called “fake flag” operation using such weapons, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said. On Twitter, she criticized Russia for spreading “false claims” that the United States was developing chemical weapons in Ukraine. Psaki said that such statements by Russia call for caution that Russia itself does not intend to use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine.
• Pope Francis met with the Vatican on Wednesday Wives of Mariupol defenderswhose men continue to fight against the invaders in the territory of the factory “Azovstal”.
• Latvian Minister of Defense Artis Pabriks announced that Latvia could be sent to Ukraine demining specialistswhich would help Ukraine to neutralize explosives in liberated areas.
• Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson visited Sweden and Finland on Wednesday. The two Nordic countries plan to apply for NATO membership soon.
• The Czech president has signed a decree that will allow more than 100 Czech citizens join voluntarily Ukrainian armed forces in the fight against Russian aggression.

CONTEXT:

On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered to start Russian troops invade Ukraine. Putin claimed that NATO was going to use Ukraine as a bridgehead for aggression against Russia, although there was no evidence of these allegations. Ukraine believes that Putin’s real goal is to destroy Ukraine’s statehood and bring the territory under Moscow’s control.

Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has provoked a general one condemnation of the international communityagainst Russia is new sanctions have been introduced. Many Western companies have decided to leave the Russian market.

More than 5.8 million refugees have fled Ukraine since the start of the war.

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