The night of the war at a glance
Ukraine reports advance as far as Russia – Kyiv: Putin prevents the rescue of the injured from Azovstal
05/16/2022, 07:00 a.m
Ukrainian troops report a symbolic success in their counter-offensive in the eastern Kharkiv region: they have at least at one point advanced to the border with Russia. President Volodymyr Zelenskyj wants to increasingly ask for help for his country in Africa and Asia. And the Ukrainian Post is planning a postage stamp to honor the band Kalush Orchestra’s unprecedented victory at the Eurovision Song Contest.
Troops advance from Kharkiv to the Russian border
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense released a video showing a dozen soldiers next to a border post in the national colors of blue and yellow. According to the information, they belong to a volunteer brigade from the city of Kharkiv. Another video clip published online shows the soldiers bringing the stake and placing it in front of a ditch with Russian border signs.
The Ukrainian military had already reported in the past few days that they were gradually pushing back Russian troops near Kharkiv. Russia had already withdrawn its troops in northern Ukraine after being stopped in front of the capital, Kyiv. The Russian army is currently concentrating on the eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, where pro-Russian separatists have had some areas under their control with the help of Moscow since 2014.
Governor: Ukraine controls 10 percent of Luhansk
Despite heavy Russian attacks, the Ukrainian army still controls around ten percent of the eastern Ukrainian region of Luhansk, according to the regional governor. In particular, the Russians have not been able to take the outskirts of the cities of Rubishne, Sievjerodonetsk and Lysychansk so far, stressed Serhiy Hajday on Sunday. According to the regional administration, three civilians were killed and 13 others injured in Russian attacks in the Donetsk region, also in eastern Ukraine.
Kyiv: Rescue of injured people from Azovstal fails because of Putin
According to the Ukrainian government, the rescue of at least the injured defenders of the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol failed due to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The plant is under heavy fire from the Russian military – and some critics at home accuse Kyiv of having abandoned the soldiers. Deputy Defense Minister Anna Malyr emphasized that a military operation to free the trapped people is currently not possible. They are working on proposals to get them released – but “Putin just doesn’t agree to it.”
Selenskyj also wants to seek support in Africa and Asia
Zelenskyj wants to address parliaments in African and Asian countries, as he said in his daily video address. In the past few months, the Ukrainian President had, among other things, asked parliamentarians in Europe via video link for support. He hopes, among other things, that this will speed up Ukraine’s accession to the EU.
In a week he also wants to address the World Economic Forum in Davos, where, among other things, post-war reconstruction will be discussed. One goal is also the tightening of sanctions against Russia, stressed Selenskyj. “The occupiers must constantly feel the increasing price of war for them.” The oil embargo against Russia is a priority. “No matter how much Moscow tries to obstruct this decision, Europe’s period of dependence on Russian energy resources is coming to an end. And that will not change,” said Zelenskyy.
Hacking of the Lviv City Hall
The city administration of the western Ukrainian city of Lviv was the target of a cyber attack by suspected Russian hackers. As a result of the attack on Friday, some city services were no longer available, Deputy Mayor Andriy Moskalenko wrote on Facebook. Part of it had been restored by Sunday. The attackers also stole data from the city administration, which was then published on the Telegram chat service, Moskalenko wrote. The Ukraine has long been in the sights of hacker groups, which Western IT security experts attribute to the environment of Russian secret services.
Ukrainian Post plans postage stamp for Kalush Orchestra’s ESC victory
The head of the Ukrainian post office, Igor Smilyanskij, however, announced a quick decision about a stamp in honor of the ESC winner Kalush Orchestra. The last two Ukrainian ESC winners – the singers Ruslana and Jamala – were also honored with stamps. Most recently, the Ukrainian Post had a hit with a stamp dedicated to Ukrainian soldiers from an island in the Black Sea. With obscene words, they had refused to surrender to a Russian warship. Kalush Orchestra clearly won the ESC on Sunday night thanks to an unprecedented response from television viewers. Ukraine now wants to host the ESC next year regardless of the current Russian war of aggression in its own country. The band’s frontman, Oleh Psyuk, meanwhile, announced that the band intends to auction off their ESC trophy and donate the proceeds to Ukraine and the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
That’s going to be important today
- The EU foreign ministers want to discuss the latest developments in the Ukraine war in Brussels. The meeting is overshadowed by the dispute within the EU over an import ban on Russian oil. The plans for this are hanging in the balance because Hungary is unwilling to support them.
- In Sweden and Finland, the parliaments are meeting to debate whether the two countries should join NATO. A decision on the Swedish government’s application for membership is expected later today.
- The EU Commission presents its spring economic forecast in Brussels. The prospects for the European economy are uncertain because of the war.
You can read all further developments in our live ticker on the Ukraine war.