May 19, 2024
Ukraine war in the live ticker
+++ 06:34 ISW: Russia increases pressure on Chassiv Yar +++
Russian invasion forces have increased their efforts to capture the strategically important city of Chasiv Yar in the eastern Donetsk region. This is what the think tank Institute for the Study of War writes in its latest analysis. According to the ISW assessment, Russia also wants to force Ukraine to withdraw troops from the area around Chassiv Yar with the new offensive in the Kharkiv region. The Russian army is also continuing to advance in Kharkiv.
The ISW points to a demand from Russian ex-President Medvedev. She said that the planned “buffer zone” in Ukraine must cover the entire country. Medvedev is deputy head of the Russian Security Council and one of the hardliners in Putin’s entourage. According to ISW, the demand shows evidence that the alleged “buffer zone” is only a thinly veiled justification for Russia’s long-held intention to subjugate the entire Ukraine.
+++ 06:09 Drone triggers fire in refinery in southern Russia +++
A drone crashed onto the site of an oil refinery in the southern Russian city of Slavyansk-na-Kubani, authorities in the Krasnodar region said. There was a “local fire”. There were no casualties or damage. Ukraine has been increasingly attacking refineries in Russia for some time now.
+++ 05:40 Danone completes withdrawal from Russia +++
French dairy giant Danone has completed the sale of its Russian business to a Chechnya-linked businessman after a 30-year presence. This is reported by the Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform with reference to the company. Dairy company Vamin Tatarstan, owned by businessman Mintimer Mingasov, previously agreed to pay 17.7 billion rubles (180 million euros) to take control of Danone’s Russian business. Experts assume a real value of up to 80 billion rubles. In July last year, Yakub Zakriyev, a nephew of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, was appointed as the new head of Danone’s Russian subsidiary.
+++ 04:37 Explosions in Crimea: Air raid on Sevastopol +++
There are reports of explosions overnight on the Russian-occupied Black Sea peninsula of Crimea. The air defense in Sevastopol repelled a rocket attack, Crimean Governor Mikhail Razvoshayev, appointed by Moscow, said on his Telegram channel. According to the Sevastopol rescue service, no damage to civilian infrastructure was reported, said Razvoshayev.
+++ 03:33 Air alert in almost all parts of Ukraine: Massive drone attacks +++
Russia hit Ukraine again with massive drone attacks during the night. According to the Ukrainian Air Force, the areas affected include Kiev, Sumy, Vinnytsia, Cherkassy, Mykolaiv and Odessa. Explosions are reportedly heard in numerous locations. There had previously been air alerts in large parts of the country. So far nothing is known about any damage or casualties.
+++ 02:20 Kiev: Civilians shot at in Kharkiv region +++
According to Ukrainian reports, civilians were shot at overnight in two cities in the northeastern Kharkiv region. Ukrainian prosecutors say they are investigating the Russian airstrike on a residential area in the regional capital Kharkiv as a possible war crime. Six civilians, including three teenagers, were injured. Moscow denies targeting civilians. Since its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, thousands of people have been killed and injured.
+++ 01:04 Pistorius requests almost four billion more for Kiev +++
According to a media report, the federal government wants to massively increase military aid to Ukraine this year. The Federal Ministry of Defense has therefore announced an additional need of 3.8 billion euros for military support, reports “Bild am Sonntag”. So far this year, the traffic light government has provided 7.1 billion euros for military aid. The over-plan expenditure should be submitted to parliament for approval in June. Christian Lindner’s finance ministry has signaled its approval.
+++ 00:05 Ukrainian General Staff records 77 battles +++
In its evening report, the Ukrainian General Staff reported 77 combat operations within 24 hours. Seven of these are currently still ongoing. “The Russian troops are trying to improve their tactical position,” the General Staff’s Telegram channel said. The Ukrainian army carried out four attacks to drive the Russians out of occupied positions, it said.
+++ 22:25 Ukrainian pilot hero dies in combat +++
Lieutenant Colonel Denys Vasyliuk was a recipient of the “Order of Bravery”, an award for individual courage and heroism. The 831st Tactical Aviation Brigade, where the experienced pilot served, said he had carried out “dozens of combat missions” on Facebook. He was chief of staff of the brigade and deputy commander of an aviation squadron. As his unit now reports, Vasyliuk was killed “recently” during a combat mission. No further details about his death are known. The Ukrainian Air Force has not yet commented on Vasyliuk’s death.
+++ 21:57 Putin in Cannes: Polish filmmaker shows biopic with AI +++
In the end, Putin dies. “It should be a happy ending,” says filmmaker Patryk Vega, who presented his film biography about Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Cannes Film Festival. “I called Putin and asked if he wanted to join in – oh, it was a joke,” adds the Polish filmmaker, who has primarily made gangster films, with a broad smile. Since the real Putin was not available, Vega decided to make him appear as a deep fake using artificial intelligence (AI).
A snapshot from director Patryk Vega’s AI-driven biopic “Putin.”
(Photo: picture alliance / ASSOCIATED PRESS)
At first he wanted to create his film character with the help of real footage of Putin. But the quality wasn’t good enough for a big screen. “AI has to be fed. It needs 20,000 images in high resolution for it to work,” explains the filmmaker. Instead, he developed a new technology that uses AI to give a real actor with the same stature as Putin his face. “It’s the first film to use this technology,” says Vega. The effect is amazing. In the film, Putin can be seen as we know him – in a dictator’s pose, at baroque desks, but also playing the piano and shitting his pants in his hospital bed.
+++ 21:35 Foreign Minister Wu: Future of Taiwan depends on war in Ukraine +++
“If Russia can do this with Ukraine, China could do the same with Taiwan,” Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said in one Interview with the “Kyiv Independent”. The start of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine was a wake-up call for Taiwan, explains the island nation’s chief diplomat. If Kiev is defeated, Taiwan could be the next conflict area. Even after two years, he believes that the future of the island depends on the war in Ukraine. If Russia is successful in Ukraine, officials from all camps believe Beijing will use force to “reunify” the two Chinas, Wu said.
You can read all previous developments here.