According to a report by the “New York Times” The administration of US President Joe Biden has approved the delivery of multiple rocket launchers to Ukraine, US officials told the newspaper. The transfer will probably be announced next week. The modern artillery weapons can have a range of hundreds of kilometers. So far, too Washington warned that longer-range weapons could mean an escalation if Ukraine used them to attack targets deep in Russia.Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned that any arms shipments that could reach Russian territory would be “a serious step towards an unacceptable Escalation”.
+++ 09:12 Ukrainian military admits setback +++
The Ukrainian military has admitted a setback in the battle for the strategically important city of Lyman in the Donbass. According to the situation report of the Ukrainian General Staff, the enemy is “trying to establish itself in the Lyman area” and is already shelling towns outside the city. The pro-Russian separatists reported the capture of Lyman on Friday. The General Staff has now announced that Russian troops are shelling the towns of Oserne and Dibrowa with grenade and rocket launchers. Both villages are southeast of Lyman. This indicates that the front is now running south of the city.
+++ 08:41 Governor: 10,000 Russian soldiers in Luhansk +++
According to estimates by the local governor, around 10,000 Russian soldiers are in the Luhansk region. These are the units that are permanently there, trying to attack and advance in any direction they can, Governor Serhiy Gaidai says on Ukrainian television.
+++ 08:08 Ukrainians fend off eight attacks in the east +++
The Ukrainian military says it has repelled eight Russian attacks in the east in the past 24 hours. The general staff of the armed forces announced that the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk were affected. Among other things, Russian artillery attacked the area around the city of Sievjerodonetsk – “without success”.
+++ 07:40 Habeck sees an easy solution in the dispute over special assets +++
Economics Minister Habeck believes that an agreement will soon be reached in the dispute over the special fund. When asked what this would look like, Habeck told the “Welt am Sonntag”: “That the Bundeswehr will receive as many new weapons and functional equipment as possible and that the financing of necessary security-related systems cannot be ruled out.” However, the country’s ability to defend itself is not defined solely by the number of weapons it has, but also by protection against digital attacks on critical infrastructure. It is clear that all investments from the special fund relate to defense capability. “So we’re not talking about the purchase of technical equipment for development cooperation. In my opinion, this debate about money can be easily resolved.”
+++ 07:08 Europol warns against misuse of weapons after the end of the war +++
Europol is concerned that arms shipped from the European Union to Ukraine could end up in the wrong hands in the long term. “At some point the war will be over. We want to prevent a situation like 30 years ago in the Balkan war. The weapons from that war are still used by criminal groups today,” said the director of the European police authority, Catherine De Bolle, in an interview with “Welt am Sunday”. Europol is therefore planning to set up an international working group to develop strategies for dealing with the situation in view of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine.
+++ 06:28 Ukrainian Orthodox renounce the Russian Patriarch +++
One of Ukraine’s Orthodox Christian churches has announced that it will sever its centuries-old ties with Russia. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church Moscow Patriarchate on Friday declared its “complete independence” from clerical authorities in Russia in the wake of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. There are several churches of Orthodox Christians in Ukraine: These include the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Moscow Patriarchate and the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, which emerged in 2018. The Church of the Moscow Patriarchate previously reported to Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church. Kirill is loyal to Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin and supports Moscow’s military operations abroad.
Read more about this here.
+++ 05:10 Thousands of additional teachers needed for refugee children +++
According to a study, many thousands of new teaching positions are needed for the schooling of children and young people from the Ukraine who have fled to Germany. This is the result of a study by the Institute of German Economics (IW), which is available to “Welt am Sonntag”. Around 242,000 minors who fled Ukraine were registered in Germany by May 5. This corresponds to at least 3.5 percent of children and young people from Ukraine. “Assuming the current student-teacher ratios at the schools, 13,500 additional full-time equivalent teachers would be necessary with a share of 3.5 percent,” said study author Wido Geis-Thöne. In order to provide short-term relief, several federal states have launched calls to win back retired teachers. Since the beginning of the war, new contracts have been concluded with a few hundred, according to a survey by the newspaper among the education ministries of the federal states.
+++ 04:14 Mine detection dog receives special prize in Cannes +++
An honorary award was presented to a Ukrainian mine detection dog at the Cannes Film Festival. The winner of the “Palm Dog Award” was the poodle Brit, who starred in the film “War Pony” under the name Beast. A special honorary award in the canine category was awarded to the Ukrainian tracker dog Patron this year. The award was accepted by a representative of the Ukrainian delegation in Cannes. “Patron can’t be here because he’s needed so much at home,” she said, referring to the Russian war of aggression in her home country. The Palm Dog Award has been presented since 2001.
+++ 03:19 Zelenskyj: Donbass will remain Ukrainian +++
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy describes the current situation of his troops in Donbass as very difficult. In his evening address, the President explained that the Russians continued to concentrate their forces, using heavy artillery and aircraft to shell Ukrainian positions. “We protect our country as well as our current defense resources allow. If the occupiers think that Lyman and Sievierodonetsk will be theirs, then they are mistaken. Donbass will remain Ukrainian,” Zelenskyy said.
+++ 02:34 Khodorkovsky calls for heavy weapons for Ukraine +++
Kremlin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky is urging the West to supply Ukraine with heavy weapons. “If the Ukrainians are not given the weapons they are requesting, there will soon be fighting around Kyiv again,” the 58-year-old told the “Bild”. He thinks Western politicians are most afraid of Russian President Vladimir Putin. “They believe they are not at war. Therefore, they also believe that supplying certain weapons could lead to an escalation or turn them into a war party.” Khodorkovsky called this a “very stupid attitude”.
+++ 01:15 rating agency downgrades Ukraine +++
The rating agency S&P further downgraded its rating of Ukraine’s creditworthiness. The credit rating was downgraded from “B-/B” to “CCC+/C” due to the effects of the war. “Significant damage to Ukraine’s economy and ability to collect taxes has increased the state debt’s dependence on international financial assistance,” the agency explains. S&P expects Ukraine’s real gross domestic product to shrink by 40 percent if the conflict lasts into the second half of 2022.
+++ 00:09 Russia wants to spend bubbling export earnings on war +++
Russia is expecting additional income of the equivalent of 13.7 billion euros this year from the export of fossil fuels. “We expect up to a trillion rubles more in oil and gas revenues,” said Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, referring to the latest forecast by the Ministry of Economic Development. Part of the additional income could be used to continue the Russian offensive in Ukraine.
The government wants to spend the extra revenue this year rather than set it aside, he said. The money should be spent on “additional payments” for pensioners and families with children and for the “special operation” in Ukraine, the finance minister said, citing Russia’s offensive in pro-western Ukraine.
+++ 23:03 Ukrainian Orthodox Church breaks away from Moscow +++
Because of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, the previous Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate has declared its “complete autonomy and independence” from Moscow. As far as the conflict is concerned, the church in Kyiv said it disagreed with the position of Moscow Patriarch Kirill. One condemns the war, it was said. Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, is firmly behind Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Ukraine war.
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate is the largest of the three mainstream churches in Ukraine by number of congregations. In 2018, an Orthodox Church in Ukraine was founded with massive help from then-Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. The Moscow Church traditionally sees Ukraine as its sphere of influence.
+++ 22:25 Ukraine: Russian fighter jet shot down over Cherson +++
The Ukrainian Air Force says it shot down a Russian fighter jet in the Kherson region. “Today, May 27, around 2:00 p.m., a MiG-29 fighter jet of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine shot down a Russian Su-35 fighter jet in the skies of the Kherson region,” the Air Force writes on Telegram. The Russian jet was said to have been chasing Ukrainian ground attack aircraft.
You can read earlier developments of the Ukraine war here.