Ukrainian authorities have accused the Russian army of arbitrarily detaining and executing civilians in the town of Vovchansk, in the Kharkiv region (north-east) where Russia launched a surprise attack on May 10, Thursday May 16. “The Russian soldiers, who are trying to gain a foothold in the city, are not letting the residents evacuate: they have started kidnapping people to take them to cellars”Ukrainian Interior Minister Igor Klymenko said on Telegram, referring to “operational information” in this sense. He also cited reports of “first executions of civilians by bullets” Ukrainians by the Russian army. AFP is unable to confirm these accusations from an independent source, and Russia did not immediately react. Follow our live stream.
kyiv claims to have “stopped” the Russian advance in “certain areas” of the Kharkiv region. “The situation in the Kharkiv sector remains complicated and is developing dynamically. Our defense forces managed to partially stabilize the situation, the advance of the enemy in certain areas and localities was stopped”declared the spokesperson for Ukrainian forces in the region, Nazar Voloshin, on television.
The Russian army has conquered 278 km2 in eastern Ukraine. This is its largest gain of Ukrainian territory in a year and a half, according to an AFP analysis based on data provided by the American Institute for the Study of War. Between May 9 and 15, 257 km2 were conquered in the Kharkiv region alone, the epicenter of the Russian offensive where Moscow claimed the capture of several localities.
Moscow and Beijing plead for a “political solution”. China and Russia agree on the need for “political solution” to the conflict in Ukraine, said Chinese President Xi Jinping, while Vladimir Putin is visiting the country on Thursday and Friday. Beijing regularly calls for respect for the territorial integrity of all countries (including Ukraine) but also urges consideration of Russia’s security concerns.
The UK does not want to waver in its support. “This is not a war in which you can afford to be fully attentive, then turn away or get distracted by another conflict, and then expect nothing to change on the ground. “, British Defense Minister Grant Shapps said on Sky News. He believes that the offensive in Karkhiv must be a “alarm signal” for Ukraine’s allies.