The Ukrainian army claimed, Thursday, May 16, to have arrested “advancement” Russian in some areas of the Kharkiv region where Russia launched a surprise attack on May 10, occupying new territories. “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”, the spokesperson for Ukrainian forces in the region, Nazar Voloshin, declared on television. Follow our live stream.
The Russian army captured 278 km2 in one week 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 (ISW). 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, who receives his Russian counterpart 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.
Russian offensive on Kharkiv must be a “wake-up call” for kyiv’s allies, says London. “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.