More than 4,000 people have been evacuated from border areas in the Kharkiv region in northeastern Ukraine, the local governor said on Sunday (May 12). These evacuations follow the surprise Russian cross-border offensive which began on Friday. Russian forces claimed the capture of five villages in the region on Saturday. Follow our live stream.
Ukrainian counterattacks. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky assured, in a speech on Saturday evening, that Ukrainian counterattacks were underway. “Disrupting Russian offensive plans is now our number one task”, he said. He added that it was necessary “return the initiative to Ukraine” and urged kyiv’s allies to speed up arms deliveries.
Presidential election in Lithuania. Lithuanians vote on Sunday for the first round of the presidential election after a campaign dominated by defense issues. The Baltic country of 2.8 million inhabitants, a former Soviet republic which borders the highly militarized Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, fears it will be the next target if Moscow were to win its war against Ukraine. Polls give the outgoing president, Gitanas Nauseda, a comfortable lead.
Russia claims to have regained control of six villages. Russia’s Defense Ministry said Saturday its forces had taken control of six villages in eastern Ukraine. The ministry said on Telegram that the troops had “released” the Ukrainian villages of Borisivka, Ogirtseve, Pletenivka, Pylna and Strilecha in the Kharkiv region, near the border with Russia, as well as the village of Keramik in the Donetsk region.