what to remember from Wednesday, May 15

The Russian army continues its offensive in the northeast and south of Ukraine. The Ukrainian army was forced to retreat “in certain areas” of the front.

The Russian army continues to advance in the north-east of Ukraine on Wednesday May 15, thanks to an attack which took the Ukrainian forces weakened by the lack of weapons and men by surprise. President Vladimir Putin arrived in China on Thursday to meet his counterpart Xi Jinping, whom he will try to convince to provide greater support for the Russian war effort in Ukraine. For his part, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has canceled all his trips abroad “for the next few days”announced his spokesperson.

Russia continues its breakthrough

Moscow has claimed the conquest of three villages in northeastern and southern Ukraine. Russian forces “liberated the localities of Glibokié and Lukiantsi in the Kharkiv region and advanced deep into enemy defenses,” the Russian army said in a statement. Russia also claims to have recaptured the completely destroyed village of Robotyne, in the Zaporizhia region.

Vladimir Putin welcomed the advances of the Russian army. “Since the beginning of the year, our troops have been constantly improving their positions every day in all directions. They are meeting all the objectives set by the Ministry of Defense” he said, during a meeting broadcast on Russian television with high-ranking officers.

The Ukrainian army withdraws “in certain areas” of the front

The attack across the border from the north took Ukrainian forces by surprise, weakened by a lack of weapons and men after more than two years of war and months of delays in Western aid. “In some places in the Lukiantsi and Vovchansk areas, due to enemy fire and assault actions, maneuvers were carried out to save the lives of our soldiers, units were moved to more advantageous positions “the spokesperson for the forces in the region said on television.

According to Oleksiï Kharkivsky, police chief of Vovchansk, a town with some 18,000 inhabitants before the war, “the fights” are underway in the city. “The situation is extremely difficult. The enemy is taking positions in the streets”he said, adding that he had called on the remaining population to evacuate. According to the Telegram channel DeepState, close to the Ukrainian army, the Russians managed to occupy a strip of approximately 80 km2 around Loukyantsi and another of 53 km2 towards Vovchansk.

Several victims in Russian strikes

At least two people were killed in a Russian missile strike on Dnipro, a large city in east-central Ukraine, authorities said. The governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region Mykola Lukashuk also reported“damaged infrastructure”. According to him, shards of the Russian missile shot down in broad daylight near Dnipro fell on the town located about 100 kilometers as the crow flies from the Southern Front and 200 kilometers from the Eastern Front. An attack also targeted Mykolaiv (south), leaving at least five injured. An aerial bombardment also injured five people in Kherson (south).

Washington reaffirms its support

The United States has granted $2 billion in military aid to strengthen Ukraine’s defense capabilities, announced US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. This aid comes from the massive $60 billion package in support of kyiv, which was recently approved by the US Congress after months of stalling.

The Russian offensive in the Kharkiv region must be a “alarm signal” for Ukraine’s allies, declared British Defense Minister Grant Shapps, regretting that the West had been “distracted” by other conflicts. “We must support [les Ukrainiens] all the time, not just periodically”he insisted.

EU agrees to sanction Russian media

EU member states have agreed to sanction four Russian media outlets accused of disseminating pro-Kremlin propaganda, despite a warning from Moscow which threatened to retaliate against Western media outlets. The new measures approved in Brussels by the ambassadors of the member countries of the European Union target the online media Voice of Europe, at the heart of an investigation into allegations of interference within the European Parliament, as well as three media outlets considered close to the Kremlin.

“Four propaganda networks linked to the Kremlin added to the sanctions list: Voice of Europe, Ria Novosti, Izvestia and Rossiiskaia Gazeta”detailed the European Commissioner for Values ​​and Transparency, Vera Jourova, on the social network. Sanctions will also include “ban on Russian funding of EU media, NGOs and political parties”she clarified.