The Protection of Life Must Have All of the Necessary Tools to Truly Defeat Terrorists – Address by the President

23 May 2024 – 21:56

Dear Ukrainians!

Today, the elimination of the consequences of Russian terrorists’ attacks on the Kharkiv region continued throughout the day. Kharkiv, Lyubotyn and Derhachi were under attack by missiles, and then by guided aerial bombs. Today, among Russia’s targets was one of Ukraine’s largest printing facilities. A missile strike killed and wounded a number of people. Book storage and equipment were destroyed by fire. Many Ukrainian publishers had their books printed there. And this is a target for Russian terrorists. They want to burn and destroy all spheres of life. Today, there were many reactions both in Ukraine and in the world to this yet another act of Russian terror. But every time such attacks occur, destroying our cities and villages, ruining lives, burning books and everything that preserves humanity, we must openly say why this is still possible. It is only because Ukraine still has restrictions in its defense. This is a shortage of air defense systems that are actually available in the world. This is the lack of long-range capabilities for our warriors and the complete inability to destroy the very source of Russian terror near our borders, including the missile launchers that actually hit Ukraine and the lives of our people. The vast majority of the world perceives the threat of terror in the same way – people always want reliable protection from terrorists and fair punishment for their attacks against life. And every nation would perceive restrictions in the fight against terror as wrong and unfair. The protection of life must have all of the necessary tools to truly defeat terrorists. And I thank every leader who perceives this the same way as Ukrainians do, every state that genuinely supports our fight against terror. But we need more efforts, more determination – the determination of the world’s leaders – to make Russian terror finally lose.

The second important thing for today. I would like to especially thank the warriors of our 110th separate mechanized brigade who destroyed a Russian Su-25. The day before – also in the Donetsk region – the warriors of our 47th separate mechanized brigade also shot down a Su-25. Thank you for your accuracy, warriors! I thank every unit, every soldier, every commander who is doing everything to give Ukraine the necessary results at the front – no matter what.

I held a meeting of the Staff. The Commander-in-Chief reported on both the Kharkiv region and the battles in the Donetsk region. We are doing everything to deter Russian assaults. There was a report by the Minister of Defense on supplies for our warriors. The Head of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine reported on the situation on our border – in Chernihiv, Sumy and Kharkiv regions. There were reports from the intelligence agencies – the Defense Intelligence and the Foreign Intelligence Service – in particular, on Russian attempts to disrupt the Peace Summit and the participation of the world’s states. We are countering the Russian intention to continue and expand the war.

Today, I spoke with the President of North Macedonia and the Prime Ministers of Greece and Norway to invite them to the Peace Summit and express gratitude for confirming their attendance.

A few more things.

Our Ukrainian Marines are celebrating their Day today, and it is a day of our special respect for them. Today it was an honor for me to congratulate the warriors and recognize them with state awards.

And today I also met with the team and ambassadors of our national charitable platform United24. This is the second anniversary of its activities, and it is one of the most successful international projects of Ukraine. In two years of fundraising for the needs of Ukraine – for our Defense and Security Forces, for the protection of life in Ukraine – a total of $650 million has been raised through United24. I thank everyone in the world who has joined and who is helping. I thank everyone who stands with Ukraine!

Glory to our warriors!

Glory to Ukraine!

https://x.com/DefenceU/status/1793679432550367234

Ukraine’s 110th Mechanized Brigade said it shot down a Russian Su-25 jet on May 23, making it the second reported downing of a Russian plane within the same day.

It is reportedly the sixth Russian Su-25 jet that Ukraine has shot down this month.

The 110th Mechanized Brigade said it was downed in Donbas but did not specify exactly where. Donbas is an industrial region in the east of Ukraine that comprises Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. Russia currently controls most of both regions.

The Soviet-designed Su-25, nicknamed “Frogfoot” by NATO, is a heavily armored ground-attack aircraft that provides close air support for Russian ground troops.

Ukraine previously claimed that it destroyed Su-25s on May 4, May 11, May 13, and May 18.

Another Su-25 plane was shot down earlier in the day on May 23.

The General Staff said on May 23 that Russia has lost over 350 planes since the launch of the full-scale invasion.

The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify these figures.

Yesterday we covered Russia deleting their posted amendment of their maritime borders as a result of pushback from the Baltic states and Finland. I posited that just because they deleted it, didn’t mean they had abandoned the idea. From the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs:

Statement of the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the border incident on the Estonian-Russian border in the Narva River

On 23 May at 3 a.m., Russian Border Guard unilaterally removed the light buoys placed by Estonia to demarcate the border with Russia on the Narva River.
This action by Russia, carried out in the shadow of the night, fits well within the broader pattern of Russia’s provocative behaviour, including on its borders with neighbours, most recently vis-à-vis Lithuania and Finland.

Estonia’s response remains calm and clear-eyed. We treat this as a provocative border incident. We will communicate to the Russian Federation through our border representatives and diplomatic channels that such actions are unacceptable, demand an explanation about the removal of the buoys and their immediate return.

Estonia is in close contact with Allies and partners as we continue to counter Russia’s malign activities across Europe.

See, that didn’t take long!

Politico has some good news on the F-16 front:

NEW AID TO UKRAINE: The U.S. is expected to unveil a new $275 million military package for Ukraine on Friday as its troops struggle to keep Russian forces from advancing in the northeastern Kharkiv region, The Associated Press’ TARA COPP and MATTHEW LEE report.

The package will include high mobility artillery rocket systems; 155 mm and 105 mm artillery rounds that are in high demand; Javelin and AT-4 anti-tank systems; anti-tank mines, tactical vehicles, small arms and ammunition for those weapons.

FIRST IN NATSEC DAILY — CONGRATS GRADS: The first batch of Ukrainian pilots have graduated from F-16 training at an Arizona military base, a crucial step toward putting modern, American-made fighter jets in Ukraine’s skies, Capt. ERIN HANNIGAN, a spokesperson with the Air National Guard, told our own LARA SELIGMAN.

The pilots had been training at the 162d National Guard Air Force Base in Tucson. Hannigan would not confirm how many have graduated or the exact date of graduation “out of abundance of caution for their safety.”

The pilots are now headed to Europe for additional training, according to a person with knowledge of their movements. Ukraine is slated to receive more than 60 F-16s from Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands and Belgium.

From the same link, Politico is also reporting about Trump’s attempt to use Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gerschkovich, who is in pre-trial imprisonment in Russia on trumped up bogus charges, to shake down the US.

TRUMP’S PLAN TO FREE EVAN: Former President DONALD TRUMP claimed today that his relationship with Putin will help free jailed Wall Street Journal reporter EVAN GERSHKOVICH.

In a Truth Social post, the presumptive Republican nominee said Gershkovich would be released after the election, “definitely before I assume office.” Trump added: “Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, will do that for me, but not for anyone else, and WE WILL BE PAYING NOTHING!”

The Kremlin, however, is throwing cold water on those claims, according to Reuters’ GLEB STOLYAROV. “Here, Putin has naturally not had contacts with Donald Trump,” Kremlin spokesperson DMITRY PESKOV told reporters today. Peskov added that any contact about detainees would need to be discreet, saying “this is the only way they can be effective.”

Gershkovich has been detained by Russian authorities for more than a year on dubious espionage charges. Both the Journal and U.S. government reject the allegations. The State Department has designated the reporter “wrongfully detained.”

I’ll remind everyone that Trump did fuck all for US Marine Paul Whelan, who Putin is also imprisoning on trumped up bogus charges.

What a putz!

That’s going to be it for tonight.

Your daily Patron!

There is a new Patron tweet, but it won’t embed, so provided whatever isn’t working starts working again by tomorrow night, I’ll post it then. Until then here’s a new video from Patron’s official TikTok!

@patron__dsns

:) #песпатрон

♬ original sound – Gvelismchameli

Well at least something worked!

Open thread!

The Peace Summit and the Participation of World Leaders Can Restore the Full Effectiveness of the UN Charter and Return Full Protection to Every Nation – Address by the President

22 May 2024 – 20:24

Dear Ukrainians!

A brief summary of the day.

I held a special meeting of the National Security and Defense Council and the Staff, with the Secretary of the NSDC Lytvynenko, the Chief of the General Staff Barhylevych, the Deputy Prime Minister Fedorov, and the Minister for Strategic Industries Kamyshin. It was about our Ukrainian production of electronic warfare, drones, our missile program, and our countermeasures against Russia’s guided aerial bombs. This is a challenging topic, and while we see some good progress on electronic warfare, drones, and the missile program, there is still a lot of work to be done to counter Russian bombs. We discussed the details today. There is no alternative – Ukraine needs systems and tactics that will allow us to defend our positions, our cities and communities from these bombs. For now, they are the actual main tool of the Russian terror and the advance of the occupier.

Today I also spoke with General Syrskyi about the situation on the front. The report of the Commander-in-Chief was delivered in the morning, and there was another one just recently. The directions of the main battles have not changed. They include primarily Pokrovsk and other Donetsk directions. As well as the Kupyansk direction in the Kharkiv region. The main focus is on the entire border area, not only in the Kharkiv region but also in the Sumy region. The task of our units and the Defense Forces in general has not changed either. We must inflict as many losses on the occupier as possible, and I thank every warrior, every soldier and commander who is really accurate, who really ensures for all of us – for our entire state – the results we need.

In particular, I would like to mention the 57th separate motorized infantry brigade, which is defending the area of Vovchansk and our Kharkiv region in general, firmly holding its positions and destroying the occupier exactly as needed. Thank you, warriors! Also, the 82nd separate air assault brigade. Thank you, guys! As well as the Pokrovsk direction – the 47th separate mechanized brigade. Well done, warriors!

And now, I would like to personally thank Sweden and Mr. Prime Minister Kristersson for today’s new decision on long-term support for our country and our people for the next three years. The total amount is seven billion dollars. It is really tangible, and it will strengthen not only us, not only Ukraine, but the entire European perimeter from the Baltic to the Black Sea. Wherever the Russian madmen might try to revise the land or sea borders.

Today, I also continued our diplomatic marathon of preparations for the First Global Peace Summit, personally inviting four more states to the Summit. I spoke today with the leaders of Chile, Albania, Austria and Mozambique. There are four more states at the Summit – thank you. Of course, we also discussed our bilateral relations. Now every leader, every state is able to show their leadership so that this year will be a time of victory for international law and justice, a time when not just one aggressor loses, but the very idea of war – the idea of turning the lives of peoples into ruins – loses. The Russian aggression tried to turn the UN Charter into a museum piece. Our Peace Summit and the participation of world leaders can restore the full effectiveness of the UN Charter and return full protection to every nation.

I thank everyone who is already helping us with this! I thank every leader who is sending the necessary messages to the rest of the world – messages that the Summit will really bring a just end to this war closer.

Glory to Ukraine!

We did it again!
Ukrainian defenders shot down another russian Su-25 jet in the Donetsk region.
Nice job, warriors! pic.twitter.com/arDshyNhHS

— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) May 22, 2024

I do believe this is the fifth Su-25 the Ukrainians have downed in the past month or so.

Sweden:

The Swedish government decided to allocate 75 billion SEK (€6,5 billion) for military support to Ukraine in 2024–2026.
Such long-term support will help strengthen our defense capabilities.
We are grateful to our Swedish partners.
Together, we are stronger!
🇺🇦🤝🇸🇪@ForsvarsdepSv… pic.twitter.com/btv5IKXjSS

— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) May 22, 2024

 

The Swedish government decided to allocate 75 billion SEK (€6,5 billion) for military support to Ukraine in 2024–2026.
Such long-term support will help strengthen our defense capabilities.
We are grateful to our Swedish partners.
Together, we are stronger!
🇺🇦🤝🇸🇪

@ForsvarsdepSv

@PlJonson

@SwedeninUA

Slava Ukraini! pic.twitter.com/IDYhPS6aWq

— Ulf Kristersson (@SwedishPM) May 22, 2024

Estonia:

⚡️Russia is waging a "shadow war" on the West, and there must be a coordinated response, the Associated Press wrote on May 22, citing comments from Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas.https://t.co/cWcZnmZiVO

— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) May 22, 2024

The Kyiv Independent has the details:

Russia is waging a “shadow war” on the West, and there must be a coordinated response, the Associated Press wrote on May 22, citing comments from Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas.

Kallas said she was concerned that some other European leaders have not viewed the uptick in incidents of sabotage and arrest of suspected spies across the EU to be interconnected.

The West needs to have a “serious discussion of a coordinated approach” to counter the Russian threat, she said.

“How far do we let them go on our soil?”

There have been several episodes linked to Russian security services in 2024 in Estonia alone, such as Russia’s ongoing jamming of GPS signals on commercial flights across the Baltic region.

Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said in April that GPS jamming was “too dangerous to ignore.”

Kallas said that she had three requests to her European allies: “the recognition that these are not isolated events, second, that we share information about this amongst ourselves, (and) third, (to) make it as public as we can.”

As more of these incidents are uncovered, Russia has been shifting tactics, Kallas said, and is using spies who pose as diplomats “all the time.”

Russia’s aim is to “sow fear” in Europe and hinder support for Ukraine, she said.

Estonia has been one of the leading military donors to Ukraine in terms of share of GDP since the beginning of the all-out war in 2022. Kallas and other Estonian politicians have also been particularly outspoken about the threat that Russia poses to Europe.

Prime Minister Kallas is correct. But it’s not really a shadow war. Rather it is political warfare: politics with other means.

The Baltic Sea:

⚡️Russia deletes draft decree to change Baltic Sea maritime border.

A draft decree suggesting changing Russia's border in the Baltic Sea was deleted from the Russian government website on May 22 after swift condemnation from some NATO members.https://t.co/wNILDy2fXu

— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) May 22, 2024

More from The Kyiv Independent:

A draft decree suggesting changing Russia’s border in the Baltic Sea was deleted from the Russian government website on May 22 after swift condemnation from some NATO members.

In the draft decree, originally published on May 21, the Russian government said it wanted to revise the existing border, as it had been created in 1985 using now out-of-date nautical charts.

The draft proposal was deleted on May 22, and the web page to the decree now reads: “The draft is deleted.” There has been no public explanation as to why it was taken down.

Leaders from the surrounding NATO member countries responded fiercely to the decree.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis called the Russian move “another hybrid operation,”which aims to spread fear, uncertainty, and doubt about their intentions in the Baltic Sea.

“This is an obvious escalation against NATO and the EU and must be met with an appropriately firm response,”Landsbergis wrote on Twitter.

Micael Byden, the supreme commander of the Swedish Armed Forces, said Russian President Vladimir Putin may be seeking dominance over the Baltic Sea and has his eye on the Swedish island of Gotland.

“I am confident that Putin even has both eyes on Gotland. Putin’s goal is to gain control of the Baltic Sea,” Byden said.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb, in turn, said Moscow had not consulted with Helsinki.

“Finland acts as always: calmly and based on facts,” Stubb wrote on Twitter.

Remember, this is all part of Putin’s world war against NATO, the EU, the US, and the “West.” It is predominantly political warfare, meaning politics with other means to use the correct translation from long dead Carl. Russia may have deleted the decree, but now we have to wait to see if Russia actually adheres to the current borders or the ones in the now deleted decree. I expect it will be the latter.

France:

⚡️French authorities are reportedly investigating the potential role of Russian security services in graffiti that was painted on the Holocaust memorial in Paris, the France Info media outlet said on May 21, citing sources in law enforcement.https://t.co/BnYfmTiIsf

— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) May 22, 2024

I did NAZI that coming!

The Kyiv Independent has the details:

French authorities are reportedly investigating the potential role of Russian security services in graffiti that was painted on the Holocaust memorial in Paris, the France Info media outlet said on May 21, citing sources in law enforcement.

Russian security services have been accused of carrying out a wide variety of subversive acts in the EU, ranging from assassinations to low-level sabotage.

French authorities discovered spray-painted red hand symbols on the walls of the memorial on May 14, which Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo immediately characterized as an antisemitic act.

The following week, authorities told France Info that the possible perpetrators had been found using surveillance cameras and other corroborating information, and identified as Bulgarian nationals.

Investigators told France Info that there is “little doubt” it was a Russian “operation to destabilize public opinion.”

The case follows a similar incident in October, shortly after the beginning of Israel-Hamas War, in which hundreds of Stars of David were found graffitied around Paris. Two Moldovan nationals are suspected of carrying out the vandalism campaign on the orders of a pro-Russian Moldovan businessman.

I guess this something else Bibi can thank his good friend Putin for.

Britain:

The U.S. and U.K. have evidence Beijing and Moscow are collaborating on combat equipment for use in Ukraine, as lethal aid is flown from China to Russia, British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said on May 22.

— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) May 22, 2024

Here’s the details from The Kyiv Independent:

Editor’s note: The article initially quoted a report by the Press Association, which cited Shapps as saying, “lethal aid is now flying from China to Russia.” Reuters cited Shapps as saying, “lethal aid is now, or will be, flowing from China to Russia.”

The U.S. and U.K. have evidence that China is supplying or about to supply lethal aid to Russia, British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said on May 22, Reuters reported.

Speaking at the London Defense Conference, Shapps said he was declassifying new intelligence to reveal the “quite significant” development and called on the world to “wake up” to the threat it poses.

China officially declares itself a neutral party to Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine and has denied providing lethal aid, but Beijing and Moscow continue to develop closer ties, most recently with Russian President Vladimir Putin visiting his counterpart last week.

U.S. officials have previously warned China against providing Russia with lethal military aid and urged Beijing to use its influence over Moscow to help end the war, though Shapps latest comments suggest those warnings are going unheeded.

U.S. and British defense intelligence can now reveal that “lethal aid is now, or will be, flowing from China to Russia and into Ukraine,” Shapps said in comments reported by Reuters.

“That recent visit we saw, the… 64% increase in trade that we’ve seen between the two countries, reveals that there is actually a much deeper relationship there,” Shapps said, as reported by Press Association.

Shapps did not elaborate on the specifics of the lethal aid he was referring to. He said it was up to democratic states to make a “full-throated case” for a Western values-based international order which requires “more allies and partners” worldwide.

“It’s time for the world to wake up. And that means translating this moment to concrete plans and capabilities. And that starts with laying the foundations for an alliance-wide increase in spending on our collective deterrent,” he said.

China has insisted that it has not supported either Ukraine or Russia with weapons throughout the full-scale war.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning responded to Western criticism in a press conference last month, claiming the partnership between Beijing and Moscow constituted “normal cooperation.”

“China will not accept the accusations and pressuring,” Mao said.

Does the Biden administration have any thoughts on this? Yes they do:

⚡️U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan distanced himself from an assertion from U.K. Defense Secretary Grant Shapps, who said earlier on May 22 that the U.S. and U.K. have evidence that China is supplying or about to supply lethal aid to Russia.https://t.co/tH5rBzYK1z

— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) May 22, 2024

More from DC:

So far, no clarity from the DoD on whether Ukraine can use Western air defenses to strike targets in RUS airspace. I asked about the reasoning behind such restrictions. @PentagonPresSec: “The strategic intent here is enabling Ukraine to defend its sovereign territory." pic.twitter.com/QZiVwy5DTo

— Ostap Yarysh (@OstapYarysh) May 22, 2024

Yarysh is asking this at every press conference where he is called upon. I think this is the second time this week.

And he’s also covering Congress:

Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs committee @RepMcCaul asks @SecBlinken whether the administration will lift the restrictions on how to use weapons provided to Ukraine. “They cannot achieve victory with the restrictions you placed on them.” pic.twitter.com/0QDuvmOTxu

— Ostap Yarysh (@OstapYarysh) May 22, 2024

⚡️Asked @SpeakerJohnson about using US weapons on the RU territory?
⁰SPEAKER: I think, they need to allow Ukraine to prosecute the war the way they see fits. They need to be able to fight back. And I think us trying to micromanage the effort there it’s not a good policy for us. pic.twitter.com/71iLMTa9p8

— Kateryna Lisunova (@KaterynaLis) May 22, 2024

I just want to make this very, very clear. The Biden administration’s risk aversion towards Russia and the resulting strategic confusion towards Ukraine has now allowed members of the GOP majority in the House, the caucus that held up a supplemental aid package for Ukraine for all of 2023 and the first four months of 2024, to politically outflank them regarding aiding Ukraine. Johnson personally held aid up for over five months. His predecessor as Speaker held it up for over 10 months in 2023.

Kharkiv:

For those of you missing Kharkiv or wondering what it's like in the city… Day 819 of the war. pic.twitter.com/Gw3dfsiSBD

— Maria Avdeeva (@maria_avdv) May 22, 2024

Early this morning, russian forces struck the center of Chuhuiv in Kharkiv Oblast with missiles, destroying a kindergarten and damaging residential buildings and civilian infrastructure. Eight people were injured. pic.twitter.com/n64XpWNGKW

— Iryna Voichuk (@IrynaVoichuk) May 22, 2024

Read this firsthand account from @padochka, who has been volunteering in Kharkiv for two years. She helps people who fled their homes, returned and started to rebuild—only to be forced to flee again or stay in their beloved Kharkiv and risk death every day. https://t.co/lTAPZo66is

— Maria Avdeeva (@maria_avdv) May 22, 2024

From The Guardian:

The Russian offensive on the Kharkiv region this month has, after 20 months of relative peace, again placed many of the villages where my charity works, repairing homes destroyed by bombs, at the forefront of the war.

I began volunteering in Kharkiv two years ago, having dropped out of my master’s degree in Russian literature and set up the charity to support Ukrainians. After the region’s liberation in September 2022, hundreds of thousands of people had started to return to Kharkiv city and the wider region from other parts of Ukraine, and countries that had taken them in as refugees. The villages where I work were reawakening, the craters that lined the streets had been filled, shops were reopening, electricity was back on. People’s return was mostly driven by a desire to be at home.

“Dim ye dim” is the catchphrase of those living in these villages. Home is home. For many, living in the villages that sit in the 30 miles between Kharkiv and the border with Russia, returning home is also a conscious act of defiance. One elderly woman, who had stayed in her village throughout the war, through occupation and shelling, told me that she would not leave because “so long as there is a Ukrainian on this soil, it will be Ukraine”.

When reports began circulating back in January that Russia may try to take Kharkiv again, local people generally ignored them. Everyone understands the risks they are taking by living so close to the border, but people cannot live in constant fear. Residents planted their vegetable gardens, confident they would be harvesting from them in a few months’ time. They continued to hope that the US military aid package would come through on time, and that the fortifications on the Ukrainian side of the border would hold the Russians back. Nonetheless, over the past month, friends of mine have begun to make contingency plans, posting their documents to family members in safer parts of Ukraine, or moving their children to relatives elsewhere.

On 10 May, the Russians finally recrossed the border and have captured over a dozen villages. Last week, at a petrol station in the eastern Saltivka district of Kharkiv, I stood next to the melted carcass of a lorry hit by a strike in 2022, and listened to the sound of artillery from the frontline, now once again just a few miles away. When I texted a resident of one village last week to ask how she was, she simply replied: “Prokhody is burning.”

Six weeks ago I was having lunch in that same village, which had recently regained electricity for the first time in two years and was discussing plans for local people to put on a cabaret at their small cultural centre over the summer. That cultural centre was badly damaged at the start of the war, but the local administration repaired it in the belief that music might help heal the residents’ trauma. It may well be destroyed now. The village is under too much fire for anyone to check.

On a walk with a local friend in Kharkiv last week, we noted how similar the tense atmosphere was to when we had first met in the city in the summer of 2022. There are some major differences, though. The use now of immensely powerful glide bombs, capable of creating craters as deep as nine-storey buildings, adds another layer of tension.

The lack of faith in the west’s support is another. In the early days of the war, despite all the unfurling horrors, people were confident that the west saw this fight as its fight too, and that Ukraine would receive the support it needed. The massive delays in US aid mean that this belief has been replaced by a feeling of betrayal. Ukrainians breathed a collective sigh of relief last month, when the US Congress finally passed the long-awaited bill providing $60.84bn of military aid to Ukraine. However, I don’t know a single person who has not lost a loved one fighting in the past six months, and no one here can shake the belief that those lives might have been saved had the US passed the bill sooner.

The Ukrainian army seems to have stalled the Russian advance on Kharkiv for now, but concrete action must be taken by Ukraine’s allies to ensure that Kharkiv and the villages around it do not become the next Mariupol. Kharkiv needs proper air defence: entering the city feels as though an umbrella has been taken off you during a storm –people are living with little protection from the attacks launched from across the border every day. Most vitally, Ukrainian troops must be able to strike in Russian territory: once they can do this, they will be able to destroy the systems from which these weapons are launched. So far, the UK and Latvia have said this should be allowed, and those countries must now step up the pressure on the US to allow Ukraine to do the same with American weapons.

Prior to moving to Kharkiv, I spent the first months of the war volunteering on the Polish-Ukrainian border, helping those fleeing. I thought at the time that there was nothing more heartbreaking than the look in the eyes of a person who has been forced to leave their home. Since this new offensive, I have realised that there is: the look in the eyes of a person who fled their home, returned thinking they were safe once more and started to rebuild their life, only to be forced to flee again. My friends and colleagues are once again being forced to make the impossible decision of whether to leave their homes and step back into the life of a refugee, or to stay in their beloved Kharkiv and risk death every day.

This situation was avoidable. The civilians and soldiers who have died since the new offensive began can’t be brought back, but through adequate weapons and air defence provisions, and permission for Ukraine to strike Russian territory, the west can ensure that their friends and families won’t face the same fate – and that the residents of Kharkiv and the villages where I work can keep rebuilding their homes and their lives.

Siversk, Donetsk Oblast:

Another video showing the devastating weapon that has helped Russia gain the upper hand on the battlefield. Ukraine is unable to shoot down glide bombs. It needs long-range air defense and F-16s to potentially fire on the Russian planes that release the bombs. https://t.co/JwtHwz8brF

— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) May 22, 2024

Mospyne, Donestk Oblast:

/2. ATACMS debris in Mospyne published by locals pic.twitter.com/trGLMTixhG

— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) May 22, 2024

Here’s the full text of the first tweet above:

Russian media reports that there was an ATACMS strike in the area of Mospyne, 40km from the frontline. Based on available published videos, the explosion pattern is similar to an air defense missiles detonation. So maybe an air defence system was targeted. Footages of ATACMS submunitions are also published by Russian media.

The Kinburn Spit, Mykolaiv Oblast:

Here’s a video purportedly showing that SBU Sea Baby attack on Russian positions on the occupied Kinburn Spit: https://t.co/f3OEF0ljlh

— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) May 22, 2024

Sea Baby!!!!!

Chasiv Yar:

Defenders of Chasiv Yar describe new attempted Russian attack on the town.

“On the night of May 22, the Russians attempted a breakthrough, using 3 units of armored vehicles

The tank was moving with a mine trawl to clear the way for the BMP. Tank took a firing position and… https://t.co/HWoNAJgBzg pic.twitter.com/IXLIrsLMDP

— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) May 22, 2024

Defenders of Chasiv Yar describe new attempted Russian attack on the town.

“On the night of May 22, the Russians attempted a breakthrough, using 3 units of armored vehicles

The tank was moving with a mine trawl to clear the way for the BMP. Tank took a firing position and opened fire, covering the approach of 2 BMP with infantry.

Russians had no success. The defenders of Chasiv Yar destroyed the equipment and manpower of the assault group.”

“An interesting specimen of a Russian tanks did not reach Chasiv Yar. Russian T-90M after the night assault. Two night cameras are installed on top as well as an anti drone cage”

https://t.me/black_swan_ukraine/75

/3. Same T-90M https://t.co/FdkRs3kdkQ pic.twitter.com/uQcri9rllP

— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) May 22, 2024

Russian occupied Crimea:

Russia is adding barriers around the Crimean bridge to defend against Ukraine’s naval drones.

The bridge was last damaged by naval drones in July 2023. pic.twitter.com/l2IvZnwMYN

— Brady Africk (@bradyafr) May 22, 2024

Russia:

Russia has begun exercises with tactical nuclear weapons, using Iskander missile systems and Kinzhal hypersonic missiles. These exercises, allegedly intended as a response to "provocative statements" by the West, according to the Russian Defense Ministry, are aimed at practicing… pic.twitter.com/Hsc8VDxU9v

— Denis Danilov (@DenisDanilovL) May 22, 2024

Russia has begun exercises with tactical nuclear weapons, using Iskander missile systems and Kinzhal hypersonic missiles. These exercises, allegedly intended as a response to “provocative statements” by the West, according to the Russian Defense Ministry, are aimed at practicing scenarios for the use of non-strategic nuclear weapons.

At the same time, Russia is unilaterally revising its maritime borders with Lithuania and Finland, claiming that the current coordinates, established in Soviet times, do not correspond to the current geographical situation. This revision covers waters east of the Gulf of Finland and near the Kaliningrad region, allowing Russia to declare these waters its internal seas.

With the West cautious about providing military aid to Ukraine and prohibiting the use of Western weaponry on Russian territory, Putin sees this as a weakness and is upping the ante. The Kremlin has traditionally used nuclear exercises as an element of blackmail and a show of force. The revision of maritime borders is just the beginning; Russia’s future actions will depend on Western reactions. If Putin again fails to meet the appropriate resistance, next time not only the territorial waters of NATO countries will be threatened, but also their land borders.

It is time for the West to accept a harsh reality: either they will increase their support for Ukraine and strike Russia hard with Ukraine’s forces, or face an ongoing war of aggression and Moscow’s territorial seizures. The fate of European security hangs in the balance, demanding decisive and united action to destroy the Russian Empire.

#RussiansATerroristState #StandWithUkraine #UkraineRussiaWar

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