Russia-Ukraine war: Zelenskyy calls on world to support Ukraine to prevent famine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked Kalush Orchestra for winning the Eurovision. Zelenskyy said that the next year's Eurovision will be organized in Ukraine. He said that the courage of Ukraine has impressed the world and the music has conquered Europe. He thanked the people who voted for Ukraine. 

"We will make sure that one day the participants and guests of Eurovision hosted Ukrainian Mariupol," Zelenskyy said in the Facebook post. 

Yuriy Ignat, spokesman for Ukrainian Air Force, has claimed that Ukraine destroyed one Su-30/Su-34 aircraft, seven unmanned aerial vehicles, a platoon base, a command and control post and 10 armored vehicles on May 14, The Kyiv Independent reported. According to Ignat, 201 Russian planes have been destroyed so far. 

Ukraine has claimed that Russian shelling has killed 3 civilians and wounded 4 people in Donetsk, The Kyiv Independent reported. Donetsk Governor Pavlo Kirilenko said that two civilians were killed in the Bohorodychne region, while one person was killed in Keramik. According to him, two people have been wounded in Luhansk region and were undergoing treatment in Bakhmut.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a video address said that countries have started recognizing that Russia's blockade of the Black Sea has caused a price crisis in the food market and has even resulted in famine. He called on the international community to provide weapons to prevent global famine. He stressed that providing weapons to Ukraine will help them in liberating their country 'sooner'. Zelenskyy has said that the situation in Donbass remains "difficult" and emphasized that Russian troops have been trying to "show at least some victory."

"More and more countries around the world are realizing that Russia, by blocking the Black Sea for us and continuing this war, puts dozens of other countries at risk of a price crisis in the food market and even famine," Zelenskyy said in his video address. 

"Now support for Ukraine and especially with weapons - means working to prevent global famine. The sooner we liberate our land and guarantee Ukraine's security, the sooner the normal state of the food market can be restored," he added. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has signed a law banning pro-Russian parties. The law will allow authorities to impose a ban on parties that support or "whitewash" Russia's war against Ukraine and refuse to acknowledge that Moscow has captured Ukrainian regions like Crimea and eastern Donbass, The Kyiv Independent reported. 

The spokeswoman of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharova, in the statement released on Telegram said that the sanctions imposed by the West against Russia have resulted in rising food prices. She called the sanctions imposed against Russia as the "direct reason" for the price rise and emphasized that the inability to understand it indicates "either stupidity or deliberate misleading of the public." 

"Prices are rising due to sanctions imposed by the collective West, under pressure from the United States. This is if we talk about the direct reason. Failure to understand this is a sign of either stupidity or deliberate misleading of the public," Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said in the statement released on Telegram. 

Ukrainian General Staff has said that Russian armed forces continue their offensive in Ukraine. According to Ukraine, Russian forces have started preparations for launching an attack on several cities in Donetsk like Sievierodonetsk, Soledar, and Bakhmut, The Kyiv Independent reported. Furthermore, the Ukrainian General Staff has said that Russian troops continue to launch airstrikes in the region. 

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba held a meeting with Albanian counterpart Olta Xhacka. Kuleba stressed that he and Xhackha are convinced that Russia needs to be further isolated until it does not stop its military offensive in Ukraine. He expressed gratitude to Albania for their efforts with United Nations Security Council to seek peace for Ukraine. The two leaders have agreed that "Ukraine’s and Albania’s EU integration paths complement each other." Meanwhile, Olta Xhacka stated that she assured Ukraine about Albania's unwavering support for them. 

Hungary's new President Katalina Novak on Saturday condemned Russia’s aggression against Ukraine on May 14. She also said she supports Ukraine’s accession to the EU and that Hungary.

"We will forever say no to all efforts to restore the Soviet Union," she said.

On May 14, a delegation from the United States Congress' upper chamber visited Ukraine to meet Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The delegations were led by Minority Leader Mitchell McConnell. President Zelenskyy received the delegation and stated that the US Congress and the American people have shown strong bipartisan support for Ukraine. Zelenskyy also stated that Ukraine is currently fighting the Russian invader, protecting not only its state but also democratic principles and freedoms, as well as the right of people to freely select their own future. He also asked for more sanctions against the Russian Federation stating that it is important to put pressure on the aggressor.

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Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned that the consequences of the West's all-out hybrid war against Russia would be felt by everyone. At a meeting of the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy on Saturday, he stated that the collective West has declared a comprehensive, hybrid war on Russia and that it is difficult to tell how long this will all persist, but it is certain that the effects will be felt by everyone, without exception.

The Commissioner for Human Rights at the Verkhovna Rada, Lyudmila Denisova stated that Russia is destroying the only route of evacuation from Luhansk and that the Luhansk region is transforming into a second Mariupol. She stressed that the Luhansk region was cut off from the outside world and that the settlements lacked electricity, water, gas, and mobile phone service.

She further stated that the Russians continue to attack the crucial Lysychansk-Bakhmut highway, which is the only way to evacuate people and supply humanitarian aid and over 40,000 people remain stranded. She claimed that the situation is growing increasingly difficult, with the Luhansk region edging closer to becoming the second Mariupol.

Vitali Klitschko, the mayor of Kyiv, warned that roughly 40 monuments associated with Russia and the Soviet Union would be demolished in the city.

German Interior Ministry announced that more than 700,000 Ukrainians fled their nation during the Russian invasion 727,205 people were enrolled in the Central Register of Foreigners between February 24 and May 11. Of these, 714,998 people (98.3%) are Ukrainian citizens. Minors make up about 40% of Ukrainian refugees. Women made up 81% of adult immigrants from Ukraine.

Ukraine has thanked Montenegro for joining EU sanctions against Russia and giving Ukraine non-lethal equipment. Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba stated that in Berlin, he met with Montenegrin Foreign Minister Ranko Krivokapi to congratulate him for joining EU sanctions against Russia, providing Ukraine with non-lethal equipment, and assisting Ukraine on its route to EU candidate status. He further stated that Ukraine and the Western Balkans will strengthen, secure and prosper the EU.

At a press conference following the G7 foreign ministers' meeting, German Foreign Minister Annalena Berbock stated that the implications of the food crisis created by the situation in Ukraine are already being felt.

She stated that it's not about averting the disaster of famine in a few months as they are already feeling the effects today. She went on to say that the best way to tackle the problem would be to settle the situation in Ukraine, which, in her opinion, would allow the grain market and food prices to return to normal.

Finnish President Niinisto had a conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin to talk about the Ukraine situation and Finland's NATO membership. Putin stated that the negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian representatives have been halted by Kyiv, which has shown no interest in a serious and constructive engagement.

Vladimir Putin also stated that adopting Finland's traditional stance of military neutrality would be a mistake because the country faces no security threats from Russia and that such a shift in the country's foreign policy could have a severe influence on Russian-Finnish relations, which have been established on mutual benefit for many years.

Finland's President, Sauli Niinisto, had a conversation with Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin, which was initiated by the Finnish side. Niinisto stated that Russia's demands for non-NATO membership by the end of 2021, as well as its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, had altered Finland's security situation.

President Niinisto announced that Finland will decide to apply for NATO membership in the next few days. He also stated that Finland will improve its own security and accept responsibility by joining NATO and that the country intends to keep addressing the practical issues provided by the border neighbourhood, both practically and professionally.

Relatives of Ukrainian soldiers defending Mariupol have written to Chinese President Xi Jinping, requesting to help evacuate soldiers from the Azostal steel plant's land, according to Interfax. At a press conference in Kyiv on Saturday, relatives of Ukrainian fighters made the appeal to Chinese President Xi Jinping.

At Azovstal, around 600 injured people have been left in deplorable conditions, with no access to water, food, or medicine, as a representative of the Donetsk region's GU of police suggests.

The representative stated that the situation is really severe for the injured people, who number around 600 and that the situation is appalling, as evidenced by the photographs that have circulated on social media. The representative also announced that there are fighters with no limbs, some with arms, some with legs and some with only wounds.

Lyudmila Denisova, the Verkhovna Rada's Commissioner for Human Rights. stated that the fires on the Kinburn Spit have been burning for more than a week, engulfing about 4,000 hectares of forest on the border of the Kherson and Mykolayiv regions, and are difficult to put out due to the Russian military's temporary occupation.

On Facebook, she said, " The fires on Kinburn Spit have been going on for more than a week. The fire covered almost 4,000 hectares of forests on the border of the Kherson and Mykolayiv regions. It is under threat of extinction, particularly, the largest field of wild Red Book orchids in Europe (its area reaches over 60 hectares), perennial trees, pink lakes and animals.

As Russia continues to attack the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, the City Council of Mariupol has requested that Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs ask the international community to assist in the rescue of fighters at the Azovstal steel plant, according to Ukrinform.

Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boychenko emphasized that Ukrainian fighters have been holding the metallurgical steel perimeter for more than two months, nearly without water or food, and under continual fire. He said that the United Nations and the Red Cross, as well as the leaders of the world's most powerful countries, must be involved in assisting Azovstal fighters. As a result, they urge Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs to use all available international tools to save Ukrainian defenders and carry out an extraction operation.

Ukraine's State Emergency Service stated that two FAB-500 bombs were confiscated in the Odesa region. It further stated that the bombs were successfully destroyed by pyrotechnics from the Odesa State Emergency Service.

The Armed Forces of Ukraine initiated a counteroffensive in the direction of Izyum, as Oleg Sinegubov, the head of the Kharkiv OVA suggests. Sinegubov stated on Telegram that there has been a counteroffensive initiated by Ukrainian armed forces in Izyum and that the enemy is retreating.

He also said that they continue to work on rebuilding critical infrastructure and delivering humanitarian aid, especially to residents of newly liberated settlements.

At the opening of the G7 agriculture ministers' meeting in Stuttgart, Ukraine's Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food, Mykola Solsky stated that the Russian blockade of Ukrainian seaports has already resulted in world-record price increases, and the global food crisis and growing inflation will certainly be affected.

He stated that 7 million tons of wheat, 14 million tones of corn grain, 3 million tons of sunflower oil, 3 million tons of sunflower meal and other crops were unable to reach the global market due to the blockade of Ukrainian seaports. He continued by stating that this has already resulted in a record spike in global market prices, as well as a global food crisis and growing inflation.

Ukraine's National Police (NPU) announced that during the day, Russian forces shelled 11 settlements in the Luhansk area, which destroyed 63 infrastructure facilities. In a Telegram message, NPU stated that Luhansk police have recorded 30 shelling incidents in the last 24 hours in 11 communities and that 63 infrastructural facilities were destroyed as a result of the attack.

Donetsk People's Republic (DPR)'s territory defence headquarters claimed that Ukrainian troops shelled a kindergarten building in Donetsk's Petrovsky region. The headquarters reported that in the Petrovsky area of Donetsk, the VFU, which is the military forces of Ukraine fired at a kindergarten building and that the building of Kindergarten No. 386 was destroyed as a result of shelling.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko stated the decision on how Russia would react if Finland and Sweden join NATO will not be based on emotions, but rather on a rigorous examination, according to RIA Novosti.

Grushko stated that it is evident that this shift will require a political response, as well as a full examination of the implications of the new force configuration that may emerge as a result of the alliance's next enlargement. He continued by stating that it is clear that the response will not be based on emotions; rather, it will be based on a careful and confirmed examination of all elements that influence the security situation in this region.

UK Foreign Secretary Liz Trass has urged the West to continue providing Ukraine with heavy armaments, especially aircraft and to tighten sanctions against Russia. She stated that as Russian troops push to the east and south, the struggle for Donbas rages on. She said that if Putin wins, he would continue to target Ukraine and give in until he has complete control of the country. Truss claims that Putin is capitalizing on the fact that the free world's desire to halt it pales in comparison to his goal to bring Ukraine to its knees.

A Finnish transmission system operator, Fingrid informed that Russia will stop importing electricity to Finland from Saturday. The reason is the failure of the Finnish side to pay for the supplied electricity. Fingrid further stated that a subsidiary of Russia's Inter RAO business will cut off energy imports to Finland starting at 1 am local time on Saturday.

RAO Nordic Oy, an energy trading company operating on the Nordic power stated that further direct or bilateral sales of power imported from Russia to Finland will be prohibited until further notice due to challenges in obtaining payments for electricity supplied on the market. It further said that when payment issues are rectified, trading will resume.

The US experts have stated that due to Ukrainian counterattacks and a lack of reinforcements, the Russian military is likely to withdraw completely from its positions surrounding Kharkiv. The experts from the American Institute for War Studies stated that with some exceptions, Russian units have not attempted to resist the onslaught of Ukrainian forces during the past few days and Moscow is said to be concentrating on a smooth troop withdrawal, according to Ukrinform.

The experts of the institute also stated that Ukraine has won the war for Kharkiv and that the Ukrainian troops did not allow Russian troops to surround, let alone take, Kharkiv and pushed them out of the city.

The Governor of Luhansk Oblast Serhiy Haidai claimed that Russian shelling has destroyed nearly 50 houses so far in the region. He further stated that these destructions took place in and around the towns of Hirske and Popasna.  

In its latest update, the Ukrainian Defence Ministry claimed that Russia has lost nearly 27,200 soldiers, 2,934 Armored Personnel Vehicles (APV), 1,218 tanks, 551 artillery systems, 195 Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS), and at least 88 anti-aircraft warfare. In addition, the invaders also lost as many as 2,042 vehicles and fuel tanks, 411 Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), 200 aircraft, 163 helicopters, 95 cruise missiles, 42 special equipment and 13 boats, the Ukrainian Defence Ministry stated on Twitter. 

Ukraine’s prosecutor general said that her office was readying 41 war crimes cases against Russian troops. 
"We have 41 suspects in cases with which we will be ready to go to court. All of them concern Article 438 of the (Ukrainian) criminal code on war crimes, but different types of war crimes. There is the bombing of civilian infrastructure, the killing of civilians, rape and looting,” Iryna Venediktova said in a live briefing on Ukrainian TV, as per the Associated Press (AP). 

The advisor to the Ukrainian President's office stated that Russia has threatened the world's food security by waging war in Ukraine. He further asserted that the key to the world's food security is weapons for Ukraine. "There is a need to understand the cause and effect of global processes. The only way to restore order is to help us achieve victory," Mykhailo Podoliak wrote in a Twitter post

The heads of the embassies of the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany, and France gathered in Kyiv for the first time since Russia launched a full-fledged war in Ukraine on February 24, Nexta reported citing 5 Kanal news channel. 

The Institute of Study of War has reported that the Russian military has likely decided to withdraw from the Kharkiv region. Thus, the Ukrainian Armed Forces managed to disrupt the Russian offensive on one of the country's largest cities and came almost close to the state border.

Donetsk Oblast Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said on May 13 that one person was killed in Avdiivka and 12 were injured due to shelling in settlements across the region, including Illinka, Bakhmutske, and Zalizne, as per Kyiv Independent.

India has yet again abstained from voting in the UN Human Rights Council on a resolution over the deteriorating human rights situation in Ukraine. The resolution was seeking immediate cessation of hostilities in Ukraine and India, along with 12 other nations, declined to vote against the proposal. Other nations which abstained from voting include - Armenia, Bolivia, Cameroon, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Namibia, Pakistan, Senegal, Sudan, Uzbekistan and Venezuela. Notably, the Geneva-based Council closed its 34th special session after adopting the resolution on Thursday. The Council that reiterated its demand for an immediate cessation of military aggression in Ukraine was adopted by a vote of 33 in favour.

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Russian soldiers were captured in CCTV footage shooting unarmed civilians in the back, according to footage obtained by the BBC. The short clip showed Russian soldiers trying to enter commercial premises near Kyiv in the early stages of the war before they appear to shoot a security guard and another man in the back.

As the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war has entered its 80th day, a recording shared by Kyiv's intelligence services revealed that mutinous Russian army soldiers were undressed, tied up, and taken away in vehicles on the instructions of a 'feared' Russian general who has been stationed to reestablish discipline in Ukraine. According to The Daily Beast report, the Ukrainian Defence Ministry's Main Intelligence Directorate released the recording on social media on Thursday. 

In an intercepted phone call, a Russian soldier is overheard informing a friend that the Kremlin has dispatched a general who was named 'Muradov' in the conversation. According to a Daily Mail report, while the general's entire name was not disclosed in the conversation, the soldier is most likely talking about the lieutenant general 'Rustam Muradov', the deputy commander of Russia's Southern Military District, who is known for supervising horrific combat in Syria's civil war. 

The soldier said, “Well, Muradov arrived and arranged a demonstrative tribunal,” further added that he disciplined his squad since "no one wanted to keep going." The soldier went on to say, “So yesterday (Muradov) busted the f**k out of the commanders to make an example, he undressed them, made them pull everything out of their pockets, tied their hands. Then they loaded them into (buses) and took them away,” Daily Mail reported.  

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Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said on May 13 that U.S. Defense Secretary Austin Lloyd ordered the rotation of several brigades. The number of deployed troops in Europe will not change, remaining at roughly 100,000.

Ukraine is "holding its own" against Russia in the Donbas offensive, said Pentagon  Press Secretary John Kirby. He also said there are about 105 Russian battalion tactical groups in Ukraine, but Ukrainian forces are mounting "a stiff and effective" resistance.

The leaders of the US and the 10-country Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have called for an “immediate cessation of hostilities” in Ukraine and the creation of “an enabling environment for peaceful resolution". In a statement, they said, "We continue to reaffirm our respect for sovereignty, political independence, and territorial integrity. We reiterate our call for compliance with the UN Charter and international law".

"We support the efforts of the UN Secretary-General in the search for a peaceful solution. We also call for the facilitation of rapid, safe and unhindered access to humanitarian assistance for those in need in Ukraine, and for the protection of civilians, humanitarian personnel, and persons in vulnerable situations," they added.

Amid the intense warfare in Eastern Europe, Russia again accused Ukraine of conducting biological weapons projects in its territory. However, this time, it has hinted at submitting "concrete evidence" to the UN Security Council to back its claims. According to a report by TASS News Agency, the claims were made by Russia's Permanent Representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzya at a UNSC meeting On Friday. During the debate, the Russian side argued the delegation has accumulated a lot of materials that directly indicate that the involvement of the United States and Ukraine.

The Russian envoy argued both US and Kyiv are violating the international Convention by carrying out dangerous projects in the centre of Eastern Europe and on the western borders of the country. As soon as the collection of materials is complete, Russia's Permanent Representative to the UN said, they will be presented to the Council for investigation. Further, given the United States’ refusal to engage in a constructive discussion, Nebenzya added, his delegation plans to use the mechanisms under articles V and VI of the Biological Weapons Convention.

As the Russia-Ukraine war continues for the 80th day, Kyiv has claimed that its forces have liberated 1,015 settlements from Russian troops. In the nightly address on Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that at least six settlements returned to Ukrainian control in the past 24 hours. “We will not leave anyone to the enemy,” he added.

Ukrainian organisation’s building in Canada’s Edmonton was vandalised with swastikas, reported Kyiv Independent. Police are now investigating the case after multiple swastikas were spray-painted on the Ukrainian National Federation of Canada’s Edmonton building at around 3 AM on May 13. Orysia Boychuk, president of the Canadian Ukrainian Congress Alberta Provincial Council called on the local police to investigate the incident as a hate crime.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Friday, May 13, held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. During the telephonic conversation, both the leaders discussed the situation in Ukraine, laying focus on humanitarian efforts. Putin informed Scholz that the Russian "special military operation" in Ukraine has been aimed at protecting the people of Donbass and the measures required to ensure the safety of peaceful citizens.

During the conversation, Putin shared details regarding talks between Russia and Ukraine and blamed Kyiv for thwarting negotiations between the warring nations. In the telephonic conversation, Putin avered that civilians held by Ukrainian troops at Mariupol's Azovstal plant have been evacuated with the help of the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross. During the conversation, both Putin and Scholz emphasized that the "militants professing the Nazi ideology" continue to be involved in gross violations of international humanitarian law and resorting to inhuman terrorist ways, according to the readout of the conversation released by the Kremlin. Both the leaders agreed to continue the discussion of prevailing issues through different channels.

Finnish officials have announced they would apply for NATO membership, The Kyiv Independent reported. The Russian authorities have threatened to respond, with one Russian official warning that Russia might launch a military attack against Finland.

Luhansk Governor Serhyi Haidai said that Russian forces have suffered heavy losses in Bilohorivka. He claimed that the entire Russian battalion has refused to launch the offensive, The Kyiv Independent reported, According to Serhyi Haidai, Ukraine has destroyed almost 90 units of heavy equipment of Russian forces. Luhansk Governor Serhyi Haidai said that intense fighting has been ongoing in Rubizhne for months and most of Rubizhne remains in control of Russian forces. 

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday, 13 May, said that his country is “not favourable” to Finland and Sweden's decision to join NATO, according to AP. Erdogan said that they are following developments concerning Sweden and Finland and do not have a "favourable opinion." He, however, did not mention if he planned to block the attempts by Sweden and Finland to join NATO.

Ukraine's General Staff has said that the Russian military offensive has been unsuccessful in the Donbass region. According to Ukraine, Russian forces have not been able to succeed in their attempts to initiate offensives towards Oleksandrivka and Bohorodychne in the Donetsk region, The Kyiv Independent reported. In addition, Russian forces failed to launch an offensive towards Zolote and Komyshuvakha in Luhansk. 
 

US President Joe Biden spoke with his Finland counterpart Sauli Niinisto and Sweden Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson. During the phone call, the leaders discussed close defence cooperation between the three nations and efforts that need to be made for bolstering Transatlantic security, according to the readout of the call released by the White House. In the phone call, Biden underscored his support for NATO and the right of Finland and Sweden to decide on their future, foreign policy and security arrangements. The three leaders underlined their shared commitment to support Ukraine and its people impacted by the war. 
 

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki has announced that the US will support Finland's and Sweden's application for NATO membership if they wish to join the bloc, Nexta reported.

Zaporizhzhia Governor Oleksandr Starukh has accused Russian forces of abducting 271 people. According to Oleksandr Starukh, more than 100 people continue to remain in captivity, The Kyiv Independent reported.

US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin spoke to his Russian counterpart Sergey Shoygu. During the telephonic conversation, Austin called for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine and stressed the need for maintaining lines of communication. According to Austin, it was for the first time he spoke to Sergey Shoygu since February 18. 

Germany has considered supplying IRIS-T surface-to-air defense systems to Ukraine. The German daily reported, citing a security source, that the German cabinet’s security council was discussing the possibility of sending the systems made by German Diehl Defense in November.

(Source: The Kyiv Independent)

Latvia banned more than 100 Russian citizens from entering the country.

Britain has imposed sanctions against Alina Kabayeva and 11 other Russians. The list included Kabayeva's grandmother Anna Zatseplina, Putin's ex-wife Lyudmila under her maiden name Ocheretnaya, and two cousins, Igor and Roman Putin.

(Source: Nexta)

Russian Foreign Ministry has declared 10 staff members of the Romanian Embassy and one employee of the Bulgarian embassy in Moscow as "persona non grata," according to the statements released Friday. Ambassadors for each of these European nations were called to the Russian foreign ministry on Friday to update abuout the dismissal.

Romanian ministry condemned Russia's actions, that the latter said was in a retaliatory move to the  "unjustified decision" taken on April 5 by the Romania that declared 10 Russian diplomats from Bucharest embassy as "persona non grata." Sofia's envoy was asked to leave in response to its "unmotivated decision" of expelling a Russian diplomat. 

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has requested for more weapon supplies, acknowledging that the exisiting military aid package to Ukraine has improved. But he emphasized that Ukraine needs all the means to defeat Russia, European Pravda reported. Kuleba said that negotiations on providing multiple rocket launchers are underway with the G7 countries but the issue of filling Ukraine’s aviation demands "remains unsolved," according to the paper. 

UK government has imposed sanctions against Russian President Vladimir Putin's reputed girlfried-- politician and former Olympic Champion--Alina Kabaeva. Kabaeva has been rumoured to be romantically linked to Vladimir Putin. Uk also sanctioned Putin's ex-wife Lyudmila Ocheretnaya and said in an official statement that these sanctions were targetted at "Putin’s financial network, tightening the vice on the President and his inner circle."

UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said: "We are exposing and targeting the shady network propping up Putin’s luxury lifestyle ... We will keep going with sanctions on all those aiding and abetting Putin’s aggression until Ukraine prevails."

The former Olympic gymnast who is linked romantically with Putin is also included in the sixth proposed package of European Union sanctions. 

Ukraine has asked G7 countries to confiscate the Russian assets and hand it over to Kyiv to help in rebuilding the infrastructure destroyed during the war. At the meeting of the G7 leaders, Ukraine's foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, said: "Canada has already done this and I have a feeling that others will reach that point sooner rather than later. We are talking about hundreds of billions of dollars. Russia must pay." He also appealed to Hungarian leader to agree with EU on Russian oil embargo. 

Russian forces are conducting highly risky manuvers, that explains Russian military leaders are "under pressure," Uk said in an intelligence update on Friday, May 13. In a footages shared by the Ukrainian armed forces, Russia lost an entire battalion as several burnt out military vehicles and segments of a bridge was seen partially submerged in a river in the Donbas region. Russia had lost almost an entire battalion and the pontoon bridging equipment from Ukrainian attack as troops attempted to cross the Siverskyi Donets river in the Severodonetsk region. 

Ukraine’s General Staff has said that Russia lost five Orlan-10 UAVs, one Ka-52 attack helicopter, and a missile and that the Ukraine's armed forces also shot down seven Russian aerial targets. "The seventy-ninth era of heroic confrontation of the Ukrainian nation to the Russian military invasion has begun," Ukraine’s General Staff said in a Facebook post. 

It informed that Russian troops aren't stopping the offensive in the Eastern Operation Zone and that they aim to establish "complete control" over the territory of Donetsk, Luhansk and Kherson regions. Russian troops desperately want to build land corridor between the mentioned territories and Crimea.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told Russian President Vladimir Putin that Moscow bears responsiblity for the global food situation as tons of grain supply bound for export has been stranded at Ukrainian port of Odesa due to Russian blockade. As Shcolz discussed the ongoing ongoing war in Ukraine with President Putin, he brought up the issue of the looming food shortage, that the UN agency WFP warned about earlier today. 

''The Chancellor and the Russian President also discussed the global food situation, which is particularly tense as a result of the Russian war of aggression. The Chancellor recalled that Russia has a special responsibility here,'' a German government statement read on Friday.  ''Given the seriousness of the military situation and the consequences of the war in Ukraine, particularly in Mariupol, the Chancellor urged the Russian President to bring about a ceasefire as soon as possible,'' the statement added. 

''Given the seriousness of the military situation and the consequences of the war in Ukraine, particularly in Mariupol, the Chancellor urged the Russian President to bring about a ceasefire as soon as possible,'' the German government's statement said. 

Read report on UN WFP's global food shortage warning here

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday discussed the issue of neighbouring Finland and Sweden's NATO bid as well as the war in Ukraine at the Security Council meeting, state affiliated news agency RIA Novosti reported.  “Defense Minister [Sergei] Shoigu informed the meeting participants about the progress of the special military operation [in Ukraine]," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told RIA Novosti. 

"An exchange of views took place on the topic of the decision of Finland and Sweden to join NATO and the potential threats to Russia's security arising in this regard," Peskov added. 

Ukraine's Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said this in a Facebook post that Ukraine is entering a long phase of the war. "By May 9, Russia suffered a strategic defeat - it could not destroy the Ukrainian state by military intervention and change of power with Russian puppets. We forced it to reduce the scale of targets to the operational and tactical level. Against this background, we are entering a new, long phase of the war," he informed in a Facebook post. 

"In order to win it, we must carefully plan resources, avoid mistakes and project our strength so that the enemy finally fails to hold up," he wrote.

Increasing pressure on sanctions on Russia and increased foreign assistance to Ukraine in the next few months should create conditions under which the Kremlin will eventually lose its chances of achieving any success, said Oleksii Reznikov. "Then there should be a new window of opportunity for Ukraine."

Rescuers were seen extinguishing a massive fire on the island of Khortytsia caused by a Russian missile strike on Zaporizhzhia Region. Ukrainian State Emergency Service in Zaporizhzhia Region said in a statement on Facebook: “Firefighters eliminated two seats of dry grass fire on the island of Khortytsia, which occurred after Russia’s missile strike on Zaporizhzhia Region. The fire caused damage to the natural environment within an area of about 500 square meters." No casualties were reported.

Credit: Facebook/Головне управління ДСНС України у Запорізькій області

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday said that he is ready to talk to Russia's leader Vladimir Putin for the peace talks in weeks ahead. he once again extended the offer to hold direct talks with his Russian counterpart in a statement to Italy’s RAI 1 television. "As president, I am ready to talk to Putin, but only to him. Without any of his intermediaries. And in the framework of dialogue, not ultimatums," he was reported as saying. 

Kremlin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said that the reports that Russia will cut gas supply to Finland is a 'hoax.'  Finnish newspaper had reported that Russia may halt the gas export to Finland as soon as today. Responding about the matter at a regular press breifing, Peskov said it was “most likely another newspaper hoax”.

Germany has begun training the Ukrainian soldiers for the Panzerhaubitze (PzH) 2000 artillery system, the most powerful artillery weapons in the Bundeswehr. PzH 2000 howitzer could hit a target at a distance of 40km (25 miles).

Russia has expelled 10 Romanian diplomats in response to similar expulsions by Bucharest, its foreign ministry said. It also informed that a member of the Bulgarian embassy was beig asked to leave Moscow in a retaliatory move. 

Ukraine’s armed forces have said that they will fight for Snake Island in the Black Sea “as long as it takes.” In an update on May 13, head of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Kirill Budanov said that the island is of extreme strategic importance for Russian forces, as well as Ukraine’s. The islet is the only territory that will allow the Russian forces link to the occupied Transnistrian region of Moldova.

“Anyone who controls the island can block the movement of civilian ships in all directions to the south of Ukraine at any time… Snake Island is the territory of Ukraine, and we will deoccupy it and fight for it as much as we need. This is a strategically important point to open trade routes, import weapons and exclude any possible Russian military action on the territory of the Transnistrian region, from which they can attack the western part of Ukraine, "said the head of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry.

Credit: AP

Sweden's NATO membership will have stabilising effect and will be beneficial for all the nations around Baltic sea, Sweden’s foreign minister Ann Linde said at a briefing. “Swedish Nato membership would raise the threshold for military conflicts and thus have a conflict-preventing effect in northern Europe,” Linde told reporters as she tabled a parliament report on security on May 13. 

Images released recently, including the satellite imagery, showed Russians increased activity at the drama theater of Mariupol as cranes were spotted and Donetsk People Republic Emergency Situations Ministry employees were seen excavating the site.  On ecrane was parked near the area of the theatre buiding and a large hole could be seen on the theater's roof, the epicenter of the explosion from Russian strike. Several trucks were seen around the building. 

Donetsk People Republic Emergency Situations Ministry employees at Mariupol drama theatre site. Credit: AP

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said at the Bundestag Defense Committee that he will hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. "It didn't make any sense before May 9th, but we have to try again because you have to talk to each other," Scholz said. Government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit confirmed the reports with German newspapers saying: "If we have something to say [to Russia's leader], we will do it very promptly." 

Russia's state affiliated news agency Interfax has also confirmed that Putin and Scholz have agreed in principle to continue talks between the countries at different levels.Scholz has called Putin several times, but then the contact broke off, the Russian Duman officials informed. In an interview last week, the chancellor said that he last spoke to the Russian president four weeks ago.

China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijan slammed United Nations for its, what he described, 'politicized double standards' over Ukraine war. During a regular press briefing, Lijian derided the UN Human Rights Council for adopting resolution on investigating Russia's war crimes in Ukraine. China and Eritrea had voted against the motion but the UNSC resolution was passed with majority vote.  

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijan said that the UN council tolerates aggression by some nations while condemning others.

“Politicized double standards and selective practices are on the rise in the Human Rights Council. The reason why China voted against Ukraine is based on China's principled position on the Ukrainian issue,” Zhao said.

“The Human Rights Council held special meetings frequently in some countries, but it has not been able to take actions against some other countries," added Zhao. 

Credit: China’s Foreign Ministry 

"Helsinki must be aware of the responsibility and consequences" of joining the NATO, Moscow has warned Finland after the neutral Baltic state announced its intention of applying for membership to the Alliance. In a hardened and threatening tone, Kremlin has said that Finland would "face consequences" as it seeks to apply for NATO membership "without delay," a suit that the Sweden will follow. Kremlin has threatened a direct confrontation with NATO, reminding that expansion of the Western military alliance was one of the key things that the Russian President Vladimir Putin aimed to prevent with military intervention in Ukraine. 

Abandoning the neutrality that the two states maintained throughout the Cold War, will have repercussions on EU's regional security, Moscow is warning. Kremlin's spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has called Finland's announcement "hostile" and has threatened retaliation-- unspecified "military-technical" measures.

Russia's remarks on the matter have followed NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg's comments that Finns would be "warmly welcomed" to join NATO, and a "smooth and swift" accession process will be done. "We would support a NATO application by Finland and-or Sweden should they apply," Biden's press secretary Jen Psaki said at the briefing. 

A member of President Zelenskyy's inner circle  in an off the record conversation with Ukrainska Pravda has admitted that a peace agreement with Russia would be  'too much of a compromise' now after the mounting atrocities that were inflicted on the civilians and the military forces alike by Russia.

"If on the first day of the war we had been allowed to sign a version of the peace agreement like the one we have now, we would have done it without a second thought. But now the agreement seems too much of a compromise," the Ukrainian official, who did not choose to be identiifed with name, told the paper. 

"Ukraine's readiness for some form of tactical surrender in the early hours of the attack has given way to the first attempts to outline Russia's future defeat," he asserted. The paper reported that the member outlined how  Russia's President Vladimir Putin had to conquer Ukraine in 72 hours, and Ukraine's military was given just that much timeframe to surrender to Russia's demands. 

This was the starting point of the Russian-Ukrainian war. 

"So you understand, Zelenskyy received the first offer to leave Ukraine and form a government in exile before the full-scale war. This offer was sincerely made to the president during the Munich conference. And they said it was better [for Zelenskyy] not to return to Ukraine", a member of the delegation in Munich told Ukrainska Pravda, although on condiiton of anonymity. Zelenskyy was also asked to choose Warsaw, or London, or any other place for his "residence".  

Putin already has 120 strike battalion-tactical groups gathered around Ukraine at the time. "At first we did not know the exact plans of the Russian Federation. But when we seized the staff documents from dead Russian commanders near Kyiv, we understood everything. It was all noted there - when and where the particular group should be, and elite paratroopers had to clear the government quarter in Kyiv within 72 hours. The same 72 hours that all our partners had told us about", one of Zelenskyy's top "security officers" told Ukrainska Pravda paper. 

The first phase of Putin's plan failed, the official said. The blitzkrieg by the "world’s second greatest army" failed. But Russia’s president believes he has enough strength to force Ukraine to surrender. "We cleaned up all the nonsense about "denazification", "demilitarisation", the Russian language and so on. We noted there that Ukraine was not ready to join NATO," the said official stated, indicating that the agreement of peace would be Russia's own terms. And that it is also a question who would be the security guarantor for Ukraine. 

"Ukraine has had to understand for itself the answer to the fateful question: how ready is the West to stand with Ukraine in the confrontation with Russia?" the official questioned in the report. 

Report/Ukrainska Pravda

Russian forces are investing "significant effort" around the cities of Izyum and Severodonetsk for a break through towards the eastern Slovianks and Kramatorsk regions of Ukraine, the UK's Ministry of Defence has said in an update. UK MoD said Russia wants to encircle Ukrainian troops in the Joint Forces Operation area, the eastern line of contact between the separatist-held areas of Donetsk and Luhansk.

"River crossings in a contested environment were a highly risky manoeuvre that speaks to the pressure the Russian commanders are under" to make progress in eastern Ukraine, the MoD said.

Ukrainian forces have launched attacks and foiled Russian Army's attempts of navigating the Siversky Donets river, near Severodonetsk in eastern Ukraine. Russian battalion lost "all its armoured vehicles" in the intense shelling by the Ukraine's forces that floated the bridges that Russian forces were using, UK's intelligence update has said. Ukraine military claims that more than 1,000 soldiers could have been killed. 

"Artillerymen of the 17th tank brigade of the UAarmy have opened the holiday season for ruscists. Some bathed in the Siverskyi Donets River, and some were burned by the May sun," Ukraine military tweeted, sharing the shelling and intense combat images from the bridge. 

Credit: Defence of Ukraine

In view of the international situation surrounding Ukraine, Japan, in coordination with the international efforts for peace has imposed a exports ban on Russia under the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Law. Tokyo has banned the export of cutting-edge goods such as quantum computers, 3D printers, etc. to Russia. The measures will be implemented from May 20, said Japanese ministry in a press document. Japan has banned catalysts for petroleum refining, Quantum computers and other devices that utilize the characteristics of quantum and their accessories, and their components. 

Other items include, electron microscopes, and equipment designed to be used with these microscopes, equipment for modeling (3D printers), powdered metals and metal alloys, organic light emitting diodes, organic electric field effect transistors, and organic solar cells used in these equipment. Further ban has placed on export of equipment for the manufacture of minute electromechanical systems and fuels made from hydrogen (limited to those manufactured using solar power, wind power and other renewable energies) and solar cells with high conversion efficiency. 

Ukraine military forces have killed an estimated 26,900 Russian soldiers since the invasion on Feb. 24. In the last 24 hour, nearly 24 Russian soldiers were killed by the Ukraine Army. Ukrainian troops destroyed 1,205 (+10 over past day) enemy tanks, 2,900 (+27) armored personnel vehicles, 542 (+8) artillery systems, 193 (+2) MLRS, 88 (+1) anti-aircraft systems, 200 (+1) aircraft, 162 (+1) helicopters, 405 (+7) operational and tactical UAVs, 95 (+1) cruise missiles, 13 ships/boats, 2,042 (+23) vehicles and fuel tanks, 41 special equipment units, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine posted on Facebook. 

European Union has pledged an additonal $521 million (€500 million) in military support to Ukraine, bloc's chief diplomat Josep Borrell said. ''We will provide a new tranche of 500 more millions in military support to Ukraine," the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy told European reporters during the meeting of G7 foreign ministers in Weissenhaus in Germany on Friday. 

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin held a telephone conversation with Minister of Defense of Ukraine Oleksii Reznikov. The two counterparts discussed further security assistance to Ukraine.

“Today, I had another phone call with my Ukrainian counterpart Oleksii Reznikov. We discussed the situation in eastern Ukraine, and we coordinated U.S. and international security assistance efforts to ensure the Ukrainians have the capabilities they need to keep countering Russia's aggression,” Austin posted on Twitter.

World needs to prepare for war in Ukraine to last, and needs to prepare for its long-term consequences, France's foreign minister said at the G7 summit in Germany. Jean-Yves Le Drian said that the leaders of the world need to prepare for a long haul as the war in Ukraine is a long-lasting conflict with "serious consequences around the world."

"I'd also make the point that we now have to deal with a conflict that is going to last and therefore also to deal in the long term with the consequences of this conflict at the international level and particularly in the field of food security," he said.

Russian troops launched a missile attack on the Dergachivskyi House of Culture, a facility where the humanitarian aid was stored and distributed to civilians, Dergachivskyi City Council informed on Facebook. "Unfortunately, last night, the invaders [Russian troops] completed their work and destroyed the Dergachivskyi House of Culture, and at the same time our humanitarian centre, with a missile strike," he wrote. 

Facebook/Derhachivska Miska Rada

Russia's Foreing Minister Sergey Lavrov on Friday met with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus Vladimir Makei in Dushanbe. The meeting came as Russian FM attended Council of Foreign Ministers of the Commonwealth of Independent States held in Tajikistan. The ministers exchanged views on a wide range of issues of cooperation within the Commonwealth, discuss topical international and regional issues. There are 9 issues on the draft agenda, according to the Press Service of the CIS Executive Committee reports. The Russia and Belarusian ministers heared a report "On the International project "Youth Capital of the CIS".

Meetings of the CIS Council of Ministers is held twice a year and the autumn meeting this year is scheduled for October 13 in Nur-Sultan, Capital of Kazakhstan. 

Credit: Russia MFA/Telegram

Russians have been using use VPN to access blocked sites such as Meta's Facebook and Instagram, a study has found, Moscow state news agency TASS reported on Friday.  “Nearly a third of respondents (30%) have reduced their visits to these [Instagram and Facebook] services due to the need to use a VPN. At the same time, 26% have not stopped using Facebook, Instagram and other blocked services because their use is not prohibited by law,” the study said. 

Ukrainian troops have pulled back from the city of Rubizhne as they lose foothold in the eastern region. After an intense battle in its industrial outskirts, a bridge that linked Rubizhne with neighboring Severodonetsk was destroyed. Ukrainian troops reportedly retreated back, leaving the city to fall to Russians although Ukraine's military did not give official confirmation. 

General Staff reported said in an update that "the enemy continues to focus its efforts on establishing full control over the settlement of Rubizhne." The Institute for the Study of War had declared in an analysis that Russians have taken control of almost all of Rubizhne as of May 12, "and have likely seized the town of Voevodivka, north of Severdonetsk."

A Russian soldier, Sergeant Vadim Shyshimarin, will go on trial on Friday for killing an unarmed 62-year-old man in the head from the car's window. The incident occured in the northeastern village of Chupakhivka, and the prisoner of war faces life in prison under the penalties. Shyshimarin’s lawyer, Victor Ovsyanikov, reportedly stated that the case is strong but the final decision will be made by Kyiv's court. 

Russian troops have been sending additional artillery to the border areas of the Bryansk region to step up the attacks and the shelling on the settlements in the Chernihiv region. In a war update on Facebook, General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said that As of 06:00 on May 13, Russian troops did not cease offensive operations in the Eastern Operational Zone in an attempt to establish full control over the Donetsk, Luhansk, and Kherson regions. The Russians, he said, were trying to establish a land corridor between these regions and the temporarily occupied Crimea.

"Enemy [Russia military] maintains tension in the Transnistrian region of the Republic of Moldova and in the Republic of Belarus," General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said. 

Ukraine needs more weapons  to help "keep up the pressure" on Russian President Vladimir Putin, British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said on Friday as she left after the crucial meeting of The Group of Seven (G7) Foreign Ministers in Weissenhaus, Germany. 'It is very important at this time that we keep up the pressure on Vladimir Putin by supplying more weapons to Ukraine, by increasing the sanctions," Truss said. She added that the ''G7 unity has been vital during this crisis to protect freedom and democracy." G7 is a group of nations that include the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United States.

Effective May 15, the curfew in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv has been shortened. It will now start at 11 pm and will be instated until 5 am Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said in a post. From May 16 onwards, the capital will operate from 6 am to 10 pm, while buses will work until 10.30 pm. he informed. 

Afghanistan, overrun by the Taliban terrorist group, plans to buy oil and gas from Russia, reports Kommersant. The Taliban are still recognized as a terrorist organization in Russia. 

According to media reports, the EU's top diplomat, Josep Borrell, announced on May 14 that the European Union would contribute additional €500 million in military aid to Ukraine and that he was optimistic that an agreement on a Russian oil embargo could be reached in the coming days.

Ukraine on Thursday reopened the Irpin bridge, on the outskirts of the Ukrainian capital city of Kyiv. Traffic resumed on the bridge days after it was destroyed in Russian shelling in the initial days of the way. 

Ukrainian governor of Luhansk Serhiy Haidai in a Telegram post claimed that Russian missile attacks have destroyed nearly 70% of settlements in occupied regions. "[The Russians] do not manage to defeat the Ukrainians in battle, so the racists deliberately destroy the region, turning it into a desert. Most of our settlements are destroyed by 70%, those that are under occupation even more," Haidai said, as quoted by The Guardian. He further added that the Russians had “made every effort to break through the defences in Luhansk region” and attempted to storm “Rubizhne, Zolote, Nizhne, suburbs of Severodonetsk”.

Ukraine’s General Staff in its latest report informed that Russian troops have renewed attacks on the besieged Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol. Advisor to Mariupol mayor Peter Andryushchenko told Kyiv Independent that Russian troops tried to break into the Azovstal steel plant on May 13. At least 2,000 Ukrainian defenders from the Azov regiment are holed up in the steel factory in "severely critical" condition. 

Ukraine claimed that Russian occupiers in Kharkiv destroyed the House of Culture in the Derhachi region of Kharkiv Oblast. 

Ukraine is set to begin with the Russian war crime trials in Kyiv. The first defendant to appear at the dock in Kyiv's district court is Vadim Shysimarin, a 21-year-old commander. He was in Ukrainian custody after he allegedly murdered a 62-year-old civilian in Chupakhivka village, before raping his wife. Shysimarin was fighting in the Sumy region in northeast Ukraine. He is also charged with shooting a Ukrainian military convoy and an unarmed man, prosecutors said. 

The Russian embassy in Latvia on Thursday condemned Riga for suspending the Russo-Latvian Intergovernmental Agreement of 30 April 1994, under which Latvia is vested with the duty of protecting Soviet war memorials within its borders. In a strongly-worded statement, Russia said, "This traitorous, unjustified step has neither moral nor legal grounds and constitutes a flagrant violation of the universally recognised principles and norms of international law, including the provisions of this very treaty. This situation clearly demonstrates for the entire responsible international community the true face of the political elite of modern Latvia: cynicism, double standards, a complete rejection of civilised ways of settling interstate issues and brazen disregard for the fundamental principles of international law. In Latvia, the problem of settling the score with one’s own historical past is looming large," as reported by The Guardian. Latvian MP Krista Baumane during the vote on suspension of the Article 13 of the agreement pointed out that the monuments were symbols of Russian crimes and occupation. 

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) in its latest report stated that Ukraine is resorting to a counteroffensive in Kharkiv that is similar to the one carried out in Kyiv. This ultimately pushed Russian invaders off from the Ukrainian capital, ISW said. 

Russian offensives have bogged down every time they hit a built-up area throughout this war, and these areas are unlikely to be different.

Continued and expanding reports of demoralization and refusals to fight among Russian units suggest that the effective combat power of Russian troops in the east continues to be low and may drop further.

If the Russians abandon efforts to advance from Izyum, moreover, Ukrainian forces would be able to concentrate their efforts on defending Severodonetsk-Lysychansk or, in the worst case, breaking a Russian encirclement before those settlements fall.

Russia is “investing significant effort in the vicinity of Izium and Severodonetsk in an attempt to achieve a breakthrough towards Sloviansk and Kramatorsk," the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) said in the war operational update. "The primary objective on this axis is to envelop Ukrainian forces in the Joint Forces Operation area, isolating them from support or reinforcement by units in the west of the country," it added. 

 UK foreign secretary Elizabeth Truss on Thursday urged her G7 counterparts to let the sanctions on Russia remain in place until all troops have moved out of Ukraine. 

“(Russian President Vladimir) Putin is humiliating himself on the world stage. We must ensure he faces a defeat in Ukraine that denies him any benefit and ultimately constrains further aggression,” she said, as quoted by BBC. 

In response to Finland's potential decision to move forward with its application for membership in NATO, Russia on Friday announced that it will halt gas supplies to Finland from as soon as May 13, Spectator Index reported. 

According to Ukraine’s General Staff, defenders on Thursday shot down 7 Russian aerial targets. "Russia lost five Orlan-10 UAVs, one Ka-52 attack helicopter, and a missile on May 12," Ukraine Armed Forces said in its new report, Kyiv Independent reported. 

Russia's Ambassador to the European Union Vladimir Chizhov told Sky News that the invasion of Ukraine was timely and could have "steamrolled" Ukraine by now. However, he added, that the "special military operation" was proceeding at the desired speed. 

"It is continuing at a certain speed, having in mind the various aspects of the situation in Ukraine, including the need to protect the troops — the Russian troops and the allies of the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics — as well as the civilian population," Chizhov said.

"Had the Russian army followed the pattern of the United States and other Western countries, we would have steamrolled Ukraine several times by now. But that was never the intention. Actually, I should repeat that it was not the intention of Russia to capture territory in Ukraine."

Satellite images accessed by CNN showed that the Russian military has continued their engagement in occupied Melitopol. They are using a Ukrainian airbase outside the occupied city. Images taken by BlackSky on May 12 showed seven helicopters at the base. The use of the base offers strategic leverage to Russia, given its location between the occupied cities of Kherson, Mariupol and parts of the Russian-backed separatist-held Donbas region.

US Ambassador to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Michael Carpenter on Thursday accused Russia of sending “at least several thousand Ukrainians” to filtration centers. Citing a transcript of his report, Carpenter added, Russians have evacuated "at least tens of thousands more to Russia or Russia-controlled territory."

“Survivors of this process describe a coercive, multi-destination journey through various ‘filtration’ waypoints in the Russian-controlled eastern Ukraine, and eventually across the border into Russia itself," Carpenter noted, as reported by CNN.

Ukrainian defenders have continued heavy counterattack against advancing Russian troops in Bilohorivka. The fighting intensified a day after Ukrainians blew up two Russian pontoon bridges on Wednesday. Satellite images by Black Sky showed plumes of smoke billowing at the river bend where the bridges were destroyed. 

A satellite image by Maxar Technologies on Thursday showed a Russian Serna-class landing ship in the Black Sea making a sharp turn and successfully dodging a Ukrainian missile that hit the water. It was seen beside a sunken vessel, which was also identified to be a Serna ship. 

Russia has decided to show new evidence of US military biological activities in Ukraine at a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meeting on Friday, 13 May. The announcement regarding Russia presenting evidence in the UNSC has been confirmed by Dmitry Polyanskiy, deputy envoy to the United Nations, Sputnik reported. Since the war began between Moscow and Kyiv, Russia has been accusing the United States of running biological laboratories in Ukraine.

Dmitry Polyanskiy said that they have raised a demand for an open meeting of the UNSC to show the evidence on military biological programs that are being conducted at US Biolabs in Ukraine. Polyanskiy said that the meeting is scheduled for 13 May at 10 am (New York Time). Meanwhile, State Duma Deputy Speaker Irina Yarovaya said that Russia seeks to have a discussion of the activities of US biological laboratories in Ukraine at a meeting of the UN Security Council, TASS reported. Yarovaya highlighted that the international community will be able to discuss the issue through the efforts of Russia and stressed that the projects that were being developed by the US were a "global threat." Yarovaya noted that the parliamentary investigation of the activities carried out by the Russian parliamentary commission is truthful and expressed a willingness to cooperate in the interests of global security.

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German vice-chancellor Robert Habeck has said that the Russian Federation could use “energy as a weapon” as the war in Ukraine continues to ravage Europe. Addressing media reporters on Thursday, he highlighted that although his country has reduced its dependency on Russian gas and oil, it could still take two years to completely phase out of fuel. Habeck, who also serves as the Energy Minister of Germany said that it could cause trouble for the president in winters. 

On Thursday, Moscow announced sanctions against 31 foreign energy companies in retaliation to Western sanctions. Pertaining to the same, Habeck said that it was already leveraging its hydrocarbons to blackmail Europe. Around 40 per cent of Europe’s fuels come from Russia. 

"The gas storage facilities must be full by winter or else we will be in a situation where we can easily be blackmailed," Habeck, who also serves as the country's economy and climate minister, said at a Thursday press conference. "It has to be said that the situation is coming to a head, in such a way that the use of energy as a weapon is now being realized in several areas," he added.

Read more here

Former US President Donald Trump, on Thursday, hit out at the Biden administration for working to provide US$40 billion to help Ukraine battle the Russian invasion. The Democrats have put forward the latest Ukraine Aid Bill in front of the Senate, which if approved, could take the country’s total contribution to US$60 billion. The bill has been passed by the House and is expected to get the upper house’s approval by next week. However, Trump slammed the usage of American taxpayer's money on Ukraine and asked Europe to bolster its efforts to deal with its “regional” concerns.  

“Why are we giving more than USD 40 Billion to Ukraine while Europe, by comparison, is giving very little, and they are greatly more impacted by a Russian invasion, obviously, than the US,” Trump said in a statement on Thursday.  

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Austrian Chancellor Karl Negammer on Thursday warned Russia that it could confiscate the Gazprom storage facility near Salzburg if Moscow suspended gas supplies to Austria. This comes after Austria has refused to comply with Putin's demand that EU countries must pay for Russian gas in rubles. Earlier, Russia suspended gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria over defiance to pay for important gas in Russian currency.

World Food Program director David Beasly on Thursday in an interview with CNN flagged that the world could suffer major food insecurity if Russian President Vladimir Putin's forces continued blockade of Ukrainian ports along the Black Sea, especially Odesa. "It could cause global hunger and collapse of Ukraine's economy," he said. 

On May 12, the UN Human Rights Council adopted a resolution initiated by Ukraine, "On the deteriorating human rights situation in Ukraine stemming from the Russian aggression". The resolution emphasizes a firm commitment to Ukraine's sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders and calls on the Russian Federation to immediately cease hostilities on the territory of Ukraine.

A report by International Energy Agency (IEA) on Thursday stated that Russia's oil revenues grew by 50% since the war began in Ukraine. As per the report, Moscow has been pocketing $20 billion a month from at least 8 million crude oil barrels  and oil products exported each day since the beginning of 2022.

The UK Home office on Thursday informed that over 1,00,000 visas have been issued to Ukrainians seeking asylum in the UK since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to receive honorary doctorates from at least 30 US schools for his remarkable leadership to protect his country amid the Russian war, Ukrinform reported. 

Ukraine’s first lady Olena Zelenska accused Russia of “waging war against children” after Putin’s forces targetted a school and a boarding school in Novhorod-Siverskyi in Chernihiv. While multiple schools have been targeted since the conflict started in February, the latest attack left 3 people killed and at least 12 injured. Zelenska said that continuous strikes on civilian facilities with kids are aimed at destroying the future of the country. 

"Tonight, the Russian army fired rockets from a plane at a school and boarding school in the city of Novhorod-Siversky, Chernihiv region. Rescuers are currently working there, but we already know of 3 dead and 12 injured. The bombing was aimed. The Russians, who claim to be attacking only military installations, are waging war against our children. In fact, they are waging war against our future," Zelenska said in a Telegram post-Thursday.

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Following a weakened recovery from the pandemic, the global economic growth has been severely impacted by the Russian war, International Monetary Fund (IMF) said in a report. "This year’s growth outlook for the European Union has been revised downward by 1.1 percentage points due to the indirect effects of the war, making it the second-largest contributor to the overall downward revision," the report mentioned. 

Crimean Tatar leader Mustafa Dzhemilev on Thursday said that Turkey has suggested a plan to evacuate Ukrainian troops from Mariupol. As per the plan, the evacuated soldiers would remain in Turkey until the end of the war, thus, preventing them from participating in the war, Kyiv Independent reported. 

Members of the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) and the UN representatives are meeting with Russia to discuss the evacuation of wounded soldiers from the Azovstal steel plant in the besieged city of Mariupol, said Ukrainian Deputy PM Iryna Vereshchuk. 

Ukraine tactical group in the East in its Thursday briefing said that 180 Russian soldiers were killed on MAy 12. Simultaneously, the group repelled at least 6 attacks by Russian troops. 

At least 6.03 million people have fled Ukraine since the Russian war began, said the United Nations. Over 3.3 million among the externally displaced are women and children, the International Organisation of Migration (IOM) said in its latest report, adding that more than 8 million have been internally displaced so far. 

Addressing the Group of Seven (G7) Summit in Germany, UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss on Thursday called for additional sanctions against Russia until Moscow decides to recede from the country. She also called on the NATO countries to draw coordinated responses and plan to supply Ukraine with NATO-standard equipment  as well as necessary training and expertise. 

Senator Rand Paul on Thursday opposed the $40 billion aid package for Ukraine despite Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer's request to unanimously pass the proposal. "If this gift to Ukraine passes, our total aid to Ukraine almost equal the entire military budget of Russia. And it’s not as if we have that money lying around. We will have to borrow that money from China to send to Ukraine,” Senator Pauls said on the floor.

US Defence Secretary Llyod Austin on Thursday engaged in a telephone conversation with his Ukrainian counterpart Oleksi Reznikov. 

In April alone at least 100 hundred children have been killed in the ongoing Russian war in Ukraine, said the deputy executive director of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), Omar Abdi. Addressing the UN Security Council on Thursday, Abdi noted, "In just this past month, the UN verified that nearly 100 children were killed, and we believe the actual figures to be considerably higher." Russian strikes have also "damaged and destroyed" over hundred school buildings. He added, "More children have been injured and faced grave violations of their rights, and millions more have been displaced."

As the war rages on unabated in Ukraine, the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on Thursday, 12 May, voted to set up an inquiry into alleged human rights violations committed by Russian forces in Ukraine. The UN Human Rights Council held a special session on human rights violations in Ukraine to hold perpetrators accountable. The resolution was adopted with 33 votes in favour, whereas two voted against it while 12 abstained from voting.

The countries which voted in favour of the resolution included the US, Ukraine, UAE, Poland, France, UK, Finland, Qatar, Lithuania, Malaysia, Finland, Germany Indonesia, and Japan. Meanwhile, the countries which voted against the resolution were China and Eritrea whereas countries like Sudan, Cuba, Armenia, Uzbekistan, India, Namibia, Pakistan, Senegal, Kazakhstan, and Cameroon abstained from voting. The UNHRC also reiterated its demand for an immediate cessation of Russia's military hostilities against Ukraine.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a video address paid tribute to nurses on International Nurses Day. He appreciated the efforts of health workers in serving people amid the war.  He said that Russian troops have destroyed 570 healthcare facilities and 101 hospitals. He asserted that Russia's strategic defeat is already visible to everyone and stressed that Russia does not have courage to acknowledge it. 

"Russia's strategic defeat is already obvious to everyone in the world and even to those who still continue to communicate with them. Russia simply lacks courage to admit it so far. They are cowards. And they are trying to hide the truth behind missile, air and artillery strikes," Zelenskyy said in his video address.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has called on Russia to stop blocking humanitarian corridors and violating humanitarian law. According to the ministry, around 500 medical workers and injured Russian soldiers are stuck in Mariupol's Azovstal steel plant. Ukrainian Foreign Ministry stated that these people require immediate evacuation and stressed that Ukraine continues to make every effort to rescue them. 

Ukraine has claimed that a Russian missile has hit Zaporizhzhia’s iconic Khortytsia Island. No casualty has been reported in the attack. According to Zaporizhizha's administration, the attack did not cause damage to infrastructure, however, the fire was reported due to a missile in the island, The Kyiv Independent reported. 
 

The United Nations has stated that as many as 3,541 civilians have been killed, and 3,785 others have been injured since Russia launched its military offensive in Ukraine on February 24. According to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the people who have died include 1,300 men, 844 women, 93 boys, and 77 girls as well as 69 children have been killed since the Russian military offensive in Ukraine. In addition, the gender of 1,158 adults has not been confirmed yet. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke to his Slovakian counterpart Zuzana Caputova. During the telephonic conversation, the two leaders discussed Ukraine's progress in obtaining the status of a candidate country for EU membership. Zelenskyy and Caputova discussed fuel imports from Slovakia. Zelenskyy thanked his Slovakian counterpart for the humanitarian and defence aid provided to Ukraine and invited her to his country. Meanwhile, Slovakian President Zuzana Caputova stressed that the future of Ukraine is in the EU and Slovakia supports Ukraine’s ambitions and a swift EU decision on its candidate status. 

German manufacturing company Siemens has announced its exit from Russia. In the statement, Siemens said that they have started to "wind down" its industrial activities in Russia. Roland Busch, President and CEO of Siemens AG, has said that they condemn the Russian military offensive in Ukraine and stand with international community in calling for peace.

“We condemn the war in Ukraine and have decided to carry out an orderly process to wind down our industrial business activities in Russia. This was not an easy decision, given our duty of care for our employees and long-standing customer relationships, in a market where we have been active for almost 170 years," Roland Busch said in the statement.

India has stressed that there can be no solution achieved through bloodshed and at the cost of human lives. Speaking at the United Nations Security Council meeting on Ukraine's humanitarian situation, India's Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, R Ravindra, reiterated India's stance that calls for peace and the path of dialogue and diplomacy. Ravindra stated that humanitarian actions need to be taken by following the principle of humanitarian assistance and emphasized that these efforts should not be "politicized."

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has said that more than 6 million people have fled Ukraine since the Russian offensive started on February 24. People have moved to neighbouring countries like Poland, Romania, Hungary and Slovakia to escape the war. 

Ukrainian General Staff has said that Russian armed forces have not been able to seize new settlements in the Donbass region on 12 May, The Kyiv Independent reported. According to Ukraine, Russian soldiers attempted to capture Oleksandrivka in Donetsk and Voyevodivka village in Luhansk. However, Russian armed forces have failed to seize these regions. 

As Russia is continuously attacking Ukraine since February 24, the northern neighbours of the Russian Federation, Sweden and Finland are seeking NATO membership to combat any future Russian aggression. As per reports by Swedish newspaper Expressen, Sweden might apply for NATO membership on Monday, May 16.

The country's Social Democratic Party will meet in an extra session on Sunday, May 15, to discuss the situation. The leadership has stated that the party's decision is still up in the air, but all assessors currently believe that a clear yes will be delivered on Sunday and the next day, on Monday, May 16 at 10.30 am, an extra-parliamentary debate on the security policy analysis will take place. 

Read full report here

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby has said that Finland's entry into NATO will be historic adding that it would not be hard to integrate the country into the Alliance. 

Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Bob Menendez, has said that the committee is “already working to ensure swift consideration” for the NATO membership of Finland and Sweden, that the two neutral states will apply for this month. Another Democratic senator from US President Joe Biden's party Sen. Jim Risch said that Finland’s “announcement today marks a tremendous step forward in the future of transatlantic security.”

India on Thursday once again raised concern regarding the deteriorating human rights situation in the country, stemming from the Russian aggression. Stating its position on the Ukraine conflict, India said that it has been steadfast & consistent, and ensured uninterrupted humanitarian access and safe passage for the people. The statement came during the 34th Special Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC).

India highlights deteriorating human rights situation in Ukraine. "We have taken note of the updates on the human rights and humanitarian situation in Ukraine provided by High Commissioner for Human Rights, the members of the commission of inquiry, and others."

Read full report here

US state department has announced that Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Europe for a meeting of NATO foreign ministers. On 14 May, the secretary will travel to Berlin to attend an informal meeting of Nato Foreign Ministers where Allies and partners will discuss their unified response to Russia’s continuing brutal war against Ukraine and the upcoming Leaders’ Summit in Madrid, informed US State Departmnet in a statement. 

China voted against the UN Human Rights Council resolution for setting up an official inquiry into war crimes and human rights abuses committed by Russian troops in Ukraine. The resolution was rejected by China but it was passed. An emergency session in Geneva was held to consider evidence of Moscow's alleged violations in Ukraine.

An adviser to the Mariupol mayor said Wednesday that Russian forces have blocked all evacuation routes out of the city. The adviser, Petro Andriushchenko, said there were few apartment buildings fit to live in after the weeks of bombardment and very little food or drinking water.

Andriushchenko said some residents who have remained in the city are cooperating with the Russian occupying forces in exchange for food. Meanwhile, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk says Ukraine has offered to release Russian prisoners of war if Russia will allow the badly injured fighters to be evacuated from the Mariupol steel plant.

Russian forces have surrounded the plant, the last bastion of Ukrainian resistance in the southern port city. Vereshchuk said no agreement has been reached but negotiations were underway. The fighters trapped in the plant have refused to surrender to the Russians, saying they fear being tortured or killed.

Source: Associated Press

Families of the Azov regiment fighters holed up in the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol have made emotional appeal to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to evacuate the fighters from the plant. At a news conference, father of an 18-year-old fighter who is trapped inside the plant asked the Turkish leader to evacuate his son, citing Syria and Dunkirk during World War II. 

“As a man to man, a father to a father, I implore you to save my son and his comrades,” Evheniy Suharnikov pleaded Turkish president as he detailed Turkey's with military extractions in the Middle East wars. "It is a historical opportunity to go down in history as a peacemaker, as a hero," said the 18 year old fighter's father. 

“We need a hero, a person with enough political authority to carry out this procedure. From a political and geographical perspective, we think Turkey can be that country and Erdogan can be that person," he added.

Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak on Thursday demanded that the European Union immediately enacts a total oil embargo on Russia. "If the leaders had acted decisively in 1938, Europe could have avoided WWII," said Podolyak. "But politicians acted cowardly & flirted with the aggressor. The result is million tragedies. History won't forgive us if we make the same mistake again."

Finnish foreign minister Pekka Haavisto on Thursday said that Finland and Sweden's joining the military alliance would not threaten Russia. "We are peace-loving countries," President Sauli Niinisto said. Finland had announced that it will join NATO in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the two countries said that they must apply for membership  "without delay".

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has supported Finland's decision to apply for membership of NATO for its security as Russia wages a war in Ukraine. Scholz said: "In a telephone conversation with the President... I have assured Finland of the full support of the German government."

A Ukrainian human rights activist says LGBTQ people in her country are “on the front line of resistance” against Russia’s invasion and many have joined the Ukrainian army to thwart Russian forces, Associated Press reported. Olena Shevchenko told a European forum being held in Cyprus via a video link that Ukraine’s LGBTQ support groups also have joined in offering humanitarian assistance to all those suffering from or who have fled the fighting.

Shevchenko was critical of the European Union’s statements about safeguarding the continent’s values in the face of war, saying words should turn into actions and specifically material help like food and medicine for those who need it most. 

Russia might cut off Finland's gas supply  to Finland tomorrow Finnish newspaper Iltalehti has reported. This comes as Kremlin warned that Finland joining NATO defensive Alliance would be a threat to Moscow's own security. Finland's president Sauli Niinisto and prime minister Sanna Marin earlier announced the country's intention to seek NATO membership "without delay".

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that Finland's actions as regrettable and "definitely" a threat to Russia "and a reason for a symmetrical response".

UN human rights chief says her office has found that Russian forces and affiliated armed groups are responsible for most civilian deaths during the war in Ukraine.

High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said the “vast majority” of civilian casualties have been caused by the use of explosive weapons, including heavy artillery, multiple launch rocket systems, and missile and airstrikes.

“According to our information, while such incidents can be attributed to both parties to the conflict, most of these casualties appear attributable to the Russian armed forces and affiliated armed groups,” Bachelet told a special session of the Human Rights Council on Thursday.

Ukraine and its backers led a push to convene the special session of the 47-member body. The Geneva-based council was set to vote on a resolution that would reiterate its demand “for the immediate cessation of military hostilities against Ukraine.”

Source: Associated Press

Foreign energy companies that fall under the Russian sanctions will not be felicitated with gas supplies by Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has informed on Thursday speaking with reporters in Moscow.  "Blocking sanctions have been introduced. Therefore, there will be no relations with these companies, they are simply prohibited," Peskov said at a press conference call. 

Russia has sanctioned 31 foreign companies, that include all current or former subsidiaries of Russian state gas company Gazprom. 

US troops joined forces from Britain, France, Italy and allied countries in the region Thursday in a military exercise held in NATO’s newest member, North Macedonia, aimed at displaying deployment readiness along the alliance’s eastern borders.

Nearly 10,000 soldiers from 19 nations are taking part in NATO’s planned “Swift Response” exercises as Russia’s war in Ukraine continues for a 12th week. The exercises are being held in five separate locations, spanning from Norway to North Macedonia, military officials said.

“I think it’s a fantastic demonstration of what we can do as an alliance and our ability to project combat power if asked to do so and how quickly we can do it,” Maj. Gen. Peter B. Andrysiak, US Army Deputy Commanding General for Europe and Africa, told reporters after an hourlong display in North Macedonia.

Associated Press Report

Russian troops have shelled the Sumy Oblast at least 20 times, killing one person, Sumy Oblast Governor Dmytro Zhyvytsky said on Thursday. Russian forces fired from heavy artillery 20 times at the village Novi Vyrky, one person was killed as a result of the attack, the governor informed in a Telegram post. 

“Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is not just a matter for Europe, but it shakes the core of the international order, including Asia. This must not be tolerated,” Japanese Prime Minister Fyomo Kishida said as the top European Union officials visited Tokyo for an annual round of talks to put more pressure on Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine. 

Finland’s president and prime minister have reiterated that they’re in favor of applying for NATO membership considering the security situation in the face of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. President Sauli Niinisto and Prime Minister Sanna Marin said that “as a member of NATO" the two nations will strengthen the entire defense alliance. Finland is virtually certain to seek NATO membership though a few steps remain before the application process can begin. Neighboring Sweden is expected to decide on joining NATO in coming days.

“We hope that the national steps still needed to make this decision will be taken rapidly within the next few days," Niinisto and Marin said in a joint statement.

Russia is currently the “most direct threat” to the international order, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said at a conference in Tokyo, Japan. She also condemned the war atrocities committed by Russia on the civilians of Ukraine during the course of its invasion. 

Russia “is today the most direct threat to the world order with the barbaric war against Ukraine, and its worrying pact with China”, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said after she met with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida along with European Council President Charles Michel.

A Finnish MP has said that Russia has turned "more aggressive" and "unpredictable" when asked about why Finland wants to join NATO. "Finland has been a neutral country for many decades, but we never forgot about the threats of our eastern neighbour," Elina Valtonen, a member of parliament for the opposition National Coalition Party, told Sky News.

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NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg on Thursday said that the Alliance would "warmly welcome" Finland should the Finnish government decide to joint the arragement. In a statement issued by NATO office, Stoltenberg said that the defensive alliance would accept the top politicians request to join. "This is a sovereign decision by Finland, which NATO fully respects. Should Finland decide to apply, they would be warmly welcomed into NATO, and the accession process would be smooth and swift," said Stoltenberg. 

"Finland is one of NATO's closest partners, a mature democracy, a member of the European Union, and an important contributor to Euro-Atlantic security," he added. 

A senior US intelligence official has warned that cyberconflict over Ukraine could escalate in the coming days. Speaking to BBC, Rob Joyce, director of cyber-security of the US National Security Agency (NSA) said that one of the prime reasons for such an escalation could be independent hackers targeting Moscow over its “unprovoked” invasion of Ukraine.

Ever since President Vladimir Putin launched his military operation on Ukraine, several attempts have been made to galvanise support in favour of Kyiv. Earlier, an anonymous hacker grabbed eyeballs after they shared a video, asking Russians to assassinate their leader.

Read full report here 

A senior US intelligence official has warned that cyberconflict over Ukraine could escalate in the coming days. Speaking to BBC, Rob Joyce, director of cyber-security of the US National Security Agency (NSA) said that one of the prime reasons for such an escalation could be independent hackers targeting Moscow over its “unprovoked” invasion of Ukraine.

Ever since President Vladimir Putin launched his military operation on Ukraine, several attempts have been made to galvanise support in favour of Kyiv. Earlier, an anonymous hacker grabbed eyeballs after they shared a video, asking Russians to assassinate their leader.

Read full report here 

Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has praised Finland for its "readiness to apply for NATO membership". Ukraine's President held a telephonic call with Finland's president Sauli Niinisto during which the two counterparts discussed about "Ukraine's European integration". The Finnish leader "reiterated Finland's firm support for Ukraine". As an adherence to Russia's demands, Zelenskyy had declared in the month of March that his country would not become a NATO member. 

Britain’s military has said that Ukraine has recaptured several towns and villages in the country’s northeast from the invading Russian troops. UK's Ministry of Defense in an update said that Russia’s focus on the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine had left its remaining troops deployed in the city of Kharkiv “vulnerable to the mobile, and highly motivated, Ukrainian counter-attacking force.”

Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, has also lately witnessed heavy shellings and Russian bombardment as enemy troops desperately attempted to encircle the whole city. UK in its intelligence update on social media said that Russia has withdrawn units to "reorganize and replenish its forces following heavy losses.”

Russian forces have rained airstrikes on the last pocket of Ukrainian resistance in the besieged city of Mariupol and have mae the advaements to towns across the country’s east, Ukraine’s military said in an update. Russian troops strengthened their offensive in Ukraine as Finland announced its plans to give up its neutrality and seek NATO membership.

A top Russian official says that there is a growing threat of the fighting in Ukraine spilling into a direct conflict between Russia and NATO. Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy head of Russia’s Security Council chaired by President Vladimir Putin, said Thursday that growing Western arms supplies to Ukraine and training for its troops have “increased the probability that an ongoing proxy war will turn into an open and direct conflict between NATO and Russia.”

He added that “there is always a risk of such conflict turning into a full-scale nuclear war, a scenario that will be catastrophic for all.”

Source: Associated Press

Russian energy corporation Lukoil has bought 100% of Shell Neft LLC from the British-Dutch oil and gas company Shell, which owns a network of gas stations in Russia and a lubricant plant in Tver Region.

Former Russian President and incumbent head of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev on Thursday stated that Finland and Sweden moving forward with seeking NATO membership could lead to unprecedented adversities. Taking to Telegram, he wrote, 

In the context of the proxy war unleashed by western countries with Russia, I want to articulate once again very clearly things that are already so obvious to all reasonable people.

1.  The pumping of Ukraine by Nato countries with weapons, the training of its troops to use Western equipment, the dispatch of mercenaries and the conduct of exercises by the countries of the Alliance near our borders increase the likelihood of a direct and open conflict between Nato and Russia instead of their “war by proxy”.
2.  Such a conflict always has the risk of turning into a full-fledged nuclear war.
3.  This will be a catastrophic scenario for everyone.

He finished by urging the west “do not lie to yourself and others” and “do not choke on your own saliva in the paroxysms of Russophobia!”

UN Human Rights chief Michelle Bachelet on Wednesday deplored Russia's atrocities in Ukraine. "The scale of unlawful killings, including indicia of summary executions in areas to the north of Kyiv, is shocking,” Bachelet told the Geneva-based Human Rights Council via a video address.

Finland’s President Sauli Niinistö on Thursday discussed the potential NATO membership with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy over a phone call. "I spoke with President Zelenskiy and reiterated Finland’s firm support for Ukraine. I informed him of Finland’s steps towards Nato membership and he expressed his full support for it," the Finnish President said

Ukraine Armed Forces in its latest operational report stated that at least 26,650 Russian troops have been killed in Ukraine since the war began. In addition, Ukraine has destroyed at least 1,195 Russian tanks. 

Russian forces were continuing their airstrikes on the Azovstal steel mill in Mariupol and pressing their advance on towns in eastern Ukraine, the general staff of Ukraine’s armed forces said Thursday.

UK PM Boris Johnson on Wednesday said 'normalisation' of relations with the Russian Federation is not possible after witnessing harrowing atrocities of its war in Ukraine. Speaking on LBC radio when he was asked if London will ever b welcomed back on global stage, Johnson responded, "The short answer is no. No renormalisation and the UK is very clear about that.”

Ukraine Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba during his visit to Germany on Wednesday lauded Berlin's decision to send weapons to Ukraine. In an interview with German broadcaster ARD, Kuleba said "there had been positive changes after Germany decided to deliver heavy weapons to Ukraine and back a proposed EU embargo on Russian oil following pressure from its allies."

Russia's aggression has posed threat to global stability and "today (it is) the most direct threat to the world order with a barbaric war against Ukraine and its worrying pact with China and their call for new, and very much arbitrary, international relations," European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen said at the Japan-EU Summit in Tokyo. 

German manufacturing company Siemens halted all new operations in Russia. "We join the international community in condemning the war in Ukraine and are focused on supporting our people and providing humanitarian aid," the company said in a statement.

Finland President Sauli Niinistö and Prime Minister Sanna Marin in a joint statement on Thursday expressed support for applying for NATO membership. "Finland must apply for NATO membership without delay. We hope that the national steps still needed to make this decision will be taken rapidly within the next few days," the joint statement said, as quoted by CNN.

Kyiv Mayor Vitalii Klitschko on Wednesday warned that the Ukrainian capital is without a doubt still a target of the Russian Federation. Speaking to CNN he said, there is also a possibility that Moscow could launch tactical nuclear strikes on Kyiv. 

The US State Department in a fresh study accused Russia of running disinformation campaigns on the use of chemical and biological weapons by Ukraine and the West. The report that Moscow is using its seats on international bodies such as the UN Security Council and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to help justify its war on Ukraine.

Russia’s prioritisation of operations in the Donbas has left elements deployed in the Kharkiv Oblast vulnerable to the mobile, and highly motivated, Ukrainian counter-attacking force, said the UK Ministry of Defence in its latest war briefing. 

Luhansk Oblast Governor Serhiy Haidai informed that Russian occupiers launched at least 26 missile strikes on residential buildings in Luhansk Olbast in the past 24 hours. As many as 24 buildings were damaged in the region due to the strikes.

In reaction to Russia's aggressive invasion of Ukraine, Finland and Sweden are likely to formally apply to join North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in the upcoming days. Both nations claimed that Moscow's actions have altered Europe's security dynamics and that the Putin administration's nuclear threats need NATO's collective self-defense capabilities, VOA News reported.  

Further, Finland's Foreign Affairs Minister Pekka Haavisto on Tuesday told CNBC that the nation would be ready to submit its application to join the NATO military alliance after finishing a few more procedures. Following Russia's unjustified attack on Ukraine, the Nordic country has been contemplating joining the alliance.  

Minister Haavisto said, “When all our political parties are ready...and the latest, the Social Democrats on Saturday, then we are ready to move as (a) government forward and then this discussion, of course, on the NATO membership, will come to the Parliament, starting probably next Monday. But then we are, after that, ready to send an application,” CNBC reported.  

Read more here

The United Nations in its latest update recorded 7,265 casualties in Ukraine since Feb 24. However, the agency believes that the on-ground figures are much higher. 

The World Health Organisation (WHO) verified 18 additional attacks on health care in Ukraine on Wednesday. As of 11 May, 209 attacks on health care in Ukraine have been verified. At least 75 people were killed & 55 injured since Feb 24. "Attacks on health violate international law & endanger lives. Health should never be a target," WHO said.

The Russian gas firm Gazprom has said that Ukraine has left only one entrance for them to supply gas to Europe. Sergei Kupriyanov, the official representative of Gazprom has said that the decision of Ukraine to keep only one way for supplying gas to Europe has substantially lowered the dependency on its gas supply, TASS reported. The statement of Gazprom's official comes after Ukraine’s Gas Transmission System Operator halted the transit of gas from Russia to Europe through its Sokhranivka station. 

Speaking to Rossiya-24 Channel, Sergei Kupriyanov said that the company fulfil all its obligations to supply gas to consumers according to the agreement signed between the company and the country, as per the TASS report. He highlighted that Ukraine has made the conditions for supplying the gas through its territory in a way that their capacity to transit gas has been reduced by 34%. of the capacity that has been paid by the company. Sergei Kupriyanov claimed that Ukraine has left only one entrance for transit to Europe, which "significantly reduces the reliability of its gas supply,"

Read more here

Russian forces have repeatedly used cluster munitions in attacks that killed hundreds of civilians and damaged homes, hospitals and schools since its invasion of Ukraine. 

German Economy Minister Robert Habeck on Thursday stated that Germany will soon be able to completely wear itself off of Russian gas as it has stepped up its efforts to reduce reliance on supplies. "If we have full storage facilities at the turn of the year, if two of the four floating LNG tankers we have leased are connected to the grid and if we make significant energy savings, we can to some extent get through the winter if Russian gas supplies collapse," Habeck told a German daily, WirtschaftsWoche

The head of the organization of pyrotechnic works and humanitarian demining of the State Emergencies Service Oleh Bondar, on Wednesday, warned that demining Ukrainian territories could take from 5 to 10 years.

Kharkiv City Council on Wednesday unilaterally cut off "sister" ties with Russian cities in the wake of Moscow's burgeoning invasion of Ukraine. 

The United States has decided to halt the sale of semiconductors and other technology to Russia in retaliation for Moscow's war in Ukraine. “We have reports from Ukrainians that when they find Russian equipment, military equipment, on the ground, it’s filled with semiconductors that they took out of dishwashers and refrigerators,” US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo told during a Senate hearing on Wednesday, as quoted by the Associated Press. The US exports of technology to Russia are down nearly 70% since late February, Raimondo added.

An adviser to the Mariupol mayor, Petro Andriushchenko, on Wednesday, said that Russian forces have blocked all evacuation routes out of the besieged city of Mariupol. His remarks come after Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said Kyiv is ready to offer a prisoner of war (POW) swap under provisions stipulated by international laws. 

Governor of Russia’s Belgorod Oblast Vyacheslav Gladkov on Wednesday claimed that alleged shelling by Ukraine has left one dead and six wounded in the region, Kyiv Independent reported.

Addressing the Japan-EU Summit in Tokyo, Japan PM Fumio Kishida decried the Russian invasion of Ukraine. "Russia's aggression on Ukraine has shaken the world order." He further called on the international community to "respond to the threats" adequately.

In a nightly video address on May 11, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reassured his citizens that liberating Ukraine will be easier with the help of the free world. He went on to say that Ukraine is defending freedom and the right to life for all free nations in the fight against tyranny, which is still a threat to Europe today as it was 80 years ago.

The Ukrainian President's remarks came as the House of Representatives of the United States Congress approved a new and significant package of assistance for Ukraine, totaling nearly $40 billion. The US Senate is expected to hold a second vote soon. President Biden will then sign the decision, and it will go into effect.

He said, "We will liberate our land and people, and with the help of the free world it will be easier to do." "Despite threats, people in the cities of Ukraine show their opposition to illegal occupation. We are supported by the world community," the Ukrainian President added.

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Ukraine Deputy PM Iryna Vereshchuk on Wednesday stated that Kyiv has offered Russia to swap wounded Ukrainian soldiers from Azovstal for Russian troops arrested by Ukraine. 

After Pope Francis, Israel PM Naftali Bennett, now Tesla CEO Elon Musk receives appeal to evacuate people stranded in Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol. 

The use of hypersonic missiles by Russia in the battle against Ukraine is not having "really significant or game-changing effects," according to US Joint Chiefs Chairman General Mark Milley. It is worth mentioning here that Russia has launched between 10 and 12 hypersonic missiles against Ukraine since its invasion began on February 24, according to US defence sources earlier this week. This was the first time hypersonic weaponry had ever been utilised in combat, according to Milley.

"Other than the speed of the weapon, in terms of its effect on a given target, we are not seeing really significant or game-changing effects to date with the delivery of the small number of hypersonics that the Russians have used," the general told the House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, The Hill reported.

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In a nightly video address on May 11, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reassured his citizens that liberating Ukraine will be easier with the help of the free world. He went on to say that Ukraine is defending freedom and the right to life for all free nations in the fight against tyranny, which is still a threat to Europe today as it was 80 years ago.

The Ukrainian President's remarks came as the House of Representatives of the United States Congress approved a new and significant package of assistance for Ukraine, totaling nearly $40 billion. The US Senate is expected to hold a second vote soon. President Biden will then sign the decision, and it will go into effect.

He said, "We will liberate our land and people, and with the help of the free world it will be easier to do." "Despite threats people in the cities of Ukraine show their opposition to illegal occupation. We are supported by world community," the Ukrainian President added.

Read more here

In a key development, Russia on Wednesday claimed that it lost nearly an entire battalion while attempting to cross the Siverskyi Donets River that runs between the separatist-held region of Luhansk and the Donetsk region in Eastern Ukraine. As the war rages on in its 11th week, Zelenskyy’s troops thwarted Russian attempts to cross the river by blowing up two pontoon (floating) bridges near Bilohorivka. Satellite images accessed by geospatial intelligence firm Blacksky and shared by Ukrainian Defense Forces depict the destroyed bridges. Several other images also indicate charred Russian tanks. 

Finland and Sweden are set to forward applications for membership to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) in the coming days, and the alliance will "quickly grant them membership," IZVESTIA news reported. 

Atlantic Council honours the courage and resilience of the Ukrainian People with a tribute at our Distinguished Leadership Awards. 

Ukraine's Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova on Wednesday announced that her office is set to launch the first war crime trial against a Russian soldier, who is accused of targeting or murdering civilians. Russian Sgt. Vadin Shyshimarin, 21 has been charged with murdering an unarmed civilian before raping his wife. More than 10,700 crimes have been registered in Ukraine since February 24, the Prosecutor General's office said, The Guardian reported.

The Japan-EU Summit opened in Tokyo with a grand welcome ceremony with honour guard at Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's Office in Tokyo. The European Union will be represented by European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Among the key discussions will be the Russian war against Ukraine and the harrowing atrocities in the embattled country. Apart from this, the leaders will also deliberate on cooperation and alignment on sanctions against Russia, as well as strengthening cooperation on security and defence, trade, climate, or the lifting of travel restrictions.

Ukrainian experts urged the international community to assert pressure on Russia including an oil embargo and sanctions for the alleged war crimes in Ukraine. The appeal comes just ahead of the key Un Security Council meeting that is scheduled for May 12. 

"Putin is responsible for the war crimes committed in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war as Ukraine is winning the war, a spiritual victory, stating the fact that a totalitarian regime will never happen as countries will learn from Ukraine's retaliation," said Dr Hanna Hopko, an expert in advocacy, Russian expansionism and international relations.

As the Russian onslaught gains momentum in east and south Ukraine, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko raised concerns about the safety of Ukrainian citizens returning to Kyiv. Speaking to CNN, stated that "safety is the main priority" amid threats of nuclear warfare by Russian President Putin. "Yes of course we worry, and we hope our warriors defend us, but the risk is still there and without our partners, without the United States and European countries we can't survive," he said. Klitschko believes that undoubtedly Kyiv is still Russia's "main target."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on May 11 that Russia has adequate purchasers for its energy supplies aside from West, adding that the western nations will now have to pay more for delivery and justify to their citizens why they must compromise their well-being.

Lavrov, after meeting with Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi at a joint press briefing, said, "We have enough buyers of our energy resources and we will work with them. Let the West pay a lot more than it paid Russia and let it explain to its population why they have to become poorer."

Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister, arrived in Oman on May 11 to discuss bilateral relations, collaboration, and the situation in Ukraine. He also met with Sultan Haitham bin Tarik and Deputy Prime Minister Fahd bin Mahmoud Al-Said of Oman, in addition to Albusaidi. According to Lavrov, Russia will no longer rely on Western nations because of their "non-negotiability," According to him, Moscow now has a clear idea of "how to live on." 

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Russia has demanded an official apology from the Polish authorities over the attack on the Russian ambassador in Warsaw on May 9. The Russian Foreign Ministry summoned Polish Ambassador Krzysztof Krajewski on Wednesday, 11 May. The Russian Foreign Ministry told Krzysztof Krajewski that Russia is "expecting" an official apology from Polish authorities in connection with an attack on Russian ambassador Sergei Andreev in Warsaw, TASS reported. 

The Russian government has raised the demand of ensuring the safety of the ambassador and all the employees of Moscow's embassy in Poland. Furthermore, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that Moscow's decision in response to the attack on Sergei Andreev will be based on Polish authorities, as per the TASS report. The statement of the Russian Ambassador comes after the Russian Ambassador to Poland Sergei Andreev was attacked by crowds of people during his victory at the military memorial cemetery of Soviet soldiers on Zwirki and Wigura Street in Warsaw in a diplomatic car with a Russian flag. 

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Amid the escalating tensions between Russia and Ukraine, a top European Commission official stated that Ukraine requires around €500 billion-€600 billion in funding for redevelopment purposes. European Commission Executive Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis on Wednesday, May 11, committed that the bloc will disburse a "large" part of it, Politico reported. Valdis Dombrovskis further stressed that the effort will require the cooperation of the international community and the European Union. 

According to Valdis Dombrovskis, European Union is ready to coordinate with the international community to help Ukraine in redevelopment. He stated that the EU will give "large and very meaningful support" to Ukraine for assisting the country in redevelopment activities to recover from the aftermath of the ruthless Russian invasion, as per Politico. Dombrovskis added that a proposal will be introduced later in May that will help to "link the support" for the redevelopment of infrastructure with structural reforms which war-torn Ukraine might require "as an EU candidate country." Notably, European Union has also been working on a solidarity trust fund for Ukraine. 

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In a key development, the UK government has committed to supporting Sweden and Finland "in the face of renewed threats" as both the countries are looking on to join NATO. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday, May 11, signed mutual security assurance declarations with Swedish counterpart Magdalena Andersson in a bid to bolster their security and fortify "northern Europe's defences." It is to be noted that the development comes at a time when Sweden and Finland are confronting warnings from Russia regarding the countries' prospects of joining NATO.

"The war will end for the Ukrainian people only when we get back what’s ours. We do not need too much, because everything needs to be watched, we need only what’s ours. We want to return peace to our state, to our land," Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during an address to students at a French university. "We want to get our land back because our history is tied with it, it is respect for international law," he added.