The Russian Defense Ministry denounces in a press release “an attempt by the kyiv regime to carry out terrorist attacks using French-made Hammer guided bombs.”Follow the latest information.
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More than two years of war in Ukraine
WERE FRENCH GUIDED BOMBS USED?
Russia accuses the kyiv regime of having attacked it with French Hammer guided bombs and with American HARM anti-radar missiles in the Russian region of Belgorod, bordering Ukraine. “An attempt by the Kiev regime to carry out terrorist attacks using French-made Hammer guided bombs and American-made HARM anti-radar missiles against targets on Russian territory has been prevented,” says the Russian Defense Ministry. in a press release. Between 09:20 and 09:30 GMT this Saturday, “Russian anti-aircraft defense systems destroyed four guided bombs and two anti-radar missiles over the Belgorod region,” he said.
A VILLAGE SEIZED BY RUSSIA
Russia claims this Saturday to have seized a village near Vovchansk, in the Ukrainian region of Kharkiv, where the Russian army launched a new offensive last week. “Units of the northern grouping liberated the village of Staritsa in the Kharkiv region and continue their advance deep into the enemy’s defensive positions,” the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.
TWO RUSSIAN ATTEMPTS PUSHED BACK
According to Oleg Synegoubov, the governor of the Kharkiv region, the Ukrainian armed forces repelled two Russian attempts to break through the defenses during the night. But the situation is “under control”, the “defenders carrying out assaults and search operations in certain areas”, he specifies.
Moscow attacked several towns, including Vovchansk, just five kilometers from the border. “In the area of the city of Vovchansk, Ukrainian troops are strengthening their defense,” adds Oleg Synegubov. The day before, the governor said Russian forces had taken Vovchansk and all but 200 residents had fled because of the fighting.
10,000 EVACUATIONS IN THE KHARKIV REGION
Ukraine has evacuated nearly 10,000 people in the Kharkiv region, in the northeast of the country, following a ground attack by Russian forces, the governor announced. “In total, 9,907 people were evacuated,” declared Oleg Synegoubov more than a week after the launch of the Russian assault.
ZELENSKY CRITICIZES WESTERN POSITION ON ARMS
The Ukrainian president also castigated his allies who forbid him from using Western weapons to strike Russian territory, for fear that this would push the Kremlin into an escalation.
“They can hit us from their territory, that’s the biggest advantage Russia has, and we can’t do anything to their (weapons) systems located on Russian territory with Western weapons. We don’t have any not the right,” he denounced.
ZELENSKY WANTS BEIJING TO “GET INVOLVED” IN PEACE CONFERENCE
The Ukrainian president wanted to see China and southern countries “involved” in the conference on peace in Ukraine, which Switzerland is organizing in mid-June.
“Global players” like China “have influence on Russia. And the more such countries we have on our side, on the side of ending the war, I would say, the more Russia will have to reckon with that,” noted the Ukrainian president.
NO TRUCE DURING THE Olympics
Volodymyr Zelensky told AFP on Friday that he had rejected the idea of a “truce” for the duration of the Paris Olympic Games in the summer that French President Emmanuel Macron wanted.
“I said: Emmanuel, we don’t believe in it. Let’s imagine for a second that there is a ceasefire. First of all, we don’t trust Putin. Secondly, he is not going to withdraw his Thirdly, (…) tell me Emmanuel, I said, who guarantees that Russia will not take advantage of this to bring its troops to our territory,” said Mr. Zelensky, rejecting a “truce which. would play into the hands of the enemy.
A LACK OF WORKFORCE AND ARMAMENTS, ACCORDING TO ZELENSKY
In his interview with AFP, Volodymyr Zelensky recognized a shortage of personnel. “There are a significant number of brigades that are empty,” he said.
In total, Ukraine has only a quarter of the air defense systems it needs and requires a total of 120 to 130 F16 fighter jets to end Russia’s dominance in the air, the chief said of State.
ZELENSKY EXPECTS BROADER RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE
In an exclusive interview with AFP, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he expected a broader Russian offensive in the north and east aimed at taking Kharkiv. “They have launched their operation, it may consist of several waves. And this is their first wave,” assured Mr. Zelensky on Friday.
He nevertheless assured that, despite Russian advances in recent days in the Kharkiv region, the situation was better for his forces than a week ago, when Kremlin troops crossed the border by surprise.
“We want the war to end with a peace just for us,” he said, “and the West just wants the war to end, as quickly as possible.” In addition, the deployment of new deliveries of Western weapons could take months, during which there is a risk of Russian “breakthroughs” in certain sectors, Mr. Zelensky said. But “no one is going to give up (the fight in Ukraine). I am sure that, whatever the difficulties encountered and the breakthroughs made, there will still be no global breakthrough,” maintained the head of state.
HELLO EVERYONE
Hello everyone in this live broadcast from Saturday May 18 dedicated to the war in Ukraine.
Kharkiv is still at the heart of concerns. Friday May 17, Russia claimed to be making progress in this northeastern Ukrainian region, where it has been leading an offensive for a week whose objective, according to Vladimir Putin, is to create a buffer zone to prevent strikes by kyiv on Russian territory. . “In one week, the units of the ‘North’ group (…) liberated twelve localities in the Kharkiv region (…) and continue to advance deep into the enemy’s defenses,” the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.
For its part, Ukraine said Russian forces were destroying the city of Vovchansk and continuing to advance in the region. Some 200 civilians remain there, according to the same source, while the town, located around fifty kilometers from Kharkiv, the regional capital, had around 18,000 inhabitants before the war. The Russian army has often ended up destroying Ukrainian cities to conquer them, like Bakhmout last year or Avdiïvka in February.
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A little further west, Russian forces have advanced on their second axis of assault in the region. They are targeting the village of Loukiantsi, to open the way to Lyptsi, another locality on the road to Kharkiv. “The hostilities continue in Loukiantsi. Yes, there is an enemy advance in this locality. But our soldiers are still trying to hold it,” said the governor of the Kharkiv region. For its part, the Russian army claimed the capture, in one week, of twelve localities in the region and affirmed that its forces continued to advance.