May, 26-29

The focus of the invasion of the Russian Federation (hereinafter: Russia) in Ukraine has moved to the Donetsk oblast, where intense fighting is taking place. The Russian troops have continued their attempts to capture the town of Lyman in the Donetsk oblast and reach the administrative border of the Luhansk oblast. Incessant hostilities have also been seen in Severodonetsk.

The front line has gradually approached Kramatorsk and Slovyansk, resulting in significant losses suffered by the Russian army. Residents living in territories occupied by the Russian forces have also paid a heavy price for the ongoing hostilities and have suffered numerous casualties or faced forcible mobilization.

Ukraine has closed the operations of the Slovyansk thermal power station due to heavy shelling. The closing of the station has had a drastic effect on the power supplies of the Donetsk oblast. Furthermore, a number of towns in the Donetsk oblast have been cut off from water supplies. 

The risk of the Russian forces attempting another advance on Kyiv remains. According to experts, a future attack on Kyiv could potentially be launched from Belarus.

The risk of an assault on the city of Mykolayiv remains high.

Almost one-third of the territories of the Kharkiv oblast and large parts of the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts remain under Russian occupation. Russian troops have reportedly relocated additional military units to the region in order to mount an offensive.

The Ukrainian army has continued its counteroffensive in the Kherson oblast and a few settlements have been liberated from Russian occupation.

The territory of Ukraine is under constant missile fire and shelling. The cities of Kharkiv, Mykolayiv, and Kryvyi Rih as well as a number of settlements in the Donetsk oblast have been shelled in the past few days. In addition, territories in the Chernihiv, Kharkiv, and Sumy oblasts close to the Russian border have been shelled.

The Druzhba cinema sheltering civilians was shelled in Lysychansk on Saturday 28^th.

The Russian military and its administrative branches have continued to terrorize residents of the territories occupied by Russia in Ukraine. Reported assaults include the detention of several independent Crimean-Tatar lawyers in Crimea accused of, for example, organizing unauthorized rallies and violating Covid restrictions.

Residents of Melitopol held a pro-Ukrainian rally on Sunday 29^th in protest of the Russian occupation.

Teachers in Kherson have refused to cooperate with the Russian administration in aligning teaching with the Russian curriculum.

According to the Prime Minister of Ukraine, Denys Shmyhal, the number of civilians killed since the beginning of hostilities is ten times higher than the number of Ukrainian soldiers killed in the war. The figures shared by the Prime Minister underscore how the Russian forces have systematically targeted civilians instead of limiting their assaults on military targets. In addition, Prime Minister Shmyhal highlighted that the financial deficit of Ukraine’s national budget has exceeded 5 billion USD. 

At least 241 children have been killed and 438 wounded since the beginning of the invasion.

Russian forces have continued their attempts to export Ukrainian grain and food items. In addition, Russian troops have reportedly sought to steal metal from the port of Mariupol. 

60 libraries have either been destroyed or damaged since the beginning of hostilities and approximately 4000 libraries are within Russian occupied territories. Russian troops are known to have confiscated books on Ukrainian history, language, and literature in the territories they control. 

On Friday 27^th, the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, ratified the law lifting age limits for Russians and foreigners willing to serve in the armed forces. The new decree is expected to attract recruits for the army from sectors currently seeing a lack of staff. These fields include engineering, communications, and medical support. 

According to Russian sources, the global food crisis caused by the war in Ukraine is not due to Russia’s actions, but those of the EU. According to President Putin, ongoing global food shortages have been caused by the anti-Russian sanctions and other mistakes made by the West that have cascaded into staggering food prices and the lack of basic staples. As per Russian sources, the Russian government is willing to contribute to the solving of the problem, for example, through the delivery of Russian fertilizers and agricultural produce to locations in dire need of food. However, implementing such measures demand that the sanctions imposed on Russian be lifted. Furthermore, President Putin has reportedly stated that he will continue communicating with the leaders of France and Germany via telephone.

Russian authorities have extended flight restrictions on 11 airports in central and southern Russia until June 6^th.  

Content critical of the United Kingdom has increased on Russian media platforms, with the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson, heavily targeted. Russian officials have referred to the measures taken by the British government against Russia as harmful to Ukraine in terms of prolonging the conflict, stalling negotiations, and stifling Ukraine’s economy. The idea of a new international alliance is referred to as “crazy” and as an “anti-Russian games being played behind closed doors”.

A major crisis has unfolded between the Council of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate. On Friday 27^th, the Council of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church decided to break away from the Moscow Patriarchate, presumably in order to avoid accusations of pursuing pro-Russian policies in Ukraine. On Sunday 29^th, the Patriarch Kirill from the Moscow Patriarchate chaired an unscheduled meeting for the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church to discuss the decision taken by the Council of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. In his Sunday sermon, Patriarch Kirill bemoaned the independence of Ukraine, stating that a comrade has destroyed a united country by creating new independent states in the territories of historic Rus. It is assumed that Patriarch Kirill was referring to the unity of Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus. 

Russian sources continue to spread narratives accusing the Ukrainian army of committing crimes against civilians in eastern Ukraine. Russian senior officials have been reported to have disseminated information claiming that Ukrainian forces sought to open fire on Russian territories and detonate containers with chemical substances in the Sumy oblast in order to accuse Russian forces of using chemical weapons.

The Russian media has continued to report on the numerous humanitarian operations the Russian army has embarked on in Ukraine. Furthermore, the Russian army has reportedly repaired civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.

Russian officials are also known to have advanced the preparations for the annexation of the Kherson oblast and the occupied territories of the Zaporizhzhia oblast. The Russian-appointed Head of Local Administration, Vladimir Rogov, was reported stating that the introduction of the Russian ruble would take four months. Furthermore, Russian financial support schemes for low-income individuals have been announced.

Russian sources have continued to spread narratives regarding the weak prospects of Ukraine for joining the EU. According to the claims, the fast-track scheme for Ukraine’s EU integration is not in the interest of the union. The statements have been backed by references to American sources.