Timeline: day 82 of Ukraine's defense against russia's aggression
Photo by Reuters
Today is May 16. russia's military attack on Ukraine has been going on for 82 days. We're reporting on all the current news. The article will be constantly updated.
What about today?
Key points
This is the favorite of all Ukrainians, the service dog Patron. The brave de-miner boasted on Instagram of a gift from his subscriber: a beautifully embroidered shirt. Everything will be Ukraine!" Patron tells his fans. We will win!
The East operational and tactical group repulsed 5 ruscist attacks and destroyed:
- personnel (soldiers) – 84;
- tanks – 1;
- IFV – 4;
- AT-T – 1;
- helicopters – 1;
- UAV – 1.
The servicemen of the Joint Forces in the Donetsk and Luhansk directions destroyed:
- 3 tanks;
- 1 artillery system;
- 6 units of combat armored vehicles;
- 1 enemy car.
The Command of the Ukrainian army's Air Force reports the defeat of 11 air targets on May 15:
- 2 helicopters (Ka-52, Mi-28);
- 7 UAVs (Orlan-10);
- 2 cruise missiles.
Besides, the Ukrainian troops damaged the occupiers' water crossing across the Inhulets River.
Last night, Ukrainian defenders repulsed 17 enemy attacks in the east. The Joint Forces report that fighting is still going on at 2 locations.
Ukrainian special forces blew up a strategically important transport artery in the enemy's rear! Special Operations Forces soldiers in cooperation with other units of Ukraine's Armed Forces blew up two railway bridges between the cities of Rubizhne and Sievierodonetsk. Now the enemy units advancing on Lysychansk and Sievierodonetsk are cut off from supplies.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine also confirmed that the occupiers' deployment in Chornobaivka was destroyed for the 20th time. "The defense forces struck at enemy positions near the village of Chornobaivka. The enemy suffered losses in manpower and equipment. The number of the enemy's losses is being determined," the General Staff said.
"russian missile strikes on the Lviv region, shelling of Huliaipole, Sievierodonetsk, Lysychansk, Donetsk region's cities and communities, all occupiers' brutality that Ukraine is experiencing every day, will only lead to russian surviving soldiers taking this evil back with them to russia.
They will take it away because they will retreat. This is how all the russian military's frantic activity, which we see now, will end. And I'm grateful to all the Ukrainians who are making this time closer," President Zelensky commented on yesterday's events.
The occupiers suffered significant losses in manpower and equipment. In some areas, the staffing of units is less than 20 percent according to the results of hostilities. In the Popasna direction, due to heavy losses and inability to act independently, units of the russian airborne troops are teaming up with representatives of russian private military companies for further action as part of the combined units.
But this will not save the orcs. The Ukrainian Armed Forces will get them there as well. It's only a matter of time. Ukraine's Ministry of Defense confirms that Ukrainian defenders from the 227th Battalion of the Territorial Defense drove out the russian troops and reached the state border in the Kharkiv region.
The Verkhovna Rada Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy urges journalists and media organizations to use the word "ruscism" and its derivatives in their publications and broadcasts. According to parliamentarians, the term "ruscism" reflects both the ideology of today's russia and war crimes and "inhuman cruelty committed and demonstrated by the russian army on Ukrainian soil." They also propose to include the word in Ukraine's official terminological dictionaries.
Volodymyr Zelensky published a new series of photos. "We're at the epicenter of the confrontation between the two ideas. The European democratic idea where the freedom and life of everyone matters. And the cruel, tyrannical idea that only a person who can subdue others matters. That's what we need to stop together. Everyone in Europe," he signed the photos.
Azovstal. May 16, 2022. Warriors of light. This incredible photo from Azovstal was published by Dmytro Kozatskyi, a fighter of the Azov Regiment.
Humanitarian corridors
putin does not agree with saving people from Azovstal. Ukraine is involving all possible international organizations to save the military that remains on the territory of Azovstal, but russian president vladimir putin prefers to simply kill the Azov fighters. This was announced by Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar on a telethon.
She added that she couldn't declassify the details of the operation to release our defenders. "We were able to convey this and tell it openly to defenders' relatives because they have the right to know. And most of the questions, I hope, have been dismissed… Everything has already been done. putin simply does not agree."
An evacuation train will depart from Pokrovsk to Lviv today at 4:30 p.m. Travel is free, the head of the Luhansk regional military administration Serhii Haidai said.
Path to the EU and NATO
The European Union has received all of Ukraine's answers to EU questions. European Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighborhood Policy Olivér Várhelyi announced this following a meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in Brussels. The European Commission is currently preparing an opinion for the European Council on Ukraine's application to the EU.
Ukraine can also join NATO without a Membership Action Plan, like Finland and Sweden, US Chargé d'affaires, Kristina Kvien, told European Pravda. "As for the possibility of Finland joining without a MAP, the Membership Action Plan has never been a legal requirement for joining NATO, and therefore Ukraine can also join the alliance without a MAP. However, I would not call it a shortened procedure," she said.
According to her, the MAP is a mechanism that allows a country to meet the requirements for compatibility with NATO, and if a country already meets the appropriate requirements, it no longer needs the MAP. "Therefore, neither Ukraine nor any other country should receive and implement the Membership Action Plan if you generally meet most of the requirements," Kvien said.
Who's coming to Ukraine?
About financial aid, weapons, and politicians
The United States may approve $40 billion in aid to Ukraine on May 18, Reuters reports, citing Republican leader Mitch McConnell. We're looking forward to it!
The personal pen of US President Biden has been put up for auction in Ukraine. The money received will be directed to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Ukroboronprom CEO Husev gave the pen; he received it as a gift from Biden during his visit to Ukraine as US Vice President in 2017. With a similar pen, Biden recently signed a law on land leases for Ukraine.
Ukraine and Japan have signed a $100 million loan agreement on preferential terms. The loan has a maturity of 30 years and an interest rate of 1% per annum. This money will be directed to the state budget of Ukraine to finance priority expenditures, primarily to support the most vulnerable population.
News from partners
Save Azovstal and Stop Putin rallies took place near the Georgian parliament in Tbilisi. The participants demanded the liberation of the Azovstal plant in Mariupol, which still houses military and residents, and offered to sign a petition.
A Free People rally was held in Bratislava in support of the Ukrainian cities under occupation. The stories of the residents of the occupied cities were read in Slovak and English from the stage. The organizers sought to convey that the occupation isn't just a seized land, but hundreds of killed, and thousands of maimed civilians.
Ukrainian symbols are conquering the world. Taras Shevchenko Square appeared in Cannes. The Ambassador of Ukraine to France Vadym Omelchenko and the Mayor of Cannes David Lisnard were present at the ceremony of renaming the square in honor of the Ukrainian poet.
NATO is ready to speed up the ratification of Sweden's and Finland's applications (which usually takes about a year); they can ratify them in a few weeks, Reuters reports.
The Finnish general replied to russia's threats of Finland's accession to NATO: "We invite you to join the 200,000 russians who are already in Finland buried in the ground after your last attempt in 1939."
In turn, Turkey came to its senses and stated that it would not block the accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has stated that Turkey has made it clear that they don't intend to block the membership of the above countries in the Alliance, CNN reports.
Germany plans to abandon russian oil imports regardless of EU sanctions. According to Bloomberg, Germany will put an end to this issue by the end of the year. Negotiations are currently underway with alternative suppliers.
Latvia has decided to suspend rail transit of Belarusian military cargo through the country to its seaports in the Baltic.
Ukraine is on-trend. Our rescuers are known all over the planet! Sierra Leone Post has issued new stamps with Ukrainian rescuers.
NATO is launching a large-scale exercise in Estonia with 15,000 troops. The training, codenamed Hedgehog, will be one of the largest in Estonia since 1991.
Sanctions on the aggressor!
McDonald's has announced that it is finally leaving the russian market and has started selling russian business. However, russia says that McDonald's will resume operations in russia under a new brand in mid-June, retaining the staff, restaurant chain, and menu. In fact, restaurants and staff will have a new "owner." The company has launched the process of selling the business to a local company. After the sale of McDonald's restaurants, the new owners will not be able to use its name, logo, brands, and menu.
Speaking ahead of a meeting of the EU-Canada Joint Committee of Ministers in Brussels, Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg said the sixth sanctions package would be "very substantial," but there was still some need for discussion. According to the Austrian minister, the entire russian military complex will be the subject of future sanctions.
Estonian Foreign Minister Eva-Maria Liimets expressed hope that the sanctions package would still include an embargo on russian oil.
Only Hungary is blocking the EU's plans to impose an oil embargo on russia. "The whole union is being held hostage in one state. We cannot be held hostage, said Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis.
Life considering hostilities
Ukraine is the winner of the Summer Deaflympics medal standings! The Ukrainians finished first in all indicators, and also set their records for the number of awards won. According to the results of the competition, Ukraine won 138 medals!
90% of people in Ukraine will be below the poverty line if the war drags on, the UN reports. According to the organization, as a result of a full-scale attack by russia, half of the enterprises in Ukraine are closed, and the other half are experiencing difficulties.
Chernihiv region
As of today, we'll begin restoring critical infrastructure in the Chernihiv region, the Head of Regional Military Administration, Viacheslav Chaus, said. According to him, after that, they will deal with the region's housing stock.
At the same time, they already planned to build two modular towns for those who lost their homes during the war near Chernihiv. 700 people will be able to live there, said Andrii Podorvan, director of the administration's information department.
The occupiers fired on the border settlements of the Chernihiv region for the second time! At about 12 o'clock, observers recorded one more attack on the settlement of Mykolaivka from the russian territory. In total, from 9.20 to 12.10, about 30 explosions were recorded.
Also, at about 12.20, 7 explosions were recorded in the village of Hremiach. Previously, a mortar was used. There are no casualties among the personnel, the North operational command reported.
Sumy region
This morning, the russian occupiers tried to break through the Ukrainian border in the Sumy region. According to the head of the Sumy Regional State Administration Dmytro Zhyvytskyi, the enemy opened fire with mortar, grenade launchers, machine guns, and submachine guns on the border area of the Shostka district. "Enemy sabotage and reconnaissance groups tried to enter the region under cover of fire! Border guards fought the russians, so they retreated beyond the state border," Zhyvytskyi said.
Donetsk and Luhansk regions
After the shelling of Sievierodonetsk, there are dead and wounded, the head of the Luhansk Regional State Administration Serhii Haidai said. Artillery shelling in the Luhansk region continues. The occupiers fired on a house in Sievierodonetsk's old districts, killing two people and hospitalizing another man. Hits were also recorded in 7 high-rise buildings in the new districts of Sievierodonetsk. After the shelling of a hospital in Sievierodonetsk, 9 people were injured.
Lysychansk, Pryvillia, Novodruzhesk, Rubizhne, Voievodivka, and Bilohorivka were also attacked by artillery and MRL systems. A 15-year-old resident of Lysychansk was hospitalized at a children's hospital in Dnipro.
The fire also affected the villages of the Popasna community: Komyshuvakha, Katerynivtska, Novozvanivka, and Troitske; 20 houses were damaged. 11 houses were damaged in the towns of Hirske and Zolote and the village of Toshkivka.
ruscists' attempts to improve utility services in Mariupol led to a water breakage and fires, Deputy Mayor of Mariupol Petro Andriushchenko said. The humanitarian situation in Mariupol is getting worse. The occupiers are trying to fix the electricity, which leads to fires. The water flowing through the streets washed the bodies out of the burials in the yards. The city lacks food and drinking water and there can be no question of potential improvements.
Now the occupiers are trying to restore the port in Mariupol. The ruscists couldn't find another way to remove the stolen metal and ensure a minimum of logistics. According to media reports, they have almost finished de-mining.
The russian command renounced the "large-scale encirclement" of Ukrainian army units from Donetsk to Izium in favor of capturing the Luhansk region. This is stated in the report of the Institute for the Study of War on May 15. In other words, the immediate (and only possible) goal of the enemy is to take control of Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk.
For the third month in a row, the Luhansk region has been the most difficult for our troops, but russia has not yet managed to take control of the entire region.
The losses of the occupiers in the Battle of Bilohorivka, when the russians tried to cross the Siverskyi Donets River in the Luhansk region, are among the largest since the beginning of the war; according to experts, more than 400 russian soldiers were killed or wounded there. The New York Times reports that this has created a sense of catastrophe in russia, despite the kremlin's tightly controlled information space.
Kharkiv region
During the day, 6 civilians were injured in the shelling of the Kharkiv region. In particular, 4 victims in the Shevchenkivskyi district and 2 victims in the Saltivka district. The enemy also struck at the Chuhuiv district, where two people were injured.
Fighting continues in the Izium direction. According to the General Staff, the enemy is preparing for the offensive.
In addition, civilian infrastructure in Derhachi and Barvinkove and the areas of Dovhenke, Rosiiski Tyshki, Ternova, and Petrivka came under fire.
russian MRL artillery deliberately destroyed high-rise buildings in Kharkiv. The SBU was told about this by a captured russian occupier who was captured by Ukrainian defenders during the liberation of the village of Tsyrkuny in the suburbs of Kharkiv. Thus, the commander of the 25th Artillery Brigade of the Russian Federation told the Ukrainian special services that the main target of russian MRL divisions was high-rise buildings in Kharkiv; the enemy fired specifically at civilian targets. The closest district of Kharkiv to Tsyrkuny is Pivnichna Saltivka, which has been shelled almost daily since the beginning of the war by the enemy MLRS Grad and Uragan and has one of the densest buildings. And today almost every one of the 16 high-rise buildings in this residential area has been destroyed by ruscists.
According to the latest information, this afternoon the russian missile got to the warehouse in the territory of the Kharkiv region, where, according to preliminary information, ammonium nitrate was stored. Locals saw a pillar of red smoke. Authorities say there is no reason to panic, no threat to the local population. The situation is under control.
Zaporizhzhia region
In the temporarily occupied Enerhodar, russian troops are building fortifications and digging trenches along the entire perimeter of the Zaporizhzhia NPP. Energoatom reports that employees of the power plant were forbidden to come to work with telephones.
Kherson region
The leader of the Crimean Tatar people, Mustafa Dzhemilev, said that some Ukrainian activists from the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, who had been forcibly deported to Crimea, were ransomed. "Now the question is how to get these activists out. Well, thank God, we're saved a little by traditional russian corruption: we manage to 'buy out' some of our fellow citizens. It starts at $250 and above, depending on who to negotiate with. I succeeded to buy out 7 people," he said.
Medicines will run out in Kherson in two weeks. The city is in a humanitarian crisis. This was announced by the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Liudmyla Denisova. According to Kherson mayor Ihor Kolykhaiev, there are no more solutions for IVs, not enough medicine for cardiovascular diseases, and there's not enough oxygen. There is a significant need for medicines in all districts of the region; about half a million people remain there.
According to the ombudsman, in the first days of the occupation, the russians looted numerous food retail chains and pharmacies, and the stolen goods were taken to the occupied Crimea or russia. Instead, the invaders distribute humanitarian aid with expired products and medicines. In return, people are required to give their passport data, lists of retirees, social workers, and just residents of communities.
On the territory of the Bilozerka community, the russian military is dismantling irrigation canals. Slabs are used to build fortifications. They are being arranged close to the villages, locals say.
Mykolaiv region
In the morning orcs fired again at Mykolaiv. As a result of the shelling, a car and a shop caught fire, mayor Oleksandr Senkevych said. In addition, the low-pressure gas pipeline was damaged. Remains of a missile from an MRLS were found near the site of the explosions.
Odesa region
Odesa region was under fire too. At 9:25 a.m., there were reports of explosions and smoke in the Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi district. A spokesman for the Odesa Regional Military Administration, Serhii Bratchuk, confirmed the shelling of the Odesa region. According to him, the details are currently being established.
Details of the attack: the ruscists hit the Odesa region with strategic aircraft. Two adults were wounded, and a small child was seriously injured, the South operational command reports. Enemy troops continue to attack the damaged and non-functioning bridge across the Dniester estuary. The russians hit civilians and civilian infrastructure. As a result of the shelling, the tourist facility was damaged and buildings were destroyed.
The enemy doesn't leave Odesa alone. At about 2 p.m., our air defenses destroyed an X-type cruise missile fired by a russian fighter jet toward Odesa, the South Operational Command reported.
