Timeline: 83 days of Ukraine's defense against russian aggression
Today is May 17. russia's military attack on Ukraine has been going on for 83 days. We're reporting on all the current news. The article will be constantly updated.
What about today?
Key points
Last night, Ukraine was alarmed by photos of our wounded defenders being taken from Azovstal to the russian-controlled territory. It made no sense to believe the russian propagandists, so everyone was looking forward to the official information of the Ukrainian side, including the President of Ukraine Zelensky.
But the first official explanation of what is happening at Azovstal came from the Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine Hanna Maliar. She said: "Defense Intelligence, Ukrainian army, State Border Guard Service, and Ukraine's National Guard, together with other agencies, carried out a special operation to evacuate 53 people to Novoazovsk to provide medical care. 211 people were taken through the humanitarian corridor to Olenivka for their exchange. Yes, the moscow's footage turned out to be true; the Azov fighters were taken prisoner…
President Zelensky's long-awaited evening statement on the situation at Azovstal came out after midnight: "It's not an easy day. But this day, like all others, is aimed at saving our country and our people. Thanks to the actions of the Ukrainian military, the Armed Forces of Ukraine, intelligence, as well as the negotiating team, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and the UN, we hope that we will be able to save the lives of our guys. I want to emphasize that Ukraine needs Ukrainian heroes alive. This is our principle. I think that these words will be understood by adequate people."
Unfortunately, Ukraine had no other options to save the Azov fighters. Very little depended on our position. From Erdogan and other mediators too. The occupier is ruthless and not ready for any compromises. Zelensky made an unpopular decision that could save the wounded, dying without medication in terrible agony. This is his Ilovaisk… But now there is hope that our heroes will survive and Ukraine will be able to exchange them for captured orcs as soon as possible.
Today, Ukraine cannot unblock Azovstal by military means. As for the defenders who remain on the territory of Azovstal, our state is taking all necessary measures to save them, the authorities and the military said.
Fierce battles are taking place on the fronts. Ukrainian defenders continue to deter the aggressor in the area of responsibility of the East operational and tactical group. In particular, on May 16, orcs carried out 8 attacks. Our artillery inflicted fire damage on the accumulation of personnel and equipment. In addition, the ammunition depot was destroyed. Enemy losses are:
- personnel – up to 178
- tanks – 5
- IFV – 7
- APC – 2
- BBM IFV – 2
- MLRS – 3
- artillery systems – 1
- mortars – 2
- AT-T – 5
- UAV – 1
On May 16, Joint forces repulsed 11 enemy attacks. Fighting continues at three more locations.
On May 16, 2022, the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine destroyed 5 air targets of the russian occupiers: 1 aircraft, 3 UAVs, and 1 cruise missile.
In general, the Armed Forces have already crushed 1/3 of the russian forces intended to invade Ukraine! Almost 28,000 murderers and rapists will never return to russia alive!
Total losses of the enemy since the beginning of the russian invasion are:
Ukraine's talks with russia
Ukraine doesn't intend to make concessions to russia, in particular on Donbas and Crimea, to achieve a ceasefire. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba stated this on Monday in an interview with Bloomberg TV. "Instead of asking what Ukraine should do for a truce, the question should be addressed to russia: what russia should do," he said, answering questions about whether Kyiv could make concessions on Donbas and Crimea to achieve a ceasefire. "We want everything that belongs to us to be left to us," Kuleba said.
Deputy Head of the President's Office, Ihor Zhovkva, spoke about putin's reaction to the offer to meet with Zelensky. "We are well aware that several leaders and states have appealed to president putin to sit down at the negotiating table. But, unfortunately, he's still not ready, moreover, he tells some leaders that the time hasn't come yet," Zhovkva reported during a telethon. The official clarified that russia hoped for a "victory at the front."
Who's coming to Ukraine?
About financial aid, weapons, and politicians
The US Senate voted in favor of finalizing the $40 billion aid project. A so-called procedural vote took place with 81 senators supporting the bill without discussion; 11 were against it. The main vote may take place on Wednesday, May 18.
Lockheed Martin Corporation has received two contracts from the US Army worth $309 million for the production of Javelin missiles, including 1,300 missiles for Ukraine. This was reported by the company's press service, Reuters says. Lockheed also said it was working to increase missile production. At the moment it is 2100 pieces per year.
News from partners
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas has called on Western leaders to stop calling putin. "If everyone calls him all the time, he doesn't understand that he's isolated. He feels that he's in the spotlight because everyone wants to talk to him. But what in the end? I don't see any results, because after all these conversations there were Bucha, Irpin; we don't see any signs of de-escalation," she said.
putin may attack Georgia because of failures in Ukraine, CNN analyzes the situation. "Several scholars and activists have suggested that if putin gets bogged down in Ukraine, he will need at least a quick victory, and he could spill over to Georgia," said American scientist Lincoln Mitchell. Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili has expressed similar concerns. Current political tensions in the country have escalated since the invasion of Ukraine. Politicians close to the government are calling for war to be avoided, but the opposition believes that the authorities are greatly exaggerating in their attempts to appease the aggressor.
Turkish Foreign Minister Cavusoglu held talks with NATO Secretary-General after Ankara said that Turkey would not approve the applications of Sweden and Finland. What has been agreed (or not) will be seen shortly.
And another extraordinary news: putin is expected to visit Turkey in the coming days, local media write.
Kyiv and the region
Water supply in the Kyiv region was restored in all de-occupied towns and villages. The gas connection is next. Only some houses in the village of Hostomel remain without a centralized water supply because of the lack of electricity supply, said Oleksandr Pavliuk, head of the Kyiv Regional State Administration.
The facts of the atrocities of the occupiers are becoming more and more apparent in the Kyiv region. Another burial with killed civilians was found in the Bucha district. Police found the bodies near the ring road near the village of Makariv. Among those killed was a Czech citizen. The dead were shot. Along with the burial, a tripwire with an F-1 grenade left by the occupiers was found.
Chernihiv region
This morning, May 17, russian troops launched missile strikes on the village of Desna in the Chernihiv region. This was announced in a morning video message by the head of the military-civil administration Viacheslav Chaus. "Today is a bad morning in the Chernihiv region: early in the morning, the enemy fired missiles at the village of Desna. Rescuers of the State Emergency Service and law enforcement agencies work there. Preliminary, we have victims: killed and many wounded. A little later I will give more detailed information. This proves once again that I am saying that the war is not over, the war has not left the Chernihiv region," Chaus said.
Sumy region
Today at about five o'clock in the morning there was an enemy missile strike on Okhtyrka. Five russian missiles landed on civilian targets and caused a lot of damage. Warehouses caught fire. The shock wave damaged the front door of the two-story building, and people were trapped inside. Many private houses were affected. Strikes, in general, fell on the central part of the city and the Dachnyi residential massif. The windows in the temple were broken. Kazka Kindergarten was also affected, said the head of the Sumy Regional State Administration Dmytro Zhyvytskyi. At least five people have been injured in today's attack on the city.
In addition, the russians fired mortars at the border checkpoint near Bilokopytove, Sumy region, the General Staff said.
Donetsk and Luhansk regions
The russian army and the Luhansk People's Republic still intend to capture Sievierodonetsk and take the Luhansk region into the ring, cutting off the Lysychansk-Bakhmut road. The ruscists tried to attack Sievierodonetsk from Borovske and Shchedryshchev but to no avail. russian invaders also stormed Toshkivka, but the attack was repulsed.
Yesterday, Sievierodonetsk was under fire: residential high-rise buildings, almost every building of a multidisciplinary hospital, as well as a research and production enterprise were damaged. The shelling killed 10 people. The search will continue as soon as the fire stops.
The police delivered humanitarian aid to Sievierodonetsk, Lysychansk districts, and Pryvillia. Three citizens were evacuated from the village of Vrubivka in the Popasna community, and seven people were evacuated from the Hirske community, including two people with injuries.
The gas reserve in the Luhansk region will be enough for 2 months. Gas is already cut off at the entrance to the Donetsk region. Earlier, the ruscists blocked the supply of gas from Ukraine to Luhansk and Donetsk regions; the occupiers are stealing "blue fuel" in occupied Novopskov.
The fourth mass burial has already been discovered in Mariupol. Satellite images show a mass burial site near the Central Cemetery in the form of multi-meter trenches.
Kharkiv region
Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov opposed the construction of temporary housing. The mayor noted that Kharkiv had previously had experience in building a modular camp for IDPs from the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, the maximum service life of which was three years. Eight years have passed, and even though the structure has become unusable, people still live there. According to the mayor of Kharkiv, that is why the construction of modular towns in Ukraine's west, which is currently being discussed by the public, is impractical. "There is nothing more permanent than temporary. And we don't need to build modular towns in Ukraine's west, spending 30% of the money, or even more, on what requires permanent housing. We have projects, resources, opportunities, and construction staff. So let's start building," Ihor Terekhov said.
Meanwhile, in the Borova community, the occupiers set up a training ground for their recruits. For their soldiers, they take away blankets, pillows, and household appliances from residents. People are evicted from their homes into barns and basements.
Zaporizhzhia region
During the past 24 hours, the enemy fired on the settlements of Mala Tokmachka and Novoandriivka in the Zaporizhzhia region. The ruscists also launched an airstrike on the village of Malynivka, the General Staff said.
In Enerhodar, the occupiers are digging trenches around the nuclear power plant. The Energoatom state concern noted that the russian troops were trying to hide the results of their shelling of the nuclear power plant training center's building in this way. Trenches, sandbags, concrete blocks, and other barriers have already been dug along the entire perimeter of the NPP.
Locals report that in Enerhodar, the russian military is picking up men and taking them away in an unknown direction. Six abductees are recorded.
Kherson region
The occupiers are "introducing" a system of passes for residents of the Kherson region. This can make it difficult to leave the region, which is not easy: Kherson residents spend several days in queues at checkpoints. The multi-kilometer column has been standing near the Beryslav settlement for 4 days now, as cars are not let through at russian checkpoints.
russian world not only holds hostage hundreds of children, women, and the elderly who just wanted to go to safe territory but also kills civilians. Yesterday near Kherson the occupiers opened fire on a convoy of cars trying to leave the city. Anton Kushnir, deputy head of the local Bebko-Auto company and a volunteer, was shot in the head. He was engaged in the delivery of humanitarian aid to the city occupied by the ruscists.
Mykolaiv region
On the night of May 17, an anti-aircraft missile unit of the South Air Command shot down a russian cruise missile fired by a strategic bomber attacking Ukraine from the Caspian direction in the sky over the Mykolaiv region. The enemy's target was moving in the direction of the western regions of Ukraine.
The accuracy of our soldiers has reduced the strength of the attack on the west of our country.
West of Ukraine
However, 8-10 explosions were recorded in Lviv at night! This was the most powerful enemy attack on the city during the war. The blows hit the Yavoriv test site again. The enemy also fired a missile at the infrastructure facility of the Lviv Railway regional branch in the Yavoriv district. The explosion damaged the railway infrastructure. Information about the victims is being clarified.
There are no hits in the city; air defense performed well and destroyed 3 cruise missiles.
