Timeline: day 89 of Ukraine's defense against russia's aggression
Today is May 23. russia's military attack on Ukraine has been going on for 89 days. We're reporting on the current news. The article will be updated.
What about today?
Key points
Yesterday, the Ukrainian parliament extended the martial law and general mobilization for three months until August 23. We still have many battles ahead, bitter losses, and encouraging news. But our only goal is to defeat the invader, banish russians from the Ukrainian land, and take revenge on the occupiers for the genocide of Ukrainians, destroyed cities, crippled lives, and butchered bodies. Ukrainians believe in and help our soldiers. Victory is ours because the truth is on our side!
"Ukraine held the defense of Mariupol for 82 days. 1,500 Ukrainian fighters repulsed the attacks of 15 russian battalion tactical groups (12,000 – 14,000 people) with tanks, planes, and artillery for almost three months. This effort bought time for the Ukrainian command to strengthen its position and allowed them to avoid a strategic defeat. It is a victory!" former Lieutenant General of the US Army in Europe, Mark Hertling, said.
russian propaganda has to invent non-existent heroes to fill the void of the "special operation." First, they allegedly destroyed all Ukrainian planes. Then they say that they're not at war with Ukrainians but with NATO. Their commanders say that the broken and burned russian equipment is Ukrainian to encourage their soldiers. But the statistics are relentless: russia's losses in 3 months in Ukraine are approximately the same as the Soviet Union's 9-year war in Afghanistan, British intelligence reports.
russia's total losses during the invasion of Ukraine:
- tanks – 1293 (+8) units,
- armored combat vehicles – 3166 (+25) units,
- artillery systems – 604 (+5) units,
- MLRS – 201 (+0) units,
- air defense – 93 (+0) units,
- planes – 204 (+0) units,
- helicopters – 170 (+0) units,
- UAV of operational and tactical level – 476 (+6),
- cruise missiles – 110 (+3),
- ships/boats – 13 (+0) units,
- motor vehicles and tank trucks – 2206 (+12) units,
- special equipment – 43 (+0).
Twenty-nine thousand two hundred occupiers have become cargo-200 since they began the full-scale invasion!
During hostilities, the ruscists continue to lose personnel and equipment speedily. So the invaders are forced to take obsolete Soviet equipment out of reserves to ship it to Ukraine. The occupiers will equip the new units with T-62 tanks, manufactured in 1962-1975!
The United Nations reports that the number of refugees forced to flee their homes because of the military conflict, violence, and persecution has exceeded 100 million for the first time in history. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees says it happens primarily because of the war in Ukraine. Experts say since russia's invasion began, more than 14 million Ukrainians have become refugees. Six million left the country, and another eight million became internally displaced.
Who's coming to Ukraine?
On financial and information assistance, weapons and politicians
The Australian government has sent 14 more M113 armored personnel carriers and 20 Bushmaster armored personnel carriers to Ukraine.
russia cannot disrupt the supply of foreign weapons to Ukraine. US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan stated this at a briefing on Sunday. "We have what we believe to be a diverse and resilient supply chain for these weapons into Ukraine. So even if there is a circumstance where the russians are able to target and hit some shipment on the ground in Ukraine, that's not going to fundamentally, from a strategic perspective, disrupt the military assistance we're providing," Sullivan said.
News from partners
Londoners held a rally to support the residents of the temporarily occupied Kherson.
British PM Boris Johnson wrote an open letter to the children of Ukraine, assuring them they're not alone and that Ukraine will win the war.
The President of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Borge Brende, called for a "Marshall Plan" for Ukraine's reconstruction, Spiegel reports. "Even without a peace agreement, which is unlikely for now, we must begin reconstruction, at least in areas controlled by Ukraine. We're talking about infrastructure, electricity, schools, roads, and bridges. We need a 'Marshall Plan' for Ukraine," he said in an interview with the publication.
Sanctions on the aggressor!
Slovakia is completing the gas pipeline construction that will help reduce its dependence on russia. They will connect the country to the Polish gas supply network.
Life considering hostilities
YouTube has removed more than 9,000 channels, spreading fakes about the war in Ukraine. These channels violated the platform's rules, calling the war a "liberation operation," The Guardian reports. The company also removed more than 70,000 videos. According to Neal Mohan, Chief Product Officer, they spread Kremlin narratives.
Today Ukrposhta sells "Russian warship… DONE!" Ukrposhta decided to "celebrate" 40 days since the Ukrainian Forces sank the Moscow cruiser by issuing this stamp. "Starting at 14:00 on May 23, we will sell stamps in 1,500 Ukrposhta branches across the country to the level of district centers. Without exception, the limit is two blocks of 3 stamps per customer," said Ukrposhta General Director Ihor Smilianskyi. He says the company will hand over 1 million stamps to the branch in the first week; it's the same circulation as the previous stamp had. There will also be 5 Internet sites to buy the post stamp online.
Collaborationists' property to be confiscated in Ukraine: Zelensky signed a law seizing citizens' assets who supported the russian-Ukrainian war.
Zhytomyr region
Korosten residents observed three explosions and outbreaks tonight. The first two explosions happened after 3 a.m.; another one was after 4 a.m. Korosten Deputy Mayor Natalia Chyzhevska confirmed the information. Korosten is 57 kilometers from Malyn, which was hit by a missile yesterday. The ruscists targeted the railway infrastructure.
Malyn Mayor Oleksandr Sitailo said that the person killed in a missile attack yesterday was an employee of the Ukrzaliznytsia railway company. Four more people were wounded; three of them were railway workers.
Donetsk and Luhansk regions
The occupiers plan to Russify studies in Mariupol. Ukrainian Ombudsman Liudmyla Denisova announced this. As part of the transition to russian programs in schools, they will teach only three subjects: russian language and literature, russia's history, and mathematics. Imagine! Only three! russia believes vassals don't need more.
The invaders also organized a "supervisory and methodological" meeting of teachers, forced to cooperate in the educational process. They threaten dissenters with "negative" consequences: filtration camps or no "humanitarian" aid.
All night russian troops roamed Avdiivka, Donetsk region. Fires are raging in the city, and rescuers cannot extinguish them because of continuous shelling. Another school burned out entirely from the phosphorus shell impact. "The occupiers are erasing Avdiivka from the face of the earth," MP Musa Mahomedov wrote.
Ukrainian defenders stopped the occupiers' attack on Sloviansk near the village of Dovhenke, the General Staff reports. After an unsuccessful assault attempt, the enemy was forced to retreat. However, the enemy can't move on all parts of the eastern front.
A 12-year-old girl from Pryvillia died in a children's hospital in Dnipro. She was wounded on May 7. She and her grandmother and her siblings were cleaning the carpet in the street when the enemy shelling began, and two teenagers died on the spot. Yesterday the girl's heart stopped. Serhii Haidai, Luhansk Regional State Administration, reported.
He also reported on what happened in the Luhansk region in the last 24 hours:
- Yesterday, a woman was killed in Lysychansk; an enemy shell got into her apartment. In total, russians shelled 13 houses in Lysychansk.
- The situation in Novodruzhesk is challenging. The russians are firing hard; 28 houses have been destroyed.
- The authorities recorded destructions in the settlements of the Hirske and Popasna communities. The most damage was in Zolote: 13 houses were wrecked.
- The regional center suffers from enemy shelling around the clock, resulting in five high-rise buildings and market damage. One person was wounded.
Sumy region
The occupiers were firing on the Sumy region all night. The russians fired missiles and used self-propelled artillery; an airstrike occurred around 1 a.m. At least 11 houses were severely damaged. Fortunately, there were no casualties, the head of the regional military administration Dmytro Zhyvytskyi says.
The enemy also fired mortar fire on the northern part of the Shostka district.
Kharkiv region
The russians don't leave the idea of capturing the Kharkiv region because, for them, it's a bridgehead and a corridor to replenish troops in the Luhansk and Donetsk territories. The Vovchansk, Kupiansk, and Izium directions are also dangerous. Head of Kharkiv regional military administration, Oleh Sinehubov, said on a telethon. "Our task is to liberate our territories, move the enemy away, and then restore infrastructure, improve life and, at the same time, decide how we will strengthen our borders. It means constructing fortifications because our borderline with russia amounts to 315 km. It is a large area. We must fully strengthen it," the head of the region summed up.
Kharkiv rescuers said that they had recovered more than 150 bodies from the rubble in the city since the beginning of the war. They dismantled 98 destroyed objects and rescued more than 250 people.
Dnipropetrovsk region
At night, russian troops struck again at the Dnipropetrovsk region. The head of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional State Administration, Valentyn Reznichenko, announced this. "The night was an endless air raid alarm. The enemy struck the Apostolove Community twice from the Uragan MRLS. russians hit between the villages. People were not hurt."
Kherson region
The russian military continues to destroy the village of Osokorivka in the Kherson region. Private houses, farming, and utility premises come under fire. Locals have published photos of destroyed homes and courtyards.
Mykolaiv region
The South operational command reported the situation in Ukraine's southern regions. On the contact line between the Mykolaiv and Kherson regions, they see no significant changes in enemy combat tactics. As before, without the prospect of advancing, the enemy strengthens its position, trying to conduct air reconnaissance. However, not all "scouts" achieve their goal: the Ukrainian army forces shot down the Orlan-10 enemy reconnaissance drone.
Odesa region
The situation in the Odesa region is stable and under control. But given that one of the newest ships of the Black Sea Fleet, Admiral Makarov, has advanced from the Sevastopol group of 7 large landing ships and two missile ships in the Black Sea, the probability of missile strikes is still increasing. The South Operational Command warns.
