Fierce fighting in the east, NATO is in trouble

According to an assessment by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) – a US-based research organization – published on May 14, Russia seems to be completely withdrawing its forces from Kharkiv in the face of Ukraine’s counter-attacks. This means Ukraine won the Battle of Kharkiv and successfully prevented Russia from encircling or controlling the city, the ISW assessed.

Ukraine wins?

CNN also quoted a statement by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that Ukrainian forces had recaptured 6 residential areas from Russia on May 13 and a total of 1,015 residential areas since the operation. military begin.

A damaged combat vehicle on the road near Kharkiv May 13 Reuters

In the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine, Russia’s main objective continues to be to encircle the cities of Severodonetsk and Lysychansk in Luhansk Oblast from the north and south, according to ISW. The Russian forces attacking from TP.Popasna to the north have not made any significant progress in the past 24 hours. Russia was also prevented by Ukrainian forces from crossing the River Siversky Donets 20 kilometers west of Severodonetsk and suffered severe losses. According to CNN, the latest images show that Russia may have lost up to 70 armored vehicles and other equipment when trying to cross the river.

SW also said that Russia has likely taken control of the highway near the western entrance of the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, but Ukrainian forces inside Azovstal are still fighting fiercely.

President Zelensky The evening of May 13 said negotiations with Russia on the evacuation of the wounded from the Azovstal steel plant were very complicated. According to Reuters, Ukraine has proposed evacuating 38 of the most seriously injured soldiers and if Moscow allows them out, Kyiv will release some Russian prisoners.

Russia has not commented on the above information. However, the RIA news agency quoted a statement by the Russian Defense Ministry on May 14, saying that Russian forces had attacked 43 areas where Ukrainian troops and equipment were concentrated.

Turkey makes it difficult for NATO

As Russian and Ukrainian forces continue to fight intensely in the east, NATO faces many challenges in admitting more members. The Swedish Parliament on May 13 announced the assessment policy Security suggests that joining NATO would raise the threshold for military conflict and thus prevent conflict in Northern Europe. Earlier, Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin announced on May 12 that the country must apply to join NATO immediately.

Soon after, the President Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on May 13 that he did not support Finland and Sweden joining NATO. Amid tensions, RAO Nordic, a subsidiary of Russian state energy group Inter RAO, on the same day announced that it will stop supplying electricity to Finland because it has not yet received payment for the amount of electricity exported in May.

Russia has also repeatedly threatened to react if Finland and Sweden join NATO. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said on May 14 that Moscow would take appropriate precautions if NATO deployed forces and nuclear infrastructure near Russia’s borders. Earlier, Russian Deputy Ambassador Dmitry Polyansky to the United Nations warned that Sweden and Finland joining NATO would turn these two countries into potential targets of Russia.