Ukraine war until the evening of May 17: Russia expands the scope of its attack

Pro-Russian forces in Mariupol on May 17 reuters

Russia increases air strikes in many places

In the Chernihiv region north of Kyiv, Vyacheslav Chaus, the head of the government there, said the Russian side “fired missiles at the village of Desna” on the morning of May 17 (local time). According to Chaus, eight people died and 12 others were injured. Desna is about 64 km from the Belarusian border, p ukrinform.net news. Russia has not commented on this information.

In the northeastern province of Sumy near the Russian border, the Chief of the General Staff of the Ukrainian army said Russia was shelling from across the border. Mr. Dmytro Zhyvytskyy, Governor of Sumy, noted that this place experienced fierce fighting, with mortars and grenade launchers used by the Russian side.

In addition, Russian officials also confirmed that there was fighting in the area. Roman Starovoit, Governor of Russia’s Kursk region, said that at dawn on May 17 (local time), a village in the Kursk region bordering Ukraine was attacked with heavy weapons. Several houses were destroyed but there were no casualties, according to TASS.

The Russian Defense Ministry said it had launched missiles to destroy aid shipments from the West, including the US, to Russia in the Lviv province, close to the Polish border.

This information was announced after Lviv Governor Maksym Kozytsky said that Russian missiles destroyed railway infrastructure near the town of Yavoriv, ​​also where the base is located. military big. He also said that the Ukrainian air defense system shot down three missiles.

Since the outbreak of hostilities, Yavoriv has been hit by air strikes at least three times. In the first time on March 13, more than 30 people were killed when the missile hit the military base here.

Along the front lines in Luhansk and Donetsk, Ukrainian officials say they have repelled Russian attempts to control strongholds in the region.

The Chief of the General Staff of the Ukrainian Army noted intense fighting around Severodonetsk, and the Russians attacked the town of Syrotne but suffered serious casualties and were forced to withdraw. The Russian Defense Ministry has not commented on this information.

Ukrainian troops advance towards Kharkiv reuters

In Kharkiv, Ukrainian forces advanced to the north and northeast of Kharkiv, Governor Oleh Syniehubov told Ukrainian state television. Fighting also broke out in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, extending towards the town of Vovchansk, along the Russian-Ukrainian border.

Russia says unit in Azovstal ‘surrendered’

Russia said that by the afternoon of May 17, 265 Ukrainian soldiers at the Azovstal steel plant had “surrendered” under the agreement with Kyiv. The Russian Defense Ministry said 51 of these soldiers were seriously injured and were taken to a hospital in Donetsk for treatment. Ukrainian officials confirmed the information about the removal of people from the factory but said that the soldiers here had completed the task, and said they would conduct a prisoner exchange with the Russian side in the coming days.

While the hostilities in Mariupol ended with an alleged victory on Moscow’s side, CNN quoted intelligence from the American War Institute as saying that Russian forces are planning to reopen the seaport in this city and design establish maritime routes with Russian seaports. The institute believes that the fate of the port of Mariupol on the Sea of ​​Azov will be decided on May 25. Russia has not commented on this information.

Azovstal Steel Factory officially fell afp

On the same day, TASS quoted Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko as confirming that Russia and Ukraine are not currently holding any negotiations. Mr. Rudenko blamed the Kyiv side for abandoning negotiations.

Western weapons continue to come to Ukraine

Weapons company Lockheed Martin said it has received from the US military two contracts worth $309 million for the production of Javelin missiles, the anti-tank weapon Ukraine desperately needs to fight Russian forces.

Contractor Lockheed said that the contracts include the production of more than 1,300 Javelin missiles from the funding of the support act for Ukraine and orders from a number of countries including Norway, Albania, Latvia and Thailand.

see more: Thanks to Ukraine, Lockheed Martin has a contract of $ 309 million to produce Javelin missiles

In addition, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen called on Washington’s allies to increase financial support for Ukraine. According to her, the contributions announced so far are not enough to meet Ukraine’s short-term needs.

Also on the afternoon of May 17, Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde signed an application to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Regarding Finland and Sweden’s application to join NATO, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said it made no difference because the two countries have long participated in the bloc’s military exercises, according to Reuters.