Fighting until the afternoon of May 20: Fierce throughout the Donbass, Russia said that it was almost completely in control of Luhansk

“The liberation of the Luhansk People’s Republic is nearing completion,” Shoigu stressed at a meeting, according to AFP, citing information from Russian media.

Shoigu also said that 1,908 Ukrainian soldiers entrenched in the Azovstal steel plant in the city of Mariupol surrendered. The Azovstal Steel Plant is the last stronghold of Ukrainian forces in Mariupol, which is under the control of Russian forces.

Soldiers of the pro-Russian forces stand guard in the city of Mariupol on May 19 Reuters

There is currently no information on Ukraine’s reaction to Shoigu’s statement.

Meanwhile, Denys Prokopenko, commander of the Ukrainian forces still entrenched in the Azovstal factory, said today that the force had been ordered to stop fighting to “save the lives of the soldiers”, according to Reuters.

Prokopenko added that wounded civilians and soldiers had been evacuated from the Azovstal factory, while the bodies of those who died in the factory were still being removed from there.

The General Staff of the Ukrainian Army warned today that Russian forces are stepping up their offensive in the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine, using artillery, rocket launchers and aircraft to destroy defensive facilities around the province. Donetsk, according to Reuters.

Governor Serhiy Gaidai of Luhansk province, also in Donbass, also said that Russian shelling in the province had killed 13 civilians in the previous 24 hours. There is currently no information on Russia’s response. Moscow has repeatedly denied the operation military of Russia against civilian targets in Ukraine.

Similarly, British military intelligence today suggested that Russian forces could reinforce the military operation in the Donbass once they take full control of the city of Mariupol.

see more: Fighting until noon 20/5: President Zelensky says Donbass has been ‘totally ruined’

Ukraine says Russia lost 28,700 soldiers

The Armed Forces of Ukraine announced today that since the launch of the military operation on February 24, Russia has lost 28,700 soldiers, 1,263 tanks, 3,090 armored personnel carriers, 596 artillery systems, 200 systems. multiple rocket launchers, 93 air defense systems, 168 tanks, 205 aircraft, 460 drones and 13 ships, according to the website. The Kyiv Independent.

There is currently no information on Russia’s response. Earlier on May 14, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Konashenkov stated that since the launch of the military operation in Ukraine, Russian forces have removed 165 aircraft, 125 helicopters, 864 drones, 304 air defense systems, 3,067 tanks and other armored vehicles, 372 multiple rocket systems, 1,514 cannons and 2,913 specialized vehicles.

see more: Russia, Ukraine raise the enemy’s new military losses

Russia set up 12 units to deal with the entry of Finland and Sweden into NATO

RIA news agency today quoted Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu as warning that Finland and Sweden’s accession to NATO has led to an increase in military threats near the border, and announced that Moscow is implementing the “full countermeasures,” according to Reuters. RIA also quoted Shoigu as saying that Russia will respond by creating 12 new units in the country’s western military district.

On May 18, Finland and Sweden officially applied to join NATO. Finland and Sweden’s applications to join NATO need to be ratified by all 30 current member states, but Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on May 19 that Ankara had told the allies that Turkey would protest.

If Finland joins NATO, the land border Russia shares with NATO territories will double, according to CNBC. Finland shares a 1,340 km long border with Russia. Sweden does not share a land border with Russia, but the two countries do share a sea border. Russia currently shares land borders with five NATO member states, including: LatviaEstonia, Lithuania, Poland and Norway.

See more:What if Finland and Sweden join NATO?