As the war enters its 810th day, these are the key developments.
This is the situation on Tuesday, May 14, 2024.
Fighting
- Russia has expanded its ground attack on the northeast region of Kharkiv, Ukraine, attacking new areas to try to expand the front and “expand” Ukraine’s forces, according to regional governor Oleh Syniehubov. He said around 5,700 people had been evacuated from Vovchansk and surrounding areas and urged the town’s remaining residents, around 300 people, to leave. The DeepState Telegram channel, close to the Ukrainian army, said Russia had captured territory of about 100 square kilometers (39 square miles).
- The head of Ukraine’s Security Council, Oleksandr Lytvynenko, told the AFP news agency that there was no imminent risk of a ground attack on Kharkiv, the country’s second largest city, despite the latest Russian offensive. Lytvynenko said there were “many” Russians on the border and “more than 30,000” involved in the current attack, which began on Friday.
- The Russian Defense Ministry said its army has improved its tactical position near four settlements in the Kharkiv region – Vesele, Neskuchne, Vovchansk and Lyptsi.
- Russia said its air defense systems destroyed 16 missiles and 31 drones that Ukraine launched into Russian territory, including 12 missiles over the Belgorod border region. Five houses were damaged in Belgorod, but there were no injuries, according to governor Vyacheslav Gladkov.
Politics and diplomacy
- Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic expressed support for Ukraine in its war against Russia after meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, but stopped short of committing to sanctions against Moscow.
- Ukraine said it foiled a Russian plan to carry out bomb attacks on May 9 in the capital Kiev and the western city of Lviv. It stated that two Russian military agents were detained on suspicion of involvement in the alleged conspiracy and that 19 explosive devices were seized.
- A court set up by Russia on the Crimean peninsula annexed to Ukraine has jailed five Ukrainian citizens for between 11 and 16 years after they were found guilty of sharing military information with Kiev. The men were accused of treason and espionage.
Weapons
- US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said the United States was doing “everything” possible to send weapons to Ukraine and that some weapons were already on the battlefield. A new weapons package would be announced “in the coming days,” he added.
- Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskii and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov discussed with Sullivan, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Charles Brown, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. “We talked about the situation at the front, as well as the assistance Ukraine needs on the battlefield,” Syrskii wrote on Telegram.
This story originally appeared on Aljazeera.com read the full story
