Rescuers work at a building damaged by debris from a downed Russian attack drone, Kyiv, Ukraine, May 28, 2023 (Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters)


Saturday’s Coverage: “Only An Evil State Can Fight Against Clinics” — Russia Kills 2, Injures 30 In Strike On Dnipro Hospital


Map: Institute for Study of War


UPDATE 1117 GMT:

The toll from Friday’s Russia missile strike on a psychiatric clinic in Dnipro in south-central Ukraine has risen to four killed.

Three of the victims were doctors and employees of the clinic and an adjacent veterinary clinic. The fourth was a 69-year-old man who was passing by the building.


UPDATE 0949 GMT:

Continuing his fight with Russian leaders, the head of the Wagner Group mercenaries, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has assailed senior Kremlin officials for banning references to him in State media.

Prigozhin, whose fighters have carried out Russia’s “human wave” assaults in eastern Ukraine, said a misleading approach would lead to a backlash from the Russian people within months.

Last weekend, State TV ignored Prigozhin’s declaration of control of Bakhmut — following six months of attacks by Wagner, with at least 20,000 of the mercenaries killed — for 20 hours. Outlets did not broadcast Prigozhin’s “victory” speech.

The Wagner leader said on Sunday:

What is forbidden is always sweeter.

Wagner is not a piece of slippery soap which the bureaucrats have got used to shoving all over the place; Wagner is an awl, a stiletto that you cannot hide…

That high-level bureaucrats, those very towers of the Kremlin, are trying to shut the mouths of everyone so that they don’t speak about Wagner will only give another shove to the people.

He asserted, In the long term — long term is two or three months — they will receive a finger-slap from the people for trying to shut everyone’s mouths and ears.”

See also Ukraine War, Day 456: Russia’s Bakhmut “Victory” Collapses Within 4 Days


UPDATE 0941 GMT:

Ukraine appears to be continuing “shaping operations” in preparation for a counter-offensive, attacking key facilities inside Russia supporting Vladimir Putin’s invasion.

Local officials said Sunday that air defense systems destroyed several drones as they approached the Ilsky oil refinery in Russia’s Krasnodar region near the Black Sea.

The refinery, near the Black Sea port of Novorossiisk, can process about 6.6 million tons of oil per year. It has been attacked several times this month.

On Saturday, drones struck oil pipeline installations deep inside Russia, including a station serving the Druzhba pipeline.


ORIGINAL ENTRY: Ukraine’s air defenses downed all of Russia’s Iranian-made drones — more than 40 — attacking Kyiv overnight.

Russia fired a total of 54 drones across Ukraine, 52 of which were intercepted.

Debris from falling drones hit a seven-story “non-residential building”, killing a 41-year-old man and injuring a 35-year-old woman. Fires were set on the roof of a shopping mall, on a construction, and in a warehouse, injuring one person.

Serhii Popko, the head of the Kyiv military administration, noted that the assault was the 14th on the capital in May, launched as Kyiv prepared to celebrate the day of its founding in 482 AD:

Today, the enemy decided to “congratulate” the people of Kyiv on Kyiv Day using their deadly UAVs….The attack was carried out in several waves, and the air raid alert lasted for more than five hours.

Andriy Yermak, the Presidential Chief of Staff, also referred to the significance of Kyiv Day, “The history of Ukraine is a longstanding irritant for the insecure Russians.”

With air defenses in Kyiv bolstered by systems from Western countries, Russia has failed to hit a single target in Kyiv this month with its missiles and drones.