The Russian missile ship Tsiklon, reportedly struck in a Ukrainian attack on Sevastopol in occupied Crimea, May 19, 2024

Tuesday’s Coverage: Zelenskiy — “Nothing Positive” Agreed About Using US Weapons Inside Russia

Map: Institute for the Study of War

UPDATE 1413 GMT:

A Russian airstrike on Kharkiv city in northeast Ukraine has wounded 12 people, at least one severely.

A 16-year-old boy is among the victims.

The attack destroyed a cafe, damaged a residential building, and set a petrol station ablaze.

UPDATE 1352 GMT:

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has again appealed for an escalation of international aid to repel Russia’s invasion.

The President expressed his gratitude for Sweden’s latest commitment of assistance.

UPDATE 0832 GMT:

Canada has sanctioned six shipping firms and two individuals who “facilitated the illegal transportation of weapons, including ballistic missiles, from North Korea to Russia”.

“Our sanctions send a clear message: Canada condemns Russia’s military cooperation with North Korea, which has consequences for security in Europe, the Indo-Pacific and around the world. Canada remains unwavering in its commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and its people in the face of the Kremlin’s brutal actions,” said Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly.

Since the beginning of Russia’s military operations and political warfare against Ukraine in 2014, Canada has sanctioned more than 3,000 individuals and entities in eastern Europe.

UPDATE 0822 GMT:

Russian attacks killed three civilians and injured at least 19 on Tuesday.

The Russians 10 Ukrainian regions — Chernihiv, Mykolaiv, Luhansk, Kirovohrad, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Sumy, Kharkiv, and Kherson.

In the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine, a Russian missile strike on the village of Rih in the Pokrovsk area killed a 52-year-old man and his 46-year-old wife. Their 10-year-old son and a 24-year-old neighbor were injured.

In Toretsk, a 26-year-old man was slain.

In Chuhuiv in the Kharkiv region in the northeast, at least seven people were wounded by Russia’s S-400 missiles. A kindergarten and a private residence were damaged.

UPDATE 0812 GMT:

The former commander of Russia’s 58th Army, Ivan Popov, has been arrested on a charge of “large scale fraud”.

Popov commanded Russian units in the Zaporizhzhia in southern Ukraine. In July 2023, he was fired after the release of an audio message in which he criticized superiors over a lack of support to frontline troops, leading to widespread casualties.

UPDATE 0723 GMT:

The European Union has formally adopted the plan to fund Ukraine’s military with profits from frozen Russian Central Bank assets.

The EU will provide 90% of the proceeds, from an estimated €300 billion in assets, to military aid. The other 10% will support EU defense production.

The EU expects a yield of €15 billion to €20 billion by 2027. Ukraine is expected to receive the first tranche of funds in July.

Ukraine Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, thanked the EU but repeated the desire for the seizure of the assets.

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is calling on the G7 nations to use the assets as backing for a larger loan of up to $50 billion to Ukraine.

UPDATE 0652 GMT:

Ukrainian air defenses downed all 24 Iran-type attack drones launched by Russia overnight.

The drones were launched from the Russian port town of Primorsko-Akhtarsk on the Sea of Azov, from Russia’s Kursk region, and from occupied Crimea.

They were intercepted over the Mykolaiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Sumy, and Odesa regions.

Officials in the Sumy region in northern Ukraine said power was knocked out to some areas after strikes on the cities of Shostka and Konotop near the Russian border.

UPDATE 0639 GMT:

Ukrainian troops in the Kharkiv region says they now have shells to fight back against a 12-day Russian cross-border offensive.

The soldiers near the border town of Vovchansk said the situation is “hotter” than in the neighboring Donetsk region. Pavlo, a howitzer gunner of the 92nd Separate Assault brigade said:

It’s 24/7, their infantry keeps coming, we keep fighting their attacks. At least we are trying to. Whenever possible, we take them down….

We didn’t have shells there [in Donetsk]. Here, at least we have shells, they started delivering them. We have something to work with, to fight.

Last month the US Congress, overcoming a 6 1/2-month blockade by Trumpists and hard-right Republicans, finally approved $60.8 billion in military aid to Ukraine. The European Union, through the Czech Republic, is pursuing an initiative to gather and supply hundreds of thousands of artillery shells.

Russia has had a 7:1 and even 10:1 advantage in artillery munitions on the frontline.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said troops are achieving “tangible” results, but the frontline situation near the cities of Pokrovsk, Kramatorsk, and Kurakhove remains “extremely difficult”.

More than 14,000 people have been displaced since May 10 by the Russian offensive, says the World Health Organization.

“Nearly 189,000 more still reside within 25 km (16 miles) of the border with the Russian Federation, facing significant risks due to the ongoing fighting,” said WHO representative Jarno Habicht.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Ukraine says it has destroyed the last Russian warship armed with cruise missiles in occupied Crimea.

The Ukrainian military said the “Russian project 22800 Tsiklon missile ship” was struck in the port city of Sevastopol on Sunday.

The military had earlier claimed the destruction of the Russian minesweeper Kovrovets.

The Russian Defense Ministry said on Sunday that Ukraine had attacked with US-made ATACMS missiles, but following its standard practice, did not acknowledge any damage.

The Tsiklon was launched into service in July 2023. It is a Karakurt-class warship armed with weapons that include Kalibr missiles, used in Russian strikes trying to break Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and civilian morale.

Russia had maintained a grip on the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, blockading Ukrainian ports and preventing shipments of grains and other essentials. However, Ukraine’s fightback with missiles and drones broke the hold by destroying or damaging 1/3 of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet: by early February 2024, 24 warships and one submarine had been disabled.