Section: The Centre for Eastern Studies (Poland)
More massive attacks on Ukraine. Day 459 of the war
On the night of 28 May, the Russians launched a massive attack on Kyiv (the largest to date, according to the Ukrainian government’s assessment) using Shahed-136/131 kamikaze drones. According to the Ukrainian General Staff, only one of the 59 drones launched by the Russians hit its target (earlier, the Air Force Command of Ukraine had...
Slowdown on the front. Day 456 of the war
Ukrainian forces failed to break through the Russian defences north and southwest of Bakhmut, and after 22 May, when the command of the Eastern grouping declared that some slight advances in the field had still been made, they went on the defensive again. Nevertheless, the Ukrainian Land Forces commander General Oleksandr Syrskyi was still able...
The credibility of Russian economic statistics is a growing problem
Analysing Russia’s current economic situation is becoming increasingly difficult. Since the beginning of its invasion of Ukraine, the Kremlin has restricted access to statistical data, including those concerning foreign trade. On 26 April, the government of the Russian Federation decided it would no longer report on the country’s oil...
Another Hungarian veto aimed at Ukraine
According to press reports, the Hungarian government is blocking the payment to EU member states of the next tranche (€500 million) of funding from the European Peace Facility (EPF), which reimburses the military support provided to Kyiv by EU countries. On 17 May, these reports were confirmed by the Hungarian foreign minister Péter Szijjártó,...
The Ukrainians leave Bakhmut. Day 452 of the war
On 20 May, Yevgeny Prigozhin announced that the Wagner Group he owns had seized all of Bakhmut, and said his mercenaries would hand over their positions to regular Russian army troops by 25 May. The Russian defence ministry confirmed the report. On 21 May, the Kremlin reported that Vladimir Putin had congratulated the Wagner Group’s assault...
Ukrainians maintain the initiative at Bakhmut. Day 449 of the war
Ukrainian troops are continuing offensive operations west of Bakhmut. The fighting is mainly focused on the hills between Ivanivske and Klishchiivka; the Russians are slowly being pushed back toward the latter village, which they captured four months ago. The Ukrainians are also attacking on a 10-kilometre front line running from...
Appreciating and mobilising Germany. Zelensky in Berlin
As part of his European trip, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky visited Berlin on 14 May, where he met President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and attended a meeting of Germany’s security cabinet (which Vice-Chancellor and Minister of Economy and Climate Protection Robert Habeck, foreign minister Annalena Baerbock,...
Ukrainian counterattacks at Bakhmut. Day 442 of the war
On 9 May, Ukrainian forces struck at the rotating enemy subunits south of the Bakhmut-Kostiantynivka road, which led to their withdrawal from the area around the village of Stupochky to the eastern side of the Donets-Donbas canal. …read more Source:: Centre for Eastern Studies...
Russia intensifies its missile attacks. Day 439 of the war
In recent days, the daily number of Russian rocket attacks on Ukrainian territory has begun to rise sharply. According to the local military-civilian administrations, on the evening and night of 5–6 May, the invaders fired eight missiles, and 10, 23 and 34 respectively on the following days. The General Staff and Air Force Command reported...
Ukrainian and Russian attacks on fuel depots. Day 432 of the war
On 29 April, probably thanks to a Ukrainian drone attack, between four and ten tanks (depending on sources) of petroleum products in occupied Sevastopol, Crimea were destroyed. In turn, a fuel train was said to have derailed (after the tracks had previously been blown up) in Russia’s Bryansk oblast. Meanwhile a Russian rocket attack on 30...
