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Europe finds its courage to stand up to Russia. From debates on troop deployment to speeches about the pre-war era, there is a growing sense in the EU that the time for appeasing Putin has passed. |
Military
Battles continue near Starytsia and Vovchansk on the Kharkiv front – General Staff. Early on 20 May, Russian military forces shelled the village of Lyptsi, injuring a 57-year-old man and damaging residential houses.
Frontline report: Ukrainian forces thwart Russian assaults in Chasiv Yar. The elite Kraken Special Operations unit, deployed in the Canal District of Chasiv Yar, successfully repelled dozens of Russian attempts to capture the town, forcing the Russian invading forces to change their tactics.
Ukraine downs all 29 drones Russia launched overnight on Ukraine. In the Russian attack with Iskander on Kharkiv on 19 May, Russia killed 11 people, including a pregnant woman, and injured nine others.
As of 20 May 2024, the approximate losses of weapons and military equipment of the Russian Armed Forces from the beginning of the invasion to the present day:
- Personnel: 493690 (+1400)
- Tanks: 7590 (+14)
- APV: 14665 (+35)
- Artillery systems: 12737 (+50)
- MLRS: 1076 (+2)
- Anti-aircraft systems: 807 (+4)
- Aircraft: 354
- Helicopters: 326
- UAV: 10236 (+81)
- Cruise missiles: 2205 (+1)
- Warships/boats: 27 (+1)
- Submarines: 1
- Vehicles and fuel tanks: 17311 (+60)
Intelligence and technology
Time for action: Ukraine calls for more Patriot air defense systems amid Russian offensive on Kharkiv. With Russian threats intensifying, Ukraine’s calls for more Patriot air defense systems gain momentum.
Russia assembles a third of combat-ready Tu-95MS and Tu-22M3 at the Olenya base. The Olenya airbase is one of the main ones for the Russian Aerospace Forces to launch massive missile strikes against Ukraine.
Ukraine may have sunk a Russian ship with US ATACMS rockets. Ukraine’s potential acquisition of advanced US ATACMS rockets with 470-pound warheads may have allowed it to sink a Russian warship in Crimea.
International
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin: Allies have pledged Ukraine $95 billion worth of weapons since the beginning of the war. Since Russia’s February 2022 invasion, the allies have committed over $95 billion worth of weapons to Ukraine, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said at the 22nd Ramstein meeting.
Estonian PM: NATO training Ukraine’s army inside Ukraine poses no risk of conflict with Russia. Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas stated that NATO allies training Ukrainian soldiers within Ukraine does not risk escalating the war or provoking direct conflict with Russia.
G7 considers a €30 bn Ukrainian loan using frozen Russian assets. G7 finance ministers are set to debate a €30 billion loan for Ukraine, considering the legality of using €270 bn in frozen Russian state assets as collateral.
Humanitarian and social impact
Russians teach Ukrainian children “Russian values” in occupied territories. Russians on Ukrainian occupied territories forcing “moral foundations of family life” lessons on students. Pushing traditional gender roles – women must birth soldiers, men die for “fatherland.”
Ukrainian ombudsman raises alarm over torture of Crimean activist, urges immediate release. Ukrainian Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets has unveiled shocking revelations of torture inflicted upon a Crimean activist in Russian detention.
Ukrenergo chief: Months of power supply limits ahead for Ukraine. Even as Ukraine enjoys milder temperatures that ease electricity usage, the nation still faces inevitable power outages, says Ukrenergo’s Volodymyr Kudrytskyi.
Political and legal developments
Politico: US plan to impose sanctions on Georgian officials to “defend democracy,” leaked bill says.
All Western aid decisions for Ukraine lag by one year — Zelenskyy. The Ukrainian President characterized the current situation as one big step forward but two steps back before that.
US congressional committee approves sanctions against Rosatom. The House Foreign Affairs Committee endorsed sanctions bills targeting Russia’s nuclear giant Rosatom and individuals over its violations at Ukraine’s occupied Zaporizhzhia power plant.
New developments
ISW: Raisi’s death would have serious implications for supreme leader succession. The death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi could seriously impact the succession plan for the country’s supreme leader, ISW reports, but added that it would ultimately not change the Iranian regime’s current trajectory.
Read our earlier daily review here.
