Ukraine: realities | «The Weekly Five»: 15.05 – 21.05

Ukraine is approaching the tactical encirclement of Bakhmut

Colonel-General Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander of the Ukrainian Land Forces, said that the Armed Forces continue to advance on the flanks in the suburbs of Bakhmut.

On May 20, the leader of the Wagner PMC, Yevhen Prygozhyn, posted a video near the railway station in the center of Bakhmut, claiming that his mercenaries had allegedly completely seized the city and that on May 25 they would hand over its «defense» to Russian Defense Ministry soldiers and leave.

The spokesperson for the eastern group of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Serhiy Cherevaty, explained Yevheniy Prigozhyn's statement about the complete capture of Bakhmut as the intention of the leader of the Wagner PMC to withdraw his mercenaries from the destroyed city as soon as possible, as it could be surrounded by Ukrainian defenders.

 

Zelenskyy addressed the G7 leaders and addressed each of them individually

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the leaders of the Group of Seven in Japan, thanking them for their support of Ukraine and addressing them individually.

According to Zelenskyy, when Ukraine's air defense systems are sufficient to protect all Ukrainian cities, «the world will see what kind of air shield democracy can create.»

He thanked the leaders for their help with air defense, saving thousands of Ukrainian lives from Russian missiles.

The Head of State also emphasized the importance of training pilots on modern fighters, clarifying that the air shield can only be complete when ground-based air defense systems are complemented by modern aircraft in the air.

 

US, allies plan to provide Ukraine with F-16s – NBC

The United States and its allies are planning to provide Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets as part of a long-term effort to strengthen Kyiv's security.

A senior White House official said this in a commentary to NBC News.

According to the TV channel's source, no timeline has been set for providing Ukraine with the modern fighters, but they will not be used during Ukraine's upcoming counteroffensive against Russian forces.

In the coming months, the United States and its allies «will decide when to actually provide the fighters, how many we will provide and who will provide them,» the official said, adding that the F-16s will not necessarily come directly from the United States.

Also, a senior White House official told CNN on condition of anonymity that U.S. President Joe Biden confirmed Washington's participation in the allied initiative to train Ukrainian pilots on fourth-generation fighter jets, including F-16s, at the Group of Seven summit in Japan.

 

The Senate of France recognizes the Holodomor as genocide of the Ukrainian people

The French Senate, following the lower house of parliament, the National Assembly, has approved a resolution recognizing the Holodomor of 1932-1933 as genocide of the Ukrainian people.

The resolution recognizing the Holodomor as a genocide of the Ukrainian people was voted in favor by 327 out of 343 French senators, while the remaining 16 voted against it.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba thanked the French Senate for «a historic vote that restores justice and honors the memory of millions of victims.» «Such crimes should never happen again and should never be forgotten,» the minister wrote on Twitter.

 

Minister of Defense of Ukraine announces the next «Ramstein»

Minister of Defense Oleksiy Reznikov announced that the next meeting of the Contact Group on Defense of Ukraine will be held next week in the Ramstein format.

Commenting on the formation of the so-called fighter jet coalition, which will provide training for Ukrainian pilots on fourth-generation fighters, Reznikov emphasized that strengthening air and missile defense remains a priority for Ukraine.

«Ground-based systems - from man-portable air defense systems to powerful batteries - and missiles to them are always in focus. We will discuss this with our colleagues at the next meeting in the Ramstein format next week,» he said.

 

The project «Ukraine: realities» is implemented by the News agency «Konkurent» together with the Civic Movement «SVIDOMI» and the charity organization Global Empowerment Mission in English for readers from other countries to tell the stories of people who survived the horrors of the Russian occupation.

Проєкт «Ukraine: realities» реалізовується Інформаційним агентством «Конкурент» спільно з Громадянським Рухом «СВІДОМІ» та благодійною організацією Global Empowerment Mission на англійській мові для читачів з інших країн аби розповісти історії людей, які пережили жахи російської окупації.