‘We Have Adapted and Adjusted’ – Ukraine at War Update for May 30

In very carefully couched language, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday opened the door to the possibility that the standing US policy that American-supplied weapons cannot be used on Russian territory could be “adjusted” in the future.

Speaking to reporters in Moldova before joining other foreign ministers in Prague for a NATO meeting, Blinken said, “As the conditions have changed, as the battlefield has changed, as what Russia does has changed in terms of how it’s pursuing its aggression [and] escalation, we’ve adapted and adjusted.”

Asked if he was supporting a change, Blinken was quoted by AFP as saying, “At every step along the way we’ve adapted and adjusted as necessary. And so that’s exactly what we’ll do going forward.”

“We’re always listening, we’re always learning and we’re always making determinations about what’s necessary to make sure that Ukraine can effectively continue to defend itself,” Blinken said.

Russia builds new aircraft hangars 300 kilometers from Ukraine's border

Military news website Militarnyi published satellite images on Wednesday that show 12 new aircraft hangars holding Su-24 bombers and Su-34 fighter-bombers 300 km from Ukraine’s border.

The hangars are suspected to have been built to withstand drone and cluster munition strikes. However, it is unclear what materials were used in their construction and their exact capability. Analysts from Militarnyi nevertheless noted that, based on the images and speed of construction, they likely are standard Russian sheet metal hangars, not reinforced concrete hardened shelters, and lack adequate protection from ordnance such as ATACMS.

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What is certain is that the new hangars in the Marinovka airfield in the Volgograd region will prevent satellites and other detection systems from determining whether the hangar is empty or holds aircraft.

Fatalities from the attack on the Kharkiv hypermarket include two teens

Now that rescuers have finished combing through the debris of Russia’s May 25 attack on a hypermarket in Kharkiv, the death toll officially stands at 19 civilians, including two teenagers.

Ihor Klymenko, the Minister of Internal Affairs, announced on social media that local police have identified all 19 bodies of those killed: 12 men and seven women. A 17-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl are among the dead, and another 54 people were injured, he said.

“It wasn’t easy,” Klymenko posted. “Specialist equipment was used around the clock to search for the bodies among the ashes, and they were swiftly identified using a DNA laboratory. Forensic experts have conducted over 100 tests. Sixteen relatives of missing people contacted the police and provided biological samples for testing. We also engaged expert dog handlers; a service dog discovered one body and one fragment.”

Finland joins the chorus of supporters of strikes within Russian territory

Finland’s Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen told a Finnish media outlet on Wednesday that Ukraine was free to attack targets inside Russia using weapons received from her country.

Valtonen said that Ukraine is waging a “defensive war” and therefore has the right to strike military targets located on Russian territory if it is necessary for self-defense, state media outlet Ukrinform reported. She added, however, that Helsinki expects Kyiv to use these weapons following international law.

Finland joins several countries, notably the nearby Baltic States, who have pushed back against the policies of the United States, Germany, Belgium and other NATO members who fear that attacks on Russian soil using NATO weapons will cause an undue escalation.

However, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on May 28 that Ukraine’s right of self-defense also includes striking military targets inside Russia.

Moscow’s forces continue advances in the Kharkiv region

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) noted on Wednesday that Moscow’s forces have slowly continued to advance in the northeastern Kharkiv region, using light infantry and small vehicles to continue their assault by the border.

Specifically, Russian units recently marginally advanced north of Kharkiv, near Lyptsi amid continued ground assaults in the area on Wednesday. Confirmed footage posted that day seems to indicate that the invaders recently advanced within southeastern Hlyboke (north of Lyptsi and Kharkiv).

The commander of a Ukrainian unit corroborated that Russian forces are accumulating personnel near Hlyboke “using light vehicles such as motorcycles and ATVs to bring infantry close to the frontline.” Bloggers claimed that Russian forces have advanced up to 350 meters on the new Lyptsi front.

Russian forces also recently made gains near Vovchansk, ISW continued. Geolocated footage published on Wednesday seems to show that Moscow’s troops have advanced within northeastern Starystya (northeast of Kharkiv).