Ukraine Breaking News Today Live on 05-14-2024

Nova Poshta’s new branches in the UK are part of its plan to expand across Europe to cater to the needs of the Ukrainian diaspora that arose from Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Nova Poshta, Ukraine’s largest private postal service, opened two branches in London on Monday as part of its expansion in Europe.

The UK is the 13th European country in which Nova Poshta is now operating after its expansion in Spain last week.

The so-called “trade visa-free” regime was voted with restrictions for Ukraine’s agricultural exports after hard-nosed negotiations with the Polish farmers who blockaded Ukraine’s western border.

After the European Council voted to expand the free trade regime for another year on April 23, the European Union enabled the extension of the Autonomous Trade Measures with Ukraine, which the EU first approved on June 4, 2022. 

The policy suspends import duties and quotas on Ukrainian and Moldovan exports to the EU for another year, according to the European Council’s official press release. 

The Chinese president has just concluded a tour of Europe, where he stopped in France, Serbia and Hungary, looking to shore up China’s position as France’s largest trading partner in Asia.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has concluded a five-day tour of Europe, having visited France, Serbia and Hungary. The tour marked Xi’s first trip to Europe in five years.

It came at a symbolic time for the three countries. This year marks the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and France, and the 75th of those with Hungary. The trip also coincided with the 25th anniversary of the NATO bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade during Serbia’s war in Kosovo, an incident in which three Chinese diplomats were killed.

Kyiv says it’s throwing thousands of veteran reserve troops led by a top general into battle in a bid to contain the most successful Russian land grab since the early days of the war.

A top Ukrainian general responsible for defenses swamped by a surprise Russian offensive into the northeastern Kharkiv region was sacked on Monday, as senior Kyiv officials vowed masses of men and weapons were deploying to contain the Kremlin success.

Brig. Gen. Yury Halushkin, commander of joint forces Kharkiv, the top headquarters for Ukrainian troops deployed opposite Russia’s Belgorod Oblast, was relieved of duties some 72 hours after Kremlin forces pushed across the border to grab at least five villages and break into the regional town of Vovchansk.

Citing new regulations as the cause, Ukraine’s ridesharing and delivery company halts operations in Azerbaijan, leaving Uzbekistan as its only external market.

Anticipating new regulations, Uklon, a popular Ukrainian ride-hailing business, says it’s moving out of Azerbaijan. 

Among other things, Baku is considering limiting how many vehicles can do ride-hailing.

The pro-Russian forces in the Georgian parliament have managed to push through a divisive bill many see as Russian-inspired and anti-Western.

Georgia's parliament on Tuesday adopted a controversial "foreign influence" law that has sparked weeks of mass protests against the measure, denounced as mirroring Russian legislation used to silence dissent.

Lawmakers voted 84 to 30 to pass the law in its third and final reading, a live broadcast of the parliamentary session showed, despite ongoing street protests outside the building and warnings from Brussels that the move would undermine Tbilisi's longstanding European aspirations.

The world in focus, as seen by a Canadian leading global affairs analyst, writer and speaker, in his review of international media.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken tells President Volodymyr Zelensky that military aid is "now on its way" during a surprise visit to Kyiv. The top US diplomat tells the Ukrainian president the weapons will "make a real difference" against the ongoing Russian aggression on the battlefield. A senior US official says the American-funded weapons now arriving at the front line include air defence interceptors, artillery and ATACMS long-range precision guided missiles. The visit comes as the country struggles to hold back a major Russian incursion near its second biggest city of Kharkiv. The cross-border offensive in Kharkiv region is one of the most significant Russian ground attacks since the start of the war. Earlier UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps tells the BBC he thinks the world "took its eye off the ball" regarding Ukraine's need for arms - BBC

Russian troops were locked in intense battles with Ukrainian soldiers around the embattled town of Vovchansk in northeast Ukraine on Monday, pushing ahead with a ground offensive that opened a new front and put more pressure on overstretched Ukrainian forces. Moscow’s renewed northeast offensive, launched late last week, was the most significant border incursion since the full-scale invasion began. In just two days, Moscow has captured from 100 to 125 square kilometers (38 to 47 square miles) that include at least seven villages, most of them already depopulated, according to two open source monitoring analysts. Vovchansk, among the largest towns in the area whose pre-war population of 17,000 had dwindled to just 2,500 before Russia renewed its ground assault last week, has emerged as a key focus of the pitched battles engulfing the Kharkiv region. By Monday, only 200 to 300 residents remained, said Kharkiv Gov. Oleh Syniehubov, as Russian forces closed in from three sides. Poorly built fortifications and long-term ammunition shortages enabled Russia’s sweeping advance in the area since Friday, local officials and soldiers said. The Kremlin’s forces were seeking to divert and distract Ukrainian troops across the 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line until a big batch of new military aid for Kyiv from the U.S. and European partners arrives on the battlefield in the coming weeks and months, Ukrainian commanders and analysts said. - AP

The Head of Russia’s Defense Ministry personnel department was arrested during an overnight raid as part of a broader shake-up at the top levels of Russia’s military.

Lt. Gen. Yuri Kuznetsov, Head of Russia’s Defense Ministry personnel department, was arrested during an overnight raid at his home on Monday, according to the Russian State news agency TASS.

Less than a week after Russian Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov was arrested on corruption charges and the day after it was announced that the Defense Minister, Sergei Shoigu was being moved aside, Kuznetsov, 55, was taken into custody, accused of accepting bribes.

The June summit would discuss "the safety of nuclear power plants, grain exports, prisoner exchanges" and the risk of a nuclear escalation, Scholz said.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Tuesday said a Ukraine war peace summit being hosted by Switzerland next month was unlikely to bring an end to the conflict.

"At best, it is the start of a process that could lead to direct talks between Ukraine and Russia," Scholz said in an interview with the German weekly Stern.

Initial reports said two US citizens and one Russian citizen were among the 20 arrested at the ongoing protest against what many have called a Kremlin-inspired bill.

Two US citizens were arrested in Tbilisi, Georgia on Monday as thousands have descended on the streets for weeks to protest against the government’s move to pass a new, Kremlin-inspired “foreign agents” bill.

Georgia’s Interior Ministry said 20 were arrested in total for “petty hooliganism” and “disobeying the police,” among them were two US citizens and one Russian citizen born in 2002.

Blinken's trip comes just weeks after the US Congress finally approved a $61 billion financial aid package for Ukraine after months of political wrangling.

American military aid for Ukraine is "on its way", US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in Kyiv on Tuesday, as Russia pressed on with a new offensive in the northeastern Kharkiv region.

Blinken's trip comes just weeks after the US Congress finally approved a $61 billion financial aid package for Ukraine after months of political wrangling, unlocking much-needed arms for the country's stretched troops.

A Russian soldier attempted to fend off an FPV drone with a plastic bottle, likely containing gasoline, but the encounter ended in an explosion (warning: graphic video).

A video circulating on social media shows a Russian soldier trying to fend off a first-person view (FPV) drone with a bottle of gasoline.

The video, released by the Prytula Charity Foundation, shows the drone flying close to the Russian soldier, who attempts to fight back with a plastic bottle.

Ukraine’s Military Intel Chief warns from his Kharkiv bunker that the Russian forces will launch an offensive in the Sumy region in the coming days.

Ukraine will be able to strengthen its positions and stabilize the front in the next few days, but Russia will launch a new offensive further north of Kharkiv, in the Sumy region, Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR), said speaking with a journalist from The New York Times (NYT)from a bunker in Kharkiv. 

Budanov said that the current Russian attacks in the northeast are aimed at stretching the already thin reserves of Ukrainian soldiers and distracting them from fighting elsewhere.

Microchips and other high-tech components are essential to maintaining Russia’s war machine. If the West gets serious about blocking access, Moscow’s forces will be crippled.

US sanctions are hindering the supply of high-tech equipment to China, Beijing is very concerned about its own microchip production and is making every effort to upgrade its own fleet of photolithography machines. As a result, machines of previous generations may appear on the secondary market.

At the same time, Russia is also extremely interested in producing its own microchips, which are needed to create its own missiles, UAVs, and drones. No, Russia is not pursuing the goal of becoming a high-tech authority in the chip market; it is interested in the possibility of mass production at the 65-nanometer scale. Currently, it has only a 90-nanometer (nm) process available to it. By comparison, the US is preparing to transition to 2 nm, and China is trying its best to lower the bar below 10 nm.

Russia’s railway authorities reported that freight train cars had been derailed due to an “intervention by unauthorized persons,” in the Volgograd region.

The Russian state-owned news agency TASS reported that at around 2 a.m. on the morning of Tuesday, May 14, several tanker cars from a freight train carrying petroleum products were derailed close to the Kotluban railway station, in Russia’s Volgograd Oblast, around 300 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.

Originally attributed by Russia’s railway authorities to “interference by unauthorized persons,” the incident has now been put down to an attack by a Ukrainian kamikaze drone according to the Russian Baza Telegram channel.

Current US policy prohibiting Ukraine from using US-provided weapons in the territory of Russia is compromising Kyiv's ability to defend itself against the cross-border invasion near Kharkiv.

By George Barros 

Current US policy prohibiting Ukraine from using US-provided weapons in the territory of the Russian Federation is severely compromising Ukraine's ability to defend itself against the renewed cross-border invasion Russia has recently launched in Kharkiv Oblast.  US policy has effectively created a vast sanctuary in which Russia has been able to amass its ground invasion force and from which it is launching glide bombs and other long-range strike systems in support of its renewed invasion.  Whatever the merits of this US policy before the Russian assault on Kharkiv Oblast began, it should be modified immediately to reflect the urgent realities of the current situation.

Putin, embarking on an unprecedented fifth term as president, replaced veteran defense minister Sergei Shoigu with top economic official and technocrat Andrei Belousov.

The United States characterized Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to replace his defense minister as a sign of "desperation" over the escalating costs of the Ukraine invasion.

"This move further indicates Putin's desperation to sustain his war of aggression against Ukraine, despite its significant toll on the Russian economy and heavy losses of Russian troops, with some estimates as high as 315,000 casualties," State Department spokesman Vedant Patel stated on Monday, May 13.

Germany announced it would send a third Patriot air defence system to Ukraine in April - a decision Scholz said was difficult because they do not have many of the systems.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday urged Europe to ramp up its military aid to Ukraine, particularly air defence systems, as Kyiv struggles to repel a fierce Russian offensive in the northeast.

Russia on Monday pummelled more than 30 towns and villages in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region after launching a surprise ground offensive over the border last week, as Kyiv struggles with Western aid delays.

The Ukrainian army acknowledged Russia was "achieving tactical success" after launching a ground assault on Friday that has sparked the evacuation of almost 6,000 people.

Russia pummelled towns and villages in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region on Monday, days after launching a surprise ground offensive over the border that has forced thousands to evacuate.

The Ukrainian army acknowledged Russia was "achieving tactical success" after launching a ground assault on Friday that has sparked the evacuation of almost 6,000 people.

Lytvynenko noted that while Russian forces made small advances into the Kharkiv region on Friday, capturing several villages, they had not posed a direct threat to Kharkiv itself.

Despite Russia's recent surprise offensive, mounting tens of thousands of troops against the northeastern region last week, Ukraine's security council chief assured on Monday, May 13, that there's no immediate risk of a ground assault on the city of Kharkiv.

"Russian actions in the border area are ongoing," Oleksandr Lytvynenko, Ukraine's security council secretary, told AFP in Kyiv. "But we don't see any threat of assault on the city of Kharkiv."

Marking his fourth visit to Kyiv since the start of the Russian invasion, Blinken arrived by overnight train from Poland and was due to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived Tuesday morning in Kyiv on an unannounced visit meant to reassure Ukrainians of continued US support and flow of weapons as Russia pummels the northeastern Kharkiv region.

Marking his fourth visit to Kyiv since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022, Blinken arrived by overnight train from Poland and was due to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, according to an AFP journalist accompanying him.

According to WSJ’s analysis of Ukrainian Air Force Command data, Ukraine intercepted 46% of Russian missiles in the past six months, down from 73% in the preceding period.

Ukraine’s ability to intercept Russian missile attacks has significantly declined in recent months as Russia intensifies its use of drones and missiles, including more difficult-to-target weapons like ballistic missiles, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported.

Compounding the issue, Kyiv is facing shortages of ammunition for its Western-supplied Patriot systems, which have been its main defense against such attacks.

Latest from the Institute for the Study of War.

Key Takeaways from the ISW:

• Russian forces continued to make tactically significant advances north and northeast of Kharkiv City on May 13 and currently appear to be prioritizing the rapid establishment of a "buffer zone" along the international border over setting conditions for deeper penetrations into northern Kharkiv Oblast.
• Russian forces' relatively rapid rate of advances in Vovchansk and their reported destruction of several bridges across key waterways within the settlement suggest that Russian forces are prioritizing the creation of a "buffer zone" over a deeper penetration, as ISW previously assessed they would.
• Newly appointed Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu participated in his first Security Council meeting as secretary on May 13, amid continued reports that Russian President Vladimir Putin is focusing on mobilizing the Russian economy and defense industrial base (DIB) to support a protracted war in Ukraine.
• Putin's decision to remove Shoigu from the Russian MoD appears to have also opened the door for the departure of certain Shoigu affiliates from the MoD, likely one of the intended effects of Putin's recent cabinet reshuffles.
• Ukrainian forces reportedly conducted successful missile strikes against a Russian air defense base in occupied Crimea and successful drone strikes against Russian energy infrastructure in Russia.
• Russian forces recently made confirmed advances near Lyptsi and Vovchansk in northern Kharkiv Oblast.
• The Russian military may be intensifying efforts to recruit conscripts through the Russian Volunteer Society for Assistance to the Army, Aviation, and Navy of Russia (DOSAAF) as part of ongoing crypto-mobilization efforts.