Ukraine Breaking News Today Live on 05-23-2024

As the Kremlin escalates its crackdown on Russia’s corrupt generals the head of the Ministry of Defense department for state procurement becomes the second arrested in less than 24 hours.

Russian milbloggers have reported on that Vladimir Verteletsky, a senior defense ministry official in charge of procurement for Russia’s armed forces was arrested on suspicion of “accepting a bribe on an especially large scale.” He was arrested after law enforcement officers raided his office in the main building of the Ministry of Defense on Frunzenskaya Embankment in Moscow.

One blogger Yuri Kotenok said on his Telegram channel that, according to investigators, Verteletsky had received a car and a house, from an entrepreneur bidding on state defense orders, and registered the property in the name of his relatives. He then said that “Verteletsky was taken away in a ‘funnel’.”

Ukrainian intelligence (HUR) told Kyiv Post it struck Russian military production facilities in Tatarstan on May 23 with UAVs.

More than 1,000 km from the border, Ukrainian drones struck several military equipment production facilities in Russia’s Tatarstan on Thursday afternoon, Ukrainian military intelligence sources (HUR) told Kyiv Post.

The strike drones reached Kazan and Nizhnekamsk – where various companies make products to equip the Russian military’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine – the HUR source said.

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

Trailing the opposition Labour Party by 20 points for months, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has decided sooner is better than later to invite voters back to the polls. While standing in a driving rain in front of 10 Downing Street on Wednesday with the heckling of protesters in the background, he announced thatnational elections would be held on July 4. For embattled leaders with the power to call elections, it’s all about the timing. In Sunak’s case, though his Conservative Party has trailed badly for months, some factors suggest things might only get worse in the fall. More migrant arrivals by boat over the summer will add to his political headaches, particularly if the government’s plan to fly some to Rwanda runs into more legal challenges and delays. He does have some positive economic news to work with.Newly released data from the Office for National Statistics on Wednesday indicated that UK inflation fell to just 2.3% in April, allowing Sunak to say he kept his promise to cut inflation in half during his tenure. Will Sunak’s earlier-than-expected election date help Tories stage a stunning comeback? Not likely, says Eurasia Group’s Mujtaba Rahman. Instead, he forecasts, “Labour will capitalize on the public’s desire for change after 14 years of Tory rule and will win a comfortable majority.” - GZERO Media

At least seven people are dead and 16 wounded in the latest Russian missile strike on Kharkiv Ukraine. Several hit the Vivat printing house, killing at least five workers. The railway infrastructure was also under fire - Suspilne

Russian social media reports that two airports were closed accompanied by mass employee evacuations after two drones were spotted over Tatarstan on Thursday, May 23.

The press secretary of Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency, Artem Korenyako, said on his Telegram channel that operations at the airports of Kazan and Nizhnekamsk, in Tatarstan, were suspended because of the threat of drone attacks.

The closure followed a Russian Defense Ministry statement that said, “a Ukrainian drone of a plane type” was shot down over Tatarstan at 7:30 a.m. local time.

China’s latest military exercise took place unannounced three days after the island nation’s presidential inauguration and covered certain outlying islands for the first time.

Beijing launched an unannounced military exercise around Taiwan on Thursday as a show of force after Taipei’s presidential inauguration on Monday and vowed the blood of Taiwan’s “independence forces” would flow.

The drills, which covered outlying islands near Taiwan on a scale unseen in Beijing’s recent military exercises, come after Lai Ching-te was sworn in as Taiwan’s new president on Monday and made an inauguration speech that China denounced as a “confession of independence.”

Israel’s Ambassador in Ukraine decries the decision of the ICC’s Prosecutor to pursue arrest warrants for Israel's Prime Minister and Defense Minister alongside the leaders of Hamas.

In 1998, at the time of the adoption of the Statute of the International Criminal Court, the head of Israel's delegation, Judge Eli Nathan, expressed both hope and fear for its future. As a Holocaust survivor and lifelong humanitarian, he hoped that the Court would truly fulfil its role in ending impunity for the most serious crimes.

But, having witnessed a troubling politicization of the Court's statute throughout the drafting negotiations, including the deliberate crafting of crimes intended to target Israel, he feared that the Court's goals would be perverted for political ends. Even as he explained that Israel could regrettably not accede to such a politicized statute, Nathan expressed the hope that good sense would prevail, and the Court would “serve the lofty objectives for the attainment of which it is being established."

President Zelensky has already reacted to the Russian attack, stating: “Extremely brutal Russian attack against Kharkiv and Lubotyn – according to preliminary data, 15 missiles at once.”

The death toll in Kharkiv following massive Russian missile strikes on Thursday, May 23, has risen to seven, according to a Telegram post by Oleh Synegubov, head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration (OVA).

“According to updated information, as of now—seven dead,” Synegubov reported.

The ICC has requested arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and three Hamas leaders. Commentators weigh in.

The application by the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) for arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, as well as three Hamas leaders, has electrified the international community. The charges are war crimes and crimes against humanity in Israel and Gaza. Israel, the US, the UK and Germany have criticised the bid, saying it equates the leaders of a democratic country with terrorists. Commentators weigh in.

Finally a red line

Rishi Sunak’s call for a July 4 UK general election adds one of Ukraine’s most ardent supporters to the list of more than 60 nations going to the polls in 2024.

2024 has been described as THE year of elections, with over 60 nations, plus the European Union, representing almost half of the world’s population going to the polls this year. With the surprise call for elections by Rishi Sunak, the UK’s Prime Minister, on Wednesday, May 22, Britain now joins those which could have the most significance for Ukraine’s war against Russia – November’s US Presidential and June’s EU elections.

The announcement immediately set the media world alight with speculation on what effect the expected change of government in the UK would have on a whole range of policy issues.

In addition to state treason, he was also charged with inciting a person to engage in terrorism and attempted participation in a terrorist organization.

A 20-year-old student in Russia who agreed to post leaflets on behalf of a pro-Ukraine partisan group has been handed 13 years in jail for treason, Russian media reported Thursday.

Vladimir Belkovich, a resident of Siberia’s Irkutsk region, was allegedly recruited by the Freedom of Russia Legion, an anti-Kremlin group of volunteer fighters seeking to remove Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

However, YandexGPT's inability to answer questions about the war in Ukraine could be attributed to the Kremlin’s information flow restrictions and censorship.

Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, called YandexGPT, an AI model developed by Russia’s largest search engine, a “terrible coward” that “does not answer quite ordinary questions,” the majority of which are related to the war in Ukraine.

Medvedev detailed his interactions with the artificial intelligence (AI) model in a Telegram post, where the latter said it “didn’t want to look stupid” when prompted with questions such as: “When did the US adopt a law on the seizure of Russian assets?” and “Where are the monuments to Stepan Bandera located in Ukraine?” the latter of which refers to a controversial Ukrainian figure Moscow has used to justify its Ukrainian neo-Nazi claims.

A crack airborne brigade armed with modern American fighting vehicles led the assaults. Unconfirmed reports say dozens of Russian soldiers were taken prisoner.

Ukrainian troops counterattacking in the northern Kharkiv sector recovered lost ground and captured Russian prisoners of war, but bitter fighting in the town of Vovchansk was still in progress, official and open-source reports said on Wednesday.

Both the Ukrainian DeepState battle tracking platform and the US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) confirmed that Ukrainian forces had recaptured buildings and advanced in the battleground town less than five kilometers from the Russian border. An ISW May 22 report called the situation in the town “dynamic.”

How Ukrainian defense innovators are making a big difference.

I attended a fabulous session at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) this week, organized by the Strategy Council and the Kinstellar law firm, "The Ukrainian Defence Forum", which aimed to bring together Ukrainian and UK defense innovators to help Ukraine win the war against Russian aggression.

A keynote address was provided by the head of the UK joint chief of staff, Admiral, Tony Radakin, but also in attendance was Haluk Bayraktar, of the Turkish drone company, Baykar, who has earned near cult status in Ukraine for the role played by Baykar in Ukraine's defense. Bayraktar drones were critical in the first few weeks of the war in turning around those columns of Russian tanks heading to Kyiv - and they continue to be effective in Ukraine's defense.

Ukraine’s prominent B2B specialty coffee roaster expanded its geography to neighboring Poland and says it’s just the start.

Ukrainian specialty coffee company Fresh Black announced its launched shipping to Poland and hinted it will expand to other European countries. 

Via an Instagram post, the company said it’ll ship coffee to Europe from a new warehouse that it’s opened in Poland. 

MinFin continues to lower interest rates on UAH bonds.

At yesterday's auction, the Ministry of Finance lowered rates on UAH bonds again. The MoF has extended the total interest rate reduction more than 150bp during the two months after the start of the spring cycle of monetary policy easing.

Demand for one-year bills was the lowest yesterday, only UAH1.5bn, or half of the cap set by the MoF. Two-thirds of demand was under non-competitive bids (satisfied at the weighted average rate), and in competitive bids, rates ranged from 15.0‒15.05%, below the rate of the last auction. Therefore, as expected, all bids were satisfied fully, and rates decreased to 15.05%: the cut-off rate by 10bp and the weighted average rate by 7bp.

The head of Russia’s Armed Forces Main Communications Directorate is the most recent senior general to be charged with accepting “a bribe on an especially large scale,” according to Russian media.

The head of the Russian Armed Forces Main Communications Directorate and Deputy Chief of the General Staff, Lt. Gen. Vadim Shamarin, appeared in the 235th garrison military court, charged with accepting a bribe on an especially large scale and was sentenced to be detained for two months in pretrial detention according to the Kommersant news site.

Shamarin has spent the whole of his nearly 30-year career within the communications organizations of Russia’s armed forces. He rose from the rank of lieutenant, in command of a remote radio station in the Far Eastern Military District in 1992, to become the head of the communications directorate and a deputy to Valery Gerasimov in 2021.

Despite a German plan to protect Ukraine against missile attack, partner nations hesitate to send needed batteries to Ukraine, largely due to the high cost of Patriot systems.

Germany’s attempt to bolster Ukraine’s air defenses by donating its systems and rallying support from other allies is faltering, according to a report by Politico. Despite Berlin’s efforts, few countries are stepping up to follow Germany’s lead.

Berlin has committed 3 of its 11 US-made Patriot batteries, over 50 Gepard short-range air defense systems, and air-to-air missiles to help counter the barrage of ballistic missiles, bombs, and drones targeting Ukraine’s cities and infrastructure.

Poland has signed a contract to purchase Barbara balloons, which can detect missiles, aircraft, and drones out to more than 300 km to monitor its borders with Russia and Belarus.

Poland is purchasing four US-made Barbara reconnaissance balloons, at a cost of €1.04 million ($960 million), to monitor the airspace on its borders with Russia and Belarus, the Polish Defense Ministry said on Wednesday, May 22.

The move follows several instances of Russian missiles crossing into Polish territory during airstrikes on Ukrainian targets. Poland’s proximity to Belarus and Russia has long put the country on the defensive.

The crime of the epoch, which has lasted more than 33 years, was revealed. The robbery of Ukrainians and the destruction of statehood as a result of the application of the principles of Stalinism

PART ІІ

You can find the first part of the article HERE.

According to government sources, over 3,000 convicts have expressed their willingness to join the military following the recent enactment of a law facilitating this recruitment.

In a bid to strengthen its military ranks, Ukraine has initiated the release of the first prisoners under a new scheme offering parole to convicts willing to fight.

This move, announced by a regional court on Wednesday, May 22, comes as Kyiv faces a pressing need for troops on the front lines.

China and Russia's strategic partnership has only grown closer since the invasion of Ukraine, but Beijing has rebuffed Western claims that it is aiding Moscow's war effort.

China is sending "lethal aid" to Russia for use in its war against Ukraine, Britain's defence minister Grant Shapps said on Wednesday.

"Today I can reveal that we have evidence that Russia and China are collaborating on combat equipment for use in Ukraine," he said in a speech at a London conference.

Top of the agenda is a plan to finance crucial aid to Ukraine using the interest generated by the 300 billion euros ($325 billion) of Russian central bank assets frozen by the G7 and Europe.

G7 finance ministers gather in Italy on Thursday for a three-day meeting dominated by plans to use Russian assets to help Ukraine, as well as new sanctions on Moscow and the commercial threat posed by China.

The ministers and central bankers from the Group of Seven world powers are meeting in Stresa, on the shores of northern Italy's Lake Maggiore, to prepare for the larger summit of G7 heads of state next month in Puglia.

Chechnyan strongman Ramzan Kadyrov has a habit of appointing his children to official posts, but the latest appointment of Akhmat Kadyrov is already his second ministerial posting this year.

Chechen Republic leader Ramzan Kadyrov has appointed his eldest son, 18-year-old Akhmat Kadyrov, as minister of the Chechen Republic for Physical Culture and Sports.

“Friends! Personnel changes have been made in the municipal and executive authorities of the Chechen Republic,” Kadyrov announced on Telegram.

The Special Operations Forces of Ukraine reported that newly developed drones have enabled them to take out four anti-aircraft missile complexes in less than a month, paving the way for F-16s.

Operators of the 3rd Separate Regiment of the Special Operations Forces (SSO) destroyed half a battalion of Russian Buk anti-aircraft missile systems in three weeks, Ukraine’s SSO reported on its Telegram channel.

A standard Buk battalion (divizion) consists of a command vehicle, target acquisition radar vehicle, six transporter erector launcher and radar vehicles, and three transporter erector launcher vehicles.

Latest from the Institute for the Study of War.

Key Takeaways from the ISW:

• The Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) proposed on May 21 that the Russian government reassess Russia’s maritime borders in the Baltic Sea so that these borders “correspond to the modern geographical situation.”
• Kremlin and Russian MoD officials denied on May 22 that Russia is planning to change the Russian maritime border, but invertedly implied that the Russian government is considering undertaking some “security” measures in the Baltic Sea.
• Western officials noted that Russia may be reassessing the basis for maritime borders in order to revise maritime zones in the Baltic Sea.
• The Kremlin appears to be developing a system to legalize the status of Russia's so-called “compatriots abroad,” likely as part of its efforts to set information conditions to justify further aggression and hybrid operations abroad as “protecting” Russia's compatriots.
• United Kingdom (UK) Defense Minister Grant Shapps stated on May 22 that US and UK intelligence have evidence that the People's Republic of China (PRC) “is now or will be” providing lethal military assistance to Russia, a statement that US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan questioned.
• Western officials warned that Russian intelligence services intend to increase sabotage activities and other hybrid operations against NATO member countries.
• US Space Command reported on May 21 that Russia recently launched an anti-satellite weapon, the most recent report that Russia intends to field disruptive anti-satellite capabilities.
• Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan indirectly accused Russia and directly accused Belarus of helping Azerbaijan to prepare for the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War, against the backdrop of deteriorating Armenian-Russian relations.
• Ukrainian forces recently recaptured territory near Vovchansk and Chasiv Yar, and Russian forces recently marginally advanced near Vovchansk, Avdiivka, Donetsk City, and Velyka Novosilka.
• Russian courts reportedly began forcibly hospitalizing Russians charged with political crimes such as spreading “fake” information about the Russian military, in psychiatric hospitals.