Ukraine Briefly

May 12, 2023

Ukraine, Briefly

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This week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy admitted that Ukraine’s military needs more time to prepare for a counteroffensive against Russian occupying forces, the Associated Press noted. Zelenskyy emphasized that launching an assault now would result in too many lives being lost. Ukraine has been preparing the counteroffensive for weeks and is receiving advanced Western weapons and training. Zelenskyy’s statements came amid reports that a Russian brigade abandoned its position on a bridge in Bakhmut, allowing Ukrainian forces to capture it, according to the Independent. Ukrainian military officials, meanwhile, confirmed that the Russians left behind “500 corpses.” The Russian Wagner Group mercenaries’ chief, Yevgeny Prigozhin, whose fighters were deployed in that battle, said the 72nd Brigade fled and that his troops were not receiving enough shells.

Also this week:

• Ukraine shot down over two dozen drones above Kyiv as Russia intensifies strikes, aiming to weaken Ukrainian air defenses ahead of the expected offensive, the Wall Street Journal wrote. The strikes followed recent attacks on Russian soil, including a drone attack on the Kremlin.

• Russian President Vladimir Putin used a scaled-down Victory Day commemoration to denounce the West and make dubious claims about Ukraine, equating his war against Kyiv with the Soviet Union’s fight against Nazi Germany, according to the New York Times. The annual celebration of Victory Day was more subdued due to Russia’s struggles on the battlefield against Ukraine. The Biden administration announced another aid package for Ukraine, and European leaders emphasized solidarity and called for a militarily robust Europe.

• Meanwhile, the European Parliament overwhelmingly supported a proposal to speed up legislation to boost ammunition production for Ukraine, Politico added. The proposal, known as the Act in Support of Ammunition Production (ASAP), aims to increase production to one million rounds per year with a budget of more than $540 million. Critics, mainly left-wing lawmakers, said the proposal provides undeserved subsidies to the arms industry and called for a diplomatic solution to end the war in Ukraine.

• Ukraine’s state-owned nuclear plant operator Energoatom warned that Russia plans to evacuate over 3,000 workers from the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Voice of America reported. The evacuation would exacerbate the already critical shortage of skilled personnel, posing risks to the safe operation of Europe’s largest nuclear plant. The International Atomic Energy Agency urged immediate action to protect the facility and prevent a severe nuclear accident.

• Poland will use its historical name “Krolewiec” for the Russian city of Kaliningrad, a move that prompted outrage from Russia, the Associated Press wrote. Kaliningrad was previously known as Koenigsberg and was renamed after Mikhail Kalinin, one of the leaders of Russia’s Bolshevik Revolution. Polish authorities said that Kalinin was involved in ordering the execution of Polish prisoners of war, adding that the name “Krolewiec” reflects the city’s cultural heritage. Russia in reply accused Poland of Russophobia.

This story originally appeared in the May 12, 2023 newsletter, Strongman Down.