Ukraine war: Kremlin calls NATO plans a “grave mistake.”

Ukraine blames Russia for phosphorus attack – attacks on Lviv region +++ Current developments War in Ukraine Severe-Ticker.

As NATO’s plans for northern expansion became more concrete, the Russian military again opened fire on besieged iron ore factories in the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol. Fighting continued in other parts of Ukraine.

News of the war in Ukraine from Monday 16 May:

11:27 am: Germany’s gas storage tanks are more than 40 percent full.

After the completion of the winter heating phase, Germany’s gas storage facilities are gradually being replenished. As can be seen from the website of Europe’s Gas Infrastructure Operator (GIE), storage facilities are now 40.8 percent full. A month ago it was 29.8 percent. At 39.5 percent, the current EU average is similar to that of Germany.

Reservoirs fill up naturally in spring and summer. As the heaters are turned off, the energy requirement decreases. Considering Russia’s immediate cessation of natural gas supply, it is important that storage facilities are well filled this year.

11.04 am: The European Commission lowers the forecast for economic growth to 2.7 percent.

The European Commission has drastically revised its growth forecast for the European economy, which has been downgraded due to the war in Ukraine. The economies of the European Union and the eurozone are expected to grow by only 2.7 percent this year, instead of 4 percent, according to a spring forecast of power in Brussels.

10:59 am: Russian gas traffic through Ukraine continues to decline

Russian gas traffic through Ukraine continues to decline in the wake of the war and sanctions. According to the Russian energy company Gazprom, only 46.8 million cubic meters of gas is to be pumped into Europe today through the Ukrainian pipeline network. The maximum potential use under the contract is 109 million cubic meters per day. According to the Interfox agency, Gosprom spokesman Sergei Kubryanov said gas could only be delivered via the Sutsa point in the Russian region.

10.46 am: Another injured in Russian rocket attack near Odessa

According to the Ukrainian military, a hotel was destroyed by a Russian rocket attack near the port city of Odessa in southern Ukraine. The Southern Command of the Ukrainian Armed Forces announced that at least three civilians were wounded. Also, there was a fire accident. So the target was the previously hit and damaged bridge at the mouth of the Dniester River. Not initially confirmed by the Russian side.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Defense in Moscow on Monday night announced more than 100 airstrikes on military infrastructure in Ukraine. Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said the rockets were fired at more than 300 targets. The information could not be verified independently at first.

10:21 am: Renault suspends operations in Russia

Renault, the French carmaker, has completely suspended its operations in Russia due to the war in Ukraine and is relinquishing all shares in the company. According to the panel at Boulogne-Billancourt, Renault will sell all its stake in Russia to Moscow and its stake in manufacturer Avtovaz to the Central Institute for the Development of Automobiles and Engines (Nami). Autovas has the option to repurchase shares over the next six years.

10.15 am: Moscow calls Finland and Sweden’s NATO plans a big mistake

Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Rybkov described the inclusion of Finland and Sweden in NATO as “a grave mistake with serious consequences.” Riabkov warned that this would increase military tensions, according to Interfax. Speaking to two Scandinavian countries, he added: “You should not have the illusion that we will tolerate it.”

9.58 am: British Secret Services – Belarus binds Ukrainian forces

According to estimates by the British Secret Service, Belarus could deploy troops from neighboring countries by stationing troops on the border with Ukraine. According to the Ministry of Defense in London, Minsk wants to send special forces, air defense, artillery units and rocket launchers to training areas in the west of the country. It said it would “probably tie up Ukrainian troops so they could not be sent in support of the Donbass.”

Contrary to initial speculation, the report says Belarusian troops have not yet been involved in combat operations. However, the territory was used as a starting point for Russian advances and airstrikes on Kiev and Chernihiv. President Alexander Lukashenko weighs the balance between supporting Russia and avoiding direct military involvement. Such involvement could lead to further Western sanctions, retaliatory attacks from Ukraine and discontent within the country’s own military.

9.50 am: Moscow warns of “distant consequences” of Finland and Sweden joining NATO

Russia has repeatedly criticized Sweden and Finland for trying to join NATO. According to Russian news agencies, “this is another serious mistake that could have far-reaching consequences,” said Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Rybkov. In the wake of the Russian military operation in Ukraine, Sweden and Finland are set to drop decades of military neutrality to join the Western military alliance.

7.32 am: Ukraine prepares to step up Russian attacks on Donbass

Ukraine is preparing for a new Russian offensive in the east. Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksi Arrestovich said that after the withdrawal of Russian units around Kharkiv, more troops were now being transferred to the Donbass. Ukraine is preparing for a “new offensive effort” by the Russian military in the Donbass, with the goal of “increasing their presence in southern Ukraine,” President Volodymyr Zhelensky said in a video message Monday night.

7 a.m .: Ukrainian troops advance from Kharkiv to the Russian border

The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense released a video on Monday night showing a dozen soldiers next to the border police station in the national colors blue and yellow. According to reports, they belonged to a volunteer force based in Kharkiv. Another video clip, released online, shows players bringing stocks and placing them in front of a ditch with Russian border signs.

The Ukrainian military has already said in the past few days that it is gradually pushing back Russian troops near Kharkiv. Russia had already withdrawn after stationing its forces in the north of Ukraine in front of the capital Kiev. Russia is currently focusing on the eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, where pro-Russian separatists have been controlling some areas since 2014 with the help of Moscow.

6.33 p.m.

Despite heavy Russian attacks, according to the regional governor, the Ukrainian military still controls ten percent of the eastern Ukrainian region of Luhansk. In particular, the Russians were unable to capture the suburbs of Rubishne, Sievjerodonetsk and Lysychansk, Serhiy Hajday insisted. In the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, three civilians were killed and 13 wounded in Russian attacks on Sunday, the regional administration said.

5 a.m .: Ukraine blames Russia for phosphorus attack – Attacks on Liv region

Fighting continued in many parts of Ukraine following the Russian-occupied war that lasted more than two and a half months. For the first time in days, military infrastructure in the western part of the country came under fire. According to Ukrainian allegations, the site of the Azovstel Steelworks, where the last Ukrainian militants were staying, was reportedly attacked by phosphorus bombs. Mariupol city council deputy Pedro Andriyushchenko on Sunday accused Russia of using prohibited weapons against the people. At first there was no evidence. Such fire bombs ignite by contact with oxygen and cause catastrophic damage.

In the aftermath of the attacks in western Ukraine, the head of the Ukrainian military administration Maxym Kosyzkyj told the Telegram news channel that nothing was initially known about the dead or wounded. The extent of the destruction is being investigated. An object near Javoriv – indirectly around the military training area there – is said to have been completely destroyed. So this is the first time in a week that there has been an aerial alert in the Lviv (Lemberg) area near the Polish border. The Russian military says in a statement that it has no plans to sue.

12:00 am: Finnish and Swedish parliaments discuss joining NATO

Finland and Sweden’s plans to join NATO will be discussed in the parliaments of the two Nordic countries on Monday. The Social Democrats, led by Sweden’s Prime Minister Magdalena Anderson, spoke out in support of Sunday’s application for membership. Prior to the official announcement of the application for admission, the Prime Minister wishes to consult Parliament. Finland’s application for membership was officially decided on Sunday. However, it still needs to be approved by parliament, which is expected to result in a majority.

Finland and Sweden are preparing to join NATO in response to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. Joining the alliance between the two countries will be a historic turning point after decades of coalition neutrality. Their inclusion also requires a unanimous vote of NATO and approval of the expansion of the coalition of parliaments of the 30 former member states.

ivi / unit
DPA
AFP

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