As the war enters its 811th day, these are the main events.
Here is the situation on Wednesday, May 15, 2024.
Struggle
- At least 20 people were wounded northeast of Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, after Russia attacked residential areas, including a high-rise apartment block, with guided bombs and artillery shells.
- The United Nations said at least eight civilians had been killed and 35 wounded since Russia began a new offensive in the northeastern region on Friday. He called on Russia to “immediately cease its armed attack against Ukraine – in accordance with the relevant UN General Assembly resolutions” – and withdraw to internationally recognized borders.
- Ukraine's military said its forces withdrew to new positions in two areas of the Kharkiv region and warned of a build-up of Russian forces in the north near its Sumy region. Russia said it had made further advances and had taken a tenth border village, Buhruvatka.
- The Ukrainian Air Force said defense systems destroyed all 18 attack drones that Russia launched over several regions, including the kyiv region and the front line.
- Russian officials said one person was injured and several buildings were damaged in a Ukrainian airstrike on the border town of Belgorod, in which Russian air defense destroyed 25 missiles over the broader Belgorod region.
- Russian media said a Ukrainian drone attack derailed a freight train and caused a fire in a diesel tank in the Volgograd region of southern Russia, destroying several hundred meters of track. Russian Railways said the incident was the result of “interference by unauthorized persons.”
Politics and diplomacy
- US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, on a surprise visit to kyiv, promised Ukraine that military assistance was on the way that would make “a real difference” on the battlefield.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit China from May 16 to 17 for talks with President Xi Jinping. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said the two will discuss “bilateral ties, cooperation in various fields and international and regional issues of common interest.”
- South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol confirmed Seoul's participation in a Ukraine peace summit to be held in Switzerland in June, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote in X.
- Russia's Supreme Court rejected an appeal by Vladimir Kara-Murza, a dual Russian-British national and prominent critic of the Kremlin and the war, against a 25-year prison sentence for treason and other charges. UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron said the decision was an “outrage” and that Kara-Murza was a political prisoner.
- International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Karim Khan said he would not be intimidated by threats as his office investigates possible war crimes in Ukraine. Russia put Khan on its wanted list after the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Putin and Russia's children's commissioner for his role in the alleged deportation of Ukrainian children from the occupied territories to Russia.
- Ireland said it would cut the weekly payment for all Ukrainian refugees in state accommodation from 220 euros ($238) to just 38.80 euros ($41.96) from August. Just over 100,000 Ukrainians have fled to Ireland since Russia's large-scale invasion in February 2022. Almost half live in state-provided accommodation.
Weapons
- Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu said France would send more Aster surface-to-air missiles for the Franco-Italian SAMP/T-MAMBA air defense system defending kyiv.
- Russia said its submarine-launched Bulava intercontinental ballistic missile had been commissioned, a key element in modernizing its nuclear arsenal.
