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By Pavlo Vitenko, Ukrainian Freedom News
UKRAINE: «Putin does not agree»: the Ministry of Defense told about the situation at Azovstal
Russians cynically avenge Azov for Ukraine’s victory at Eurovision: draw messages on bombs and drop them on fighters
The battles for Zmiinyi Island may become one of the fiercest in the near future – the Interior Ministry said. Zmiinyi (Snake) Island after the sunken Russian cruiser «Moscow» is one of the most important points for Russia. After all, whoever has his air defense on the island and controls the airspace, he will control this whole part of the Black Sea.
Ukraine received a $100 million loan from Japan on concessional terms
Kuleba arrives in Brussels to discuss sixth package of sanctions and Ukraine’s EU membership
WORLD: «EU held hostage in Hungary» – Lithuanian Foreign Ministry on oil embargo
McDonald’s is finally leaving the Russian market: the company has started selling its business
The European Union has received all the answers of Ukraine from the questionnaire for EU accession and is preparing a conclusion
NATO congratulates Ukraine on winning Eurovision: «This is not a frivolous gesture, but a message to Putin»
Putin said Russia had no problems with Finland and Sweden joining NATO, but threatened to respond
Our boys and girls have their injured arms and injured legs cut off alive
Relatives of Mariupol defenders, who were blocked at the Azovstal plant, arrived in Istanbul to thank Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for his support in rescuing and evacuating Ukrainian fighters to Turkey.
There, one of the women, a mother of the Azov fighter, spoke about the constant shelling of the plant and the state of the defenders. In 2014, her son left the Donetsk region, which was occupied by Russia, and for these eight years he’s been defending Ukraine.
«I don’t watch all these videos [from Azovstal.] I can’t watch because my heart bleeds, it screams. I’m afraid to see it in every video. My son rarely writes to me, he writes two or three words. I understand that he feels sorry for me, he is my only son. Therefore, all these horrors that you saw were a small part of what is happening there now,» – she said.
She stressed that due to lack of medicines, boys and girls have their injured arms and legs cut off alive.
«Artilery is firing at them from all sides. 500 kilograms air bombs are being dropped on them. They are being buried there, people are dying under the rubble. Our boys and girls are being cut off alive, without anesthesia,» – said the woman.
She also stressed that prohibited weapons are used against Azovstal defenders – phosphorus and cluster bombs, as well as chemical weapons.
The woman also thanked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
«Therefore, on behalf of all the parents of the defenders, I am grateful to Turkish President Erdogan for what he is doing to make our heroes, our children, come back to us,» – she said.
Important for the weekend: Finland has made the final decision to join NATO
Speaking after Finland’s announcement of NATO membership, Prime Minister Sanna Marin said the move was necessary after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
«When we look at Russia, we see a completely different Russia than we saw just a few months ago. Everything changed when Russia attacked Ukraine, and I personally believe that we can no longer believe that our peaceful future will be next to Russia,» – she stressed.
The Prime Minister also reminded that Finland had previously been at war with Russia, and the country wouldn’t wish such a future for itself and its children.
Ukrainian band Kalush Orchestra with the song Stefania conquered the audience of «Eurovision-2022»
The team won this year’s competition and made our country the host of the next one.
In total, the artists received 631 points – from the jury (192) and as a result of voting by spectators from the participating countries (439). Kalush Orchestra will bring the cup of the winner of «Eurovision-2022» to Ukraine, and then give it for sale at a charity auction. The band also plans to go on tour.
It should be noted that on May 15, the Kalush Orchestra released an emotional video for Stefania, shot in the ruins of Bucha and Irpin.
Summary by regions
Donetsk Region
The situation remains acute but under control. Intense shelling continues along the entire line of contact. In particular, the Russians are trying to shut down industrial facilities. On May 16, they fired on the phenolic plant in New York, and a little later – again on the Avdiivka Coke Plant. In addition, on May 16, the occupiers arranged artillery training and two air raids on Novomykhailivka.
MARIUPOL: Defenders are holding on with all their might: about 600 wounded at Azovstal, 40 of them in critical condition
Luhansk Region
Massive shelling of Severodonetsk took place in the Luhansk region on May 15. Artillery and volley fire systems fired at Lysychansk, Privilege, Novodruzhesk, Rubizhne, Voievodivka, and Bilohorivka. As a result of the shelling of the Severodonetsk hospital, two people were killed and nine others were injured, including one child. On the night of May 16, the shelling of Severodonetsk and Lysychansk took place. The consequences are now being clarified.
Zaporizhzhia Region
In Zaporizhzhia, the occupiers blew up the road between Huliaipole and Polohy. In the temporarily occupied Enerhodar, the Russian military dug trenches along the entire perimeter of the Zaporizhzhia NPP, placed sandbags, concrete blocks and other engineering barriers.
Mykolayiv Region
In the morning in Mykolayiv the series of strong explosions because of rocket blows and blows from jet systems of volley fire of occupiers on residential quarters of the city sounded. According to preliminary information, a car and a furniture store caught fire as a result of the shelling, one person was injured.
Also in the afternoon and in the evening on May 15, the Shyrokivska community was under enemy’s fire, there are damaged houses and wounded civilians. There were shellings in the Bereznehuvatska community during the day and in the evening of May 15: two people were killed, one was injured, and residential buildings were damaged.
Kherson Region
The situation is consistently critical, the occupiers continue to shell settlements and positions of the Armed Forces in the territories controlled by Ukraine. Fighting continues near Kherson and in communities located on the border with Zelenodolske, Kryvyi Rih, Snihurivka and Mykolayiv.
Locals report significant damage and destroyed houses, schools, kindergartens, destroyed and mined road infrastructure.
Kharkiv Region
In Kharkiv, four people were wounded in the shelling of Russians during the day in the Shevchenkivskyi district and the Saltivka district. The occupiers beat Chuhuiv district (there are two wounded), as well as Derhachi and Barvinkove (there are no victims). Fighting continues in the Izyum direction.
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