Russia controls Mariupol, Ukraine launches airstrikes on Russian border. The news ticker.
- Azov Steel Plant fallen: Russia succeeds in Ukraine war a strategically important success.
- New tanks for the front: Moscow sends modern tanks to war with the Ukraine.
- The situation in the morning: All news about the Ukraine conflict from the night and a view of the day.
+++ 11.00 a.m.: A civilian was reportedly killed and several wounded in Ukrainian airstrikes over the Kursk region of Russia on Thursday. This was announced by Roman Starowoit, governor of the region, on Telegram. The attacks hit an ethanol factory in the village of Tyotkino and also damaged several houses.
Tyotkino is about 2.4 kilometers from the Ukrainian-Russian border. There have been several artillery attacks on both sides of the border in recent weeks.
Ukraine News: More Avostal fighters captured
+++ 10.00 a.m.: According to pro-Russian separatists, most of the remaining Ukrainian soldiers in the besieged Ukrainian port of Mariupol have been captured. In the meantime, more than half of the fighters who had entrenched themselves in the Azovstal steelworks have left the plant, said the head of the separatists in the Donetsk region, Denis Puschilin, on Russian state television on Thursday (May 19). The Defense Ministry in Moscow had previously reported that 959 Azovstal fighters had surrendered since the beginning of the week. From the Ukrainian side there was no further confirmation of this number.
On the Russian side, there was talk of around 2,500 people who are said to have stayed in the extensive bunkers of the steel mill before the evacuation mission began. The Ukrainians spoke of about 1000. The information cannot be independently verified. It is also unclear whether Moscow – as hoped by Kyiv – will agree to an exchange of soldiers for Russian prisoners of war.
Shortly after the war of aggression began, Russian troops besieged Mariupol together with pro-Russian separatists in early March and almost completely conquered it within a few weeks. The fighters in the steel mill became the last defenders of the strategically important city on the Azov Sea.
Ukraine News: Ukrainian troops report further territorial gains
Update from Thursday, May 19, 6:30 a.m.: Fighting for Donetsk and Luhansk regions continues. While the army of Ukraine has repeatedly reported successes in these regions, it also reported the deaths of 15 civilians on Wednesday. At least one child was among them. Changes in territorial control during the Ukraine war were not reported.
Meanwhile, Russia blames Ukraine for more attacks on Russian territory. Several places in the Kursk area, which lies on the border with Ukraine, are said to have been shelled. The report also came from Kyiv that the Sumy and Chernihiv areas in north-eastern Ukraine had been shelled by Russia.
+++ 8.55 p.m.: According to the Ukrainian army, it has gained further territory around the eastern Ukrainian metropolis of Kharkiv. The general staff announced on Facebook that the town of Dementijivka in the north had been liberated. As the Tagesschau reports, the village is only eight kilometers from the Russian border. In the past few weeks, Ukrainian troops have been able to push back the Russian attackers in the north and north-east of Kharkiv.
The situation near the village of Ternowa, north-east of Kharkiv, is more difficult. There, the Russian troops are said to have launched a counterattack. Fighting also continued for the village of Dowhenke, about 25 kilometers from Slovjans in eastern Ukraine.
+++ 8 p.m.: According to Ukrainian sources, around 1,288 bodies were discovered in the region around Kyiv. The people were tortured, raped and executed by Russian soldiers, according to the Ukrainian authorities. “I stress again, these are civilians! Most of them were shot with automatic weapons,” police chief Andriy Nebitov said on TV. The atrocities continued until the Russian troops left in April.
Ukraine News: Volodymyr Zelenskyy wants to extend martial law
+++ 6.40 p.m.: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has spoken out in favor of extending martial law in his country. In view of the Russian war of aggression, Zelenskyj plans to expand by the end of the summer. The Ukrainian President has already submitted a corresponding draft law. Now the state of emergency should prevail for at least another 90 days. Martial law has been in force in Ukraine since February 24, when Russian troops began attacking the country. It was supposed to expire on May 24.
Ukraine News: High-ranking Ukrainian commanders hold out in steelworks
+++ 4 p.m.: Although many soldiers from the Mariupol Steel Plant have “surrendered,” as the Kremlin put it, senior Ukrainian commanders are said to still be at the steel plant. They have not yet surrendered, local media quoted pro-Russian separatist leader Denis Puschilin as saying on Wednesday. The DAN news agency quoted Puschilin as saying that among the hundreds of fighters who surrendered there were no top-level commanders. “They haven’t left (the facility) yet,” he said.
+++ 1 p.m.: Russian President Vladimir Putin leaves the port city, which has been under siege for months Mariupol apparently his “bloodhound”. This means Ramzan Kadyrov, who has already caused a stir internationally with his brutality. Among other things, the leader of the Chechen auxiliary soldiers from Russia is said to instruct “supervisors” in Mariupol to monitor the situation. Meanwhile, Kadyrov’s cousin, Adam Delimkhanov, is said to be serving as field commander in the port city.
+++ 10.30 a.m.: People fleeing Mariupol report terrible conditions in the city conquered by Russia. The Russian army is said to open fire on civilian buildings, which would lead to an ever-increasing number of casualties. “People just die. The whole city is in chaos,” a resident who managed to escape told the Kyiv Independent news portal.
+++ 09.00 a.m.: In addition to modern tanks, Russia is also sending more helicopters into the Ukraine war. According to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, the Kremlin has sent 15 attack helicopters to the Luhansk region. They are intended to help the attackers break through the defense lines in the hard-fought east of the country. After the fall of Mariupol, the Kremlin is now likely to focus its efforts entirely on conquering the Donbas.
Ukraine News: Azov Steel Plant falls – Russia captures Mariupol
First report from Wednesday, May 18, 08:00 a.m.: Kyiv – Russia has managed to capture the Azov steelworks in Mariupol, which was hard fought in the Ukraine war. The remaining 260 Ukrainian soldiers were taken prisoner. This is reported by both the Ukrainian and the Russian side.
The fate of the Ukrainian prisoners of war remains unclear. president Volodymyr Selenskyj said on Wednesday night (May 18) that international mediators would be used to rescue the soldiers from Russian captivity. Kyiv hopes for a later exchange for Russian prisoners of war. Moscow again initially left such a step open. Instead, the Kremlin released a video purporting to show the Ukrainians being captured, receiving medical treatment and the evacuation of the injured. A good 50 of the soldiers are said to be seriously wounded.
Ukraine News: Russia captures Azov Steel Plant in Mariupol
This ends the three-month struggle for the Azov steelworks. At times, up to 1,000 civilians and at least as many soldiers are said to have holed up there. With the conquest, Ukraine’s last resistance in Mariupol is likely to have been broken. In Kyiv there is now a fear that Russia could now destroy evidence of war crimes in the port city. “Murderers cover their tracks,” reads a statement released by the city’s deposed government shortly before it was captured by Russian troops.
Ukraine News: Russia sends new tanks to war after victory in Mariupol
While Russia celebrates a victory in Mariupol, the army of Wladimir Putin in eastern Ukraine continue to suffer heavy losses. According to unconfirmed information, the air defense in particular continues to attack the attackers. In order to force victory in the Ukraine war, as in Mariupol, the military leadership is now sending the most modern tanks at its disposal to the front. A whole train full of T-90M tanks is said to be on its way to Ukraine. This is reported by the newspaper Izvestia. Accordingly, the tanks should come fresh from the Uralvagonzavod plant, the largest tank factory in the world. (dil/tu/kh/vbu/nak with AFP/dpa)