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REUTERS/Sofiia GatilovaKYIV, May 17 (Reuters) - Ukraine's military said it had made new advances on Wednesday in heavy fighting near the eastern city of Bakhmut, and that Russia was continuing to send in new units including paratroopers. Moscow sees Bakhmut, a city of about 70,000 before Russia's invasion, as a stepping stone towards capturing the rest of the eastern industrial Donbas region bordering Russia. Ukrainian officials have signalled the advances around Bakhmut are not part of a broader counteroffensive planned by Kyiv to push back the Russian forces. Prigozhin, in an audio statement, appeared to confirm Ukrainian forces now held an advantage in Bakhmut and he newly criticized Russian commanders. "Russian troops have lost the initiative on the flanks - our troops have cut off those flanks," Musiyenko told NV Radio.

Seoul, South Korea CNN —Ukraine’s first lady Olena Zelenska asked South Korea to provide non-lethal military hardware when she met with President Yoon Suk Yeol in Seoul on Tuesday, both countries have reported. But an official from Yoon’s office said Zelenska stopped short of asking for lethal weapons, acknowledging that South Korea would have found it difficult to oblige had any such request been made. Since the war broke out in Ukraine, South Korea has maintained its stance of not providing lethal weapons to a warring country, although Yoon has hinted at a possible major policy shift. The Ukrainian first lady handed Yoon “a personal letter and an invitation from the president of Ukraine” to visit her country, the Ukrainian side said. Last year, she met US first lady Jill Biden privately at the White House to discuss American support for Ukraine.

☆ Ukraine denies Russia destroyed Patriot missile defence system
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KYIV, May 17 (Reuters) - Ukraine denied on Wednesday that a Russian hypersonic missile had destroyed a U.S.-made Patriot missile defence system during an air strike on Kyiv. Two U.S. officials later said a Patriot system had probably suffered damage but that it did not appear to have been destroyed. "I want to say: do not worry about the fate of the Patriot," Ukrainian air force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat told Ukrainian television. He ruled out the possibility of a Russian "Kinzhal" missile knocking out a Patriot system. The Patriot system is one of an array of sophisticated air defence units supplied by the West to help Ukraine repel Russian air strikes following Moscow's invasion last year.

☆ Opinion: How will Russia’s war end? Zelensky’s representative in the US has an unflinching view
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( David A. Andelman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

Ukraine's ambassador to the US, Oksana Markarova, greets Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as he arrives in Washington on December 21, 2022. From the start, our president has been very vocal, saying that we need to liberate Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders. We heard it also from our strategic partners here, and even at the recent phone call of our president with President Xi. Andelman: So why did President Zelensky recently have a long conversation with Xi Jinping? Andelman: You know President Zelensky very well personally.

☆ Ukraine's first lady meets with South Korea's Yoon
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SEOUL, May 16 (Reuters) - Ukraine's first lady, Olena Zelenska, met with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol as a special presidential envoy, South Korea's presidential office said on Tuesday. Zelenska, the wife of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, is visiting South Korea to participate in a media conference. In an interview with South Korea's Yonhap news agency published on Tuesday, Zelenska expressed willingness to invite Yoon to her country, saying such a visit would be "very supportive" to Ukrainians. She also warned against the risk of war fatigue and called for "more radical" support for Ukraine to fight against Russia's aggression. South Korea, a major producer of artillery shells, has said it was not providing lethal weapons to Ukraine, citing its relations with Russia.

Kyiv estimates nearly 19,500 children have been taken to Russia or Russian-occupied Crimea since February 2022, in what it condemns as illegal deportations. "We must make every effort to return them home," Zelenskiy said in a Tweet afterwards, saying he had discussed it with the pope. Zelenskiy also said he asked the pope to "join" Kyiv's 10-point peace plan. [1/6] Pope Francis shakes hands with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, at the Vatican, May 13, 2023. Zelenskiy flew to Rome on an Italian government plane that was escorted over Italian airspace by fighter jets.

"In three days of counter-offensive activity, the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Bakhmut sector have liberated 17.3 sq. miles) of territory," Serhiy Cherevatyi, spokesman for the "east" group of Ukrainian forces, said on the Telegram messaging app. Ukrainian servicemen ride atop of a tank on a road to the frontline town of Bakhmut, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Donetsk region, Ukraine May 12, 2023. Prigozhin, whose fighters have been battling to push Ukrainian forces out of Bakhmut's Western outskirts, has said the north and south flanks, guarded by regular Russian troops, were crumbling. Prigozhin called that deceptive and said the Bakhmut advances amounted to the start of Kyiv's campaign.

☆ Ukraine says it routs Russia brigade, Kremlin admits campaign 'very difficult'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The unit's claim appeared to back up comments by Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner private army, who on Tuesday said the Russian brigade had abandoned its positions. "We managed to beat up the Ukrainian military machine quite a bit," said Peskov, citing Russian missile strikes in Ukraine. His comments did not address claims that Russia's 72nd Separate Motor-rifle Brigade had abandoned positions on the southwestern outskirts of Bakhmut. Prigozhin's report about the flight of Russia's 72nd Independent Motorized Rifle Brigade from near Bakhmut and the '500 corpses' of Russians left behind is true." A Russian brigade is typically formed of several thousand troops.

☆ Ukraine unit says Russian brigade flees Bakhmut outskirts
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Moscow has not commented on the reports from either side that its 72nd Separate Motor-rifle Brigade had abandoned its positions on the southwestern outskirts of Bakhmut. A Russian brigade is typically formed of several thousand troops. The 72nd Brigade pissed away three square km this morning, where I had lost around 500 men," Prigozhin said. Early on Wednesday the unit, formed from Ukraine's nationalist Azov Battalion, reposted a video of one of Azov's founders, Andriy Biletsky, who said his forces had "defeated" the Russian brigade. "In fact, the 6th and 7th squadrons of this brigade were almost entirely destroyed, brigade intelligence was destroyed, large number of fighting vehicles were destroyed, a considerable number of prisoners were taken," he said.

☆ Bringing Ukraine closer to Europe, Zelenskiy marks 1945 Nazi surrender
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Elizabeth Piper | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Further cementing Ukraine's break with its Soviet past, Zelenskiy said he had submitted a bill to parliament officially making May 8 a day of remembrance and victory, while May 9 - when Russia marks victory day - would become Europe Day. Soviet Russia and Soviet Ukraine sustained appalling loss of life in the war. Nazi Germany's unconditional surrender came into force at 11:01 p.m. on May 8, 1945, which was already May 9 in Moscow. Zelenskiy said Europe could not let that happen and it was again time to defeat "evil" together "to ensure that no one ever enslaves other peoples or destroys other countries again". Reporting by Elizabeth Piper and Olena Harmash, editing by Mark HeinrichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[1/5] An agricultural worker operates a tractor with a tiller in a field near the village Kyshchentsi, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Cherkasy region, Ukraine May 1, 2023. Around 40 of his 350 workers have signed up to fight in the war, and the replacements he has found lack their experience. Huizinga fears this could mean a fall in grain and milk yields, and with them a drop in his income. His farm, in a village in the rolling hills and green flat plains of the Cherkasy region in central Ukraine, is not the only one losing valued farmhands to the war. Marchuk said farmers were prioritising some employees, bringing in more women workers, recruiting those people displaced by the war and by retraining other workers.

☆ Ukraine says Russia has effectively stopped Black Sea grain deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KYIV, May 8 (Reuters) - Russia has effectively stopped the Black sea grain deal by refusing to register incoming vessels, Ukraine's reconstruction ministry said on Monday. Ukrainian Black Sea ports were blockaded after Russia's invasion last year, but access to three of them was cleared last July under a deal between Moscow and Kyiv that was brokered by the United Nations and Turkey. "The Russian Federation once again effectively stopped the Grain Initiative by refusing to register incoming vessels and carry out their inspections. It said that 90 ships, including 62 vessels for loading, were waiting in Turkey's territorial waters for approval to go to Ukrainian ports. Turkey and the United Nations are working to extend the deal.

☆ Florals, hats and robes: colours and tradition at King Charles coronation
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Marie-Louise Gumuchian | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Yui Mok/Pool via REUTERSLONDON, May 6 (Reuters) - From traditional robes to statement headpieces, royals and guests wore an array of colourful outfits for the coronation of Britain's King Charles III on Saturday, filling London's Westminster Abbey with a mix of hues and designs. The monarch arrived at the Abbey in the crimson velvet Robe of State, worn by his grandfather King George VI at his 1937 coronation, a crimson coronation tunic and cream silk overshirt with royal naval trousers. Charles' siblings also wore traditional robes, while his nieces - Princesses Beatrice, Eugenie, Zara and Lady Louise wore dresses or coats in fuchsia, blue and floral prints respectively. There were traditional outfits from across the Commonwealth and peers wore red ceremonial robes. Colourful and statement hats and fascinators in fuchsia, orange and red peppered the Abbey.

☆ Factbox: Who is writer Zakhar Prilepin, target of car bomb in Russia?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 6 (Reuters) - Here are some key facts about Zakhar Prilepin, a Russian nationalist writer who was wounded when a bomb blew up his car on Saturday. - Prilepin, 47, is the author of six novels, often focusing on dark themes. - He is an outspoken pro-war figure on social media, with around 300,000 subscribers each to his Telegram and YouTube channels. - Prilepin has been politically active as the co-chair of the "A Just Russia - For Truth" party. Additional reporting by Olena Harmash, writing by Mark Trevelyan, editing by Hugh LawsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Royals wear historic robes, guests don bold colours for coronation
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Marie-Louise Gumuchian | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The monarch arrived in the crimson velvet Robe of State, worn by his grandfather King George VI at his 1937 coronation, a crimson coronation tunic and cream silk overshirt with royal naval trousers. Charles was crowned with the historic St Edward's Crown that has been used since the coronation of King Charles II in 1661. Both left the Abbey in purple Robes of Estate - Charles', previously worn by George VI and Camilla's designed by the Royal School of Needlework and featuring nature-themed embroidery. Charles' siblings wore traditional robes, while his nieces - Princesses Beatrice, Eugenie, Zara and Lady Louise wore dresses or coats in fuchsia, blue and floral prints respectively. There were traditional outfits from across the Commonwealth and peers wore red robes.

Ukrainian Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk said the Kh-47 Kinzhal had been shot down on Thursday night over the region outside Kyiv. The Air Force said it had been taken down by a U.S. Patriot air defence system. Ukraine said the missile was fired during a drone attack on Kyiv and other cities in the early hours of Thursday. Ukraine's Air Force was previously seen as unable to shoot down ballistic missiles, which Russia used to strike residential areas and Ukraine's power infrastructure. The Air Force on Saturday said it shot down eight Shahed drones launched by Russia on the eastern and south-east Ukrainian regions in an overnight attack.

☆ Coronation Style | All the Royal Fashion on King Charles’s Big Day
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Sarah Ball | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

First lady Jill Biden, in a Ralph Lauren cornflower-blue skirt suit and matching gloves, accompanied by granddaughter Finnegan Biden in a Markarian primrose-yellow cape-dress and Gigi Burris headband. Wearing the colors of the Ukrainian flag, the Bidens were seated next to Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska. Andrew Matthews/Zuma Press

☆ Ukraine hails return of 45 Azov fighters, Russia says 3 pilots released
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) pose for a picture after a swap, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, at an unknown location in Ukraine, in this handout picture released May 6, 2023. The freed Ukrainian prisoners included 42 men and three women from the Azov battalion, said Andriy Yermak, the head of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's office. Thirty-five privates and sergeants, 10 officers," Yermak said on the telegram app in a post that did not mention the release of Russian prisoners. The Russian Defence Ministry said in a statement that three pilots had been returned and were being provided with medical and psychological assistance. There were no reports on Russian state media of additional Russian prisoner releases.

☆ Cherry blossom mingles with barbed wire and trenches in Kyiv park
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] A woman poses for a photo under cherry blossoms in a park in Kyiv, Ukraine, May 4, 2023. REUTERS/Alina Smutko/File PhotoKYIV, May 5 (Reuters) - Pink cherry blossom has brought a touch of spring to a Kyiv park still strewn with barbed wire and anti-tank barriers. The Ukrainian military positions in the park, including trenches and a bunker, are no longer in use. That's our destiny, that's the times we got assigned to live in. Reporting by Anna Voitenko, Felix Hoske and Andrii Pryimachenko; Writing by Alison Williams; Editing by Conor HumphriesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

"If, because of your petty jealousy, you do not want to give the Russian people the victory of taking Bakhmut, that's your problem," Prigozhin added in the video. A senior Ukrainian official said Russia was bringing Wagner mercenary fighters from along the front line to Bakhmut to capture it by Victory Day. In another sign of disarray on the Russian side, former Russian deputy defence minister Colonel General Mikhail Mizintsev joined Wagner as a deputy commander, Russian pro-war social media channels reported. Earlier, Prigozhin was pictured surrounded by corpses he said were his men, shouting abuse at Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov. Moscow accused Ukraine of firing drones at the Kremlin in the early hours of Wednesday in an attempt to kill Putin.

☆ Russia's war on Ukraine latest: Wagner Group threatens to exit Bakhmut
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WAGNER* Standing in a field of corpses, Russian Wagner Group boss Yevgeny Prigozhin published an expletive-ridden video personally blaming top defence chiefs for losses suffered by his fighters. * However, Ukraine said Russia was bringing Wagner fighters from other parts of the front line to fight in Bakhmut. * Former Russian deputy defence minister Colonel General Mikhail Mizintsev has joined the Wagner Group as a deputy commander, Russian pro-war social media channels reported. * Technical personnel from Turkey, Russia, Ukraine, and the United Nations will meet on Friday to discuss the renewal of the deal, the Turkish Defence Minister said. QUOTES* "Because of the lack of ammunition, our losses are increasing exponentially every day," Wagner Group mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin said.

☆ At least one drone downed in new air attack on Kyiv
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] An explosion of a drone is seen in the sky over the city during a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine May 4, 2023. REUTERS/Gleb GaranichMay 4 (Reuters) - Drones attacked Kyiv on Thursday evening, subjecting residents to spasms of gunfire and explosions in the fourth attack on the capital in as many days. "During the last air alert, an unmanned aerial vehicle was spotted over Kyiv. The object was shot down by air defence forces," Kyiv city military administration head Serhiy Popko said on Telegram. Residents who had gone to air raid shelters said the drones had arrived more quickly than usual after the alerts were declared.

[1/5] A firefighter works at the site of a train station hit by a Russian military strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kherson, Ukraine May 3, 2023. Pools of blood and piles of debris lay on the ground outside the Kherson hypermarket, whose entrance had been heavily damaged and cordoned off, Reuters correspondents on the scene said. Russia did not comment on the attacks in Kherson, one of four Ukrainian regions it said it annexed last September. Many windows were smashed at the railway station, and at least two survivors were seen being carried out on stretchers. Regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin on Wednesday announced a curfew in Kherson city to last from Friday evening until Monday morning for "law enforcement" reasons.

☆ As counteroffensive looms, Ukraine vows not to give up Bakhmut
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Olena Harmash | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KYIV, May 2 (Reuters) - Ukraine's military vowed on Tuesday not to give up the eastern city of Bakhmut as it prepares to launch a counteroffensive against Russian forces. General Oleksandr Syrskyi, commander of Ukrainian ground forces, underlined the importance Kyiv attaches to holding Bakhmut as preparations continue for a counterattack which it hopes will change the dynamic of the war in Ukraine. The battle for Bakhmut has symbolic importance for both sides, with Ukraine still holding on to some parts of the city after months of fierce fighting against regular Russian troops and fighters from the Wagner mercenary force. Syrskyi said on Monday Ukrainian units had ousted Russian forces from some positions in Bakhmut. Kyiv is widely expected soon to launch its counteroffensive, hoping to retake territory occupied by Russian forces after the invasion in February 2022.

☆ Ukraine says it's wrapping up preparations for counteroffensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KYIV, April 28 (Reuters) - Ukraine is wrapping up preparations for a counteroffensive against Russian forces and is largely ready for it to go ahead, Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov said on Friday. He gave no date for when the counteroffensive would start but said: "Globally speaking, we are to a high percentage ready." Kyiv hopes its planned counteroffensive will change the dynamics of the war that has raged since Russia invaded Ukraine 14 months ago. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said this week that Kyiv's foreign allies and partners had delivered almost all their promised combat vehicles to Ukraine. Reznikov said Ukraine had received a lot of modern equipment, including arms that would serve as an "iron fist", and that training on some Western equipment was continuing.

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