Ukrainian forces control 60% of Vovchansk; heavy fighting continues in the Kharkiv region

Main developments on May 20:

• Vice governor: Ukraine controls about 60% of Vovchansk
• General Staff: Ukraine repels Russian attack near Starytsia village in Kharkiv oblast
• Governor: Ukraine strikes Russian base in occupied Luhansk Oblast
• Russian media: Oil refinery in Russia’s Krasnodar Territory damaged after drone attack
• Estonian Prime Minister: NATO training soldiers in Ukraine will not cause war to escalate
• Security Council Secretary: Ukraine ‘clearly understands’ that war will end with negotiations

Ukrainian forces control about 60% of the town of Vovchansk in Kharkiv Oblast amid continued Russian assaults, Deputy Governor Roman Semenukha said on national television.

“The enemy continues to try, especially inside Vovchansk, to push the Ukrainian armed forces out of the city,” Semehukha said on May 20.

Ukraine Department of Defense confirmed on May 15 that Russian units had entered the northern parts of the colony. Ukraine’s military said at the time that it had prevented Russia from gaining a deeper foothold in the country. Vovchansk.

The city is described by Ukrainian officials as almost destroyed, and Russia continues to attack Vovchansk and other nearby settlements, causing civilian casualties. Russian forces also had captured dozens of civilians in the city and use them as human shields, police said.

More than 10,500 civilians in Kharkiv Oblast have been evacuated from their homes amid heavy fighting in the region, according to Governor Oleh Syniehubov.

Russia launched a new offensive on May 10 in northern Kharkiv Oblast. Moscow forces managed to advance, says President Volodymyr Zelensky up to 10 kilometers (6 miles) in the area but had been stopped by the first line of defense.

The Russian offensive in Kharkiv Oblast in mid-May could be the first of many several wavesand Russian forces could target the regional capital, Kharkiv, Zelensky said in an AFP interview on May 17.

General Staff: Ukraine fights off Russian attack near Starytsia village in Kharkiv Oblast

Ukrainian troops are also fighting off a Russian attack near the village of Starytsia in Kharkiv Oblast, the Ukrainian General Staff said in its May 20 morning report.

Russian troops concentrated their efforts in the direction of Lyptsi and Vovchansk, two localities located a few kilometers south of the border. The village of Starytsia is approximately 16 kilometers (10 miles) from Vovchansk.

“The situation is under control. In addition, our units have taken measures to strengthen defensive lines and positions in designated areas,” the general staff said. said.

Ukrainian soldiers also reportedly repelled a Russian attack towards the village of Synkivka in the Kupiansk district and carried out attacks in some areas.

The General Staff reported a decrease in Russian attacks in the Siversk sector in northeastern Donetsk Oblast, but said fighting continued. Russian troops are also trying to repel Ukrainian units near the village of Rozdolivka in Donetsk Oblastaccording to the report.

The head of Ukrainian military intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, suggested on May 14 that Russian forces could launch a similar offensive in Ukraine. Sumy Oblast when conditions are more favorable.

Governor: Ukraine strikes Russian base in occupied Luhansk's suburb

A Ukrainian missile attack targeted a Russian military base in occupied Yuvileine, a suburb of Luhansk, on May 20, Governor Artem Lysohor said, citing local residents.

Russian state media reported the attack on May 20, saying it targeted residential areas.

According to Lysohor, LuhanskResidents said Russian forces had set up a military base there, near civilian buildings. Until 2014, the Academy of Internal Affairs operated in the targeted area, he added.

The kyiv Independent was unable to verify these claims. The Ukrainian army has not yet commented on this information.

On May 13, a Russian ammunition depot exploded in the occupied town of Sorokyne (Krasnodon), Luhansk Oblast, Lysohor reported at the time.

Russia occupied Luhansk and a significant part of Luhansk Oblast since the beginning of his attack in 2014.

Ukrainian drones strike Russian oil refineries one after another

Ukraine faces a difficult problem: how to stop Moscow’s resurgence long enough to allow troop rotation, resupply and fortification. Part of the answer is currently playing out in the skies over Russia. Over the past two weeks, at least dozens of Ukrainian drones have reportedly struck

Oil refinery in Russia's Krasnodar Krai damaged after drone attack

At least one unit at an oil refinery in the Russian city of Slavyansk-on-Kuban was damaged in a Ukrainian drone attack over the weekend, the Russian state news agency said on May 20. RIA Novosti, citing an anonymous representative of the oil refinery. business.

The factory, located in Krasnodar Krai in Russia, was the target of a Ukrainian drone attack on the night of May 18-19. Ukrainian Pravda reported, citing an undisclosed source within the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).

The extent of the damage is being assessed, RIA Novosti’s source said.

The oil refinery suspended operations following the attack, the company said in a statement.

In recent months, Ukrainian forces have launched a series of drone strikes aimed at harming the Russian oil industrywhich is crucial to support Moscow’s position war efforts.

On the same day that the Slavyansk refinery was attacked, Ukrainian drones also targeted the Russian Kushchyovskaya military air base, hosting “dozens” of military aircraft, including Su-34s, Su-25s, Su-27s and MiGs -29.

Source: Ukraine strikes Russian oil refinery 1,500 kilometers from the border

For the first time since the start of the large-scale invasion, Ukraine attacked facilities in Bashkortostan, some 1,500 kilometers from the country’s border, according to the source.

Estonian PM: NATO training soldiers in Ukraine won't escalate war

NATO allies’ fears that sending troops to Ukraine to train the country’s soldiers could drag them into war with Russia ‘are unfounded,’ Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said in an interview in the Financial Times published on May 20.

Some NATO member states let’s discuss the possibility of sending military instructors or contractors to Ukraine to train Ukrainian troops and help repair equipment, The New York Times reported last week.

kyiv has asked the United States and other NATO countries to help train 150,000 troops closer to the front lines, the media outlet writes.

“There are countries that already train soldiers on the ground,” says Kallas told FTadding that they did so at their own risk.

The Prime Minister did not name any specific countries or provide further details about their alleged operations.

If Russia attacked the training personnel, it would not automatically trigger the application of NATO Article 5 on mutual defense, according to the prime minister.

French army chief: Putin needs to know the West could send troops to Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin must understand that Western support for Ukraine could extend to troops on the ground, the head of the French armed forces, General Thierry Burkhard, said on March 21, reported by AFP.

Kallas said helping train Ukrainian troops within Ukraine’s borders, rather than elsewhere in Europe, would not escalate the war with Russia.

“I can’t imagine that if someone gets hurt there, those who sent their men will say ‘it’s Article 5. Let’s bomb Russia.’ That’s not how it works. It’s not automatic,” Kallas said.

The debate over the potential presence of NATO troops in Ukraine was sparked by comments made in February by French President Emmanuel Macron, in which he considered the possibility of sending troops to Ukraine upon request.

The United States and several European allies, as well as the NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, distanced themselves from Macron’s statements. However, several countries do not rule out sending troops for missions other than combat, such as training the Ukrainian army.

Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur said on May 14 that idea of ​​sending Western troops to Ukraine has not progressed either in Estonia or at the EU level because “the allies do not clearly understand what this would bring.”

New York Times: NATO member states consider sending military instructors to Ukraine

Some NATO member states are discussing the possibility of sending military instructors or contractors to Ukraine to train Ukrainian troops and help repair equipment, the New York Times reported on May 16.

Security council secretary: Ukraine 'clearly understands' war will end with negotiations

Ukraine “clearly understands” that Russia’s large-scale war will end with negotiations, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleksandr Lytvynenko said on May 20, addressing participants of the Region Forum of the Baltic Sea.

This is why Ukraine peace formula has been prepared and is being promoted, according to Lytvynenko.

The founding principles of the next world summit for peace in Ukraine in Switzerland were developed in a spirit series of international meetings. The summit will focus on the 10-point formula that includes Russia’s full withdrawal from Ukraine, prosecution of war criminals and other points.

“This is a real diplomatic path that has every chance of contributing to a just peace,” Lytvynenko said.

“But we don’t need a two-year truce; we need a lasting peace for decades, which would allow Ukraine to develop. And it’s a question of security guarantees.”

So far, more than 30 countries have joined the Group of Seven (G7) Joint Statement of Support for Ukraine. THE UNITED KINGDOM, Germany, France, Denmark, Italy, Canada, the Netherlands, FinlandAnd Latvia have already signed bilateral agreements with Kyiv.

Kyiv reportedly preparing bilateral security agreements with seven other countriesincluding the United States

Lytvynenko also urged partners to send modern weapons to Ukraine and called for an invitation for kyiv to join NATO at July Summit in Washington.