Moscow [Russia], May 18: Reuters on May 16 quoted General Christopher Cavoli, Supreme Allied Commander of the European Region of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), saying that Russia did not deploy enough troops necessary to create a strategic breakthrough. in the Kharkiv region, northern Ukraine. Mr. Cavoli believes that Ukrainian forces will hold the line in Kharkiv, even though Russia is making local advances.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that as of yesterday, the situation in Kharkiv was "stable", as defense forces had held off Russian troops.
According to data from the US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Russia controlled 278 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory from May 9 to May 15, the time of launching the Kharkiv attack . This is the largest area that Moscow has ever occupied in a campaign, since December 2022, according to The Guardian newspaper .
TASS agency yesterday quoted Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov denying "baseless" rumors that Russia plans to attack NATO members if it wins Ukraine . Mr. Ryabkov accused the West of taking a "strategically ambiguous" stance to make it difficult for Russia to predict NATO's moves, including the scenario of using nuclear weapons. He affirmed that Moscow will have appropriate responses.
Also yesterday, the leader of the Russian city of Krasnodar said that a Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) had attacked and caused an oil refinery to catch fire, but initial information said there were no casualties. The Russian Ministry of Defense reported that the air defense force and the Black Sea Fleet destroyed 102 UAVs and 6 unmanned boats of Ukraine on May 16, while Kyiv said it shot down all 20 UAVs that Russia deployed overnight. These claims have not been independently verified.
Russian officials added that Ukrainian UAVs targeting the Crimean peninsula caused the city of Sevastopol to lose power. Satellite images provided by Maxar Company on May 16 showed that Kyiv's attack destroyed several fighter jets at Belbek air base in Crimea.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper