Biden on F-16s, outrage in Georgia, what to expect from the counteroffensive

●     Biden says new opportunities opened for Ukrainian military by F-16 supply
U.S. President Joe Biden at the G7 Summit in Japan has talked about new opportunities offered to the Ukrainian military by the F-16 fighter and whether Russia was right to say the supply of the jets was escalation.

●     Ukrainian intel intercepts Russian soldier boasting of killing 400 people in Kreminna, including women and children
The Main Intelligence Directorate published on May 20 an audio interception of a conversation of a Russian soldier, who talks about the murder of about 400 people in Kreminna, Luhansk Oblast, including women and children.

●     Ukrainian army half-encircles Bukhmut while controlling part of city – MoD
The Ukrainian Armed Forces have half-encircled the ruined front-line city of Bakhmut in Donetsk Oblast and maintain control over part of it, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar wrote on Telegram on May 21.

●     US presents new aid package to Ukraine after Zelenskyy’s meeting with Biden at G7 summit
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with his counterpart from the United States Joe Biden during his working trip to Japan to attend the G7 leaders’ summit, the Ukrainian leader reported on Twitter on May 21.

●     90 companies that helped Russia evade restrictions to face EU sanctions
The European Union intends to slap sanctions on 90 companies that helped Russia circumvent economic restrictions, the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen has said, German broadcaster ZDF reported on May 20.

●     Clashes near hotel after alleged arrival of Lavrov's daughter in Georgia; multiple arrests
Clashes broke out between protesters and police near a hotel in Georgia's Kakheti region, where Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's daughter, Ekaterina Vinokurova (Lavrova), is allegedly staying, the Georgian service of Radio Svoboda reported on May 20.

●     First Russian flight since 2019 met by protests after landing at Tbilisi airport
Georgian opposition supporters have staged a protest amid the landing of the first direct flight of a Russian commercial airline at Tbilisi’s airport, U.S.-funded Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty’s Ekho Kavkaza project reported on May 19.

●     Ruslana debuts new song in front of Ukrainian refugees at Eurovision in Liverpool
Ruslana spoke with NV English after premiering a track from the upcoming ‘Wild Heart’ – her first studio album since 2013.

●     ICC team arrives in Kherson to document Russian war crimes
A team from the International Criminal Court (ICC) has arrived in the Ukrainian city of Kherson to document evidence of Russian war crimes, the Prosecutor General’s Office reported on Telegram on May 19.

●     Russia agrees to resume inspections of vessels heading to Odesa and Chornomorsk – Ministry of Infrastructure
Russia has agreed to reinstate inspections of vessels bound for Odesa and Chornomorsk under the “grain initiative” as of the morning of May 19, though it refused to inspect ships heading to the port of Pivdenny, Deputy Head of the Ministry of Infrastructure, Yuriy Vaskov, reported on May 19.

●     Gazprom dealt fresh blow as Moldova ditches Russian gas entirely
Moldova no longer depends on Russian gas supplies, according to the country's Prime Minister Dorin Recean, news agency Interfax-Ukraine reported on May 18.

●     Ukraine’s Nova Poshta resumes services following disruption, denies phishing attack
Nova Poshta, a major Ukrainian delivery service, has restored all services following a major disruption, with the company refuting claims of a phishing attack, the company said an announcement on May 19.

●     Biden claims Russians suffered over 100,000 troop losses in Bakhmut
Russia has already lost more than 100,000 of its troops in the battle for Bakhmut, U.S. President Joe Biden said during a press conference on May 21 after the G7 summit in Japan.

●     What to expect of Ukraine’s grand counter-offensive – NV analysis
NV asked experts to share their opinions on where and when a Ukrainian counter-offensive will begin, and what to expect of it.

●     Damage to Patriot battery in Kyiv fully repaired, Pentagon says
The Patriot air defense system, which was damaged in the recent Russian hypersonic missile strike on Kyiv, has been completely repaired and is fully operational, U.S. Department of Defense spokesperson Sabrina Singh said at a press briefing on May 18.

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