list of key events, day 811

Here is the situation on Wednesday 15 May 2024.

Battler

• At least 20 people were injured in northeastern Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, after Russia hit residential areas, including a skyscraper, with guided bombs and artillery shells.

• The United Nations said at least eight civilians have been killed and 35 wounded since Russia began a new offensive in the northeastern region on Friday. It called on Russia to “immediately cease its armed attack on Ukraine – in line with relevant UN General Assembly resolutions” – and withdraw to its internationally recognized borders.
• The Ukrainian military said its forces had retreated to new positions in two areas of the Kharkiv region and warned of a buildup of Russian forces to the north near the Sumy region. Russia said it had made further progress and taken the 10th border village, Buhruvatka.
• The Ukrainian Air Force said defense systems destroyed all 18 attack drones launched by Russia over several regions, including the Kiev region and the front line.
• Russian officials said one person was injured and several buildings damaged in a Ukrainian airstrike on the border town of Belgorod, with Russian air defense destroying 25 missiles over the wider Belgorod region.
• Russian media reported that a Ukrainian drone attack derailed a freight train and caused a fire in a diesel tank in Russia’s southern Volgograd region, destroying several hundred meters of track. Russian Railways said the accident was the result of “interference by unauthorized persons.”

Politics and diplomacy

• US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, on a surprise visit to Kiev, promised Ukraine that military assistance would be forthcoming that would make “a real difference” on the battlefield.
• Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit China May 16-17 for talks with President Xi Jinping. Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Hua Chunying said the two will discuss “bilateral ties, cooperation in various fields and international and regional issues of common interest.”
• South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol confirmed Seoul’s participation in the Ukraine peace summit to be held in Switzerland in June, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote in X.
• Russia’s Supreme Court has rejected the appeal of Vladimir Kara-Murza, a Russian-British citizen, prominent Kremlin and war critic, against a 25-year prison sentence for treason and other charges. British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said the decision was an “outrage” and that Kara-Murza was a political prisoner.
• International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Karim Khan has said he will not be intimidated by threats as his office investigates possible war crimes in Ukraine. Russia placed Khan on its wanted list after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant against Putin and Russia’s children’s commissioner for their role in the alleged deportation of Ukrainian children from occupied territories to Russia.
• Ireland said it will cut the weekly payment for all Ukrainian refugees in state housing from 220 euros ($238) to just 38.80 euros ($41.96) starting in August. Just over 100,000 Ukrainians have fled to Ireland since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. Almost half live in state-provided accommodation.

Weapons

• Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu said France would send more Aster surface-to-air missiles for the Franco-Italian SAMP/T-MAMBA air defense system defending Kiev.
• Russia said its submarine-launched Bulava intercontinental ballistic missile has been put into service, a key element in the modernization of its nuclear arsenal.