Russia-Ukraine updates: Zelenskyy says Bakhmut is ‘not occupied’
Ukrainian soldiers were still engaging Russian forces in fierce battles in and around Bakhmut, military officials said.
This blog is now closed, thanks for joining us. These were the updates for May 21 on the Russia-Ukraine conflict:
This blog is now closed, thanks for joining us. These were the updates for May 21 on the Russia-Ukraine conflict:
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has clarified his previous comments regarding the city of Bakhmut, saying that it is “not occupied” by Russia “as of today”.
- Earlier, he told reporters that there is “nothing left” of the eastern city and that the Russians had “destroyed everything“.
- Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin has congratulated his troops and the mercenary Wagner Group for taking over Bakhmut, with the Kremlin saying the operation to “liberate” the city is over.
- Zelenskyy is attending the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Hiroshima, Japan, seeking global support for Kyiv’s plan to end Russia’s war in Ukraine; he tells G7 leaders it was “an obvious expression of rationality”.
G7 Summit wraps up: Leaders pledge more support to Ukraine
The three-day Group of Seven summit has wrapped up in Japan, with leaders pledging more support for Ukraine in its war with Russia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a surprise visit to Hiroshima, Japan. He denied the city of Bakhmut had fallen to Russian forces.
Al Jazeera’s James Bays reports from Hiroshima.
Tens of thousands rally in Moldova for EU membership
Tens of thousands of Moldovans rallied in the capital Chisinau to support their pro-Western government’s drive towards Europe amid what officials have said are Russian efforts to destabilise their country.
Moldova has been badly hit by the impact of Moscow’s invasion of neighbouring Ukraine, which Chisinau has repeatedly condemned, and applied to join the European Union.
President Maia Sandu has accused Russia of seeking to sabotage its European integration by fuelling anti-government protests and propaganda. Moscow denies meddling in Moldova’s affairs.
Read about it here.
Why is Bakhmut important in the Russia-Ukraine war?
The symbolic importance of the small city in Ukraine’s east now far outweighs any strategic value for either side.
Read about it here.
Kyiv troops approaching ‘tactical encirclement’ of Bakhmut: Report
The commander of Ukraine’s ground forces says Ukrainian troops may soon encircle Bakhmut, according to The Kyiv Independent.
“Ukrainian troops keep advancing on the flanks and are approaching a ‘tactical encirclement’ of Bakhmut,” it reported Colonel General Oleksandr Syrsky as saying.
Ukrainians lack equipment to launch counterattack: Retired air force general
Retired Jordanian air force general Mamoun Abu Nowar told Al Jazeera that he doesn’t believe the Ukrainian army can launch a counterattack as “they lack the equipment”.
“They lack the airpower, they lack the F-16s. It takes five- to six-month tests at minimum, and a crash programme to qualify pilots for that plane. Patriot, F-16 and other equipment would not be a strategic change, or change the tide of war, for the Ukrainians or Russians,” Abu Nowar said.
“What we see now is a war in a defensive nature; they’re trying to do a war of attrition from both sides, but things will stay as is.”
Top Ukraine general visits front line near Bakhmut, thanks troops
The commander of Ukraine’s ground forces says he has visited front-line positions near Bakhmut, where he thanked troops defending the area.
In a Telegram post, Colonel General Oleksandr Syrsky also said Ukrainian forces were continuing their advance along the flanks of the ruined city.
Ukrainian troops say hit Russian HQ in Berdiansk: Report
Ukrainian troops say they have hit Russian headquarters in Berdiansk, The Kyiv Independent has reported.
“Ukrainian troops hit a Russian headquarters in the occupied port city of Berdiansk in Zaporizhzhia Oblast overnight on May 21, the Ukrainian military’s Center for Strategic Communications reported,” it said.
Army spokesman: Ukraine still holding parts of Bakhmut
Parts of Bakhmut remain under Ukrainian control, a spokesman for the Ukrainian army has insisted.
“Our soldiers are holding fortifications and a number of areas in the southwest of the city,” Serhiy Cherevaty, spokesman for the Army Group East, told Ukrainian television. He acknowledged that the situation was critical and that heavy fighting was continuing.
Referring to a comment from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that was interpreted as confirmation of Russian control of the entire city, before this was later clarified by Kyiv, Cherevaty said: “The president spoke correctly. The city has effectively been razed to the ground.”
Russia says Zelenskyy’s presence made G7 a ‘propaganda show’
Russia has accused Group of Seven (G7) leaders of turning their summit in Japan into a “propaganda show” by inviting President Zelenskyy and called the meeting’s messages “anti-Russian” and “anti-Chinese”.
“The leaders of the G7 brought to their meeting the ringleader of the Kyiv regime they control and turned the Hiroshima event into a propaganda show,” the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement.
Ukraine controls ‘insignificant’ part of Bakhmut, general says
A top Ukrainian general said Kyiv’s forces controlled an “insignificant” part of the eastern city of Bakhmut, but that the foothold would be enough to enter the devastated city when the situation changed.
In a Telegram post, Colonel General Oleksandr Syrsky said Kyiv’s soldiers were advancing on Russian forces in the suburbs of Bakhmut and that they were getting closer to a “tactical encirclement” of the city.
Zelenskyy likens Bakhmut ‘total destruction’ to Hiroshima in 1945
President Zelenskyy has compared the “total destruction” of the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut to the World War II devastation of Hiroshima after it was hit by a United States atomic bomb.
Bakhmut, which had a prewar population of 70,000 people, has been the scene of the longest and bloodiest battle in Russia’s invasion.
Occasional footage from Bakhmut during months of heavy fighting has shown a city of ruins.
“The photos of Hiroshima remind me of Bakhmut. There is absolutely nothing alive. All the buildings are destroyed,” Zelenskyy said.
The Ukrainian leader said that Japan’s rebuilding of Hiroshima inspired him to rebuild his country’s cities and towns destroyed in the invasion.
“We dream of rebuilding all our cities that are now in ruins and every village where not a single house is left after Russian strikes,” he said.
Biden says Putin ‘will not break our resolve’ on Ukraine
Russia “will not break” the resolve of Ukraine’s allies, United States President Joe Biden said after talks with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Hiroshima.
The US president said he had assured his Ukrainian counterpart that Washington and other backers of Kyiv “will not waver, Putin will not break our resolve as he thought he could”.
Ukraine has secured Washington’s approval for allies to supply US-made fighter jets, including F-16s.
US officials were initially reluctant, citing the risk of further escalating the conflict.
However, Biden said he received a “flat assurance from Zelenskyy that they will not use it to go on and move onto Russian geographic territory”.
Zelenskyy denies Bakhmut is occupied by Russian forces
President Zelenskyy said Russian forces were not occupying Bakhmut, casting doubt on Moscow’s claims that the eastern Ukrainian city had fallen.
Responding to a reporter’s question about the status of the city at the G7 meeting in Japan, Zelenskyy said: “Bakhmut is not occupied by the Russian Federation as of today.”
“I cannot share with you the tactical views of our military. The most difficult thing would be if there was some tactical mistake in Bakhmut and our people were surrounded,” he said.
His statement clarified earlier comments that left the city’s status unclear after months of fighting and days of conflicting claims.
Zelenskyy says Ukraine’s peace formula has potential to prevent future wars
Kyiv’s peace formula had the potential to prevent future wars by stopping aggressors from launching them, President Zelenskyy said.
Speaking at a news conference at the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan, Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s plan offers “salvation from war” and can make Russia the “last aggressor”.
“We will paralyse other potential aggressors,” he said. “When everyone who wants war sees how determined the world is when it wants peace, there will be no point to start a war.”
The Ukrainian president also called Russia “the only terrorist state” to fire tanks at a nuclear power plant, referring to the six-reactor Zaporizhizhia plant.
“If the level of evil and stupidity in Russia’s action is left unchecked, the world will inevitably become a wreck,” he said, adding that international law will “never again apply” if Russia is not stopped.
Zelenskyy said he would like Japan and South Korea to supply weapons to Ukraine but understands that some countries face “legislative and constitutional complications”.
Read more here.
Japan: G7 sent ‘strong message’ in support of Ukraine at summit
The meeting of G7 leaders in Hiroshima, Japan, has resulted in “unwavering unity” in supporting Ukraine to fend off the Russian war, according to the host country.
The attendance of President Zelenskyy in person at the G7 meeting helped send “a strong message” to the world, Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said after the three-day summit.
“I think this was of very great importance,” he said.
Unilateral attempts to change the status quo — “no matter where in the world” — by force would not be accepted by the G7, Kishida went on to say.
Threats to use nuclear weapons “should not be accepted,” Kishida added, referring to Russian indications over the past months.
Read more here.
Ukraine says its troops have ‘semi-circled’ Bakhmut
Ukrainian forces have partly encircled the besieged eastern city of Bakhmut along the flanks and still maintain control of a private sector in the city, Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar says.
She made the remarks on the Telegram messaging app shortly after President Putin said the battle had ended with a Russian victory.
“The advance of our troops in the suburbs on the flanks, which is still ongoing, makes it very difficult for the enemy to be in Bakhmut. Our troops have semi-encircled the city,” Maliar said.
Russian-installed official says Kyiv struck port city with British missiles
A Russian-installed official in Ukraine’s southern Zaporizhia region says Kyiv struck the Russian-held port city of Berdyansk with British-supplied Storm Shadow cruise missiles.
In a statement on Telegram, Vladimir Rogov said seven missiles had been fired at the city, four of which were Storm Shadow missiles. He said six of the missiles had been intercepted and one had fallen on the edge of the city but did not cause any casualties.
Earlier this month, Britain became the first country to say it had supplied Ukraine with long-range cruise missiles.
Russian officials say the missiles have already been used to attack the Russian-held city of Luhansk.
The battle for Bakhmut: A timeline
Over the past 10 months, Bakhmut in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region has become the longest and bloodiest of Russia’s full-scale war on Ukraine.
Russia and the mercenary Wagner Group have claimed full control over the city, but Zelenskyy’s spokesman has denied its capture.
Here is a timeline of key events.
Read more here.
Zelenskyy’s Bakhmut comments ‘mixed’
Al Jazeera’s Natacha Butler says while Zelenskyy’s response to a reporter’s question about whether Bakhmut has fallen under Russian control does seem he has conceded the loss of the city, ambiguity still remains.
“His comments come a day after Ukrainian military and government officials in Kyiv denied those reports by the boss of [Russia mercenary group] Wagner saying that Wagner and Russian forces are in control of the city, so it is a bit of a mixed picture,” Butler said, speaking from Kyiv.
“If so, that would be a terrible loss, a very sad day for Ukraine. This city symbolises so much for people. It has become a symbol of Ukrainian resistance and resilience,” she said, adding many Ukrainian lives have been lost fighting the war.
US announces further military aid for Ukraine
President Joe Biden has confirmed a new military aid package worth $375m for Ukraine, saying the US would provide ammunition, artillery, armoured vehicles and training.
The new pledge came days after Washington agreed to allow training on US-made F-16 fighter jets, laying the groundwork for their eventual transfer to Ukraine.
“Together with the entire G7, we have Ukraine’s back and I promise we’re not going anywhere,” Biden told Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the G7 summit of world leaders in Hiroshima, Japan.
The Ukrainian president thanked Biden for the support, adding that “we will never forget”.
Putin says battle for Bahkmut is over
Russia has claimed to have fully captured Ukraine’s Bakhmut, with President Putin congratulating his troops and the mercenary Wagner Group for taking the largely levelled eastern city.
Bakhmut, a salt-mining town that once had a population of 70,000, has been the scene of the longest and bloodiest battle in Russia’s 15-month war in Ukraine.
The fall of Bakhmut, where Russia and Ukraine are believed to have suffered huge losses, would represent Moscow’s first big victory in the conflict in more than 10 months.
Read more here.
Kyiv’s peace formula ‘an obvious expression of rationality’: Zelenskyy
Zelenskyy has told G7 leaders that Kyiv’s plan to end Russia’s war in Ukraine is “an obvious expression of rationality”.
The Ukrainian leader, attending the G7 summit in Hiroshima, has in recent months been seeking global support for a “peace formula”.
“We’re united by one more principle – rationality,” he said in the address, which was posted to the president’s website.
“We always act practically protecting our values. And the Ukrainian Peace Formula is an obvious expression of rationality. I thank you for supporting our Formula.”
Canada will support Ukraine for as long as it takes: Trudeau
Canada will support Ukraine for as long and as much as necessary in its conflict with Russia, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said.
Trudeau made the comment at a news conference in Hiroshima as G7 nations wrap up a three-day summit.
Canada would also continue to train the Ukrainian military as it has been doing since 2015, he added.
Bakhmut exists ‘only in our hearts’, Zelenskyy says
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appeared to confirm the loss of the city of Bakhmut to Russia when asked if it remained in Kyiv’s control.
“I think, no,” he said before a meeting with US President Joe Biden in Japan. “For today, Bakhmut is only in our hearts.”
Russia claimed on Saturday to have fully captured the smashed eastern Ukrainian city, which if true would mark an end to the longest and bloodiest battle of the 15-month war.
“It is tragedy,” Zelenskyy said. “There is nothing on this place.”