Ukraine/Russland/NATO – der Sammler am 16. Mai 2022 (Updates)

Im andauernden russischen Angriffskrieg gegen die Ukraine setzt sich der Abnutzungskrieg im Osten des Landes fort. Das ukrainische Interesse gilt zunehmend der Rolle von Belarus – dort werden seit Tagen Truppenverstärkungen an der Grenze zur Ukraine beobachtet; bislang haben aber belarussische Truppen nicht in den Krieg eingegriffen, wenn auch das Land als Aufmarschraum für russische Einheiten fungiert. Der Sammler am 16. Mai 2022:

• Als Nachtrag zum (gestrigen) Sonntag: Der stellvertretende russische Außenminister Sergej Rjabkow bezeichnete die Absicht Finnlands und Schwedens, der NATO beizutreten, als weiteren schweren Fehler, verzichtete allerdings auf direkte Drohungen:

• Das britische Intel Update:

Following exercise activity earlier this month, Belarus has announced the deployment of special operations forces along the Ukraine border, as well as air defence, artillery and missile units to training ranges in the west of the country.
The presence of Belarusian forces near the border will likely fix Ukrainian troops, so they cannot deploy in support of operations in the Donbas.
Despite early speculation, to date Belarusian forces have not been directly involved in the conflict.
However, Belarusian territory was used as a staging post for Russia’s initial advance on Kyiv and Chernihiv. Russia has also launched air sorties and missile strikes from Belarus.
Belarusian President Lukashenko is likely balancing support for Russia’s invasion with a desire to avoid direct military participation with the risk of Western sanctions, Ukrainian retaliation and possible dissatisfaction in the Belarusian military.

• Das Morgenbriefing des ukrainischen Generalstabs:

The operational update regarding the #russian_invasion on 06.00 on May 16, 2022.
The eighty-second day of the heroic resistance of the Ukrainian people to a russian military invasion continues.
russian enemy does not stop the offensive actions in the eastern operating area. The enemy focused on the Donetsk direction. In the Slobozhansk direction, it tries to restrain the onset of defence forces north of Kharkiv and prevent them from entering the state border of Ukraine. russian enemy is preparing offensive actions by the units concentrated in the area of ​​Izium.
russian aviation affected civil and military infrastructure in the eastern operating area and industrial sites in the depths of the territory of Ukraine.
In Volyn and Polissya directions, russian enemy did not take active actions. The identified units of the Armed Forces of the republic of belarus (up to seven battalions) continue to be tasked with covering the site of the Ukrainian-belarusian border.
Until May 21, the next stage of checking the battle readiness of the response forces of the Armed Forces of the republic of belarus will continue. The activity of the mobile radio monitoring complex in the border lane is recorded, including in the territory of Ukraine. It operates to monitor cellular networks.
In the Siversky direction, russian enemy intensified the control of the Ukrainian-russian border in the Bryansk and Kursk regions and conducts demonstration actions, in order to maintain the units of defence forces in the direction and prevent their transfer to the eastern operating area. The likelihood of shelling and rocket launchers from the territory of the russian federation continues to remain.
In the Kharkiv direction, russian enemy concentrates basic efforts on maintaining positions and preventing the promotion of our troops towards the state border of Ukraine with the russian federation.
In the Slovyansk direction, russian enemy did not conduct active fighting. It carries out completing and replenishment of losses.
russian invaders fired at artillery on civilian infrastructure in areas of settlements Dovhenke, Ruski Tyshki, Ternova and Petrivka. russian enemy conducted air intelligence with the help of UAV „Orlan-10“.
In the Donetsk direction, russian invaders were fired from the entire range of available weapons to aviation, including in order to deplete personnel and destroy the fortifications of our troops.
In the Lyman, Bakhmut and Kurakhiv directions, russain enemy continues to conduct the offensive, the fightings continues.
In the Avdiivka direction, after the loss caused by the Ukrainian Forces, russain enemy went to previously occupied positions.
In the Severodonetsk and Novopavlovsky directions, russian enemy did not conduct an active fighting, it tried to carry out fire damage to the units of Ukrainian troops.
In Mariupol, russian enemy continues massive artillery and aviation strikes. The main efforts of the occupiers focused on the blocking and damage of our units in the area of ​​the Azovstal plant.
In the South Buh direction, russian enemy did not conduct active fighting, carried out shelling of our units with the use of barrel artillery and mortars.
Defence forces were hit by the enemy’s positions in the area of ​​Chernobayivka, and losses in live power and equipment. The number is specified.
During the previous day, the Air Defence Forces of the Air Forces and Land Forces of Ukraine units shoot eleven air targets: two helicopters (KA-52 and Mi-28), seven UAVs of operative-tactical level and two rocket missiles.
Air Force of Ukraine aviation in certain directions continued to cause fire strikes from the air on russian enemy, support the fighting of Ukrainian troops and patrol the airspace of Ukraine.
In the Donetsk and Luhansk directions, seventeen enemy attacks were reflected in the last day, three tanks, one artillery system, six units of combat armoured vehicles and an enemy vehicles were destroyed. The losses of the personnel of the russian invaders are specified.

• Das Morgenbriefing des russischen Verteidigungsministeriums:

High-precision air-based missiles of the Russian Aerospace forces have neutralised two command posts, including a command post of the 72nd mechanised brigade near Tsapovka, Kharkov region, 16 manpower and military equipment concentration areas, eight long-term firing positions and five missile and artillery armament depots near Krasny Liman (Kharkov region), Vladimirovka and Konstantinovka (Donetsk People’s Republic), as well as near Berestovoye (Lugansk People’s Republic) over the past 24 hours.
The attacks have resulted in the elimination of more than 360 nationalists and the neutralisation of 78 units of military equipment.
Operational-tactical and army aviation have neutralised three command posts, 104 manpower and military equipment concentration areas, as well as two fuel depots.
Missile troops and artillery have neutralised 325 manpower and military equipment concentration areas, 14 command posts and 24 artillery batteries at their firing positions.
Russian air defence systems have shot down two Su-25 of the Ukrainian Air Force near Yevgenovka (Nikolayev region) and Kamyshevakha.
In addition, one Su-24 has been shot down near the Snake Island.
10 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles, including two Soviet-manufactured Tu-143 Reys have been destroyed over Novosvetlovka (Lugansk People’s Republic), Dementiyevka, Izyum and Maliye Prokhody (Kharkov region), Donetsk, Vysokoye and Kalinovskoye (Donetsk People’s Republic).
In addition, 18 projectiles of Smerch multiple rocket-launchers have been intercepted near Malaya Kamyshevakha, Snezhkovka, Shpakovka, Ivanovka (Kharkov region) and Chernobayevka (Kherson region).
In total, 168 aircraft and 125 helicopters, 889 unmanned aerial vehicles, 307 anti-aircraft missile systems, 3,108 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 381 multiple launch rocket systems, 1,529 field artillery and mortars, as well as 2,949 units of special military vehicles of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were destroyed during the operation.

• Einen großen Raum nimmt in den aktuellen Nachrichten die Meldung ein, ukrainische Soldaten seien bei Kharkiv bis an die russische Grenze vorgestoßen. Wann genau das passierte, ist nicht so klar. Aber seit Sonntag kursiert ein Video im Internet, das den Anmarsch und den Aufbau des ukrainischen Grenzpfostens zeigt. Meist nur in der kurzen Version, hier die längere:

• Und eine Randnotiz, die zwar nur mittelbar mit dem Krieg zu tun hat, aber über das Verhältnis zwischen dem Westen und Russland viel aussagt:

After more than three decades in Russia, McDonald’s — an icon of U.S. lifestyle and capitalism — is selling its Russia business as it looks to leave the country completely.
The move is a significant departure for a brand whose growth across the world became the symbol of globalism and even the basis of a peace theory.

berichtet die New York Times. Die erwähnte McDonald’s-Friedenstheorie besagt übrigens: Keine zwei Länder, in denen es McDonald’s gibt, haben bisher gegeneinander Krieg geführt, wie ebenfalls die New York Times schon 1996 berichtete. Das ist Geschichte.

Nachtrag: Auf Twitter werde ich darauf hingewiesen, dass diese Friedenstheorie bereits seit dem so genannten Kosovo-Krieg der NATO gegen Jugoslawien überholt ist. Pardon.

Update: Einen Tag nach Finnland hat auch Schweden entschieden, dass das Land einen Aufnahmeantrag zur NATO stellen werde, wie Premierministerin Magdalena Andersson mitteilte:

The Government has decided today that Sweden will apply for NATO membership.
This decision is based on a security analysis that the Government invited the other Riksdag parties to take part in and its conclusions that were presented in a report on 13 May.
The Government’s assessment is that NATO membership is the best way to protect Sweden’s security in light of the fundamentally changed security environment following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Sweden’s security policy choices today were also the subject of a special debate in the Riksdag.

Den erwähnten Bericht zur Sicherheitslage Schwedens gibt es hier.

• Etwas überraschend erklärte der russische Präsident Wladimir Putin bei einer Sitzung der Organisation des Vertrags über kollektive Sicherheit (englisch CSTO), Russland habe mit dem Beitritt von Schweden und Finnland keine Probleme:

The expansion of the North Atlantic Alliance is a problem that, in my view, is being created in an absolutely artificial manner because it is being done in the foreign policy interests of the United States. Generally, NATO is being used, in effect, as the foreign policy tool of a single country, and it is being done persistently, adroitly, and very aggressively. All of this is aggravating the already complex international security situation.
As for the expansion, including the accession of two prospective new members, Finland and Sweden, I would like to inform you, colleagues, that Russia has no problems with these states. No problems at all! In this sense, therefore, there is no direct threat to Russia in connection with NATO’s expansion to these countries. But the expansion of its military infrastructure to these territories will certainly evoke a response on our part. We will see what it will be like based on the threats that are created for us. But generally speaking, problems are being created from nothing. So, we will respond to it in a fitting manner.

(Fürs Archiv das Transkript der Sitzung in der offiziellen englischen Fassung als Sicherungskopie:
20220516_CSTO_summit_Moscow)

• Das Abendbriefing des ukrainischen Generalstabs:

The operational update regarding the #russian_invasion on 18.00 on May 16, 2022.
The eighty-second day of the heroic resistance of the Ukrainian people to a russian military invasion continues.
russian enemy continues to conduct offensive operations in the Eastern Operational Zone. russian enemy focused its main efforts on the Donetsk direction. In the Slobozhansky direction, it is trying to deter the offensive of the Defense Forces north of the city of Kharkiv and prevent them from reaching the State Border of Ukraine. Prepares for offensive operations by units concentrated in the area of ​​the city of Izyum.
russian enemy’s efforts are focused on the destruction of facilities in the Eastern Operational Zone and industrial facilities in the depths of Ukraine.
In the Volyn, Polissya and Siversky directions, the situation has not changed significantly.
In the Slobozhansky direction, the enemy reinforces the grouping of troops with special forces and air defense units.
In the Kharkiv direction, the main efforts of the enemy are focused on maintaining their positions and preventing the advance of our troops. The enemy tried to fight in the direction of the village of Ternov, but was unsuccessful.
In the Slovyansk direction, russian enemy, with the help of units from the warehouse of the 20th Combined Arms Army, completes and replenishes losses, tries to resume the offensive.
The defense forces fired on enemy depots stationed in the town of Izyum, destroying a significant stockpile of ammunition.
In the Donetsk direction, russian enemy fired on our units with mortars, artillery, multiple rocket launchers and aircraft.
In the Lyman direction, russian enemy conducted offensive operations in the area of ​​the village of Shandrygolove. In the direction of the settlement of Lyman, according to the results of hostilities, has no success, trying to strengthen the grouping of its troops.
In the Severodonetsk direction, russian occupiers fought in the area of ​​the settlement of Borivske, suffered casualties.
In the Avdiivka direction, russian enemy acted in the direction of the settlement of Sukha Balka. It fired on individual positions of the Defense Forces with cluster munitions.
In the Bakhmut direction, russian enemy is fighting in the areas of Toshkivka and Pylypchatyne. In the area of ​​Gorsky, the Russian occupiers suffered losses and withdrew.
In the Kurakhiv direction, russian enemy attacked in the area of ​​Maryinka and Novomykhailivka, but had no success.
In Mariupol, russian enemy focused its efforts on blocking and defeating our units near the Azovstal plant. Continues massive artillery and air strikes.
russian enemy did not conduct active hostilities in the Novopavlovsk and Zaporizhzhya areas. He carried out fire damage to civilian infrastructure in the areas of the settlements of Vremivka, Novosilka, Mala Tokmachka and Novoandriyivka. Inflicted an air strike on the settlement of Malinovka. Takes measures for the logistical support of troops.
In the South Buh direction, russian enemy did not conduct active hostilities, shelling civilian infrastructure with artillery and mortars in the areas of the settlements of Oleksandrivka, Shevchenkove and Novovorontsovka.
The Defense Forces of Ukraine fired at the enemy’s ammunition field near the settlement of Davydiv Brid.
The situation in the transnistrian region of the Republic of Moldova remained without significant changes. Personnel of units of the operational group of russian troops continue to be on high alert. Provocations by the russian side in the region are not ruled out.
Ships of the Black Sea Fleet of the russian Federation in the Black and Azov Seas continue to perform tasks to isolate the area of ​​hostilities, reconnaissance and fire support in the coastal direction.

(Weiter nach Entwicklung)