Russia begins ground operation to break into Azovstal. Russia continues attempts to capture the Azovstal steelworks. On the morning of May 13, Russian forces attempted to break into the plant.
On May 12, Russia continued to hit Mariupol with aircraft and artillery fire, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said in a morning report. Russia’s main effort remains to block the Ukrainian troops at Azovstal.
Israel, Turkey, and Switzerland attempt to help get the Ukrainian military out of the plant. “We took all civilians out of the plant. We are negotiating [to evacuate] the wounded and those alive. And honestly, we do not want to leave killed people there. We passed information to Russia. We also used a mechanism to engage third countries. Israel, Switzerland, and Turkey work on it,” President Zelenskyi said in an interview.
Ukraine needs multiple launch rocket systems, aircraft, Foreign Minister says. Arms supply to Ukraine improved, yet the deliveries need to be ongoing, Ukraine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba said on the sidelines of a G7 Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Germany. Ukraine and Moldova were invited to join the meeting.
“Last time during the G7 meetings I asked about three things – weapons, weapons, and weapons. Since then, the situation has improved as the U.S. and some EU member states supplied howitzers,” Kuleba said.
Supply needs to continue, so that Ukraine is armed to defeat Russia. Ukraine particularly needs multiple launch rocket systems, the Minister said. Ukraine negotiates with G7 members to get them.
“The second gap to fill is aircraft. In the past two and a half months, the story had resonance, but that remains unresolved. But unlike with multiple launch rocket systems, I do not see an immediate solution coming,” Kuleba said.
Putin ill with cancer, coup under way Russia, Ukraine’s intelligence says. Russian President Putin is seriously ill with cancer. A coup to remove him is already under way in Russia, Ukraine’s military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov said in an interview with Sky News.
The war with Russia will reach a turning point by mid-August and be over by the end of the year, Budanov said.
Ninety children missing. Since the invasion, 1,214 children were reported missing to the police. Almost one hundred minors remain missing, said Commissioner of the President for Children’s Rights Daria Herasymchuk at a press briefing at the Media Center Ukraine on May 13.
“Ninety minors remain missing. Unfortunately, two were found dead,” Herasymchuk said. There is no exact number of Ukrainian children deported to Russia, she added.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba earlier said Russia had forcibly taken 2,500 Ukrainian children to Russia.
Ukraine in Flames #64: Azovstal: what Russia does and what the world can do
Ukraine in Flames #64 will talk about what Ukraine and the world can do to help the defenders of Mariupol who are suffering at Azovstal. This is an essential step to unblock Mariupol and to liberate the East of Ukraine from Russian invaders.
Speakers:
Illia Samoilenko, fighter of Azov regiment
Ivan Dereiko, Ukrainian historian
Mariia Vdovychenko, refugee from Mariupol
Vadym Denysenko, Advisor to the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine
Proving a Genocide: Putin’s Words and Soldiers’ Calls
Do Russia’s actions in Ukraine fall under the category of genocide as defined by international law? What evidence, other than mass civilian executions, is required to prove Russia’s genocidal intent? How can this intent be traced in the statements of Russian politicians, propagandists, and conversations of invading soldiers? And why is it important to ascertain whether genocide is being committed in terms of responsibility, international law, and even history? To find out the answers, Danylo Mokryk of Bihus.Info spoke with three researchers from the United States, Great Britain, and Ukraine, analyzed the messages of Russian propaganda, and listened to intercepted phone conversations of Russian servicemen.