Riga A Ukrainian counteroffensive has begun to liberate more Russian-controlled areas in the country’s east. On Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said counterattacks against Russian forces at the front were underway.
Zelensky said during Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s visit to Kiev that „defensive and counter-offensive measures” are taking place in Ukraine. „I will not talk about the stage or the stage they are going through,” he added. So it left open whether this was in fact the beginning of the long-awaited large-scale counterattack.
He is in daily contact with leaders in various locations. Everyone was positive. „Pass it on to Putin,” Zelensky said. On Friday, the president announced that he was in contact with Ukrainian units in „all the hot spots” and praised the „results” of their efforts, which he did not elaborate on.
Western experts also see signs of a counterattack. According to military analysts, Ukrainian forces carried out operations in at least four front-line areas on Saturday. The Ukrainian army itself also reported that there had been „heavy fighting” with Russian soldiers.
According to experts from the American Institute for War Research (ISW), Ukrainian forces have already achieved local successes in the Zaporizhia region in the south of the country. The ISW said the gains are located in the west of the Zaporizhia region and there in the southwest and southeast of the city of Orekyev.
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Also according to British estimates, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have made some progress in the fighting in the south and east of the country. And the British Ministry of Defense said that in some areas they may have made good progress, bypassing the Russian first line of defence. But progress has been slower in other areas.
ISW also reported that Ukraine lost some military vehicles provided by the West on Thursday. However, such losses are „inevitable in any military endeavour”. Analysts said that the Ukrainian Armed Forces would suffer losses in offensive operations, including „Western and Soviet equipment”.
The UK Ministry of Defense said there had been some credible defense operations from the Russian side. However, the other units had retreated in disarray. Reports mounted of casualties among Russian forces as they retreated through their minefields. On the other hand, the Russian army announced that it had succeeded in repelling attacks in Zaporizhia and in Donetsk around the town of Bakhmut.
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Many Western military experts have suspected for some time that this offensive is under way, but the Ukrainian leadership has not yet officially confirmed this. For months, Ukrainian commanders in the hotly contested city of Bakhmut had been formulating offensive and defensive counter-operations.
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On the other hand, Russia says since the beginning of the week that the attack has begun and has failed so far. This was recently said by President Vladimir Putin. However, Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar indicated that there will be no contacts until there is clarity on the battlefield.
The destruction of the Kakhovka Dam in the Kherson region and the resulting flooding led to discussions last week about the impact on the declared counter-offensive. Military analyst Niklas Masur, who conducts research at ETH Zurich, believes that the destruction of the dam will have little immediate effect on the military course of the war.
Western partners have high expectations of the Ukrainian counterattack
„It is unlikely that Ukraine planned to cross the Dnieper as an important offensive axis,” he told dpa. Instead, the focal points of the announced counterattacks from the north are supposed to be in Zaporizhia and in the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.
Flooded houses in Kherson
Experts do not see the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam as part of the Ukrainian counterattack.
(photo: AP)
Both sides blame each other for the destruction of the dam, but the dam is located in an area controlled by the Russian occupation forces. On Friday, Ukraine’s domestic intelligence service said it had recorded a phone conversation proving Russia’s responsibility for demolishing the dam. The information cannot be independently verified at this time.
After the Armed Forces of Ukraine managed to liberate large previously occupied territories, including the city of Chersonesis, in late summer and autumn last year, the country’s international partners had high expectations for a counteroffensive.
But in recent months, high-ranking members of the government have repeatedly warned against overly optimistic hopes. After Ukraine has received billions in military aid from the West, the success or failure of the counterattack is a factor in deciding on further aid. with the material agency
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According to official media reports, a helicopter belonging to the Iranian presidential fleet was involved in an accident. President Ibrahim Raisi was on board the plane.
Update from May 19, 10:46 p.m.: The area suspected to be the site of Ibrahim Raisi’s helicopter crash is said to be 20 square kilometres. The Iranian Red Crescent announced this via Telegram on Sunday evening. Deploying rescue workers searching the area is said to have become more difficult. Some rain in the area turned to snow, further hampering the progress of rescue workers. According to reports, the Iranian army was able to locate the signal issued by the helicopter. However, the situation is still unclear.
Update from May 19, 10:20 p.m.: After Iranian President Raisi’s helicopter crash, the media situation remains ambiguous. “We are 3 hours away from one of the possible sites of the presidential helicopter crash,” the deputy head of the Iranian Red Crescent said on Telegram.
Army claims to have located key helicopter – 'hoping for good news’
Update from May 19. 9:51 PM: It appears that the Iranian army was able to determine the exact location of the helicopter in which the Iranian president is said to be located. This was reported by the American CNN network, citing the Iranian news agency IRNA. Emergency services were able to locate a signal from the helicopter and a passenger’s cell phone. The IRNA news agency quoted the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in the East Azerbaijan region as saying, “Military forces are on their way to the site and are awaiting good news.”
Iraniantreasury It’s likely to happen urgent meeting together
Update from May 19, 9:32 p.m.: The Iranian Cabinet met with President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian in an emergency meeting in light of the helicopter crash. The official IRNA news agency reported that First Vice President Mohammad Mujbar chaired the meeting late in the evening. Therefore, further procedures for the rescue operation were initiated. In the event of Raisi’s death, Mujbar becomes prime minister according to protocol.
65 rescue teams are now participating in the search for the helicopter crew, including the Iranian Armed Forces.
Raisi’s fate is unclear after the helicopter accident – Türkiye sends help
Update from May 19, 8:45 p.m.: The Turkish Civil Protection Agency (AFAD) announced that Iran has requested assistance from Turkey in searching for President Ibrahim Raisi. At Iran’s request, a helicopter with night vision capabilities was sent, as the authority announced on the X website (formerly Twitter). In addition, six vehicles and a search team of 32 climbers were sent.
Update from May 19, 8:30 p.m.: Several Iranian sources reported that Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi’s helicopter had been found. The Iranian Red Crescent has now denied these reports. She added, according to Iranian media, that “searches have not succeeded so far.”
Possible helicopter crash in Iran: Iraq offers help in search for Raisi
Update from May 19, 8:00 p.m.: A senior official in the Iranian presidential office said, according to the news agency KnightAfter the helicopter accident of President Ibrahim Raisi, two of the helicopter passengers were contacted several times. “This shows that the accident was not very serious,” the representative told the agency.
Update from May 19, 7:25 p.m.: After the disappearance of a helicopter apparently carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, neighboring Iraq offered to help in the search. Government spokesman Bassem Al-Awadi said on Sunday that Prime Minister Muhammad Shiaa Al-Sudani had instructed the Ministry of Interior, the Iraqi Red Crescent and “other relevant authorities” to provide all available resources to Iran to search for the presidential helicopter.
More than 40 Rescue teams Requests helicopter from Main
Update from May 19, 7:05 p.m.: According to an Iranian government spokesman, there are currently no new developments to report in the search and rescue operations of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi’s helicopter. The news agency quoted him as saying: “We find ourselves in difficult and complex circumstances.” Tasneem. The spokesman continued: “We now need prayers, patience and trust in rescue workers.”
Update from May 19, 6:55 p.m.: More than 40 teams are participating in the search and rescue operation for Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Iranian media reported, citing authorities. Meanwhile, in addition to fog, heavy rain was also reported in the accident area. This makes rescue work more difficult.
Update from May 19, 6:10 p.m.: According to Israeli Radio Kisheth 12 Diplomatic sources in Western countries believe that Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi did not survive the helicopter accident. An Iranian official told the news agency Reutersthat although they are „optimistic”, the news from the crash site is „extremely worrying”. The source said that the lives of the president and the foreign minister “are in danger.” It appears that Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdullahian was also on the plane.
Update from May 19, 4:30 p.m.: Iranian moreThe news agency had reported that Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was in good condition and was heading to Tubrus in a motorcade. However, the agency later deleted this message. Iranian sources mostly reported that the search for the head of state’s helicopter was continuing. Images from the area show very dense fog. This makes rescue operations more difficult, according to Iranian media. Sources close to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard asked the Iranian people to pray for the president’s health.
The first report: TEHRAN – The fate of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has become unclear after an “accident” involving a helicopter in the Iranian presidential fleet on Sunday. Iranian state television stated, „Unconfirmed reports indicate that a helicopter carrying President Raisi was involved in an accident in East Azerbaijan Province.” Rescue workers are on a mission to find the helicopter, but weather conditions are bad due to heavy fog in the mountainous area.
The official Iranian news agency Erna I later reported that Raisi and his Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian were among the passengers in the helicopter. Raisi visited East Azerbaijan Province in northwestern Iran on Sunday (May 19). There, together with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, he opened a dam on the border between the two countries.
Raisi, 63 years old, has been president of the Islamic Republic of Iran since the summer of 2021. (LRG/AFP)
Despite heavy losses in the Ukraine war: Russia is sticking to its attack on Kharkiv. But NATO does not believe in the possibility of achieving a breakthrough on the front.
Kharkiv – With tanks, drones and tens of thousands of soldiers: The Russian army has been bombing the Kharkiv region for weeks in its aggressive war on Ukraine. Attackers also specifically exploit some weaknesses in defenses. However, Western military observers do not currently expect Putin’s forces to march through Ukraine’s second-largest city. NATO confirmed this.
Kharkiv offensive in the Ukrainian war: NATO doubts the Russian army’s ability to penetrate it
The Commander-in-Chief of NATO forces in Europe, Christopher Cavoli, said, according to what the news agency reported, “The Russians do not have the military power necessary to achieve a strategic breakthrough.” dpa. Russia with Kharkiv attack He added that they are capable of achieving local successes – and “that is what they did.” But heavy losses were also suffered at the front in the Ukrainian war. But more cannot be expected. Because the Russian army lacks the “skills and ability” to do so, according to the military expert.
Despite losses in the Ukraine war: Russian forces have made some gains in the territories near Kharkiv
In the ongoing aggressive war against Ukraine for more than two years, Russia has recently increasingly targeted the area around the city of Kharkiv. Last March, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s forces massed more than 30,000 troops in the east of the country and launched an offensive. Several villages were captured and the defenders had to evacuate other communities. Although he suffered Russia is still suffering heavy losses. However, ground gains have increased in recent days as the attackers faced poorly fortified defenses – a circumstance that Putin’s forces appear to have deliberately sought to exploit.
In fact, the Ukrainian defense lines on this part of the front against a possible Kharkiv attack were rather weak. This was brought by the British guardian. The newspaper quoted Ukrainian commander Denis Yaroslavsky as saying that in Vovchansk, less than 65 kilometers northwest of Kharkiv, “there was simply no first line of defense and no mines.” In addition, the Ukrainian units in this area were not combat ready.
Air alert in Kharkiv: Zelensky describes the situation on the front as “difficult”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky admitted after a meeting of the War Cabinet that the situation in the Kharkiv region is “very difficult.” He had previously traveled near the New Front on Thursday (16 May) and consulted with his military officers there. Shortly after that, the weather alert for the eastern regions of Ukraine began. The Russian army bombed the city of Kharkiv with drones for more than 16 hours. This was one of the longest air raid warnings since the beginning of Russia’s war of aggression. However, the situation is “under control,” Zelensky promised.
The defenders now hope to obtain supplies of weapons. After more than two years of fighting, ammunition supplies have been exhausted in recent months. But the US Congress recently approved the delivery of new arms shipments to Ukraine. Large quantities of ammunition, short-range air defense systems and new armored vehicles are now scheduled to be brought to the front. (jkf)
Netanyahu must present a plan, otherwise Minister Gantz will threaten to withdraw from the government
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Massive protests against Netanyahu in Israel again
Massive demonstrations took place again against Prime Minister Netanyahu in Israel. The demonstrators accuse the government of abandoning Hamas hostages. Meanwhile, Benny Gantz, a minister in the Israeli war cabinet, threatened to resign from the government.
Benny Gantz called on Prime Minister Netanyahu to present a plan for the post-war order in the Gaza Strip by June 8. If Gantz carries out his threat, it could have far-reaching consequences for the Israeli government.
BEni Gantz, a minister in the Israeli war cabinet, threatened to resign from the government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The politician said Saturday evening in Tel Aviv that if the prime minister does not present a plan for the post-war regime in the Gaza Strip by June 8, he and other members of the National Union Party will leave the government.
Among other things, Gantz called for the establishment of an alternative American-European-Arab-Palestinian government in the Gaza Strip, which under no circumstances could be Hamas or Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. In addition, hostages from Gaza must be returned and relations with Saudi Arabia must be normalized. Gantz also called for adopting the concept of military service for all Israelis. “Prime Minister Netanyahu, I look you in the eye this evening and say – the choice is in your hands.”
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The 64-year-old politician joined Netanyahu’s government as a minister without portfolio and a member of the war cabinet after the unprecedented attack by Hamas and other terrorist groups on October 7. In doing so, the participants wanted to send a signal of unity. The centrist party, the National Union, led by Gantz, stands in opposition. Opinion polls indicate that she is currently ahead by a large margin over the Likud Party led by Netanyahu.
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Netanyahu’s office said that Gantz’s demands would mean a defeat for Israel, the handover of the majority of hostages, Hamas remaining in power, and the establishment of a Palestinian state, according to media reports. Netanyahu believes that forming an emergency government is important to achieve all the goals of the war, including the return of all hostages.
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Israel is under international criticism due to the large number of civilian casualties and the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip. Many in the country complain that the war has not achieved a decisive victory, even after more than seven months. The fact that more than 100 hostages are still in the hands of Hamas also raises criticism of the government.
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Netanyahu has been in power since the end of 2022 alongside the far-right and extremist religious parties. He has so far refused to present a plan for the management and reconstruction of the Gaza Strip after the end of the war so as not to offend his partners in the far-right coalition.
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They are pursuing unrealistic goals such as building Jewish settlements in Gaza, but Netanyahu’s political survival depends on them. If Gantz carries out his threat and leaves the government, this could spark a government crisis.
