May 12, 2023 Russia-Ukraine news

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Ukrainian defenders last week used the US Patriot air defense system to intercept a Russian missile meant to destroy it, US officials said.

Fighting continues in key cities as Ukraine positions itself for a potential counteroffensive.

Here are the key headlines to know:

• Explosions in Russia-occupied city: Explosions have rocked the eastern Ukrainian city of Luhansk, which is occupied by Russian forces and is a significant hub for Moscow's so-called "special military operation," according to local officials. Two missiles struck the city's industrial zone, the coordination committee of the LPR said on Telegram. Six children were injured in the attacks, the head of the self-declared Luhansk People’s Republic said.
• Melitopol targeted: Parts of the city are without power after an explosion late Friday, according to the Russian-installed administration. Military analysts believe that Ukraine is trying to strike targets around the southeastern city in the Zaporizhzhia region ahead of a potential counteroffensive.
• Russia loses ground: The Russian Ministry of Defense has acknowledged its forces pulled back from areas north of the embattled eastern city of Bakhmut, claiming they moved to more advantageous defensive positions. But it effectively confirms the loss of some kilometers of territory by Russian forces.
• Patriot missile systems: Russia tried to destroy a US-made Patriot air defense system in Ukraine last week with a hypersonic missile, two US officials told CNN. The attack failed, and the Ukrainian military instead intercepted the missile using the Patriot system, the officials said, marking their first known successful use of the advanced air defense system only weeks after it arrived in the country. 
• Continued support for Ukraine: US President Joe Biden and Spanish President Pedro Sanchez “underscored our unwavering support for Ukraine in the face of Russia’s brutal war" during a meeting at the White House, a readout from the US said. This includes "continued security, economic, and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine," the Biden administration said.

There has been an uptick in fighting along the border between the Kharkiv and Luhansk regions in eastern Ukraine, according to Russian and Ukrainian officials.

The Ukrainian General Staff said Russian artillery and mortar fire hit 10 settlements in the Kupyansk sector, which is in Kharkiv.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said that in the same area, ground forces supported by airpower hit two Ukrainian units – the 14th Separate Mechanized Brigade and the 103rd Territorial Defense Brigade. The ministry said artillery fire had prevented a rotation of Ukrainian troops in the same area.

An unofficial Russian social media account also said Ukrainian attacks had increased along the front east of Kupyansk, but had made no progress.

In the south, Ukraine reported artillery and other attacks by Russian forces in the Zaporizhzhia region, where Russian forces are defending gains made in the first few days of the invasion.

Yurii Malashko, the head of Zaporizhzhia's military administration, said there was heavy shelling of villages along the entire front line, including Stepnohirsk, Mala Tokmachka and Huliaipole.

Malachko, speaking on Ukraine television, also claimed that under the guise of evacuating civilians, Russian soldiers were fleeing from the town of Enerhodar, adjacent to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant.

Some civilians who had been evacuated from Russian-controlled areas near the frontlines in Zaporizhzhia had returned home “because they were left to fend for themselves in Berdiansk [further south] and people are afraid that their homes will be looted,” he said. 

Battles are continuing in and around Bakhmut, the Ukrainian military said Friday, with Russian forces apparently trying to regain some of the ground they lost this week.

“The enemy is trying to regain the positions lost during our assault," Maksym Zhorin, a Ukrainian officer in Bakhmut, said in a video. "Day and night, we have to consolidate and hold new positions in intense fighting.”
“There is still a very long way to go to victory,” Zhorin added. 

As for ground assaults, the military reported 36 Russian attacks concentrated on areas of the front lines in the Donetsk region. The attacks were repelled, and there is little evidence of any ground changing hands outside of Bakhmut, it said. 

“Incessant fighting continues in the town of Bakhmut," the General Staff said. "In addition, during the day, the enemy conducted unsuccessful offensive actions in the direction of Orikhovo-Vasylivka, Hryhorivka and Stupochki."

The General Staff did not provide details on reports that Russia withdrew from some positions north of Bakhmut, as reported by Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner mercenary group.

Social media video geolocated by CNN appeared to show Russian soldiers retreating in the face of Ukrainian shelling in the area, some 5 kilometers north of the city.

Prigozhin said later on Friday that his fighters had taken some ground in the city itself, where most Wagner fighters now appear to be concentrated.

Six children were hurt in missile strikes in the Russian-occupied city of Luhansk, officials said Friday.

“Four were given full assistance, and two teenagers with moderate severity injuries were hospitalized in the Republican Children's Clinical Hospital,” Leonid Pasechnik, the head of the self-declared Luhansk People’s Republic, said.

“Civilian infrastructure was also damaged as a result of the airstrikes,” he added.

Some background: Two missiles struck the city's industrial zone, the coordination committee of the Russian-occupied region said on Telegram.

The city has rarely come under attack by Ukrainian forces since the Russian invasion, as it is beyond the range of their long-range rocket and missile systems, such as HIMARS. The city is a significant hub for Moscow's so-called "special military operation."

One Telegram account said there had been two explosions and that smoke was visible over the city. A video posted online shows a large column of black smoke.

Ukraine has made no comment about any attack against Russian forces in Luhansk.

Parts of the occupied city of Melitopol are without power after an explosion late Friday, according to the Russian-installed administration.

“There is no power supply to Mikrorayon, Khanda and Krasnaya Gorka,” the administration said. “Please stay calm, technicians are working to restore the power supply as soon as possible.”

The Ukrainian mayor of Melitopol, Ivan Fedorov, who is not in the city, said the explosion had been so strong that it impacted “eastern and northern districts of the city and even in the neighboring villages."

Military analysts believe that Ukraine is trying to strike targets around the southeastern city in the Zaporizhzhia region ahead of a potential counteroffensive.

Russia tried to destroy a US-made Patriot air defense system in Ukraine last week with a hypersonic missile, two US officials tell CNN.

The attack failed, and the Ukrainian military instead intercepted the missile using the Patriot system, the officials said, marking their first known successful use of the advanced air defense system only weeks after it arrived in country. 

The Ukrainian air defenders fired multiple missiles from the Patriot at different angles to intercept the Russian missile, demonstrating they have quickly become adept at using the powerful system, one official said.  

US officials believe the Russians picked up on signals that are emitted from the Patriot, allowing them to target the system using the hypersonic missile, known as the Kinzhal or Killjoy.  

About the Patriot missile system: The Patriot missile system has a powerful radar to detect incoming targets at long-range, making it a potent air defense platform capable of intercepting ballistic missiles and more. But the radar emission necessary to spot threats at a distance also makes it possible for the enemy to detect the Patriot battery and figure out its location.

There are ways to camouflage those signals to some extent, officials said, but the Russian military was evidently able to figure out the rough location of the Patriot stationed outside of Kyiv. The interception took place on the night of May 4, Mykola Oleshchuk, commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, said last weekend. 

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has previously said that the Patriots would “definitely” be a legitimate target for Russian forces. 

Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder confirmed earlier this week that the Ukrainians had used the Patriot system to intercept the Kinzhal, which can reach hypersonic speeds. 

Ukraine has received at least two Patriot systems, one from the United States and one from Germany, to enhance its air defenses, which have previously been unable to intercept more modern Russian missiles such as the Kinzhal.

Explosions have rocked the eastern Ukrainian city of Luhansk, which is occupied by Russian forces and is a significant hub for Moscow's so-called "special military operation," according to local officials.

The head of the self-declared Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR), Leonid Pasechnik, blamed Ukraine for the attack, calling it "another attempt by the Kyiv terrorist regime to intimidate civilians."

"Firefighters and all emergency services are on the scene. The circumstances of the incident and information on the victims are being specified," he said.

Pasechnik said the Leninsky district of the city was shelled on "Republic Day," which is a holiday in the breakaway region.

Two missiles struck the city's industrial zone, the coordination committee of the LPR said on Telegram. The committee claimed the Ukrainian-made "Grom" missile system was used.

The Grom is a ballistic missile that would have the range to strike Luhansk and it has previously been used in the conflict. But no evidence that it was used in this attack has been provided by the local authorities in Luhansk.

The city has rarely come under attack by Ukrainian forces since the Russian invasion, as it is beyond the range of their long-range rocket and missile systems, such as HIMARS.

One Telegram account said there had been two explosions and that smoke was visible over the city. A video posted online shows a large column of black smoke.

Russian news agency TASS quoted a former official in Luhansk as saying that “for the first time the Ukrainian armed forces have used missiles with a range of 150 kilometers (about 93 miles),” after at least two explosions in the city late Friday. TASS cited a retired lieutenant colonel of the Luhansk People’s Republic Militia, Andrei Marochko, but said there had been no official confirmation of the information.

The United Kingdom announced this week that Storm Shadow cruise missiles had been transferred to Ukraine. They are typically air-launched.

Ukraine has made no comment about any attack against Russian forces in Luhansk.

Russia lost some ground around Bakhmut as the chief of the Wagner group continues to complain about the lack of support from Russia's defense ministry.

If you are just joining, here's a recap of Friday's developments in Russia's war in Ukraine:

Russia loses ground: The Russian Ministry of Defense has acknowledged its forces pulled back from areas north of the embattled eastern city of Bakhmut, claiming they moved to more advantageous defensive positions. But it effectively confirms the loss of some kilometers of territory by Russian forces. The head of the private military group Wagner described the regrouping as “a non-tactical retreat," adding that the ministry needs to "stop lying immediately.” Altogether, this retreat accounts for the loss of five square kilometers (nearly two square miles) "today alone," he claimed.

Ukrainian forces advance: Ukrainian forces have been able to push the Russians back 2 kilometers (or about 1.2 miles) around the eastern city of Bakhmut over the past week, the country's deputy defense minister said Friday.

Wagner complaints continue: Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the Wagner group, on Friday invited Russia's defense minister to visit the embattled eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut to assess the situation there — the latest provocative statement by the Wagner chief on the Kremlin's war leadership. This comes in a string of ramped up complaints about his own mercenary fighters' battlefield setbacks, claims of lack of ammunition to take Bakhmut.

Deadly Russian attacks: At least two people were killed and more than a dozen others wounded overnight after Russian forces shelled parts of Ukraine near the front lines of the war, officials said.

Chinese envoy will visit Ukraine: China’s special representative of Eurasian affairs Li Hui will visit Ukraine next week to “promote peace talks,” China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed Friday. Li’s trip will begin on May 15, and he will travel to Ukraine, Poland, France, Germany and Russia during the tour. The visit comes after Chinese leader Xi Jinping spoke with his his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky by phone last month for the first time since Russia's invasion began last year. China has repeatedly attempted to portray itself as a peacemaker in the conflict, but Western countries have viewed Beijing’s intentions with deep suspicion as it forges deepening ties with Moscow.

The Black Sea grain deal: Ukraine and Russia are “moving towards” an agreement on extending the United Nations-brokered Black Sea Grain Initiative, Turkey's Defense Ministry said in a statement Friday. The current deal, which enables the safe export of Ukrainian grain through the countries' Black Sea ports, was renewed for 60 days in March and is set to expire next week.

Zelensky will not speak at Eurovision final: A request from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to address the Eurovision Song Contest final in the United Kingdom on Saturday has been denied, organizers have said — but a Zelensky spokesperson denied his office had contacted the contest in the first place.