Embassy of Ukraine in the USA

 

WAR BULLETIN

May 2, 7.00 pm EST

 

WAR ROOM

 

General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

The total combat losses of the enemy from 24.02 to 02.05 were approximately:

personnel - about 23800 (+300),

tanks ‒ 1048 (+22),

APV ‒ 2519 (+48),

artillery systems – 459 (+8),

MLRS - 152 (+1),

Anti-aircraft warfare systems - 80 (+0),

aircraft – 194 (+2),

helicopters – 155 (+0),

vehicles and fuel tanks - 1824 (+28),

boats / cutters - 10 (+2),

UAV operational-tactical level - 271 (+26).

special equipment - 38 (+6).

cruise missiles - 84 (+0).

Russian enemy suffered the greatest losses (of the past day) in the Izyum direction.

Data are being updated.

The sixty-eighth day of the heroic resistance of the Ukrainian people to the Russian military invasion continues.

The enemy continues to conduct full-scale armed aggression against Ukraine and offensive operations in the Eastern Operational Zone.

Units of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus have been identified in the Volyn and Polissya areas and continue to carry out tasks to cover the Ukrainian-Belarusian border in the Brest and Gomel regions.

The threat of missile strikes on military and civilian infrastructure from the territory of the Republic of Belarus by the enemy remains.

In the Siversky direction, the enemy fired mortars at the positions of Ukrainian troops in the Senkivka area of ​​the Chernihiv oblast.

Intensified administrative-police and counter-intelligence regimes have been established in the Bryansk region bordering Ukraine. Checkpoints are located on the main roads and near the settlements.

In the Slobozhansky direction, the enemy group continues to shell the city of Kharkiv and the settlements of Uda and Prudyanka.

The enemy's offensive operations in the Izyum-Barvinkove and Izyum-Slovyansk directions continue in the Izyum direction. The enemy continued to fire on our troops.

In the Donetsk direction, a group of the occupying forces is conducting offensive operations along almost the entire line of contact.

In the Lyman direction, the enemy fired on the units of Ukrainian troops on the Lyman-Siversk border in order to oust them from their positions and create conditions for the attack on Slovyansk.

In the Severodonetsk direction, the enemy focused its main efforts on taking control of Rubizhne and preparing for the attack on Severodonetsk.

In the Popasna direction, the enemy tried to improve the tactical position in the Popasna area. the enemy strengthened its troops by moving one battalion tactical group from the Mariupol direction.

In order to increase the air defence system, the enemy deployed additional anti-aircraft missile systems in the temporarily occupied and temporarily beseted territories of Luhansk and Zaporizhia oblasts.

In the Tavriya and Pivdenny Buh directions, the enemy continues to try to improve its tactical position and shelling.

In the Tavriya direction, measures are being taken to regroup the enemy units, increase the components of the fire destruction system, and engineer equipment for replenishment of ammunition and fuel and oil.

In the South Bug direction, the occupiers are trying to reach the administrative border of the Kherson region, looking for weaknesses in Ukrainian defence. In the area of ​​Mykolayiv the aggressor carried out air reconnaissance with use of three UAVs. He fired artillery at the positions of our units.

During the previous day, air defence units hit ten Orlan-10 UAVs.

The enemy suffers significant losses, especially in artillery and on land. In the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts only, ten attacks by the occupiers were repulsed in the past 24 hours, two tanks, seventeen artillery systems, thirty-eight units of armored combat vehicles and 10 units of enemy vehicles were destroyed.

The greatest activity of the invaders is observed in Slobozhansky and Donetsk's directions. In the Zaporizhzhia, Kryvyi Rih, and Mykolayiv areas, Russian enemy regrouped troops, and strengthened artillery units and air defense units. It is trying to establish a system of logistical support for the grouping of troops in these areas.

The enemy continues to launch missile and bomb strikes on targets in Kharkiv, Donetsk, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts.

The shelling of the city of Kharkiv continues in the Slobozhansky direction.

In the Izyum direction, the enemy continues to attack in the directions Izyum-Barvinkovo ​​and Izyum-Slovyansk.

To strengthen the group, the occupiers moved to certain areas of the units of artillery and jet artillery.

In order to improve the transport infrastructure, the enemy built a pontoon-bridge crossing over the Siversky Donets River. the occupiers continue to shell the positions of Ukrainian troops and civilian objects located a short distance from the state border of Ukraine from the territory of the Russian federation.

In the Belgorod region, the concentration of occupiers' reserves for fighting in the Eastern Operational Zone continues.

In the Donetsk direction, the enemy's main efforts were focused on establishing full control over the settlements of Rubizhne and Popasna and advancing in the directions of the settlements of Lyman and Siversk.

In the Tavriya direction, measures are underway to regroup units and engineering equipment positions. In particular, a barrel artillery unit was deployed at firing positions near the settlement of Tokmak in the Zaporizhzhia oblast. the enemy carried out artillery shelling of the positions of our troops in the area of ​​the settlement of Orikhiv.

In the temporarily occupied territories of the Zaporizhzhia oblast, the enemy deployed a fuel and oil depot and a point for repairing and repairing damaged equipment.

In the South Buh direction, the enemy is fighting to improve its tactical position. It does not stop trying to reach the administrative border of the Kherson oblast, it continues to deploy jet and barrel artillery units to fire on the positions of Ukrainian troops.

The transfer of material resources from the temporarily occupied territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea with the use of Ukraine's railway infrastructure continues.

In the Bessarabian direction, the situation in the transnistrian region of the Republic of Moldova remains tense. the enemy, through controlled media, continues to spread provocative reports about the growing threat to the population of transnistria from Ukraine.

In the Volyn, Polissya, and Siversky directions, the possibility of the enemy's demonstrative and provocative actions in the areas adjacent to the state border of Ukraine is not ruled out.

The threat of missile strikes on objects on the territory of our state remains.

Measures to strengthen the administrative-police and counter-intelligence regimes continue in the Bryansk region bordering Ukraine.

In the waters of the Black and Azov Seas, enemy ships are involved in missile strikes on the territory of Ukraine, perform the task of isolating the area of ​​hostilities, and conduct reconnaissance.

The enemy continues to destroy Ukraine's civilian infrastructure. Inflicts rocket and bomb attacks and carries out artillery shelling of residential areas of the city of Mykolayiv, as well as settlements of Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk, and Kharkiv oblasts.

In the temporarily occupied territories, the occupiers are artificially creating and exacerbating humanitarian and economic crises. There is a shortage of medicines in the settlements, the range of grocery stores is limited, and bank institutions do not function.

Ukraine's Defense Forces inflict losses on Russian enemy in all directions and are ready for any changes in the operational situation.

 

Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine

In March 2022 in Bucha, the commander of the Russian national guard unit Sergei Kolotsei brutalized civilians who were not involved in combat operations and had no weapons. Together with other Russian servicemen he killed four civilians. Their bodies were found with their hands tied behind their backs and signs of torture.

It was also established that the Russian serviceman forced another victim to confess to subversive activities against the Russian army. For this purpose, he beat the man with the butt of his submachine gun, the knife handle, his hands and feet. He forced him to sniff a dead body and, imitating an execution, shot near the ear of an unarmed civilian.

The identity of the Rosgvardia soldier who killed people in Bucha was established thanks to the measures taken by prosecutors and the help of journalists from “Slidstvo. Info”. His involvement in the commission of other war crimes on the territory of the Kyiv region is still being verified.

https://www.facebook.com/pgo.gov.ua/posts/361688069327366

 

 On May 2, the Russian Armed Forces, ignoring the norms of international humanitarian law, fired missiles at infrastructure facilities in the Synelniksvskyi district of the Dnipropetrovsk region. A grain storage facility and a farm were damaged.

https://www.facebook.com/pgo.gov.ua/posts/361696522659854

 

Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights

The Russian Federation is torturing Ukrainian prisoners of war.

 During a monitoring visit to one of the health facilities where the servicemen released from Russian captivity are located, during the conversation with them, the facts of torture and ill-treatment of our defenders were revealed.

 Most Ukrainian prisoners of war were detained by the occupiers near Mariupol.  They were placed in basements and outbuildings, and then transferred first to the guardhouse and pre-trial detention center in Donetsk, then to pre-trial detention centers in Russia.

 During the transfer, prisoners of war wore a bag on their heads or wrapped their eyes in scotch tape and tied their hands.

 Ukrainians were tortured in captivity - threatened with murder, beaten and humiliated.  One of them was shot in the head with a machine gun.  Another said that the Chechens forced him to sit for two hours with a sack on his head next to a chainsaw, which threatened to cut off his fingers and hands.

 Another was shot in the head with blank cartridges imitating execution.

 Under the beatings, the Russians forced Ukrainian soldiers to learn the Russian national anthem, the history of the creation of their flag and coat of arms.

 Medical care was not provided to prisoners of war, even the wounded.  The doctor examined them only before they were transferred to the POW camp in Sevastopol, where ICRC representatives provided assistance.

 Ukrainians were not given water, only 1.5 liters per 30 people, in fact one sip, restricted in food - in the so-called "DPR" daily diet was a piece of bread and lard, in hygiene products, not allowed to wash.  Not the slightest opportunity to contact relatives was provided.

The POW cards for informing his family of the Central Agency for Prisoners of War, provided for in Article 70 of the 1949 Geneva Convention, which must be sent immediately after capture, were completed only immediately before the exchange.

 Russia grossly violates the requirements of Articles 17, 19, 20, 21, 22, 24-27, 29-31, 46, 48, 69-71 of the Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War.

 https://bit.ly/3MJWOnV

 

Russian occupation forces are deliberately taking measures to cause a famine in Ukraine.

During the monitoring of social networks, satellite images of Planet Lab were found, which show that powerful Russian bombs were dropped on the territory of Golden AGRO LLC in Rubezhnoye. The elevator complex opened in 2020 was completely destroyed.

The company has installed a laboratory with state-of-the-art equipment, including an express analyzer that provides accurate and fast analysis of all crops, a grain dryer with a capacity of 1,500 tons per day, a separator, scales, and an automatic sampler.

The elevator complex could store 30,000 tons of grain at a time.

There are more and more videos showing the occupiers taking agricultural machinery out of the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts.

The first cases of theft of equipment were recorded in mid-March. Later, with the help of GPS services, the equipment was found in the Republic of Chechnya.

In the Dnipropetrovsk region in the Synelnykivskyi district, a rocket hit the warehouses of agricultural enterprises. One is empty, the other with grain. They are destroyed.

The destruction and export of grain and agricultural machinery in the occupied territories violates Article 55 of the 1949 Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War.

https://bit.ly/3vAiqNI

 

The Security Service of Ukraine

SSU identifies nearly 900 Russian invaders who committed crimes against civilians in Kyiv region.

The Security Service of Ukraine has all the information on the occupiers, as well as evidence of their atrocities. Currently, we are verifying data on the involvement of over 2,500 russian soldiers, whose units were based in Kyiv region.

The SSU continues to document every Russian invader. The SSU’s investigative and operational units have interviewed almost 7,000 witnesses of enemy’s atrocities.

The SSU also exposed about 100 collaborators who assisted the enemy in Kyiv region.

 

In order to continue effective documenting of the occupiers’ war crimes, the Security Service of Ukraine has opened a special hotline.

https://bit.ly/38MOKnT

 

The SSU has conducted a multi-stage special operation to neutralize a deeply placed enemy sabotage and reconnaissance group. Agents of the general staff of the Russian armed forces were preparing a terrorist attack - shooting down a passenger plane over the territory of Russia or Belarus.

The occupiers intended to groundlessly accuse Ukraine and our partners of attacking the aircraft. To carry out the provocation, the perpetrators wanted to fire at a civilian aircraft from a portable anti-aircraft missile system (MANPADS) Stinger.

Russian special services instructed their agent group to steal and smuggle a foreign-made MANPADS.

The enemy sabotage and reconnaissance group consisted of two individuals with dual citizenship and an accomplice they had recruited. Their activities were coordinated by a Russian, Olexander Tyuterev, who is a staff member of the general staff of Russian armed forces, with a call sign ‘Morpekh’ [marine].

It was established that he had previously participated in organization of a series of terrorist attacks in Odesa region, for which he is wanted.

Following his instructions, enemy agents tried to establish contacts with representatives of the Armed Forces of Ukraine posing as patriotic volunteers. In order to gain ‘trust’, they passed to the Ukrainian military truthful information on the positions and movements of the occupation units of the so-called ‘kadyrovites’.

Further, Russian agents planned to use the established contacts to illegally obtain foreign-made MANPADS and hand them over to the aggressor state.

During the special operation, the SSU detained all members of the occupiers’ group.

Investigative and operational activities are underway to establish all the circumstances of the crime and bring its organizers to justice.

https://bit.ly/3OUqUHm

 

 

POLICY

 

President of Ukraine  

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Denmark Jeppe Kofod.

The Head of State noted that Ukraine highly appreciates the support of Denmark, and reminded that he had a fruitful meeting with Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in Kyiv recently.

"It is important that the cooperation between our countries is really dynamic and fruitful," Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed and praised the resumption of the work of the Danish Embassy in Kyiv.

The President stressed that Ukraine now needs maximum defense assistance.

"I know that Denmark has already done a lot in this matter and continues to do so," he said.

The Head of State stressed the importance of coordinated counteraction to the aggressor on the sanctions track. According to him, Ukraine appreciates Denmark's active position on EU restrictive measures against Russia and looks forward to Copenhagen's continued active role in sanctions pressure.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy also expressed his belief in Denmark's support for Ukraine's path to EU membership.

The parties paid considerable attention to the issue of financial assistance to the economy of our country. The President praised the readiness of the Danish side to play a leading role in the reconstruction of Mykolaiv together with other international partners.

The President noted the assistance of the Danish government in clearing and rebuilding the liberated Ukrainian cities by transferring the relevant construction equipment. The given step is one of the results of an agreement reached during recent talks with the Prime Minister of Denmark.

The parties also discussed further joint work on bringing the aggressor to justice for crimes committed in our country.

https://www.president.gov.ua/en/news/prezident-ukrayini-proviv-zustrich-z-ministrom-zakordonnih-s-74725

 

Frankly - about the war with Russia. Interview of Volodymyr Zelensky to the journalist of the 60 Minutes project of the Australian TV channel Nine Network.

Watch in English: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSmpeKOIUQc

 

Address by the President V.Zelenskyy to Ukrainians

The 68th day of our strong defense is coming to an end. The 68th day of self-destruction of Russia. Self-destruction in every sense of the word. If this country once had what is called a reputation, now Russia does things on a daily basis that simply preclude any adequacy.

Yesterday, for example, Russia's foreign minister openly and without hesitation said that the biggest anti-Semites were allegedly among the Jews themselves. And that Hitler allegedly had Jewish blood. How could this be said on the eve of the anniversary of the victory over Nazism? These words mean that Russia's top diplomat is blaming the Jewish people for Nazi crimes. No words.

Of course, there is a big scandal in Israel today as regards these words. However, no one hears objections or excuses from Moscow. There is silence. Hence, they agree with what their foreign minister said. After the Russian missile attack at Babyn Yar in Kyiv, after the Menorah damaged by shelling at the site of the mass executions in Drobytsky Yar near Kharkiv, after the deaths of ordinary people who survived the Nazi occupation and Nazi concentration camps from Russian shelling, such an anti-Semitic thrust by their minister means Russia has forgotten all the lessons of World War II.

Or maybe they never studied those lessons. So the question is will the Israeli ambassador stay in Moscow knowing their new position? Will relations with Russia remain as usual? Because it's not accidental. The words of the Russian foreign minister - a "great connoisseur of Hitlerism" - are not accidental.

It is no coincidence that the Russian occupiers are creating so-called "filtration camps" on Ukrainian land through which thousands of our Ukrainian citizens are passing. Where our people are killed, tortured and raped. It is no coincidence that the occupiers capture civilians and take them hostage or deport them as free labor.

It is no coincidence that they are waging a so-called total war to destroy all living things, after which only the burned ruins of entire cities and villages remain.

To do this, one must completely reject the moral and achievements of the victors of Nazism. But if such people are in the Russian leadership, it does not mean they can judge others in Europe or in the world according to themselves.

If they send tens of thousands of their citizens to die in a foreign land and do not even take the bodies of those killed from the streets, roads, fields, it does not mean that everyone else is like them.

If there are people among them who come from Ukraine but support the extermination of Ukrainians and everything Ukrainian, it does not mean that everyone else has abandoned normal human morality.

 

Today, Russian troops launched another missile strike at Odesa. Destroyed the dormitory. A 14-year-old boy was killed. A 17-year-old girl was wounded, she has a shrapnel wound. What is it? For what? What did these children and the dormitory threaten the Russian state with? And that's how they fight. That's all.

A gymnasium founded over a hundred years ago burned down in Lysychansk, Luhansk region, due to Russian shelling. It was built by the Belgians for this city. It withstood two world wars. But, as we see, this gymnasium turned out to be a terrible threat to modern Russia.

220 Ukrainian children have been killed by the Russian army since February 24. And we still don't know about everyone, because we don't have access to the temporarily occupied areas of our state. 1570 educational institutions were destroyed or damaged by shelling. It's in a little over two months!

That is why the whole free world united so that no one justifies Nazism, kills children or destroys peaceful cities as Russia does.

Today in Kyiv I met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Denmark. We discussed the whole range of issues of our bilateral relations, especially defense, financial and political cooperation. I see progress in implementing the agreements reached during the talks with the Prime Minister of Denmark. I am grateful. I received good signals.

Plans to rebuild Ukraine after the war were also discussed. And support for our movement towards the European Union. I am grateful that Denmark resumes the work of its embassy in our capital. This is already the 29th foreign mission that returned to Ukraine.

We are working on new sanctions against Russia. We expect a new package from the European Union in the near future. This package should include clear steps to block Russia's energy revenues. We truly believe in this. So that the terrorist state is not given a billion euros a day for fuel.

But it is also worth preparing for the next sanctions steps now. In any case, we will have to block all export-import operations with Russia. Because that's what they make money on in Moscow. And they do not even understand that international law and peace in Europe must be respected.

We continue to do everything to save our people from Mariupol. The evacuation operation continues. Tomorrow we also expect movement through humanitarian corridors from Berdyansk, Tokmak, Vasylivka.

The Armed Forces of Ukraine heroically repel the occupiers' attempts to advance. Kharkiv direction, Donbas, the south of the country - everywhere the situation remains extremely difficult. But I am grateful to each and every one of our defenders who are holding the defense.

I have just signed a large decree to award our military. 438 servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were awarded state awards.

The title of Hero of Ukraine was awarded to Senior Lieutenant Dmytro Ruslanovych Todorov for his personal courage and extraordinary efficiency in the battles against the occupiers in the Donetsk region.

https://www.president.gov.ua/en/news/uves-vilnij-svit-obyednavsya-shob-nihto-ne-vipravdovuvav-nac-74733

 

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine

Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine on Anti-Semitic Attacks by the Russian Foreign Minister Serhiy Lavrov

The anti-Semitic attacks of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Serhiy Lavrov on the President of Ukraine and the Jews are absolutely unacceptable. Russia is already too deeply bogged down in uttering nonsense aimed at justifying barbaric aggression against Ukraine. 

In fact, the Russian Foreign Minister questioned the existence of not only the Ukrainian nation but also the Holocaust. Lavrov deliberately insulted the memory of millions of Jews who died at the hands of the Nazis during the World War II. The Israeli Government has already called Lavrov's statements a "terrible historical mistake."

“The deep-rooted anti-Semitism of Russia's elites demonstrates to the world that putin's Russia is purposefully cultivating "Russian supremacy" and hatred of other peoples. We must stop Russia together now, until its aggressive policy has led to even more catastrophic consequences”, stressed Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.

We express solidarity with the Jewish people. We call on the governments of all countries to give a decisive response to Russia: further isolate it, impose an embargo on Russian oil and gas that will deprive the Russian military machine of financial resources, increase military, financial and humanitarian aid to Ukraine, whose people are now heroically resisting Russian evil.

https://mfa.gov.ua/en/news/zayava-mzs-ukrayini-shchodo-antisemitskih-vipadiv-glavi-mzs-rf-sergiya-lavrova

 

ECONOMY

 

The Ministry of Finance of Ukraine

Ukraine Will Receive Additional EUR 495 million Grant Funds From the World Bank Trust Fund.

Minister of Finance of Ukraine Sergii Marchenko and the World Bank Regional Director for Eastern Europe Arup Banerji signed an amendment to the grant agreement, which will be provided to Ukraine from the World Bank's Trust Fund within the Second Loan Facility Program for Development Policy in Economic Recovery. Under this additional agreement, Ukraine will receive grants from Norway, Austria and the United States of America (within one grant) in the amount of EUR 495 million.

The grant will be directed to the general fund of the State Budget of Ukraine to provide priority social, humanitarian expenses, healthcare expenses, and support for internally displaced persons.

The Trust Fund was created by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the International Development Association. Denmark, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the United Kingdom, Norway, Austria and the United States have already made contributions to the fund.

https://www.mof.gov.ua/uk/news/ukraina_otrimaie_dodatkovo_495_mln_ievro_grantovikh_koshtiv_z_tsilovogo_fondu_svitovogo_banku-3426

 

Last week, 738 soft loans totaling UAH 3.09 billion were issued within the framework of the State Program "Affordable Loans at 5-7-9%".

Since the start of the Program, as of May 2, 2022, business entities have received 38,462 loans from authorized banks for a total amount of UAH 102.6 billion.

Of those:

- UAH 10.2 billion issued to entrepreneurs for investment purposes;

- UAH 57.7 billion as anti-crisis loans;

- UAH 24.8 billion as refinancing of previously received loans;

- UAH 9.3 billion - loans for agricultural producers, in particular for investment purposes.

Under conditions of martial law, one of the priorities of the Ministry of Finance remains state support for business development, which is carried out, including through the program Affordable Loans at 5-7-9% initiated by the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Hence, in March this year to support agricultural producers in order to ensure the spring sowing campaign, as well as to support and intensify entrepreneurial activity during martial law, the Government has made a number of changes to the State Program Affordable Loans at 5-7-9%. The changes provide for significant simplifications for lending, in particular, the possibility of obtaining soft loans at 0% per annum with a guarantee from the Government of Ukraine at the level of 80%.

The Ministry of Finance calls on business representatives and banking institutions to actively participate in the implementation of innovations. The program is implemented by the Entrepreneurship Development Fund (EDF). The only participant of the EDF is the Government of Ukraine, represented by the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine, which coordinates all aspects of the Fund's activities.

To date, the EDF has concluded cooperation agreements with 42 banks under the State Program Affordable Loans at 5-7-9%.

https://www.kmu.gov.ua/en/news/minfin-za-tizhden-pidpriyemci-otrimali-738-pilgovih-kreditiv-na-309-mlrd-grn-za-programoyu-dostupni-krediti-5-7-9

Access the tracker HERE. 

May 2, 2022 | FDD Tracker: April 2, 2022-May 2, 2022

Biden Administration Foreign Policy Tracker: May

 

David Adesnik

Senior Fellow and Director of Research

John Hardie

Research Manager and Research Analyst

Trend Overview

Edited by David Adesnik and John Hardie

Welcome back to the Biden Administration Foreign Policy Tracker. Once a month, we ask FDD’s experts and scholars to assess the administration’s foreign policy. They provide trendlines of very positive, positive, neutral, negative, or very negative for the areas they watch. As Russian forces withdrew from the outskirts of Kyiv, they left behind evidence of torture, summary executions, and other crimes. In the town of Bucha, corpses littered the streets and hundreds of bodies filled mass graves, yet the Kremlin insisted the atrocities were an elaborate hoax. President Joe Biden called for Russian President Vladimir Putin to be put on trial for war crimes, yet that prospect seems remote. However, the United States has led an increasingly rapid and effective effort to arm Ukrainian forces, who continue to exact heavy costs on their adversary. Washington and its allies also continued to levy sanctions against Russia and are discussing measures to target its vital energy export revenue.

In Vienna, nuclear negotiations with Iran reached an impasse when the White House rejected Tehran’s demand to remove the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) from the State Department list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations. Under pressure from Congress as well as U.S. victims of IRGC attacks, the administration appeared to reverse its initial readiness to grant this concession to Tehran. Check back in a month to see if the White House continues to hold the line against unreasonable Iranian demands and if escalating support for Ukraine enables Kyiv to thwart Russia’s offensive in eastern Ukraine.

Trending Positive

CYBER

By RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery and Annie Fixler

DEFENSE

By Bradley Bowman

EUROPE

By John Hardie

RUSSIA

By John Hardie

Trending Neutral

CHINA

By Craig Singleton

INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

By Richard Goldberg

ISRAEL

By David May

KOREA

By David Maxwell

LATIN AMERICA

By Carrie Filipetti and Emanuele Ottolenghi

Trending Negative

ARMS CONTROL AND NONPROLIFERATION

By Anthony Ruggiero and Andrea Stricker

GULF

By Hussain Abdul-Hussain

INDO-PACIFIC

By Craig Singleton

SUNNI JIHADISM

By Bill Roggio

SYRIA

By David Adesnik

Trending Very Negative

IRAN

By Behnam Ben Taleblu and Richard Goldberg

LEBANON

By Tony Badran

 

Access National Security News HERE.

Access Korean News HERE.

National Security News Content:

1. RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, MAY 1 (PUTIN'S WAR)
2. Ukraine Is Now America’s War, Too
3. Infographic: The weapons and equipment the US has given Ukraine so far
4. As battle for Ukraine enters a new phase, so does lethal US aid
5. Can the US Deter a Taiwan Invasion?
6. Blasts, Bombs, And Drones: Amid Carnage In Ukraine, A Shadow War On The Russian Side Of The Border
7. China’s Ukraine Conundrum
8. Ukraine’s Digital Fight Goes Global
9. Putin's War - May 2, 2022 Update | SOF News
10. Putin's chief of staff Valery Gerasimov is 'wounded by shrapnel after being sent to Ukraine
11. Ukraine says it destroyed Russia's Izyum command center, killing 200 but just missing Russia's top general
12. Russia Recasts Fight in Ukraine as War With the West
13. With Russia’s War on Ukraine, Kinzinger Introduces New AUMF
14. Taiwan considers alternatives after U.S. informs of howitzer delay
15. Ukraine’s Digital Battle With Russia Isn’t Going as Expected
16. Biden’s Dangerous New Ukraine Endgame: No Endgame
17. Russia says it's pulling out of International Space Station over sanctions
18. Iran Increases Funding for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
19. Beijing’s Ukrainian Battle Lab
20. An Assessment of Thinking Big About Future Warfare
21. Xi Jinping Is Fighting a War for China’s History
22. Foil the Financiers of Iran’s Terrorism
23. Cleo Paskal: China’s Agreement with Solomon Islands & Implications for Security in the Pacific
24. Palestinian Islamic Jihad Claims New Drone Added to its Military Capabilities
25. Russia Isn’t a Military State. It’s a Delusional One
26. Data as a Weapon: Psychological Operations in the Age of Irregular Information Threats
27. War and Adjustment: Military Campaigns and National Strategy
28. Laurence of Arabia for modern times: SAS ride CAMELS in fight against ISIS
 

Korean News Content:

1. Why North Korea Wants Nuclear Weapons: Korean Unification By John Bolton
2. S. Korea analyzing former N.K. nuke envoy's return to public view
3. How North Korean Paranoia Enwrapped an 85-Year-Old American
4.  FM nominee cautious on additional THAAD deployment
5. S.Korea should stand firm on security issues against China: FM nominee
6. Kim Jong-un Keeps Threatening Preemptive Nuclear Strikes
7. Beijing concerned with rising North Korea tensions, envoy says in Seoul
8. North Korean leader praises youth for their role in recent military parade
9. Hoeryong’s security agency arrests party cadre for leaking secret documents
10. Explaining the Impasse in Japan’s Relations with North Korea
11. Kim Jong Un orders nuclear energy ministry to visit candidate sites for new nuclear power plant
12. N. Koreans working for Li-Ning contractor are suffering from low pay and back-breaking work
13. Colombia chooses South Korea’s TA-50, FA-50 as next jet trainers, officials say
14. Most Seoul citizens walk around with masks on despite eased rules

Access National Security News HERE.

Access Korean News HERE.

National Security News Content:

1. RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, APRIL 30 (PUTIN'S WAR)
2. Vladimir Putin 'will undergo cancer operation in the near future'
3. Western artillery surging into Ukraine will reshape war with Russia
4. How Putin’s brutal war in Ukraine pushed Finland toward NATO
5. Russia’s push into eastern Ukraine comes amid fears of a protracted war
6. Forgiveness, anger and unending grief as families face ISIS kidnappers
7. Depleted Russian units that failed to take Kyiv are merging, says MoD
8. Russia’s Sanctioned Superyachts: New Platforms For Indo-Pacific Diplomacy
9. U.S. Troops Train Ukrainians in Germany
10. Rape has reportedly become a weapon in Ukraine. Finding justice may be difficult
11. Former US Marine colonel training soldiers in Ukraine says 'Russians are worse than ISIS'
12. Ukraine Becomes a Wake-Up Call in Faraway Japan
13. Japanese PM Seeks To Set The Global Agenda
14.  Is American Democracy Built to Last?
15. The Army Wants to Change How It Manages Cyber Risk
16. Putin’s War on Truth Warps Reality for All of Us
17. Ukrainian Special Forces Kill With Extreme Prejudice Behind Enemy Lines
18. The Three Lifelines of a Planner
19. How the ‘jack-in-the-box’ flaw dooms some Russian tanks
20. Use of Army’s prepositioned ‘afloat’ equipment is expected to grow in the Pacific
21. Nancy Pelosi leads U.S. delegation to Kyiv and meets with Ukraine's president
22. Nancy Pelosi Visits Ukraine’s President Zelensky in Kyiv
23. Japan to revisit its National Defense Program as threats from China, Russia, N Korea soars
24. Ukraine war: Resistance to Russian rouble in Kherson
25. Museum's ancient gold among thousands of artifacts looted by Russia, Ukrainian officials say
 

Korean News Content:

1. Yoon to announce his picks for senior secretaries, top security adviser
2. Yoon's foreign policy mentor appointed to lead national security
3. North Korea leader Ri Pyong Chol's public appearance hints at new weapons testing
4. Experts Urge US to Confront N. Korea Missile Program
5. Opinion – South Koreans Support Unification, But Do They Support Integration?
6. S. Korea's exports up 12.6 pct in April, trade deficit widens on high energy prices
7. Changes to the KPA Corps Command | North Korea Leadership Watch
8. Changes in the Central Committee | North Korea Leadership Watch
9. S. Korea deploys homegrown radar system to Air Force
10. A unified Korea would be a good thing
11. Pyongyang continues strict COVID-19 measures as Seoul lifts mask requirement outdoors
12. Mend ties with Japan
13. Public residence, authoritarian legacy

Access National Security News HERE.

Access Korean News HERE.

National Security News Content:

1. RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, APRIL 29 (PUTIN'S WAR)
2. The hybrid war in Ukraine - Microsoft On the Issues
3. Ukrainian Officer's Defiant Dispatch From Inside Mariupol's Besieged Steel Plant
4. Europe's special operators are watching Ukraine closely for lessons learned
5. Brutal Sect of Putin’s Army Accused of Murdering Their Own Comrades
6. Putin may declare war against "world's Nazis" on "Victory Day:' UK official
7. Cracks emerge in Russian elite as tycoons start to bemoan invasion
8. Opinion | The Five Conspiracy Theories That Putin Has Weaponized
9. Inside the Trevor Reed deal: From Oval Office to Moscow trip
10. A chilling Russian cyber aim in Ukraine: Digital dossiers
11. Disinformation Governance Board to tackle spread of misinformation in U.S., focusing on Russia and U.S.-Mexico border
12.  The Backlash to DHS's Anti-Disinformation Board Shows How US Law Is Falling Behind the Problem
13. Pentagon: Russian assault on Donbas "behind schedule"
14. Ukraine Has Asia Thinking About War
15. US National Guard’s aging battle taxis find new use in Ukraine fight
16. Army Futures Command learning from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
17. F-35 Pilot: NATO Could ‘Completely Destroy the Russian Forces’
18. U.S. Restarts National Guard Training Mission for Ukrainian Soldiers
19. Could Insurgency Offer Ukraine a Decisive Edge?
20. Russia Has Already Lost the Ukraine War
21. Ukraine admits 'serious losses' in eastern battles, but says Russia's are 'colossal'
22. Bedlam at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport after family packs unexploded shell
23. The Navy's First Medical Ship In 35 Years Will Be Unlike Any Before It
24. Remember the Real: Cyberspace, Misinformation, and Human Action
25. Redesigning Army Special Operations Forces Talent Management for the 21st Century
 

Korean News Content:

1. N. Korean leader vows to 'preemptively' contain nuclear threats by hostile forces
2. North Korea’s Next Nuclear Test: How Big Could It Be?
3. FM nominee reaffirms push for hotline among two Koreas, U.S. for dialogue anytime
4. Kim Jong-un has started to make nuclear threats. Did he learn this from Putin’s strategy of escalation? What he’s protecting as his people starve...(ISHIMARU Jiro)
5. North Koreans wait 17 hours for compulsory viewing of Pyongyang military parade
6. China halts freight train traffic with North Korea
7. Defectors Pepper North Korea With Photos of South’s Incoming President
8. Kim Jong Un could use nuclear arsenal to dominate Korean peninsula, warn experts
9. Opinion | Kim Jong Un is adopting Putin’s Ukraine playbook
10. Int'l Rights Groups Call for Abolishment of Anti-Pyongyang Leaflet Ban
11. South Korea's new president steps into a geopolitical minefield
12. The Democratic Party’s Prosecution Reform Bill in Korea Resembles Socialist China’s Public Security System
13. Perpetrator of South Korea’s ‘Bitcoin-gate’ untraceable
14. Police say anti-US military activist vandalized Douglas MacArthur statue in South Korea
 

Embassy of Ukraine in the USA

 

WAR BULLETIN

April 29, 5.30 pm EST

 

WAR ROOM

 

General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

The total combat losses of the enemy from 24.02 to 29.04 were approximately:

personnel - about 23000 (+200), 

tanks ‒ 986 (+16), 

APV ‒ 2418 (+29), 

artillery systems – 435 (+4), 

MLRS - 151 (+0), 

Anti-aircraft warfare systems - 73 (+1),

aircraft – 189 (+2), 

helicopters – 155 (+0), 

vehicles - 1695 (+7),

boats - 8 (+0),

fuel tanks - 76 (+0), 

UAV operational-tactical level - 229 (+14).

special equipment - 31 (+0).

mobile SRBM system - 4 (+0).

The sixty-fifth day of the resistance of the Ukrainian people to the Russian military invasion.

Russian continues to carry out offensive operations in the Eastern Operational Zone in order to defeat the Joint Forces, establish full control over the territory of Donetsk and Luhansk regions and maintain the land route with the occupied Crimea.

In the Volyn and Polissya areas, Russian enemy did not take active action, no signs of the formation of offensive groups were found. Certain units of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus continue to perform tasks to strengthen the protection of the state border with Ukraine.

No changes in the activities and composition of Russian enemy group were detected in the Seversky direction.

In the Slobozhansky direction, Russian enemy continues to focus its efforts on maintaining its positions near the city of Kharkiv and is trying to carry out fire damage to units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in certain areas.

Russian enemy did not conduct active offensive operations in the Izyum direction. Its main efforts were focused on conducting reconnaissance, identifying the defensive positions of units of the Defense Forces of Ukraine and their destruction by artillery fire.

In the Donetsk and Tavriya directions, in order to prevent the regrouping of Ukrainian troops, Russian enemy fires at positions from artillery, mortars and rocket-propelled grenade launchers along the entire line of contact.

Russian occupiers continue to blockade Ukrainian units in Mariupol, near the Azovstal plant.

In the temporarily occupied territories, Russian occupation authorities continue to take measures to restrict the movement and detention of local residents and block humanitarian goods from the territory of Ukraine. In addition, Russian occupiers are robbing peasants. For example, more than 60 tons of wheat were stolen from an agricultural society in the town of Kamianka-Dniprovska together with a truck.

Fifteen air targets were hit by Ukrainian defenders the day before: one plane, five cruise missiles and nine operational-tactical drones.

Ukrainian defenders are actively manoeuvring defence, in some places counterattacks. In the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts alone, nine enemy attacks have been repulsed in the past 24 hours, six tanks, one artillery system, twelve armoured vehicles, one car and one anti-aircraft gun have been destroyed.

 

Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights

The occupiers issue birth certificates to the newborn Mariupol residents of the unrecognized pseudo-state formation "DPR".

On April 23, in Mariupol, the occupiers issued such a certificate to a newborn boy whose mother was unable to evacuate to the safe territory of Ukraine.

In fact, the issuance of this "paper" deprived the child of any citizenship.

Such actions of the Russian Federation violate the rights of children enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, in particular Article 8, which provides for the right of the child to preserve his or her identity, including citizenship, name and family ties.

I urge the citizens of Ukraine in the temporarily occupied Mariupol not to succumb to the shameful influence of Russian propaganda and to protect the right of their children to preserve their individuality and Ukrainian citizenship.

https://bit.ly/3vqWeWs

 

Puppet pseudo-state formations of the Russian Federation LDNR terrorize entrepreneurs and farmers. Last week, the district was visited by the «minister of agricultural policy of the Lughansk People's Republic”, who met with heads of agro-industrial enterprises and demanded mandatory "re-registration" of farmers in the pseudo-republic and sowing wheat instead of soybeans traditionally grown in these areas. Grain should be sold exclusively to the agroholding selected by the LPR gang.

In addition, information about the referendum on joining the Russian Federation on May 15, 2022 is being spread among the population of Troitsk district.

The occupying power of the Russian Federation in the temporarily occupied territory of Donetsk region resorted to planning and "legalization" of misappropriation of property of citizens of Ukraine.

The illegal pseudo-state formation "DPR" issued a "resolution of the State Defense Committee of the DPR" №27 of 21.04.2022 on "state regulation in the field of unfinished construction", which introduces a register of unfinished construction and appropriation of such facilities.

In addition, issued a resolution of the "State Committee for Defense of the DPR" №33 from 26.04.2022 on "settlement of registration of actions in the liberated territories, which were temporarily under the control of Ukraine." This document obliges enterprises to undergo mandatory registration with the occupying authorities, with further inspections of the occupiers of these enterprises.

The decree stipulates that the heads of enterprises had to submit all relevant documentation for inspection to the occupation authorities within a certain period of time.

If a person refuses to provide documents, register or make cash payments to the "budget", sanctions will be applied to him - a check to "protect the interests of the republic."

https://bit.ly/3MCKRQW

 

As of 10 a.m. on April 29, 2022, according to the Unified Register of Pre-Trial Investigations, as well as other sources that need confirmation, 219 (+ 2 per day) children have died and 398 (+ 5 per day) children have been injured since the Russian invasion in Ukraine began.

It is impossible to establish the actual number of dead and wounded children due to the fact that the occupying forces are actively fighting in Ukrainian cities.

Yesterday a 10-year-old girl was wounded as a result of shelling by the enemy troops of the village of Tsyrkuny in Kharkiv region.

Chere shelling of the city of Zaporizhzhia wounded 5 people, including a child.

During the recording of war crimes committed in settlements in the Chernihiv region, it became known that a car exploded on a highway near the village of Krasne, killing children aged 2 and 14.

It was also found out that a 10-year-old boy was injured during the artillery shelling of the Romanov Bridge in the city of Irpin.

A 9-year-old boy was wounded in artillery shelling in Kharkiv.

Such actions by the occupation forces are a direct violation of the Hague and Geneva Conventions and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

https://bit.ly/37RizU5

 

POLICY

 

President of Ukraine   

Address by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy

The 65th day of our defense is coming to an end. We are beating the occupiers in all directions where they are trying to advance.

The situation in the Kharkiv region is tough. But our military, our intelligence, have important tactical success.

In Donbas, the occupiers are doing everything to destroy any life in this area. Constant brutal bombings, constant Russian strikes at infrastructure and residential areas show that Russia wants to make this area uninhabited. Therefore, the defense of our land, the protection of our people is literally a struggle for life. For Lysychansk, Severodonetsk, Popasna, Kramatorsk, Slovyansk, Marinka and all other cities and communities of Donbas, which Russian troops want to turn into ruins, absolutely everything is being decided in this war.

Only if Ukraine withstands will they live. If the Russian invaders succeed in realizing their plans, at least in part, they will still have enough artillery and aircraft to destroy the entire Donbas. Just as they destroyed Mariupol.

The city, which was one of the most developed in the region, is simply a Russian concentration camp in the middle of ruins. And the order of the occupiers in that part of Mariupol which they unfortunately still control differs insignificantly from what the Nazis did in the occupied territory of Eastern Europe.

But the Russian troops manage to be even more cynical than the Nazis 80 years ago. At that time, the invaders did not say that it was the Mariupol residents and the defenders of the city who shelled and killed themselves.

I am grateful to the United States, President Biden and Congress for an analogue of the famous Lend-Lease program, which will be very helpful in the fight against Russia, against the Russian invaders. Which helped a lot in the fight against the Nazis during World War II.

I am sure that now the Lend-Lease will help Ukraine and the whole free world beat the ideological successors of the Nazis, who started a war against us on our land. Lend-Lease and other programs in support of Ukraine are concrete proof that freedom is still able to defend itself against tyranny.

Today, the Government of Ukraine considered the issue of eliminating the deficit in the fuel market. Queues and rising prices at gas stations are seen in many regions of our country. The occupiers are deliberately destroying the infrastructure for the production, supply and storage of fuel. Russia has also blocked our ports, so there are no immediate solutions to replenish the deficit. But government officials promise that within a week, maximum two, a system of fuel supply to Ukraine will be provided that will be able to prevent a deficit.

This is a difficult task after the Russian missile strike at the Kremenchuk refinery. But government officials along with fuel suppliers, traders and networks must fulfill this task no matter how difficult it may be. I'm sure they will. We must take from the European Union as much fuel as our citizens need now.

Ambassador of the United Kingdom to Ukraine Melinda Simmons returned to Kyiv today.

Currently, 27 foreign diplomatic missions operate in the capital of our country. And this is an extremely important gesture of support for Ukraine, for which we are grateful to all of them.

Such gestures, together with strong defensive, financial and political support from the free world, mean that the need to end the war is becoming more and more obvious to Russia. The defeat of the occupiers is unalterable.

In the temporarily occupied areas of the Kherson region, collaborators say that they are allegedly preparing for the transition to the "ruble zone". Any attempt to transfer our territory to Russia's administrative, monetary, or any other system will mean only one thing: Russia itself will suffer from that. Our responses, sanctions and other reactions of the free world to Russia's aggressive actions will not be delayed.

The dismantlement of debris in Kyiv, where Russian missiles hit yesterday during the visit of UN Secretary-General António Guterres, continues. Unfortunately, such a deliberate and brutal humiliation of the United Nations by Russia was left without a powerful response.

Today it became known that a journalist, an employee of Radio Liberty Vera Hyrych was killed by a Russian missile hitting a residential building in Kyiv. She became the 23rd media representative whose life was cut short as a result of the Russian invasion since February 24. My condolences to all relatives and friends. Eternal memory to all the victims of this war!

Today in the White Hall of Heroes of Ukraine in the Mariyinsky Palace, I presented awards to our defenders and members of the families of fallen warriors. The Order of the Golden Star was awarded to the Heroes of Ukraine: Lieutenant Colonel Serhiy Burkovsky, Captain Vitaliy Hural, Senior Lieutenant Dmytro Dozirchy, Lieutenant Colonel Oleksandr Zuhravy, Colonel Dmytro Kashchenko, Major Oleksandr Kukurba, Captain Oleh Pasichnyk, Lieutenant Colonel Vyacheslav Tsyhankov, Colonel of the Medical Service Oleksandr Sliesarenko, Lieutenant Colonel Leonid Khoda, Colonel Denys Chayuk and Lieutenant General Serhiy Nayev.

Also, three servicemen were posthumously awarded the Order of the Golden Star. I had the honor to hand them over to the relatives of our heroes - Sergeant Volodymyr Balyuk, Master Sergeant Oleksandr Tsyupak, Major Pavlo Sbytov.

https://www.president.gov.ua/en/news/lend-liz-ta-inshi-programi-pidtrimki-ukrayini-ce-dokaz-sho-s-74669

 

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy presented the Golden Star orders to servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine who were awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine and to family members of the warriors who were posthumously awarded this title.

The solemn ceremony took place in the White Hall of Heroes of Ukraine at the Mariyinsky Palace in Kyiv.

The Head of State stressed that it is a great honor for him to award the heroes who are in our history and always remain in our memory. After all, they are fighting for our lives and freedom, for an opportunity for millions of Ukrainians to be with their families in their homes.

"We will always be grateful to all those who stood up for our country in this war waged by Russia. And we will always remember each and every one who gave life for Ukraine and for each of us," Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

The President reminded that today is the 65th day of Ukraine's full-scale war for its land against Russia.

"Russia hoped that we would not withstand even five days. But thanks to the heroes who are here today among us, thanks to our unity and desire to live freely, we are fighting," he said.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine will beat the occupiers until it liberates its land and its people.

The Head of State thanked all those who are now on the frontline, who are doing everything in their power to help Ukraine win.

"And Ukraine will definitely win," he said.

The President noted that on behalf of the entire Ukrainian people he bows his head to the relatives of the heroes who died for Ukraine.

"In this hall of the Mariyinsky Palace, where we met the highest guests of the state, we express our highest respect to our heroes. In this White Hall of Heroes of Ukraine, we award those thanks to whom Ukraine lives," said Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

https://www.president.gov.ua/en/news/prezident-vruchiv-nagorodi-vijskovim-ta-chlenam-rodin-zagibl-74661

 

Prime Minister of Ukraine

Statement by Denys Shmyhal at a session of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine

We have a lot of news this week pertaining to collaboration with our allies and international partners. Agreements on support for our state. Among major decisions are as follows:

• The European Union has adopted a decision to remove all tariffs and quotas on exports of Ukrainian products. Almost half of our exports falls to Europe, so this is a rather powerful step to support the Ukrainian economy. Thank you for that.
• Poland, Lithuania, Germany, Bulgaria, Romania. We have already agreed and at the same time are actively negotiating the use of port infrastructure of these countries for the export of Ukrainian products.
• The U.S. House of Representatives has approved a bill allowing for confiscation of Russian-linked assets. The proceeds from their sale will be directed to support and rebuild Ukraine.
• The U.S. lawmakers also passed the Lend-Lease Bill to provide military assistance for Ukraine. This is the second time in world history. Again to fight the aggressor in Europe, again to defeat the dictatorship.
• U.S. President Joe Biden has asked Congress for an additional $ 33 billion for Ukraine. I am convinced that this request will find a quick positive answer. After that, the russian army in Ukraine will face even more extremely unpleasant surprises, as most of this assistance is modern weapons.

That is just a small part of what has been achieved on the international front this week. All this brings us closer to victory.

Such strong international support is translated daily into even greater capacity of our army and the resilience of our economy. We adopt a number of decisions every week to restart the economy, provide the army, and support our people who need it most.

As always, the first and topmost priority is to satisfy the needs of our army. Today at the sitting of the Government we are allocating over UAH 119 billion to the Ministry of Defense. Wages, military equipment, fuel, food, protective equipment, weapons. We try to provide our defenders with everything necessary. We allocate more than UAH 28 billion to the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the same purposes.

The next priority is our economy. In the last week we have fixed certain difficulties and problems with fuel. The main reason is the destruction of part of our infrastructure by the enemy, including the shutdown of the Kremenchuk oil refinery plant. The Ministry of Economy and the Ministry of Energy are engaged in constant consultation with fuel companies to address this issue. Today we adopt changes to the state regulation of oil prices, which will allow for solving the issue of fuel shortage at gas stations within 7 days. I will request the relevant ministers to communicate this decision in detail with the public.

Next. Today we will approve a specific plan to ensure food security in Ukraine. This plan provides for the continuation of the program of free distribution of food packages. The state support of agrarians is also taken into account, within the framework of the program "5-7-9" the agricultural sector has already received loans to the tune of about UAH 15 billion. Another important point is the measures to stimulate the processing of agricultural products in our country.

The launch of lending programs at 0% interest has helped not only farmers but also many other businesses to restart their activities. Today we are expanding the program, in particular to enterprises in the area of passenger and freight transportation. In addition, the state financial leasing program will now have the same conditions as the "5-7-9". That is, the most affordable leasing conditions. All these are needed for people and businesses to continue to work.

The following issue is stable operation of the energy sector. Today we take a decision that gas prices for people remain unchanged. No increase. UAH 8 per 1 cubic meter of gas, as it was. The preferential price will also apply to enterprises that perform vital functions to ensure the state's defense capabilities.

By a separate decision, the Government recommends that local authorities and public utilities not raise utility tariffs during the martial law and state of emergency in Ukraine. Tariffs for people should not grow. But we also urge Ukrainians to continue to pay for utilities so that businesses have an opportunity to conduct repair activities and pay wages to their staff.

We also have some critical decisions today in the social sphere. Programs to support IDPs prolong, and for these purposes there have already been transferred over UAH 2.6 billion. A separate issue is housing. Today, the Government will approve a document that will determine which families from among the displaced will be prioritized while providing with housing. These are multi-children families, pregnant women, families with children, people who have lost their ability to work, retirees. The state will purchase housing for temporary residence of such families. We will also renovate the housing stock to accommodate people.

In the Diia, Ukrainians have already registered more than 100,000 applications for compensation for destroyed property. And after the victory we will rebuild everything. Today we are going to expand such opportunities for legal entities. In the near future, they will also be eligible to submit applications through the Diia so that the Government could start compiling a detailed registry of damaged and destroyed property.

And finally. We are opening two new checkpoints on the border with Romania - Dyakivtsi and Krasnoilsk. This will help to further reduce the load on traffic across the border. Besides, Ukraine is negotiating with our European neighbors an issue of the launch of joint checkpoints and conducting joint customs controls, thereby allowing to speed up the customs clearance process.

https://www.kmu.gov.ua/en/news/promova-premyer-ministra-ukrayini-denisa-shmigalya

 

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine

Comment of the MFA on the illegal export of grain by Russia from the temporarily occupied territories of Kherson region

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine strongly condemns the Russian Federation's criminal actions, including the alleged so-called expropriation of crops from farmers in the Kherson region. This decision of the Krasnoyarsk Region Legislative Assembly is nothing more than a direct continuation of the Soviet government's criminal policy, which was responsible for the mass artificial famine in Ukraine in 1921-1923, the Holodomor in 1932-1933, and the mass artificial famine in 1946-1947. Russia follows in the footsteps of the Stalinists and Nazis by stealing grain, which the invaders refer to as "expropriation."

The looting of grain from the Kherson region, as well as the blockade of shipments from Ukrainian ports and the mining of shipping routes, endangers global food security. In total, Ukraine feeds about 400 million people around the world, and Ukrainian grain is traditionally supplied to Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.

Russia is, in fact, harming not only Ukraine, but also customers worldwide through its illegal actions. According to the United Nations, over 1.7 billion people may risk poverty and famine as a result of disruptions in the food production system caused by Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine. Furthermore, Russia continues to intentionally block sowing in Ukraine, destroying agricultural machinery and launching missile strikes across the country.

The illegal export of Ukrainian grain is another example of Russia's destructive acts, which, in particular, contravene the fundamental principles of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) – achieving food security for all and overcoming hunger. The aggressor state's policy puts into doubt the relevance of its participation in FAO and other international organizations.

We demand that Russia stop illicit grain stealing, unblock Ukrainian ports, restore freedom of navigation, and allow trade ships to pass. We urge the international community to strengthen economic sanctions against Russia in order to stop its military aggression against Ukraine, to avert a humanitarian disaster and the world's food security crisis.

 

Minister of Economy of Ukraine

During the international conference "After the War: Rethinking the Future of Civil Society" First Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Economy of Ukraine Yulia Svyrydenko presented the principles of Ukraine's economic recovery plan, which is being developed by the Government, Ministry of Economy, leading experts and business associations. The developers of this "roadmap" are ready to involve the public sector in the formation of the document.

The Minister of Economy named the principles that will form the basis of the recovery plan:

• Full access to the EU and G7 markets. This will help manufacturers integrate into global retail chains and increase exports. The United Kingdom and the European Union have already announced the abolition of import duties on Ukrainian goods. The Government expects similar actions from the governments of the United States, Japan and Canada.
• Obtaining a candidate status and then full membership in the EU. The status will provide Ukraine with access to the European Union's structural funds, which will serve a significant support.
• Building an economy on the principles of deregulation and liberalization. The declarative principle for businesses has been approved regarding the majority of licenses and permits.
• Establishment of logistics routes in the western direction. The Government is working to increase their capacity. The initial results are already in place - a memorandum has been signed between Ukraine and Poland.
• The transition from the export of raw materials to processing in those industries that provide the largest export revenue. Significant growth can be achieved in agriculture and metallurgy through processing.
• Development of the domestic military-industrial complex. It is not only about the purchase of weapons, but production as well, including through the transfer of military technology. This will allow us to establish production as quickly as possible in a wide range - from small arms to air defense systems. At that, military-tech will be a driver of development for the civilian sectors of the economy.
• Self-sufficiency in energy sector will be achieved by increasing domestic gas production and developing nuclear energy. In 3-5 years it is quite possible to gain energy independence.
• Climate modernization. The creation of new facilities in various industries must take into account the principles of the green economy.
• Localization of not less than 60%. Ukrainian companies and producers will be involved in the reconstruction of Ukraine. This will give a boost to the economy, create new jobs, revive entrepreneurial activity.

An important prerequisite is the maximum restoration of transport and social infrastructure of Ukraine in 24 months. The vast majority of Ukrainians who have gone abroad want to return home. And the Government is working to create the conditions for that.

https://www.kmu.gov.ua/en/news/ministr-ekonomiki-predstavila-dorozhnyu-kartu-ekonomichnogo-vidnovlennya-ukrayini

 

Access National Security News HERE.

Access Korean News HERE.

National Security News Content:

1. RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, APRIL 28 (PUTIN'S WAR)
2. Remarks by President Biden on the Request to Congress for Additional Funding to Support Ukraine
3. Biden Asks Congress for $33 Billion to Support Ukraine
4. Pentagon Downplays $7B in US Military Equipment Left in Afghanistan
5. The story of Trevor Reed, the Marine veteran released in Russia prisoner swap
6. Russian spy chief says U.S., Poland plotting division of Ukraine
7. Ground-Based Intermediate-Range Missiles in the Indo-Pacific
8. Testimony on United States Special Operations Command’s efforts to sustain the readiness (SASC)
9. Russian soldier 'admits 25,900 troops have been killed in just two months of fighting' in call intercepted by Ukraine
10. America Needs a Comprehensive Compellence Strategy Against Russia
11.Russia’s Sarmat test underscores need to modernize US nuclear triad
12. The 'Mozart Group' Hopes To Save Ukrainians Trapped In A Steel Plant
13. How to Deter China from Making War
14. US Congress passes law to help Taiwan regain WHO status
15. Presidential Office slams local newspaper for slight against U.S. senator - Focus Taiwan
16. China says Nato has ‘messed up Europe’ and warns over role in Asia-Pacific
17. The War in Ukraine Is a Colonial War
18. The Marine Corps' Intellectual Civil War
19. What is a ‘tactical’ nuke, and would Putin use one?
20. Going underground: Ukraine’s subterranean fighters
21. How Not to Invade a Nation
 

Korean News Content:

1. South Korea arrests two for passing military secrets to North
2. North Korea's Kim calls for stronger military as nuclear test work 'well underway'
3. South Korea to reopen embassy in Kyiv
4. Continued restoration work spotted at N. Korea's nuclear test site: report
5. Punggye-ri Update: Construction and Volleyball - Beyond Parallel
6. N. Korea-China trade fair resumes after 7-yr halt over U.N. sanctions
7. 25% of Yongsan Garrison to be returned before Biden’s Seoul visit
8. Yoon to hold summit with Biden on May 21
9. Moon says there are not only cons but also pros to pardoning ex-President Lee
10. First summit between Yoon and Biden should show strength of alliance
11. New York Times keeps growing its Seoul news hub
12. Army captain leaks military secrets to North Korean spy for cryptocurrency
13. US guided-missile destroyer docks in South Korea after transiting Taiwan Strait: source
14. FM nominee vows to push for Chinese leader's visit to S. Korea
15. Strengthen alliance (ROK/US)
16. Japanese PM unlikely to attend Yoon’s inauguration ceremony: reports
17. North Korea’s Missile Message
18. Otto Warmbier’s parents return to University of Virginia for first time since son’s death
19. The Australian factor in South Korea’s security strategy
20. USFK Practice Seizing Underground Nuclear Facility
21. Korea’s Yoon angling for a Japan reset
 

 

USASOC supports the Joint Force worldwide through irregular warfare campaigning for

integrated deterrence, while preparing for high-end conflict. ARSOF is vital to the Nation

because of our capability to provide asymmetric options with tailorable solutions and a

unique mindset to prevail in any conflict.

 

USASOC is operationally minded with responsibilities to man, train, and equip formations.

We are organized to conduct irregular warfare across the continuum of campaigning,

crisis, and conflict. USASOC’s persistent forward presence, flexibility, and relationships

provide the Nation with enduring asymmetric advantages. 

 

The seven modernization priorities for USASOC are: Irregular Warfare, Information

Advantage, Multi-Domain Operations Interoperability, Next Generation Precision Effects,

Unmanned Systems/Robotics/Artificial Intelligence, Next Generation Mobility, and

Enhanced ARSOF Soldiers. We synchronize within these priorities while remaining a

bottom-up driven organization. We have men and women on the ground identifying

problems and providing requirements. Whether we lead or support, USASOC serves as

a catalyst for innovation through our continued experimentation and operational use. We

are deliberate with our selective disclosure, knowing our initiatives drive adversary

decision cycles. 

Access National Security News HERE.

Access Korean News HERE.

National Security News Content:

1. RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, APRIL 27 (PUTIN'S WAR)
2. The Ukraine War, Redefined
3. How deep does the rot in the Russian army go?
4. Tokyo needs to brace itself for return of a new cold war
5. Can Western Tanks, Artillery, and Missiles Save Ukraine? Don’t Count on It.
6. The Russia-Ukraine War: What Historical Analogies Make Sense?
7. What Have US Special Operators Learned In Ukraine?
8. Sweden, Finland Gave Up Neutrality a Long Time Ago
9. Iran’s attempts to kill Pompeo, current U.S. officials are real and ongoing, Blinken says
10. Russia Uses Cyberattacks in Ukraine to Support Military Strikes, Report Finds
11. White House preparing to ask Congress for massive Ukraine aid package
12. U.S. soldier says Russians using Twitter to learn his Ukrainian location
13. Hiring for the Foreign Service Is Getting an Overhaul
14. Taliban Faces Rising Armed Resistance From Former Government Factions
15. Russia doubles fossil fuel revenues since invasion of Ukraine began
16. Ukraine crisis: Why India is buying more Russian oil
17. US Army to choose whether it’ll pursue a hybrid Bradley vehicle in FY23
18. Russia unable to fight another war after catastrophic military losses
19. U.S. no longer in ‘full-blown’ pandemic phase, Fauci says
20. Japan edges from pacifism to more robust defense stance
21. U.S. has "credible" information Russian troops executed Ukrainians trying to surrender
22. A political reckoning in Sri Lanka as debt crisis grows
23. The Fight for Ukraine Is Forging a New World
24. How the Ukraine War Is Changing Japan
25. Start with the Political: Explaining Russia’s Bungled Invasion of Ukraine
26. Ukraine and the Words That Lead to Mass Murder
27. China delivered a masterstroke while the world watched Taiwan
 

Korean News Content:

1. Biden to visit South Korea, Japan from May 20-24: White House
2. Statement by Press Secretary Jen Psaki on the President’s Travel to the Republic of Korea and Japan
3. Flexibility Can Bring Pyongyang Back to Negotiations
4. A Korean comedy of errors
5. Why North Korea's Nuclear Weapons Build Up Is So Dangerous
6. As South Korea’s Yoon Suk-yeol reaches out to Japan, hopes are high he’ll ‘change the tenor’ of ties
7. North Koreans found 'jailbreaking' phones to access 'forbidden media'
8. North Korean hackers stealing military tech, cybersecurity experts say
9. Yoon and South Korea’s Foreign Policy: Switching between Strategic Ambiguity and Strategic Clarity
10. North Korea Strongman Tosses Around Nuclear Threats in His Most Menacing 
11. Project Reveal New research into North Korea’s digital control system
12. Dr. Sue Mi Terry Announced as New Director of Asia Program
13. Yoon Promises No More Bloating of Government
14. Activist in South Korea restarts illegal leafleting of the North
15. North Korea’s ‘nascent hacker underground’ playing ‘cat and mouse’ with regime
16. S. Korea excluded from Ukraine’s thank-you list of 31 countries
17. K2: The 'Black Panther' Might Be the Best Tank on Earth
18. S. Korea may have misread certain expressions in Kim Jong Un’s personal letter
19. N. Korea is forcibly relocating families with missing relatives to rural areas
20. N. Korea regards suspected COVID-19 cases in political prison camps simply as “cases of the flu”
21. N.K. leader wearing white uniform reminiscent of grandfather