On May 11, Russia carried out six missile attacks, mainly on civilian targets in Sloviansk, Konstantinivka and Zaporizhzhia. In Kherson, as a result of shelling, Junior High School No. 20 – the oldest educational institution in the city – burned down. The systematic destruction of cultural and educational heritage is one of the manifestations of Russia's policy of denationalization. 

On May 13, two civilians, including a child, were killed in shelling in Konstantinivka. In Khmelnytskyi, a nighttime drone attack injured 21 people and damaged civilian infrastructure. In Ternopil, Russian rockets hit warehouses just before Ukrainian artists performed at the Eurovision Song Contest. From a legal perspective, the report of injured children in Luhansk is also significant, showing that hostilities affect the youngest on both sides of the front line.

On May 15, Russia launched a direct attack on the hospital in Avdiivka, killing four people. Attacks on medical facilities are war crimes under the Geneva Conventions. In Dvorichna, shelling killed another two civilians. On the political front, Putin signed a decree facilitating the granting of citizenship to foreigners fighting on Russia's side, which is an attempt to legalize the practice of recruiting mercenaries to participate in aggression.

In the following days, heavy fighting continued for Bakhmut and Marinka, and Ukrainian forces regained approximately 20 sqkm in the suburbs of Bakhmut. On the international arena, there was an important breakthrough: the Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom and the Netherlands announced the formation of an "international coalition" to provide Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets and pilot training. At the same time, European unity was put to the test by Hungary, which blocked a tranche of support from the European Peace Facility. In parallel, South Africa proposed an African peacekeeping mission, which was initially accepted by both sides of the conflict.

On May 17, Ukraine strengthened its ties with the West by becoming a member of the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE), and the Council of Europe decided to establish a register of war damage. In the following days, while the Russians were transferring additional reserves to Bakhmut on the front to stop Ukrainian counterattacks, in the rear they continued the forced passportization of the population and used the tactic of flooding the areas (Vasylovsky district) to hinder the upcoming offensive (May 19). Ukrainian intelligence revealed that despite sanctions Russia was still capable of producing dozens of missiles a month. 

On May 20, Yevgeny Prigozhin announced the complete seizure of Bakhmut, which Ukraine denied, describing the situation as critical. From an international perspective, it was a day of diplomatic dominance for Ukraine during the G7 summit in Hiroshima. Volodymyr Zelensky's presence in Japan and his meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was a symbolic breaking of isolation in relations with the countries of the Global South. The G7 nations issued a joint statement pledging continued support for Ukraine and announced that Russian state assets would remain frozen until Russia paid for the damages, a clear declaration on future reparations.

On May 21, the situation around Bakhmut was reported on with conflicting messages, as President Zelensky clarified during the G7 summit, emphasizing that although the city was razed to the ground, Ukrainian forces had not surrendered but had engaged in a tactical semi-encirclement of the aggressor, maintaining control of key industrial facilities and exit routes. Internationally, it was a breakthrough day: Joe Biden officially announced a $375 million aid package and received guarantees from Ukraine that F-16 fighter jets would not be used to attack Russian territory. At the same time, the Russian command, struggling with massive losses estimated by the US at over 100,000 people in Bakhmut alone, decided to drastically shorten the prisoners' training to just 10 days, exposing desperate attempts to plug gaps in the manpower.

The events of May 22 focused the world's attention on the Russian Belgorod region, where Russian volunteer units fighting on the side of Ukraine (the Freedom of Russia Legion and the Russian Volunteer Corps) carried out a daring raid, taking control of the border town of Kozinka and causing panic in Russian security structures, which Kyiv described as an internal anti-Putin mutiny. At the same time, Russia launched a massive attack on Dnipro and Zaporizhzhia, using Iskander missiles, among others, which led to the seventh disconnection of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant from external power supply, posing a real nuclear threat. On the diplomatic front, the NATO Parliamentary Assembly adopted a declaration recognizing Russian atrocities as genocide, which provides a powerful legal foundation for future international trials.

Illustrative photo/AI generated