Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[Korrespondent] 21:59 Russian troops struck an industrial enterprise in Kryvyi Rih, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, with a drone. This was reported by the head of the Kryvyi Rih Defense Council, Oleksandr Vilkul.
According to the head of the Defense Council, no one was injured. However, the consequences of the enemy shelling are currently being clarified.
21.37 Ukrainian intelligence has received documents indicating that Russia is preparing a large-scale campaign to destabilize the situation in Ukraine and undermine international support for Kyiv. The official statement was published by the SZRU.
21.14 The Poltava Regional CCC and SP reported that only military personnel with the status of a participant in hostilities will be involved in the alert groups.
The recruitment center selects military personnel who have combat experience and know from their own experience what war is, who the Russian occupiers are, and what the situation is with the manning of the Ukrainian army.
The CCC explained that such servicemen understand the important role of mobilization and the need to replenish units.
"These servicemen work with the understanding that they are supplementing their former units, in fact, giving their former comrades a little rest," the CCK added.
20.11 Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Rustem Umerov stated that the first contracts within the framework of the Drone Deal agreements are already being approved.
Thus, at the meeting, the General Staff discussed the implementation of controlled exports of Ukrainian defense products and new defense partnerships.
"Today we are already working on practical implementation - specific contracts and projects - within the framework of the political agreements of the Drone Deal. The first contracts are already being approved, and at the turn of May-June we expect even more new partnerships," Umerov added.
20.05 Operators of the 1st separate center together with the SBU in coordination with the SBS Deep Strike Center struck a facility where pilot training, ammunition and components for UAVs were carried out. This was reported by the Unmanned Systems Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on May 20. It is noted that as a result of the attack, production and repair facilities were destroyed, which housed four Tiger armored vehicles delivered for repair. All vehicles were destroyed. The head of the school, Lieutenant Colonel Bury, was also eliminated. The total irretrievable loss of manpower is at least 65 people. In addition to personnel and equipment, ammunition and components for the production of unmanned systems were destroyed.
19.51 The UK government has been criticised after its decision to ease some sanctions on Russian oil. As Bloomberg reports, Trade Secretary Chris Bryant admitted that the decision was implemented "clumsily".
This is a license that eases restrictions on aviation fuel produced from Russian oil, mainly in India and Turkey.
Bryant stressed that the government's actions were "clumsy" and led to a misunderstanding of the objectives of the decision. He stressed that responsibility for this lies with him, and apologized to parliament.
According to the minister, the government will terminate the license "at the earliest opportunity."
18.56 All major oil refineries in central Russia have been forced to completely halt or significantly reduce processing after drone attacks over the past two weeks, Reuters reported, citing official data and market sources.
In the second half of May, plants in central Russia, which supply the domestic market and a significant share of petroleum product exports, almost stopped working.
Among the large refineries in the central part of the country that were attacked were plants in Kirishi, Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, Ryazan, and Yaroslavl.
18.28 In Odessa, rescuers neutralized the unexploded warhead of a Russian "Shahed" drone that hit a residential building and got stuck in the facade at the 15th floor level. This was reported by the regional State Emergency Service Department.
16.05 Since the beginning of the war, Russia has destroyed 46 passenger cars of JSC Ukrzaliznytsia (UZ) and 42 suburban train cars, another 200 cars and an Intercity+ train are in the queue for repair due to shelling, drone strikes and collisions. UZ reported this on May 20. It is noted that about 1.1 thousand cars are also waiting for inspection and removal from operation due to their age and unusable condition.
15.57 Two of Russia's largest oil refineries, which supply fuel to Moscow and the region, have stopped oil processing after a series of drone attacks, Reuters reports, citing industry sources.
Rosneft 's Ryazan Refinery has stopped operating since May 15, while Gazpromneft's Moscow Refinery has stopped operating since May 17.
15.39 Ukrainian drones would not have appeared in the airspace of the European Union without a full-scale Russian invasion. NATO Secretary General Marco Rutte stated this during a press conference in Brussels, Ukrinform reports.
"What has happened over the past few days is exactly what we have been preparing for - a calm, decisive and proportionate response to these drone incursions. And if the drones are flying from Ukraine, they are not there because Ukraine wanted to send them to Latvia, Lithuania or Estonia. They are there because of Russia's reckless, illegal full-scale attack that took place in 2022 - after what the Russian Federation did against Ukraine in Crimea in 2014," Rutte recalled.
15.39 Ukraine is preparing for a possible Russian offensive in the Chernihiv-Kyiv direction. This was announced by President Volodymyr Zelensky on Telegram following a meeting of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief's Headquarters. There is information about the preparation of new mobilization steps in Russia - plus 100 thousand people, the head of state noted.
15.19 The Security Service of Ukraine has dismantled a scheme in the Kyiv region to illegally evade mobilization and smuggle men abroad, the SBU press service reported.
14.52 Ukraine has the right to defend itself against Russia by all available methods and to receive strong security guarantees. Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar said this during a joint press conference with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in Warsaw, Ukrinform reported.
13.41 As a result of a massive attack by "shaheeds" on Konotop, an elderly woman was killed and 11 more people were injured. This was reported by the head of the Sumy OVA Oleg Grigorov in Telegram.
12.56 In some areas of Lithuania, including the capital Vilnius, an air alert was declared for the first time in connection with a "suspicious drone." The country's top leadership went into hiding.
"Lithuania has declared an air alert in some parts of the country after a suspicious drone was spotted near the border approaching from Belarus. NATO airspace patrols in the Baltic region have been intensified," the Lithuanian Ministry of Defense reported.
Citizens of the country were sent an alert demanding to immediately go to shelters. A "red" alarm signal was declared in the Vilnius district. People hid in parking lots, schoolchildren - in corridors and under desks.
Representatives of the country's top leadership were also transferred to shelters. In addition, Vilnius airport was temporarily closed.
An airstrike was later sounded in the Vilnius region. According to police, there were no reports of a drone crash in Lithuania.
12.24 Ukrainian intelligence officers intercepted a conversation indicating that the Russian army suffered losses in the Orikhiv direction due to mass alcohol poisoning of soldiers. The corresponding audio recording was published by the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
Mass poisoning was recorded in the ranks of the 166th separate motorized rifle regiment of the 19th motorized rifle division of the 58th Army, operating in the Orikhiv direction on the Zaporizhia Front.
"There's a guard post there at the SNT (SNT), ours was there, remember Chingis, Chingis, where there were a lot, a lot of 200 who were poisoned by the blue stuff," says one Russian.
"There were 8 or 10 bodies lying there," the source confirmed, adding that the bodies had not been evacuated for at least five or six days.
"Both ours and the allies were neatly folded, covered with sleeping bags, as if they were lying down," he described.
12.06 For the second time this week, the Ukrainian military struck the Lukoil-Nizhegorodorgsintez refinery in Kstovo, and also struck other facilities of the Russian invaders. This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
11.37 A Russian missile strike on Pryluky in Chernihiv Oblast on May 19 killed four people - two men, a woman and a 15-year-old boy. 30 people were injured. Businesses, shopping malls, shops, pharmacies, educational institutions, apartments and houses were damaged.
10.49 An increased radiation background has been detected on the wreckage of a Russian attack drone, with which the Russians attacked the Chernihiv region on April 7 of this year. This was reported by the SBU.
The level of gamma radiation is 12 μSv/h, which significantly exceeds the natural radiation background and poses a threat to human health.
10.22 On Wednesday morning, eight regions of Ukraine experienced power outages due to Russian shelling and bad weather. Ukrenergo reported this. Emergency restoration work is already underway wherever security conditions currently allow.
9.44 US President's special envoy Steve Witkoff plans to visit Moscow "in the near future," Kirill Dmitriev, a special representative of Russian President Vladimir Putin, said.
"Witkoff plans to visit Russia in the near future," he said.
At the same time, Dmitriev did not specify either the exact date of the visit or its possible purpose.
9.23 On the night of May 20, Russia attacked Ukraine with an Iskander-M ballistic missile and 154 Shahed, Gerber, Italmas attack UAVs, and Parodia-type simulator drones.
Air defenses shot down/suppressed 131 Shahed, Gerbera, Italmas UAVs and other drones in the north, south and east of the country. A ballistic missile and 23 strike drones were recorded at 20 locations, as well as the fall of downed drones (fragments) at six locations.
8.58 China denies Reuters' publication about secret training in China of Russian military personnel who later participated in the war against Ukraine. This is stated in the response of the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China, provided to Ukrinform in response to a request.
"On the issue of the Ukrainian crisis (this is how China officially calls Russia's war against Ukraine - ed.), China has consistently adhered to an objective and impartial position and made efforts to promote peace negotiations," the statement said.
A spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry noted that Beijing's "consistent and clear" position has been recognized and supported by the international community.
"The parties to the conflict should not deliberately incite confrontation or shift blame to others," he said.
China considers the Reuters publication an attempt to shift blame for the Russian-Ukrainian war to the Chinese side and calls for refraining from escalating the conflict.
8.35 Over the past 24 hours, 250 combat clashes have been recorded on the front. Aviation, missile troops and artillery of the Defense Forces hit five command posts, three personnel concentration areas, two artillery systems and three enemy drone control posts.
8.19 Russia attacked Odessa with strike drones. As a result of the attack, the residential sector, warehouse facilities, as well as a critical infrastructure facility of the city were damaged.
Information about the victims is currently being clarified.
Rescuers worked simultaneously at several locations, eliminating the consequences of the strikes. In one of the city districts, a one-story residential building was destroyed and then caught fire. A drone was recorded hitting the 18th floor of an unfinished 24-story building. A large-scale fire also broke out in a warehouse building.
7.54 Russian troops attacked two districts of Dnipropetrovsk region with missiles, drones and artillery. In Dnipro, a food warehouse, private houses and a car were damaged in a night attack. Two people were killed.
Six people were injured. A 42-year-old woman and men aged 47 and 25 are in hospital in serious condition. Two men aged 47 and 40 are hospitalised in moderate condition. A 27-year-old man will be treated as an outpatient.
The Russians also targeted the Petrykivska community of the Dnipro district. An enterprise was damaged. In the Nikopol region, the district center, Marhanetska, Pokrovska and Chervonohryhorivska communities were under attack. An enterprise, an apartment building, private homes and cars were damaged.
7.25 From February 24, 2022 to May 20, 2026, the total combat losses of Russian troops on the territory of Ukraine amounted to approximately 1,352,070 people (+920 per day).
4.56 Russia launched massive strikes on several Ukrainian cities on the night of May 20. Dnipro suffered the most - five people were injured, two in serious condition, and warehouses with food were damaged. Attacks were also recorded in Kharkiv and Odessa. This is reported by the reports of the leaders of the OVA.
2.58 Russian drones attacked Konotop, a high-rise building was hit, people may be under the rubble. This was reported by the city's mayor, Artem Semenikhin, on Telegram.
The official wrote that there were many injured, but the exact number is unknown. It is also not yet known for sure about the number of dead.
Before that, a series of explosions sounded in the city. Konotop came under a powerful attack by Russian drones.
2.35 Russia attacked the Dnieper on the night before May 20. The strike caused a fire, and five people were injured - two of them are in serious condition. This was reported by the head of the OVA, Oleksandra Ganzhi.
Around midnight, explosions were heard in Dnipro amid the threat of ballistic weapons. The OVA reported a fire at the scene of the impact. Initially, it was known about two victims.
00.59 A series of explosions were heard in Dnipro after the announcement of the threat of the use of ballistic weapons on the night of May 20. This was reported by Ukrinform.
Later, the head of the Dnipropetrovsk OVA, Oleksandr Ganzha, confirmed the enemy attack, and later added that two people were injured as a result of it.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[Korrespondent] The enemy army is most actively trying to advance in the Hulyaipol area, where four clashes are currently underway.
Since the beginning of the day, the Russian occupation army has attacked the positions of the Defense Forces 38 times, which is significantly less than yesterday's figure. This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in an operational summary as of 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 20.
Thus, three clashes occurred in the North-Slobozhansk and Kursk directions.
In the South Slobozhansky direction, the enemy stormed once near Staritsa.
In the Lyman direction, three attempts by the invaders to advance in the areas of the settlements of Drobysheve, Lyman, and Yampil were stopped.
In the Kostyantynivka direction, the invaders carried out five attacks near Kostyantynivka, Toretskoye, and Kucherovy Yar. Two clashes are ongoing.
In the Pokrovsk direction, the invaders tried 10 times to push our soldiers out of the occupied positions in the areas of the settlements of Rodynske, Hryshyne, Novooleksandrivka, Pokrovsk, Kotlyne, Udachne, and Molodetske. One clash is ongoing.
In the Oleksandrivka direction, the enemy attacked four times in the areas of Oleksandrivka and Kalynivka.
In the Hulyaipil direction, 15 attacks were repelled towards the settlements of Nove Zaporizhzhia, Dobropillya, Zaliznychne, Hulyaipilske, Olenokostyantynivka, Charivne. Four clashes are ongoing.
On the Orikhiv direction, the Russians once attacked in the Shcherbaky area.
The enemy did not conduct any active operations in the Kupyansk, Sloviansk, Kramatorsk, and Prydniprovsk directions today.
The day before, the media reported that the Armed Forces of Ukraine had neutralized the main tactic of the Russian army. Ukrainians had learned to track and eliminate almost all enemy soldiers from the so-called "infiltration" groups.
There was also information that the Ukrainian Armed Forces were having successes near Pokrovsk.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[NewsFront] 22:05 FPV drone crews of the 11th and 44th Army Corps of the North group destroyed equipment and manpower of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Khar'kov and Sumy regions.
UAV operators from the Vostok group eliminated enemy drone control centers.
The Southern Group's drone crews destroyed three enemy ground robotic systems in the Konstantinovsky direction.
Drone operators from the Novorossiysk paratroopers thwarted an attempt to rotate Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel in the Zaporizhzhia direction.
FPV drone operators from the Center group destroyed enemy equipment and rammed enemy drones in the Dobropillya direction.
22:03 In the period from 14:00 Moscow time to 20:00 Moscow time, air defense systems on duty intercepted and destroyed 12 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles of the aircraft type over the territories of the Belgorod, Bryansk, Kaluga, Kursk, Novgorod regions and the Krasnodar Territory.
20:05 Crews of T-90M "Proryv" tanks of the 25th Combined Arms Army of the "West" group destroyed camouflaged dugouts, strongpoints and enemy manpower in the Krasnolimansk direction.
Tank crews from the Vostok group attacked Ukrainian Armed Forces strongholds in the Zaporizhzhia region.
18:53 Calculation of the Lancet loitering munition from the Varyag Brigade burned unmanned boat of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (Zmeiny Island area, Black Sea). AI: 50th Separate Unmanned Systems (UAS) Brigade "Varyag" is an elite drone warfare formation within the Russian Armed Forces 16:44 Military personnel from the Center air surveillance posts using Yolka interceptor drones liquidated Ukrainian Armed Forces drones, ensuring the security of our troops' logistics routes (Dobropillya direction).
15:37 In the period from 9:00 Moscow time to 14:00 Moscow time, air defense systems on duty intercepted and destroyed 94 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles of the fixed-wing type flew over the territories of the Belgorod, Bryansk, Kaluga, Kursk, Nizhny Novgorod, Novgorod, Pskov, Rostov, Ryazan, Smolensk, Tver, Tula regions, the Moscow region, the Krasnodar and Stavropol territories, the Republic of Crimea and over the waters of the Sea of Azov.
14:14 Merlin crew guiding "Krasnopol" laser guided artillery round, hit an Ukrainian Armed Forces command post
The crew of the Merlin-VR reconnaissance UAV of the 51st Guards Combined Arms Army of the Center group identified an enemy target.
The artillerymen fired a high-precision Krasnopol projectile at the transmitted coordinates.
12:27 Operational-tactical aviation, attack unmanned aerial vehicles, missile forces and artillery of the troop groups of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation destroyed the self-propelled anti-aircraft gun "Gepard" produced in Germany, damaged fuel and energy infrastructure facilities used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, ammunition depots, assembly shops and storage sites for long-range unmanned aerial vehicles, as well as temporary deployment points of Ukrainian armed forces and foreign mercenaries in 143 districts.
12:20 Summary of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation on the progress of the Special Military Operation (as of May 20, 2026)
Units of the North group of forces improved their tactical position, inflicting losses on the manpower and equipment of the mechanized and airborne assault brigades, the assault regiment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and two territorial defense brigades in the areas of the settlements of Bachevsk, Bunyakino, Velyka Pisarevka, Degtyarnoye, and Khoten in the Sumy region.
In the Khar'kov region, three mechanized brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and a territorial defense brigade were defeated in the areas of the settlements of Bely Kolodez, Izbitskoye, Ryasnoye and Staritsa in the Khar'kov region.
The enemy lost up to 165 servicemen, two armored combat vehicles, 14 cars and three electronic warfare stations.
Units of the "West" force group have occupied more advantageous positions and lines. The personnel and equipment of five mechanized brigades, an assault brigade, an airmobile brigade, and two territorial defense brigades have been defeated near the settlements of Podliman and Shiykovka in the Khar'kov region, and Krasny Liman, Prishyb, Sidorov, and Tatyanovka in the Donetsk People's Republic.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost up to 180 servicemen, a tank, an M113 armored personnel carrier, and a US-made HMMWV armored car, three field artillery pieces, including a 155mm American M-777 howitzer and a 155mm Paladin M-109A6 self-propelled artillery unit, 20 vehicles, and a radio-electronic reconnaissance station.
Units of the Southern Group of Forces have improved their position along the forward edge. Formations of three mechanized brigades, a motorized infantry brigade, a mountain assault brigade, and an airmobile brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces have been defeated near the villages of Druzhkovka, Konstantinovka, Kramatorsk, Malinovka, Nikolaevka, Orekhovatka, and Rai-Aleksandrivka in the Donetsk People's Republic.
The enemy lost up to 100 servicemen, a German-made Leopard tank, a Cossack combat armored vehicle, 14 vehicles, three artillery pieces, and a radar station.
Units of the Center Group of Forces have taken up more advantageous positions and lines. They have inflicted losses on the personnel and equipment of the mechanized, assault, and airmobile brigades, an assault regiment, an unmanned aerial systems battalion of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, two naval infantry brigades, the Azov* special forces brigade, and three National Guard brigades near the settlements of Dobropillya, Kuritsyno, Kucherov Yar, Lenina, Novooleksandrivka, Novy Donbas, Rubizhne, Svetloe, and Shevchenko in the Donetsk People's Republic, and Ivanivka in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.
The Ukrainian armed forces lost over 255 servicemen, four armored combat vehicles, two cars, and a US-made 155mm Paladin self-propelled artillery unit.
Units of the "East" force group continue to advance deep into the enemy's defenses. The personnel and equipment of two mechanized brigades, four airborne assault brigades, and two assault regiments of the Ukrainian Armed Forces have been defeated near the settlements of Velykomykhaylovka, Gavrilovka, Orly, Pokrovskoe, and Chaplino in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, and Vozdvizhevka, Novoselivka, and Trudovoye in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost more than 240 servicemen, an infantry fighting vehicle, and six vehicles.
Units of the Dnepr group of forces defeated formations of the mountain assault brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and two territorial defense brigades in the areas of the settlements of Belenkoe, Novooleksandrivka and Novomykhailivka in the Zaporizhzhia region.
More than 50 Ukrainian Armed Forces servicemen, two combat armored vehicles, 18 cars, two artillery pieces, including a US-made 155mm M777 howitzer and an electronic warfare station were destroyed.
11:19 In the period from 7:00 Moscow time to 9:00 Moscow time, air defense systems on duty intercepted and destroyed 61 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles of the fixed-wing type flew over the territories of the Belgorod, Bryansk, Leningrad, Kaluga, Kursk, Novgorod, Smolensk regions, the Moscow region and the Stavropol Territory.
11:03 Footage of destruction of the American Paladin self-propelled gun of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
10:19 In the period from 7:00 Moscow time to 9:00 Moscow time, air defense systems on duty intercepted and destroyed 61 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles of the fixed-wing type flew over the territories of the Belgorod, Bryansk, Leningrad, Kaluga, Kursk, Novgorod, Smolensk regions, the Moscow region and the Stavropol Territory.
07:41 During the past night, in the period from 20:00 Moscow time on May 19 to 7:00 Moscow time on May 20, air defense systems on duty intercepted and destroyed 273 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles of the fixed-wing type flew over the territories of Belgorod, Bryansk, Voronezh, Volgograd, Kaluga, Kursk, Lipetsk, Leningrad, Nizhny Novgorod, Novgorod, Oryol, Rostov, Smolensk, Tver, Tula regions, Krasnodar Krai, Stavropol Krai, the Republic of Crimea, the Republic of Tatarstan, the Moscow region and over the waters of the Azov and Black Seas.
07:34 Changes onmapover the past 24 hours:
Volohovka was liberated
07:28 122mm D-30 howitzer crew of the Dnepr group destroyed Ukrainian Armed Forces equipment in the Zaporizhzhia region.
Artillerymen from the Vostok group fired from 152mm Msta-B systems at enemy drone control points in the Dnipropetrovsk region.
05:01 122mm BM-21 Grad crews of the 400th Self-propelled Artillery Regiment of the Center group inflicted massive artillery strike on Ukrainian Armed Forces positions.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[KavkazUzel] Today, residents of southern Russia and the descendants of Circassians expelled from their historical homeland in various countries around the world commemorate the Day of Remembrance of the Adyghe, victims of the Caucasian War that ended 162 years ago.
As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," residents of Kabardino-Balkaria, Karachay-Cherkessia, and Adygea annually mark the anniversary of the end of the Caucasian War with memorial events. A memorial rally was held in Nalchik on May 20, and that evening, activists gathered at the "Tree of Life" monument and lit 101 candles.
The Caucasian War, which lasted from 1763 to 1864, brought the Adyghe people to the brink of extinction. After the war and the mass deportation of the Adyghe to the Ottoman Empire, only slightly more than 50,000 remained in their homeland. Russian authorities have still not recognized the Circassian genocide committed during the war, according to a report from the "Caucasian Knot." The end of the war was marked by a parade of Russian troops in Krasnaya Polyana on May 21, 1864.
The Caucasian War is the longest military conflict involving the Russian Empire, lasting nearly 100 years. The memory of it remains highly politicized, and authorities are increasingly returning to imperial interpretations of the events, ignoring its key lessons: attempts at forced unification and the destruction of local self-government systems deepen contradictions and conflicts, according to historians interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" in 2025.
Scholars have encountered problems with politicized attitudes toward the events of the Caucasian War before: for example, Dagestani historian Khadzhimurad Donogo noted in 2020 that specialists in this field are being forced to smooth over "rough edges" during the dissertation defense stage.
The main consequence of the Caucasian War for the Adyghe was the expulsion of the overwhelming majority of the ethnic group from their native lands, according to historian Zaurbek Kozhev.
HISTORIANS POINT TO A LACK OF FREEDOM IN STUDYING THE CAUCASIAN WAR
"This topic is rarely mentioned in the public sphere; it's only mentioned on May 21st. It's hushed up in school education, even at the regional level, let alone the federal one: the topic of the Caucasian War is relegated to a backseat, and the language recently increasingly resembles that of the Russian Empire—that is, the Caucasus was pacified, the highlanders carried out raids, and imperial and tsarist troops restored order—that's the main thesis. All topics related to the assessment of the Caucasian War as an anti-colonialist struggle of local peoples have, of course, gradually been removed from official discourse," he stated.
A colleague of Kozhev's, who works at a university in the North Caucasus, assesses the consequences of the Caucasian War for the Adyghe people as catastrophic, stating that they "led to a demographic catastrophe of unprecedented proportions." He believes the main lesson from the history of the Caucasian War is "the understanding that a military solution to ethnopolitical conflicts is never final."
In 1992, Kabardino-Balkaria, and in 1996, Adygea, officially recognized the genocide of the Circassian people. However, in the early 2000s, the activities of Circassian social movements were suppressed, lawyer Zaur Shokuev recalled earlier. He stated that this suppression of civic activism "has led to an increased tendency toward revisionism and denial of the historical facts of the genocide."
AUTHORITIES CONTROL AND RESTRICT PUBLIC MEMORIAL EVENTS
In Kabardino-Balkaria, May 21, the day of remembrance for the victims of the Caucasian War, has been marked for the past 20 years, since 2006, with a march carrying Circassian flags. Residents of the republic participate in the march in national costumes, and this event is being held solely as a grassroots initiative, public figure Azamat Shormanov previously told the "Caucasian Knot."
"We've been holding this event since 2006, and the people are the main organizers and initiators. The standard program: a procession in national dress, people bringing symbols of their family trees, and marching with Circassian flags. Families come: the older generation, children, and young people. This is how it's evolved since 2006, and now it's a multi-thousand-strong event," he said.
This year, a week before the commemorative date, security forces began handing out warnings to residents of Kabardino-Balkaria against participating in the May 21 march, prompting human rights activists to call on the head of the republic to intervene. Despite the warnings, which threaten criminal prosecution, activists in Nalchik do not intend to cancel their traditional event.
A year earlier, at least eight people were detained in Nalchik during a march with Circassian flags marking the 161st anniversary of the end of the Caucasian War. They were sentenced to three to ten days of administrative arrest for participating in an unauthorized protest and obstructing traffic. The only woman among the eight detainees, Marina Kalmykova, was released after three days of detention on May 25. Khusein Gugov, Zuber Euaz, Timur Nakhushev, Kazbek Mamikov, and Bashir Yerokov were released on May 27, while Idar Tsipinov and Beslan Gedgafov were released later. Timur Nakhushev and Zuber Euaz appealed the decisions of the Nalchik City Court; Kazbek Mamikov did not file a complaint after his arrest, considering it futile.
The civic stance of participants in the commemorative event in Nalchik regarding the anniversary of the end of the Caucasian War is mixed: some activists call for this date to be perceived as a day of remembrance for ancestors, while others insist on a fair assessment of the events and the preservation of knowledge of the historical truth.
In Adygea, large-scale events marking the anniversary of the end of the Caucasian War are not being held due to heightened security measures. Adyghe activist Asker Sokht reported that in Maykop, on the 161st anniversary of the end of the Caucasian War, participants in an unofficial commemorative event were detained. It was later revealed that security forces released them without charges, but two activists were forced to write statements of explanation. In Karachay-Cherkessia, authorities have also taken full control of all commemorative events in recent years.
Valery Khatazhukov, head of the Kabardino-Balkaria Human Rights Center, is outraged by the security forces' actions to restrict peaceful memorial gatherings. "All over the world—in Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Germany, and the United States—the Adyghe have the opportunity to freely honor the victims of the Caucasian War. However, in their own homeland, they face annual obstacles. This is unimaginable and utterly illogical," he emphasized.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[Regnum] A local resident was detained in Krasnodar Krai for plotting to set fire to a railway power supply facility. This was reported on May 20 by the Public Relations Center ( PRC ) of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB).
The agency clarified that the man was recruited via Telegram by a representative of a Ukrainian terrorist organization banned in Russia. Under his instructions, the Krasnodar resident planned to set fire to an energy facility using homemade incendiary devices.
Furthermore, the detainee spread false information online about Russian military personnel participating in the special operation. He also urged Telegram users to transfer money to an illegal armed group operating under the auspices of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the security service stated.
A criminal case was opened against the man under Part 1 of Article 30, Part 1 of Article 205 ("Preparation for a terrorist act"), Part 2 of Article 205.5 ("Participation in the activities of a terrorist organization"), Part 1 of Article 280.3 ("Discrediting the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation"), Part 2 of Article 280.4 ("Public calls for activities against state security"), and Article 275 ("High treason") of the Russian Criminal Code. The court remanded the defendant in custody.
Earlier, on May 18, Irkutsk Region resident Artyom Asalkhudin was sentenced to 18 years in prison for treason and plotting to sabotage a railway. The court found that in 2022, he posted comments on Telegram justifying terrorism, and in 2023, he contacted representatives of a Ukrainian terrorist organization and expressed his desire to join it.
Under their orders, Asalhudin placed propaganda symbols in Ust-Ilimsk and then intended to set fire to a relay cabinet on the East Siberian Railway. Prior to this, he had undergone training in sabotage. The convicted man will spend the first five years of his sentence in prison, and the remainder in a maximum-security penal colony.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[Regnum] Air defense systems destroyed 780 Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF) drones in the special operation zone in the past 24 hours. The Russian Defense Ministry press service reported this on May 20.
The department clarified that air defense forces shot down four guided aerial bombs.
In addition, Russian Army forces struck a German-made Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft gun, fuel and energy infrastructure facilities that the enemy had exploited, ammunition depots, assembly plants and storage sites for long-range unmanned aerial vehicles, as well as temporary deployment sites for the Ukrainian Armed Forces and foreign mercenaries in 143 districts. The strikes were carried out using tactical aviation, drones, missile forces, and artillery.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces have recently intensified attacks on civilian targets in Russia. On May 19, a man was killed in the detonation of a Ukrainian drone in the Belgorod region. The enemy struck the UAV in the village of Novaya Nelidovka, resulting in the civilian dying at the scene from his injuries.
Russian President Vladimir Putin previously noted that Ukrainian troops are deliberately targeting civilians and civilian objects in Russia. The head of state described the methods used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the Kyiv regime's foreign mercenaries as terrorist.
[FOX] LASK, Poland — Poland is expected to receive its first F-35 fighter jets "very, very soon", Polish Deputy Defense Minister Paweł Zalewski told Fox News Digital, as American and Polish forces prepare together at a key NATO air base near the alliance’s eastern flank.
Fox News Digital received exclusive access to Poland's 32nd Tactical Air Base in Lask, where commanders pointed to the hangars being prepared for the arrival of the U.S.- made fifth-generation aircraft, part of Poland's $4.6 billion purchase of 32 F-35s from Lockheed Martin.
The jets have not arrived yet, but the partnership behind them already has.
Polish and American personnel train, operate and in some cases are stationed together on the base, reflecting the unusually close military relationship between Warsaw and Washington at a time when NATO burden-sharing remains under political scrutiny.
Lt. Col. Pete Nanoslawski, commander of the 52nd Operations Group Detachment 1 of the U.S. Air Force, originally from New York and stationed in Poland for the past five years, told Fox News Digital that Poland’s military modernization has significantly deepened cooperation between the two militaries.
"We are experiencing incredible support from Polish-provided logistics support and Polish-provided infrastructure," Nanoslawski said while standing alongside Polish commanders on the base.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
