May 22, 2023 - Russia-Ukraine news

By Tara Subramaniam, Christian Edwards, Leinz Vales and Elise Hammond, CNN

Updated 12:12 a.m. ET, May 23, 2023
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1:28 p.m. ET, May 22, 2023

Ukrainian official confirms group of Ukraine-aligned Russians crossed into Russian territory and attacked town

From CNN’s Anna Chernova

The governor of Russia’s Belgorod region said on Monday that “a sabotage and reconnaissance group” of the Ukrainian army had crossed into Russian territory — and Ukraine confirmed the group was made up of Russian nationals.

Vyacheslav Gladkov said forces had entered the territory of the Graivoronsky district, which borders Ukraine.

“The armed forces of the Russian Federation, together with the border service, the National Guard and the FSB (Russia's security service), are taking the necessary measures to eliminate the enemy,” Gladkov said.

CNN is unable to verify the report.

Earlier on Monday, Gladkov claimed on Telegram that the district had been shelled by Ukrainian forces since 9 a.m. local time (2 a.m. ET), but added that no one had been injured.

The villages of Antonovka, Kozinka and Gora-Podol had been hit by shells or debris, Gladkov said.

What Ukraine says: A Ukrainian defense intelligence official has confirmed to CNN that a group of Russian nationals that crossed from Ukraine into Russia’s Belgorod region and attacked the town of Grayvoron were “part of the defense and security forces in Ukraine but acting as “independent entities” in Russia. 

Andriy Yusov, a representative of Ukraine’s defense intelligence agency, told CNN: “We can confirm that this operation was carried out by Russian citizens. These actions are the consequences of intensified Russian cross border attacks, which have led to victims and destruction.” 

Yusov said that the units that had crossed the border were, “part of defense and security forces” in Ukraine but said: “In Russia, they are acting as independent entities.” 

Groups called the "Freedom of Russia Legion" and "Russian Volunteer Corps" claimed the attack on Belgorod region. In a Telegram post, they said they had, “fully liberated the settlement of Kozinka of Belgorod region. [The] first groups have entered Grayvoron.

Border strikes increase: Strikes on the Belgorod region appear to have intensified in recent weeks, according to claims by Russian officials.

Earlier this month, Gladkov claimed two drones had detonated and fell over a residential area in the region. He added that no casualties were reported, but two residential buildings and a car were damaged.

Another drone was shot down by Russian air defense systems over the region, Gladkov said. The governor said there were no casualties and that response teams are assessing the aftermath on the ground.

9:08 a.m. ET, May 22, 2023

Analysis: Wagner forces claim to have taken Bakhmut. But Ukraine's forces could still exact a heavy toll

From CNN's Sam Kiley

Wagner mercenary group fighters wave flags of Russia and Wagner group on top of a building in an unidentified location in this still image obtained from a video released on May 20 along with a statement by Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin about taking full control of the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut.
Wagner mercenary group fighters wave flags of Russia and Wagner group on top of a building in an unidentified location in this still image obtained from a video released on May 20 along with a statement by Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin about taking full control of the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut. Prigozhin Press Service/Reuters

Seldom in the history of warfare has so much been said, amid so much death, about a place that mattered so little – but that’s the Battle for Bakhmut for you. For now.

The leader of the Russian mercenary company Wagner claimed Saturday that his men had captured the town from Ukraine after “224 days of fighting.” Ukraine has denied the claim – and insisted that not only has Bakhmut not fallen but that it’s being flanked by Kyiv’s forces.

Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister, Hanna Maliar, said Monday that Ukrainian forces are still in control of some buildings in the southwest of Bakhmut and that the two sides were still fighting for control of “the dominant heights on the flanks” north and south of the city’s suburbs.

For months Ukrainian commanders in charge of troops on the ground, and the troops themselves, have scratched their heads over why Russia was prepared to invest so much materiel, and spend so many Russian lives, on trying to capture a town that has no obvious tactical, let alone strategic, value.

Wagner, and whoever is paying the company’s bills, were profligate with its people.

In December, a member of the International Legion of Defense of Ukraine, fighting in a group of about a dozen men to the south of the town, called from the front line.

“It’s incredible,” he told me. “Those Wagner guys come in waves of, like, 40 at a time. We kill 35. Five get into a trench or a house, then they send another 40 and we shoot another 35 or so. We’re just cutting them down like grass.”

It was assumed the “musicians,” as pro-Russian groups like to call the mercenaries, were largely prisoners. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the company, likes to call them “recidivists.” These convict recruits, some of them facing long sentences, were offered freedom if they survived six months at the front.

Clearly many did not. Instead, they were thrown into what both sides call the “meat grinder.”

“They’re coming at us all the time. We don’t know why they value Bakhmut so much but we know where they are and we know where to kill them,” said a brigade commander at the end of last year.

Read the full analysis here.

9:31 a.m. ET, May 22, 2023

It’s mid-afternoon in Kyiv. Here’s what you need to know

From CNN staff

Who controls Bakhmut? It depends who you ask. According to Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, his troops have captured “all the territories they promised to capture, to the last square centimeter.”

But according to Ukraine’s deputy defense minister Hanna Maliar, Ukrainian forces still occupy “a small part of the city” and are advancing on Bakhmut’s flanks. Images show the devastation inflicted on the city following months of brutal fighting.

Here’s what you need to know:

  • Prigozhin claims victory: Prigozhin posed victorious next to hollowed out buildings in Bakhmut on Saturday, claiming to have taken complete control of the embattled eastern city. On Monday, he confirmed reports from Russian-backed officials that their forces had started to demine the city.
  • Ukraine casts doubt: But Ukraine’s deputy defense minister Maliar said Monday that Ukrainian forces were still in control of some buildings in the southwest of Bakhmut and are advancing on the city’s flanks. She also claimed that Russia had deployed “most of its forces” in the Bakhmut area. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has also denied that Bakhmut is fully occupied by Russia.
  • Zaporizhzhia plant fears: The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant has been reconnected to the Ukrainian power grid, according to Ukrainian energy company Ukrenergo. The plant – currently occupied by Russian forces – had been cut off from the grid after the high-voltage line that supplied it was damaged by a Russian attack on the nearby Dnipro region. The UN’s nuclear watchdog has warned of the “extremely vulnerable” situation at the plant.
  • F-16 talks continue: Ukraine’s quest for US-made F-16 fighter jets received a huge boost when US President Joe Biden gave his backing for Kyiv’s pilots to be trained to fly them. F-16s would be an upgrade to the largely Soviet-era aircraft currently in Ukraine’s fleet. However, analysts have cautioned that the jets aren’t a cure-all and have vulnerabilities that Moscow could exploit.
  • Russia hits back: The US’ decision to support the training of Ukrainian pilots on its F-16s demonstrates that it “has never been interested in peace,” according to the Russian ambassador to the US. Anatoly Antonov claimed that the US “continues to fan the flames of conflict” and that providing Ukraine with jets allows the US to oppose Russia “with other’s hands, by proxy.”
  • China urges dialogue: China’s foreign ministry said it “noticed” Zelensky’s participation in the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan, and repeated its previous claims that Beijing believes the war “should be resolved politically through dialogue and consultation.” Despite Beijing’s growing ties with Moscow, a spokesperson for the foreign ministry said China hopes to play “a constructive role in promoting the political settlement of the crisis.”
  • Attacks on Belgorod: The governor of Russia’s Belgorod region said Monday that “a sabotage and reconnaissance group” of the Ukrainian army had crossed into Russian territory following shelling. Vyacheslav Gladkov said forces had entered the territory of the Graivoronsky district, which borders Ukraine, and that Russian troops “are taking the necessary measures to eliminate the enemy.” CNN is unable to verify the report.

8:06 a.m. ET, May 22, 2023

Russian forces start to demine Bakhmut, Russian-backed official says

From CNN’s Anna Chernova

In this grab taken from video and released by Prigozhin Press Service on May 20, 2023, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner Group military company speaks holding a Russian national flag in front of his soldiers in Bakhmut, Ukraine.
In this grab taken from video and released by Prigozhin Press Service on May 20, 2023, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner Group military company speaks holding a Russian national flag in front of his soldiers in Bakhmut, Ukraine. Prigozhin Press Service/AP

Russian forces in Bakhmut are starting to demine the city, according to the acting head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic.

"The preliminary demining of the city is going on," Denis Pushilin told Russian television on Monday, in comments reported by state media TASS. 

“The Russian forces that liberated the city are checking buildings for explosives. It is important for us to carry out a complete, thorough demining. This is very painstaking and difficult work, given the scale of the hostilities that took place there.” 

The head of the Wagner private military group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, confirmed on his Telegram channel that a demining operation had begun.

Conflicting claims: Prigozhin claimed Saturday to have taken complete control of the eastern city of Bakhmut, after a grinding, months-long offensive.

The next day, he claimed that his forces will leave the front line in eastern Ukraine entirely after “capturing all the territories they promised to capture, to the last square centimeter.”

Prigozhin said he's handing over his positions to the Russian Ministry of Defense after Wagner forces leave

Ukraine, meanwhile, claims it is holding on to a small area in the western part of the city — and that its progress in areas surrounding Bakhmut has left it in a strong position.

7:28 a.m. ET, May 22, 2023

External electricity to Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant restored

From CNN’s Olga Voitovych in Kyiv

Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on March 29.
Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on March 29. (Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) has been reconnected to the Ukrainian power grid, national energy company Ukrenergo said in a statement Monday.

Earlier Monday, Ukrenergo said the plant – currently occupied by Russian forces – had been cut off from the grid after the high-voltage line that supplies it was one of those damaged by a Russian attack on the Dnipro region, to the north of Zaporizhzhia, in the early hours of the morning. 

“As a result of damage to the high-voltage line, the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant lost power from the power system and operated from diesel generators,” it said on Telegram. 

“This is the seventh time since the temporary occupation of the Zaporizhzhia NPP that the Russians have created a nuclear and radiation hazard in the NPP area. Ukrenergo made maximum efforts and restored power to the nuclear plant from the Ukrainian power system,” the statement said.

Military and infrastructure facilities in Dnipro were attacked by Russian missiles and drones early on Monday, according to a Telegram post by the Ukrainian air force.

“Unfortunately, the energy infrastructure was damaged,” Ukrenergo said.

It said the power supply to people in Zaporizhzhia had been cut off. It's now been restored but Ukrenergo appealed for “economical consumption,” especially in peak hours.

Some context: The Zaporizhzhia NPP is the largest in Europe and has been the site of intense shelling since the start of the war. Held by Russian forces, it's mostly operated by a Ukrainian workforce.

Concerns around nuclear safety flared up again this month after Russia began a large-scale evacuation of the area, amid rumors of Ukraine’s looming counteroffensive.

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, has been involved in intense negotiations with Russia and Ukraine to agree on “a set of principles” to reduce the risk of a nuclear accident at the plant, the agency said

8:02 a.m. ET, May 22, 2023

Ukrainians still control some Bakhmut buildings, advancing on flanks, deputy defense minister says

From CNN’s Olga Voitovych in Kyiv and Jo Shelley in London

An aerial view shows destruction in the frontline town of Bakhmut in Donetsk region, Ukraine, in this handout picture released on May 21.
An aerial view shows destruction in the frontline town of Bakhmut in Donetsk region, Ukraine, in this handout picture released on May 21. Press Service of the 93rd Kholodnyi Yar Separate Machanized Brigade/Reuters

Ukrainian forces are still in control of some buildings in the southwest of Bakhmut, two days after Russia claimed to have captured the city, according to Ukraine’s deputy defense minister.

Hanna Maliar also claimed that Kyiv’s troops are advancing on the city’s flanks.

“Yesterday, the Ukrainian Armed Forces retained control of certain industrial facilities and private houses in the southwestern area, the area where the aircraft [monument] is,” Maliar said on Ukrainian television, referring to a monument of an MiG-17 in Druzhba Square.

“Today, we still have control of this small part of the city. The fighting continues,” she added.

Maliar said Russia had deployed “most of its forces” in the Bakhmut area.

In a separate post on Telegram, she said the two sides were still fighting for control of “the dominant heights on the flanks” north and south of the city’s suburbs.

Ukraine’s advance on the flanks had allowed it to shell the Russian troops in the city, she said.

"Due to our movement on the flanks on the north and south, we are able to shell and possibly carry out some destruction of the enemy. In some specific places controlled by the enemy in Bakhmut, they are forced to go on the defensive and hold it in some way, because it is not so easy,” she said.

Maliar added that because Ukrainian troops “moved along the flanks and took the dominant heights there, our Armed Forces made it very difficult for the enemy to be in the place itself. In fact, we continue to advance. The intensity is somewhat reduced. At the same time, we continue to move along this path.”

She claimed that Russian troops are looking for any “sabotage groups” who might resist the occupation of the city in the areas they control.

5:57 a.m. ET, May 22, 2023

Lithuanian foreign minister praises growing F-16 coalition, warns Ukraine needs more heavy weapons

From CNN’s Jorge Engels, James Frater and Brad Lendon

Lithuania's Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis speaks with the media as he arrives for a meeting of EU foreign ministers at the European Council building in Brussels, Belgium, on May 22.
Lithuania's Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis speaks with the media as he arrives for a meeting of EU foreign ministers at the European Council building in Brussels, Belgium, on May 22. (Virginia Mayo/AP)

Lithuania’s foreign minister has praised the growing F-16 international coalition as an "important step forward," but urged allied nations to remember Kyiv also needs more of the Western weaponry that it is already receiving.

Arriving at the meeting of European Union foreign ministers in Brussels on Monday, Gabrielius Landsbergis urged allies not to allow the focus on jets to distract them from sending Ukraine the weaponry they have already provided it in its defense against Russia, like howitzers, Stinger missiles and HIMARS.

“Our support for Ukraine has to be continuous, not just adding new weaponry, but also assisting with what has been said before in the past,” Landsbergis said.  

Also speaking to journalists on arrival at the meeting in Brussels, the EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell said he hoped Ukraine could be provided with F-16s soon.

Borrel said it was “good” that the G7 “finally decided to prepare the ground in order to provide Ukraine with the jet fighters they need.”

“I think that the training of the pilots has already started. This is the first thing to do. And I hope that soon we could provide Ukraine with this kind of arms,” he added.

Jet talks gather pace: Ukraine’s quest for US-made F-16 fighter jets received a big boost over the weekend when US President Joe Biden gave his backing for Kyiv’s pilots to be trained to fly them. 

Biden’s comments at a summit with G7 leaders in Japan came days after Britain and the Netherlands said they were building an “international coalition” to help Ukraine procure F-16s as it seeks to improve its defenses against Russian air attacks.

The F-16s would be an upgrade to the largely Soviet-era aircraft currently in Ukraine’s fleet. President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed Biden’s decision, saying in a tweet, “this will greatly enhance our army in the sky.”

5:18 a.m. ET, May 22, 2023

China reacts to Zelensky participation in G7, saying Ukraine crisis should be resolved through dialogue

From CNN’s Martha Zhou in Beijing

Leaders of the Group of Seven nations attend a session with other guest countries including Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky in Hiroshima, Japan, on May 21.
Leaders of the Group of Seven nations attend a session with other guest countries including Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky in Hiroshima, Japan, on May 21. (Japan Pool/AP)

China’s foreign ministry said Monday that the Ukraine crisis should be resolved through dialogue, after Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky joined leaders of major democracies on Saturday at a summit in Japan.

“We have noticed President Zelensky participated in the G7 summit. China's position on the Ukraine crisis is consistent. We always believe that the crisis should be resolved politically through dialogue and consultation,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said in a regular briefing.

Mao added that China hopes countries, particularly G7 member countries, can work together with the international community to play a “constructive role in promoting the political settlement of the crisis.”

China plays peacemaker: Beijing has repeatedly attempted to portray itself as a peacemaker in the grinding conflict, despite its close ties with Russia.

Li Hui, Beijing’s newly appointed special envoy for the Ukraine war, met with Zelensky in Kyiv last week – the highest ranking Chinese official to travel to Ukraine since the start of Moscow’s devastating war.

However, some Western analysts have questioned whether China’s efforts to promote peace are genuine – and whether its vision of how the conflict might end aligns with Kyiv’s.

During Li’s visit, Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba stressed that peace negotiations must be “based on respect for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

“Ukraine does not accept any proposals that would involve the loss of its territories or the freezing of the conflict,” Kuleba said.

4:59 a.m. ET, May 22, 2023

US backing for Ukrainian pilots' F-16 training shows it's “never been interested in peace,” says Russian ambassador

From CNN's Jo Shelley

Ambassador of Russia to the US Anatoly Antonov attends a briefing by Foreign Minister of Russia Sergey Lavrov at UN headquarters, New York, on April 23.
Ambassador of Russia to the US Anatoly Antonov attends a briefing by Foreign Minister of Russia Sergey Lavrov at UN headquarters, New York, on April 23. (Lev Radin/Pacific Press/Shutterstock)

The Russian ambassador to the US, Anatoly Antonov, has said that America’s decision to support the training of Ukrainian pilots on F-16s and other modern fighter jets demonstrates that it “has never been interested in peace.”

US President Joe Biden informed G7 leaders on Friday that the US would back an effort to train Ukrainian pilots on F16s and other fourth generation aircraft. F-16s are considered high performance weapon systems with a range of 500 miles (860 kilometers), and would be an upgrade to the aircraft currently in Ukraine’s fleet. 

In a post on the Embassy’s Telegram channel, Anotnov was quoted as telling reporters that the US “continues to fan the flames of conflict.”

“So far Washington is opposing us with other’s hands, by proxy. However, every specialist knows that there is no infrastructure for the use of F-16s in Ukraine, and the required number of pilots and maintenance personnel is not there either,” he said.

Russia issues warnings: The ambassador’s words echo those of Russia’s deputy foreign minister Alexander Grushko, who warned Western countries of “enormous risks” if Ukraine is provided with F-16 fighter jets, Russian state media TASS reported Saturday.

“We see that the Western countries are still adhering to the escalation scenario,” Grushko said.

“It involves enormous risks for themselves. In any case, this will be taken into account in all our plans, and we have all the necessary means to achieve the set goals.”