War Day 453: Hot developments at the Russian border

Vyacheslav Gladkov, governor of Russia's Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, said on May 22 that a Ukrainian sabotage group had infiltrated the Grayvoron district of the region. At least eight people were injured and three houses and an administrative building were damaged, Gladkov said, according to Reuters. Before the attack, shelling also targeted the village of Glotovo in the Grayvoron district.

Smoke rises from the town of Kozinka, Belgorod

CNN SCREENSHOT

The official announced that the Russian military and security forces are taking measures to eliminate and expel the intruders from Russian territory. He announced urgent counter-terrorism measures in Belgorod, requiring identification through identity documents, and suspending dangerous industrial activities using explosives, radioactive, chemical and biological substances. At the same time, authorities are evacuating people from the area.

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President Vladimir Putin was briefed on the situation. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed the incident and added that there were enough forces in the area to counter the sabotage group, according to TASS. He said the aim of the attack was to distract attention from the fighting in the city of Bakhmut in the eastern Ukrainian Donetsk region and to minimize the political impact of Ukraine's loss of Bakhmut. The Russian Defense Ministry said on the evening of May 21 that it had taken full control of Bakhmut, but Ukraine denied this.

Andrey Yusov, a spokesman for Ukraine's Main Directorate of Military Intelligence, confirmed the raid on Russian territory but insisted Ukraine was not involved. He said the operation was carried out solely by Russian citizens fighting alongside Ukraine, called the Russian Free Army and the Russian Volunteer Army. According to him, the attack was aimed at taking control of some territories to create a security buffer zone to protect Ukrainian civilians.

Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to the Ukrainian president, said Kyiv had nothing to do with the incident in Belgorod and suggested it was the work of armed Russian guerrillas.

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The Free Corps of Russia, a Russian armed group based in Ukraine, said on Twitter that it had captured the border town of Kozinka and had entered the center of Grayvoron district.

Ukraine loses central Bakhmut but advances around city

The Belgorod incident comes after Russia announced it had captured the last buildings in the city of Bakhmut after months. Meanwhile, Ukraine said it had advanced on both flanks of the city and predicted Russia would have to withdraw forces from elsewhere to bring in reinforcements to maintain control of Bakhmut.

Destroyed buildings in Bakhmut in this photo released on May 21

Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said his country's forces were advancing, especially south of Bakhmut, while tensions in the north had temporarily eased.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Russian private military group Wagner, announced on May 22 that he would withdraw his forces from Bakhmut and hand over the position to the Russian military from May 25 to June 1, Reuters reported. Wagner units are said to have played a major role in the battle for Bakhmut with the support of the Russian military.

Power at nuclear power plant restored

Ukraine reconnected its Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant to its own power supply on May 22, Reuters reported. A previous power outage had forced the plant to use backup diesel generators to ensure the operation of its cooling system.

The plant is located in Zaporizhzhia province and is currently controlled by Russia. Last year, Russia announced that Zaporizhzhia and three other regions in Ukraine were annexed by Russia, while Kyiv did not recognize it.

Russia accused Ukraine of cutting off power to the plant, while Kyiv blamed Moscow's shelling for the incident. After repairs, Ukraine's grid operator Ukrenergo said it had restored power supply to the Zaporizhzhia plant.

Denmark wants to hold peace dialogue

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said on May 22 that his country wants to hold a conference in July to find a peaceful solution for Ukraine and Russia. However, he stressed that the conference should have the participation of India, Brazil and China, according to Reuters.

Earlier, at the G7 summit in Japan, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky proposed holding a global summit in July to resolve the conflict.

“If Ukraine feels the time is right for such a conference, that would be great. And Denmark is clearly keen to host it. But first, it needs to build interest and involvement from countries like India, Brazil and China,” Mr. Rasmussen said, adding: “It is difficult to predict whether Russia will attend.”

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