May 18^th, 2022

1. A large group of “Azov” ultra-nazi  faction unconditionally laid down their arms

The surrender of militants from the Azov nationalist factions and Ukrainian servicemen blocked at the Azovstal plant in Mariupol began May 16th. This act is not considered as their “evacuation”, but rather as official surrender. The surrender was unconditional. The term “evacuation” applied by Kiev is a wrong one. It can be applied only to civilians who have been freed from the plant earlier.

Over the past 24 hours, 265 militants have laid down arms and surrendered, including 51 seriously wounded. All those in need of medical assistance were sent for treatment to a hospital in Novoazovsk, Donetsk People's Republic. Non-injured militants have been delivered into another city. Some of them pretended to be as non-fighters, self-nominating them as “cooks” or “archivists” at military HQs, not knowing how to carry a gun and to shoot. All militants eliminated their loops and other military insignia, some were in civilian attire. They have been selected into three groups: soldiers and officers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), “Azov” neo-nazi militants and foreign mercenaries.

All of them will be interrogated. Their blamed their military and political chieftains for their betrayal. Earlier all of them have been very brave with unarmed Ukrainian civilians. But now they are very shy and modest. Their morale is very low. All of them have been surprised by positive, polite and human attitude displayed to them by Russian and the DPR and LPR troops as well as medical staffers.

According to estimations, there could be up to 2,000 combatants inside the plant, which boasts massive underground communications. This figure has not been verified so far.

2. Humanitarian situation

From the statement of the Russian Joint Coordination Headquarters for Humanitarian Response in Ukraine:

Nationalist battalion fighters and AFU units, using civilians as human shields, continue to use civilian infrastructure to equip strongholds and deploy heavy weaponry.

“Azov” neo-nazi faction activity:

a) in Mirnograd, Donetsk People's Republic, kindergarten No 19 in the Vostochnyi Microdistrict and a boarding school on L. Chaikina Street have been equipped with strongholds and barracks, and armoured vehicles and artillery have been placed in close proximity to residential areas;

b) in Borovaya, Kharkov Region, barracks have been equipped in the school building and the Beryozka kindergarten, and heavy military equipment, artillery and MLRS have been placed on the territories. At the same time, civilians with children are forcibly detained in basements.

Fighters of “Aidar” neo-nazi faction activity:

a) on the territory of the Church of the Praise of the Mother of God in Pavlograd, Dnepropetrovsk Region, firing positions, artillery and MLRS have been placed in close proximity to densely populated residential areas;

b) in Zaporozhye, they equipped firing positions and ammunition depots on the lower floors of hospitals on Sobornyi Prospect and Pobedy Street. At the same time, hospital staff and patients are held back as human shield.

Armed formations of the Donbass battalion have equipped a stronghold in residential building No 10 on General Lozanovich Street in Slavyansk in the Donetsk People's Republic and deployed heavy weapons and an ammunition depot. However, no civilians were evacuated from the building.

In Sumy, AFU units have mined a road bridge on Kharkovskaya Street over the railway tracks of the Southern Railway branch, which they plan to blow up, blaming it on allegedly "advancing units of Russian troops".

The militants, knowing that the victims of such criminal actions would be civilians, deliberately target Russian Armed Forces positions from residential areas, provoking them to return fire in order to subsequently place responsibility for the destruction of civilian infrastructure and possible civilian casualties on Russian servicemen, and spread fakes about alleged "Russian atrocities" through Western media and on various Internet sites.

On May 16th between 10:00 and 11:00AM Ukrainian nationalists used Smerch multiple rocket launchers to hit residential areas of Kherson. Russian air defence means have intercepted all 10 Ukrainian rockets. Russian MoD stressed that there are no units of Russian troops in Kherson. The Kiev regime is well informed about this. Kherson is controlled by the local administration who is very critical to the failed and aggressive Kiev regime. The strike was deliberately targeted at civilians in Kherson in retaliation for supporting the Russian Federation.

Such actions of the Kiev regime once again demonstrate an inhuman attitude to the fate of Ukrainian citizens and indicate a gross violation of the norms of international humanitarian law, but despite our repeated statements, they still remain without the attention of the international community and international organizations.

3. Process of evacuation of civilians

Despite all the difficulties and obstacles posed by Kiev, over the past 24 hours, without the involvement of the Ukrainian authorities, 17,733 people, including 1,797 children, have been evacuated from dangerous areas of the Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics and Ukraine to the Russian Federation. Since the beginning of the special military operation, a total of 1,325,714 people have been evacuated to Russia, including 225,892 children. The state border of the Russian Federation was crossed by 180,286 personal vehicles including 2,873 per day.

More than 9,500 temporary accommodation centres continue to operate in the regions of the Russian Federation. The refugees are dealt with on an individual basis and are promptly assisted with various pressing issues relating to onward accommodation, employment assistance, places for children in kindergartens and educational institutions, and the provision of entitlements to social benefits.

Over the past 24 hours, the hotline of the Interdepartmental Coordination Headquarters of the Russian Federation for Humanitarian Response, federal executive authorities, constituent entities of the Russian Federation and various NGOs received 102 requests from foreign and Ukrainian citizens to evacuate to Russia, the Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics, as well as to the Russian Armed Forces-controlled areas of Zaporozhye, Nikolaev, Kharkov and Kherson regions. In total there are 2,755,925 such appeals from 2,135 locations in Ukraine in the database.

4. Real distribution of humanitarian aid

In the liberated territories, the Russian Armed Forces and military units of the Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics are creating all the necessary conditions for a peaceful and safe life, providing the population with comprehensive assistance, including unimpeded access to any humanitarian aid.

Since March 2nd, 20,592.4 tons of humanitarian cargo have already been delivered to Ukraine, 1,021 humanitarian actions have been carried out, including 4 actions in Kharkov and Kherson regions, as well as in Donetsk People's Republic, during which 155 tons of basic necessities, medicines and food were transferred to the civilian population of the liberated areas.

On May 17, one humanitarian actions have been planned and are currently being carried out in Donetsk People's Republic, during which 136 tons of basic necessities, medicine and food will be distributed.

5. The U.S. aid to Ukraine is “like money laundering schemes”

The financial support the USA provides to Ukraine looks very much “like money laundering schemes,” Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) has told ‘The Truth With Lisa Boothe’ podcast on May 16th. The money supposedly destined for Ukrainians ends up in the pockets of “non-profits and NGOs” that are often run by people close to the politicians in Washington, Greene has claimed.

“They want to get $40 billion to Ukraine and you have these $40 billion on top of the money that have already been given. That brings it to $53 billion. That is over two thirds of the State Department’s entire budget for the year,” the congresswoman said, referring to the latest aid package that is currently going through the U.S Senate. .

According to Greene, the U.S. officials are doing this to eventually fund the NGOs operated by “their families and friends.” “It is basically like money laundering schemes,” she said. The congresswoman believes these funds should be spent to deal with issues inside the USA instead, including homelessness or human trafficking, which, according to Greene, have reached “record-high” levels.

6. The USA has been “actively recruiting” terrorists to fight in Ukraine

The USA has been “actively recruiting” terrorists to fight in Ukraine, Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) claimed on May 17th, saying that it illustrates Washington’s readiness “to use any means to achieve its geopolitical goals.”

The SVR revealed in a statement that, according to the intelligence it is receiving, “the United States is actively recruiting even members of international terrorist organizations, including the Islamic State (ISIS) group banned in the Russian Federation, as mercenaries to participate in hostilities in Ukraine.”

The Russian intelligence service points to the American military base in Syria called al-Tanf, which is located close to the borders with Jordan and Iraq. According to its sources, this base and the surrounding area have turned into a kind of terrorist “hub,” where up to 500 ISIS and other jihadists can be “retrained” simultaneously. SVR claimed that last month 60 ISIS militants, who had been released from prisons controlled by the Syrian Kurds, were transferred to al-Tanf “with a view to subsequent transfer to Ukrainian territory.”

The SVR specified that during a training course at al-Tanf the militants are instructed on how to use anti-tank missile systems, reconnaissance and strike drones, advanced communications and surveillance equipment.

In the SVR’s opinion, this data confirms that “the United States is ready to use any means to achieve its geopolitical goals, not excluding sponsoring international terrorist groups.”

The intelligence service concluded by saying that the American administration does not consider the consequences of such actions, “even when it comes to threats to the security of European allies and even to the lives of the Americans.”

Washington has insisted that “there are no US soldiers in Ukraine.” This is not true. See Report # 63 dated May 16^th.^.

Meanwhile, the presence of American troops on Syrian territory at al-Tanf base, which the SVR mentions in its statement, has long been considered by both Moscow and Damascus as illegal. The previous U.S. administration pledged that American forces would leave northeastern Syria, but only after ISIS militants are defeated and the Kurds protected.

In October 2021, there were reports that, according to Israeli defense sources, about 350 military members and civilians were still using al-Tanf, including some British and French forces that were described as “intelligence experts.”

[ https://www.rt.com/russia/555653-us-recruits-isis-terrorists]

7. The situation at the Black Sea

No major changes; the situation is the same as reflected in the Repots # 62: 75 foreign merchant vessels are still trapped in Ukrainian ports controlled by Kiev; the danger to navigation from Ukrainian naval mines drifting off their anchors along the coasts of Black Sea states remains. Mine sweeping operation goes on in Mariupol port controlled by Russian and the DPR troops.

The Russian Federation is taking a full range of comprehensive measures to ensure the safety of civilian navigation in the waters of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.

8. Reality on the battlefield

High-precision long-range sea-based Kalibr missiles near Starichi railway station in Lvov Region have destroyed the personnel of Ukrainian reserve formations, as well as shipments of foreign weapons and military equipment from the United States and European countries, prepared for shipment to Donbass.

High-precision long-range sea-based Kalibr missiles near Starichi railway station in Lvov Region have destroyed shipments of foreign weapons and military equipment from the United States and European countries, prepared for shipment to Donbass.

In addition, high-precision air- and ground-based long-range missiles have destroyed enemy reserves that were completing their combat coordination at the training centers near Akhtyrka, Sumy Region, and Desna, Chernigov Region.

High-precision air-based missiles of the Russian Aerospace Forces have hit 2 command posts and 1 communications centre, including those of the 30th Mechanized Brigade near Bakhmut, 28 areas of AFU manpower and military equipment concentration, and 2 missile-artillery weapons and ammunition depots near Ugledar and Konstantinovka in Donetsk People's Republic. The attacks have resulted in the elimination of more than 470 nationalists and up to 68 armoured and motor vehicles.

In addition, 1 traction power substation have been destroyed near Merefa railway station in Kharkov region, which was delivering weapons and military equipment from the United States and Western countries to Donbass.

Operational-tactical and army aviation have hit 9 command posts, 93 areas of AFU manpower and military equipment concentration, as well as 3 ammunition depots near Luparevo and Shevchenkovo in Nikolaev region.

Missile troops and artillery have hit 6 command posts, 224 areas of AFU manpower and military equipment concentration, 12 artillery and mortar batteries at firing positions, 4 BM-21 Grad MLRS batteries and 2 air target detection radar stations.

Russian air defence means have shot down 23 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles over Pitomnik, Izyum, Snezhkovka, Olkhovatka, Dementievka, Russkaya Lozovaya, Bolshie Prokhody and Petrovskoe in Kharkov Region, Staromikhailovka, Novotamarovka, Novotroitskoe, Nevelskoe, Sverdlovo, Avdeevka and Vladimirovka in Donetsk People's Republic. 8 Smerch rockets have been intercepted near Chernobaevka, Kherson Region.

Russian troops for the first time have used during the operation in Ukraine “Terminator” – combat tanks support vehicle already rested in Syria.

Written by Vladimir P. Kozin