WAR IN UKRAINE: May 12, 2023
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: Day 443
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky says his country needs more time to launch a counteroffensive against Russia, as Kyiv still needs promised Western aid. "With [what we have] we can go forward and be successful..But we'd lose a lot of people. I think that's unacceptable…So we need to wait. We still need a bit more time”
The United Kingdom has confirmed it is supplying Ukraine with long-range missiles requested for its fight against Russia. Air-launched Storm Shadow cruise missile has a range of over 250km (155 miles), compared to 80 (50km) of US-supplied Himars missiles - potentially allowing strikes inside the Russian Federation. U.S.-supplied missiles have had limited range for fear Kyiv might use them to strike inside Russia.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu says the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which is set to expire soon, may be extended for another 2 months. However Russia says the current situation "does not favor " an extension. On Thursday, I saw no bulk carriers on the horizon of the Black Sea and none being loaded in the port. Some 90 vessels are said to be stuck in Istanbul due to alleged delays from Russian inspectors.
About 400 educational institutions in Ukraine are completely destroyed and 3,000 more are damaged due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine for European integration Yevhen Kudriavets said during an educational event, Ukrinform reports. According to Kudriavets, 800,000 children will be able to return to schools if educational institutions are fully restored - Ukrinform
A group of Russians in the country’s Tyumen region snatched a man hiking through a forest and tied him to a tree because they believed he was a “Ukrainian saboteur,” according to local reports. Despite the area being nowhere near the Ukrainian border, volunteers targeted the man twice in one day and accused him of starting forest fires on behalf of Ukraine, the news outlet 77.ru reports. Photos of the man shared on social media show him wearing a camouflage jacket, with his arms wrapped around a tree and bound. Even after local authorities shared a statement alongside the man’s photo reassuring residents that he’s “actually a hiker” just passing through the area, residents on social media continued to demand he be arrested for “carrying out his mission” for Ukraine - Daily Beast