WAR IN UKRAINE: May 15, 2022
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: Day 81
A Russian missile completely destroyed military infrastructure facility in Lviv Oblast early today, reports the Kyiv Independent. Lviv Oblast Governor Maksym Kozytsky said that the Russians launched four missiles early in the morning on May 15 at the facility in the region’s Yavoriv District. The missiles were reportedly launched from the Black Sea and no injuries were reported. This would mark the second time rang the district, close to the Polish border, was hit.
Russia has dropped either incendiary shells or phosphorus bombs on Mariupol. Petro Andriushchenko, an advisor to the mayor of Mariupol, said that specialists will be the ones making conclusions but the Russians themselves claim that they used incendiary shells. They have a combustion temperature of about 2,000-2,500 degrees Celsius, and “fire is almost impossible to stop,” he added. Andriushchenko posted a video of the bombing of Mariupol’s Azovstal steel plant on Telegram - Kyiv Independent.
The Ukrainian Government has video evidence of Russia’s use of phosphorus weapons on Mariupol, said Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov.
Russian Ambassador: Moscow will not “capitulate” in Ukraine. Russia's Ambassador to the U.S. Anatoly Antonov also said “the U.S. is becoming increasingly involved in a conflict with the most unpredictable consequences for the two nuclear powers." Meanwhile, Ukraine’s top military spy tells Sky News that he’s confident of a Russian defeat this year.
The Ukrainian government has been using facial recognition technology to identify dead Russian soldiers. Where possible, the images are shared with their relatives in Russia - in order to invite them an opportunity to pick up the bodies in Ukraine and also as a tactic in the propaganda war, Fedorov told CNN. Only about 20 percent of those contacted say they want to come claim the bodies. Full CNN story here
Ukraine won the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest in Turin on May 15, with massive support from the telephone-voting European public helping secure a convincing victory. Ukraine’s folk-rap entry “Stefania” by Kalush Orchestra took first place in the annual song contest ahead of the United Kingdom, Spain and Sweden.
Ukraine’s triumph did not come as a surprise.
Read more here in this Atlantic Council analysis.
