War in Ukraine: 5 dead in Ukrainian attacks in Belgorod, Russia says it invaded villages… update on the situation

The Kharkiv region attacked by Russia on May 10, 2024. EPA – SERGEY KOZLOV

Every day, Midi Libre takes stock of the situation in Ukraine. This Saturday, May 11, 2024, discover the latest news around this conflict

Five killed in Ukrainian drone attacks in Belgorod, Kursk and Donetsk

Several drone attacks on the Russian regions of Belgorod, Kursk and the city of Donetsk left five dead and nine injured, local authorities announced on Saturday. Three civilians were killed and eight were injured in a Ukrainian missile attack targeting a restaurant in the city of Donetsk, pro-Russian leader Denis Pushilin said on Telegram. Donetsk fell under the control of pro-Russian separatists in 2015 and is a regular target of Ukrainian bombing. Belgorod region governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said in a statement posted on Telegram that one man was killed and another injured after a Ukrainian drone strike targeted a parked truck.

His counterpart in the Kursk region, Roman Starovoit, announced the death of a civilian hit by a drone attack in the town of Sudzha. Both Belgorod and Kursk have been the subject of regular attacks since the start of the conflict. Furthermore, the Russian Defense Ministry declared on Saturday that it had foiled Ukrainian attacks on its territory. Russian forces shot down 21 rockets and 16 drones over the Belgorod, Kursk and Volgograd regions, according to a statement published on the Telegram platform.

Ukrainians working in Germany can stay there, says Scholz

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Saturday that Ukrainians with residence permits working in Germany could stay there, as Kyiv seeks to recruit nationals living abroad to serve in Germany. war. Ukraine's government tightened rules last month by temporarily banning military-age men from applying for passports abroad, to cope with a shortage of troops resisting attacks Russians on the ground. “The legal situation is such that the right of residence here is not in question,” Olaf Scholz said during an event broadcast on the Internet by the RND newspaper group . 'Having a job leads to security of residence,' he said, adding that Germany wanted to encourage Ukrainians in the country to work.

Russia says it invaded villages in Kharkiv region

Russia said on Saturday that its troops had captured five villages in the Kharkiv region, where it carried out a new ground offensive the day before. Russian forces captured the villages of Pletenivka, Ohirtseve, Borysivka, Pylna and Strilechna – all located on the Russian-Ukrainian border – the Russian Defense Ministry announced. The ministry added that Russian troops had captured the village of Keramik in the Donetsk region, further south, where Moscow continues to advance after seizing the stronghold of Avdiivka in February. In kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky said in a video that fighting continued on Saturday in seven border villages in the Kharkiv region, further describing the situation in the southern Donetsk region as "particularly tense".

“Our defensive operations continue in the Kharkiv region, in the region of the villages of Strilecha, Krasne, Morokhovets, Oliynykovo, Lukiantsi, Hatyshche and Pletenivka,” he detailed. "In addition, the situation in Donetsk remains particularly tense". The governor of the Kharkiv region, Oleh Syniehubov, reported clashes in five villages located near the Russian border. "Currently, the enemy is maintaining pressure on the north of our region. Our forces thwarted nine attacks", he declared during a press briefing. More than 2,500 people have been evacuated from the border area, Governor Syniehubov said. Ukrainian authorities announced Friday that Russia had launched a new offensive in the Kharkiv region, around the city of Kharkiv, the second largest in the country.

Ukraine pushed Russian soldiers back from most of the Kharkiv region in 2022, shortly after Russia's invasion. Russian forces, however, have resumed their offensive and are slowly advancing in the Donetsk region. Russia has repeatedly said it wants to create a "buffer zone" north of the city of Kharkiv, located around thirty kilometers from the border and daily target of its bombings. Moscow says it wants to reduce Ukrainian strikes targeting Belgorod and prevent embarrassing incursions into its territory by Russian fighters rallied to Kyiv.