On 12 May, Russian forces continued their assault on Volchansk, while Ukrainian troops tried to repel the offensive. Russia achieved tactical gains, compelling Ukraine to deploy additional reserves. Volchansk endured relentless shelling. Three people were killed and two injured. The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) claimed that Russia’s offensive in the area may have been a response to the restrictions on Ukraine’s use of Western- supplied systems to strike targets within Russia. In this way, Russia intended to stretch Ukrainian forces and undermine their morale.

The Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation claimed that Ukraine had allegedly used the Tochka-U, Vilcha, and RM-70 Vampire missile systems to target Russian territory. It further reported that Russian air defences had shot down six Tochka-U missiles and a few other missiles. Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov reported that shelling had caused the collapse of the entrance to a 10-story building in Belgorod. According to Russia’s Ministry of Defence, the entrance was hit by a fragment of a Tochka-U missile. However, open-source intelligence analysts pointed out that the footage of the explosion did not show a falling missile, suggesting the blast may have originated inside the building itself, raising suspicions of a potential Russian provocation. The explosion resulted in 16 fatalities and 27 injuries.

Governor Andrei Bocharov stated that a Ukrainian drone had targeted an oil refinery in the Volgograd region, sparking a fire, which was quickly extinguished. No casualties were reported. Ukrainian intelligence also conducted drone strikes on the Kaluganaftoprodukt oil terminal and the Novolipetsk metallurgical plant. The UK’s Foreign Secretary, David Cameron, described the situation in Kharkiv as highly dangerous and announced an accelerated aid package of $3.74 billion for Ukraine. He also called on allies to step up their support. South Korea was conducting an investigation into arms shipments from North Korea to Russia. The shipments reportedly included artillery and ballistic missiles. 

On 13 May, it was reported that the government of Estonia was considering deploying troops to western Ukraine to support the Ukrainian army with logistical operations. Meanwhile, the SBU counter-intelligence prevented four terrorist attacks planned for 9 May 2024 in Kyiv. During a special operation, Russian GRU agents were arrested for planting explosives in construction hypermarkets and near a café. 

At the Security and Competitiveness Summit in Sweden, Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced that Germany would deliver a third Patriot air defence system to Ukraine. Sébastien Lecornu, French Defence Minister, confirmed the shipment of additional Aster air defence missiles, while Latvia pledged an additional $11 million to purchase artillery missiles for Ukraine as part of the Czech initiative. The Defence Ministry of Estonia denied considering the possibility of sending troops to Ukraine.

Meanwhile, The New York Times reported that the United States and European countries had failed to reach an agreement on the use of frozen Russian assets. While the United States and the United Kingdom favoured confiscation, other countries, including Germany and France, expressed concerns that such a move could establish a risky precedent. The Council of the European Union approved the “Ukraine Facility” plan. The plan set forth objectives for Ukraine’s reconstruction and reforms related to its EU accession process.

Illustrative photo. Generated by AI