Victory Chronicles-DAY 1174

Analysts from the Ukrainian Defense Ministry affiliated Deepstate website reported that during the three-day period of Russia’s declared “ceasefire” on May 8-10, Russian troops actually increased the intensity of their assaults, averaging more daily attacks than in April.

According to their report, Russian forces launched 193, 196, and 161 assault operations over the three days. By comparison, April saw an average of 155 assaults per day.

“Nearly all sectors remained active with no signs of a ceasefire,” Deepstate noted, adding that only isolated instances of reduced activity were observed.

Government allocates 665M hryvnia to rebuild war-damaged homes. Ukraine’s Cabinet has allocated 665 million hryvnia (about $16.7 million) to compensate homeowners whose properties were damaged by the Russo-Ukrainian war, the Ministry for Communities and Territories Development said on May 12. 

The funds come from the Recovery Fund for War Damage and are part of the government’s eVidnovlennia (eRestoration) program. The ministry says the money will help repair 7,389 homes. Eligible recipients can receive up to 200,000 hryvnia ($5,000) for basic repairs or up to 500,000 hryvnia ($12,500) for major work. The 2025 state budget earmarks 1 billion hryvnia ($25 million) for the program.

10-year-old girl injured in Russian shelling of Bilozerka, Kherson region. On the morning of May 12, Russian forces shelled the settlement of Bilozerka in the southern region of Kherson, striking a residential building and trapping a 10-year-old girl under the rubble.

According to Kherson Oblast Governor Oleksandr Prokudin and Ukraine’s State Emergency Service (SES), rescue teams pulled the child from the debris and handed her over to medics. She sustained blast and head injuries, a concussion, and shrapnel wounds to her legs.

The strike also destroyed the home and an outbuilding, which had caught fire. Emergency crews later extinguished the blaze.

Another Russian Tor-M2 air defense system destroyed in southern Ukraine. Ukrainian National Guard units continue to deliver effective strikes on the southern front. This time, a Russian Tor-M2 surface-to-air missile system – worth an estimated $25 million – was successfully targeted and destroyed.

The loss was inflicted thanks to the coordinated efforts of Ukrainian intelligence and drone operators, delivering another significant blow to Russian forces.

Key Takeaways:

• Kremlin ruler Vladimir Putin called for Russia and Ukraine to resume bilateral negotiations based on the early 2022 Istanbul protocols that include Russian demands amounting to full Ukrainian surrender. Any agreement based on those protocols would be a capitulation document.
• Putin also continues to demand that any negotiations address Russia’s perceived “root causes” of the war in Ukraine.
• Putin is attempting to manipulate ongoing discussions about a ceasefire and future peace in Ukraine, likely in an effort to undermine Ukrainian-US-European unity around a comprehensive 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine.
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accepted Kremlin ruler Vladimir Putin’s proposal to hold bilateral negotiations in Turkey on May 15.
• Ukrainian forces recently advanced near Toretsk. Russian forces recently advanced in the northern Kharkiv and Novopavlivka directions.

In memoriam: Ukrainian soldier Serhii Kasiian, a hero of Ukraine’s defense forces

Pvt. Serhii Kasiian, known by the call sign “KAS,” was killed in action on May 11, 2024, near the village of Umanske in Donetsk region. He died from wounds sustained during an enemy mortar strike while carrying out a combat mission. He was 26 years old.

Kasiian was born in the village of Duliby in the Volyn region. After completing school, he trained as a tractor operator and machine driver at Vocational School No. 22 in the settlement of Lukiv. He worked at a local forestry mill. He spent his liesure time fishing and working on cars and motorcycles.

Following the full-scale invasion, Kasiian joined Ukraine’s Armed Forces to help defend the country. He is remembered as a dedicated and courageous soldier. Kasiian was laid to rest in his native village. He is survived by his family and loved ones.

*Serhii’s story on the Heroes Memorial – a platform for stories about the fallen defenders of Ukraine.

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