Victory Chronicles-DAY 1177

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte criticized Kremlin ruler Vladimir Putin for deliberately bypassing the opportunity to for peace negotiations with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Istanbul. Instead, Putin dispatched a low-level delegation with no real decision-making power within the Kremlin – an act that Rutte said was a calculated snub..

Speaking at a press conference in Antalya, Türkiye, Rutte noted that Zelenskyy had signalled readiness to meet Putin directly and discuss a ceasefire. “President Zelenskyy said, ‘I am ready to sit down with Putin at the table as soon as a ceasefire is declared. We are ready to negotiate a peace agreement.’ So Ukraine is clearly willing to play. The ball is now in Russia’s court,” Rutte stated.

Rutte also expressed gratitude to the United States and President Donald Trump’s administration for what he described as a continued focus on achieving peace in Ukraine.

Losses of Russian military manpower exceed 970,000. Russia’s military loss has surpassed more than 970,000 in personnel – whether killed, wounded or missing – since the beginning of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, according to Ukraine’s General Staff on May 15. 

In just the past day, an estimated 1,220 Russian troops were rendered combat ineffective. The Ukrainian military estimates that Russia’s cumulative combat losses now include approximately 970,590 troops. Since Feb. 24, 2022, Ukrainian forces have also destroyed around 10,812 tanks, 22,514 armored fighting vehicles, and 27,872 artillery systems. Russia has further lost 1,384 multiple launch rocket systems, 1,166 air defense systems, and 336 helicopters.

Additionally, Ukrainian forces have downed approximately 36,000 operational-tactical drones and destroyed 48,547 vehicles and fuel tanks, as well as 3,892 units of special equipment.

Three civilians killed, nine injured in Russian attacks on Sumy Oblast. Three innocent civilians were killed and nine others were injured in Russia’s latest attacks on the border region of Sumy, as police continue to document evidence of war crimes.

Over the past day, Russian forces carried out 265 strikes across the region, targeting a total of 46 population centers. The shelling left three civilians dead and nine more with varying degrees of injuries. The attacks damaged four apartment buildings, 35 single-family homes, infrastructure facilities, a café, several shops, a vehicle repair station, and two civilian vehicles.

Police investigators are working at the impact sites to thoroughly document each war crime and collect physical evidence.

Sumy region: Emergency crews respond to Russian drone strike on civilian infrastructure. A massive fire broke out after a Russian drone strike hit civilian infrastructure in Sumy Oblast, destroying multiple buildings and structures.

Firefighters have been dispatched and specialized equipment has been deployed to the scene from the first minutes of the attack. Due to the severity of the massive blaze, suppression efforts are being carried out from multiple directions simultaneously. As of now, the blaze has been contained. Crews continue working to identify and eliminate remaining pockets of fire.

Key Takeaways:

• Russian officials continue to reiterate Kremlin ruler Vladimir Putin’s recent call to base future negotiations with Ukraine on the early 2022 Istanbul protocols that included Russian demands for Ukraine’s complete capitulation.
• Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov also reiterated the Kremlin’s demands that any resolution to the war must result in regime change in Ukraine and restrictions against the West ahead of negotiations in Istanbul.
• Polling from early May 2025 indicates that the majority of Ukrainians support Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as the legitimate leader of Ukraine and are against holding elections before a final end to the war — in accordance with Ukrainian law and the Ukrainian Constitution.
• Ukrainian forces recently advanced near Pokrovsk, and Russian forces recently advanced near Kupyansk, Toretsk, Kurakhove, and Velyka Novosilka.

In memoriam: Ukrainian soldier Artur Makeiev, a hero of Ukraine’s defense forces

Sgt. Artur Makeiev, known by the call sign of “Archie,” was killed in action on May 3, 2024, near the village of Serhiivka in the Luhansk region. He died after being struck by a hand grenade while on a combat mission. He was 51 years old.

Makeiev was born in the village of Storozhove in the Poltava region. He later settled in the village of Kovalivka. Combining his work and passion, he became a driver-mechanic, known for his ability to repair any vehicle.

In March 2022, he was drafted into the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He served in the 3rd Assault Brigade as a driver-mechanic in the evacuation company of a repair and recovery battalion.

“He loved life and lived it to the fullest, sharing his energy with everyone around him,” his wife, Olena, said. “But he couldn’t stay on the sidelines when his country needed defending. He told me, ‘I can’t sit out the war — I have to protect our home, protect you. I have to be part of the victory.’”

Makeiev was posthumously awarded the Order “For Courage,” 3rd Class. He was laid to rest in the village of Bochanivka in Poltava region. He is survived by his mother, widowed wife and two sons.

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

• Bloomberg: U.S. proposes to resume work of NATO-Russia Council
• Trump says Ukraine talks won’t move forward without his meeting with Putin
• US officials: Russia massing forces for new Ukraine offensive
• Kremlin confirms Putin will not attend Ukraine peace talks in Türkiye
• US secretary of state: US is ready to support any peace mechanism for Ukraine
• WSJ: Ukraine ready to discuss 30-day ceasefire with Russia at talks in Türkiye