Sentence for Metropolitan, Ukrainian tank for Armed Forces, Ukraine's success in Bakhmut area: highlights of May 12

What is the situation at the front?

The spokesman for the Eastern Group of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Serhiy Cherevaty, said that the Ukrainian Defense Forces had pushed the enemy back to a distance of 250 meters to 1.5 kilometers in the area of Bakhmut over the past day through counteroffensive attacks.

On May 12, the owner of the Wagner PMC, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said that the Ukrainian military had occupied tactical heights from which Bakhmut was “in full view”. He also complained that the Ukrainian Armed Forces would be able to use the Chasiv Yar-Bakhmut road because it was “completely liberated”. He said that if the Ukrainian military took control of Berkhivka, it would mean a gradual encirclement of Bakhmut for the Russians.

On May 12, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy chaired a meeting of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief's Staff: officials reconciled all long-term contracts for the supply of ammunition and missiles; discussed the current situation in the areas of responsibility of the Odesa, North, and Tavria groups. The meeting also identified the priority needs of these groups and reviewed the pace of equipping new brigades with equipment and ammunition.

Explosions on the occupied territories

On May 12, a Russian Mi-28 attack helicopter crashed in the Dzhankoy district of occupied Crimea. Both pilots were killed. The accident occurred during a scheduled training flight. According to Russian authorities, the helicopter was without ammunition, and there was no damage on the ground. According to preliminary information, the cause of the crash was a malfunction of the equipment.

Explosions were heard in occupied Luhansk: the territory of the Machine-Building Plant 100 was on fire after the hit.

Meanwhile, in St. Petersburg, police officers have begun to stand guard on rooftops to hunt for drones. According to Russian media, drone flights have already been banned in 35 regions of Russia. The occupation authorities have also banned the use of drones in Crimea and Donetsk Oblast.

Defense Ministry to order Ukrainian tanks for the Armed Forces

The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine has decided to order Ukrainian Oplot tanks for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. They have already been tested by the head of the ministry, Oleksii Reznikov.

“I am convinced that a Ukrainian tank, such as the Oplot, should be at the forefront of the tank coalition. There must be an armored fist at the front because the most important value is to save the lives of our defenders,” Reznikov said.

EU proposals

The European Union is planning to lay an internet cable across the Black Sea to improve connectivity with Georgia and reduce dependence on the communications infrastructure that runs through Russia. The Financial Times has seen a document from the European Commission, which says that the 1,100 kilometers of cable will cost 45 million euros. It will connect EU countries with the Caucasus.

Bloomberg, citing EU documents, writes that the European Union is proposing to officially stop supplying Russian oil to Germany and Poland through the Druzhba pipeline. Germany and Poland currently have an exception to the sanctions that allows them to receive oil through the northern section of the Druzhba pipeline. The countries have promised to reduce supplies through this pipeline.

According to Politico, France, Germany, and 10 other EU member states are concerned about the temporary ban on imports of agricultural products from Ukraine to five EU countries and call on the European Commission to explain the decision.

Metropolitan of the UOC-MP sentenced for the first time

For the first time, a court in Ukraine has sentenced a high-ranking clergyman of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate. It is the former head of the Kirovograd diocese, Metropolitan Joasaph.

The metropolitan and the secretary of the diocese were charged with violating the equality of citizens based on their religious beliefs by the prior conspiracy of a group of people. Both pleaded guilty.

Because they cooperated with the investigation, the court sentenced them to three years in prison with a probationary period of two years and banned them from holding positions of leadership in religious departments and dioceses for one year.

Other news

• For the first time in history, Ukraine's Foreign Minister took part in a summit of Latin American countries.
• Dead dolphins were spotted on the coast of Mariupol: Russian occupiers destroyed the natural ecosystem of the Azov Sea.
• The Security Service of Ukraine exposes former Education Minister Tabachnyk for collaborating with the Russian Federal Security Service and Kadyrov's associate.
• Former US President Donald Trump has filed an appeal after being convicted of sexual assault.
• Hungary threatens to block decisions in the EU while its OTP Bank is on the list of war sponsors.
• German arms concern Rheinmetall establishes a joint venture with Ukraine's Ukroboronprom to repair and manufacture tanks.
• Eurovision organizers did not allow Zelenskyy to perform at the show. The Presidential Administration says it did not ask for it.
• Ukraine's Foreign Ministry calls the seizure of the Cathedral of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine in Simferopol by the Russian administration another suppression of freedom by the occupiers in Crimea.