Return of prisoners, security agreements, a new electricity tariff and another Patriot for Ukraine: May 31 highlights
Ukraine signed three security agreements with Sweden, Norway, and Iceland. 75 Ukrainian prisoners of war were returned home. The government approved a new electricity tariff for consumers. Germany announced the provision of another Patriot system and authorized the use of its weapons against Russia. We have collected the main news for May 31.
Return of prisoners of war
Ukraine and Russia conducted a new exchange of prisoners of war under the 75-for-75 formula.
37 representatives of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were released from captivity, including 13 members of the Navy and 2 members of the Air Force. Also, 21 National Guardsmen, 7 border guards, 6 terrorists and 4 Ukrainian civilians were returned.
Among the soldiers are 19 people who were captured from Zmiinyi Island, 10 defenders of Mariupol and Azovstal, as well as Ukrainian soldiers who were captured in different areas.
New tariff for electricity consumption
The Cabinet of Ministers will increase the price of electricity for households starting June 1. The new tariff is now 4.32 UAH/kWh.
The Ministry of Energy explains that if Russia had not systematically destroyed Ukraine's energy infrastructure, the tariffs would have remained unchanged.
The ministry emphasized that after the innovation, given an average electricity consumption of 170 kWh, the electricity bill will increase by 285 hryvnias.
Security agreements
On the morning of May 31, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in the Swedish capital of Stockholm to attend the third Ukraine-Northern Europe Summit.
At the meeting, Ukraine signed bilateral security agreements with Sweden, Iceland, and Norway.Strengthening Ukrainian air defens
Strengthening Ukrainian air defense
Germany has announced the transfer of another Patriot air defense system to Ukraine, Foreign Minister Annalena Burbock said.
The ministry noted that strengthening Ukraine's air defense is crucial. Kyiv will receive another Patriot along with a €500 million military aid package announced on May 30.
Ukraine can strike at Russia with Western weapons
Secretary of State Anthony Blinken confirmed that President Joe Biden had authorized Ukraine to use American weapons to counter Russian aggression, including strikes on Russian territory.
At the same time, Michael Carpenter, a representative of the US National Security Council, when asked by journalists whether the authorization for strikes against Russia applies only to the defense of Kharkiv or other regions, said: “This applies to the defense of Ukrainians. Yes, across the border against Russian attacks coming from there.”
The Wall Street Journal has learned that the United States has authorized the use of American GMLRS missiles, HIMARS artillery missile systems and other artillery systems to strike Russia.
At the same time, the changes in US policy will not affect the use of the ATACMS long-range surface-to-surface missile to strike on Russian territory.
Germany has granted the same permission. According to government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit, Berlin has agreed with Ukraine that it will use German weapons “in accordance with international law” to protect itself from Russian strikes from the border areas of Russia near the Kharkiv region.
However, Italy opposed this initiative, as it allegedly contradicts the country's constitution.
An attack on an oil depot in Russia
Authorities in the Krasnodar Krai of Russia reported a nighttime drone attack that set a local oil depot on fire.
Later, the General Staff confirmed the strikes on oil terminals in the Krasnodar Krai, Russia. According to the military, the strike group hit the ferry crossing and the oil terminal of the Kavkaz port with several Ukrainian-made missiles from the Neptune coastal missile system.
Summons to the journalist of "Ukrinform"
Ukrinform correspondent Yurii Stryhun, who confirmed that the agency's head, Oleksii Matsuka, had issued thematic lists to journalists, received a summons to the military enlistment office.
Stryhun said that the summons was brought to him not at his home, but to the Kyiv office of Ukrinform. In addition, the agency's new director general, Serhii Cherevatyi, issued a separate order for the journalist to come to the Territorial Recruitment Center immediately and then report on the results of the visit.
In addition, the journalist was asked to come to Kyiv and sign acknowledging receipt of the summons and the relevant order from his superiors.
The new editor-in-chief of Ukrinform, Serhii Cherevatyi, said that in addition to Stryhun, four other people were served with summonses. He also noted that every employer is obliged to report on the request of the territorial center for recruitment and social support of persons liable for military service and conscripts about their call to the military enlistment office.
New power outages
On June 1, power outage schedules will be in effect in the evening for industrial and residential consumers across the country.
Thus, the outages will be hourly and will last from 18:00 to 23:00. At the same time, the power supply to critical infrastructure facilities that provide life support to the population will not be limited.
Trump's trial
Donald Trump became the first former US president to be convicted of a felony. A New York court found him guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying financial records in a case involving payments to former porn star Stormy Daniels.
The politician himself called the New York jury trial “rigged and shameful” and assured that he was in fact “an innocent man”.
Meanwhile, supporters of the former US president, including American extremists, right-wing experts and politicians, have widely criticized the verdict, and some have even called for attacks on the jury, the execution of Judge Juan Merchant, or direct civil war and armed uprising.
Other important news:
- The Minister of Justice of Ukraine Denys Maliuska called the information about torture in the Bozhkiv penal colony in the Poltava region an isolated case.
- Five deported orphans, who were first held by Russians in the occupied territory and then taken to Russia, were returned to Ukraine.
- Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said that instead of sending Polish instructors, it would be more effective to form and train a unit of Ukrainians living in Poland.
- President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that mobilization in Ukraine has increased after the adoption of the relevant law.
- Law enforcement officials announced the exposure of the deputy head of the Rivne Regional Council, who took half a million hryvnia bribe for land and property.