Security agreement with Spain, Russian plan to take Zelenskyy hostage, drone strike 1,800 km into Russia: May 27 highlights

Ukraine and Spain signed a security agreement

Ukraine and Spain signed a bilateral agreement on cooperation in the field of security. Madrid has committed to providing €1 billion in military aid in 2024.

In addition, Spain plans to send missiles for Patriot air defense systems and Leopard tanks to Ukraine as part of a new €1.13 billion arms package announced last month.

A Ukrainian drone set a new distance record

A drone of Ukrainian intelligence attacked the Russian over-the-horizon radar station Voronezh-M, which was located in the city of Orsk, Orenburg Oblast – 1,800 kilometers from the border with Ukraine.

According to a hromadske source in the special services, this distance became a new record range of engagement for Ukrainian kamikaze drones.

Later, satellite images appeared online, on which the consequences of the impact are visible.

Times: Russia wanted to take Zelenskyy hostage

At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Russia planned to use intelligence to take President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hostage and force him to record a video message about surrender.

Such information was given to the Ukrainian law enforcement officers by the colonel of the Department of State Protection, who was detained on charges of preparing an attack on the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, Kyrylo Budanov.

The number of dead in the Epicenter mall has increased

The number of people killed as a result of the Russian attack on the Epicenter hypermarket in Kharkiv has increased to 18. The number of victims may still increase. Law enforcement officers do not stop their search, as there may still be bodies in the mall.

On May 27, law enforcement officers found unexploded ordnance about 80 meters from the construction hypermarket. The prosecutor's office states that if it had detonated, there could have been many more dead and injured.

Epicenter promised to pay 1 million hryvnias ($24,804) each to the families of those killed in Kharkiv.

NATO PA supports Ukraine hitting Russia with Western weapons

The NATO Parliamentary Assembly adopted a declaration in which it called on the Allies to accelerate the supply of weapons to Ukraine, as well as to lift restrictions on strikes by Western weapons against military targets inside Russia.

Drones attacked objects near "Putin's palace"

In the early hours of May 27, drones attacked objects in Gelendzhik in Russia’s Krasnodar Krai – not far from them is a palace built allegedly for Vladimir Putin.

5G was tested in Ukraine for the first time

For the first time in Ukraine, the Kyiv office of Vodafone carried out testing of 5G communication.

Currently, 5G works in more than 90 countries around the world. In particular, the European Union plans to cover the territory of all cities and main roads with 5G by 2025. The Ministry of Digital Transformation hopes to launch 5G in Ukraine as early as 2024.

Russian attacks

Russian troops attacked the Kholodnohirskyi district of Kharkiv. 11 casualties were reported, including one dead woman. Two enterprises specializing in agricultural and food products were hit.

The Russian military also attacked civilian objects in the town of Snihurivka, Mykolaiv Oblast. Three people died, six people were injured.

The aggressor also attacked two villages of the Semenivka community of Chernihiv Oblast. As a result of the shelling, two locals were injured.

Russia detains journalist Viktoria Roshchyna

Russia confirmed for the first time that it is holding Ukrainian journalist Viktoria Roshchyna, who previously worked for hromadske, in captivity. She disappeared back in August 2023.

Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Freedom of Speech, emphasized that the committee will continue to work and put pressure on international organizations to release all media workers.

The mobilization stopped the work of the theater in Chernihiv

The Territorial Recruitment Center (military commissariat) summoned 34 employees of the Chernihiv Drama Theater, including actors and technical staff. Some of the workers have already left for military training after visiting the recruitment center. Because of this, the theater is forced to suspend work for an indefinite period.

Chernihiv Youth Theater has similar problems, where two performances were canceled on May 17-18. This is due to the mobilization of three actors.

The editor-in-chief of Economic Pravda was kept in a military commissariat for one day

The editor-in-chief of Economic Pravda, Dmytro Denkov, was held in a military commissariat in Odesa Oblast for about a day, his colleague Sevgil Musaeva reported.

Subsequently, Denkov got in touch and said that he had decided to join a unit of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Dust from the deserts of Central Asia

Meteorologists expect dust to arrive from the desert regions of Central Asia in Ukraine. In addition, due to the lack of precipitation, an extreme level of fire danger will remain in most areas, which means that wildfires are highly likely to occur and spread quickly.

Other news

• The Verkhovna Rada voted for fines for offensive messages of a sexual nature.
• In Odesa, an employee of the military commissariat earned at least $1 million dollars from men who tried to avoid mobilization, the SBI reports.
• During the occupation of the district, collaborators from the Kupyansk district kept a teenager in a torture chamber for 16 days.
• Prosecutors will appeal the closure of the case against the security forces who dispersed the Maidan in 2013.
• In Poland, Russian diplomats will be restricted in movement around the country.