Ukrainian Armed Forces counterattacks near Bakhmut, launch of restoration program, 'evacuation' in Enerhodar: highlights

Situation at the front

Commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi said that in certain areas of the frontline on the Bakhmut axis, the Russian occupation forces were unable to withstand the onslaught of the Ukrainian military and retreated to a distance of up to two kilometers.

Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine Hanna Malyar said that in eastern Ukraine, the enemy is attacking on five axes simultaneously - Bakhmut, Avdiyivka, Maryinka, Lyman and Shakhtarsk.

Russia is making the most efforts on the Bakhmut axis, and Wagner units have been pulled to Bakhmut from all other axes where they performed combat missions. In those areas, they were replaced by regular Russian army troops.

Meanwhile, the owner of the Wagner PMC, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said that his militants were forced to hand over their flanks in the Bakhmut area to the Russian military due to a reduction in personnel. According to him, there is a "serious risk of encirclement" of the PMC Wagner in Bakhmut due to the failure of the flanks, which are "already cracking."

Prigozhin also said that Wagner Group was "drying up" in terms of personnel, weapons and ammunition due to "fears of internal competition."

"eVidnovlennya" program launched in Ukraine

On May 10, Ukraine launched the "eVidnovlennya" program, which will allow people to receive funds to repair their homes damaged by the war. At around 3 p.m., the Ministry of Infrastructure reported that the system was overloaded as thousands of applications were received.

Currently, the program is focused on restoring homes with minor damage. One can apply for assistance through Diia.

The service is open to all citizens of Ukraine whose housing was damaged as a result of hostilities and needs to be restored. This includes apartments, private houses, and other residential premises, including dormitory rooms.

People who have already repaired their homes will not be able to participate in the program. The government is working on a reimbursement mechanism. For now, the ministry is urging people to keep receipts, photos, testimonies from neighbors, or media reports about their damaged homes in order to claim part of Russia's reparations in the future.

Occupiers "evacuate" thousands of ZNPP workers

The Russian occupation forces are planning to "evacuate" about 3,100 people from Enerhodar, a satellite city of the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant. These are 2,700 employees of the plant who signed a contract with Russia, along with their families.

The operator of Ukrainian nuclear power plants, Energoatom, notes that there is already a "catastrophic" shortage of qualified personnel at the plant. And the "evacuation" of Ukrainian workers who signed contracts with the occupiers will exacerbate the already "extremely urgent issue" of having enough staff to ensure safe operation of the nuclear power plant even in the current shutdown state.

The state-owned company assures that it is taking all possible measures to form the necessary number of specialists capable of ensuring the safe operation of the plant in the first period after its de-occupation. Such a team will be formed on a rotational basis from ZNPP employees who are currently on the territory controlled by Ukraine, as well as specialists from other nuclear power plants.

Fall of Russian missile in Poland confirmed by expert

Preliminary findings of the Polish Air Force Institute of Technology indicate that the Kh-55 cruise missile, the remains of which were found near the Polish city of Zamość, most likely came from the eastern border. The Polish army does not have such weapons in service or in its warehouses, reported RMF FM, citing sources.

Other news:

• The Ministry of Education appealed to the police regarding the documents on the education of blogger Spartak Subbota.
• Czechia will transfer Kub air defense systems to Ukraine and may consider the transfer of attack aircraft.
• Japan is negotiating the opening of a NATO office.
• Putin abolishes the visa regime for Georgian citizens and the ban on flights to Georgia for Russian airlines. Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili calls it a provocation.
• The editorial office of the Odesa-based newspaper Dumskaya was searched. Journalists claimed pressure from the authorities.
• Poland recommended to abandon the Russian name of the city of Kaliningrad. Russia was outraged.
• In Cherkasy, two policemen suspected of raping a 17-year-old girl were placed under round-the-clock house arrest.
• Busts of Pushkin and other Russians will be replaced in the Kyiv subway. A vote will determine which ones will be replaced.
• The trial of three men whose actions, according to investigators, killed Svoboda volunteer Oleksiy Shcherbyna has begun in Kyiv.