President Zelenskyy discussed the situation in Kharkiv and Donetsk regions with the military commander, saying that Ukraine maintains control everywhere despite Russia's use of guided bombs, and emphasized the need for additional air defense systems and new combat aircraft.
According to the General Staff, the occupants have made a total of 58 attempts to force our soldiers out of their positions. Combat continues in 17 areas.
Russians are amassing and deploying forces in the direction of Sumy in an attempt to draw the Ukrainian army away from other areas.
Ukrainian troops are successfully repelling Russian attacks on many fronts, with the enemy being most active in the Pokrovsk sector.
Due to the electricity shortage caused by the Russian attacks, restrictions may be imposed on industrial and residential consumers in all regions from 18:00 to midnight today.
Ukrainian defenders have established strong positions in the Kharkiv region, while Russian forces are not achieving their goals, President Zelenskiy said.
All 37 enemy drones that attacked Ukraine at night were successfully shot down by air defense forces.
In Kherson region, hostile forces shelled residential areas, damaging a multi-storey building, 8 houses and infrastructure, killing 2 civilians and injuring 2 others.
According to the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, enemy drones were spotted in various regions of Ukraine, including Chernihiv, Sumy, Cherkasy, Vinnytsia, and Dnipro, moving in different directions.
Hostile UAVs were spotted in different regions of Ukraine, including Sumy, Chernihiv, Mykolaiv, Kirovohrad, and Kherson, with different flight paths and directions.
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, enemy Shahed UAVs were spotted in Kherson and Sumy regions.
Forecasters warn of an extreme fire hazard (class 5) in most of Sumy region from May 18 to 20, urging residents to be careful with open fires near forests and meadows.
On May 19, partly cloudy weather in Ukraine, no precipitation, only in the afternoon on the Left Bank and in the western regions there will be short-term rains and thunderstorms.
The Ministry of Defense has started testing an electronic queue system for territorial recruitment centers and unified recruitment offices in 19 centers in several cities, which allows pre-registration and receipt of a scheduled date and time of visit.
Russia does not have sufficient forces to launch a full-scale offensive against Kyiv as in 2022, but Ukraine and its allies must remain vigilant against potential Russian attacks, Zelenskyy warns.
Russia's offensive in Ukraine could consist of several waves, the first of which would be directed at the Kharkiv region, where Russian troops advanced but were eventually stopped by Ukrainian forces.
Russian troops are currently most active in the Pokrovske and Kurakhove directions, and Ukrainian forces have repelled numerous enemy attacks.
the Russian armed forces shelled 9 border areas and settlements of Sumy region with cannon artillery, small arms and mines, causing 36 explosions.
Enemy forces fired 32 times at the border areas and settlements of Sumy region, resulting in 166 explosions in many localities.
The Air Force warns of possible drone strikes in Sumy and Kharkiv regions.
The operational situation on the northern border is under control and will not change significantly: the enemy continues to shell settlements along the border strip of Chernihiv and Sumy regions with various types of artillery and drones.
Russian troops attacked the Chernihiv region border area with a variety of weapons, causing 97 explosions and fires in households, but no deaths or injuries were reported.
Law enforcers plan to seize land plots legally obtained by more than a thousand ATO participants in Sumy region as part of free privatization.
Ukrzaliznytsia has scheduled an additional daily train #279/280 between Kyiv and Sumy from May 18-26 to increase transportation between Sumy region and the capital.
Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said that there is no question of evacuating civilians from the city, as Kharkiv is hosting people fleeing active hostilities, accommodating more than 6,000 IDPs in dormitories.
Since the beginning of May 15, 41 combat engagements have taken place on the frontline, with intense fighting continuing in the Kharkiv, Kupyansk, Lyman, Siversk, Kramatorsk, Toretsk, Pokrovsk, Kurakhove and Vremivsk sectors. The defense forces inflict significant losses on the Russian-terrorist forces.
Kharkiv is securely defended, but Russia is doing everything it can to sow fear and panic among the civilian population with rocket and bomb attacks.
As a result of Russian shelling of the border areas of Chernihiv region, a man was killed and 53 explosions from various types of weapons were recorded.
In Donetsk region, the Security Service of Ukraine neutralized a six-member Russian military intelligence agent group that was adjusting missile strikes, including a double Iskander strike on a residential building in Pokrovsk, which resulted in civilian casualties.
Russia is playing up the topic of "negotiations" as a bargaining tactic, but the truth is that Russia lacks the men and equipment for a major offensive, and their main hope is to stretch Ukrainian forces and advance in the East, while Ukraine's key task is to survive, Russia needs negotiations only to pause and gather strength.