Ukraine Today - 17/05/2024

A committee of the Spanish Parliament recognized the Holodomor as genocide. The resolution calls on the Spanish government to recognize the Holodomor of 1932-1933 in Ukraine as an act of genocide, to publicly honor the memory of the victims of those events. The committee also called on the Spanish government to continue economic, humanitarian and military aid to Ukraine. Meanwhile, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyi, canceled his planned visits to Portugal and Spain due to the difficult situation at the front. Earlier it was reported that Zelensky plans to visit Madrid on May 17 to sign with Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez a bilateral agreement on security guarantees between Spain and Ukraine. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken met with President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv. The head of state emphasized the importance of the US participation in the Peace Summit, especially US President Joe Biden, and also asked for help in attracting as many countries as possible to the meeting. Anthony Blinken assured that the United States would continue to support Ukraine.

A handout photo made available by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Service shows Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky (L) welcoming US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine, 14 May 2024. Credit: UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE HANDOUT/EPA/AAP Image

• The Russian military may launch an attack on Sumy Oblast, the head of the Main Directorate of Intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, said in an interview with the New York Times. He expects that the attacks in Kharkiv region will continue for several more days, after which the Russian army will try to advance in the direction of Sumy. Kyrylo Budanov noted that such attacks are aimed at "pulling" Ukrainian forces away from other directions.
• The situation in Vovchansk in the Kharkiv region is very difficult, the Russian invaders are breaking into the city, fighting is ongoing.
• At the Trypil TPP, which was massively bombarded by the Russian army with missiles on April 11, the rubble has not yet been dismantled. The same situation is observed at the Zmiyiv TPP - the largest power plant in the Kharkiv region, - said Yevgeny Harkavy, technical director of "Tsentrenergo". The company published the interview on its website
• Russian agents who were preparing a series of terrorist attacks in Kyiv until May 9 were detained by the Security Service of Ukraine. The mercenaries of the Russian game installed explosive devices in construction hypermarkets and near one of the cafes. Homemade explosives were disguised in tea packages. It consisted of a timer, a detonator and plastic explosives with an incendiary mixture that was supposed to cause large-scale fires. According to the plan of the Russian special services, the explosives were to be detonated during the peak hours of hypermarkets in order to cause maximum damage to the civilian population.
• After the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 in Malmö, Sweden, one of the participants of the festival from Ukraine, Alyona Alyona, returned to Ukraine. Another member of the Jerry Heil duet will be on a European tour. The duet of singers Alyona Alyona & Jerry Heil with the song "Teresa & Maria" called for peace and freedom for Ukraine from the stage in the final of the competition. It was a conscious call, says Alyona Alyona.