May 16, 2023 - Russia-Ukraine news

Our live coverage of Russia’s war in Ukraine has moved here.

A retired US Army Special Forces soldier has been identified as the American citizen killed by Russian artillery in the embattled city of Bakhmut this week, according to a close friend and the founder of a non-profit group working in Ukraine.

Retired Army Staff Sgt. Nicholas Maimer served more than 20 years in uniform before retiring in 2018, according to his service record provided to CNN.

Maimer had been in a building in Bakhmut that was hit by artillery fire, Retired Lt. Col. Perry Blackburn told CNN. Blackburn said they later learned that the building had collapsed, and Ukrainians who were with Maimer believed he was either trapped in the collapsed building or killed by a “barrage” Russian artillery fire. 

A video posted to Telegram on Tuesday by the private Russian military company Wagner Group appeared to show the group’s leader inspecting a body and showing what he claimed were US identification documents. The leader of the group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, says in the video that the American was “shooting back” when he was killed in Bakhmut. 

“So we will hand him over to the United States of America, we’ll put him in a coffin, cover him with the American flag with respect because he did not die in his bed as a grandpa but he died at war and most likely a worthy [death], right?” Prigozhin said.

Maimer’s family did not return CNN’s request for comment, though his uncle, Paul, confirmed to the Idaho Statesman that the body in the video was Maimer’s. 

The White House says it is not currently planning to ask Congress for new Ukraine funding before the end of the fiscal year at the end of September, pitting administration officials against some lawmakers and congressional staffers who are concerned that the funds could run out by mid-summer.

The White House statement comes amid some anxiety on Capitol Hill about what they say is the administration’s lack of clarity on the issue.

Administration officials told CNN they anticipate the White House’s Office of Management and Budget will have to ask Congress for more Ukraine funding once the current batch – approved by Congress in December – runs out.

White House and Pentagon officials told CNN they are anticipating having to ask Congress for more funding, but want to first determine how to distribute the money they already have.

To date, the US has dispersed weapons and supplies to Ukraine through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative and the Presidential Drawdown Authority, which draws directly from Pentagon weapons stocks and requires replenishment funding.

Congressional staffers told CNN that based on how much the administration has been spending every month, they believe the remaining funds could run out sooner than September — and they have not yet heard from administration officials about whether the White House will request additional funding once that money is depleted.

The staffers also said they are concerned that the administration is waiting to see whether Ukraine is successful in its much-anticipated counteroffensive before committing any more funds to the war.

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An air raid siren sounded in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv late on Tuesday night. The siren was active for about an hour before ending. 

Four air targets were moving toward Kyiv during the alert, according to local monitoring groups. 

Air raid alerts remain active in the regions of Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro and Donetsk.

A view of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant from the right bank of the Dnipro river in Enerhodar, on Sunday.

Workers at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant have resumed “normal operations” after the May holidays, according to a Russian official.

The plant has been occupied by Russian forces since March last year.

There have been contradictory reports about the evacuation of civilians from the town, which is close to the front lines.

Before the May holidays, Ukrainian officials said buses were evacuating civilians from the nearby city of Enerhodar. It’s unclear how many people may have left. They also claimed that the Russians were removing equipment — such as medical machinery — from the town.

Olga Kurlaeva, a Russian journalist reporting from the occupied region, said that rumors of the “mass transfer” of people were unconfirmed and that “everything that should work is working. And people are coming back, let’s say, after a long weekend.”

It’s not possible to verify how many people may have left the region ahead of an anticipated Ukrainian counter-offensive. Ukrainian officials said some who had left for Berdiansk further south had returned to their homes because conditions in temporary accommodation were so poor.

 CNN’s Sam Kiley contributed to this report.

Russia is launching larger aerial attacks from several directions at once, targeting command and control centers in Kyiv and other high-value locations, a US official said.

Ukrainian forces say they have liberated parts of the embattled eastern city of Bakhmut.

Here are the top headlines to know:

Russia is expending more munitions than usual in an attempt to overwhelm and confuse Ukrainian air defenses, according to a US official familiar with the matter.

Russia launched larger aerial attacks from several directions at once, the official said, targeting command and control centers in Kyiv and other high-value locations.

Russia may have begun the expanded attacks in an attempt to force Ukraine to delay its highly-anticipated counteroffensive, the official said. But Ukraine has been able to withstand the attacks, intercepting a high percentage of the incoming missiles and drones with the layered air defenses provided by Western nations.

The expanded attacks may even work to Ukraine’s advantage, the official said, as Russia dips deeper into its limited supply of precision munitions.

On Tuesday, Russia unleashed a barrage with hypersonic Kinzhal missiles launched from fighter jets, Kalibr cruise missiles fired from the Black Sea, and land-based Iskander missiles, the head of Ukraine’s military said. The attack came from the north, south and east. The attack likely damaged – but did not destroy – a Patriot system, another official told CNN, as the US assesses the extent of the damage.

Earlier this month, Ukraine used its newly-delivered Patriot missiles to intercept a hypersonic Kinzhal missile, marking the first time the US-made missile interdicted a weapon Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed was impossible to stop.

Last week, Ukrainian President Volodmyr Zelensky said Ukraine needs “a bit more time” before it begins its counter-offensive.

A Belgian Air Force F-16 is seen flying over the Rinkven International Golf Club on May 12, in Anterwp, Belgium.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte are working to build an “international coalition” to help Ukraine procure F-16 fighter jets “at this pivotal moment in the resistance to Putin’s invasion,” according to the Downing Street readout of the leaders’ meeting Tuesday. 

Sunak also “reiterated his belief that Ukraine’s rightful place is in NATO and the leaders agreed on the importance of allies providing long-term security assistance to Ukraine to guarantee they can deter against future attacks,” according to the spokesperson. 

Ukraine swiftly welcomed the news of the international coalition talks.

Speaking in the United Kingdom Monday, Zelensky welcomed promises of fresh military aid from European leaders – but renewed his demands to be provided with modern fighter jets. Ukraine is hankering for US-made F-16s to help secure its skies, but some of its allies have been reluctant to offer weapons that would allow Kyiv to reach Russian soil.

Following his visit with the British prime minister Monday, Zelensky hinted that Ukraine is closer to receiving F-16s, saying that Ukraine and the UK “continue to work on the fighter jet coalition,” and “we’re actively moving forward.”

Zelensky also thanked Great Britain for agreeing to train Ukrainian pilots.

Julia Kesaieva contributed reporting.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu denied Ukraine shot down as many as six hypersonic Kinzhal missiles in the early hours of Tuesday.

“The Russian Federation has not launched as many ‘Kinzhals’ as they allegedly shoot down every time when making their statements,” Shoigu told Russian state media RIA Novosti.

He said the number of intercepts claimed by Ukraine was “three times more than [the missiles] we are launching.”

Ukrainians said they intercepted all 18 Russian missiles launched at the country in the early hours of Tuesday morning, including six Kinzhals. 

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the State Department would not rule out designating Russia a state sponsor of terrorism for its accused atrocities in Ukraine.

In an angry line of questioning at a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on China Tuesday, Sen. Lindsey Graham asked Blinken: “You’re never going to designate Russian state sponsored terrorism, are you?”

Blinken quickly responded, “never say never.”

Blinken later in the hearing highlighted the sanctions that the US has put on Russia. 

Some context: Lawmakers and Ukrainian officials have repeatedly put pressure on the Biden administration to designate Russia as a state sponsor of terror, but the Biden administration has not taken that action out of concern for unintended consequences.

Earlier this year the US Treasury Department announced that it would designate the Russian mercenary organization Wagner as a “transnational criminal organization.” 

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz speaks at the Council of Europe summit on Tuesday, in Reykjavik, Iceland.

A “register of damages” listing all the harm caused by Russia during its war in Ukraine is important for the reconstruction of the war-torn country, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said upon arrival to a Council of Europe summit in Reykjavik, Iceland, on Tuesday. 

The register was the “prerequisite” for Ukraine’s allies to work on a joint plan for the reconstruction of the country, Scholz said, adding it was of “the utmost importance” for Ukraine’s future. 

European leaders have gathered in Reykjavik for a summit of the COE, the European body governing human rights on the continent. It’s only the fourth summit of the body in almost 75 years of its establishment. 

A US-made Patriot system was likely damaged, but not destroyed, as the result of a Russian missile barrage in and around Kyiv early Tuesday morning local time, a United States official tells CNN.

The US is still assessing the extent of the damage, the official said. That will determine whether the system needs to be pulled back entirely or simply repaired on the spot by the Ukrainians.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said on Tuesday in a post on Telegram that “a high-precision strike by the Kinzhal hypersonic missile system in the city of Kyiv hit a US-made Patriot anti-aircraft missile system.”

Ukrainian officials said on Tuesday that they successfully intercepted all six hypersonic missiles fired by the Russians, but the Ukrainian military declined to comment on the Russians’ claim that a Patriot system was hit.

“We cannot comment on this. We’ll stay out of commenting on Russian sources,” Ukrainian air force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat said.

Ukraine currently has two Patriot air defense systems in the country, one donated by the US and the other donated jointly by Germany and the Netherlands. It is unclear which of those systems was potentially damaged.

Some context: Russia has targeted the systems with hypersonic missiles before, US officials told CNN last week, including once on May 4. That attack failed, and Ukrainians successfully intercepted the missile before it could hit the Patriot, the officials said. 

But US officials believe the Russians have been able to pick up on signals that are emitted from the Patriot, allowing them to target the system using the hypersonic missile, known as the Kinzhal or Killjoy.

More background: The Patriot missile system has a powerful radar to detect incoming targets at long-range, making it a potent air defense platform capable of intercepting ballistic missiles and more. 

But the radar emission necessary to spot threats at a distance also makes it possible for the enemy to detect the Patriot battery and figure out its location. And unlike some shorter-range air defenses provided to Ukraine that are mobile and harder to target, the large Patriot battery is a larger and more stationary system, making it possible for the Russians to zero in on the location over time.

Correction: An earlier version of this post misspelled Ukrainian air force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat’s first name.

The main European body governing human rights on the continent is meeting at its fourth summit in almost 75 years on Tuesday, with a “top priority” of supporting Ukraine against Russia’s war. 

The Council of Europe, which was set up in 1949 in the wake of World War II to promote “human rights, democracy and the rule of law” across Europe, held its first summit in 1993 following the fall of the Berlin Wall. It has not held a summit since 2005.

The COE’s Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić said that the war in Ukraine “must take center stage” at the summit.

Tiny Kox, president of the COE Parliamentary Assembly, said “the return of a large-scale war of aggression in Europe” highlights that the “solidity and resilience of European democracies, their respect for human rights, and their adherence to the rule of law are the best guarantees for each other’s prosperity, security and peaceful future.”

Russia was expelled from the COE in March 2022 after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. There are now 46 member states of the Council, as well as six observer states: the United States, Canada, Mexico, Japan, Israel and The Holy See.

Explosion of a missile by a ground to air defense system is seen in the sky over the city of Kyiv during a Russian missile strike in Kyiv, Ukraine, on May 16.

The Russian Defense Ministry claimed it destroyed a US-made Patriot air defense system in Kyiv in a missile strike this morning.

However, Ukraine said it intercepted all 18 Russian missiles launched at the country in the early hours of Tuesday morning, including six Kinzhal missiles. 

The Ukrainian military declined comment on the Russian claim.

Ukraine’s Air Force spokesperson, Yuriy Ihnat, would only say, “We cannot comment on this. We’ll stay out of commenting on Russian sources.”

CNN has not seen any independent or verifiable evidence that a Patriot system was destroyed. 

More background: Ukraine has received at least two Patriot systems, one from the United States and one from Germany, to enhance its air defenses. Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov has said they are critical to defend Ukrainian infrastructure against ballistic missiles.

Last week, two US officials told CNN that Russia had tried to destroy a US-made Patriot air defense system in Ukraine with a hypersonic missile on the night of May 4. That attack failed, and the Ukrainian military instead intercepted the missile using the Patriot system, the officials said. 

Correction: An earlier version of this post misspelled Ukrainian air force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat’s first name.

CNN’s Julia Kesaieva in Kyiv, Nick Paton Walsh, Natasha Bertrand and Oren Liebermann contributed reporting to this post. 

The UN-chartered vessel MV Valsamitis is loaded to deliver 25,000 tonnes of Ukrainian wheat to Kenya and 5,000 tonnes to Ethiopia, at the port of Chornomorsk, east of Odessa on the Black Sea coast, on February 18.

The renewal of the Black Sea Grain Initiative is critical to limit “future shock” to the security of global food supplies, the International Rescue Committee said in a statement on Tuesday.

“The looming expiration of the Black Sea grain deal risks further food market instability at a time of record food insecurity,” the humanitarian organization said. “With 349 million people across 79 countries estimated to experience acute food insecurity this year, the Black Sea grain deal must be extended.”

The grain initiative, which is set to expire on May 18 if not renewed, is a deal between Russia and Ukraine allowing the safe exportation of grain from Ukraine’s Black Sea ports.

According to the IRC, as much as 90% of imports into East African countries are shipments supported by the grain deal. Should these imports stop, there will be a “spike in the number of undernourished people” to almost 19 million in 2023, it said.

IRC East Africa Emergency Director Shashwat Saraf said in the statement that food shortages and a lack of affordable fertilizer are increasing food prices, making it difficult for people in countries like Somalia to “predict if they will be able to afford a meal the next day.”

“It is crucial the international community unequivocally stands behind maintaining Ukraine’s grain exports,” he added.

Ukrainian forces have begun using long-range “Storm Shadow” missiles provided by the UK to strike Russian targets, two US officials and a Western official familiar with the matter told CNN Tuesday.

A spokesperson for the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense declined to comment.

The Storm Shadow is a long-range cruise missile with stealth capabilities, jointly developed by the UK and France, which is typically launched from the air. With a firing range in excess of 250km, or 155 miles.

CNN first reported last week that the United Kingdom had delivered multiple “Storm Shadow” cruise missiles to Ukraine, giving the nation a new long-range strike capability.

CNN’s Tim Lister contributed to the reporting

Ukrainian soldiers fire a cannon near Bakhmut in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, on May 15.

Within the past few days, Ukrainian forces have liberated substantial areas to the north and south of the embattled eastern city of Bakhmut in Donetsk region, Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar has claimed.

Her claim cannot be verified and many observers think Ukrainian progress has been more modest than that.

Maliar acknowledged that Russia is also making advances in Bakhmut, bringing in paratroopers and “destroying the city with artillery.”

“The enemy has an advantage in terms of numbers of people and weapons. At the same time, due to the actions of our military, it has not been able to implement its plans in the Bakhmut sector since last summer,” she added.

The Russian oil producer Gazprom Neft's Moscow oil refinery on the south-eastern outskirts of Moscow, Russia, on April 28, 2022.

Russia’s oil exports have risen to their highest levels since the country invaded Ukraine more than a year ago.

Russia exported 8.3 million barrels per day of crude and refined oil in April, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said in its monthly oil report released Tuesday. An increase in crude oil exports offset a decline in exports of refined products, the agency added.

The rise comes despite the European Union imposing a ban on all seaborne imports of Moscow’s crude oil last year, and a total ban on imports of refined oil products.

Russia has managed to divert huge volumes of its oil to China and India.

India reselling Russian oil: India has become one of the biggest buyers of Russian oil since Moscow invaded Ukraine – and sends much of it back to Europe as refined fuel.

In an article published in the Financial Times on Tuesday, European Union chief Josep Borrell said that the EU should crack down on India reselling Russian oil into Europe. Borrell warned this practice “is certainly a circumvention of sanctions and member states have to take measures.”

“Russia seems to have few problems finding willing buyers for its crude and oil products,” the IEA said in its report.

Still, Russia’s oil export revenues dropped 27% in April compared with the same month in 2022, the agency estimated.

Tax receipts from the country’s oil and gas sector — which contributes about 45% to its federal budget — were down by nearly two-thirds over the same period.

The IEA said Russia may be increasing its oil exports as a way to compensate for a drop in revenue. The country did not deliver on its commitment to OPEC+, the group of oil producing nations, to slash exports by 500,000 barrels per day last month, according to IEA estimates.

Wagner chief Prigozhin claims US citizen died fighting in Bakhmut in a video released on May 15.

The leader of the Russian private military company Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, claimed a US citizen died in the embattled Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, in a video posted on the Wagner Telegram group on Tuesday. 

A pro-Kremlin military blogger, Alexander Simonov, introduces the video saying “we are advancing to the advanced positions of the PMC Wagner in the western regions of Artyomovsk” – the Russian name for Bakhmut.

The video is filmed at night with the sound of an apparent mortar attack. The soldiers shout, “Into the shelter. Mortar attacks from the western side.”

Prigozhin is shown inspecting a body, and inspects what he claims are US identification documents.

CNN cannot verify the authenticity of the documents and cannot confirm the nationality of the body shown in the video.

“So we will hand him over to the United States of America, we’ll put him in a coffin, cover him with the American flag with respect because he did not die in his bed as a grandpa but he died at war and most likely a worthy [death], right?” Prigozhin says in the video.

A soldier claims that the man was returning fire when he died. Prigozhin replies, “He was shooting back; he died in the battle, so we will hand over his documents tomorrow morning and pack everything, right?”

Some context: Prigozhin and Wagner group frequently post videos for propaganda purposes, and often mix real footage with propaganda claims.

What the US says: The US State Department has not verified Prigozhin’s claim, but a spokesperson said the department is “aware of the reports” and is “seeking additional information.”

“Our ability to verify reports of deaths of U.S. citizens in Ukraine is extremely limited,” the spokesperson said Tuesday.

The spokesperson offered “condolences to the families of all whose lives have been lost as a result of Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified war against Ukraine” and reiterated that Americans should not travel to Ukraine.

As Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky continued to secure commitments of military aid from European leaders, Russia hit back with what the Ukrainian military described as an “exceptional” dense attack on Kyiv early Tuesday.

Here are the latest developments: