May 18, 2023 Russia-Ukraine news

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hinted Thursday that his military's offensive brigades are gearing up for a fight, but offered no concrete information.

The country's much-anticipated counteroffensive appears imminent as the Ukrainian military says it has made gains along the conflict's frontlines in recent days. There's speculation that the counteroffensive may already be underway.

If you're just now reading in, here are other headlines you should know:

Black Sea grain deal: Global wheat prices fell Thursday after Ukraine and Russia agreed to extend a deal allowing grain to be exported from Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea. After the agreement, Russia renewed threats to let the deal expire if Western powers do not meet its demands to lift certain sanctions. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the next two months will be “decisive” when it comes to the future of the deal.

Overnight missile strikes: Moscow claimed Thursday that it struck “foreign-made weapons and equipment” depots in overnight strikes on Ukraine using “high-precision” missiles. Ukraine earlier claimed it had intercepted 29 out of 30 Russian missiles that were fired overnight, including over the capital Kyiv. At least one person was killed in the southern port city of Odesa after debris from an intercepted missile fell on industrial buildings.

A Bakhmut breakthrough?: Ukraine's Third Separate Assault Brigade said its recent offensive in the eastern city of Bakhmut has helped it stake out a strong position ahead of Ukraine's anticipated counteroffensive. Brigade leaders said the breakthrough came in an area about 2,000 meters (about 1.25 miles) wide and 700 meters (a little less than half-a-mile) deep. Ukrainian forces have claimed advances in several areas surrounding the embattled eastern city in recent days, despite coming under heavy fire from Russian troops, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s military said Thursday. 

Military aid: Long-range Storm Shadow missiles, which were provided to Ukraine by Britain, have been used successfully since the deployment was announced, UK Defense Minister Ben Wallace said. Also, the Biden administration has signaled to European allies in recent weeks that the US would allow them to export F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, sources familiar with the discussions said. It comes as the White House has been facing increasing pressure from members of Congress and allies to help Ukraine procure the planes amid intensifying Russian aerial attacks. And the Pentagon said that a Patriot missile battery that was damaged by a Russian missile barrage against Kyiv has since been fixed.

2 Russian civilians killed: The governor of Russia’s Belgorod region says that two civilians were killed by Ukrainian fire in a district close to the border. Ukraine said its northern border regions are under fire almost daily by Russian forces, resulting in dozens of casualties in recent months. 

Andrey Medvedev, a former commander in the Wagner mercenary group who applied for political asylum in Norway, says he has decided to return to Russia.

In an interview with Russian human rights activist Vladimir Osechkin, Medvedev said he called the Russian embassy in Oslo and asked to be able to return home.

Medvedev gave several interviews explaining that the murder by Wagner of its own deserters led him to leave and seek asylum in Norway. He told CNN he witnessed brutality and incompetence on the front lines in Ukraine, where the mercenary group's fighters have played a pivotal role in Russia's invasion.

Legal troubles in Norway: Medvedev crossed the Russia-Norway border on foot in January and sought political asylum.

But his stay in Norway has not been entirely peaceful. In April, the 26-year-old pleaded guilty to charges stemming from a fight outside an Oslo bar, and for carrying an air gun in public.

In a series of short videos, Medvedev said he would cancel his asylum application on June 10.

Horrors in Ukraine: Medvedev was the commander of ex-convict Yevgeny Nuzhin, who Wagner executed for surrendering to Ukrainian troops.

Nuzhin returned to Russia of his own choice, according to Ukrainian authorities. Footage of Nuzhin's execution by sledgehammer later circulated on social media, a grim reminder of Wagner's draconic methods.

“They would round up those who did not want to fight and shoot them in front of newcomers," Medvedev told CNN in January. "They brought two prisoners who refused to go fight and they shot them in front of everyone and buried them right in the trenches that were dug by the trainees.”

The Biden administration has signaled to European allies in recent weeks that the US would allow them to export F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, sources familiar with the discussions said. It comes as the White House has been facing increasing pressure from members of Congress and allies to help Ukraine procure the planes amid intensifying Russian aerial attacks. 

Administration officials are not aware, however, of any formal requests by any allies to export F-16s, and State Department officials who would normally be tasked with the paperwork to approve such third-party transfers have not been told to get to work, officials said.  

A handful of European countries have a supply of the US-made jets, including the Netherlands, which has signaled a willingness to export some of them to Ukraine. But the United States would have to approve that third-party transfer because of the jets' sensitive US technology.

While the US remains reluctant to send any of its own F-16s to Kyiv, US officials told CNN that the administration is prepared to approve the export of the jets to Ukraine if that is what allies decide to do with their supply. 

Top Ukrainian officials have escalated their public lobbying campaign for US-made F-16s in recent months, arguing they need them urgently to defend against Russian missile and drone attacks. 

Looking ahead: The issue is expected to be a subject of debate at the next NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, in July, officials said.  

Another open question is where Ukrainian pilots would train on these F-16s. A spokesperson for UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said earlier this week that the UK and the Netherlands were looking to form an "international coalition" not only to procure the jets for Ukraine but also to train Ukrainian pilots.

In March, the US hosted two Ukrainian pilots at a military base in Tucson, Arizona, to evaluate their skills using flight simulators and to assess how much time they would need to learn to fly various US military aircraft, including F-16s. But the US has no plans as of now to expand that training, a defense official told CNN, despite Congress setting aside money in the 2023 budget.

CNN's Zachary Cohen contributed reporting to this post.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held a meeting with senior commanders Thursday, hinting afterward that his military's offensive brigades are gearing up for a fight but offering no concrete information.

“The offensive brigades are doing well, we are preparing, but no details," Zelensky said.

Ukraine has made significant gains along the conflict's front lines in recent days, raising speculation that its highly anticipated counteroffensive may already be underway.

A senior US official told CNN “shaping operations” began last week, but Ukraine has yet to state outright that its counterattack has formally begun.

After several days of heavy Russian missile attacks on Kyiv and other parts of Ukraine, Zelensky said his military will prioritize bolstering its air defense systems and missile stocks, training troops and acquiring more long-range weapons.

Solemn anniversary: Zelensky also marked the anniversary of Stalin’s deportation of the Tatar people from Crimea in 1944.

“We honor the memory of all the victims of the deportation of the Crimean Tatar people," the Ukrainian leader said in his nightly address. "It was one of the most serious crimes of the 20th century — the entire nation was forcibly deported from its native land and forced to live in a foreign land for decades. And when people returned home, Russia once again brought its evil to their home.”

Ukraine has used the Storm Shadow missiles provided by the United Kingdom against Russian forces, a British defense official said Thursday.

"All I can confirm is it has been used successfully, that is the information I received from the Ukrainians, and I'm pleased it is helping them to defend their country," British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace told CNN’s Jim Sciutto in an exclusive interview on “News Central.”

The Storm Shadow missiles, the longest-range weapon in Ukraine's arsenal, were just recently given to Kyiv ahead of an anticipated counteroffensive against the Russian military. The long-range cruise missile has stealth capabilities and a firing range of more than 250km, or 155 miles.

Asked about a potential counteroffensive and Ukrainian attempt to retake Crimea from Russia, Wallace said that under international law, Ukraine has "every right to do that in accordance of self-defense."

"Britain isn't going to stand in the way of that," he added.

Recent fighting: In the last several days, Russia has continued pounding Ukraine with missiles, killing one civilian and injuring two others in Odesa overnight. Ukraine, however, has maintained that it has been able to knock down many of Russia's missiles before impact, particularly in the capital of Kyiv.

On Tuesday morning, Russia launched what Ukraine described as an "exceptional" assault on Kyiv that was largely intercepted by air defenses. 

While the battle rages, there has been confusion on whether Ukraine's counteroffensive has started yet — though that may be the point. US and NATO-supplied equipment has continued pouring into the country, and Wallace said Thursday that the international community's support of Ukraine is only growing stronger.

A Patriot missile battery damaged by a Russian missile barrage against Kyiv has been fixed, the Pentagon said Thursday.

CNN reported on Wednesday that the damage was minimal. 

United Kingdom Defense Minister Ben Wallace said long-range Storm Shadow missiles, which were provided to Ukraine by Britain, have been used since the deployment was announced.

Speaking at a news conference in London alongside his Norwegian counterpart Bjørn Arild Gram on Thursday, Wallace said he would not give more operational details.

"All I can say is it is my understanding that it has been used since we announced its deployment to Ukraine, but I'm not going to go into further details," he said.

About the missiles: 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 250 kilometers, or 155 miles, it is just short of the 185-mile range capability of the US-made surface-to-surface Army Tactical Missile Systems, or ATACMS, that Ukraine has long asked for.

The missiles have the range to strike deep into Russian-held territory in eastern Ukraine. A Western official told CNN that the UK has received assurances from the Ukrainian government that these missiles will be used only within Ukrainian sovereign territory and not inside Russia. 

Last week, Wallace called the donation Ukraine’s “best chance to defend themselves against Russia’s continued brutality.”

CNN's Jim Sciutto contributed reporting to this post.

After agreeing to extend the Black Sea grain initiative again this week, Russia renewed threats to let the deal expire if Western powers do not meet its demands to lift certain sanctions.

Russia has agreed to a two-month extension of the deal, viewed as pivotal for addressing world hunger, through July 17.

Moscow has frequently complained that while the deal allows Ukraine to export its grain through Black Sea ports, its own exports are impeded by Western sanctions. An agreement with the United Nations to help facilitate Russian shipments has not yielded results, the Kremlin claims.

The Russian foreign ministry said Thursday there will be not talks of expanding the deal further unless it gets concessions.

Some context: The grain deal became necessary in the first place after Russia launched its war in Ukraine. Following its full-scale invasion, Moscow blockaded exports from key Ukrainian Black Sea ports, including Odesa, Chornomorsk and Pivdennyi.

The blockages kept millions of tons of Ukrainian grain from reaching the countries that rely on it, until the United Nations and Turkey helped broker the deal.

What Ukraine is saying: The current extension does not provide for satisfying Russia’s outside demands, said Vasyl Bodnar, Ukraine’s ambassador in Turkey.

The grain initiative exists separately from Russia's demands, which are between the Kremlin and UN leadership, Bodnar insisted.

CNN's Sophie Tanno contributed to this report.

The governor of Russia’s Belgorod region says that two civilians were killed by Ukrainian fire in a district close to the border.

Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Telegram that two people were killed and one person was hospitalized in critical condition in the Shebekinsky district.

“The Ukrainian Armed Forces killed these civilians while they were in their vegetable garden planting potatoes,” Gladkov said.

A number of Russian civilians have been killed or injured in areas close to the border since the Russian invasion of Ukraine last year. 

On May 10, a man in the Belgorod region died after sustaining a head injury because of Ukrainian shelling, Gladkov said.

In Ukraine, Oleh Syniehubov, the head of the Kharkiv region military administration, said Thursday that one person had been killed in the village of Tsyrkuny by a Russian rocket attack. Two more civilians were wounded, he said.

Ukraine said its northern border regions are under fire almost daily by Russian forces, resulting in dozens of casualties in recent months.