May 31, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

By Helen Regan, Andrew Raine, Jack Guy, Hannah Ryan, Adrienne Vogt, Meg Wagner, Melissa Macaya and Mike Hayes, CNN

Updated 12:01 a.m. ET, June 1, 2022
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11:44 a.m. ET, May 31, 2022

Danish energy firm Ørsted confirms Gazprom will halt Russian gas supplies beginning tomorrow

From CNN's Robert North

Danish energy firm Ørsted has confirmed that Russian state energy giant Gazprom will halt gas supplies starting on June 1 after Ørsted refused to pay for gas in rubles. 

"At Ørsted, we stand firm in our refusal to pay in rubles, and we’ve been preparing for this scenario, so we still expect to be able to supply gas to our customers,” said Mads Nipper, group president and CEO of the Danish firm.

Ørsted warned on Monday that it could be cut off, adding that preparations to minimize the risk to wider supplies include filling up its gas storage facilities in Germany and Denmark.

“Since there is no gas pipeline going directly from Russia to Denmark, Russia will not be able to directly cut off the gas supplies to Denmark, and it will thus still be possible for Denmark to get gas. However, this means that the gas for Denmark must, to a larger extent, be purchased on the European gas market. We expect this to be possible,” according to the firm.

Around 4% of Denmark’s total energy consumption comes from Russian gas, according to European think tank Bruegel.

Finland, Poland and Bulgaria have already been cut off from Russian gas supplies after refusing to pay in rubles. Russian President Vladimir Putin said in March that "unfriendly" nations would have to pay rubles, rather than the euros or dollars stated in contracts. 

1:36 p.m. ET, May 31, 2022

Video shows Ukrainian helicopters resupplying Azovstal while plant was under siege

From CNN's Tim Lister, Victoria Butenko and Olga Voitovych 

Image from a video that has been released showing Ukrainian helicopters flying supplies into the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol.
Image from a video that has been released showing Ukrainian helicopters flying supplies into the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol. (Ukrainian Defense Intelligence)

Video has been released of Ukrainian helicopters flying supplies into the Azovstal plant in Mariupol even as it was under siege by Russian forces.

The video was shot aboard a Mi-8 helicopter and shows the aircraft flying low across countryside and then along the Mariupol shore before a brief shot of supplies being offloaded.

A social media channel affiliated with Ukrainian defense intelligence that distributed the video said the missions had been carried out by Ukrainian special forces.

Another channel that published the video said: "This unique special operation was carried out by specialists of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense and the Azov Regiment. 16 Mi-8 military helicopters loaded with the necessary equipment flew to the defenders of Mariupol blocked by Russia on Azovstal."

"There were 7 such missions in total. Each time, helicopters successfully delivered food, drinking water, medicines and ammunition to the defenders of the city to a depth of more than 100 kilometers [from Ukrainian-held areas]," the channel added.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky referred to the previously undisclosed missions on May 20.

"Unfortunately, a large number of people died, our pilots. Absolutely heroic people who knew that it was difficult, that it was almost impossible to fly to Azovstal and bring there medicine, food, water, pick up the bodies of the wounded," he said.

"A lot of things were happening that no one could officially comment. There were no air corridors to Azovstal due to Russia's powerful deployed air defenses," Zelensky said.

The president added that "we lost a lot of pilots" who flew to the plant.

11:52 a.m. ET, May 31, 2022

Russia's economic development at stake through 6th round of EU sanctions, Germany says

From CNN’s Inke Kappeler 

EU's decision on the sixth package of sanctions will affect Russian economic development and prosperity, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said during a press conference Tuesday following an extraordinary European Council meeting.

"The sanctions have a clear objective, to get Russia to end this war and withdraw its troops and come to an agreement with Ukraine on a reasonable and fair peace,“ Scholz said in Brussels.

About 90 percent of oil imports to Europe is covered by the embargo. An exception for pipeline oil being delivered to some countries in Europe enabled a joint agreement, Scholz explained. "This was important because the transitional measures that these countries have to take have not been able to be finalized so quickly,“ he said. 

Germany and Poland are continuing their efforts to become independent of Russian oil by the end of the year, the German chancellor said.

A Europe-wide gas embargo is not yet within reach as many countries will remain dependent on Russian gas much longer than Germany, Scholz said. "Germany is rapidly becoming independent of gas imports by constructing infrastructure to enable gas imports from other countries with ships,“ he said. "Some investments will be made very quickly, so we hope that there will already be significant changes at the turn of the year, but some things will take longer. But one thing is pretty clear from my point of view: Many countries will need longer than Germany." 

The German chancellor blamed Russia for the looming food crisis. "The responsibility clearly lies with Russia and its president,“ Scholz said. 

Germany is working on a weapons exchange with Greece so that the country can send its tanks from former Warsaw treaty to Ukraine which will be replaced German infantry fighting vehicles, Scholz announced.

11:52 a.m. ET, May 31, 2022

Macron says he's not ruling out anything in possible next round of sanctions against Russia

From CNN’s Xiaofei Xu and Camille Knight in Paris 

(Geert Vanden Wijngaert/AP)
(Geert Vanden Wijngaert/AP)

French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday said nothing could be ruled out about a possible next round of sanctions against Russia.

“I think we should not rule anything out for the coming weeks. Everything depends on the evolution of the situation on the ground,” Macron told reporters after a special European Union summit in Brussels. 

His remarks come after the EU leaders agreed on Monday to ban most Russian oil imports as part of a new sanctions package against Moscow. 

“[It] is a very strong package, which again, a few weeks ago nobody thought possible,” Macron said.   

“It is a very structuring measure that will penalize the Russian economy in the short term,” the French leader continued, adding that “what we must see behind it, is that it is a restructuring of our economies.” 

Macron also announced that France has launched an investigation into the killing of French journalist Frederic Leclerc-Imhoff in Ukraine. The 32-year-old worked for CNN affiliate BFM TV, which said that he was shot and killed on Monday on the road to Lysychansk in the Severodonetsk area of Ukraine. 

6:13 p.m. ET, May 31, 2022

Ukrainian parliament dismisses human rights ombudsman

From CNN's Tim Lister, Victoria Butenko and Olga Voitovych

Ukraine's human rights ombudsman, Liudmila Denisova, in July 2019.
Ukraine's human rights ombudsman, Liudmila Denisova, in July 2019. (Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP)

The Ukrainian parliament voted to dismiss the country's human rights ombudsman, Liudmila Denisova, saying she failed in her main roles.

The parliament overwhelmingly passed a vote of no confidence in Denisova, with 234 in favor and 9 against, plus 28 abstentions. 

"Ms. Denisova has hardly exercised her authority to organize humanitarian corridors, protect and exchange prisoners, oppose the deportation of people and children from the occupied territories, and other human rights activities," said Pavlo Frolov, a Ukrainian minister of parliament with the governing Servant of the People party.

Frolov said Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk "was forced to do all this work."

Vereshchuk led the organization of evacuation corridors for Ukrainian civilians trying to escape the fighting and negotiated several exchanges of prisoners.

He added that the decision to seek Denisova's dismissal followed a meeting of the governing party in the Ukrainian parliament led by presidential adviser David Arakhamia.

CNN has reached out to Denisova for comment. 

In a brief statement on her Telegram channel, Denisova described her dismissal as unconstitutional.

"Today is the last day of my work as the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights," she said "I was fired in violation of the Constitution, laws of Ukraine and international standards. I will appeal this decision in court," she added.

"The law is the same for everyone!" she continued.

11:22 a.m. ET, May 31, 2022

Ukraine has identified more than 600 Russian war crime suspects, top prosecutor says

From CNN's Radina Gigova in London

Nadiya Trubchaninova, 70, observes volunteers as they load a body bag containing a civilian killed by Russian soldiers into a truck, in Bucha, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, on April 12.
Nadiya Trubchaninova, 70, observes volunteers as they load a body bag containing a civilian killed by Russian soldiers into a truck, in Bucha, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, on April 12. (Rodrigo Abd/AP)

Ukraine has identified more than 600 Russian war crime suspects and has started prosecuting around 80 of them, Ukraine's Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova said at a presser Tuesday. 

Venediktova spoke alongside International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Karim Khan and other counterparts following a meeting in The Hague to discuss investigations into alleged war crimes in Ukraine.

She said high level military officials, politicians and "propaganda agents of the Russian Federation" are among the more than 600 Russian suspects. 

Venediktova said the investigations have been complicated by the fact that fighting is still ongoing. 

Estonia, Latvia and Slovakia have joined the international team investigating suspected war crimes in Ukraine, which was originally formed by Ukraine, Lithuania and Poland on March 21 to enable the exchange of information and resources, Venediktova said. 

Speaking at the same presser, Khan said ICC "will be working towards opening an office in Kyiv" in the next few weeks. 

10:06 a.m. ET, May 31, 2022

Ukraine “completely dependent” on fuel imports after biggest oil refinery destroyed, industry group chair says

From CNN's Bex Wright

Ukraine is in a state of fuel “price shock” and is now “completely dependent” on fuel imports after the country’s biggest oil refinery in Kremenchuk was destroyed by Russian missiles last month, Andrii Zakrevskyi, chair of Ukraine’s Oil and Gas Association, said at a press briefing on Tuesday.

“We are now completely dependent on fuel imports. Railway supply chains have also come under pressure. There are queues at the borders, and if you add 3,000 fuel trucks, the burden on the logistics routes will increase,” Zakrevskyi said.

He said the war has reduced national consumption by 30-40%, but it still lacks four to five million tons of fuel a year. He said before the war, 75% of all fuel came from Belarus. 

“We are now in a situation of price shock. In order to really improve the situation with fuel shortages, we need to deploy mobile oil refining complexes in Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk and Zakarpattia regions. We need to increase oil production,” Zakrevskyi said.

Zakrevskyi said the country needs to “build pipelines from the Baltic Sea ports to Ukraine," but “there are many difficulties.”

11:52 a.m. ET, May 31, 2022

India increases flow of heavily discounted Russian oil as West continues to place sanctions on Moscow

From CNN's Diksha Madhok

India’s appetite for cheap Russian oil is swelling, even as the West continues to hit Moscow with unprecedented sanctions.

Russian crude flows to India are expected to reach 3.36 million metric tonnes in May, according to estimates from financial market data provider Refinitiv. This is nearly nine times higher than the 2021 monthly average of 382,500 metric tonnes.

Overall, the country has received 4.8 million metric tonnes of discounted Russian oil since the Ukraine war started, Refinitiv added. Urals oil from Russia currently trades at about $95 a barrel, while the global benchmark Brent crude is above $119 a barrel.

Part of the reason for the price disparity: The West has shunned Russian oil. On Monday, the EU agreed to ban 90% of Russian oil imports by the end of the year. Europe is the biggest buyer of Russian energy.

The United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Australia have already banned imports.

The embargo from a huge importer like Europe would pile pressure on the Russian economy, but Moscow has found other buyers in Asia.

India, which imports 80% of its oil, usually buys only about 2% to 3% from Russia. But with oil prices shooting up this year, the government has steadily increased its intake from Moscow, taking advantage of the heavy discounts.

According to Refinitiv, Russia crude flows to India soared to 1.01 million metric tonnes in April from 430,000 metric tonnes in March.

India’s Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas did not immediately respond to a query on the impact EU’s partial ban will have on the South Asian economy’s oil ties with Moscow.

Earlier in May, India played down the import spike. In a statement, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas said the country imports oil from all over the world, including a significant volume from the United States.

“Despite attempts to portray it otherwise, energy purchases from Russia remain minuscule in comparison to India’s total consumption,” the ministry said in a statement. “India’s legitimate energy transactions cannot be politicized,” it added.

The world’s biggest democracy has refrained from taking a tough stance against Moscow over the war in Ukraine. Russia and India have a long history of friendly relations, which stretch back to the Soviet era when the USSR helped India win its 1971 war with Pakistan.

India isn’t the only Asian giant buying Russian oil. China, historically the single biggest buyer of Russian oil, is expected to go on a shopping spree, too.

Read more here:

9:31 a.m. ET, May 31, 2022

Taiwan to donate $6 million to five Ukrainian cities, according to ministry of foreign affairs

From CNN’s Wayne Chang in Taipei

Taiwan announced Tuesday it will donate $6 million to five Ukrainian cities affected by Russia’s invasion – including Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city – as a token of support and to help rebuild schools and civilian infrastructure, according to a statement from its foreign ministry.

In a phone call with Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov, Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said Taipei will donate $2 million to Kharkiv and an additional $500,000 each to Chernihiv, Mykolaiv, Sumy and Zaporizhzhia.    

“The people of Taiwan empathizes and stands with the people of Ukraine, as we have long faced the threats from China,” Wu said to Terekhov. “We hope our help in rebuilding severely destructed civilian infrastructure can alleviate impact brought on to the Ukrainian people by the war.”  

According to the statement, Terekhov expressed his gratitude and said he looks forward to inviting Wu to Kharkiv after the war.

The phone call with Kharkiv’s mayor follows a call with Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko in April, where Taipei announced a donation of $8.8 million to Ukraine.  

Taiwan does not have official diplomatic relations with Ukraine.  

Last Friday, Taiwan’s foreign ministry said it had finished transporting 582 tons of aid and supplies to the Ukrainian people.