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Situation Summary
In the Kharkiv region, the Russian cross-border offensive northeast of Kharkiv city continued for a third week, with Russian forces occupying Buhruvatka village and advancing in the directions of Lyptsi, Starytsia, and Vovchansk. Clashes also continued in the direction of Kupiansk with no confirmed territorial gains. In the Luhansk region, fighting continued along the administrative boundary with Kharkiv, with Russian forces advancing east of Svatove. In the Donetsk region, Russian troops continued to advance along the frontline near the Donetsk city, particularly south of Marinka and in the areas of Krasnohorivka and Ocheretyne. Fighting also continued south and southwest of Orikhiv in the Zaporizhia region and in the area of Krynky in the Kherson region.
Ukrainian forces conducted several strikes on the Russian rear throughout the week. On 18 May, Ukrainian shelling of Skadovsk on the southern coast of the Kherson region left 12 civilians injured, according to the local occupation authorities. On 20 May, the Ukrainian military shelled the former Academy of Internal Affairs in Yuvileine, east of Luhansk city, which is currently serving as a Russian military base. The following day, modified Ukrainian naval drones launched Grad rockets at Russian positions on the Kinburn Spit in the Mykolaiv region. In occupied Crimea, Ukrainian naval drones attacked Sevastopol, destroying Russian sea minesweeper Kovrovets and damaging the missile ship Tsyklon on 19 May. On 24 May, Ukrainian forces fired missiles at a Russian communication node near Alushta, Crimea.
Russian shelling, missiles, and airstrikes killed around 30 civilians in the Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, and Zaporizhia regions. Two-thirds of civilian fatalities were recorded in the Kharkiv region. Russian forces fired at Kharkiv city almost daily, killing seven civilians and injuring at least 47 others. On 19 May, Russian missiles hit a recreational center in Cherkaska Lozova, killing at least seven civilians and wounding 28 others. Russian shelling of Kivsharivka on the same day killed three civilians and wounded four others. On 23 May, Russian glide bombs and missiles hit Derhachi and Liubotyn near Kharkiv city, injuring over 20 civilians.
