Thread by @TWMCLtd

Hello again. It's Friday 12 May + Day 443 of the #UkraineRussiaWar

I'm back again. Another daily thread for all the news that matters in one place.

Two big developments y'day - #Ukraine's counter offensive prep + long range weapons arrive! Catch up here:

First a strange tale from the far east of #Russia where a private helicopter cut through power lines during a "hard landing"

The Mi-2's landing cut off power to the Transneft station in Primorsky Krai.
It's so remote it took 2 days to find the chopper & the pilot's disappeared!

A big increase in #Russia's manpower losses in the last 24 hours. Still a lot of equipment being hit by #Ukraine too.

#RussiansGoHome

For the first time #Ukraine's MoD has confirmed that gains were made in #Bakhmut'

They acknowledge around 2km was reclaimed from the invaders. Last night Prigozhin said #Wagner has advanced 250m.

Let's quell the excitement and expectations for now!

There's been another explosion in #Melitopol' this morning.

Not too much is known yet. #Russia has acknowledged the blast but claims no one was injured.

#StopRussiaNOW

A reminder of President @ZelenskyyUa's words last night...

#StandWithUkraine

Dilemma over missile use for #Russia because the war "has gone on much longer than they originally planned for"
LOL only about 150 times longer than they planned for the capture of #Kyiv!

#RussiansGoHome

#Prigozhin invites/tells #Russia's Defence Minister Shoigu to come to #Bakhmut (RU: #Artemovsk)

The Wagner chief has publicly accused Russia's troops of fleeing their positions and now claims his #Wagner mob are repairing the damage!

#StopRussia

1/
I just read @Reuters report from #Berdiansk/#Berdyansk in Occupied Territory, where #Russia allowed a journalist to speak to evacuees.

It's frustrating Reuters doesn't even mention that the refugees have gone through "filtration" and are likely afraid to say anything negative

2/
Reuters says 2 of 3 refugees in #Berdiansk /#Berdyansk it spoke to expressed "satisfaction with the new conditions" yet there's not a word about what's not satisfying from the other

The byline says "reporting by a Reuters reporter", so likely a Russian
archive.is/JGhnJ

#Russia attacked #Zaporizhzhia no fewer than 95 times in the last 24 hours.

24 towns and villages suffered according to #Ukraine officials there, 2 of the attacks were from the air, two from MLRS and one missile

88 civilian objects/houses were damaged.
#RussiaIsATerroristState

#RussiaOnFire

This interesting looking blaze in in the #Moscow region.

It appears to be tyres burning, but isn't it very close to the #Dzerzhinsk Thermal Power Plant?

Verdict - high possibility of arson/sabotage.

A more in-depth look at today's battlefield data:

#StandWithUkraine

I woke up this morning to find PB aka "Sprudle" had bought me a coffee, then Martin L added another into the "Ko-Fi" pot.

Thank you gentlemen for supporting what I do.💙💛

ko-fi.com/home/coffeesho…

🔞
Incredibly graphic footage posted in #Russia showing corpses of 2 soldiers with their heads blown off.

RU media say 24yo Gleb Solomonov attacked his colleagues in occupied #Zaporizhzhia.
Here's the TG link if you insist on watching, but it's horrible
t.me/mobilizationne…

#Belarus would like you to believe there was an attack on its border guards near #Ukraine last night.

It's more likely for the domestic audience, softening them up for when #Putin orders his lapdog Lukashenka to mobilise Belarusian troops.

Here's a translation of the statement:

Resort town of #Kizomys has been badly hit again early this morning.

#Russia fired two aerial bombs on the town on the Dniprovska gulf in #Kherson region.

Two houses were destroyed and 8 more damaged.
#StopRussia #SaveUkraine

#Russia NOT on fire this time

I saw a lot of media inc @visegrad24 and @pravda_eng reporting this photo as proof that the Chernyshev factory in Moscow being on fire. The place produces engines for military jets.

However fake news: this photo is from 2018
news.milli.az/gallery/704664…

Many media earlier reported that the EBU had refused to let @ZelenskyyUa make a speech at #Ukraine's Eurovision (being held by #Liverpool)

But the President's office says Zelenskyy didn't request to speak.

However, as the show's live would be nice if acts said "#SlavaUkraini"😉

#Switzerland has received a lot of criticism for sometimes blocking #Ukraine from receiving weapons.

To be fair it is written in to the country's laws. But is that about to be changed?🙏

swissinfo.ch/eng/swiss-parl…

Thanks to @grohlicm for spotting the last story and to @NeneOriginal for again suggesting a few more.

DMs open for contributions.

And if you like what I do and can afford to tip me a coffee, see the link in my bio. Thanks.

1/2
Mixed news on the sporting front...

The Appeal Tribunal of the International Paralympic Committee lifted the suspension of the Russian Paralympic Committee.

The matter will be reconsidered in September, after the @Paralympics

2/2

But Gymnastics' governing body has postponed a decision on whether to lift its ban on athletes from #Russia and #Belarus.

That means they cannot qualify for the World Championships in Belgium in September.
But if the ban is lifted in July they could still make the Olympics

Thanks!

🎵🎶 "All on my own" 🎵
awwww, poor Lavrov (NOT!)

#StandWithUkraine

May need some more NAFO help to fight the "Chief Bird"

Thanks Dave for this... all replies help promote accounts previously "silenced" by this app.

BTW in tomorrow's thread I expect a lot of replies - a #Eurovision game will be within this thread!

#RussiaOnFire

#Russia seems to be controlling many of the wildfires in the country now.

#Sverdlovsk was one of the most badly hit but 2/3rds have now been eliminated, local officials say.

However in #Sysert district they still call for volunteers with new fires breaking out

It's been announced that @ZelenskyyUa will travel to #Rome to meet #Italy's President tomorrow.

Wonder if he'll pop in to watch @angie_kalinina in action at #IBI23?

Another helicopter has decided to denazify Occupants on #Crimea.

A military Mi-28 (like the one pictured) crashed on the occupied peninsula.

#StandWithUkraine

Early in today's thread I wrote about the explosion in #Melitopol with #Russia saying no-one was injured.

Turns out another collaborator, "Deputy Minister of construction and housing" in the occupied part of #Zaporizhzhia, was hit by an IED. He's in hospital.

#RussiansGoHome

#Severodonetsk is tonight being prepared for evacuation, according to #Ukraine's sources.

It would be the first town held by #Russia in either Luhansk or Donetsk to be subjected to evacuation.

#RussiansGoHome

Awaiting confirmation but reports among #Ukraine's Telegram channels claim a breakthrough of #Russia's defences around #Bakhmut

The road to #ChasivYar is now thought to be completely unblocked. Gains of around 5 sq km for ZSU (🇺🇦Armed Forces)

@Deepstate_UA shows 🇷🇺 army fleeing

#Ukraine looks to have hit the industrial zone in occupied #Luhansk.

At least two missile strikes from the look of the pictures.

#UkraineOffensive #StopRussia

More news from #Luhansk (RU: #Lugansk)

Reports suggest an oil depot has been hit in the occupied city.

Smoke also seen at the Polypak plant, which has been used throughout occupation by #Russia's army.

One occupant gave a TV interview with a pretty background!

In #Russia more people are fleeing the army than ever before.

Even official data show in the first 4 months of this year there have already been more desertions than in any other year.

Courts may be getting a lot fuller soon too!
Yet another small waste of Russia's money.

#Russia's bloggers speculate British long-range missiles could have been used today to "test" them on #Luhansk.

The so-called LPR says it celebrates its "Republic Day" today.
The son of Russian Defence Minister Shoigu was in Luhansk today, but wrote that he is ok.

Telegram channel mobilizationnews reports another #Russia incident of #FriendlyFire

A sergeant has been jailed for 4.5 years + stripped of his rank. He was found guilty of shooting a soldier in the groin while drunk. The Offiicer was "teaching him a lesson" for falling asleep!

#Kostyantynivka (RU: #Konstantinovka) has been hit with Smerch rockets and artillery.

One person was injured.

28 private houses, 2 high-rise buildings, a shop and 2 gas pipelines were damaged in the town near the frontline in #Donetsk.

#RussiaIsATerroristState

Some funny memes following the pinpoint attack on occupied #Luhansk.

#Russia seemed frightened of #HIMARS they are petrified of #StormShadow!

#Ukraine has liberated over 17 sq km of territory around #Bakhmut' in three days.

Serhiy Cherevaty, spokesman for the East Command of the the Ukrainian army confirmed the news this evening in what he called "counteroffensive actions"

#SlavaUkraini

The Mayor of #Kyiv today put on display some of the remnants and debris from weapons that attacked the capital of #Ukraine.

#StopRussia #RussiaIsATerroristState

The northern part of #Bakhmut is being slammed with rockets and fire.

I'm guessing #Russia's forces are not liking the temperature in the kitchen right now.

#StopRussia #StandWithUkraine

Another explosion tonight in #Melitopol'

Power has been knocked out in many parts of the northern suburbs of the occupied city.

No more details about what was hit, by whom, with what and potential casualties.

#RussiansGoHome #SaveUkraine

Earlier an "MP" from #Luhansk did this TV interview after #Ukraine's missiles had destroyed a factory.

So how come later TV audiences saw him appear with cuts and bruises emerging from the site?

An explosion next to a hospital in central #Kyiv.

No reports of any rockets. Some say an ambulance exploded, but that may have been as a result of the fire at the Oleksandrivska hospital.

No casualties reported so far.