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May 15, 2023

Ukraine Makes Gains in Bakhmut as European Leaders Up Military Support for Zelensky
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Ukraine said at least four people were killed today and a hospital was
hit in a Russian missile attack in the Donetsk city of Avdiivka. This
comes as Ukraine's military said it has made advances in the devastated
eastern city of Bakhmut, pushing back Russian forces, though Russia
still retains control over the majority of the area. Earlier today,
Russia said two senior military officers were killed in the eastern
Donetsk region, which is home to Bakhmut. Over the weekend, The
Washington Post reported recently leaked U.S. intelligence shows the
head of the Russian mercenary Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, offered
in January to give Ukraine's military the location of Russian troops to
attack, if it pulled back Ukrainian forces from Bakhmut.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is in the U.K., where
the British government pledged long-range attack drones for Kyiv's fight
against Russia's invasion. The visit comes as part of a whirlwind
European tour over the weekend, where Zelensky met with Pope Francis at
the Vatican and Italian leaders in Rome, followed by stops in Germany,
which pledged nearly $3 billion in new military aid, and France, which
promised more armored tanks.


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