(C) Meduza This story was originally published by Meduza and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . The Real Russia. Today. Monday, May 27, 2024 — Meduza [1] [] Date: 2024-05-27 Russia’s war in Ukraine 💥 Ukrainian intelligence drone strikes deep inside Russia: A Ukrainian drone targeted a Voronezh M early-warning radar system near the Russian city of Orsk, Ukrainska Pravda and Reuters reported on Monday, citing anonymous Ukrainian military intelligence sources. “A Ukrainian drone has covered a distance of more than 1,800 kilometers to the enemy’s facility, setting a new record for the range of destruction for kamikaze drones,” Ukrainska Pravda quoted its source as saying. Reuters also described the attack as “one of the deepest attempted drone strikes in Russian territory” during the full-scale invasion. According to RIA Novosti, officials in Orsk confirmed reports of a drone crash, saying it took place near the city on May 26 and didn’t do any damage to civilian infrastructure or pose a threat to residents. A Ukrainian drone targeted a Voronezh M early-warning radar system near the Russian city of Orsk, Ukrainska Pravda and Reuters reported on Monday, citing anonymous Ukrainian military intelligence sources. “A Ukrainian drone has covered a distance of more than 1,800 kilometers to the enemy’s facility, setting a new record for the range of destruction for kamikaze drones,” Ukrainska Pravda quoted its source as saying. Reuters also described the attack as “one of the deepest attempted drone strikes in Russian territory” during the full-scale invasion. According to RIA Novosti, officials in Orsk confirmed reports of a drone crash, saying it took place near the city on May 26 and didn’t do any damage to civilian infrastructure or pose a threat to residents. 🇫🇷 France to send military instructors to Ukraine: France is planning to send military instructors to train Ukrainian soldiers, Ukraine’s army Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi announced on Monday following talks with French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu. As reported by Reuters, Syrskyi said the first French instructors will visit Ukrainian training centers “shortly,” but did not provide further details. France is planning to send military instructors to train Ukrainian soldiers, Ukraine’s army Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi announced on Monday following talks with French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu. As reported by Reuters, Syrskyi said the first French instructors will visit Ukrainian training centers “shortly,” but did not provide further details. 💥 NATO Parliamentary Assembly calls for letting Ukraine strike Russia with Western weapons: NATO allies should lift restrictions that prohibit Ukraine from using Western-supplied weapons to strike military targets inside Russia, the alliance’s Parliamentary Assembly said in a declaration adopted on Monday. The declaration also urges NATO members to accelerate arms deliveries to Ukraine, stressing that “Ukraine must be provided with all that it needs, as quickly as possible and for as long as it takes for it to win.” NATO allies should lift restrictions that prohibit Ukraine from using Western-supplied weapons to strike military targets inside Russia, the alliance’s Parliamentary Assembly said in a declaration adopted on Monday. The declaration also urges NATO members to accelerate arms deliveries to Ukraine, stressing that “Ukraine must be provided with all that it needs, as quickly as possible and for as long as it takes for it to win.” 🪖 Russia losing 24,000 soldiers per month, says Scholz: Some 24,000 Russian soldiers are killed or seriously injured in Ukraine every month, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Monday, as quoted by the German news channel n-tv. These casualties are “all for the Russian president’s imperialist megalomania,” he added. On Saturday, May 25, Russia bombed a large home improvement store in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city. The Ukrainian authorities say that hundreds of people were inside at the time of the strike. The death toll from the attack continued to rise over the weekend, as rescue workers cleared the rubble and searched for survivors. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the attack, calling Russian President Vladimir Putin a “madman.” Zelensky also urged Western governments to provide Ukraine with the necessary defense systems to protect against continued Russian attacks. On Monday afternoon, Kharkiv Regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported that the death toll from the strike had risen to 18 people. Another 48 people were injured and five are still missing. Since the beginning of the full-scale war against Ukraine, Russian convicts have been heading to the front to fight — first, as part of private military companies such as Wagner Group, then, directly under Russia’s Defense Ministry. Now, journalists from BBC News Russian have found evidence that the Defense Ministry is recruiting suspects who haven’t even been convicted yet, in exchange for suspending the criminal case against them. Meduza summarizes the outlet’s findings here. In Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine, experts have documented at least 76 incidents of religious persecution since the full-scale war began in February 2022, including forced conversion, abduction, and murder. This persecution, which some experts say may constitute a “systematic” campaign, has affected Ukrainians of a number of faiths, including Orthodox Christians, Catholics, and Muslims. But members of one group have been especially likely to face repressions: Protestants, despite making up between two and four percent of Ukraine’s population, were the victims of 34 percent of cases of religious persecution, as writer Peter Pomerantsev noted in his article “Russia’s War Against Evangelicals,” published in Time last month. This includes evangelical Baptists, who were the most likely denomination to face persecution after Ukrainian Orthodox believers. Russia’s disproportionate targeting of evangelical Christians in Ukraine is no coincidence. One Ukrainian pastor quoted in Pomerantsev’s article summed up the occupation authorities’ mindset like this: “You are the American faith, the Americans are our enemies, [and] the enemies must be destroyed.” To learn more about Russia’s violent campaign against Ukrainian evangelicals and one organization’s efforts to raise awareness about it in the United States, Meduza senior news editor Sam Breazeale spoke to Steven Moore and Anna Shvetsova from the humanitarian aid organization the Ukraine Freedom Project, and Catherine Wanner, a professor of history and religious studies at Penn State University who studies religious life in Ukraine. We got The Beet. Don’t miss Meduza’s weekly newsletter (separate from the one you’re reading here)! 🇺🇦 Don’t miss the latest issue: → Post-war problems: Journalist Konstantin Skorkin on the key stumbling blocks for rebuilding Ukraine — and why money isn’t the biggest one Meanwhile, in Russia ⚖️ Russia charges Meduza’s co-founder with misdemeanor: A Moscow Court has registered a misdemeanor case accusing Meduza co-founder Galina Timchenko of participating in an “undesirable organization,” Mediazona reported on Monday, citing online records. A Moscow Court has registered a misdemeanor case accusing Meduza co-founder Galina Timchenko of participating in an “undesirable organization,” Mediazona reported on Monday, citing online records. 🤔 Moscow moves towards un-blacklisting the Taliban: Russia’s Foreign Ministry and Justice Ministry have proposed removing the Taliban from the country’s list of terrorist organizations. However, this would require a ruling from Russia’s Supreme Court, which officially designated the Taliban as a terrorist organization in 2003. A mass brawl allegedly involving former Wagner Group mercenaries broke out in Chelyabinsk, Russia, on May 25. While accounts of the incident vary, video footage taken by an eyewitness shows a group of men beating several individuals; another group of armed men then arrive at the scene and open fire as people flee. Local authorities later said that they had arrested the “participants” in the fight and that some “victims” required medical attention. Here’s what we know about the violent confrontation. As the world turns 🇪🇺 New E.U. sanctions against Russia: The European Union has announced a new sanctions regime against Russia in light of the death of opposition leader Alexey Navalny and other human rights violations. According to a press release, this new sanctions framework is part of the bloc’s response to “accelerating and systematic repression in Russia” and includes a ban on exporting equipment to Russia that could be used “for internal repression.” The E.U. also introduced sanctions against Russia’s main prison authority (the Federal Penitentiary Service) and 19 individuals, including several judges, prosecutors, and members of the judiciary who played a key role in Navalny’s imprisonment and the sentencing of veteran human rights defender Oleg Orlov and dissident artist Sasha Skochilenko. No country can be free without independent media. In January 2023, the Russian authorities outlawed Meduza, banning our work in the country our colleagues call home. Just supporting Meduza carries the risk of criminal prosecution for Russian nationals, which is why we’re turning to our international audience for help. Your assistance makes it possible for thousands of people in Russia to read Meduza and stay informed. Consider a small but recurring contribution to provide the most effective support. Donate here. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.meduza.io/en/brief/2024/05/27/the-real-russia-today Published and (C) by Meduza Content appears here under this condition or license: Creative Commons CC BY 4.0. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/meduza/