May 25 events in Babelʼs review. The occupiers fired missiles at Zaporizhzhia and Kryvyi Rih, and the Armed Forces is already using new Caesar howitzers on the frontline

Author:
Dmytro Rayevskyi
Date:

From the very beginning of Russiaʼs full-scale war against Ukraine, Babel has been conducting daily live text coverage and promptly informing the main news on the Telegram channel. We also do a daily digest of the highlights of the day in case you havenʼt been able to follow live.

At night in Zaporizhzhia oblast, a soldier of the National Guard shot down a Russian Su-25 attack aircraft. The Russians launched four cruise missiles in Zaporizhzhia, one of which was shot down. According to preliminary information, one person was killed, and three were injured. Three missiles hit Kryvyi Rih, and damaged an industrial enterprise. In the private sector of the city, 62 houses were damaged. In Sievierodonetsk, six people were killed and eight were wounded by enemy shelling during the day. Russian troops shelled the village of Udy in Kharkiv oblast for five hours in a row. One person was killed. 90% of the people have already left the village: out of more than 1,200, no more than 150 remain. Two people were killed, and seven were injured in the Russian shelling of Balaklia in Kharkiv oblast, including one child in critical condition.

Soldiers of the Azov Regiment are being held in satisfactory conditions, said the wife of the regiment commander Denys Prokopenko. According to her, the prisoners are fed and given water. At the same time, it is unknown whether the regimental commander could speak freely during the conversation. Meanwhile, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Rudenko said that the exchange of prisoners, including defenders of Mariupol, will be possible only after their conviction. The exchange of MP Viktor Medvedchuk for Ukrainian prisoners in Russia is not being considered.

Two more occupiers blew up in occupied Mariupol during the Azovstal demining, both in critical condition. The adviser to the mayor Petro Andriushchenko wrote about it.

The last gas distribution station in Luhansk oblast has stopped working — from now on, the oblast is completely without gas. As a result of the shelling in the area of the last surviving gas distribution station, an employee who regulated the automation received a concussion. Due to these shellings by the Russian army, the station stopped working. As before, the area remains completely de-energized. There is also no centralized water supply. Rescuers deliver water for the needs of the population.

Caesar howitzers are already at the frontline, said the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valery Zaluzhny. Caesar is a new generation of self-propelled artillery, 155 mm caliber, it allows you to hit the enemy at a distance of 20 kilometers or more with high accuracy. At such a distance from the front line are usually artillery, reserves, enemy control points. These artillery systems are on a wheeled chassis, which makes them mobile and maneuverable. The installation has a fairly high rate of fire — 5 shots per minute.

Businessman Rinat Akhmetov will sue Russia over destroyed factories. The losses of the Ilyich MMK and Azovstal due to Russian aggression amount to $ 17-20 billion. The final amount will be determined in a statement of claim to Russia.

Russian President Putin has signed a decree on the simplified issuance of Russian passports to residents of Zaporizhia and Kherson oblasts of Ukraine. In fact, this means the forced certification of residents of the Ukrainian occupied territories. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine stated that such a decree is "legally invalid" and will have no legal consequences.

Nike did not extend the franchise agreement in Russia and stopped supplying products to the Russian market. All brand stores will close after the stock is sold out. The British brand Marks & Spencer has also decided to leave Russia. The company stopped deliveries in March and has now decided to abandon the Russian franchise altogether.