There is no prospect of an opening of dialogue between Russia and the United States, the last bastion built up over thirty years of diplomatic relations has vanished into thin air with a political decision. The Cabinet of Ministers of the Russian Federation has terminated the memorandum of understanding with the United States in the fields of culture, education and media. A strong action that shows how high the tension is.
On the front meanwhile, the war continues. The entire southern bank of the Seversky Donets river has come under Russian control, with the exception of a small section near Severodonetsk
On the Ukrainian side, on the afternoon of 30 May, information was given that later turned out to be false, according to which a cloud of ammonia headed for Bakhmut belied reports by the DPR authorities that there could be no leakage from the damaged pipeline, as it had been empty since 2014. The head of the Gorlovka administration Ivan Prikhodko denied reports that there had been an ammonia leak in the Bakhmut district, posing a threat to the city of Bakhmut controlled by the Kiev authorities: ‘The ammonia pipeline, that branch (the only one in the region) from the Gorlovsky Stirol plant to Artemovsk (Bakhmut), has been empty since 2014. There can be no ammonia and there is no ammonia,’ Prikhodko told Interfax.
What is certain is that at about 12 noon today Moscow shelled the vicinity of Kherston after the Ukrainians bombed and 500 thousand residents of the Kherson region were left without internet. The telecommunication connection was restored in the late afternoon of 30 May but only via Russia, the mobile phone connection via Ukraine remains blocked.
According to Kirill Stremousov, deputy head of the Kherston regional state administration. The reason for the internet and communication blockade is the Ukrainian army’s bombardment, which led to a large-scale incident on the backbone network. As a result, the main communication centres were destroyed and mobile operators stopped their work. He approached the leadership of the Russian Federation with a request to use the capabilities of Russian telecommunications companies to help restore cellular communications in the region. Which then happened.
According to social sphere analysts, one of the objectives of the Ukrainian offensive in the Kherson region is to seize the Nova Kakhovka dam in order to blow it up and thus create extensive damage to the region. In the early afternoon of 30 May it was reported that Russian special forces were in the direction of Nikolaev-Kherson
In Kharkov, the creation of a special ‘Azov-Kharkov’ unit was announced, to which many people responded.
In the offensive on Slavyansk, so far, the positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces near Raygorodok have been covered by artillery. The battles themselves are taking place on the northern bank and the RF Forces have not yet crossed the river here, so there will undoubtedly be tactical difficulties the Ukrainians will try to resist by relying on the occupied high ground and the river. In the afternoon of 30 May after the Russian Federation Armed Forces and the NM of the DPR had taken the Dubrava (Dibrova) settlements, the bridgehead on the left bank of the Seversky Donets, necessary for the advance of our forces on Slavyansk, was considerably extended. During the late afternoon of 30 May, the razing of the last military settlements by the Russians in Liman on the river bank was in progress.
According to the Russian-affiliated social sphere, the escaped units of the Ukrainian armed forces were trying to hide in the forest. However, their movement is quickly being recorded, even with the help of UAVs, so the chances of them crossing to the other side of the river are extremely slim for they will most likely be taken prisoner.
Antonio Albanese
