Missile strike hits Kharkiv as Ukraine secures new IMF aid package - Thursday brief
Collage by RBC-Ukraine
The Russian army launched Kh-35 missiles at a facility near Kharkiv. Meanwhile, Ukraine has reached an agreement with the IMF on the latest review of the EFF program, paving the way for a new $500 million tranche.
Read more about what happened on Thursday, May 29.
Rubio urges Russia to engage in 'good faith' dialogue with Ukraine
According to the State Department, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, during a conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, welcomed the large-scale prisoner exchange in the "1,000 for 1,000" format that took place last weekend.
Rubio also urged Russia to engage in a "good faith" dialogue with Ukraine, calling it the only path to ending this war.
Does Russia have enough forces for new offensive in Sumy region? Ukraine's Border Guards respond
According to the spokesperson for the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, Andriy Demchenko, the enemy does indeed have a large number of troops and equipment in the Kursk region.
He added that the buildup began when Russia attempted to push out Ukrainian Defense Forces conducting operations within the Kursk region.
Is demobilization possible in Ukraine soon? Parliament gives answer
According to MP and member of the Verkhovna Rada Defense Committee, Fedir Venislavskyi, Ukrainians should not expect demobilization soon. Russia continues to expand its mobilization resources. He noted that the number of enemy troops in the temporarily occupied territories has increased by approximately 15–20% compared to last year.
"I believe we should not be overly optimistic in that regard. I think it is unlikely that this will happen anytime soon," the MP said.
Ukraine and IMF reach agreement on next review of financing program
An agreement has been reached at the staff level following the work of the IMF mission.
According to Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, Ukraine may receive the next tranche - about $500 million - once the IMF Executive Board approves the review in the coming weeks. This would bring total payments under the program to over $10 billion.
Russia strikes enterprise near Kharkiv with Kh-35 missiles
On the evening of Thursday, May 29, the Russian army carried out a double missile strike on an enterprise on the outskirts of Kharkiv.
According to the investigation, at around 6:30 PM Kyiv time on May 29, Russian forces launched a missile attack on the outskirts of Kharkiv. The strike hit the territory of a civilian enterprise in the Chuhuiv district.
