May 16, 2023 - Russia-Ukraine news

A US-made Patriot system was likely damaged, but not destroyed, as the result of a Russian missile barrage in and around Kyiv early Tuesday morning local time, a United States official tells CNN.

The US is still assessing the extent of the damage, the official said. That will determine whether the system needs to be pulled back entirely or simply repaired on the spot by the Ukrainians.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said on Tuesday in a post on Telegram that “a high-precision strike by the Kinzhal hypersonic missile system in the city of Kyiv hit a US-made Patriot anti-aircraft missile system.”

Ukrainian officials said on Tuesday that they successfully intercepted all six hypersonic missiles fired by the Russians, but the Ukrainian military declined to comment on the Russians’ claim that a Patriot system was hit.

“We cannot comment on this. We'll stay out of commenting on Russian sources,” Ukrainian air force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat said.

Ukraine currently has two Patriot air defense systems in the country, one donated by the US and the other donated jointly by Germany and the Netherlands. It is unclear which of those systems was potentially damaged.

Some context: Russia has targeted the systems with hypersonic missiles before, US officials told CNN last week, including once on May 4. That attack failed, and Ukrainians successfully intercepted the missile before it could hit the Patriot, the officials said. 

But US officials believe the Russians have been able to pick up on signals that are emitted from the Patriot, allowing them to target the system using the hypersonic missile, known as the Kinzhal or Killjoy.

More background: The Patriot missile system has a powerful radar to detect incoming targets at long-range, making it a potent air defense platform capable of intercepting ballistic missiles and more. 

But the radar emission necessary to spot threats at a distance also makes it possible for the enemy to detect the Patriot battery and figure out its location. And unlike some shorter-range air defenses provided to Ukraine that are mobile and harder to target, the large Patriot battery is a larger and more stationary system, making it possible for the Russians to zero in on the location over time.

Correction: An earlier version of this post misspelled Ukrainian air force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat's first name.

The main European body governing human rights on the continent is meeting at its fourth summit in almost 75 years on Tuesday, with a "top priority" of supporting Ukraine against Russia’s war. 

The Council of Europe, which was set up in 1949 in the wake of World War II to promote "human rights, democracy and the rule of law” across Europe, held its first summit in 1993 following the fall of the Berlin Wall. It has not held a summit since 2005.

The COE’s Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić said that the war in Ukraine "must take center stage" at the summit.

Tiny Kox, president of the COE Parliamentary Assembly, said "the return of a large-scale war of aggression in Europe" highlights that the "solidity and resilience of European democracies, their respect for human rights, and their adherence to the rule of law are the best guarantees for each other’s prosperity, security and peaceful future."

Russia was expelled from the COE in March 2022 after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. There are now 46 member states of the Council, as well as six observer states: the United States, Canada, Mexico, Japan, Israel and The Holy See.

The Russian Defense Ministry claimed it destroyed a US-made Patriot air defense system in Kyiv in a missile strike this morning.

However, Ukraine said it intercepted all 18 Russian missiles launched at the country in the early hours of Tuesday morning, including six Kinzhal missiles. 

The Ukrainian military declined comment on the Russian claim.

Ukraine's Air Force spokesperson, Yuriy Ihnat, would only say, "We cannot comment on this. We'll stay out of commenting on Russian sources."

CNN has not seen any independent or verifiable evidence that a Patriot system was destroyed. 

More background: Ukraine has received at least two Patriot systems, one from the United States and one from Germany, to enhance its air defenses. Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov has said they are critical to defend Ukrainian infrastructure against ballistic missiles.

Last week, two US officials told CNN that Russia had tried to destroy a US-made Patriot air defense system in Ukraine with a hypersonic missile on the night of May 4. That attack failed, and the Ukrainian military instead intercepted the missile using the Patriot system, the officials said. 

Correction: An earlier version of this post misspelled Ukrainian air force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat's first name.

CNN's Julia Kesaieva in Kyiv, Nick Paton Walsh, Natasha Bertrand and Oren Liebermann contributed reporting to this post. 

The renewal of the Black Sea Grain Initiative is critical to limit "future shock" to the security of global food supplies, the International Rescue Committee said in a statement on Tuesday.

"The looming expiration of the Black Sea grain deal risks further food market instability at a time of record food insecurity," the humanitarian organization said. "With 349 million people across 79 countries estimated to experience acute food insecurity this year, the Black Sea grain deal must be extended."

The grain initiative, which is set to expire on May 18 if not renewed, is a deal between Russia and Ukraine allowing the safe exportation of grain from Ukraine’s Black Sea ports.

According to the IRC, as much as 90% of imports into East African countries are shipments supported by the grain deal. Should these imports stop, there will be a "spike in the number of undernourished people" to almost 19 million in 2023, it said.

IRC East Africa Emergency Director Shashwat Saraf said in the statement that food shortages and a lack of affordable fertilizer are increasing food prices, making it difficult for people in countries like Somalia to "predict if they will be able to afford a meal the next day."

"It is crucial the international community unequivocally stands behind maintaining Ukraine’s grain exports," he added.

Ukrainian forces have begun using long-range "Storm Shadow" missiles provided by the UK to strike Russian targets, two US officials and a Western official familiar with the matter told CNN Tuesday.

A spokesperson for the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense declined to comment.

The Storm Shadow is a long-range cruise missile with stealth capabilities, jointly developed by the UK and France, which is typically launched from the air. With a firing range in excess of 250km, or 155 miles.

CNN first reported last week that the United Kingdom had delivered multiple “Storm Shadow” cruise missiles to Ukraine, giving the nation a new long-range strike capability.

CNN's Tim Lister contributed to the reporting

Within the past few days, Ukrainian forces have liberated substantial areas to the north and south of the embattled eastern city of Bakhmut in Donetsk region, Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar has claimed.

Her claim cannot be verified and many observers think Ukrainian progress has been more modest than that.

Maliar acknowledged that Russia is also making advances in Bakhmut, bringing in paratroopers and "destroying the city with artillery."

“The enemy has an advantage in terms of numbers of people and weapons. At the same time, due to the actions of our military, it has not been able to implement its plans in the Bakhmut sector since last summer,” she added.

Russia's oil exports have risen to their highest levels since the country invaded Ukraine more than a year ago.

Russia exported 8.3 million barrels per day of crude and refined oil in April, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said in its monthly oil report released Tuesday. An increase in crude oil exports offset a decline in exports of refined products, the agency added.

The rise comes despite the European Union imposing a ban on all seaborne imports of Moscow's crude oil last year, and a total ban on imports of refined oil products.

Russia has managed to divert huge volumes of its oil to China and India.

India reselling Russian oil: India has become one of the biggest buyers of Russian oil since Moscow invaded Ukraine – and sends much of it back to Europe as refined fuel.

In an article published in the Financial Times on Tuesday, European Union chief Josep Borrell said that the EU should crack down on India reselling Russian oil into Europe. Borrell warned this practice “is certainly a circumvention of sanctions and member states have to take measures.”

"Russia seems to have few problems finding willing buyers for its crude and oil products," the IEA said in its report.

Still, Russia's oil export revenues dropped 27% in April compared with the same month in 2022, the agency estimated.

Tax receipts from the country's oil and gas sector — which contributes about 45% to its federal budget — were down by nearly two-thirds over the same period.

The IEA said Russia may be increasing its oil exports as a way to compensate for a drop in revenue. The country did not deliver on its commitment to OPEC+, the group of oil producing nations, to slash exports by 500,000 barrels per day last month, according to IEA estimates.

The leader of the Russian private military company Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, claimed a US citizen died in the embattled Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, in a video posted on the Wagner Telegram group on Tuesday. 

A pro-Kremlin military blogger, Alexander Simonov, introduces the video saying "we are advancing to the advanced positions of the PMC Wagner in the western regions of Artyomovsk" – the Russian name for Bakhmut.

The video is filmed at night with the sound of an apparent mortar attack. The soldiers shout, "Into the shelter. Mortar attacks from the western side."

Prigozhin is shown inspecting a body, and inspects what he claims are US identification documents.

CNN cannot verify the authenticity of the documents and cannot confirm the nationality of the body shown in the video.

"So we will hand him over to the United States of America, we’ll put him in a coffin, cover him with the American flag with respect because he did not die in his bed as a grandpa but he died at war and most likely a worthy [death], right?” Prigozhin says in the video.

A soldier claims that the man was returning fire when he died. Prigozhin replies, "He was shooting back; he died in the battle, so we will hand over his documents tomorrow morning and pack everything, right?"

Some context: Prigozhin and Wagner group frequently post videos for propaganda purposes, and often mix real footage with propaganda claims.

What the US says: The US State Department has not verified Prigozhin’s claim, but a spokesperson said the department is "aware of the reports" and is "seeking additional information."

"Our ability to verify reports of deaths of U.S. citizens in Ukraine is extremely limited," the spokesperson said Tuesday.

The spokesperson offered "condolences to the families of all whose lives have been lost as a result of Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified war against Ukraine" and reiterated that Americans should not travel to Ukraine.

As Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky continued to secure commitments of military aid from European leaders, Russia hit back with what the Ukrainian military described as an “exceptional” dense attack on Kyiv early Tuesday.

Here are the latest developments: