Top news stories about the Russia-Ukraine war on Russia's Channel One on Friday, May 13, 2022.

By Madeline Roache

What follows is NewsGuard’s summary and translation of top news stories from Russia’s state TV Channel One. NewsGuard presents these stories in the order that they appear on the program. NewsGuard shares this summary as part of our mission to monitor and report all categories of misinformation, including Russian disinformation. Please note that these summaries of Russian state TV broadcasts may well contain falsehoods or propaganda, and NewsGuard does not vet them for accuracy or balance.

Kiev security officials fired 15 rockets from Grad launchers at Donbas settlements

This morning, in the space of ten minutes, the Kiev security forces fired 15 rockets from the Grad launchers at Yasinovataya and Avdiivka. Ammunition exploded in Panteleymonovka.

The western outskirts of the capital of the Donetsk People’s Republic were also under fire. Eight shells flew into the Petrovsky district of Donetsk less than an hour ago. The night before, the Armed Forces of Ukraine shelled Vladimirovka. One of the shells hit a residential building, killing and wounding people.

Ukrainian neo-Nazis carry out punitive raids in the Kharkiv region

They use social infrastructure for criminal purposes and use civilians as shields. The Russian Headquarters for Humanitarian Response reported new egregious evidence of the Kiev authorities treating ordinary people inhumanely.

 In one of the settlements of the Lugansk People’s Republic, militants from a Ukrainian nationalist group expelled all civilians, including seriously ill patients from a medical facility in order to use the building for their own purposes. Checkpoints have been set up on the outskirts.

 In Lisichansk, the Armed Forces of Ukraine set up a stronghold in a children’s hospital and in a medical college. They placed heavy weapons nearby. Also, according to the military department, the Kiev security forces regularly conduct so-called punitive raids.

 Said Colonel-General Mikhail Mizintsev, head of the National Center for Defense Control of the Russian Federation: “According to reliable information, in the Kharkiv region, neo-Nazis, together with members of the security service of Ukraine, are conducting punitive raids in order to check local residents for signs of pro-Russian views, as well as signs of transferring any information to Russian military personnel and representatives of the people’s militia of the Republics in Donbas. All suspects are arrested for the crime provided for in the collaborationism article of the Criminal Code of Ukraine and taken away to an undisclosed location.”

 Mizintsev continued: “Such criminal actions of the Kiev authorities are aimed at intimidating the citizens of Ukraine in an attempt to hide the current catastrophic situation in the country, caused by the destructive policy of official Kiev, and testify to the complete indifference to the fate of millions of Ukrainians.”

 Meanwhile, humanitarian corridors for evacuation to Russia continue to operate daily. A regime of silence is declared regularly in the morning, but the Kiev side violates it by shelling the routes. Despite this, yesterday our military of the Kherson region managed to safely evacuate almost 130 citizens of Russia, Syria, Azerbaijan, Moldova, Tajikistan, and Ukraine. On the central square of the city of Kherson, everyone who expressed a desire to leave the areas of the special operation was safely loaded onto buses.

Russian rescuers together with Donetsk residents help clean Mariupol from ruins

The restoration of the districts in Mariupol is in full swing. In these areas, there had been fierce battles with Ukrainian neo-Nazis, who had stationed themselves in residential buildings. 

Employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia arrived in the city, helping local rescuers to sort out the rubble, provide residents with everything necessary, and establish an electricity supply. 

During the special operation to protect the Donbas, the Russian military is actively using Orlan drones

They are used for conducting reconnaissance, making corrections and, of course, launching strikes. A missile, fired from a height of two kilometers, can accurately hit a target on earth. Alexander Lyakin reports: “The drone has a regular assemblage with serious features, which competitors in its class do not have.”

Senator Rand Paul blocked a bill to provide Ukraine with $40 billion in aid

In Washington, politicians are becoming more vocal and they are beginning to understand what can come of the uncontrolled armament of the Kiev regime. Yesterday, in the U.S. Senate, a quick passage of the bill on allocating a record $40 billion for military supplies to Ukraine failed.

The initiative was blocked by Republican Senator Rand Paul. The politician is not primarily worried about the difficult situation in Ukraine and the fate of Ukrainians, among his main arguments is the situation in America itself.

Said U.S. Senator Rand Paul: “The biggest threat to the U.S. today is public debt, inflation, and the collapse of the dollar. We cannot save Ukraine by killing our economy. In March, inflation reached its highest level in 40 years, gasoline prices rose by 49 percent, electricity – by 32 percent. We don’t have to be Uncle Sam saving the world, especially with borrowed money. With a debt of 30 trillion U.S. dollars, it is not affordable to play the role of the world’s policeman.”

The senator also demanded that a number of amendments be made to the bill, particularly on stricter control over the spending and the supply of weapons. Retiring White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on her last day in office that the document covered everything that was needed, and once again urged senators to pass it as quickly as possible. The next vote will take place next week.

Domodedovo near Moscow prepared a new humanitarian aid convoy for Donbas

Food and essential items as well as toys and sweets for children will be delivered to residents of the People’s Republics. It’s no exaggeration to say that the entire world collected this, as part of the Good Deed campaign. Collection points are open in schools and volunteer centers. There are about 130 of them in the region. Andrey Vorobyov, Governor of the Moscow region, visited the center in Domodedovo, which is, by the way, the largest center for sorting goods in the region. The governor spoke with residents who came to Russia from the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics. 

Vorobyov said: “Our task, as the authorities, is to take care and help, so thanks to help that is coming from around the world, but also to think hard about the economy… We must think very hard with our heads to address this, import substitution, employment, jobs, restrictions.”

A young man was arrested in Latvia who went out with a Russian flag to the monument to the liberators of Riga from the Nazis

A young man in Latvia has been arrested after going to the monument to the liberators of Riga from the Nazis with a Russian flag.

Three criminal cases and at least 20 more administrative cases were opened in Latvia against those citizens who do not want to put up with attempts to rewrite our history and consign the feat of heroes to oblivion. Russophobic sentiments are intensifying in the country day by day. You can now get a sentence even if you carried a Russian flag down the street. Details are in the report by Gennady Kartelev.

Kartelev said: “Alexander Stefanov could face five years in prison for unveiling the Russian tricolors to the monument to the soldiers that liberated Latvia from German invaders. He came on May 10 to defend his right and the right of his compatriots to honor the memory of his ancestors. Even on Victory Day, the Latvian authorities banned people closer than 200 meters from the monument.” 

Stefanov said: ”Wе’re gathered here today to honor our grandfathers, who died, unfortunately, during the war. Let’s not be afraid. Let’s tell our children and our grandchildren about what our incredible grandfathers and grandmothers did. Because it’s very important. We should not lose this legacy.”

Kartelev said: “The local police charged him with ‘justifying genocide and crimes against humanity.’ The police carried out a search of the young man’s apartment for several hours, according to his mother.”