Top news stories about the Russia-Ukraine war on Russia's Channel One on Tuesday, May 24, 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.

Russian troops liberate the village of Komyshuvakha on the way to Severodonetsk

A major operation is now unfolding as troops head to Severodonetsk in the Lugansk People’s Republic. Serious battles are taking place for the liberation of the village of Komyshuvakha from the neo-Nazis. The village is a key point on the way to the main goal, which is the city of Lisichansk [in the Severodonetsk region], where thousands of Ukrainian Armed Forces are hiding. Work in Komyshuvakha has been complicated by the fact that Ukrainian forces are constantly attacking. Alexei Kruchinin reports.

Kruchinin said: “There is a high density of settlements and one seems to flow into another. Ukrainian groups are clinging onto each road, prolonging our advance to Severedonetsk. Each day, we move three to four blocks. With every advance, a street fight starts, and then there is a thorough check of yards and houses. More than half of the settlements are already under control. The enemy is being squeezed out of the forest. But some groups remain in houses on the outskirts of the settlements.”

The Ministry of Defense spoke about about the new achievements of the Russian troops, who are participating in a special operation

Sergeant Denis Chesnokov detained a saboteur at one of the checkpoints at night. He was carrying out an intelligence gathering mission under the guise of a local resident, using a night vision device. During the interrogation, he gave out information about his group. Shortly after, the group was hit.

Senior Lieutenant Alexander Ovsyannikov, commanding a tank company, destroyed an enemy infantry fighting vehicle and three mortar crews. When Alexander’s car was hit, he evacuated the crew to a safe spot. He also took up the role of the gunner-operator in another tank and continued the offensive.

The division of Lieutenant Colonel Yuri Rogozhnikov eliminated seven enemy strongholds, almost two dozen armored vehicles, and up to 70 militants. The enemy suffered significant losses and was forced to retreat.

The Russian Defense Ministry showed the work of combat crews of howitzers “Msta-B”

Our gunners are on duty around the clock. The Ministry of Defense showed footage of the work of howitzers “Msta-B” combat crews. They strike at enemy command posts, military equipment, and defensive structures… The weapons can fly up to 30 kilometers and inflict maximum damage, such as destroying heavily fortified concrete structures. Moreover, firing can be carried out both from a closed and direct position, without preparation. The fighters work in shifts to make sure our units continue to advance. They are able to hit dozens of targets per day.

A serviceman of the Russian Armed Forces said: “We have the most risky duty, the gunner and a gun commander. They must always stand by the gun. There is shelling, everything is on fire, everything is scary.”

Russian multiple launch rocket systems “Uragan” are in combat

Formidable installations are destroying columns of armored vehicles of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, command posts, and fortified firing points. They work continuously and in the most difficult places, and it takes a matter of minutes to strike and change position. The power of the Hurricane was appreciated by Ivan Prozorov.

Prozorov said: “In just ten seconds the ‘Uragan’ rocket system launches a whole packet of reactive shells — 16 shots. Using tips from intelligence, the artillerymen hit a particularly important target near Slavyansk — a cluster of Ukrainian army equipment.”

A Russian soldier said: “The guys have high morale. They’re always ready to carry out military tasks issued by the Supreme Commander. Even in difficult conditions, the guys always have a bit of time to read, like a letter from children who support us and believe in us.”

The Armed Forces of Ukraine are preparing another provocation against civilians in Donbas

According to the representative of the people’s militia of the Donetsk People’s Republic, Eduard Basurin, the Kiev forces plan to strike at Avdiivka, and blame the republic forces. A division of the 26th artillery brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is involved, and the commander personally received the task, Basurin emphasized. Residents of Avdiivka have been urged not to leave their shelters.

Our Headquarters for Humanitarian Response reported another pending provocation. According to Mikhail Mizintsev, Ukrainian neo-Nazis want to blow up bridges across two local rivers in [Ukraine’s northern] Sumy region, and blame our army. And that is not all.

Mikhail Mizintsev, Colonel-General, Head of the National Defense Control Center of the Russian Federation said: “In Lisichansk, Lugansk People’s Republic units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine placed cannon artillery and MLRS [multiple launch rocket systems] in a rare gasses plant, and mined containers with chemically hazardous substances in the building and hangars.” 

He continued: “Employees of the plant and local residents are being forcibly detained in underground facilities. At the same time, the nationalists are systematically shelling positions of the Russian Armed Forces and the Lugansk People’s Republic formation with MLRS, thus provoking them to retaliate in order to further accuse them of killing civilians and creating a man-made disaster in the city.”

Two dozen more Western countries announced new arms supplies to Ukraine

This is the result of another meeting of the so-called Contact Group [a U.S.-led group of more than 40 member nations] for providing military assistance to the Kiev authorities. The details were revealed by U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. According to him, Denmark announced that it would transfer a batch of Harpoon launchers, as well as missiles to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Kiev will also receive artillery systems and ammunition, which will be sent at the same time by several countries including Italy, Greece, Norway, and Poland. Those who are not supplying weapons to Ukraine have promised to help train the Ukrainian military.

Sergei Lavrov answered questions from students at the Primakov Gymnasium

The West must stop preventing the establishment of a true multipolarity on the world stage, which would reflect the real weight of states. 

This is what Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said [in Moscow] during the Yevgeny Primakov Gymnasium’s “100 Questions for a  Leader” project. As the minister noted, Western countries cannot and do not know how to live according to the UN Charter, the key principle of which is the sovereign equality of all states. It is not surprising that in this case, for example, the economic ties between Russia and China are only becoming stronger, while the West, Lavrov emphasized, takes the position of a dictator, imposing sanctions and demanding others to join them.

Lavrov said: “The [West says] that Russia must ‘suffer defeat,’ we must ‘defeat Russia,’ we must ensure that Russia ‘loses on the battlefield.’ I’m sure you know history better than all Western politicians, who make such ‘incantations.’ They probably didn’t do well in school. Therefore, they draw wrong conclusions from their understanding of the past and from their understanding of what Russia is. So, I am convinced that all this will end someday. The West will recognize the reality that is being created ‘on earth.’ It will be forced to admit that it is impossible to constantly attack Russia’s vital interests, and the interests of Russians wherever they live.”