"Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina has announced her resignation amid a government crisis caused by an incident involving Ukrainian kamikaze drones hitting an oil depot near the Russian border.
Silina announced the decision at a press briefing on Thursday. Just hours earlier, Interior Minister Rihards Kozlovskis, a member of Silina’s liberal-conservative Unity party, stated that the prime minister has no intention of leaving office. Meanwhile, the opposition was planning a procedural maneuver to circumvent the five-day pause required under Latvian law before a request for a no-confidence vote is granted.The crisis in the Baltic state was triggered by an incident last week in which two Ukrainian long-range kamikaze drones hit an empty oil depot near the town of Rezekne, around 40 km from the Russian border. No casualties were reported on the ground.MP Andris Suvajevs, who leads the Progressives parliamentary faction, stated earlier in the day that the ruling coalition was certain to collapse if a no-confidence motion is put to a vote. The prime minister was expected to take part in a session of parliament, but instead invited the media to her office to announce her resignation. She blamed “political jealousy and narrow party interests” for the crisis.
Moscow has accused NATO nations of tacitly allowing Ukraine to use their airspace to conduct strikes on targets in northwestern Russia, particularly oil export terminals in Leningrad Region. Officials in several countries where incidents involving Ukrainian drones were reported since mid-March have expressed concerns with Kiev’s military planning.
Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said he told Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky that Helsinki regards Ukrainian aircraft entering its airspace as unacceptable. Estonian Defense Minster Hanno Pevkur said the Ukrainians should “keep their drones away from our territory [and] control their activities better.”RT
"Nine small earthquakes struck the Pardis area east of Tehran overnight, including a M4.6
event near the border of Tehran and Mazandaran provinces, renewing attention on seismic risks around the Iranian capital." W
"Explosions from dozens of missiles and hundreds of drones rocked Kyiv overnight on May 14, as Russia's latest mass attack on Ukraine partially destroyed a large apartment building.
As of 9 a.m. local time, two people have been confirmed killed, and another 40 injured, according to comments by city officials to public broadcaster Suspilne.
In a residential area on the eastern bank of the city, first responders' work is ongoing in and around a large pile of rubble, where 11 people have already been rescued.
Meanwhile, another seven were injured in Kyiv Oblast, including a child, the State Emergency Service reported." KI
"A strong magnitude 5.3 earthquake occurred in the South China Sea near Calayan Island island, Philippines, at 6.01 am local time (Asia/Manila GMT +8). The quake had a shallow depth of 35 km (22 mi) and was reported felt by some people near the epicenter." VD
"241 combat engagements between the Ukrainian Defense Forces and Russian invaders were reported on the front lines. The enemy is attacking most intensely in the Pokrovsk and Huliaipole sectors.
In the Northern Slobozhanshchyna and Kursk sectors over the past day, four combat engagements took place; the enemy carried out three airstrikes, used eight guided bombs, and fired 111 times at Ukrainian military positions and settlements, including eight times using multiple launch rocket systems.In the Southern Slobozhanshchyna sector, the enemy launched 22 assaults on the positions of Ukrainian units in the areas around the settlements of Vovchanski Khutory, Lyman, Rybalchyne, Okhrimivka, and Starytsia, as well as toward the settlements of Ternova, Izbytske, and Volokhivka.
In the Kupiansk sector, the Defense Forces repelled an enemy attempt to advance in the area of the settlement of Borivska Andriivka.
In the Lyman sector, Ukrainian troops repelled six attempts by the invaders to advance in the areas of the settlements of Lyman, Drobysheve, Stavky, and Ozerne.
In the Sloviansk sector, over the past 24 hours, defenders stopped one attempt by the occupiers to advance in the area of the settlement of Zakitne.
In the Kramatorsk sector, Ukrainian forces repelled three enemy attacks in the areas of the settlements of Nykyforivka and Viroliubivka.
In the Kostiantynivka sector, the enemy carried out 14 attacks near Kostiantynivka, Rusyn Yar, Pleshchiivka, Illinivka, and Stepanivka.
In the Pokrovsk sector, defenders repelled 36 aggressor assaults in the areas of the settlements of Novopavlivka, Vilne, Kucheriv Yar, Bilytske, Rodynske, Novooleksandrivka, Hryshyne, Udachne, Serhiivka, Novomykolaivka, Toretske, Zolotyi Kolodiaz, and Novopidhorodne.
In the Oleksandrivka sector, the enemy did not conduct any active operations over the past day.
In the Huliaipole sector, the occupiers launched 32 attacks in the areas surrounding the settlements of Dobropillia, Zlahoda, Pryvillia, Vozdvyzhivska, Zaliznychne, Verkhnia Tersa, Hirke, Sviatopetrivka, Tsvitkove, Staroukrainka, and Charivne.
In the Orikhiv sector, the enemy attempted to advance eight times in the areas of the settlements of Shcherbaky and Stepnohirsk.
In the Prydniprovske sector, Ukrainian units repelled two enemy attacks aimed at Antonivka." Ukrin
