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What did 24 May 2024 reveal about the war?
Summary
A look back at reports of a possible ceasefire, strikes on both sides of the front line and unease along Russia's western borders.
What did the news around 24 May 2024 say about where the war was heading? Taken together, the reports from that day and the days before it described fighting that continued on several fronts, while talk of a pause began to surface.
A ceasefire on the current lines
On 24 May 2024, sources claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin was interested in negotiating a ceasefire that would freeze the conflict at the current frontlines. The claim came from sources, not from an official announcement, and it arrived as strikes continued.
Strikes on 22 and 23 May
On 23 May, Russian missile strikes in Liubotyn and Kharkiv killed seven people and injured at least 28 others. The strikes were part of the 2024 Kharkiv offensive.
The same day, a Ukrainian missile strike on Alushta, in Crimea, killed at least two people. Explosions were reported across the peninsula, and Ukrainian media reported that multiple targets had been hit.
On 22 May, Ukrainian shelling in Lysychansk, Luhansk Oblast, killed at least two people and injured four.
Aid and a small humanitarian step
Also on 22 May, Sweden announced US$7 billion in military aid to Ukraine for the period from 2024 to 2026. The same day, Russia returned six Ukrainian children displaced by the war, in a deal brokered by Qatar.
Unease on Russia's western edge
Two other reports concerned Russia's borders with NATO and EU members. On 23 May, Russia removed the border markers signalling the frontier with Estonia on the Narva River, prompting a protest from the EU.
On 22 May, the Russian Ministry of Defence proposed unilaterally adjusting Russia's maritime border in the Baltic Sea. Baltic members of NATO, including Finland and Lithuania, voiced concern. The ministry later retracted the proposal.
The picture as it stood
Seen from 24 May 2024, the reports pulled in different directions. Reports of a possible freeze at the current lines sat beside missile strikes that killed civilians in Kharkiv Oblast and casualties in Crimea and Luhansk Oblast. Sweden's multi-year pledge looked ahead to 2026, while the return of six children showed that some limited arrangements could still be brokered. The border disputes in the Baltic region added a further source of tension for Russia's neighbours.
