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What 14 May 2022 showed about war's many fronts
Summary
Courtrooms, defence ministries, power lines and riverbanks: a look back at how the war's pressure spread in the days around 14 May 2022.
What did the war look like on 14 May 2022, once the news of the previous two days had settled? It was a conflict fought on a riverbank in Luhansk Oblast, but also in a courtroom, on a telephone line between defence chiefs and across Finland's electricity grid.
The battlefield
On 12 May, Ukrainian forces repelled an attempted Russian crossing of the Donets river, west of Sievierodonetsk. At least one Russian battalion tactical group was reportedly destroyed, along with the pontoon bridge deployed for the crossing. The same day, the Russian Air Force launched around a dozen missiles at the city of Kremenchuk in Poltava Oblast, including four at the Kremenchuk Oil Refinery.
Law and talks
On 13 May, Ukraine held its first trial for war crimes committed during the Russian invasion. The defendant was a Russian soldier accused of shooting an unarmed civilian in March. The step showed Kyiv pursuing accountability through its own courts while fighting continued.
The same day, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin held talks with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. It was their first meeting since the start of the invasion, and it kept a channel between Washington and Moscow open even as the fighting went on.
Finland and NATO
On 12 May, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs threatened retaliatory steps against Finland, including of a "military-technical" nature, if the country joined NATO. On 13 May, RAO Nordic, a subsidiary of Russian energy company Inter RAO, announced it would suspend electricity deliveries to Finland, saying it had not been paid for earlier deliveries. The suspension came as Russia was threatening retaliation over Finland's possible NATO membership. The company gave a payment reason; the timing placed it alongside the diplomatic warnings.
Sport and sanctions
The pressure reached sport as well. On 12 May, it was announced that tennis players from Russia and Belarus would be allowed to compete at the upcoming French Open as neutral athletes. Players who spoke in support of Russian President Vladimir Putin would face sanctions.
The picture
Taken together, these reports from 12 and 13 May describe a war with several layers: a contested front on the Donets, missile strikes on an industrial target in Poltava Oblast, the first war crimes trial, a rare military-level contact between Washington and Moscow, and a widening dispute between Russia and Finland. Each unfolded in parallel, and each was visible in the days leading up to 14 May 2022.
