Ukraine – 5/7/23 Sitrep
By: Bohdan Chomiak & Robert Homans
May 7, 2023
Return of the Armchair Generals
Yesterday, the New York Times had a headline stating, “As Putin Bides His Time Ukraine Faces a Ticking Clock.” The article goes on, “Ukraine is feeling immense short-term pressures from its Western backers, as the United States and its allies treat the counteroffensive as a critical test of whether the weapons, training and ammunition they have rushed to the country in recent months can translate into significant gains.” According to the NY Times, this is the definition of the “ticking clock.”
On the same day, the Washington Post’s headline stated, “Senior Ukrainian Officials Fear Counterattack May Not Live up to Hype.” The article states, “Some fear that if the Ukrainians fall short, Kyiv may lose international military assistance or face new pressure to engage with Moscow at a negotiating table — not on the battlefield. Such talks would almost certainly involve Russian demands for a negotiated surrender of sovereign territory, which Ukraine has called unacceptable.”
Then there is an individual who has actual combat experience, the Czech President Petr Pavel who said in an interview on the sidelines of King Charles III’s Coronation, “As preparations are still underway, Pavel has appealed to Ukraine's PM during meetings last week not to be "pushed into a faster pace before they are fully prepared," the Czech leader said. "Because it might be a temptation to push them, for some, to demonstrate some results," Pavel explained.
Unlike the pundits from the NY Times and Washington Post, Pavel has commanded troops in combat. As the article states, “Pavel chaired NATO's military committee until 2018 and was awarded by the Czech and French governments for rescuing French troops besieged by Serbs during the 1993 Bosnian War.” If you were Ukraine, who would you rather listen to, pundits from the NY Times and Washington Post, or someone who, based on actual combat experience, knows what he’s talking about?
Whither the Offensive?
I believe Ukraine’s offensive has already started. Ukraine is continually hitting Russian supply depots, in southern Ukraine, in Crimea, and inside Russia. What is the point to launch a major ground offensive, before Russian logistics are reduced by as much as can be expected? In early 1944, the Allies were doing the same thing prior to the Normandy landing on June 6th. The pundits should start reading some history.
Then there is the mud. In southern Ukraine the ground is drying out. Today in Kherson the temperature is 64F (+17 Celsius). There is no rain in the forecast until at least May 14th. There are reports that Russian officials in Melitopol are leaving their posts and fleeing to Crimea.
If we’ve learned one thing, Ukraine will surprise. There are two possibilities, that don’t necessarily involve major ground offensives but have significant military upsides:
· In the South, look for some kind of effort by Ukraine to go south and link up with the partisans operating with great effectiveness in and around Melitopol, who have been conducting attacks against Russian installations, and individual Russians, since the start of the war. Success would split Russia’s “land bridge” in two, but without having to resort to a major ground offensive. Ukraine has the equipment to help pull this off, in the form of hundreds of armored personnel carriers including Bradleys.
· A move up the Left Bank of the Dnieper River, with the objective of re-taking the Nova Kahovka Dam. Ukraine has already established positions on the Left Bank opposite Kherson. Ukraine also controls the Right Bank. Since the bridges across the Dnieper near Kherson are down, they’d have to move equipment across the river by ferries. Success would secure a major objective, the dam itself, and thereby allow Ukraine to cut off the North Crimea Canal that supplies Crimea with almost all of its surface water supply.
Taken together these two campaigns, Nova Khahovka and Melitopol, would make Russian occupation of Southern Ukraine untenable, not to mention making life in Crimea much more difficult without a supply of surface water, but they don’t necessarily involve major ground attacks like El Alamein, where Gen. Montgomery was criticized for many of the same reasons Ukraine is being criticized today, or the Breakout at St. Lo that was preceded by relentless bombing of German positions by Allied bombers. If the pundits are expecting major ground attacks, they may well be disappointed and they’ll continue to write articles similar to what we saw yesterday in the NY Times and Washington Post.
The latest “Reporting From Ukraine” covers continued fighting around Vuhledar, where Ukraine is making gains and breaking through some Russian defenses. Continued Ukrainian gains around Vuhledar will likely prevent Russians troops from reinforcing positions to the west, around Nova Kahovka for example.
In the east, Ukraine has moved a large amount of artillery to points west of Bakhmut. For weeks, Ukraine has been hinting at a “surprise.” Russia needs to take this possibility seriously, something that again ties down Russian troops.
Above all, Ukrainian military planners shouldn’t pay any attention to the American pundits. I have very high confidence that they don’t.
“Little Lithuania”
Yesterday, the Wall St. Journal published an interview with Gabrielius Landsbergis, the Foreign Minister of Lithuania.
The article quotes Minister Landsbergis, “That experience (the fighting against the Soviet Union in January 1991) gives Lithuanians an “additional layer of understanding of what we’re up against, and what Ukraine is up against,” the foreign minister says. It also explains why Lithuania is the world’s only country in a state of open confrontation with both Russia and China. Lithuania sees itself as standing up to bullies who would snuff out the sovereignty of other nations. Its political position was strengthened late last month when China’s ambassador to France said on French television that “previously Soviet states have no effective status in international law.” “
In 2008 I visited Vilnius. At the time of my visit, what I knew about Lithuania was its small but seemingly cohesive Los Angeles Lithuanian Diaspora, based on my observations of their frequent get-togethers in a park in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles where I lived prior to going to Ukraine in 2006. Los Feiz is known as “Little Lithuania,” largely because of the presence of St. Casimir Lithuanian Church.
Ukraine is blessed to have countries like Lithuania, governed by individuals with strong principles, on their side.
5/7/2023 Sitrep
Abbreviations:
RMA = Regional Military Administration SBU = Security Service of Ukraine
RASHISTS = russian Facists/all russian invaders
INTERNATIONAL
Sunday May 7
10:37 am: Expectations from the counteroffensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine may be overestimated in the world.
· This was stated in an interview with The Washington Post by Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov.
· "But I can't tell you what the scale of this success will be. Ten kilometers, 30 kilometers, 100 kilometers, 200 kilometers?" said Reznikov.
· The head of the Ministry of Defense revealed that according to the plan, the offensive will not only liberate villages and cities, but also cut the material and technical chains of the Russian army and reduce their offensive ability.
· Meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with WP that Ukrainian soldiers will be ready for a counteroffensive when Ukraine receives all the weapons agreed with the allies. In particular, the timing may depend on weather conditions, since along the front line the ground is out of season.
· During the expected counteroffensive, he would consider the de-occupation of any Ukrainian territory a success.
9:39 am: The overall situation in the area of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is becoming increasingly unpredictable and potentially dangerous, says IAEA Director Rafael Mariano Grossi.
· "I am extremely concerned about the very real risks to the nuclear and physical security of the plant. We must act immediately to prevent the threat of a serious nuclear accident and its associated consequences for populations and the environment. This large nuclear facility must be protected," Grossi said.
8:27 am: In response to restrictions imposed by Moldova against Ukrainian agricultural exports, the government is preparing a resolution to ban Moldovan imports, - Deputy Minister of Economic Development, Trade and Agriculture - Trade Representative of Ukraine Taras Kachka.
Saturday May 6
9:06 pm: Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with a delegation from the US state of Utah, headed by President of the State Senate Stuart Adams.
· The delegation also included representatives of business and charitable organizations.
· "Such visits are signals of support for our state not only at the national level, but also at the regional level," Zelensky wrote.
06:11 pm: In Sudan, unknown assailants targeted the car of Turkish Ambassador Ismail Chobanoglu, a Trt Haber.
· As a result of the incident, no one was injured, the embassy car was damaged.
5:51 pm: Estonia will be fined 1200 euros for celebrating May 9 with Soviet or Russian symbols, — Postimees.
· It is reported that a fine can be obtained for posting Russian propaganda on the Internet.
· A fine of 1,200 euros for public support of the Russian Federation and the use of its symbols will be issued by the police immediately.
4:36 pm: Poland will demand that the European Union impose sanctions on Russian agricultural imports to Europe.
· This was stated by the permanent representative of Poland to the EU Andrzej Sadosz, writes PAP.
· As Sadosh noted, it is unacceptable to allow the Russian Federation to import agricultural products into the EU under the pretext of alleged food security.
4:17 pm press service of the Swiss parliament: Volodymyr Zelenskyy will deliver an address to the Swiss parliament.
· It is expected that the video address of the President of Ukraine will take place during the summer session of the Swiss Parliament, the exact date will be set after consultations with Ukraine.
NATIONAL
Sunday May 7
11:20 am: "On May 9, Russia may be preparing provocations directed by Russian special services against Russian civilians," Andriy Yusov spokesman for the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine
· At the same time, Andrei Yusov suggested that the Russians could direct provocations against Belarus: such a Russian "false flag operation" could be aimed at drawing the Belarusian army into the war against Ukraine.
9:23 am: The coat of arms of the USSR on the monument to the Motherland in Kyiv will be replaced by a trident, - Minister of Culture Oleksandr Tkachenko.
· "Currently, project documentation is being prepared to understand how and how best to shoot it, what work should be carried out there. But yes, we plan to do it," he said.
7:48 am General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine:
· Russians continue to focus their main efforts on the Liman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Mariinsky directions. There are heavy battles for the cities of Bakhmut and Marinka. In total, over the past day, Russian troops carried out about 50 attacks
· Russians are evacuating local residents from the temporarily captured Enerhodar, Zaporizhzhia region, in the direction of the settlements of Berdyansk and Prymorsk, to local recreation centers
· People who have Russian passports are subject to evacuation. Moreover, first of all, those who agreed to Russian citizenship in the first months of the occupation fall.
· Aviation of the Defense Forces over the past day inflicted 7 strikes on areas of concentration of personnel and military equipment of the Russian Federation, as well as a strike on an anti-aircraft missile system
· Over the past day, Ukrainian defenders destroyed 7 shock and 8 reconnaissance UAVs. And units of rocket troops and artillery hit the control point, 3 areas of concentration of weapons and military equipment, as well as an artillery unit in a firing position.
Saturday May 6
11:20 pm Operational Command South: »: 4 surface launch vehicles with a total salvo of 32 missiles of "Caliber" type were launched into the Black Sea.
8:44 pm: Our sources in the security forces report that the Security Service of Ukraine was involved in the explosion of the car of the famous Putinist Zakhar Prilepin.
· Zakhar Prilepin is not just a writer, but a well-known propagandist of the Kremlin regime and one of the ideologists of the "Russian world". He has been fighting in eastern Ukraine since 2014 and has previously claimed to have personally killed many Ukrainians.
6:35 pm Update from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine as of 18:00 on May 6:
· "During this day, the enemy launched 6 missile strikes, in particular on the cities of Chasiv Yar, Kostiantynivka and Kherson.
· In addition, the Russian Federation conducted 25 air strikes and carried out more than 20 attacks from multiple launch rocket systems.
· Private residential buildings and other civilian infrastructure were destroyed and damaged."
· "The enemy continues to focus its main efforts on conducting offensive operations in the Bakhmut and Mariinsky directions.
· There are heavy battles for the cities of Bakhmut and Marinka. In total, the enemy carried out more than 30 attacks during the day."
· "The Russian occupiers do not stop robbing Ukrainian citizens and enterprises in the temporarily occupied territories.
· In Energodar, as of May 5, not a single passenger car remained on the territory of the Elektroyuzhmontazh-10 enterprise. The warehouse was looted, and easel equipment was taken away."
· "More and more information is being received about the low level of moral and psychological condition of enemy personnel.
· Thus, in one of the units of the Russian occupation forces, located in the village of Mulino, Nizhny Novgorod region, commanders openly call subordinates "cannon fodder".
· In addition, servicemen complain about poor medical care, as well as the provision of personal protective equipment and equipment."
· "Aviation of the Defense Forces during the day inflicted 5 strikes on areas of concentration of enemy personnel and military equipment, as well as a strike on an enemy anti-aircraft missile system.
· During this day, our defenders destroyed 4 strike UAVs "Shahed-136/131" and 2 reconnaissance drones."
· "During the day, units of rocket troops and artillery hit the control point, 3 areas of concentration of weapons and military equipment of the enemy, as well as an artillery unit in a firing position."
· During the day, the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine destroyed five enemy UAVs: four of operational-tactical level and one attack UAV of the "Lancet" type.
5:20 pm: Volodymyr Zelenskyy congratulated the Ukrainian military on Infantry Day and awarded the infantry soldiers.
· "The state stands firm because you are fighting with dignity - together with all Ukrainian defense and security forces! I thank you for this!" the president wrote.
4:55 pm Operational Command North: Today, the Russians once again shelled the border areas of Sumy and Chernihiv regions. In total, more than 30 "arrivals" were recorded.
· Information about losses among the local population was not reported.
4:00 pm: During today's exchange they managed to free a member of the legendary "helicopter" mission of the Defence Intelligence to evacuate the wounded from Azovstal.
· This was announced by the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.
3:47 pm: On May 5, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky announced a new direction for the UNITED24 Education and Science platform.
· Its ambassadors were Nobel laureates Paul Ners, Edward Moser and May-Britt Moser, as well as the lead actress in the series "Star Wars: Ahsoka" Ivanna Sakhno.
· The first project was to raise funds for the restoration of the Buzivka Academic Lyceum in the Dmytrivska community of the Kyiv region.
03:27 pm: Another exchange of prisoners took place - Ukraine returned home 45 fighters, the Office of the President said.
· These are 42 defenders and three defenders of Azovstal.
1:58 pm Operational Command North: There are 6 Russian ships in the Black Sea, all launch vehicles are deployed to their bases.
12:57 p.m.: The SBU served a notice of suspicion to all Russian senators who supported the "accession" of the temporarily occupied regions of Ukraine to Russia.
· The Security Service and the Prosecutor General's Office have collected a large-scale evidence base on 170 senators of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, who contributed to the temporary occupation of part of the eastern and southern regions of Ukraine.
Mordor - russia
Sunday May 7
10:05 am Local Media: Explosions again occurred in the temporarily occupied Cossack Bay in Crimea. We are waiting for official information.
7:18 am: More than 10 drones attacked temporarily occupied Crimea this night. This is reported by the so-called "governor" of Sevastopol Mikhail Razvozhaev:
· "1 UAV lost control and fell in a forest belt in the district of 5 km, the wreckage was found by employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Emergencies. The second drone was shot down over the sea in the river of Chersonesos, the third - over the sea from the side of the Northern Mole... No objects in the city were affected."
3:04 am Social Networks: Explosions were heard in Sevastopol, in the temporarily occupied Crimea.
Saturday May 6
9:45 pm: In the Sverdlovsk region of the Russian Federation, because of a forest fire, warehouses with gunpowder caught fire, locals are being prepared for evacuation - Russian media.
· The fire threatens 18 nearby warehouses that also store gunpowder. About 400 people live in the village, which is being prepared for evacuation.
8:32 pm: The propagandist Prilepin was put into an artificial coma after the operation, the governor of the Nizhny Novgorod region of the Russian Federation said.
· His condition is assessed as "consistently severe."
3:23 pm: The Russian Defense Ministry claims to have returned three pilots. For whom they were exchanged - the Russians do not specify.
· Ukraine has not yet confirmed information about the exchange.
2:53 pm: British intelligence explained why parades are canceled in Russia on May 9.
· "The timing of the drone strike on the Kremlin in the days leading up to Victory Day demonstrates Russia's growing vulnerability to such attacks and almost certainly increased the sense of threat from the Russian leadership in connection with the events marking Victory Day," British intelligence said.
2:33 p.m.: PMC Wagner curator Prigozhin says he is preparing to hand over positions in Bakhmut to Kadyrov's fighters.
· "There are just over two kilometers left in Bakhmut. Bakhmut will undoubtedly be taken by Akhmat forces," Prigozhin said.
12:31 pm: In Nizhny Novgorod, a car in which the Russian propagandist, writer Zakhar Prilepin was located, was blown up - Russian media.
· The driver of the car in which the writer was killed after the explosion.
KHARKIV
Sunday May 7
11:50 am Kharkiv RMA: Shelling in Vovchansk damaged a store building, a monument to the DOSAAF Air Center and several private residential buildings.
· In the village. Dvorichna, Kupiansk district, artillery shelling damaged a private house.
· After 14:30 in a field near the village of Zatyshya, Kharkiv district, a tractor blew up on an unknown explosive object. A 43-year-old man was injured and hospitalized in a state of moderate severity.
10:41 am Social Neworks: Explosions heard in Kharkiv region.
10:13 am Kharkiv RMA: Russians launched a missile strike on the town of Balakliia, Izyum district. Previously, the S-300 missile hit the territory of one of the fleets. 5 civilians were injured.
· Two women aged 75 and one woman in their 50s suffered blast injuries. Two men, aged 20 and 85, have relatively minor injuries. Currently, doctors are providing all necessary assistance to the victims.
DONETSK
Sunday May 7
9:58 am Donetsk RMA: In the middle of the night, Russians struck Druzhkivka with drones - 3 private houses damaged, no casualties
· Russian troops also shelled Maksymovka, the outskirts of Komara, Kurakhivska and Toretsk communities, Chasiv Yar, Siversk and Yampol.
· In just one day, Russians wounded 5 residents of Donetsk region.
Saturday May 6
1:26 pm Donetsk RMA: The day before, the Russians launched strikes with Kh-22 missiles on Sloviansk and Kramatorsk. In Sloviansk, the building of the Zeus Ceramics plant was damaged. In Kramatorsk, the administrative building of the NKMZ, a kindergarten, 2 sports facilities and 22 high-rise buildings were damaged. Druzhkovka was also hit by a missile.
· In Soledar community, 2 houses were damaged, in Toretsk - 6, in Chasovoyarsk - 11. In Yampol, an S-300 missile damaged 5 houses. In Lyman, the burial place of a civilian killed during the occupation was discovered.
ZAPORIZHIA
Sunday May 7
2:22 am Social Networks: Explosions heard in the Zaporizhzhia area.
Saturday May 6
11:56 pm: Mayor of temporarily occupied Melitopol Ivan Fedorov reports that there are huge queues on the road from Melitopol to Crimea.
· According to him, I let the military through the Chongar checkpoint out of line, and the rest - at least 5 hours of waiting.
8:26 pm Social Networks: An explosion was heard in the temporarily occupied Berdyansk, Zaporizhzhia region.
3:12 p.m.: The Russian-appointed so-called "director" of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Yuriy Chernychuk, said that all blocks of the station captured by the Russians had been stopped. He did not give a reason for this.
· Melitopol Mayor Ivan Fedorov suggests that the Russian invaders may be preparing provocations in the Zaporizhzhia region, which will then be blamed on the Ukrainian military.
DNIPRO
Sunday May 7
9:08 am Dnipro RMA: At night, Russians hit Nikopol district twice. Grad rockets and heavy artillery were used. More than 30 shells were fired.
· A 72-year-old woman died. Three other locals were injured. One has a head injury. Two are under stress and with contusions.
· The Russians fired 20 shells at the Myriv community.
2:20 am Social Networks: Explosions heard in Nikopol, Dnipropetrovsk region
12:44 am: Oleksandr Vilkul, head of the Kryvyi Rih Defense Council, said that there is currently a real threat of a missile strike on the city.
Saturday May 6
11:36 pm Dnipro RMA: Eight times in a day, Russians shelled Nikopol district with Grad rockets and heavy artillery.
· 7 people were wounded. An industrial enterprise, private houses, outbuildings, gas pipelines, a power line, a lyceum were damaged.
9:32 pm Social Networks: Explosions heard in Dnipro.
KHERSON
Sunday May 7
12:47 am Social Networks: Explosions heard in Kherson.
12:46 am Social Networks: Explosions heard in Skadovsk district of Kherson region
7:31 am Operational Command South: At night, one of the missiles that attacked the Mykolaiv region hit an industrial plant.
· "There is a hit on one of the industrial enterprises, a workshop was destroyed, but there are no casualties, there are hits on the fields... in Kherson and Mykolaiv regions," Natalia Gumeniuk said.
Saturday May 6
11:03 pm: During demining tasks in Kherson region, SES pyrotechnicians came under fire.
· It is reported by the State Emergency Service of Ukraine.
· "Six of our specialists died. Two more, including one female paramedic, were injured and are currently hospitalized," the statement said.
1:12 pm Kherson RMA: Russians shelled peaceful settlements of Kherson region 71 times. 411 shells were fired from artillery, MLRS, mortars, drones and aircraft.
· The enemy attacked Kherson 11 times, firing 49 shells at the city. They hit the territory of the plant.
· Russian troops also targeted residential areas of settlements in the region and a church in the village of Vesele. Last day, due to Russian aggression, two people were injured.
MYKOLAIV
Sunday May 7
12:26 am Mykolaiv RMA: Head of the Mykolaiv Regional State Administration Vitaliy Kim reports explosions in Mykolaiv.
12:25 am Social Networks: Explosions heard in Mykolaiv
12:36 am: Explosion heard again in Mykolaiv, reports Vitaliy Kim.
ODESA
Sunday May 7
1:02 am Social Networks: An explosion was heard in Odesa.
KYIV
Sunday May 7
7:09 am Kyiv City Military Administration: "During the last air raid alarm, a Russian reconnaissance UAV was detected and destroyed in Kyiv airspace.
· Previously, there is no information on casualties or destruction. The data is being refined.
12:13 am: A tractor driver hit a mine in the Kyiv region.
· A 50-year-old driver of an agricultural company, returning to the enterprise, hit an anti-tank mine left during the occupation. It is known that this territory was occupied for some time.
· As a result of the explosion, the tractor driver was injured and hospitalized.
SUMY
Saturday May 6
10:45 pm Social Networks: Explosions heard in Sumy region.
12:26 pm: The Office of the Prosecutor General documents the aftermath of Russian airstrikes on Hlukhiv. Five people were injured by the shelling, including a 12-year-old girl. (Sumy region)
· Two houses were completely destroyed, another 32 were damaged. Windows were broken in the school, the roof was damaged, the walls were cut by debris.
The reason I went to Vilnius was because my wife was conducting training for journalists from former Soviet Republics. The training was sponsored by an American of Lithuanian ancestry, who had made his fortune working for Motorola Corporation. After Lithuanian independence he had bought a large house in Vilnius, where the training sessions took place.
I had time on hands, so I explored Vilnius, including:
· The National Museum which included accounts of a time, 700 years ago, when Lithuania, through the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth was the most powerful country in Europe. Unlike Russia, which seems consumed by its resentment toward the West for the loss of its former grandeur, Lithuania is very comfortable with its current status of being, along with the other Baltic States, Poland, and others, of being the most vocal EU member states in support of Ukraine.
· The former Headquarters of the Soviet KGB that, in 1991, Lithuanians captured intact. Down in the basement, there are several jail cells and a room where summary executions took place. After the Lithuanian takeover, they put down a plexiglass floor, allowing visitor to walk over the plexiglass, look down below your feet, and see items like a pair of glasses belonging to one of the condemned who were shot in that room.
· Like Ukraine, Lithuanian partisans fought the Soviets until the early 1950s. Lithuania has extensive forests and, crucially, a coastline where the partisans were able to receive supplies of arms from members of the Lithuanian Diaspora living in both Western Europe and the United Staes.
· And then there’s the Frank Zappa Memorial.
TED Talk by Nadya Tolokonnikova, Co Founder of “Pussy Riot”
On February 12, 2012, Pussy Riot staged a performance in front of the alter in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow. For this, Nadya and Pussy Riot’s Co-Founders, Maria Alyokhina and Ykaterina Samutsevich, were convicted of hooliganism and sentence to 2 years in a Russian penal colony. Her talk lasts approximately 13 minutes and is well worth watching.
5/7/23 Sitrep
Russian Invasion of Ukraine 12:00 noon May 6 to 12:00 noon May 7, 2023
Abbreviations:
RMA = Regional Military Administration SBU = Security Service of Ukraine
RASHISTS = russian Facists/all russian invaders
INTERNATIONAL
Sunday May 7
10:37 am: Expectations from the counteroffensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine may be overestimated in the world.
· This was stated in an interview with The Washington Post by Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov.
· "But I can't tell you what the scale of this success will be. Ten kilometers, 30 kilometers, 100 kilometers, 200 kilometers?" said Reznikov.
· The head of the Ministry of Defense revealed that according to the plan, the offensive will not only liberate villages and cities, but also cut the material and technical chains of the Russian army and reduce their offensive ability.
· Meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with WP that Ukrainian soldiers will be ready for a counteroffensive when Ukraine receives all the weapons agreed with the allies. In particular, the timing may depend on weather conditions, since along the front line the ground is out of season.
· During the expected counteroffensive, he would consider the de-occupation of any Ukrainian territory a success.
9:39 am: The overall situation in the area of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is becoming increasingly unpredictable and potentially dangerous, says IAEA Director Rafael Mariano Grossi.
· "I am extremely concerned about the very real risks to the nuclear and physical security of the plant. We must act immediately to prevent the threat of a serious nuclear accident and its associated consequences for populations and the environment. This large nuclear facility must be protected," Grossi said.
8:27 am: In response to restrictions imposed by Moldova against Ukrainian agricultural exports, the government is preparing a resolution to ban Moldovan imports, - Deputy Minister of Economic Development, Trade and Agriculture - Trade Representative of Ukraine Taras Kachka.
Saturday May 6
9:06 pm: Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with a delegation from the US state of Utah, headed by President of the State Senate Stuart Adams.
· The delegation also included representatives of business and charitable organizations.
· "Such visits are signals of support for our state not only at the national level, but also at the regional level," Zelensky wrote.
06:11 pm: In Sudan, unknown assailants targeted the car of Turkish Ambassador Ismail Chobanoglu, a Trt Haber.
· As a result of the incident, no one was injured, the embassy car was damaged.
5:51 pm: Estonia will be fined 1200 euros for celebrating May 9 with Soviet or Russian symbols, — Postimees.
· It is reported that a fine can be obtained for posting Russian propaganda on the Internet.
· A fine of 1,200 euros for public support of the Russian Federation and the use of its symbols will be issued by the police immediately.
4:36 pm: Poland will demand that the European Union impose sanctions on Russian agricultural imports to Europe.
· This was stated by the permanent representative of Poland to the EU Andrzej Sadosz, writes PAP.
· As Sadosh noted, it is unacceptable to allow the Russian Federation to import agricultural products into the EU under the pretext of alleged food security.
4:17 pm press service of the Swiss parliament: Volodymyr Zelenskyy will deliver an address to the Swiss parliament.
· It is expected that the video address of the President of Ukraine will take place during the summer session of the Swiss Parliament, the exact date will be set after consultations with Ukraine.
NATIONAL
Sunday May 7
11:20 am: "On May 9, Russia may be preparing provocations directed by Russian special services against Russian civilians," Andriy Yusov spokesman for the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine
· At the same time, Andrei Yusov suggested that the Russians could direct provocations against Belarus: such a Russian "false flag operation" could be aimed at drawing the Belarusian army into the war against Ukraine.
9:23 am: The coat of arms of the USSR on the monument to the Motherland in Kyiv will be replaced by a trident, - Minister of Culture Oleksandr Tkachenko.
· "Currently, project documentation is being prepared to understand how and how best to shoot it, what work should be carried out there. But yes, we plan to do it," he said.
7:48 am General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine:
· Russians continue to focus their main efforts on the Liman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Mariinsky directions. There are heavy battles for the cities of Bakhmut and Marinka. In total, over the past day, Russian troops carried out about 50 attacks
· Russians are evacuating local residents from the temporarily captured Enerhodar, Zaporizhzhia region, in the direction of the settlements of Berdyansk and Prymorsk, to local recreation centers
· People who have Russian passports are subject to evacuation. Moreover, first of all, those who agreed to Russian citizenship in the first months of the occupation fall.
· Aviation of the Defense Forces over the past day inflicted 7 strikes on areas of concentration of personnel and military equipment of the Russian Federation, as well as a strike on an anti-aircraft missile system
· Over the past day, Ukrainian defenders destroyed 7 shock and 8 reconnaissance UAVs. And units of rocket troops and artillery hit the control point, 3 areas of concentration of weapons and military equipment, as well as an artillery unit in a firing position.
Saturday May 6
11:20 pm Operational Command South: »: 4 surface launch vehicles with a total salvo of 32 missiles of "Caliber" type were launched into the Black Sea.
8:44 pm: Our sources in the security forces report that the Security Service of Ukraine was involved in the explosion of the car of the famous Putinist Zakhar Prilepin.
· Zakhar Prilepin is not just a writer, but a well-known propagandist of the Kremlin regime and one of the ideologists of the "Russian world". He has been fighting in eastern Ukraine since 2014 and has previously claimed to have personally killed many Ukrainians.
6:35 pm Update from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine as of 18:00 on May 6:
· "During this day, the enemy launched 6 missile strikes, in particular on the cities of Chasiv Yar, Kostiantynivka and Kherson.
· In addition, the Russian Federation conducted 25 air strikes and carried out more than 20 attacks from multiple launch rocket systems.
· Private residential buildings and other civilian infrastructure were destroyed and damaged."
· "The enemy continues to focus its main efforts on conducting offensive operations in the Bakhmut and Mariinsky directions.
· There are heavy battles for the cities of Bakhmut and Marinka. In total, the enemy carried out more than 30 attacks during the day."
· "The Russian occupiers do not stop robbing Ukrainian citizens and enterprises in the temporarily occupied territories.
· In Energodar, as of May 5, not a single passenger car remained on the territory of the Elektroyuzhmontazh-10 enterprise. The warehouse was looted, and easel equipment was taken away."
· "More and more information is being received about the low level of moral and psychological condition of enemy personnel.
· Thus, in one of the units of the Russian occupation forces, located in the village of Mulino, Nizhny Novgorod region, commanders openly call subordinates "cannon fodder".
· In addition, servicemen complain about poor medical care, as well as the provision of personal protective equipment and equipment."
· "Aviation of the Defense Forces during the day inflicted 5 strikes on areas of concentration of enemy personnel and military equipment, as well as a strike on an enemy anti-aircraft missile system.
· During this day, our defenders destroyed 4 strike UAVs "Shahed-136/131" and 2 reconnaissance drones."
· "During the day, units of rocket troops and artillery hit the control point, 3 areas of concentration of weapons and military equipment of the enemy, as well as an artillery unit in a firing position."
· During the day, the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine destroyed five enemy UAVs: four of operational-tactical level and one attack UAV of the "Lancet" type.
5:20 pm: Volodymyr Zelenskyy congratulated the Ukrainian military on Infantry Day and awarded the infantry soldiers.
· "The state stands firm because you are fighting with dignity - together with all Ukrainian defense and security forces! I thank you for this!" the president wrote.
4:55 pm Operational Command North: Today, the Russians once again shelled the border areas of Sumy and Chernihiv regions. In total, more than 30 "arrivals" were recorded.
· Information about losses among the local population was not reported.
4:00 pm: During today's exchange they managed to free a member of the legendary "helicopter" mission of the Defence Intelligence to evacuate the wounded from Azovstal.
· This was announced by the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.
3:47 pm: On May 5, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky announced a new direction for the UNITED24 Education and Science platform.
· Its ambassadors were Nobel laureates Paul Ners, Edward Moser and May-Britt Moser, as well as the lead actress in the series "Star Wars: Ahsoka" Ivanna Sakhno.
· The first project was to raise funds for the restoration of the Buzivka Academic Lyceum in the Dmytrivska community of the Kyiv region.
03:27 pm: Another exchange of prisoners took place - Ukraine returned home 45 fighters, the Office of the President said.
· These are 42 defenders and three defenders of Azovstal.
1:58 pm Operational Command North: There are 6 Russian ships in the Black Sea, all launch vehicles are deployed to their bases.
12:57 p.m.: The SBU served a notice of suspicion to all Russian senators who supported the "accession" of the temporarily occupied regions of Ukraine to Russia.
· The Security Service and the Prosecutor General's Office have collected a large-scale evidence base on 170 senators of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, who contributed to the temporary occupation of part of the eastern and southern regions of Ukraine.
Mordor - russia
Sunday May 7
10:05 am Local Media: Explosions again occurred in the temporarily occupied Cossack Bay in Crimea. We are waiting for official information.
7:18 am: More than 10 drones attacked temporarily occupied Crimea this night. This is reported by the so-called "governor" of Sevastopol Mikhail Razvozhaev:
· "1 UAV lost control and fell in a forest belt in the district of 5 km, the wreckage was found by employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Emergencies. The second drone was shot down over the sea in the river of Chersonesos, the third - over the sea from the side of the Northern Mole... No objects in the city were affected."
3:04 am Social Networks: Explosions were heard in Sevastopol, in the temporarily occupied Crimea.
Saturday May 6
9:45 pm: In the Sverdlovsk region of the Russian Federation, because of a forest fire, warehouses with gunpowder caught fire, locals are being prepared for evacuation - Russian media.
· The fire threatens 18 nearby warehouses that also store gunpowder. About 400 people live in the village, which is being prepared for evacuation.
8:32 pm: The propagandist Prilepin was put into an artificial coma after the operation, the governor of the Nizhny Novgorod region of the Russian Federation said.
· His condition is assessed as "consistently severe."
3:23 pm: The Russian Defense Ministry claims to have returned three pilots. For whom they were exchanged - the Russians do not specify.
· Ukraine has not yet confirmed information about the exchange.
2:53 pm: British intelligence explained why parades are canceled in Russia on May 9.
· "The timing of the drone strike on the Kremlin in the days leading up to Victory Day demonstrates Russia's growing vulnerability to such attacks and almost certainly increased the sense of threat from the Russian leadership in connection with the events marking Victory Day," British intelligence said.
2:33 p.m.: PMC Wagner curator Prigozhin says he is preparing to hand over positions in Bakhmut to Kadyrov's fighters.
· "There are just over two kilometers left in Bakhmut. Bakhmut will undoubtedly be taken by Akhmat forces," Prigozhin said.
12:31 pm: In Nizhny Novgorod, a car in which the Russian propagandist, writer Zakhar Prilepin was located, was blown up - Russian media.
· The driver of the car in which the writer was killed after the explosion.
KHARKIV
Sunday May 7
11:50 am Kharkiv RMA: Shelling in Vovchansk damaged a store building, a monument to the DOSAAF Air Center and several private residential buildings.
· In the village. Dvorichna, Kupiansk district, artillery shelling damaged a private house.
· After 14:30 in a field near the village of Zatyshya, Kharkiv district, a tractor blew up on an unknown explosive object. A 43-year-old man was injured and hospitalized in a state of moderate severity.
10:41 am Social Neworks: Explosions heard in Kharkiv region.
10:13 am Kharkiv RMA: Russians launched a missile strike on the town of Balakliia, Izyum district. Previously, the S-300 missile hit the territory of one of the fleets. 5 civilians were injured.
· Two women aged 75 and one woman in their 50s suffered blast injuries. Two men, aged 20 and 85, have relatively minor injuries. Currently, doctors are providing all necessary assistance to the victims.
DONETSK
Sunday May 7
9:58 am Donetsk RMA: In the middle of the night, Russians struck Druzhkivka with drones - 3 private houses damaged, no casualties
· Russian troops also shelled Maksymovka, the outskirts of Komara, Kurakhivska and Toretsk communities, Chasiv Yar, Siversk and Yampol.
· In just one day, Russians wounded 5 residents of Donetsk region.
Saturday May 6
1:26 pm Donetsk RMA: The day before, the Russians launched strikes with Kh-22 missiles on Sloviansk and Kramatorsk. In Sloviansk, the building of the Zeus Ceramics plant was damaged. In Kramatorsk, the administrative building of the NKMZ, a kindergarten, 2 sports facilities and 22 high-rise buildings were damaged. Druzhkovka was also hit by a missile.
· In Soledar community, 2 houses were damaged, in Toretsk - 6, in Chasovoyarsk - 11. In Yampol, an S-300 missile damaged 5 houses. In Lyman, the burial place of a civilian killed during the occupation was discovered.
ZAPORIZHIA
Sunday May 7
2:22 am Social Networks: Explosions heard in the Zaporizhzhia area.
Saturday May 6
11:56 pm: Mayor of temporarily occupied Melitopol Ivan Fedorov reports that there are huge queues on the road from Melitopol to Crimea.
· According to him, I let the military through the Chongar checkpoint out of line, and the rest - at least 5 hours of waiting.
8:26 pm Social Networks: An explosion was heard in the temporarily occupied Berdyansk, Zaporizhzhia region.
3:12 p.m.: The Russian-appointed so-called "director" of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Yuriy Chernychuk, said that all blocks of the station captured by the Russians had been stopped. He did not give a reason for this.
· Melitopol Mayor Ivan Fedorov suggests that the Russian invaders may be preparing provocations in the Zaporizhzhia region, which will then be blamed on the Ukrainian military.
DNIPRO
Sunday May 7
9:08 am Dnipro RMA: At night, Russians hit Nikopol district twice. Grad rockets and heavy artillery were used. More than 30 shells were fired.
· A 72-year-old woman died. Three other locals were injured. One has a head injury. Two are under stress and with contusions.
· The Russians fired 20 shells at the Myriv community.
2:20 am Social Networks: Explosions heard in Nikopol, Dnipropetrovsk region
12:44 am: Oleksandr Vilkul, head of the Kryvyi Rih Defense Council, said that there is currently a real threat of a missile strike on the city.
Saturday May 6
11:36 pm Dnipro RMA: Eight times in a day, Russians shelled Nikopol district with Grad rockets and heavy artillery.
· 7 people were wounded. An industrial enterprise, private houses, outbuildings, gas pipelines, a power line, a lyceum were damaged.
9:32 pm Social Networks: Explosions heard in Dnipro.
KHERSON
Sunday May 7
12:47 am Social Networks: Explosions heard in Kherson.
12:46 am Social Networks: Explosions heard in Skadovsk district of Kherson region
7:31 am Operational Command South: At night, one of the missiles that attacked the Mykolaiv region hit an industrial plant.
· "There is a hit on one of the industrial enterprises, a workshop was destroyed, but there are no casualties, there are hits on the fields... in Kherson and Mykolaiv regions," Natalia Gumeniuk said.
Saturday May 6
11:03 pm: During demining tasks in Kherson region, SES pyrotechnicians came under fire.
· It is reported by the State Emergency Service of Ukraine.
· "Six of our specialists died. Two more, including one female paramedic, were injured and are currently hospitalized," the statement said.
1:12 pm Kherson RMA: Russians shelled peaceful settlements of Kherson region 71 times. 411 shells were fired from artillery, MLRS, mortars, drones and aircraft.
· The enemy attacked Kherson 11 times, firing 49 shells at the city. They hit the territory of the plant.
· Russian troops also targeted residential areas of settlements in the region and a church in the village of Vesele. Last day, due to Russian aggression, two people were injured.
MYKOLAIV
Sunday May 7
12:26 am Mykolaiv RMA: Head of the Mykolaiv Regional State Administration Vitaliy Kim reports explosions in Mykolaiv.
12:25 am Social Networks: Explosions heard in Mykolaiv
12:36 am: Explosion heard again in Mykolaiv, reports Vitaliy Kim.
ODESA
Sunday May 7
1:02 am Social Networks: An explosion was heard in Odesa.
KYIV
Sunday May 7
7:09 am Kyiv City Military Administration: "During the last air raid alarm, a Russian reconnaissance UAV was detected and destroyed in Kyiv airspace.
· Previously, there is no information on casualties or destruction. The data is being refined.
12:13 am: A tractor driver hit a mine in the Kyiv region.
· A 50-year-old driver of an agricultural company, returning to the enterprise, hit an anti-tank mine left during the occupation. It is known that this territory was occupied for some time.
· As a result of the explosion, the tractor driver was injured and hospitalized.
SUMY
Saturday May 6
10:45 pm Social Networks: Explosions heard in Sumy region.
12:26 pm: The Office of the Prosecutor General documents the aftermath of Russian airstrikes on Hlukhiv. Five people were injured by the shelling, including a 12-year-old girl. (Sumy region)
· Two houses were completely destroyed, another 32 were damaged. Windows were broken in the school, the roof was damaged, the walls were cut by debris.
Comparing Soviet invasion of Afghanistan to Russian invasion of Ukraine using Wikipedia and Ukraine Ministry of Defense Daily Bulletins. Soviet and Russian military losses not including captured equipment.
SOURCES
https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/
https://espreso.tv/
https://cutt.ly/Blyskavka