Russian troops in Ukraine prepare offensive on Sloviansk and Sievierodonetsk

Russian troops are creating conditions and making preparations for the offensive on Sloviansk and Sievierodonetsk. The statement was made by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Facebook, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.
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On May 1, the Ukrainian anti-aircraft defense units hit ten Orlan-10 UAVs. Ukrainian defenders repulsed 10 enemy attacks in Donetsk Region and Luhansk Region, having destroyed two Russian tanks, 17 artillery systems, 38 armored vehicles and 10 motor vehicles.(Picture source: Ukrinform)

As Ukrinform writes, Russia continues to carry out its large-scale armed aggression against Ukraine and offensive operations within the East Operational Zone. In particular, Russian troops in the direction of Popasna enhanced their ranks with one battalion tactical group deployed from Mariupol: “In the Popasna direction, the enemy attempted to improve its tactical positions near Popasna. One battalion tactical group was deployed from the Mariupol direction to enhance Russian troops,” the report states.

In the Slobozhanskyi direction, Russian invaders continued to shell the city of Kharkiv and settlements such as Udy and Prudianka. In the Izium direction, the enemy conducted offensive operations in the Izium-Barvinnkove and Izium-Sloviansk directions. Russian troops were firing at Ukrainian positions. Added by Army Recognition: on Monday, May 2, LCI (French TV information network) reported that the British newspaper Daily Mail wrote, without mentioning its source nor producing any evidence, that General Gerasimov, Chief of General Staff of the Russian armed forces, had been wounded to a leg during the shelling of his command post near Izium last week, and was subsequently evacuated by helicopter to Belgorod. The Ukrainians do not confirm or even comment on that piece of information that seems disputed.

In the Donetsk direction, Russian occupation forces were conducting offensive operations all over the contact line. In the Lyman direction, the enemy opened fire on the positions of Ukrainian forces on the Lyman-Siversk border to push them back and create conditions for the offensive on Sloviansk.

In the Sievierodonetsk direction, the enemy focused efforts to gain full control over Rubizhne and make preparations for the offensive on Sloviansk.

In order to increase the air-defense system, Russian troops deployed additional anti-aircraft missile systems within the temporarily captured and occupied areas of Luhansk Region and Zaporizhzhia Region.

In the Tavriiskyi and Southern Bug directions, the enemy attempted to improve its tactical positions and opened fire. In the Tavriiskyi direction, Russian troops are regrouping, accumulating fire damage systems, hardening positions, and replenishing ammunition and fuel stocks.

In the Southern Bug direction, Russian invaders are attempting to reach the administrative borders of Kherson Region, seeking weak spots in the Ukrainian defense lines. In the direction of Mykolaiv, the enemy conducted air reconnaissance, using three unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Russian troops launched artillery strikes on Ukrainian positions.

In the Volyn and Polissia directions, the separate units of the Belarusian Armed Forces continue to cover the Ukrainian-Belarusian state border in Brest Region and Gomel Region. The threat of missile strikes from the territory of Belarus is persisting.

In the Siverskyi direction, the enemy opened mortar fire on Ukrainian positions near Senkivky, Chernihiv Region.

The enhanced administrative-police and counter-intelligence regimes were introduced within the border areas in Russia’s Bryansk Region. Checkpoints were placed on roads and near settlements.

Over the past day, the Ukrainian anti-aircraft defense units hit ten Orlan-10 UAVs. Ukrainian defenders repulsed 10 enemy attacks in Donetsk Region and Luhansk Region, having destroyed two Russian tanks, 17 artillery systems, 38 armored vehicles and 10 motor vehicles. These claims can not be checked independently.

The Russian Ministry of Defense said on Sunday, May 1, it struck a military airfield in southern Ukraine loaded with weapons and ammunition from the United States and Europe. The ministry claimed a "high-precision" Onyx missile was used by Russian forces to destroy the airfield's runway and a hanger holding the weapons and ammunition. The alleged attack occurred at the main airport of the Ukrainian city of Odesa. The regional governor of Odesa, Maksym Marchenko, said the missile was launched from the Russian-annexed region of Crimea. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that a newly constructed runway in the Black Sea port city had been destroyed, and he vowed to rebuild it. The Ukrainian leader did not say whether any weapons, ammunition, or equipment provided by the U.S. or Europe were destroyed in the airstrike.