Russians focus on destroying airfield infrastructure

KATERYNA TISHCHENKO — SUNDAY, 8 MAY 2022, 18:32

On Sunday, the Russians focused their main efforts on destroying airfield infrastructure in order to prevent Ukrainian aviation from operating in eastern Ukraine and the Black Sea operational zone.

Source : General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine as of 18:00

Literally: “The enemy concentrated its main efforts on the destruction of airfield infrastructure in order to prevent the activities of our aviation, including the ‘Bayraktar’ unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), in supporting units in the line of responsibility of the Joint Forces grouping and in the Black Sea operational zone from the air. They increased the intensity of the use of operational-tactical aviation over the marine area of ​​the northwestern part of the Black Sea.”

Details: On the Donetsk and Tauride fronts, the enemy is conducting military operations in order to constrain the actions of the Defence Forces units.

During the last 24 hours, the enemy has stepped up hostilities. They are trying to reach the administrative borders of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions. They have regrouped, replenished their losses and built up their air defence and logistics systems, presumably with the aim of intensifying hostilities in the areas of Severodonetsk and Lysychansk settlements.

On the Limansky front, with the help of individual units from the 90th Tank Division, the occupying forces tried to take full control of the settlement of Oleksandrivka, and also, with the support of artillery, to gain a foothold in the northern outskirts of the settlement of Shandryholovo. They did not have any success.

On the Severodonetsk front, the enemy is trying to capture the settlement of Rubizhne, but is having no success.

On the Popasna front, the occupiers are trying to take positions in the village of Popasna and take control of a section of the Popasna-Bakhmut highway.

The occupying forces are conducting an offensive towards the settlement of Novoselivka, but have had no success; fighting continues.

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On the Kurakhivsk front, the Russians are trying to improve the tactical situation in the direction of the Novomykhailivka settlement, but have had no success.

On the Mariupol front, the intensity of hostilities has been reduced.

On the Novopavlivsk and Zaporizhzhia fronts, the enemy has stepped up aerial reconnaissance in the areas of the settlements of Orikhiv, Huliaipole, Komyshuvakha, and Yasna Poliana.

On the Volyn and Polesye fronts, the enemy did not carry out active offensive operations. Until 27 May of this year, training camps of territorial defence units are being held on the territory of the Minsk region with the involvement of those reservists liable for military service.

There is still a possibility that units of the armed forces of the Russian Federation will carry out missile and bomb strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure facilities from the territory and airspace of Belarus.

On the Seversk front, the enemy did not carry out active offensive operations. At the checkpoints and border areas of the Bryansk and Kursk regions, reinforced border patrol units, as well as units of the Russian armed forces, continue to be maintained.

Fire damage to units of Ukrainian troops and infrastructure facilities in the border areas remains possible in the future.

On the Slobozhansky front, the enemy is concentrating reserves in the Belgorod region to conduct combat operations near the state border of Ukraine. The deployment of individual units from the 1st Tank Army of the Western Military District in the indicated areas has been confirmed.

On the Kharkiv front, the occupying forces did not carry out active offensive operations. Their main efforts were focused on preventing the advance of Ukrainian troops. Their grouping was strengthened by moving units from the Western Military District from the area where combat capability is being restored. The shelling of military and civilian infrastructure continues.

On the Izyum front, the enemy regrouped its units, replenished supplies in order to build up offensive capabilities and conducted aerial reconnaissance using the “Orlan-10” UAV in order to clarify the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

On the Yuzhnobuzhsky front, the enemy is trying to hold their positions with 15 battalion tactical groups. The occupiers did not carry out active hostile operations. They carried out shelling from mortars, cannon artillery and multiple launch rocket systems of positions of Ukrainian troops. They made up for losses. They used army aviation in the area of the settlement of Karierne.

Measures of the administrative-police regime in the temporarily occupied territories continue. The strengthening of filtration measures by the divisions of the National Guard in the areas of the settlements of Heroiske, Hola Prystan, and Kherson is noted.

There remains the possibility that [Russian troops will] conduct assault operations in certain directions in order to improve the tactical situation, to tie down Ukrainian troops and to prevent the transfer of reserves.

The invaders’ morale remains low, there is a systemic use of alcoholic beverages and desertion. The personnel of the enemy units complain about the ineffectiveness of their attacks on the positions of the Ukrainian Defence Forces in the Huliaipole area.