May, 05

Hostilities continue across front lines in Ukraine. Recent conflict developments include:

The army of the Russian Federation (hereinafter: Russia) has continued its assaults on the Azovstal steel plant despite civilians sheltering on its premises;

Russian troops have reportedly used white phosphorus munitions in their attacks near Izyum;

High-explosive fragmentation warheads have been used in attacks targeting Zakarpattia;

Russian troops continue to attempt breaking through Ukraine’s line of defence in the Luhansk oblast, with intense hostilities taking place especially in Rubizhne and Belohorovka;

Ukrainian forces have launched a counteroffensive in the Kharkiv oblast;

Kharkiv, Kramators’k, Synel’nykove and a number of other settlements located along the front line have been subjected to shelling.

The risk of Russian forces resorting to chemical weapons in Ukraine has not abated.

Russia is expected to be weighing the option of launching an attack from Transnistria against both Moldova and Ukraine.  

Mayor of Ivano-Frankivsk has recommended to the city residents to leave their homes from May 7^th to 9^th in light of the fear of Russia launching provocative attacks on Victory Day.

Russian assaults on Ukraine have damaged more than 200 residential houses in Kyiv since the beginning of the invasion. In addition, 70 urban structures, 46 schools, and 39 kindergartens have been damaged in the city. 

1616 objects of national cultural heritage have been destroyed or damaged across Ukraine. 72 local objects of cultural heritage have also been devastated. The destruction of another 6 objects of cultural heritage (museums, historical buildings, churches) has recently been detected.

The Ukrainian national police has registered more than 10 000 criminal proceedings regarding war crimes committed by the Russian army in Ukraine.

Russian troops continue to terrorize residents in the territories they occupy. Russian soldiers have reportedly robbed and abducted two Ukrainian farmers close to Melitopol and forced volunteers to stop distributing medicines and food in Berdyansk. 

Ukrainian officials continue to search for the medical equipment stolen from hospitals located in the territories occupied by Russia troops. Some of the lost items have reportedly been detected in Russia.

The Russian military administration is preparing to host Victory Day celebrations on May 9^th in Mariupol. Ongoing preparations include the renaming of streets with Russian equivalents as well as the cleaning of debris and stranded bodies from the streets. The festive preparations exclude the Azovstal district.  

Filtration camps have been set up in the outskirts of Mariupol targeting male residents of nearby areas. According to reports, individuals detained in the camps have been kept in unhygienic conditions before being relocated to economically depressed areas of the Russian Federation or sent to the front lines.

Russia continues to spread hostile narratives targeting European countries and the United States. Threats and attempts to pressure nations openly supporting Ukraine have been voiced, for example, by the President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko. According to President Lukashenko, military steps taken by NATO directly impact Russia’s choice of means and methods of war in Ukraine, yet Belarus has no intention of participating in the hostilities taking place in the Ukrainian territory. However, according to assessments conducted by Belarusian military officials, NATO has doubled its presence in Eastern Europe in preparation for war. 

The political leadership of Russia continues to claim that Ukraine is not interested in seeking a negotiated resolution to the conflict. According to Russian officials, Ukraine is influenced by its allies and is unable to reach independent decisions.

Content seeking to discredit the Ukrainian army continues to be spread across Russian media platforms and news agencies continue to report on the allegedly rampant drug abuse by Ukrainian soldiers on the front lines.

Russian sources have also disseminated statements claiming that Ukraine has given up on the Kherson oblast and has cut the oblast off from the internet. According to Russian officials, these dynamics have resulted in farmers from Kherson trading in Crimea.  

Claims regarding American biological laboratories operated in Ukraine continue to be disseminated across Russian platforms. The goal of the Russian disinformation campaign regarding such laboratories is presumed to be the discrediting of the United States and Ukraine, thus paving the way for accusations regarding the development of new viruses and biological weapons. 

The Head of the Belgorod oblast, Vyacheslav Gladkov, made a statement claiming that Russian villages located close to the border had been shelled by Ukraine. No casualties have been reported.

Russia continues to spread content regarding the humanitarian operations it is carrying out in the Temporarily Occupied Territories of the Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts. A headquarter for the #WeStandTogether campaign was opened in Donetsk on Thursday 5^th marking the first of its kind to be established in Donbas. The Head of the Russian President’s Administration, Sergey Kiriyenko, participated in the opening ceremony. 

Vologda, Arkhangelsk, Novgorod, and Murmansk oblasts as well as the Republic of Karelia have reportedly sent humanitarian aid to the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics. The aid has been collected and transported under the A Train of Aid to Donbas campaign. 

Russian officials continue to spread information regarding the accomplishments of the Russian army in Ukraine.