On May 11, the Ukrainian army pressed forward along the entire contact line near Soledar, a stretch that spans more than 95 kilometers, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense.
Officials quoted by the ministry said that Ukraine launched 26 attacks, involving more than 1000 soldiers, up to 40 tanks, and additional military and specialized equipment. The ministry reported that all Ukrainian assaults were repelled and that no breakthroughs occurred in the Russian defense. It was claimed that more than 540 Ukrainian soldiers were killed and that eight tanks and over 20 other pieces of equipment were destroyed in the clashes.
The fighting extended to the western sector of Bakhmut, also known as Artemovsk, where air force units reportedly thwarted attempts by Ukrainian forces to attack the flanks. Russian artillery reportedly carried out 64 missions in the area, and aircraft were active on nine occasions.
Officials noted that attacks using operational-tactical and army aviation, combined with artillery from the Southern Group of Forces, struck Ukrainian units in Chasov Yar and Bogdanovka. The defense reportedly involved soldiers from the 4th and 200th motorized rifle brigades, along with army aviation teams and other units of the Russian armed forces, in repelling the Ukrainian assaults.
Additionally, the ministry announced a repositioning of Russian troops north of Bakhmut to strengthen defense, explaining that the movement aimed to secure a line favored by conditions at Berkhovsky reservoir.
Across the Donetsk direction, the ministry claimed that Ukrainian forces sustained heavy losses, with about 900 personnel killed or wounded and more than 30 armored vehicles and seven support vehicles damaged. It was also stated that a British-made L-118 howitzer and two D-30 howitzers were taken out of action. The ministry asserted that a Ukrainian Su-27 fighter jet was brought down near Chasov Yar.
Situation in other directions
The agency added that two sabotage and reconnaissance groups were eliminated during the night in the LPR, and in the Zaporozhye region the Russian army reportedly destroyed a Ukrainian fuel tank. A separate report described a defeat of Ukrainian manpower and equipment in the Torskoye enclave in the Krasnolimansky direction, with more than 75 Ukrainian soldiers reported as lost.
The Russian defense ministry claimed the destruction of the AN/TPQ-36 counter-battery radar near Borovaya in the Kharkov region and of the Zoopark-1 reconnaissance and fire control radar complex in the Dnepropetrovsk region. It was claimed that Russian forces struck 72 Ukrainian artillery units, along with personnel and equipment, across 102 firing positions in a single day.
Counterattack reports
On May 11, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the Wagner private military company, and Russian war correspondents spoke of renewed activity along the contact line and of Ukrainian offensive actions. A military commander claimed a breakthrough by Ukrainian forces near the Bogdanovka district close to Bakhmut. The RT channel later suggested information from Kherson about dense small-boat traffic on the right bank of the Dnieper, though that post was removed due to its unclear veracity.
Correspondent Semyon Pegov reported Ukrainian attacks near Mayorsk, on the northern outskirts of Gorlovka, which were said to be repelled. He also highlighted what he described as local achievements by Ukrainian forces. Prigozhin argued that Ukrainian leadership was not sincere about preparing for a counterattack, while noting appearances of Ukrainian gains on some flanks near Bakhmut. On May 12, Ukrainian authorities announced progress toward Bakhmut in the direction of advance in that area.
Local authorities in Kherson and Zaporozhye, along with the Russian defense ministry, previously denied Ukrainian offensives in Kherson, Zaporozhye, and Kupyansk, insisting that active operations were not underway in those directions and that the fighting continued around Bakhmut. The Kremlin declined to comment on the statements from military correspondents and directed questions to the defense ministry for clarification.