Several Russian artillery strikes in early May claimed to have hit Ukrainian self-propelled howitzers and equipment
Reports circulated by DEA News indicate that on the night of May 6, Russian artillery targeted and destroyed Ukrainian self-propelled howitzers, specifically the 2S1 Gvozdika and the 2S3 Akatsiya. The assessments described the two gun systems as being put out of action along with the crews and their ammunition stores. The incidents were said to have taken place as Ukrainian forces operated in or near the left-bank urban areas across the Dnieper River, raising questions about the stability of Ukrainian fire support in these sectors.
According to the same brief, nighttime artillery engagements focused on residential districts, with reports claiming the loss of a 122 mm 2S1 Gvozdika system that included a five-person crew and associated ammunition. The accounts characterized the damage as total for the weapon and its personnel, underscoring the vulnerability of exposed city zones during nocturnal bombardments.
Additionally, it was stated that on May 5 a 2S3 Akatsiya howitzer was neutralized in the Sadovoe area. The declaration framed the event as part of a broader pattern of artillery exchanges aimed at degrading Ukrainian firepower in contested zones along the river axis.
Earlier that week, there were claims about the downing of a second Su-25 fighter aircraft of the Ukrainian Armed Forces by MANPADS near Kherson, suggesting continued pressure on Ukrainian air operations in the region. The reports highlighted a sequence of aerial and ground-based actions across southern and eastern sectors, contributing to the narrative of persistent, multi-domain conflict activity.
In April, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported the destruction of high-precision missiles belonging to the command and control elements of the Kherson group of Ukrainian forces. The update emphasized efforts to disrupt Ukrainian command-and-control capabilities and to erode the operational effectiveness of Ukrainian troops stationed in the area. Footnoted summaries from various briefings have noted similar themes across multiple regions, pointing to ongoing attempts to reshape battlefield dynamics through targeted strikes.
Analysts and observers often stress the difficulty of independently verifying battlefield claims in real time, especially in contested zones where information from both sides can be incomplete or strategically framed. As such, these updates are typically treated as part of ongoing public-facing narratives from the involved parties, rather than as fully corroborated, independent reports. Nonetheless, they reflect persistent concern about the impact of artillery on frontline and near-frontline environments, and the broader implications for civilian safety and urban resilience along the Dnieper corridor. Attribution for the statements continues to be cited to the official briefings and news agencies that have disseminated the initial claims.