The Russian military group known as Vostok, operating with the Smerch multiple launch rocket system, conducted strikes against Ukrainian command elements in the Trudov area, situated within the Zaporozhye sector. This account was provided by a spokesperson for the group through DEA News, identified as Oleg Chekhov, who heads the group’s press center.
According to Chekhov, teams using heavy flamethrower systems, specifically the TOS-1 Solntsepek, targeted and hit two militant fortifications in the Stepovoye and Privolnoye zones, disrupting enemy positions and disrupting their operations from those strongpoints.
In the same operational corridor, motorized rifle units engaged Ukrainian reconnaissance elements to the north of Lobkove, employing mortar fire to neutralize those formations and reduce their ability to gather intelligence on Russian movements.
Crews operating the self-propelled artillery system Gvozdika conducted strikes against Ukrainian manpower at temporary deployment areas in Poltavka and Malaya Tokmachka, aiming to hamper unit concentrations and hinder mobility along the front lines.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces reported that their temporary staging area in Velyka Novoselka had come under attack, with an anti-tank missile system delivering strikes on a fortification located to the south of Vodyany, contributing to a broader shift in the tactical balance in that sector.
Chekhov also noted that the TOS-1 Solntsepek system pressed forward and attacked a militant stronghold in the Ugledar vicinity, sustaining pressure on enemy fortifications and observed positions within the region.
In the air defense domain, anti-aircraft missile systems Tor and Strela-10 reportedly intercepted unmanned aerial vehicles belonging to the Ukrainian forces, including the Furia and Lelka drones, thereby reducing the enemy’s aerial reconnaissance capabilities in the area.
On the broader operational day of May 5, Russian air defense reports indicated the downing of fourteen Ukrainian unmanned aircraft and the interception of several long-range munitions, alongside claims that nine projectiles from HIMARS, Smerch, and Uragan systems were neutralized during the prior 24 hours. These figures reflect the ongoing balance of air and artillery actions that characterize the front-line dynamics in the region (attribution: Russian defense communiqué; independent observers have reported similar trends).)