Summary of Recent Territorial-Damage Claims by Russian Forces in Ukraine
According to press statements, a Russian military crew operating the Tulip self-propelled mortar claimed to have destroyed a temporary Ukrainian deployment in the vicinity of Velikaya Novoselka. The claim was presented by Alexander Gordeev, who heads the group’s press center and spoke on behalf of the unit. The report notes that an enemy reconnaissance element was eliminated in the Yuzhnodonetsk direction, and that the crew operating the Tulip self-propelled mortar allegedly neutralized the temporary deployment point of Ukrainian forces in the Velikaya Novoselka area. These assertions are part of ongoing battlefield updates circulated by the Russian military press network.
Gordeev further stated that along the Zaporizhzhia front, enemy positions near the village of Gulyai Pole were targeted and destroyed by crews operating the Akatsia self-propelled guns. The narrative emphasizes the role of artillery in suppressing or eliminating what Moscow describes as enemy deployment sites in several sectors of the conflict.
In early May, Russian forces reported strikes on four artillery positions belonging to Ukrainian forces in the Donetsk region, continuing a pattern of heavy artillery activity around contested areas. The claim also references actions at a location associated with the Azov battalion, a unit designated as an extremist organization by Russia, indicating that Russian reports tie these operations to specific units believed to be involved in the fighting in the Donetsk region.
Background context is provided by a statement made on February 24, 2022, when the Russian leadership announced the decision to conduct a military operation described as a special operation in support of Donbass, in response to requests for assistance from the leaders of the LPR and DPR. The description frames the broader conflict as a humanitarian and protective mission, a narrative that has persisted in official Russian briefings since the initial deployment.