The Ministry of Defense announced that Ukraine is attempting to land troops on Snake Island.

Situation on the serpentine

Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov said Russian forces shot down a Ukrainian Su-24 bomber, a Su-27 fighter jet and three Mi-8 helicopters over Zmeiny Island. He explained that the helicopters were carrying soldiers.

In addition, two Ukrainian Bayraktar-TB2 drones were shot down over the island. In addition, the Russian army destroyed the Ukrainian attack boat “Stanislav”.

fights for popasna

Russian and LPR troops on the one hand, and Ukrainian forces on the other, have been fighting stubbornly for the city of Popasnaya for several months. It is a city of regional importance, about 60 km northwest of Lugansk. Roads lead to the cities of Artemovsk, Krasnoarmeysk, Lisichansk and Svetlodarsk.

On March 8, LPR head Leonid Pasechnik announced that LPR troops had entered Popasnaya. Demining operations and all other works related to emergency services are being organized,” he said.

On March 13, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that LPR troops “continue offensive operations, liberating the city of Popasnaya from the nationalists.”

However, a few days later, on March 18, Rodion Miroshnik, the LPR ambassador to Russia, said that there were still battles for Popasnaya, and the republic did not have full control over the city.

“The main battles are raging on Popasnaya and Severodonetsk, it’s Lisichansk. These are all large industrial centers with a large industrial zone and high-rise residential buildings. Ukrainian formations from all over the region are being drawn there,” he said.

According to the Ukrainian side, by the end of April, Russian troops were able to take control of half the city. This was announced on April 21 by the head of the Lugansk regional military-civil administration Sergei Gaidai.

“The Russians currently control about half of the city. We do not have access to this area. <...> Street clashes continue uninterrupted, people live in shelters, they cannot go out due to the intensity of the bombardment. There are no houses left standing in Popasna,” he said.

According to Gaidai, more than 2.5 thousand residents remained in Popasna at the end of April.

Chechnya leader Ramzan Kadyrov announced on May 1 that Popasna’s Rada (city council) building was confiscated.

Then, on May 7, the LPR ambassador reported that LPR and Russian troops occupied the “Popasnaya city administration building”.

“The construction of the Popasna city government is already under the control of the people’s militia of the LPR and allied forces. Violent clashes have been taking place in the city for more than two months. “The enemy is being driven meter by meter from the strongest fortified area that the city has turned into,” he said.

On May 7, Kadyrov said that Russian troops control 80 percent of Popasna. “The southern group has completely completed the cleanup of its part of the city – the industrial zone, and the central part of the city is also under our control,” he said.

According to him, “almost all the forts around the city were destroyed, Popasna was blocked and 90 percent of them were in the ring.”

Destruction of Western equipment in the Kharkov region

A spokesman for the Ministry of Defense said that on the night of May 7, Russian military aviation destroyed “a large accumulation of military equipment” arriving in the Kharkov region from the West.

In the area of ​​​​the Bogodukhov railway station in the Kharkov region, a large number of weapons and military equipment received from the USA and European countries were destroyed, “he said.

According to Konashenkov, 48 weapons and military equipment were disabled. Ukraine also lost 280 personnel.

Later, in a new report published on May 7, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced the destruction of two more batches of Western equipment in the same Kharkov region. With the help of Iskander missile systems, the Russian army launched strikes in the areas of Krasnograd and Karlovka railway stations.

“A large amount of weapons and military equipment from the United States and Western countries, as well as personnel of units of the 58th motorized infantry brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, were destroyed,” Konashenkov said. Said. This time he did not go into precise details.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on March 18 that convoys carrying foreign weapons supplied to Ukraine would be targeted by Russian forces.

“We’ve made it clear that any cargo that would enter Ukrainian territory and that we would consider carrying weapons would be a legitimate target,” he said.