Timeline: day 67 of Ukraine's defense against russia's aggression
Today is May 1. russia's military attack on Ukraine has been going on for 67 days. We're reporting on all the current news. The article will be constantly updated.
What about today?
Key points
An icon that survived in Borodianka under the rubble. A good sign
"We all need good signs, but, as Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his new video address, there is still a lot of work to be done. "The occupiers still do not recognize the obvious failure of their so-called operation on our land. We still need to fight and direct all forces to expel the occupiers. And we will do it. Ukraine will be free. Kherson, Nova Kakhovka, and Melitopol will be liberated. Berdyansk, Dniprorudne and all other temporarily occupied cities and communities where the occupiers now pretend to be 'masters' will be liberated too. The Ukrainian flag will return wherever it should rightfully be. It will return together with our normal life which russia isn't able to provide even in its own territory."
The Ukrainian military is firmly holding the front line. On April 30, 9 enemy attacks were successfully repulsed in Donbas; in particular, they destroyed 8 tanks, one artillery system, 24 units of armored combat vehicles, and 5 enemy vehicles.
At the same time, air defense units shot down 2 Su-25 planes and 4 Orlan-10 drones in the sky of Donbas.
Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, our defenders have destroyed more than 1,000 russian tanks. Almost 200 russian planes. Almost 2,500 armored fighting vehicles.
The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi had a telephone conversation with the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. They discussed the supply of weapons, ammunition, and equipment to Ukraine, as well as the difficult situation in the east, in particular in the Izium and Sievierodonetsk areas. "We are forced to give up Soviet weapons and switch to NATO models," Zaluzhnyi summed up.
Kyiv offered Beijing to become one of the guarantors of Ukraine's security. Ukraine hopes for security guarantees from permanent members of the UN Security Council, in particular from China, said Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba. "Ukraine is currently studying the possibility of obtaining security guarantees from permanent members of the UN Security Council, including China and other major powers. We offer China to become one of Ukraine's security guarantors, a sign of our respect and trust in China," he said.
Remember this girl who marched on the veterans' march next to her dad? Unfortunately, there will be no more photos of them… Her father, Ruslan Borovik, died in a battle with the russian occupiers. A fighter of the 95th Assault Brigade, a defender in the Battles of Donetsk Airport, a patriot, one of those who always knew what he lived for and fought for. His life and the lives of many other defenders is the price Ukraine is now paying for its freedom. Eternal memory! And children are left without parents…
Humanitarian corridors
"The first group of about 100 people is already heading to the controlled area. Tomorrow we will meet them in Zaporizhzhia. Thank you to our team! Currently, they, together with UN representatives, are working on the evacuation of other civilians from the plant. I hope that tomorrow all the necessary conditions will be met to continue to export people from Mariupol. We plan to start at 8 am," Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the next evacuation from Mariupol.
Trophies of the Ukrainian Armed Forces
This pile of scrap metal is an anti-aircraft missile system of the S-300 of the Horde Armed Forces after a meeting with the Ukrainian Bayraktar. Before the war, it was often said that all Bayraktars would be quickly shot down by russian anti-aircraft missiles. In fact, the opposite happened.
Today, the "Second Army of the World" provided the Ukrainian army with a new tank. The paratroopers of the 95th Air Assault Brigade took a wonderful trophy, which will soon be in service and will beat russians.
Who's coming to Ukraine?
About financial aid, weapons, and volunteer fighters
The Italian humanitarian organization Cesvi has allocated the first 500 thousand euros for the reconstruction of Bucha. The first part of the aid will be spent on the restoration of destroyed public and communal infrastructure, reconstruction of housing, and re-equipment of special equipment parks.
Ukraine received Mistral anti-aircraft missile systems from Norway. This was announced by Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram. These weapons can shoot down planes and helicopters at low altitudes of up to three kilometers, and they can hit cruise missiles.
Poland has sent 232 T-72 tanks, multiple rocket launchers, unmanned aerial vehicles, and self-propelled howitzers to Ukraine. This was reported by the local newspaper Visegrád 24. Thank you!
Assistance to refugees and internally displaced persons
Internally displaced persons can be admitted to any hospital if it is able to provide the necessary treatment, and the lack of a declaration is not an obstacle to receiving first aid, the Ministry of Health said. If the doctor refuses to provide assistance to an internally displaced person, you can contact the Ministry of Health hotline at 0800 60 20 19 or the National Health Insurance Fund at 16-77.
News from partners
The Finnish government and companies are preparing to cut off natural gas supplies from russia in May. This decision was made in response to Gazprom's demand to pay for gas in rubles.
On the evening of April 29, a russian reconnaissance plane briefly flew into Swedish airspace. The incident came amid statements by the country about plans to join NATO. russia is becoming more and more impudent and continues to test the West's tolerance for its impudence. Swedish Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist called such actions unacceptable and said that Sweden "will respond through diplomatic channels."
Antony Blinken spoke with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba tonight. "I spoke about the latest steps taken by the United States to support Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of a brutal, unprovoked kremlin war," the US Secretary of State wrote on his Twitter account. In particular, they talked about providing Ukraine with $33 billion dollars for security, economy, and humanitarian aid. They also discussed plans to return American diplomats to Ukraine, including talks on first visits to Lviv this week and plans to return to Kyiv as soon as possible.
"Attempts by the West to retreat in order to avoid World War III are a dead end because World War III has already begun and must be stopped on the battlefield. This opinion was expressed by former Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė. She stressed that it was not just a war in Ukraine, it is against the whole democratic world, against the security architecture that was established after the Second World War. "It is already leaving. If we retreat and allow the aggressor to sit on our heads, he will climb and change the whole order, the consequences will be bad, and we will not cope with them. We must stop the war where it began, and as soon as possible, by all means. Our inaction means the expansion of war. These are not emotions when I said that in order to win, russia must be stopped on the battlefield," Grybauskaitė said.
Joe Biden repeated on Twitter that russia was an aggressor: "Just as Putin decided to launch this brutal invasion, he could decide to stop it. Russia is the aggressor, and the world must and will bring Russia to justice."
And Congressman Adam Kinzinger has submitted a resolution to the US Congress that allows the use of US forces to protect Ukraine's territorial integrity in the event of russia's use of nuclear/chemical/biological weapons.
Poland became the first country among potential guarantor states to publicly declare that it would not take part in such a peace agreement, which would provide for the surrender of part of Ukraine's territory. This statement was made by one of the heads of Duda's office, Jakub Kumoch. "If a peace agreement is reached, we are only interested in one that guarantees the territorial integrity of Ukraine and its independence. And only one document that Ukrainians agree to," Kumoch said. According to him, the secret document on security guarantees is currently being discussed by countries that are ready to play such a role.
What's in russia?
russia does not give up attempts to "substitute imports" of well-known brands. It turns out not just bad, but also very vulgar.
UPD: The governor of the Kursk region of the russian federation Roman Starovoit stated that the collapse of the railway bridge is the result of sabotage. And in the Belgorod region, where the fire continues at the facility of the Ministry of Defense of the russian federation, reported one victim; he had minor injuries.
What about russia's minions?
Unrecognized Transnistria continues to prepare for war with Ukraine. A large circulation of the Transnistrian newspaper, dated May 2, 2022, was printed on the territory of the Transnistrian region, the Defense Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine reports. The central content of the newspaper is "Official address of the residents of Transnistria to the President of the russian federation putin." The text requests "to involve the armed forces of the Transnistrian region in the actions of the russian army." To do this, "mobilization points" are being opened on the territory of the russian federation itself to recruit volunteers to fight in the Transnistrian army.
By such actions, the russian leadership can prepare a new platform for aggression against Ukraine and the basis for the "official" occupation of part of the territory of independent Moldova.
russian lies
russia is using the "troll factory" to spread misinformation about the war in Ukraine, according to the British Foreign Office. The trolls target the profiles of world leaders and leave comments in support of putin and russia's invasion. Earlier, russia denied any allegations of using the "troll factory." For example, the United States accused russia of interfering in the 2016 US presidential election, but russia did not admit it.
Life considering hostilities
The Ministry of Infrastructure has decided to close the seaports of Berdiansk, Mariupol, Skadovsk, and Kherson. They promise to resume work after Ukraine's victory over the russian occupier.
Ukrzaliznytsia reports attacks on its online services. Ticket offices at the stations are working, trains are on schedule. Specialists are working to repel the attacks.
Kyiv and the region
Liubov Panchenko's piece
Liubov Panchenko, a Sixtiers artist, died in Bucha at the age of 85. During the month of russia's occupation, the woman remained in her home and didn't eat anything. On April 2, Panchenko was hospitalized in the capital's hospital. Before the war, the artist transferred her creative heritage, which was kept at home, to the Museum of the Sixtiers in Kyiv.
Sapper divers work on the reservoirs of the Kyiv region. Demining of the territories liberated from the russian invaders is carried out by engineering units of the State Special Transport Service. In total, 2,664 explosive devices were neutralized by units in Kyiv and Chernihiv region last month.
Donetsk and Luhansk regions
russian saboteurs will try to break into the rear of Ukrainians under the guise of volunteers, the head of the Luhansk Regional Military Administration Haidai warns. "Somewhere they are taking away and stealing cars from civilians in the occupied territories, possibly minibusses marked 'Volunteers.' And they will try to come to our checkpoints to shoot them. Or they will go deep and make damage there," Haidai said.
Reports of vicious enemy shelling of civilians have become commonplace. During the past 24hrs, the russian occupation forces have shelled residential areas of cities and villages of the Luhansk region 19 times. As a result, 12 more houses became uninhabitable. In the morning, it was known about one dead man in Novodruzhesk.
Currently, strong street fights are taking place in Orikhovo near Lysychansk. The russians also tried to storm Zolote 4, but enemy groups under cover of tanks were repulsed.
According to the Pentagon, in Donbas, the russian army is not achieving the desired effect of the use of artillery and airstrikes before ground attacks, and this slows down its offensive in Donbas. The russians are lagging behind their schedule in Donbas. This was stated by US Department of Defense spokesman John Kirby at a briefing.
Rushists fired on neighborhoods and the railway station in the city of Lyman in the Donetsk region.
However, the enemy suffered significant losses in the battles for Rubizhne and Popasna. The General Staff reports: "Attempts to take full control of Rubizhne and Popasna ended in failure for the occupiers. Just like Ozerne and Marinka. The enemy suffered heavy losses."
The occupiers also got from the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the area of the settlements of Vremivka and Zelene Pole.
In the evening, Sinehubov summed up the disappointing results of the day: on May 1, 3 civilians were killed and 8 were wounded in enemy shelling in the Kharkiv region. Today, the invaders fired on residential areas of Kharkiv, including Saltivka. Bohodukhiv, Zolochiv, and Mala Danylivka came under fire in the region.
Kharkiv region
During the day, the russians fired 3 artillery and rocket-propelled grenade launchers at Kharkiv. Saltivka, Pyatyhatki, and the airport area were affected. In the last 24 hours, 1 person suffered in the Balaklia distinct.
The enemy has reduced the intensity of shelling, this is the merit of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, which liberates the settlements of the Kharkiv region from occupation. Including those from where the russians fired on residential areas of Kharkiv.
But you should not lose vigilance, the head of the region Sinehubov warns. Literally in the morning, the occupiers fired on the Derhachi community again, there is one victim.
Zaporizhzhia region
In the temporarily occupied Melitopol, residents continue to resist; unknown people put up leaflets with the inscription "Melitopol is Ukraine" at night. However, the occupiers continue to set new rules in the city; the Russians began to buy grain at twice the price, and if farmers refuse to sell, the grain is taken away by force.
russian occupiers continue to shell Zaporizhzhia. On April 30, enemy shells landed on two farms. The animals died, the Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Administration reported.
And in the premises of Polohy Central District Hospital, the occupiers set up an ammunition depot. Staff is prohibited from providing medical services to the local population.
Kherson region
In the Kherson region, the Ukrainian Armed Forces destroyed the russian station Repellent-1; it was used for radio reconnaissance and electronic suppression of drones.
The occupiers are jamming not only on Ukrainian military equipment but also mobile service. On the evening of April 30, in Kherson and part of the Kherson region, the Internet of all mobile operators disappeared; in particular, there is no Internet in the Kakhovka district, as well as Novotroitske and Chaplynka communities. One of the specialists of Vodafone. says that the cause of such problems is not an accident.
UPD: Mobile service and the Internet in Kherson and part of the Zaporizhzhia region have disappeared because of the breakdown of fiber-optic trunk lines and disconnection from the power supply of equipment of operators in these regions, the State Special Service said. russian propagandists have already spread the fake that Ukraine has cut off communications in the region. In fact, the occupiers did it, according to the State Special Service.
The occupiers kidnapped the head of the village of Zmiivka in the Kherson region. The russian military took Mykola Kurivchak to an unknown location. Prior to that, the occupiers conducted searches throughout the village. The deputy of the regional council Ihor Yosypenko reported about it.
Oleshky District Hospital and Hola Prystan City Hospital are forced to serve the needs of the RF Armed Forces. Medical personnel is prohibited from changing their place of residence by evacuating to Ukrainian-controlled territory.
Mykolaiv region
"Occupiers are against the Ukrainian fertilizers," the Head of the Mykolaiv regional state administration Kim commented on another shelling of ruscists. He published a photo of the explosion in the area. And he said that they aimed at the warehouses with saltpeter. The air is clean, Kim assures Mykolaiv residents.
Odesa region
Explosions were also heard in Odesa in the morning. But as Serhii Bratchuk, a spokesman for the Odesa regional state administration, said at the telethon, the sounds of explosions in Odesa are the result of air defense work. He added that additional information on this will be provided later.
UPD: An enemy reconnaissance drone was shot down over Odesa by an air defense strike, this is the official message of OC South.
Another attack by the Armed Forces of Ukraine on enemy targets on Zmiinyi Island destroyed 3 anti-aircraft guns, the Strela-10 anti-aircraft missile system, as well as a communication vehicle, a server with telecommunication equipment. In addition, the world became cleaner with the death of 42 ruscists.
After the attack from Ukraine, the occupiers tried to escape from Zmiinyi Island. The South operational command reported this: "In the sea, we recorded the intensification of enemy naval forces. After we struck another attack on Zmiinyi Island, the enemy tried to evacuate and replenish the personnel of its units remaining on the island with landing speedboats such as the Raptor."
The rest of the ships and the submarine continue to keep on the territory of Ukraine at a high level.
Dnipropetrovsk region
On April 30, russian troops fired three missiles at the Synelnykove district, said regional council head Mykola Lukashuk. No one was killed or injured, abandoned buildings were damaged.
11:00 – "Ukrainian military shot down a russian drone over Dnipropetrovsk region," said the head of the Dnipropetrovsk regional military administration Valentin Reznichenko.
And here are the details. This is what the missile that the occupiers hit in a private house yard in the Dnipropetrovsk region looks like.
Sumy region
Deminers found 740 shells, mines, and other explosive devices in the Sumy region. According to the Interregional Rapid Response Center of the SES, the most difficult situation is in the Okhtyrka district, in particular in Trostianets.
The head of the Buryn community has been detained. Viktor Ladukha is suspected of collaborationism, aiding the enemy, treating the russian military, and strengthening the positions of soldiers. This was announced by the head of the Sumy Regional Military Administration Dmytro Zhyvytskyi.
Western Ukraine
A social canteen for migrants will open in Kolomyia. Now the city council together with volunteers relocates IDPs from schools to shelters. Accordingly, people will be able to cook on their own. Therefore, free meals in the first lyceum will be available only until Sunday, and then there will be a social canteen for migrants: lunch or dinner will cost 30 hryvnias. It will be possible to buy food with the IDP certificate.
