Timeline: day 73 of Ukraine's defense against russia's aggression
Photo by Reuters
Today is May 7. russia's military attack on Ukraine has been going on for 73 days. We're reporting on all the current news. The article will be constantly updated.
What about today?
Key points
One more day closer to Victory!
Ukrainian defenders continue to deter the aggressor in the East. In particular, on May 6 in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, Ukraine's defenders repulsed 8 enemy attacks in the last 24 hours, and destroyed:
- 3 tanks;
- 8 artillery systems;
- 7 units of combat armored vehicles;
- 1 car;
- 3 units of special engineering equipment.
During the past 24hrs, soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Zaporizhzhia direction destroyed:
- personnel/142 soldiers, 183 wounded;
- tanks – 4 units;
- Grad MRLS – 3 units;
- 122 mm 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled artillery – 2 units;
- 120 mm mortars – 1 unit;
- armored combat vehicles – 14 units, of which 1 Tiger IFV;
- automotive equipment – 23 units.
For the past 24hrs, 14 units of the Air Force and the Ground Forces have hit 14 Orlan UAVs.
Since the beginning of the war, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have destroyed 25,100 occupiers!
"Victory will not be over putin, but over terror," Zelensky said in a speech to the Royal Institute of International Affairs Chatham House. "It's important to unite the world around the truth. Events in Ukraine should not leave the front pages of the world press so that people in every country know what is happening in Ukraine every day," the President added.
Who's coming to Ukraine?
About financial assistance, weapons, and volunteer fighters
Estonia will rebuild the Zhytomyr region together with Ukraine, Estonian Foreign Minister Eva-Maria Liimets.
White House on the possibility of writing off Ukraine's foreign debt: The United States is open to discussing various steps that will help Kyiv.
In recent weeks, the Biden administration has approved the transfer of even more commercially available weapons to Ukraine, including laser-guided missiles that can be launched from helicopters, a senior Pentagon spokesperson said on Friday.
In addition, the administration signed contracts for sending Puma unmanned aerial vehicles to Ukraine. Manned drones are mainly used for aerial surveillance and are likely to expand Ukraine's intelligence-gathering capabilities.
In addition, the Pentagon announced the allocation of additional military assistance to Ukraine for $150 million.
News from partners
NATO says a meeting of Allied Chiefs of Staff will be held on 19 May. Representatives of Ukraine, Finland, and Sweden are also invited.
The UN Security Council once again expressed "deep concern over the maintenance of peace and security in Ukraine." The Security Council also recalled that all states had committed themselves to resolve their disputes by peaceful means. It "supports the efforts of the UN Secretary-General for a peaceful solution," the statement said. The word "war" was not even mentioned. It seems that the missile, launched by the russians in Kyiv on the day of the UN Secretary-General's visit to the capital, did not really "shock" Guterres. The statements of the Security Council are agreed upon by consensus, i.e. the text was agreed upon, including by russia (extreme cynicism).
Antonio Guterres himself welcomed the Security Council's support, saying he "will spare no effort to save lives, reduce suffering and find a way to peace."
Ukrainian and russian symbols were banned in Berlin on May 8-9. Two weeks ago, the Ukrainian community in Berlin agreed with local authorities to hold a rally and received permission. But on the evening of May 6, Berlin police sent a document to organizers banning the use of any Ukrainian symbols when visiting World War II sites. The flags of russia, the USSR, the so-called "LPR" and "DPR," as well as symbols with the letters Z, V, and St. George's ribbons were also banned.
Ambassador to Germany Andrii Melnyk called the ban on the use of Ukrainian flags and symbols on May 8-9 in Berlin a slap in the face to the Ukrainian people. He stressed that amid this, Germany's assurances of solidarity with Ukraine seem empty.
Sanctions on the aggressor!
Finland cut russian oil imports by 70% in March, replacing it with a product from Norway.
Google has banned developers in russia from downloading and updating paid apps on Google Play.
The ITF has excluded russia and Belarus from the International Tennis Federation.
In the Italian city of Marina di Carrara, a 140-meter yacht Sheherazade, which apparently belongs to putin, was arrested.
Kyiv and the region
In Irpin, the railway bridge destroyed during the hostilities was restored. The first electric train has already arrived in the city.
Donetsk and Luhansk regions
russians have shelled residential areas of the Luhansk region 24 times in the past 24 hours, Serhii Haidai, the Head of Luhansk Regional State Administration, said. Residents of Hirske, Popasna, and Seivierodonetsk communities are under constant enemy fire, and the Azot enterprise shelling continues.
In the Donetsk region, airstrikes were in the morning. The villages of Malotaranivka, Druzhkivka, Kostiantynivka were affected. Many damages and one person died. Bakhmut was under airstrikes at about five in the morning. The premises of one of the factories were damaged; according to preliminary information, two people died. Two private houses were destroyed, and 11 residential buildings were damaged. One person was found dead under the rubble of one of the houses. The search is underway.
Kharkiv region
Vandals, who can't create anything and only destroy, continue to damage the Kharkiv region. The ruscists destroyed the Hryhorii Skovoroda Museum in Kharkiv Region by firing directly at it with the missile. The son of the museum's director, who stay there to guard it, was injured. russia acknowledged the hit on the museum, while it brazenly called the Skovoroda Museum a "control point" in its report.
In the area of the settlements of Tsyrkuny and Ruski Tyshky, the occupiers blew up three road bridges to slow down Ukraine's counter-offensive actions.
russian troops launched a missile strike on Krasnohrad in the Kharkiv region. The object of critical infrastructure was damaged, Kharkiv Regional Military Administration reports. They damaged surrounding buildings and cars. According to preliminary data, no one was killed or injured.
Zaporizhzhia region
russian troops fired on the village of Novotavrycheske in the Komyshuvakha community.
Almost 20 houses were destroyed. Fortunately, no one was injured among the locals.
In Yakymivka, Melitopol district, employees of government agencies are forced to sign forms, allegedly to agree to receive a salary in russian rubles.
Kherson region
In the Kherson region, russians hold people captive and can torture about 500 people in basements. Kherson, Novooleksiivka, and Henichesk have the highest number of abductions of Ukrainian activists, public figures, and war veterans of Donbas. On the administrative border with Crimea, the invaders open filtration camps, from where Ukrainians are sent to the occupied peninsula.
The "government" appointed by russia in the Kherson region announces the distribution of russian passports to the local population.
In Beryslav, unknown people removed a russian tricolor flag at night, which had previously been hung by the russian military, the photo was taken by journalist Oleh Baturin.
Mykolaiv region
In the settlement of Ivano-Kepyne, units of the defense forces destroyed a warehouse with ammunition and up to 20 units of enemy military equipment.
Yesterday afternoon, the enemy fired five missiles and shelled with Smerch MRLS. The rest of the missile strikes hit two infrastructure facilities in the Kostiantynivka community of the Mykolaiv region and near the airport. The shelling caused four fires. Data on the victims are being clarified.
Poltava region
Around 9 am, a "hit" on the infrastructure object was recorded in the Poltava region. The enemy fired missiles at Karlivka. Information about the destruction and the victims is being clarified.
10:30 – There are no victims and injured as a result of the russian attack on the Poltava region. The head of the region, Dmytro Lunin, reported. "We extinguished the fire. The blast damaged windows in nearby buildings."
