War on the evening of 6.5: Russia reduced air strikes but continued shelling

Abandoned Russian tank near Kharkiv Reuters

According to the Ukrainian military, the overall picture of the hostilities in this country currently reflects a relatively calm front-line state, as Russian forces have not been able to control more villages and towns since shifting their focus to Ukraine. east and south a month ago.

In an update on Facebook on April 6, General Valery Zaluzhny, the Chief of the General Staff of the Ukrainian army, said that the Russian wings appear to be regrouping. Efforts to control more territory are currently only clustered in a few areas such as Popasna in Luhansk, according to CNN.

Mr. Serhii Hayday, head of government military region of Luhansk, said Popasna “was bombed non-stop. Enemy troops attack every day with the participation of battalion battle groups. The city is in a state of almost total destruction.”

In addition, fierce fighting continued around Voyevodivka (Luhansk). The two sides take turns controlling this area.

In the south, Russian forces did not take specific actions, but only strengthened their air defense systems and electronic warfare. At the intersection between Kherson and Mykolaiv regions, the Ukrainian military said that the Russian side deployed aerial reconnaissance.

Both sides are trying to control the area, with Russia looking to advance north, and Ukraine looking to regain control of the city of Kherson, a key link to Crimea.

The Russian Defense Ministry announced that it had fired a missile that destroyed a large ammunition depot in the eastern city of Kramatorsk. Russian air defense systems also shot down two Ukrainian fighters, Su-25 and MiG-29, in Luhansk. Ukraine has not commented on this information.

Residents are evacuated from the Azovstal . factory afp/getty

Ukraine said that Russian forces continued their air strikes on Mariupol’s Azovstal factory for the second day in a row. However, the Kremlin said it had begun a ceasefire in Azovstal, starting on May 5 and lasting for three days to evacuate civilians from the place.

On the same day, the United Nations led a mission to evacuate the remaining civilians inside the Azovstal factory. An estimated 200 people, including children, are still trapped inside the factory. Earlier, the office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that nearly 500 civilians had been evacuated from the factory.

Meanwhile, pro-Russian separatist groups in southeastern Ukraine say they have removed all traffic signs named Mariupol in Ukrainian and English, replacing them with Russian ones.

German self-propelled artillery afp/getty

AFP quoted sources as saying that the European Commission has adjusted the proposal related to the embargo on Russian oil. Accordingly, Hungary and Slovakia will be able to continue buying Russian oil until the end of 2024, while the Czech Republic will be able to extend the time to buy Russian oil until June 2024.

Earlier, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban commented that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had “crossed a red line” with his proposal to impose a complete embargo on Russian oil.

At a session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg (France) on May 4, Ms. von der Leyen wanted the EU to completely eliminate Russia’s crude oil sources within six months, and completely stop refined products from oil by the end. this year.

Also on May 6, German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht announced that Berlin will provide Ukraine with 7 more armored self-propelled guns in the near future.