Russia has dropped a modified FAB-1500 bomb on Kharkiv region for first time, destroying an entire street in a village. Ukraine destroys a Russian military speedboat in a bay in Crimea. Russia gathers a new force to possibly launch an offensive on Kharkiv, ISW says.
Russia drops modified FAB-1500 bomb on Kharkiv region for first time, destroys entire street in a village
Russia has dropped a modified FAB-1500 bomb on a village in the Kupyansk district, in Kharkiv region, destroying an entire street.
Head of the national police’s investigation unit in Kharkiv region, Serhiy Bolvinov, said on Facebook: “Everything around us shook, it was like the beginning of an earthquake. A single strike has destroyed an entire street. That’s what the residents of the village of Monachynivka have experienced. The enemy launched a powerful weapon, a 1.5-ton aerial bomb, at people and their houses.”
“Not more than a hundred residents remain in this frontline village in the Kupyansk district. There was not a single service member there. The Russians have fitted the FAB-1500 with a module that allows it to glide towards its target after a fighter jet drops it,” Bolvinov said.
Russia has used such a powerful bomb for the first time in the region, he said. “The only thing they were able to achieve was to destroy the villagers’ houses and kill an 88-year-old woman. Her body was pulled out from under the rubble after the strike,” Bolvinov added.
Ukraine destroys Russian military speedboat in Crimea
Ukraine’s defense intelligence said a Magura V5 naval drone operated by its Group 13 special unit destroyed a Russian military speedboat in the Vuzka Bay in Crimea overnight on Monday. The agency identified the vessel as a project 12150 Mangust.
The mission was supported by the United24 fundraising platform, the Main Intelligence Department of Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said in a statement.
“As the fear of Ukrainian attacks forces the occupiers to hide large ships of the Black Sea Fleet away from the peninsula, combat work continues against the high-speed maneuverable military vessels of the Russians, which are staying illegally in the Ukrainian territorial waters of Crimea,” the defense intelligence of Ukraine said.
Ukraine has used the Magura V5 attack sea drones to destroy the Russian ships Caesar Kunikov, Ivanovets, Sergey Kotov, Akula and Serna and damage the Ivan Khurs, the statement reads.
Russia gathers new force to possibly launch offensive on Kharkiv, ISW says
The Russian military reportedly redeployed a battalion of the 76th Airborne (VDV) Division to Kursk Oblast as part of a larger ongoing Russian effort to gather an operationally significant force for a possible future Russian offensive operation against northeastern Ukraine and Kharkiv City, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said in a report on May 5.
ISW recently observed unconfirmed reports that the Russian military is redeploying elements of the 76th and 7th VDV divisions from Zaporizhia Oblast to various new directions, including eastern Ukraine.
The Russian military is reportedly preparing and forming the Northern Grouping of Forces from elements of the Leningrad Military District to primarily operate in the Belgorod-Kharkiv operational direction. Kostyantyn Mashovets, a Ukrainian military observer cited by ISW, stated that the Russian military transferred manpower and equipment of the Russian 30th Motorized Rifle Regiment and the 128th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade to the Northern Grouping of Forces as of May 3. Mashovets stated that the Russian military is pretending to unload troops and equipment redeploying to the Northern Grouping of Forces at railway stations in isolated areas of Kursk Oblast, only to then have Russian forces march to their deployment points in Belgorod Oblast.
Mashovets echoed ISW’s assessment that the Russian Northern Grouping of Forces would likely be unable to conduct a successful offensive operation to seize Kharkiv City and suggested that they may attempt to conduct limited offensive actions or cross border raids into Kharkiv and Sumy oblasts in the future.
ISW continues to assess that the Russian military lacks the forces necessary to seize the city but that Russian offensive operations against Kharkiv or Sumy cities would draw and fix Ukrainian forces from other, more critical parts of the frontline.
Ukrainian forces will have to receive and integrate US military assistance to frontline units, stabilize the frontline, defend against the predicted summer Russian offensive effort, prevent operationally significant Russian advances, and address their ongoing manpower challenges before they will be able to contest the theater-wide initiative and conduct a counteroffensive operation later in 2024 or 2025, ISW said.
Easter: A Symbol of Resilience in Ukraine’s Fight Against Occupiers. Ukraine in Flames #607
The Celebration of the Resurrection of Christ in times of war takes on special symbolism. It is during such times that the spiritual foundation of existence helps to survive and preserve universal moral qualities. It is not surprising that the celebration of the main holidays – Christmas and Easter – testified to the resilience of man in opposition to the totalitarian machine of destruction during Soviet times. Watch Ukraine in flames #607 to find out more about the celebration of Easter amidst war and the historical continuity between celebrations during the times of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army and the modern Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Guests:
- Vasyl Stefaniv, Associate Professor of the History Department of Ukrainian Catholic University
- Alina Ponypaliak, Researcher of the Ukrainian liberation movement, Scientist and Public Activist