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UKRAINE WAR BULLETIN - May 6, 2022 - 6 p.m. EDT
Embassy of Ukraine in the USA
Wash, D.C., Fri, May 6, 2022, 6 pm EDT
Distributed by U.S.-Ukraine Business Council www.USUBC.org
WAR ROOM
General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
The total combat losses of the enemy from 24.02 to 06.05 were approximately:
personnel - about 24900 (+200),
tanks ‒ 1110 (+18),
APV ‒ 2686 (+35),
artillery systems – 502 (+3),
MLRS - 171 (+2),
Anti-aircraft warfare systems - 83 (+0),
aircraft – 199 (+3),
helicopters – 155 (+0),
vehicles and fuel tanks - 1926 (+19),
boats / cutters - 11 (+1),
UAV operational-tactical level - 324 (+12),
special equipment - 38 (+0).
cruise missiles - 90 (+1).
Russian enemy suffered the greatest losses (of the past day) in the Lyman and Kurakhiv directions.
The seventy-second day of the heroic resistance of the Ukrainian people to the Russian military invasion continues. The enemy does not stop the offensive in the Eastern Operational Zone in order to establish full control over the territory of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts and maintain the land corridor between these territories and the occupied Crimea.
In the Siversky direction, no signs of formation of an offensive group by Russians were found. In the border areas of Ukraine in the Bryansk, Kursk and Belgorod regions, a small number of personnel, weapons and military equipment are kept at positions and bases.
The enemy did not take any active action in the Slobozhansky direction. It continues to fire from jet and barrel artillery in residential areas and suburbs of Kharkiv. The enemy continues to build up the air defence system, logistics and fire damage. Carries out regrouping and restoration of combat capability of units.
According to available information, there are up to 300 Russian wounded in the hospital established by occupiers on the basis of Kupyansk City Hospital
In order to clarify the positions of Ukrainian troops and the directions of further advance, the enemy conducts air reconnaissance.
In the Donetsk and Tavriya directions, the enemy continues to conduct active hostilities. The enemy is shelling the positions of our troops in the Lyman direction.
In the Popasna direction, the main efforts were focused on establishing full control over the settlement of Popasna and resuming the offensive on the settlements of Lyman and Siversk.
In the city of Mariupol, the blockade of units of the Defense Forces in the Azovstal area continues. In some areas, with the support of aviation, resumed assault operations to take control of the plant.
Russians did not conduct active hostilities in the Siverodonetsk, Avdiyevka Kurakhivja, Novopavlovsk and Zaporizhzhia areas. The enemy exercises fire in order to restrain the actions of our troops and destroy artillery units.
In the South Buh area, Russians did not conduct active hostilities, kept the occupied frontiers, strengthened air defence systems and electronic warfare. It fired on the positions of our troops. In the north of Kherson and Mykolayiv the enemy carries out attacks of the settlements which left.
Russians conducted air reconnaissance in the areas of the settlements of Oleksandrivka, Serhiivka, and Volodymyrivka.
Fifteen air targets had been hit by the Air Force and Land Forces of the AFu in the past 24 hours: fourteen Orlan drones and one aircraft.
In the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, defenders of Ukraine repulsed eleven enemy attacks, destroyed eight tanks, eleven units of armoured combat vehicles and five units of enemy vehicles.
Currently, units of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation remain in the Republic of Belarus, consisting of up to eight launchers of Iskander-M operational-tactical missile systems and up to six aircraft of various modifications that may be involved in air and missile strikes on Ukraine.
Some units of the RF Armed Forces continue to carry out tasks to cover the Ukrainian-Russian border in the Bryansk, Kursk, and Belgorod regions. The engineering equipment of the positions was carried out near the border crossing points.
According to the available information, in the settlement of Klyntsi, Bryansk region, units of the 144th Motorized Rifle Division of the 20th Combined Arms Army of the Western Military District are conducting combat coordination in order to further participate in hostilities on the territory of Ukraine.
In the Slobozhansky direction, the enemy continues to increase the number of troops. From the area of the settlement of Urazovo of the Belgorod region to the territory of Ukraine carries out movement of divisions from the structure of the Eastern military district.
The enemy is blocking some remote settlements in the Kharkiv region, carrying out systematic high-intensity shelling, including with the use of rocket-propelled grenade launchers, in areas where our troops are concentrated. Also, Russians led the offensive in the direction of the settlement of Nova Dmytrivka, but had no success.
As a result of the offensive, units of the Defense Forces of Ukraine regained control over the settlements of Oleksandrivka, Fedorivka, Ukrainka, Shestakovo, Peremoha, and part of the village of Cherkaski Tyshky.
In the Donetsk and Tavriya directions, in order to restrain the actions of Ukrainian units, the enemy fires along the entire line of contact. Continues airstrikes and missiles.
In the Lyman direction, the enemy carried out assault operations in the direction of the settlement of Shandryholove. It tried to establish control over the settlements of Rubizhne and Voevodivka in the Severodonetsk direction but was unsuccessful. In the Popasna direction, Russians carried out assault operations in the direction of the settlement of Nyzhne. In the Avdievka and Kurakhiv directions, Russian enemy limited himself to shelling the positions of units of the Defense Forces of Ukraine.
In the city of Mariupol, the enemy focused its efforts on blocking and defeating units of Ukrainian defenders in the Azovstal area.
The occupiers conducted reconnaissance by fighting in the direction of the settlement of Prechistivka, were unsuccessful, and retreated.
In the South Buh direction, the enemy did not conduct active offensive operations, inflicting fire damage on the positions of our troops in some areas. It focused its efforts on maintaining the occupied frontiers and replenishing ammunition and engineering equipment positions.
In the Bessarabian direction, the Russian Federation continues to provoke tensions in the Transnistrian region of the Republic of Moldova. The personnel of the operational group of the Russian troops is in combat readiness "Full".
The enemy continues to suffer significant losses in personnel and equipment. According to available information, up to 800 wounded and up to 200 bodies of dead enemy servicemen are in the psychiatric hospital of the village of Malotokmatsky, Rostov region, which was partially transferred to the use of the RF Armed Forces.
Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine - Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine
On May 6, 50 civilians were evacuated from Azovstal, tomorrow we will continue the evacuation from Mariupol!
Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Iryna Vereshchuk informed that buses are scheduled to arrive at Port City tomorrow at 5 p.m. There the column will join the column from Azovstal, which is planning to go to Zaporizhzhia.
She also explained why the evacuation was difficult now and not all Mariupol residents could leave: the enemy was constantly breaking the silence.
Iryna Vereshchuk: another exchange of prisoners took place - 41 Ukrainians are returning home
"41 people were returned home, including 11 women," Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Iryna Vereshchuk informed.
Among the released prisoners and hostages - 28 military and 13 civilians, including a priest.
"we are glad that today the rector of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine is among those released," Iryna Vereshchuk said.
Thus, more than 360 Ukrainians have been released so far, 72 of whom are civilians.
State Emergency Service
Communication keeps popping up in the liberated areas. Kyivstar has restored communication in Myrcha village of Kyiv region and has connected new base stations in Vorzel, Irpin and Bucha towns.
Ukrtelecom repair teams eliminated the effects of a number of accidents in several Ukrainian regions and restored services for users in a range of settlements. The Borodianka urban-type settlement uplink in Kyiv region is working again. Online services are available to its residents. In Kirovohrad region, the company specialists have repaired the backbone optic cable and restored services in Oleksandrivka and Znamiianka towns. Despite severe weather conditions in Odesa region, the engineers have brought Internet access back to the residents of Tatarbunary, by repairing the zonal fiber optic line. Telecom services for the users in a number of communities of Kharkiv region have been restored as well.
On behalf of the State Emergency Service in Zakarpattia, Ivano-Frankivsk, Ternopil, Khmelnytskyi and Chernivtsi regions, lifecell has allocated multichannel numbers for routing phone calls to 101 and increased capacities for the locals to contact the emergency services.
POLICY
President of Ukraine
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Estonia Eva-Maria Liimets, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia Edgars Rinkēvičs and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania Gabrielius Landsbergis.
The President thanked the Baltic states for their strong support of Ukraine during the Russian invasion.
"You are our closest and most reliable friends, because you were the first to support Ukraine from the very beginning of this war, from the very beginning of the threat from the Russian Federation. You supported us with both weapons and your actions in diplomacy. Your people, the population supported us in all aspects and in all directions," Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
The President stressed that Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are the best advocates of Ukraine both in the European Union and in the whole world.
"Thank you for this meeting, for the support of Ukraine, for this signal to our people," the President said, addressing the ministers.
For their part, the Baltic Foreign Ministers underscored their support for our country's European integration aspirations. They offered to help Ukraine rebuild the social infrastructure destroyed by the war, including schools and kindergartens.
During the meeting, special attention was paid to the importance of increasing sanctions on the Russian Federation on the part of the EU and the entire international community. Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted the leading role of the Baltic states in this direction and stressed: “It is extremely important not only to increase sanctions pressure, but also to maintain the integrity of sanctions. They must be as effective as possible. We must not allow the aggressor to circumvent them and continue to finance the criminal war against Ukraine."
Speech by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Chatham House
I am also grateful that Chatham House, one of the most influential think tanks in Europe, set up a special program back in 2015 for independent and in-depth research into the Ukrainian context. This research helps find answers to the most pressing questions. And these are the questions I would like to ask today. I know you will ask me questions, there will be a dialogue.
This is a full-scale invasion - one that Europe has seen only in the worst times of the 20th century. I would like to briefly outline some of the challenges.
The first is the extreme brutality of the Russian army and its people who came here, and the Russian state's extreme contempt for all international conventions, the entire system of international law, human rights - for me, this is the most important thing, the inviolability of borders, the integrity of states in Europe.
Why is Russia doing all this? Because they think that if they can be held responsible for such crimes, criminal actions, it will be decades later. They simply do not believe that the international community can hold those responsible for the war crimes to justice as they are hiding behind the nuclear force.
The second challenge is, in fact, nuclear blackmail. For the first time in many decades. Absolutely outright.
Russian state propagandists on their media resources calculate how long it takes for nuclear missiles to hit European capitals. They talk about it publicly, openly. They tell how to detonate nuclear explosives in the ocean to wash away everything in the British Isles with a radioactive wave. They prepare infographics, that is, they are serious about it. They boast that Russia can destroy any state leaving only "nuclear ashes". Moreover, "nuclear ashes" is their quote, which they repeat as a mantra.
Why is this happening? This is a feeling of impunity, and we are sure of it. They are accustomed to the fact that business "as usual" has always returned to the relations of all states with Russia. And even now there are politicians in Europe who are not ashamed of ties with the Russian state after all that the Russian army has done in Ukraine.
The third challenge is that the world is a few steps away from political chaos in dozens of countries, which could be the result of food and inflation crises. By blackmailing Europe into launching the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline last year, Russia has provoked a price crisis in Europe. Gazprom deliberately did not supply the market with the necessary amount of gas to cover the deficit, and as a result, gas prices in Europe reached a historic maximum. This has affected all Europeans without exception.
Now, as part of a full-scale war against Ukraine, Russia is blocking our ports it has seized.
What does this lead to? The global market is left without sufficient supplies of some key products from Ukraine. This is what we have, what is the priority for the world - grain, sunflower oil, corn, other agricultural products.
What consequences do we see? I'm sure we don't see everything. Because there is not much analytics here. I think we will see all this in the future. In some countries there is a shortage of sunflower oil. In other countries, the chains of agricultural production connected with our supplies are slowing down. In other countries, a shortage of basic food products is expected.
All this together puts pressure on prices. In North Africa, the Middle East, Asia. And then it will affect other regions of the world. And the poorest will suffer. Who always suffers? The poorest. We are sure that the middle class will also suffer. Obviously, the political consequences of this can be dangerous. That is why I say that food security is one of the components of political chaos.
Russia's war against our state, which at first seemed only a bilateral event to many, some even smiled, some said it was just a conflict, Russia says it is a military operation. Now we all evaluate it differently, more seriously.
But today is already the 72nd day of a full-scale war, and we do not yet see its end. We do not see or feel the willingness of the Russian side. Just as we do not see comprehensive answers to all the threats posed by Russia.
There has not been a day since February 24 when I and our entire team did not negotiate to obtain the necessary weapons. To agree on the necessary sanctions against Russia. To organize the necessary cooperation to document and investigate war crimes.
There has not been a day since the beginning of the brutal blockade of Mariupol by the Russian army, this is one of the examples, when we did not try to find a diplomatic solution to rescue people and organize humanitarian corridors for this rescue.
We are in contact with everyone who can provide financial support to Ukraine. We have already started preparing a large-scale Recovery Plan for Ukraine, as we have no doubt that we will be able to defend our independence. And we believe in this strength of the world, in our strength. This is not a belief in a miracle. Common sense tells us that the world's response to the aggressor's actions, which Russia is now allowing itself, must be immediate.
And what’s the reality? We've been talking about the same things for months. For example, the oil embargo against Russia, the blocking of the entire banking sector of the terrorist state. For months we have been fighting for a sufficient supply of weapons. And I am grateful to those states that help us from the first days constantly, every day. Because they correctly assessed the threat. But, unfortunately, not all states have assessed it that way. Even now, not everyone evaluates it that way.
Most of Russia-provoked challenges and threats have not been fully addressed. That's the main thing. So, we need new tools, we need to look for them constantly. New determination. Something that can stop not only Russia, but also any potential aggressor.
Ukraine proposes to create just such a tool. We call it U24. United 24. By upgrading the global security system, we must create opportunities to prevent any aggression or at least stop it in 24 hours. Or - in 24 hours to provide such assistance to the victim of aggression, which will restore peace. Or - if it is not a war, but a natural disaster or any social challenge - in 24 hours the world community must provide a country or region with all the necessary assistance to save people.
With such a global response system, we will be able to ensure that millions of people are never again threatened with physical destruction. Or threats of deportation. Or - famine, destruction. Therefore, here are the specific questions that need to be answered by politicians, experts and society.
And the questions I want to ask you now. What exactly can be done to ensure that the responsibility for war crimes is inevitable and comes not after a decade but faster, as in ordinary criminal proceedings?
I hope you will offer your thoughts, answers to these questions. This is your experience. Because objectively, we all need answers, the world needs them. I am sure that every person who watches us now and who asks himself or herself these questions every day needs the answers.
And I'm sure that the U24 tool we offer can be an important part of your answers. This is an option. We are talking about this, about our initiative. Because I believe that the more initiatives there are, the more people understand the global nature of these challenges, the global nature of these responses.
Speech by the President of Ukraine in the Althing, the Parliament of Iceland
I am grateful for the opportunity to address you today in this format. It is a great honor for me to speak in the Althing, the oldest parliament in the free world.
Ukraine and Iceland actually have very close bonds. Our cultures have been well acquainted with one another for over a thousand years. Our ancestors easily found a common language, and this can be traced now in both our and your language.
We live in different parts of Europe, in different conditions - natural, economic, and security. But we value the same things - in Kaenugardi and in Reykjavik. Undoubtedly, freedom. The land we rightfully own. And our own culture, which not only shows our identity, separating us from neighboring nations, but also maintains for us and our children a connection with all previous generations. All this in Ukraine is under Russian attack.
What will be left of Ukraine if Russia succeeds in its war against our state? The Russian occupiers bring a tyranny that does not allow any freedom. They want to appropriate our land. They have been saying for a long time that Ukraine allegedly has no right to exist independently. And they want to erase any mention of our culture. Despite the fact that our culture has more than 1000-year-old roots!
Please pay attention to one illustrative fact: more than 500,000 of our people have already been deported to Russia. They were forced to go there. Everything was taken away from them: documents, means of communication. They are sent to remote regions of foreign lands, remote regions of Russia. There is an attempt to assimilate them there. By force!
I'm sure you know about the murder of tens of thousands of residents of our city of Mariupol by the Russian occupiers. I am sure you have heard about the war crimes that the Russian army is committing against our civilians, particularly in our city of Bucha.
Wherever the occupiers come in Ukraine, they immediately start looking for everyone who worked for our state. Who served in our army. They are looking for journalists; they are looking for activists. They capture representatives of local self-government. That is, all those who can fight for freedom. On their land, on our land. In order to live freely, as people want, as our people want.
It is obvious that Russia's war against Ukraine is not just an attempt to seize one country and destroy life in it. No! This is an encroachment on freedom as such. That is why it is important for all free people of the world that our country is not left alone in the confrontation with Russia. It is important that every nation helps.
I am grateful to your people for the steps you have already taken, in particular by supporting sanctions against the Russian Federation.
I am also grateful for the support you provide to our country at various levels. But I urge you not to stop.
I call on your government, your diplomats and your people to advocate for increasing pressure on Russia. To be advocates of freedom. In all directions. No trade with tyranny. Above all, it is necessary to abandon Russian oil, oil blends and petroleum products. No financial ties with tyranny. No political help for tyranny.
It doesn't matter if the country is big or small. When we defend freedom, the contribution of absolutely everyone matters.
We in Ukraine definitely believe in victory. We are doing everything to drive out the invaders and liberate our land and our people. I can't tell the date when this will happen. But we are already preparing for the reconstruction of our country.
And to ensure a truly free and comfortable life, to guarantee the well-being of our people, we invite our friends and only friends to participate with us in the implementation of Ukraine's reconstruction program.
I invite your country, your companies to take part in the reconstruction of Ukraine, in particular in the energy modernization of our state. So that your energy efficiency experience also helps us, our people.
I am sure we will be able to start this work soon. But first we will defend freedom. Our common freedom. We will do it.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine
Statement by Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on a conference dedicated to creation of a special tribunal for the punishment of the crime of aggression against Ukraine
I am grateful to the organizers of this International Conference, in particular to Lithuania’s Ministry of Justice and the Law and Democracy Center Justice Hub.
80 years ago in London representatives of nine nations signed a declaration that paved the way for punishing those responsible for crimes against peace, crimes against humanity and war crimes perpetrated during World War II. This crucial document laid the foundation for international criminal justice tasked with reinforcing the prohibitions of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression.
8 years ago Russia committed acts of aggression against Ukraine. President Putin violated the prohibition of the use of force against political independence and territorial integrity of another state, as well as the right of all peoples to freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development.
On February 24th, Russia launched a large-scale war of aggression against Ukraine. Putin has publicly set out his motives for this move. They boil down to him denying the right of Ukraine to exist as a nation and as a state, clearly indicating his genocidal intent. Over two and a half months the Russian army has committed numerous crimes against humanity by indiscriminately attacking civilians, repeatedly violated international humanitarian law, and committed numerous war crimes. Massacres in Bucha, Irpin, Hostomel, Borodyanka, and the humanitarian disaster in Mariupol require a prompt legal response by the international community.
Russia’s war crimes and crimes against humanity are already being investigated by the International Criminal Court upon referral by 43 states and following Ukraine’s consent to ICC’s jurisdiction over all crimes committed during the armed conflict since 2014. Ukraine is strongly committed to cooperating with the Office of the Prosecutor to achieve justice.
If we look at the historic record of international criminal justice, there have been important achievements in addressing genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. But there has been limited progress with regards to the crime of aggression, or ‘crimes against peace’, as labeled during the Nuremberg Tribunal. Unlike other core international crimes, the International Criminal Court faces objective difficulties in gaining jurisdiction over the crime of aggression. Existing rules do not allow the court to address Putin’s aggressive war against Ukraine in the absence of Russa’s ratification of the Rome Statute and amendments thereto.
Ukraine is also seeking redress at other available international fora. In March, the International Court of Justice ordered Russia to immediately suspend military operations and ensure no furtherance of them. The European Court of Human Rights ordered Russia to refrain from military attacks against civilians and civilian objects.
Now the time has come to complete the architecture of international criminal justice initiated by the 1942 London Declaration. We need to fill the gap and establish a Special Tribunal with a specific jurisdiction over the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine. Ukraine has already endorsed the proposed Declaration and the Statement calling for its establishment. Hundreds of European and global intellectuals, as well as international lawyers have already signed and supported it. Global petition in support of the initiative has already received almost two million votes. Such broad global support demonstrates that the momentum to proceed is certainly there.
I want to make it clear: this effort is not meant to replace any of the existing international courts and tribunals dealing with various aspects of Russia’s aggression and other violations of international law. But none of them would ever arise without the ‘mother of international crimes’, the crime of aggression. The establishment of the Special Tribunal will pave the way to address this crucial deficiency.
The idea is fully supported by President Zelensky, the Government of Ukraine, Ukrainian lawyers and civil society. There is a growing understanding around the globe that Russia’s current war of aggression is the largest one in Europe since 1945 and thus the response to it shall be appropriate. The establishment of the Tribunal has already begun to find support in international organizations. For instance, in recent resolutions of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
We are aware of relevant legal issues we may face while establishing such a Tribunal, but I am confident that the legal society supported by the will of the countries will be able to overcome them. I am confident that we shouldn’t lose time and proceed with the implementation of the idea without delay. It is our duty before all people who have suffered from the Russian aggression since 2014 in Crimea and Donbas, as well as before those who continue to suffer all over Ukraine now.
Furthermore, creating such a Tribunal will prove that international law is a living organism able to respond not only to theoretical questions but also to immediate issues.
I strongly believe that this Conference can give a significant impetus to the creation of the Special Tribunal for the Punishment of the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine. I wish all participants a fruitful discussion leading to concrete actions.
