Evacuation of civilians from the territory of "Azovstal" has been completed in Mariupol
A large-scale battle for the island of Snake in the Black Sea took place on May 7, the Russian Defense Ministry reported. During it, Russian air defense systems shot down two planes, three helicopters with landing troops and two drones. According to experts, the Kiev authorities tried to seize the island in order to present a visible victory to society, but failed. Meanwhile, the Russian military department announced the completion of the operation to evacuate civilians from Azovstal in Mariupol. In addition, the Russian Defense Ministry warned about the bloody provocations being prepared by Ukrainian formations.
Fights for the Snake
In the area of the island of Snake shot down in the air: a Ukrainian Su-24 bomber, a Su-27 fighter, three Mi-8 helicopters with landing troops and two Bayraktar-TB2 unmanned aerial vehicles. The Ukrainian amphibious assault boat Stanislav was also destroyed. This was announced on May 7 by the official representative of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, Major General Igor Konashenkov.
He also spoke about the strikes by high-precision air- and sea-based missiles on Ukrainian military airfields located near Zmeiny near the cities of Artsiz, Odessa and Voznesensk. As a result, the aviation equipment of the Air Forces of Ukraine, including unmanned aerial vehicles, as well as aviation weapons, was destroyed.
— Judging by the published information, the Ukrainian forces decided to strike at the island of Zmeiny, — military expert Dmitry Boltenkov told Izvestia. — Russian units have marked the withdrawal. The AFU formations considered that they would now be able to capture the island, but when they tried to do this, they came under attack and suffered serious losses. It seems that this operation was undertaken by Kiev for propaganda purposes in order to present a visible victory to society. However, apparently, this attempt turned out to be a failure.
Operational-tactical missile system (OTRK) "Iskander"
Image Source: Photo: TASS/ Press Service of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
According to the Ministry of Defense, Iskander tactical missile systems destroyed large accumulations of weapons and military equipment delivered from the United States and Western countries, as well as personnel of units of the 58th Motorized Infantry Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the areas of Krasnograd and Karlovka railway stations in the Kharkiv region.
High-precision air-launched missiles of the Russian Aerospace Forces hit about 50 military facilities during the day, including an ammunition depot near the settlement of Bakhmut in the Donetsk People's Republic and two more near Seversk.
Operational-tactical and army aviation attacked 44 military facilities. Among them is a large accumulation of weapons and military equipment received from the United States and European countries at the Bogodukhov railway station in the Kharkiv region, two control points near Skovorodnikovo, five areas of concentration of personnel and military equipment and three ammunition and fuel depots near the village of Dachnoye in the Odessa region.
— As a result of air strikes, up to 210 nationalists were destroyed, 39 units of weapons and military equipment were disabled, — Major General Igor Konashenkov said.
Rocket troops and artillery hit 31 control points and 245 strong points, areas of concentration of manpower and military equipment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on May 7.
Russian air defense systems shot down 13 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles. Over the city of Izyum, Kharkiv region, they intercepted three Tochka-U ballistic missiles of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and nine multiple rocket launchers of the Smerch system.
In total, 154 aircraft, 115 helicopters, 764 unmanned aerial vehicles, 296 anti-aircraft missile systems, 2902 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 333 multiple rocket launchers, 1,378 field artillery and mortar guns, as well as 2,728 units of special military vehicles have been destroyed since the beginning of the special military operation, the Defense Ministry reported.
Brought people out
The head of the National Defense Management Center (NCSO), Colonel-General Mikhail Mizintsev, announced on Saturday the completion of a humanitarian operation to evacuate civilians from the territory of the Azovstal plant in Mariupol.
— During the period of the operation, from May 5, 2022, 51 people (18 men, 22 women, 11 children) were saved, including one person on May 7, 2022. Every citizen is provided with security, qualified medical and psychological assistance. The rescued civilians, accompanied by representatives of the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross, left for selected temporary accommodation," Mizintsev said.
Photo: RIA Novosti/Alexey Maishev
Image source: iz.ru
The General cited data on provocations by Ukrainian armed formations.
— In the settlements of Seversk and Serebryanka of the Donetsk People's Republic, the Kiev regime carried out another sophisticated action in order to discredit the Russian Armed Forces in front of the world community. During the provocation, militants of nationalist battalions disguised in Russian uniforms on armored vehicles with the "Z" sign fired at private houses, forcibly took valuables and personal cars from people, and subjected civilians who showed the slightest resistance to physical violence. Foreign and Ukrainian journalists accompanying the nationalists conducted photo and video filming of staged "acts of looting" allegedly committed by Russian servicemen, for their subsequent publication in the Ukrainian and world media after the liberation of these cities by the Russian Armed Forces. In the Pokrovsky district of the DPR, Ukrainian armed formations have mined the dam of the reservoir of the Kurakhovskaya thermal power plant, which the nationalists plan to blow up, blaming the units of the Russian troops for this," the head of the NCSO said.
In the case of such a scenario, according to Mizintsev, more than ten settlements, in which about seven thousand people live, will be in the zone of possible flooding.
The head of the NCSO also announced the preparation of provocations on May 8. In today's Ukrainian state, this date is celebrated as a day of remembrance and reconciliation instead of the Victory Day in the Great Patriotic War abolished by the Kiev authorities.
— In the western regions of the country, the Kiev regime plans to carry out another sophisticated provocation with the death of civilians for the subsequent accusation of the Russian Armed Forces in indiscriminate missile strikes. To this end, the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will strike the OTR "Tochka-U" at the places where people gather in the settlements of the Lviv and Volyn regions, as it already happened at the railway station in Kramatorsk," the general said.
Found a saboteur
On May 7, the Russian Defense Ministry told about the servicemen who showed courage and dedication during the fighting.
At night, at one of the checkpoints in a particularly dangerous area, Major Denis Solovyov discovered and personally detained a saboteur who was conducting reconnaissance using a night vision device. "During the initial interrogation conducted by Major Solovyov, the detained nationalist gave information about the location, number and commander of the neo-Nazi reconnaissance and sabotage group preparing a provocation against Russian units. Thanks to the information promptly obtained by Denis Solovyov, the Russian special forces eliminated a sabotage and reconnaissance group of militants numbering more than 15 people," the ministry said.
Guards Major Denis Kamaletdinov commanded the artillery division, which destroyed two tanks, two artillery batteries, four strongpoints, 12 checkpoints, a control point, three spotters' positions in the battles.
"The courageous and selfless actions of Major Denis Kamaletdinov, as well as the high professionalism of his subordinates, contributed to a significant damage to the combat readiness of the nationalists, who, realizing the futility of further resistance, threw down their weapons and left the settlement. At the same time, due to the rapid change of positions, there were no losses in Major Kamaletdinov's division. Moving further to the positions of the nationalists, Denis was seriously wounded from a nearby ammunition that exploded, but despite multiple injuries, he provided himself with medical assistance on his own and continued to lead the division entrusted to him," the military department said.
Photo: RIA Novosti/Press Service of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
Image source: iz.ru
The artillery division of Lieutenant Colonel Davydov covered the exit of the brigade's control point and its units from a given area with fire. The control point was changing position under heavy artillery fire.
"The militants, losing personnel and military equipment as a result of artillery fire under the command of Kirill Davydov, concentrated all their fire potential on him. As a result of the fact that the enemy sent the main forces to destroy artillery, the brigade was able to get out from under enemy fire without losses. After the nationalists cut off Lieutenant Colonel Davydov's division from the main forces, Kirill decided to move forward with the division fighting the only possible way through the nearby forest, firing at the enemy," the Defense Ministry said.
As a result of the courageous and selfless actions of Lieutenant Colonel Davydov, the nationalists' attack on the brigade turned out to be fruitless, while they themselves lost a large number of live veins and military equipment.
Anton Lavrov