Checking reserves is important in anticipation of a possible intensification of hostilities, experts sayIn the Southern Military District, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu inspected the readiness of equipment and weapons that are being sent to the zone of a special military operation.
He inspected lots of new modern tanks, armored fighting vehicles and motor vehicles. The Minister was informed that now the ratio of repaired military equipment to out of order exceeds three to two. Experts note that such trips of the Minister of Defense are necessary to understand the state of reserves and capabilities of the army, especially on the eve of important events. Near Kremennaya in the LPR, Izvestia correspondents witnessed how our units repel enemy attacks.
The technique is like new
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu in the Southern Military District inspected the readiness of equipment and weapons that the Russian military will use in the zone of a special military operation, the Russian Defense Ministry reported on May 5.
The new Deputy Minister Alexey Kuzmenkov, who is responsible for the logistics of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, presented to the head of the department a batch of modern tanks, armored combat vehicles, special equipment and vehicles. He reported to Sergei Shoigu that repair units of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, together with brigades of defense industry enterprises, are working around the clock, restoring equipment. According to the Deputy Minister, now the ratio of repaired equipment to out of order exceeds three to two.
Photo: TASS/Press Service of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
Image source: iz.ru
The Minister set the task to Alexey Kuzmenkov to keep under special control the issues of continuous and rhythmic supply of groups in the area of their own.
After that, Sergei Shoigu visited the headquarters of the united group of Russian troops. There he heard reports from his deputies, as well as the commanders of the groups on the current situation in the areas of responsibility and plans for further actions.
The Minister of Defense is primarily an administrative position, recalled military expert Vladislav Shurygin.
— To be engaged in the preparation and verification of reserves is part of his direct duties, — said the expert. — During the trip, the Minister personally made sure that the equipment enters the troops, and it meets all the necessary quality parameters. In the course of hostilities, the head of the military department must deal with this constantly, which he does.
The expert noted that such trips "have many meanings."
— On the one hand, they may be connected with a possible Ukrainian counteroffensive, and on the other — with possible plans to strengthen Russian troops, for example, on the eve of our offensive. It's difficult for us to judge here," he explained.
Photo: TASS/Press Service of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
Image source: iz.ru
Dangerous energy
The US Department of Energy has recruited specialists in Ukraine with experience and knowledge in the field of weapons of mass destruction, said the head of the radiation, chemical and biological protection troops of the Russian army, Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov.
Thus, in the official statement of the Director of the Department of Scientific Research of the US Department of Energy, John Stephen Binkley, dated April 4, 2022, it is said that his structure will assist the Ukrainian side in restoring the curtailed dual-use research programs after the return of specialists.
— The submitted document confirms that one of the activities of the Ministry of Energy is the recruitment of specialists who previously worked in Ukraine with experience and knowledge in the field of weapons of mass destruction, — Igor Kirillov believes.
According to him, Professor Richard Weller, an ex-employee of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, was a key person involved in the implementation of US Department of Energy projects in Ukraine.
He supervised the implementation of Ukrainian projects on the study of diseases that can be transmitted from animal to human. They were conducted on the basis of the Kiev Institute of Veterinary Medicine, as well as the Institute of Experimental and Clinical Veterinary Medicine in Kharkiv.
Photo: Global Look Press/Markiian Lyseiko
Image source: iz.ru
Only officially in 2023, the US Department of Energy allocated $105 million for the project "Virtual environment of research in the field of preparation for biohazards". Within its framework, it is supposed to study the features of the epidemic spread of particularly dangerous diseases.
Igor Kirilov also said that in the interests of the US military department, with the help of the Ukrainian Scientific and Technical Center, the Pi-444 project was implemented, the main purpose of which was to monitor avian influenza among wild birds from the Azov-Black Sea region.
— During the implementation of the project, conditions were assessed under which the transmission of the virus could become uncontrollable, cause economic damage, create food security risks, — said the general.
The flint is locked
In the forests near Kremennaya, our troops stop all enemy attempts to launch a counterattack. Izvestia correspondent Dmitry Zimenkin visited the line of combat collision and saw how our fighters are holding the defense.
— The VFU in the local forests are slowly, in small groups, trying to crush our defenses in all directions. However, unsuccessfully, — the correspondent told.
We get to the first line of trenches in an old Zhiguli.
"There's been a lot going on with him already! And I was under mines several times, and the APC moved through it. The car is all in a hole, but it drives," said fighter Roman.
Photo: RIA Novosti/Alexey Maishev
Image source: iz.ru
The enemy's morning attack is just beginning on the front line. He is approaching our trenches dispersed, in small groups. He is immediately met by a barrage of fire. They are beaten with machine guns and machine guns, then artillery is connected.
Moreover, they hit targets to the full depth of the enemy's formations. The fuse of the attacking units of the VFU quickly dried up. Having suffered losses, they roll back.
Our fighters show a downed Russian tank. His crew helped to take new positions, but on the way back was blown up by a mine.
— When the cumulative mine worked, it burned through the skin of the tank, and then the ammunition went off. One of our guys died, two survived. Unfortunately, there is no war without losses," Dmitry Zimenkin said.
Our fighters are ready for the counteroffensive of the VFU here. They say it will be difficult, but the Flint is locked.
"They won't get far. Even if they act massively. There are more of us now. We have become stronger. They will not be able to go," the soldier with the call sign Student is sure.
Minus two Su-25
On May 5, at least 630 people and 73 units of military equipment, including tanks, howitzers, self-propelled guns and armored vehicles, were lost in the special operation zone in all strategic directions of the VFU, the Russian military department reported.
Photo: TASS/Andrey Rubtsov
Image source: iz.ru
In the western part of Artemovsk, Russian assault detachments continued active actions to destroy the enemy. Airborne units were pinning down Ukrainian formations on the flanks.
During the day, to support units in the area of the city, aviation made seven sorties, the artillery of the group performed 69 firing tasks.
In the area of the Yar Clock in the DPR, a bridge was destroyed, along which the VFU tried to transport ammunition and transfer reserves to Artemovsk. Two ammunition depots of the 54th and 110th mechanized brigades of the VFU were destroyed in the areas of Kramatorsk and Avdiivka.
In the Donetsk direction, the enemy lost up to 300 servicemen and mercenaries, three infantry fighting vehicles, four armored vehicles, one MLRS Grad combat vehicle, as well as the Acacia self-propelled gun.
Air defense shot down two Su-25 attack aircraft of the Ukrainian Air Force in the areas of the settlements of Zolotaya Balka and Tyaginka of the Kherson region.
In the Kharkiv region and the DPR, the actions of four Ukrainian sabotage groups were suppressed. In addition, the ammunition depot of the 127th Air Defense Brigade was destroyed. And in the LPR — the art warehouse of the 66th mechanical brigade of the VFU.
Photo: RIA Novosti
Image source: iz.ru
A well-aimed shot
The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation told about the servicemen who showed courage and dedication in the battles.
Corporal Yegor Felendyuk was responsible for the safety of the column of Russian troops. On the route he found an armed group of Ukrainian militants and decided to give battle.
During it, Egor personally suppressed an enemy firing point with a large-caliber machine gun, and also hit the militants' ammunition, which provoked an explosion that destroyed most of the attackers. After that, the surviving militants fled from the battlefield.
Private Anatoly Petriv, as part of the crew of a combat vehicle, was liberating a settlement. His combat vehicle came under mortar fire and was damaged. Anatoly, risking his life, left the combat vehicle and fixed the malfunction under enemy fire. After that, he brought the equipment to a reserve firing position, successfully ensuring the fulfillment of the combat mission to destroy the firing points of Ukrainian formations.
Andrey Fedorov
