Russia – Ukraine war operational update of the General Staff of Ukraine for the last 24 hours of Russia – Ukraine war as of 6:00 a.m., May 20, 2023.
451 day of the russian large-scale invasion has begun.
Tonight, russian terrorists carried out another airstrike with shahed drones on Ukraine. Information regarding the consequences of this terrorist attack is currently clarified.
Over the past 24 hours, the russian forces launched 6 missile and 62 air strikes, as well as 65 attacks from rocket salvo systems on the positions of our troops and populated areas. The civil infrastructure was destroyed. In particular, as a result of the shelling of Kryvyi Rih in the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, the settlements of Stepnohirsk in the Zaporizhia Oblast, and Beryslav and Zelenivka in the Kherson Oblast, civilians have been killed and wounded, a child has died, residential private houses, medical institutions and other civilian infrastructure have been destroyed.
The probability of launching missile and air strikes on the entire territory of Ukraine remains high, because the enemy continues to use terror tactics.
The enemy will continue to focus its main efforts on the Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdyivka, Marinka, and Shakhtarsk directions. Over the past 24 hours, more than 80 combat clashes took place on the specified areas of the front, the hottest battles were fought for Bakhmut, Maryinka, and in the Avdyivka, Stepovoy, and Novomykhailivka districts.
In the Volyn and Poliske directions, the operational situation has not changed significantly, and no signs of the formation of offensive enemy groups have been detected.
The enemy continues to maintain a military presence in the border areas with Ukraine in the Siverskyi and Slobozhanskyi directions.
During the past day, airstrikes were carried out in the areas of Hlyboke, Pletenivka and Zemlyanka settlements of the Kharkiv Oblast. He carried out mortar and artillery shelling of the settlements of Bleshnya, Karpovichi, Chernihiv Oblast; Malushyne, Shpyl, Volfine, Oleksiivka, Sadky, Motrytsia, Turya, Slavhorod, Verkhnia Pozhnya and Pozhnya of the Sumy Oblast, as well as Udy, Gatyshche, Pletenivka, Pokalyanye, Budarky, Zemlyanka and Topoly in the Kharkiv Oblast.
In the Kupyansk direction, the enemy conducted unsuccessful offensive actions in the area of Belogorivka, Luhansk Oblast. Carried out airstrikes near Hryhorivka, Vilshanaya and Kislivka in the Kharkiv Oblast. Figolivka, Novomlynsk, Petropavlivka, Dvorichna, Zapadne, Masyutivka, Liman Pershiy, Kislivka, Kotlyarivka, Tabaivka, Berestovka of the Kharkiv Oblast and Stelmakhivka of the Luhansk Oblast were subjected to enemy artillery and mortar attacks.
During the past day, the enemy did not conduct offensive operations in the Lyman direction. He carried out airstrikes in the areas of Novolyubivka and Dibrova settlements of Luhansk Oblast. Students of the Kharkiv Oblast were subjected to artillery fire; Makiivka, Nevske, Belogorivka in the Luhansk region and Verkhnokamianske and Spirne in Donetsk oblast.
In the Bakhmut direction, the enemy continues to conduct offensive actions. Heavy fighting continues for the city of Bakhmut. In addition, during the past day, the enemy conducted unsuccessful offensive actions in the direction of the settlements of Ivanivske and Bila Gora. The russian occupiers carried out airstrikes in the areas of the settlements of Fedorivka, Orihovo-Vasylivka, Bakhmut, Khromov, Ivanovske, Stupochki, Bila Gora. Vasyukivka, Orikhovo-Vasylivka, Hryhorivka, Bohdanivka, Bakhmut, Ivanovske, Chasiv Yar, Predtechine, Bila Gora, Diliivka, Druzhba and Severny of the Donetsk oblast were affected by enemy shelling.
In the Avdyivka direction, the enemy conducted offensive actions in the direction of Novokalynovy, Stepovrgo, Avdiivka, and Pervomaisky, without success. During the day, he carried out an airstrike near Avdyivka. He carried out artillery shelling in the areas of Novokalynovo, Berdychiv, Avdiivka, Tonenko, Pervomaisky, Karlivka, and Nevelsky, Donetsk oblast.
In the Marinka direction, units of the defense forces repelled more than 20 enemy attacks in the area of the city of Maryinka. At the same time, Krasnohorivka, Georgiivka, Maryinka, Kurakhove, and Katerynivka of the Donetsk oblast came under enemy fire.
In the Shakhtarsk direction, during the past day, the enemy carried out more than 10 unsuccessful offensive actions in the area of Novomykhailivka. At the same time, he carried out airstrikes in the area of the settlements of Vugledar, Prechistivka and Zolota Niva. The russian forces shelled the settlements of Novomykhailivka, Vugledar, Bogoyavlenka, Maksimivka, Zolota Niva and Velyka Novosilka.
The russian occupiers continue to defend in the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson directions. They launched an airstrike on the settlement of Kizomys. They carried out shelling of populated areas, which are next to the line of military confrontation. In particular, Gulyaipole, Novodanilivka, Mali Shcherbaki, Stepove, Kamianske and Plavni of the Zaporizhzhia Oblast; as well as Zolota Balka, Beryslav, Zelenivka, Stepanivka, Kizomys and the city of Kherson.
The russian occupiers continue the forced passporting of the population in Kakhovka, a temporarily occupied territory of the Kherson Oblast. In order to speed up this process, the invaders are conducting demonstrative raids aimed at intimidating the local population with possible mobilization and alienation of property. In particular, the occupiers carry out apartment-by-apartment and house-to-house visits. They conduct a population census and exert psychological pressure, forcing them to take passports. The enemy also threatens Ukrainian citizens who refused to receive russian passport, forced eviction from their own homes and disconnection from electricity.
During the day, the Air Force of the Defense Forces made 13 strikes on areas where enemy personnel and military equipment were concentrated, as well as 8 strikes on enemy anti-aircraft missile systems.
Also, our soldiers destroyed 3 “Kalibr” cruise missiles, 18 “Shahed” Iranian attack UAVs, 4 “Lancet” barrage ammunition and 10 enemy reconnaissance UAVs of various types.
Ukrainian units of missile forces and artillery struck 1 command post, 7 areas of concentration of weapons and military equipment, 2 artillery units in a firing position, 6 radio electronic warfare stations, an ammunition depot and a S-300 air defense system radar station.
Last, but not the least, during the last day russia’s losses in manpower was the following:
