Victory Chronicles-DAY 1167

Ukraine’s top military commander, Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, says the ongoing operation in the neighboring Russian region of Kursk has fulfilled most of its objectives since launching nine months ago, blocking a potential large-scale Russian offensive toward Ukraine’s Sumy and Kharkiv regions.
In a statement on Facebook, Syrskyi emphasized the strategic value of the buffer zone Ukrainian forces have established along the border, calling it “still relevant today.” He described the campaign as both a tactical surprise and proof of Ukraine’s ability to strike and push back Russian forces back – even on Russian territory. “The numerically superior enemy can only be defeated through unconventional moves. That’s exactly what the Kursk operation became,” Syrskyi said.

Ukraine evacuates 94 civilians from Donetsk region amid intensified Russian shelling. Ukrainian authorities evacuated 94 civilians, including 22 children, from frontline areas on May 4 in the Donetsk region due to heavy Russian aerial attacks, regional Governor Vadym Filashkin reported.

Russian forces conducted 53 strikes across the region within a 24-hour period. In the town of Myrnohrad, one civilian was killed and six buildings sustained damage. In the village of Novoekonomichne, 14 homes were reportedly destroyed.

Strikes also hit homes and infrastructure in Zarichne, Andriivka, Novodonetske, Sloviansk, and Kostiantynivka, where one person was injured, and causing widespread damage , to homes, power lines, and gas pipelines. The evacuations come in the wake of deadly shelling on May 3 that killed three civilians.

Night drone attack on Kyiv injures 11 civlians, damages reported across city. Russia launched a drone attack on Kyiv overnight on May 4, injuring 11 civilians, including two children, causing fires and damage in the northern district of Obolon, Sviatoshyn, and Shevchenko administrative districts, according to Ukraine’s State Emergency Service (SES).

A fire broke out in a top-floor apartment of a 12-story building in Obolon, spreading to the roof and partially destroying it. Seven vehicles also caught fire near another residential building. In addition, a sprawling shopping mall in the same district sustained damage along the district’s main artery – Obolonskyi Prospekt. 

Obolon residents who witnessed the two-prone drone attack said that they flew in tandem at a low altitude along the main street with one directly striking the Dreamtown shopping center while debris from another one struck the residential building.

In Sviatoshyn, three single-story homes were damaged by fire, while in Shevchenko, a tree caught fire and a drone strike damaged a power pole and pavement beneath a railway bridge. Rescuers confirmed the injury toll rose to 11 by morning. Damage assessments and emergency response efforts are ongoing.

Ukraine’s Spartan Brigade assaults and recaptures Russian stronghold on Pokrovsk front. Fighters from the 4th Battalion of the 3rd Brigade of Ukraine’s National Guard — the elite Spartan Brigade — have reclaimed a fortified position ffrom Russian forces on the Pokrovsk front, a key axis in eastern Donetsk region where Kremlin troops have intensified efforts in recent weeks.

Ukrainian troops breached Russian defensive lines during a swift assault operation, according to National Guard Commander Oleksandr Pivnenko, . Soldiers dismounted from an armored personnel carrier, which then provided suppressive fire to support the infantry advance.

Footage released by the National Guard shows the unit engaging and dislodging Russian forces from the entrenched position, underscoring Kyiv’s continued resistance amid ongoing pressure in the east.

Key Takeaways:

• Kremlin ruler Vladimir Putin indicated that Russia maintains its initial objectives of its war in Ukraine, which are tantamount to Ukraine’s surrender, despite ongoing negotiations with the United States.
• Putin highlighted domestic support for the war and promoted the ideal of sacrifice on the frontline and the home front, likely in an effort to prepare Russian society for a longer war in Ukraine and potential future confrontations with the West.
• Ukraine’s Main Military Intelligence Directorate (GUR) Head Lt.Gen. Kyrylo Budanov provided new details on May 4 about the report that Ukrainian forces shot down a Russian fixed-wing aircraft with a surface-to-air missile (SAM) attached to a naval drone on May 2.
• Ukrainian forces recently advanced near Toretsk, and Russian forces recently advanced near Kupyansk and Toretsk.

In memoriam: Ukrainian soldier Andrii Kazmir, a hero of Ukraine’s defense forces. Spc. Andrii Kazmir, known by the call sign “Pitarda,” was killed in action on Jan. 29, 2024, near the village of Verbove in Zaporizhzhia region. He died from shrapnel wounds sustained during a combat mission. He was 33.

Kazmir was born in Zolochiv, Lviv region. He studied mechanics at a local college affiliated with Lviv National Agrarian University. In civilian life, he worked abroad as a laborer and enjoyed playing tennis and football.

After Russia launched its full-scale invasion, Kazmir joined the National Guard of Ukraine and took up arms to defend his country. He served as a grenadier in the 14th Brigade “Chervona Kalyna.”

“He was my only and dearest son,” his mother, Iryna Mariianivna, wrote. Kazmir was laid to rest in the village of Novoselyshche in Lviv region. He is survived by his mother and his son, Oleksandr.

*Andrii’s story on the Heroes Memorial – a platform for stories about the fallen defenders of Ukraine.

• NYT: Ukraine to receive more Patriot air defence systems, one by summer
• Czech Republic plans to establish a Ukrainian-Czech F-16 training school
• Romanian presidential election: Russian hackers attack government websites
• EU aims to double military aid by ordering weapons from Ukrainian producers
• Bild: West believes Putin cannot agree to peace due to threat of domestic political issues
• Czech president: We are discussing artillery shell supplies to Ukraine for 2026
• Ukraine’s spy chief: Crew of Russian Su-30 downed by surface drones confirmed dead