Victory Chronicles-DAY 800

The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine has announced that the construction of fortifications in five Oblasts, including Donetsk, is almost finished. The Oblasts mentioned are Sumy, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Kherson, and Kharkiv. These construction efforts are crucial as active hostilities continue in Donetsk. Although the Ministry did not provide specific details, a video showed the construction of underground concrete shelters and “dragon’s teeth,” intended to impede the advancement of Russian troops on land.

British Foreign Secretary David Cameron has announced that the UK will provide £3 billion ($3.74 billion) of annual military aid to Ukraine for as long as necessary. This commitment is the largest pledge of support from the UK since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. Cameron stated that the UK had already started providing equipment to Ukraine, some of which had arrived during his visit to Kyiv. He also praised the US Congress’s adoption of a $61 billion aid package for Ukraine, saying that it will bring weapons and boost morale. 

Ukraine recently held a ceremony to raise the Naval Flags of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on two boats, the Irpin and Reni. The ceremony was led by Vice Admiral Oleksii Neizhpapa, Commander of the Ukrainian Navy, and attended by a delegation from Estonia, headed by Commodore Jüri Saska, Commander of the Estonian Navy. The boats, named after the hero city of Irpin and the city of Reni, were handed over to Ukraine in excellent condition by the Estonian Navy. During the ceremony, a minute of silence was observed to honor the fallen fighters and civilians who lost their lives as a result of Russian aggression. Following the ceremony, the boats were used to showcase their equipment and performance and the damage caused by enemy attacks on Ukraine’s port infrastructure. The Irpin and Reni boats will be tasked with combat missions, including the protection of civilian shipping.

The National Police of Ukraine has released a video of the Luty Brigade fighters destroying the occupiers. “The artillerymen of the ‘Tsunami’ regiment of the ‘Luty’ assault brigade of the National Police continue to demonstrate their skills and effectiveness, inflicting devastating blows on the enemy in the eastern direction. Our fighters are destroying equipment, ammunition, manpower and occupiers’ fortifications,” the National Police of Ukraine said in a statement.

Ukrainian intelligence officials identified three Russian efforts to destabilize Ukraine and achieve victory, and both Ukrainian and US intelligence officials issued assessments about the battlefield situation that are consistent with prior ISW forecasts that Russian forces may take Chasiv Yar but are very unlikely to seize major Ukrainian cities. 

Ukrainian Main Military Intelligence Directorate (GUR) Deputy Chief Major General Vadym Skibitskyi stated in an interview with the Economist published on May 2 that the first effort to destabilize Ukraine is comprised of military operations that aim to take advantage of Ukraine’s ongoing materiel and manpower shortages.

Skibitskyi stated that Russian forces knew that April and May 2024 would be difficult months for the Ukrainian military as existing supplies dwindled and as Ukraine waits for sufficient quantities of fresh US military assistance to filter to the frontline. Skibitskyi stated that Russian forces will likely continue pursuing their longtime goal of completely seizing Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, and that the Russian command wants to achieve a battlefield victory before the May 9 Victory Day holiday or Russian President Vladimir Putin‘s visit to Beijing in mid-May.

Skibitskyi stated that Ukraine is currently focusing on Chasiv Yar, Donetsk Oblast, where ISW assesses that Russian forces have the best opportunity to achieve operationally-significant gains, and that while it is “probably a matter of time” before Chasiv Yar falls, Russian forces will not seize the town “today or tomorrow. Skibitskyi stated that Russian forces have achieved only tactical successes near Avdiivka, Donetsk Oblast following a recent tactical penetration northwest of the city, and ISW has noted that Russian forces remain far from any operationally-significant objective in the area and are unlikely to pose such a threat here in the near-term.

Sapper Roman Meleshchuk, with the call sign Akademik, died on November 13, 2023, near the village of Klishchiyivka, near Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast. He came under enemy fire while performing a combat mission. The shell hit his backpack with ammunition, as a result of which the fighter was fatally wounded. Two months earlier, on September 10, he turned 24 years old.

Roman is a native of the village of Chudel, Rivne Oblast. He completed his secondary education. In 2016, he entered the Hetman Sahaidachnyi National Army Academy. However, after three years, he left the academy because he decided not to connect his life with the military. He worked as a construction worker. He was interested in architecture and took courses in web design and 3D modeling.

However, military service finally caught up with him in 2022, when a full-scale war broke out. Roman joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine in March. He served in the 47th separate engineering brigade. He became the commander of an engineering and sapper unit.

Senior fighter Roman Meleshchuk became a full holder of the Order “For Courage” (the latter was awarded posthumously) for high achievements during combat missions.

“My brother was a bright man, he never complained, he was always positive. He loved adrenaline. He loved, protected and supported his family. He had an insanely positive energy, so a person who talked to him just once wanted to do so on a regular basis. He was always joking and teasing all his friends and acquaintances. He was the soul of the company,” said Yulia Meleshchuk. The Hero was buried in his native village. Roman is survived by his parents, sister and grandmother.

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

• US intelligence: Russia pays record 25% of budget for Putin’s paranoia
• Norway exposes Russian intelligence agents preparing acts of sabotage
• Deputy Head of Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence believes that loss of Chasiv Yar is only a matter of time
• AFU: Enemy is amassing forces and equipment in the Kupyansk direction
• Macron does not rule out sending troops to Ukraine if Russia breaks through defense and there is request from Kyiv