War in Ukraine / May 4

The Molfar team sends a daily newsletter about the war in Ukraine. The editorial staff of AIN.Capital publishes the full version of the digest. You can subscribe to the newsletter here.

Military parade in Mariupol

The Russian side is actively preparing for the parade on May 9. Most likely, one of the venues will be Mariupol, which is actually completely controlled by Russian troops.

This is evidenced by several facts:

• The deputy head of administration of the president of Russia Sergey Kirienko visited Mariupol. He drove around the city, visited several iconic locations. Most likely, such a visit indicates Russia’s desire to officially join the city and surrounding areas to the so-called DPR.
• Men from Mariupol, who were taken prisoner and placed in filtration camps, are now being used for landscaping work in the city. Locals are also involved in this, occupants promised them a salary in rubles.
• In addition, according to the Ukrainian ombudsman for human rights Lyudmila Denisova, Ukrainian prisoners are being prepared to participate in the parade, which will take place on May 9.

Another fact that testifies to Russia’s desire to hold a parade in Mariupol is the beginning of the storming of the Azovstal plant. Both defenders and civilians, who have not yet been taken out, remained on it. Previously, the plant was bombed with the help of 3 tons bombs, then – began to storm, using heavy equipment and infantry. At the same time, the defenders of the Azov Regiment have not yet surrendered and continue to fight.

Meanwhile, Ukraine is carefully preparing for May 9. Earlier, there were indications that the Russian army was preparing provocations and possibly intensified shelling in Ukraine. Some curfews have already been introduced in Ukrainian cities from May 8 to 10 to reduce the presence of civilians on the city’s streets.

Airstrike, missile and MRL damage

Mykolaiv region:

• In the morning, Russian troops shelled Korabelnyi district. As a result, critical infrastructure facilities were hit. The cluster munitions allegedly caused minor damage to the Singaporean tanker MTM Rio Grande, which was in the port of Nika Terra. At night, the sleeping area was shelled again. The blast wave and shrapnel damaged private cars and houses of local residents: windows were shattered, the roof was damaged.
• […]

Donetsk region:

• The deputy commander of the Azov regiment, Svyatoslav Palamar, announced the start of the Azovstal storming. Civilians remain blocked on the territory of the plant, including children.
• Russian troops shelled Mariupol, Lyman, Kurakhove, Kramatorsk, Toretsk, Ocheretyne, Yampil, Raihorodok, Novovasylivka, Shandryholove, Starodubivka, Velyka Novosilka, New-York and Novomykolaivka. ~35 civilian infrastructure facilities were destroyed: residential buildings, life support facilities. Two more people were killed in Lyman, three – in Novomykolaivka, one person was killed in Yampil, Shandryholove, Velyka Novosilka and New-York. Another person died in Vuhledar, information about two dead in Mariupol has also been clarified. The exact number of victims in Mariupol and Volnovakha is being clarified. Another 9 people were injured.
• […]

New laws

Ukraine:

• [Other] The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted the law “On ratification of the Agreement between Ukraine, on the one hand, and the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community, on the other hand, on Ukraine’s participation in the Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Framework and the European Community’s Research and Training Program on nuclear energy (2021 – 2025), – complementary Framework Program for Research and Innovation “Horizon Europe”, the draft of which was submitted by the President of Ukraine.
• [Other] The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted the law “On Ukraine’s Accession to the Convention on the Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents”, the draft of which was submitted by the President of Ukraine.
• […]

Russia:

• [Response to the sanctions] The President of the Russian Federation signed Decree No. 252 “On the application of retaliatory special economic measures in connection with the unfriendly actions of certain foreign states and international organizations”
• […]

This was the free part of the military brief

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In a paid version:

• Airstrike, missile and MLRS damage
• Civilian casualties
• Video of russian prisoners
• New laws
• Occupant’s casualties (est. from Ukrainian General Staff)
• War crimes in a de-ocupied territories
• Alternative loss estimates
• Data archive.
• Analytical charts: occupant losses, chart with known air raid alerts by region and known damage, diagram of known airstrike, missile and MRL damage and known child deaths, diagram of known damage for Ukrainian infrastructure, diagram of average duration of the air alerts in the regions.