Sitrep for May 31 — June 1, 2023 (as of 10:30 a.m.)

Strikes on Ukrainian and Russian Territory

On the morning of Jun. 1, as a result of the RuAF strike on Kyiv, three civilians were killed (reportedly, by fallen fragments of missiles), and nine more were injured in the Desnyanskyi district of the city. Three people were injured in the Dniprovskyi district. According to the Air Force of the AFU, 10 Iskander missiles were shot down in a day (three 9M728 Iskander-K cruise missiles and seven 9M723 Iskander-M ballistic missiles).

On May 31, Toretsk, Donetsk region, was hit. According to Head of the Ukrainian Military Administration of Donetsk region Pavlo Kyrylenko, one person was injured (he got under the rubble), and a nine-story residential building, a library and two medical facilities were damaged.

On the morning of Jun. 1, a drone was shot down in the Kaluga region, Russia. Local residents filmed a crater at the site of its fall. It is unclear what the target of the attack was.

On May 31, the Joint Center for Control and Coordination of the "LPR" reported about a strike on the Avis poultry farm in the village of Karpaty near Alchevsk, Luhansk region. Some buildings and vehicles were damaged, five people were reportedly killed, and nineteen more were injured. We did not spot any military facilities in the available photos and videos.

On the evening of May 31, Shebekino, Belgorod region, also came under fire once more, which resulted in damaged houses and a fire. There is no information on casualties at this time. The town residents are trying their hardest to draw attention to the situation on social networks, using the hashtag #ShebekinoisRussia.

Regional authorities in Belgorod have now decided to relocate some of the civilian population deeper inside Russian territory away from the border. On his Telegram channel, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov has announced that a first group of 300 children has been evacuated to Voronezh. Lipetsk regional authorities are readying temporary accommodation centers for residents living near the border, as well as summer camps for children from the Belgorod region.

Pro-Russian sources are reporting armed confrontations at the Shebekino border checkpoint on the Russia-Ukraine border. Reports indicate that the attacking side’s armored vehicles were destroyed by a mine (a new arrow shaped tactical sign can be seen on the side of the vehicle —  we have observed these new signs appearing on Ukrainian vehicles as of recently). On their Telegram channel, the Russian Volunteers Corps has announced  that they have attempted another breakthrough into Russian territory, however, the only proof provided was an unverifiable video of a fire exchange on a forest road.

A new video was published featuring the Russian Volunteer Corps’s raid into the Belgorod region on May 22. It shows the military equipment supplied by Western countries already seen in previous videos. Also, a Mil Mi-8 military helicopter in Ukrainian livery can be seen providing cover. This video could indicate the involvement of Ukrainian Armed Forces units in the operation. One can see the previously released footage of bombs being dropped from a Russian Sukhoi Su-34 bomber on the Grayvoron checkpoint, along with a Russian Volunteer Corps fighter taking cover and recording the action while the sounds of a bombing attack are heard in the background. This suggests that the Russian Aerospace Forces bombed the checkpoint precisely at the moment of mopping-up the area, rather than specifically for reporting purposes at a later time.

Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine Hanna Maliar revealed that in recent days, the advancement of the AFU on the flanks of Bakhmut has slowed down due to the fulfillment of other military tasks. Against the backdrop of the absence of major offensive actions on the frontline, many people are negatively recalling the prediction made by Chief of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine Kyrylo Budanov about the entry of the AFU into Crimea by the end of spring 2023.

The administration of the Leningrad region stated that the Wagner Group is an organization that assists in carrying out tasks assigned to the Russian Army during the "special military operation," and therefore, the families of injured Wagner Group mercenaries will receive regional support alongside the families of regular military personnel. It is worth noting that this statement pertains to the Leningrad region, which is a separate subject of the Russian Federation, and not to Saint Petersburg, where the governor is in conflict with Yevgeny Prigozhin [Russian oligarch, confidant of Vladimir Putin, and the owner of the Wagner Group].

A Ukrainian-developed 22S2 Bohdana 155mm wheeled self-propelled howitzer has been spotted again on the roads of Ukraine. Its cabin matches the one shown by Ukraine’s Minister of Defense Oleksii Reznikov at the end of January and is different from the first version.

Deliveries of Western Military Equipment

The first footage of British Malloy Aeronautics T150 drones in action has emerged, confirming year-old reports of their delivery. In the photos, it can be observed that an 82mm mortar round is attached beneath the drone. Despite their original purpose for cargo transportation, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have adapted them for dropping shells.

Jonas Gahr Støre, Norwegian Prime Minister, stated Norway will provide military, humanitarian, and civilian assistance to Ukraine over the course of five years, amounting to 75 billion Norwegian kroner (approximately 7 billion euros), as part of their support for Ukraine.

Germany announced new military supplies for Ukraine: Bv 206 tracked all-terrain vehicles and 66 undisclosed armored personnel carriers, possibly the Tauchpanzer 1 Fuchs.

The United States has announced a new package of military aid to Ukraine worth up to $300 million. It will include:

• Additional munitions for Patriot air defense systems;
• AIM-7 missiles for air defense;
• Avenger air defense systems;
• Stinger anti-aircraft systems;
• Additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS);
• 155mm and 105mm artillery rounds;
• 105mm tank ammunition;
• Precision aerial munitions (probably, JDAM);
• Zuni aircraft rockets;
• Munitions for Unmanned Aerial Systems;
• AT-4 anti-armor systems;
• Over 30 million rounds of small arms ammunition;
• Mine clearing equipment and systems;
• Demolition munitions for obstacle clearing;
• Night vision devices;
• Spare parts, generators, and other field equipment.

Photographs of the building of the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine on Rybalsky Island in Kyiv have surfaced, showing traces of a localized fire (no significant damage, however, is visible). In the first days of the full-scale invasion, Russian forces were targeting the building, and it is likely that important intelligence officers and officials were moved to a safer location. On May 29, during another strike on Kyiv, one of the missiles fell into the water near this building.

The Agenstvo. Novosti media outlet published comment by demographer Alexey Raksha, who, based on statistics from regional registry offices, came to the conclusion that in April 2023, 95 thousand children were born in Russia, which is the lowest monthly total in 24 years (fewer were born only in the last three months of 1999 and in November 1997).