This timeline was prepared by the InformNapalm team and was based on the information from our insiders in the occupied territories, as well as the information from public sources.

Sector C

Donetsk

The shelling intensified closer to the evening. The militants used artillery of calibers larger than 100mm, as well as MLRS.

Around 23:22 Rossiya-24 TV channel claimed that Ukrainian army was shelling Donetsk. However, the residents reported outgoing fire from the city center and that it is done by the militants. This indicates the start of May provocations, with active support by Russian news media.

At 23:30 a massive shelling of Marinka occurred, including MLRS.

At 23:40 salvos of MLRS Grad were recorded from slag heaps of Makiivka metallurgical plant (so called Grygoriivski slag heaps, 48°4’31″N 37°51’16″E).

Militants’ MLRS fired from the ring road and other places.

At 23:54 massive salvos of militants’ self-propelled guns started from the area of Putilovska, Roshcha-Shcheglovske cemetery.

Chaotic weapons fire in different parts of the city also suggests that the picture required for Russian media is being created. They hurriedly claimed that OSCE representatives were also in the area that was shelled.

Not only Ukrainian servicemen, but also civilians suffer from the shelling. So, during the day, an old woman was killed by the explosion of an anti-tank guided missile fired by the militants. She was working in her garden at that moment. For many retired people, who lack any financial support because of the occupation of their homeland by militants, food from their own gardens is the only way to survive.

Sabotage-reconnaissance groups of combined Russian-separatist forces (CRSF) became more active in the nighttime near Marinka, Spartak and Kurakhove.

The insiders connected to the militants warn about possible CRSF provocations. They report that the terrorists plan to conduct a prominent attack on May 7-9, targeting children as the potential victims. According to this plan, the murderers of the children will be among the captured Ukrainian servicemen. They will be “liquidated on the spot,” and then the Russian media, just happening to be nearby, will be shown evidence of the captives’ connections to the “Kiev junta” found in their pockets. This act, like last year’s “Yarosh business card” hoax, should stoke the locals’ desire for revenge.

An UAV flight over Donetsk detected tens of tanks and other weaponry, hidden by the militants inside apartment blocks and near schools. According to the video published by the Dnipro-1 battalion, one of the tank depots is located in Budyonivskyi District of Donetsk, on Prokofyeva Street.

Makiivka

As usual, active vehicle movement through Makiivka continued.

Active outgoing shelling from heavy artillery of 152mm and 203mm calibers stared around 22:18.

The militants shell Putilovskyi District of Donetsk and Donetsk airport from Yasynuvata and Gvardeyka side of Makiivka.

Sector A

Only one militant checkpoint is left between Stakhanov and Luhansk. Apparently other checkpoints have been removed to shore up reserves before the offense.

During the night in Stanytsia Luhanska a CRSF sabotage-reconnaissance group tried to seize Ukrainian positions. After a fight the militants withdrew.

The militants attacked the Ukrainian checkpoint near the Stanytsia Luhanska bus station with mortars (6 shots) and small arms.

At 15.00 the militants shelled Krymske village from the territory under their control. As a result, a resident (an old woman, born in 1941) was wounded by shrapnel.

At 15.10 a fight started in the village. Ukrainian strongholds were attacked with mortars, grenade launchers and small arms, including heavy machine guns. The fire was from the direction of the village Sokolniki, which is occupied by the terrorists.

Around 16:00 Novotoshkivka village of Popasnya District was shelled from Zholobok village with tanks and mortars of CRSF militants. Several shells hit the center of the village. According to the reconnaissance data, Russian tanks with the crews from Buryatia are deployed in the village, which is under the militants’ control.

At 16.45 the militants used an automatic grenade launcher to fire five shots at the Ukrainian base near the bus station in the village of Triokhizbenka from the direction of Slavyanoserbsk, which is under LNR control. Four Ukrainian servicemen were wounded by shrapnel.

Between 18.30 and 18.45 the militants used an automatic grenade launcher to fire at the Ukrainian checkpoint near the bus station in the town of Shchastya from the direction of Vesela Hora village (under LNR control).

Sectors B and M

Fighting continued the whole day near Shyrokyne. At approximately 05:00 the soldiers of the 37th territorial defense battalion reportedly destroyed a CRSF tank that had been detected near their positions by an UAV operator.

CRSF deployed three AA defense systems (Strela-10 and Tor) near Komsomolske.

The militants continue to share the plans of encircling the Ukrainian army forces near Volnovakha, and then Mariupol through the Zello mobile app.

According to the residents, the wives of the separatists have moved to Crimea. This has happened every time before the escalation of the armed hostilities.

The intention of CRSF to assault Volnovakha and create a “cauldron” near Mariupol is being confirmed again.

(c) This information was prepared specifically for InformNapalm, reprinting and any use of this report must include a link to our project.

Translated by Andrii Gryganskyi.

Edited by Max Alginin.

Русский: https://informnapalm.org/8678-hronyka-za-02-05-15-podgotovka-k-vojne