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
Militants shelled Avdiivka, Pisky and Opytne during the night.
In the early morning, starting around 05:30, militants clashed with Cossacks, who where located in the building across the Bumer car service station (Mayska street, Budenovskyi District): small arms fire and explosions were heard. Fire trucks arrived, because a gas pipe was damaged during the fight. Ten passenger cars blocked Mayska Street, and patrols were set out, passing cars and bystanders were randomly searched. As a result the Cossack base was captured, their flag was removed, the building was severely damaged, and the militants lay in ambush with machine guns. The residents reported casualties on both sides.
10:30 – A BMP passed towards the city center from Svoboda square through Kirova Street, carrying militants in masks and with white armbands.
11:07 – In the northern part of the city explosions and firing could be heard, smoke was seen in the airport area.
At 13:00 the residents informed about the militants’ attempt to seize the Cossack base in Oleksiivka. A fight started with BMP on the side of militants.
13:15 – Mortar shelling near the airport.
13:50 – A dense smoke in Pisky area.
14:14 – Militants set up ambush points along the road of Zvesdnyi, Myrnyi and Shyrokyi.
14:20 – Militants set up perimeter defense of Kirovskyi District Police Department.
14:37 – An explosion near Coal Mine 12/18 with a big cloud of black smoke, which quickly dissipated.
14:50 – Militants also surrounded Leninskyi District Police Department.
15:11 – Single explosions and salvos in the airport area.
15:14 – Two BMPs left from the Directorate for Fighting Organized Crime, with militants on the top. The militants wore white bands on their right arms. The vehicles turned to Myrnyi District.
15:45 – Donetsk Airport, Tochmash, Oktyabrska Mine – the sounds of tanks, self-propelled artillery, and BMPs were heard.
17:08 – Mayak: powerful salvos of heavy artillery.
17:10 – Kyivskyi District: militants’ artillery shells the positions of the Ukrainian army.
17:20 – The residents report the seizure of the Cossack base in Oleksiivka by militants; they changed the flag and set numerous armed patrols. No information about casualties and damages.
17:22 – Kalininskyi District: heavy single outgoing shots.
17:25 – A tank periodically fires in the Spartak area. Sounds of heavy artillery in the areas of Vyshnevskyi hospital as well as Bakynskykh Komisariv.
17:27 – Sounds of a firefight were heard in the area of Donbas-Arena coming from the direction of the airport, a D-30 howitzer was firing.
18:05 – An OSCE car passed through Dzerzhynskyi Avenue towards Makiivka, and later a BMP accompanied by a police van.
18:15 – A T-64 tank passed towards the airport via Kyivskyi Avenue.
18:30 – More than 10 tanks are standing on the road leading to Adviivka, they are positioned right after the fork-bridge if coming from the ring road.
19:06 – Kyivskyi Avenue: salvos of D-30 howitzers, sounds of small arms fight from the airport.
21:30 – A heavy machine gun, small arms firing and single explosions in the airport area.
Makiivka
12:47 – A firefight can be heard from the center of the city, it sounds like a BMP or AA guns.
17:10 – Shots by a single tank can be heard from the center of the city.
17:20 – Shelling by heavy artillery can be heard from Chervonohvardiyski District.
Shakhtarsk
Road accident involving militants occurred in front of the Fokstrot supermarket: an Ural military truck rammed a passenger bus departing to Russia. No information about casualties.
13:40 = Four BM-21 Grad MLRS passed towards Yenakiieve-Horlivka.
14:47 – Ural trucks with new tactical markings (diamond with the number 11 inside) appeared in the town.
15:34 – One BMP passed to Torez.
15:42 – MAZ-537 truck with an empty tanker trailer passed to Torez.
20:15 – Approximately 10 covered trucks accompanied by SUVs with sirens drove from Donetsk eastwards.
21:52 – A bus with militants, an Ural truck, three BMP-2, and a Grad MLRS passed towards Donetsk.
Horlivka
Around midnight, a fight between Ukrainian servicemen and militants’ sabotage-reconnaissance group took place near Zaytseve area.
12:00 – Two BMPs passed on D. Zhloba Street towards Avtodrom.
15:30 – Railroad operation is now restored. A train with coal traveled over the Lenina Avenue bridge towards Mykytivka, Konstyantynivka.
In the area of “Kochegarka” on B. Makukha Street two bridge sections were towed, there are claims that the bridge will be rebuilt by May 9.
19:00 – “Kurhanka”: gun salvos.
In the evening there was an explosion near Horlivka district administration building. Somebody threw a hand grenade from a car under a repair truck in 5th Block near the building.
Sector A
Shchastya
The defensive post of the Ukrainian Army near the town of Shchastya was shelled three times with 82mm mortars. The positions of the Ukrainian army near Stanytsia Luhanska were fired at with AA guns, automatic grenade launchers, and small arms.
Zolote
A man triggered a tripwire mine just a few meters away from the bus stop of Rodina coal mine.
Stakhanov
The residents observed approximately 20 trucks with ammunition and militants moving from Bryanka towards Almazna.
Three militants died the night before; they were buried today in the coffins made of MLRS Grad ammunition boxes.
Militants tell the residents that the offense is planned for May 10th and everything is ready.
Molodohvardiysk
The residents claim that they heard the sound of a helicopter flying to Luhansk, and after some time they also heard the noise of a moving armor convoy.
Pervomaisk
The residents say that their town is literally flooded with tanks and BTRs. They never saw so many before.
Alchevsk
No fuel was available at any of the eight gas stations between Alchevsk and Perevalsk for the whole day.
At 20:52 two loaded Grad MLRS passed towards Stakhanov.
Luhansk
A rehearsal of militants’ parade for May 9 took place in the city.
A 23 year old woman was brutally killed in the township of Metalist; she was missing for five days. Allegedly she was raped, the cause of death were numerous wounds as a result of severe beating. The woman is survived by her husband and a small child.
At 20:50 a convoy with flags and militants on top of armored vehicles drove by.
The militants got paid in Luhansk. Huge sell-out at the market: drunken militants have rubles and are buying everything.
Krasnyi Luch
Fuel has disappeared at the gas stations. “The authorities” continue to pay pensions in rubles, bringing them directly to the homes of the residents. It seems all pensions in the occupied territories are paid with 50 ruble notes of 1997 issue.
At 20:30 a large convoy of heavy weaponry, approximately 30 vehicles, possibly including self-propelled guns, passed from Novopavlivka.
23:30 – Another large convoy with approximately 30 Grad MLRS from Novopavlivka.
Antratsyt
By the order of LNR leadership the gas price has been fixed at 18 hryvnya per liter of 95 octane gas. As a result all gas stations have closed. The residents state that a single gas station is working somewhere, but nobody knows which one. Operators of the other gas stations are waiting for the situation to change, since they would lose money on sales at the set price.
Lutugine
23:16 – A military convoy entered the village Rozkishne from Lutugine, it took the convoy over 20 minutes to pass.
Sectors B and M
Hranitne
From 6:00 to 8:30 the militants shelled the village Hranitne with mortars. The shells exploded in the yards and gardens causing civilian casualties.
Shyrokyne
14:20 – Militants fired at the positions of the Azov regiment with heavy machine guns and small arms.
16:20 – A massive shelling of the positions of the Ukrainian Army.
22:30 – Audible explosions and continuous shelling. Three soldiers of the Azov regiment were injured during the shelling of Shyrokyne.
Conclusion: In the ATO zone the militants, along with Russian servicemen, continue provocative shelling of the positions of the Ukrainian Army, accumulate ammunition and weaponry, and also terrorize the residents of the occupied territories.
(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