Ukrainian Armed Forces pushed the enemy out of their position near Kupyansk: ISW maps

East of Ukraine. Operation No. 1 – Kharkiv region

Russian troops recently captured Lukianske (northeast of Lyptsi) and moved closer to Lyptsi amid ongoing offensives in the area on 16 May.

Geolocation footage released on 16 May showed Putin’s forces moving closer to Liptsi from the northeast.

Russian sources claimed that Russian troops had advanced to a depth of 1.2km near the southern outskirts of Hlyboke (north of Liptsi), although ISW has not yet observed any evidence of this.

Russian troops continued their offensive north of Lypky in the vicinity of Pylyna, Lukianets, Hlyboke and near Lyptsi itself.

The Russian invaders recently advanced in the northern part of Vovchansk and continued their offensive in the area on 16 May.

Geolocation footage released on 16 May shows Russian troops advancing to Taras Shevchenko Street and along Korolenko Street in the north of Vovchansk and seizing the Vovchansk Central District Hospital.

Geolocation footage released on 16 May shows that Russian forces have recently made minor gains in northeastern Starytsia (west of Vovchansk on the western bank of the Siverskyi Donets River).

Russian sources claim that the occupiers have advanced 3 km into Vovchansk and are approaching the Vovchansk cemetery in the north-east of Vovchansk and the Aggregate Plant in the centre of Vovchansk.

The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported that the occupiers continued their offensive in the area of Starytsia, Pletenivka (north of Vovchansk) and Vovchansk.

According to the report, the limited combat power that Russian troops have so far allocated for offensive operations in the north of Kharkiv region may have already deteriorated.

"It appears that Russian troops launched their offensive in northern Kharkiv before they had completed bringing the Northern Group of forces to their stated planned end strength, and they may lack the combat power to achieve their operational objectives in the Kharkiv region," the analysts write.

Operation No. 2 – Luhansk region

Russian forces recently advanced southeast of Kupyansk as fighting continued along the Kupyansk-Svatove-Kreminna line on 16 May.

Geo-location footage released on 16 May showed the invaders advancing north of Berestove (southeast of Kupyansk), and Russian ’military officials’ claimed they were advancing to the northern outskirts of the settlement.

The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported that Russian troops conducted a mechanised assault of unspecified size in the direction of Berestove and that the Defence Forces drove the enemy out of their positions near Kyslivka (southeast of Kupyansk).

Russian troops continued their offensive in the vicinity of Synkivka, near Pishchane, Ivanivka, Stelmakhivka, Novoyehorivka and Novosadove.

Operation No. 3 – Donetsk region

On 16 May, Russian troops continued ground attacks in the Siverskyi sector (north-east of Bakhmut) near Spirne (southeast of Siversk), as well as near Rozdolivka and Zvanivka (both south of Siversk).

On May 16, Russian troops continued their offensive in the Chasiv Yar area, but there were no confirmed changes in the front line in this area.

Russian troops continued the assault north of Chasiv Yar in the Hrigorivka area, in the area of the Nove and Kanal microdistricts in eastern Chasiv Yar and southeast of Chasiv Yar in the area of Klishchiivka and Andriivka.

On 16 May, Russian troops continued their offensive in the Avdiivka area, but no confirmed changes to the front line were recorded in this area.

Russian "military officials" claimed that Russian troops had allegedly advanced near Solovyeve and towards Yasnobrodivka (both northwest of Avdiivka), but the ISW did not find visual evidence of these claims.

A Russian source claimed that the occupiers are trying to clear the area between Pervomaiske and Nevelske (both southwest of Avdiivka), and that the Balka Domakha river, which flows between Netailove (southwest of Avdiivka) and Nevelske, is a disputed "grey zone".

Russian troops conducted assaults near Kalynove, Arkhangelske, Novooleksandrivka, Sokil, Novopokrovske and Solovyove, near Umanske and Orlivka, and near Netaylove and Pervomayske.

Russian forces have recently made a confirmed advance west of Donetsk city.

Geolocation footage released on 16 May shows that the occupiers have recently advanced southwest of Maryinka (southwest of Donetsk city).

The Russian "military commander" claimed that Russian troops had made a small advance towards Kostyantynivka (southwest of Donetsk), but ISW found no visual evidence of this claim.

Russian troops continued their offensive in the area of Krasnohorivka and Heorhiivka, near Pobeda, Novomykhailivka, Paraskoviivka, Kostiantynivka, Mykilske and Vodyane.

Russian troops continued their offensive in the area of the administrative border of Donetsk and Zaporizhzhya regions.

Russian ’military officials’ claimed that Russian troops had advanced in southern Urozhayne (south of Velyka Novosilka), and ISW assesses that Russian troops have advanced in these areas, given the confirmed Russian advances in the vicinity.

Russian troops continued to advance south of Velyka Novosilka in the area of Staromayorske and Urozhayne.

"Southern Axis"

Russian sources widely denied the 15 May statement by the Russian Ministry of Defence that the invaders had occupied Robotyn on 16 May.

The Telegram channel of Russia’s 70th Motorised Rifle Regiment claimed that Russian troops had pushed Ukrainian forces back from one of their main positions in Robotyn, but that heavy fighting was still taking place in the village.

Russian troops also continued their offensive northwest of Verbove (east of Robotyne).

On May 16, Russian troops continued their offensive on the eastern (left bank) part of the Kherson region in the Krynky region.

On the night of May 15-16, the Ukrainian Armed Forces launched strikes using ATACMS and drones in occupied Crimea.

The Russian Ministry of Defence claims that it destroyed 5 ATACMS missiles and 2 Ukrainian drones over Crimea, and also destroyed 11 naval drones in the Black Sea later in the afternoon on May 16.

The Russian "military" claimed that the Ukrainian Armed Forces launched the first wave of air and sea drones into occupied Sevastopol to divert the attention of Russian air defenses, and then launched several ATACMS missiles that shot down Russian forces over the Belbek airfield.

On the night of May 14-15, the Ukrainian Armed Forces launched an ATACMS attack on the Belbek airfield.

As Ukrainian Navy spokesman Pletenchuk said, the Defence Forces have not yet confirmed the results of the strikes on the airfield, although the Crimean partisan movement ATESH said that its agents confirmed that Ukrainian forces successfully struck the airfield and that artillery stocks there had detonated.

Ukrainian open-source organization Frontelligence Insight, citing low-resolution satellite imagery, said at least three missiles had struck Belbek airfield in the past two days - two on the airfield apron and one near a fuel depot - but could not determine the extent of the damage. airfield.

High-resolution satellite imagery collected by Maxar on May 16 shows the strike destroyed at least two MiG-31s and one Su-27 and damaged one MiG-29.