The war in Ukraine 2025-05-04

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The Russian losses in Ukraine:

  • 1340 KIA
  • 11 Tanks
  • 24 APVs
  • 52 Artillery systems
  • 1 MLRS
  • 1 Anti-aircraft systems
  • 2 Aircraft
  • 163 UAVs
  • 129 Vehicles & Fuel tanks
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147 thoughts on “The war in Ukraine 2025-05-04”

  1. MatsExtrude
    AFU: “In total, 253 combat clashes were recorded during the past day.
    Yesterday, the enemy launched two missiles and 81 aviation strikes at the positions of Ukrainian units and settlements, using two missiles and 158 controlled bombs. In addition, carried out 6384 shelling, of which 113 are from jet systems of salpovogo fire, and involved 2,760 kamikaze drones for impressions.”
  3. MatsExtrude

    Anders Puck Nielsen’s latest. Most of what he brings up we have already discussed here on the blog, but one thing he mentions is that Putin and Russia probably need the USA as a unifying external enemy.

    Initially, when Trump approached Russia, Russian media tried to praise it first, but when I checked RT and the comments there, most were still against the USA and argued that they are the archenemy (Ukraine and Europe are believed by many to be controlled by the USA..). Even pro-Russian bloggers have turned against cooperation with the USA.

    It may possibly be that Putin initially thought of approaching Trump but realized that it wouldn’t work when for several years the USA has been portrayed as the enemy.

    “Trump gives up on fast peace process”
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtOIQYVq26o

    3. Jan W

      Could this be an explanation for what I brought up yesterday? Namely, that Putin and Russia have not chosen to cooperate with Trump in a way that could have been very beneficial for them.

        1. manteufeldt

          Sounds highly reasonable and also likely. The Russians in general live in total denial and lack of knowledge. Having the USA as a counterpart is guaranteed necessary to keep the people down.

    4. MacMelmac

      Both need each other as enemies. It has been drummed into their respective populations since ancient times.
      Both leaders made the same misjudgment.

  4. MatsExtrude

    “Ryska styrkor genomförde en drönarattack mot Kyiv under natten och skadade 11 personer, inklusive två barn. Enligt Statliga nödtjänsten skadades även fem bostadshus, en höghusbyggnad, en förskola och civila fordon.”

  5. MatsExtrude

    “A state of emergency was declared in Novorossiysk, Russia, following a massive nighttime attack. The Ukrainian attack involved at least: 170 UAVs, 14 unmanned boats, 3 Neptune missiles, 8 Storm Shadow missiles. We are awaiting information on the targets hit.”

  7. MatsExtrude

    As we have already reported, it seems that the parade on May 9 will not be as well-attended. Zelensky’s warning seems to have had an impact: “Zelensky warns: Ukraine cannot guarantee the safety of world leaders in Moscow on May 9 — the day of Russia’s Victory Parade. Leaders like Xi, Vucic, Fico, Lula, Lukashenko & Kim Jong Un are expected to attend. Zelensky also refused Putin’s proposed ceasefire.” https://bsky.app/profile/noelreports.com/post/3loaxfoqutk2a

    “Even the clown Lukashenko will be “late” and most likely won’t even attend the May 9 parade in Moscow. Perhaps it has something to do with the weather forecast for May 9 – we never know.” https://bsky.app/profile/juergennauditt.bsky.social/post/3locxkzkdms2y

    “April 30: Modi has cancelled his trip to Moscow for the parade. It has been announced that Indian Defense Minister will come instead. 🚫 May 3: Indian Defense Minister has cancelled his trip to Moscow for the parade….” https://bsky.app/profile/maks23.bsky.social/post/3lobnibw2w22e

    🇸🇰Fico and 🇷🇸Vucic, who were scheduled to attend the parade in 🇷🇺Moscow on May 9, suddenly fell ill, Russian media reported, citing local sources. Vucic reportedly fell ill in the US and even canceled a meeting with Trump, although he had held several meetings beforehand.” https://bsky.app/profile/militarynewsua.bsky.social/post/3loazbminfc24

    Now it seems that only Xi is missing. I saw some rumors that he had canceled, but it seems that they were just rumors.

  8. MatsExtrude

    “The 🇺🇦Ukrainian Air Force recently dealt a devastating blow to the command post of the enemy’s 🇷🇺6th Motorized Rifle Division in the Bakhmut area – General Staff of Ukraine.

    As a result of the blow, the ability of the Russian Federation troops to exercise control in the Pokrovsky direction was significantly reduced. Currently, data on enemy losses are being clarified.”

      2. 205

        I usually paste in nonsense text that I edit because it works better with the text formatting. But I sat with the calculator and calculated a ratio when time ran out and deleted my editing.
         
        Not an early communion.

  13. MatsExtrude

    “On Russian Telegram:
    Russia is changing its diet, and Russians are predicted to switch to cheaper alternatives to potatoes.

    The price of potatoes is expected to remain high due to the low purchasing power of the population – in some regions, its cost has already exceeded the prices of oranges and bananas, notes Yuri Lyandau, a professor at Plekhanov Russian University of Economics and a Doctor of Economics.

    According to him, Russians will start to opt for more affordable food items in their daily diet, such as cereals and pasta.”
    https://bsky.app/profile/beefeaterfella.bsky.social/post/3loday5fb6s2g

  15. 205

    Large offensive against Pokrovsk and the southern neighbor sector Novopavlivka. These two sectors accounted for more than 70% of the attacks. Ratio attacks/KWIA: 4.6. Assuming 50%(?) KWIA gives a group size of about 10. Smaller than a platoon, group.
     
    Update from 08:00 04.05.2025 on the Russian invasion
     
    A total of 253↗️ combat actions were registered during the past day.
    ⏱️ 216, 199, 199, 177, 178, 168, 174, 156, 175, 168, 144, 165, 96, 127, 162, 143, 125, 111, 99
     
    #Kharkiv 5
    ⏱️6, 8, 2, 2, 9, 6, 0, 0, 0, 4, 4, 0, 1, 2, 7, 1
     
    #Kupyansk 6
    ⏱️6, 5, 6, 9, 7, 3, 4, 5, 4, 1, 3, 2, 1, 7, 11, 4
     
    #Lyman 16↘️💥 https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GqFbHeaWgAAnmHv.jpg
    ⏱️27, 27, 36, 21, 18, 20, 22, 19, 15, 20, 14, 25, 12, 14, 17, 20
     
    #Siverskyi 3
    ⏱️1, 4, 2, 4, 6, 2, 3, 5, 8, 12, 3, 2, 3, 2, 2, 2
     
    #Kramatorsk 6
    ⏱️8, 6, 6, 13, 10, 16, 13, 8, 13, 1, 6, 4, 5, 7, 6, 8
     
    #Toretsk 7
    ⏱️8, 4, 10, 6, 14, 9, 29, 16, 17, 13, 23, 10, 18, 26, 11
     
    #Pokrovsk 113↗️💥💥💥💥💥

    ⏱️83, 64, 85, 75, 59, 64, 68, 44, 65, 56, 53, 61, 39, 54, 64
     
    #Novopavlivka 66↗️💥💥💥

    ⏱️23, 15, 16, 13, 23, 13, 13, 19, 10, 15, 17, 19, 5, 12, 9, 9
     
    #Huliaipil 0↘️
    ⏱️6, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0
     
    #Orikhivsk 3
    ⏱️5, 4, 5, 0, 5, 1, 4, 4, 9, 3, 5, 3, 4, 3, 3, 1
     
    #Prydniprovsky 1
    ⏱️0, 1, 1, 1, 5, 1, 1 , 1, 3, 1, 0, 2, 0, 0, 0
     
    #Kursk 23💥

    ⏱️20, 33, 21, 25, 15, 23, 15, 30, 27, 26, 22, 21, 16, 20, 23, 21
     
    Yesterday, the defense forces hit two checkpoints, five artillery pieces, an electronic warfare station, seven concentration areas for hostile personnel, weapons, and military equipment, two UAV checkpoints, and a hostile air defense system.

  16. MatsExtrude

    The Democrats completely missed the train when it comes to how people consume news today.
    Now the White House is taking another step to leverage influencers to spread their rhetoric.

    “On Monday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt held her first ‘influencer briefing,’ writes NBC News.
    Of the 25 who were there, all but one have explicitly expressed their support for President Trump, and some have direct connections to him. Among those present were also former Trump employees and well-known conspiracy theorists, writes NBC.”
    https://omni.se/konspirationsteoretiker-vid-influencer-briefing/a/Rzey5J

    1. Lasse W

      Omni again. Always at least three Trump-negative publications daily. There is another one further down. We have our msm media. Trump is a pompous and self-centered amateur with zero sense of foreign policy. However, he is more on point at home when he attacks DEI and the Democrats’ hegemony in the media and academia.

      1. MatsExtrude

        Good that you’re digging into it! 👍

        For my part, it wasn’t direct criticism this time, noting that the Trump side is significantly sharper when it comes to getting their messages out compared to the Democrats.

        Omni was well mostly neutral except for mentioning “well-known conspiracy theorists”, but we know they’ve had support from that direction. 
        Messages were spread, for example, in the style of “Deep State is controlled by satanic Democrats who sacrifice and eat small children” or that they are pedophiles, etc. etc. Trump himself has almost praised QAnon.

    2. Westley Richard

      If one must be 18 years old to have the right to vote, one should also consider introducing some form of limitation for those who follow influencers, as their brain capacity can hardly exceed that of a seventeen-year-old.

    3. johan No.1

      The by far best influencer, if we are going to discuss it, was the one who posted about flight shame on the plane to Mallorca 🤣🤣

      They are, by definition, guns for hire and are probably used by all political parties, I guess?

      In Sweden, S got caught up with it at least.

  18. MatsExtrude

    “Donald Trump is criticized after posting an AI-generated image of himself as pope, reports the news agency AP.

    The image, where the American president is dressed in a bishop’s hat, is published less than two weeks after the death of Pope Francis and is not appreciated by Italy’s former prime minister Matteo Renzi.

    “This is an image that offends believers, insults institutions, and shows that the leader of the global right enjoys playing the clown,” he writes in a post on X.”
    https://omni.se/trump-kritiseras-efter-bild-som-pave-kranker-troende/a/yEdRdR

    Vance tries his hand at old-fashioned whataboutism when defending the image.
    “Yesterday, Donald Trump posted an AI-generated image of himself as pope on social media, which has sparked some criticism. One of those who reacted strongly was Bill Kristol, former chief of staff during the Bush administration.

    “JD Vance, are you okay with this disrespect and mockery of the Holy Father?” he wrote in a post on X.

    Vance responded with a counterattack: “Generally, I’m okay with people making jokes, but I’m not okay with individuals starting unnecessary wars that kill thousands of my countrymen,” he wrote, referring to the Iraq War in 2003.”
    https://omni.se/jd-vance-forsvarar-pave-bild-okej-att-folk-skamtar/a/GyLQB4

     “

  19. 205

    It has been hit!

    It has been confirmed that the air force of the Ukrainian armed forces recently carried out a devastating attack on the command post of the enemy’s 6th motorized rifle division near Bakhmut, a temporarily occupied area in the Donetsk region.

    As a result of the attack, the ability of the Russian Federation’s occupation forces to control the Pokrovske direction was significantly reduced. Information about the enemy’s losses is currently being updated.

    Ukrainian defense forces continue to deter the enemy’s offensive and inflict significant losses on the enemy.

    General Staff 🇺🇦

  23. MatsExtrude

    China’s President Xi Jinping is set to travel to Russia for the festivities in Moscow, reports AFP.

    Celebrations in Moscow for the 80th anniversary of the Allies’ victory over Nazi Germany will be held on May 7-10. Xi will stand alongside Russia’s President Vladimir Putin during the celebration, the Kremlin announced. Putin’s office also stated that he and Xi will hold talks about their partnership. They are also expected to sign “a number of bilateral documents,” AFP writes.

    1. jahojariaho

      This is not good and shows where China’s closet is! We simply have to stop doing business with China! Much of the imports are only good from a sustainability perspective if we stop!

  24. MatsExtrude

    The programmer Sergej Prochorov protested against the Russian car parade and flag waving in Stockholm.

    A few days later, he was met by a sticker on his door – with the infamous Wagner group’s skull symbol.

    – Someone from the group wanted to punish and scare me, says Sergej.

  25. MatsExtrude

    It’s completely insane that all imports continue!

    “The majority of EU countries are still buying oil and gas from Russia for billions of kronor – despite the goal of completely phasing out Russian energy by 2027, reports Sweden’s Radio Ekot.

    Energy analyst Petras Katinas at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air tells Ekot that EU countries are buying Russian energy for more money than they contribute to Ukraine in the war.”
    https://omni.se/eu-lander-koper-rysk-energi-for-mer-an-stodet-till-ukraina/a/jQEzan
    https://www.sverigesradio.se/artikel/eu-lander-pumpar-in-miljarder-i-den-ryska-krigskassan-groteskt

    1. jahojariaho

      Is it difficult to change one’s behavior?
      Moreover, are you penny-wise and pound-foolish, not realizing that low prices also come with costs elsewhere?

    1. Fram i Natten

      FiN hopes that Ukraine 🇺🇦 can also integrate the AMRAAM120 on the patrol burners.
      It would be like a sea-based IRIS system then. Or is it NASAMS that has AIM120?

  28. MatsExtrude

    “In Washington, a “Immortal Regiment” march was allowed—Russians paraded from the White House to the WWII Memorial chanting “Victory” and “We wish you health” Ukrainian and pro-Ukraine activists were present, holding signs in support of Ukraine to remind Americans that Russia is a terrorist state.”

  30. MatsExtrude

    “The “carpet” plan was introduced at Vnukovo Airport in Moscow, according to Russian media. Due to the threat of suspected unidentified drones, the airport is closed.”

  31. MatsExtrude

    Russia’s President Vladimir Putin “hopes” that he won’t have to use nuclear weapons in the war against Ukraine, reports Reuters.

    In parts of an interview published on Sunday, the president was asked by a reporter about the Ukrainian attacks against Russia.

    – There has been no need for nuclear weapons yet. And I hope they will not be needed, he replied.

    1. MacMelmac

      The left-wing together with the National Association of Peace Injured will cry out in the news studio.
      They don’t understand that it’s just a threat. Nuclear weapons in a war with such a drawn-out front with small groupings is meaningless! It’s empty threats from RU because they know that the fools fall for it. Every time!
      The idea that they would launch a missile towards Berlin, Paris, or London is unthinkable. Then Kremlin and Moscow would be in ruins in response, and RU knows it!

  33. MatsExtrude

    “India has stopped regulated water flow through the Baglihar Dam on the Chenab River, following its suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan. This marks the first suspension in the treaty’s 65-year history.”

  35. MatsExtrude

    The election in Romania unfortunately seems to be heading in the wrong direction.
    “Today marks the beginning of the first round of the Romanian re-election. And the right-wing populist politician George Simion from Eurosceptic has a comfortable lead in the opinion polls, reports Reuters.
    Simion is against military support for Ukraine, critical of the EU’s leadership, and identifies with Donald Trump’s “make America great again” movement, Reuters writes. After Georgescu was denied participation in the election, Simion stated that he will “restore democracy” in Romania.”
    https://omni.se/hogerpopulisten-simion-favorittippad-i-omvalet/a/8q8BMw

  36. Westley Richard

    Let me tell you about two different kinds of demonstrations that took place last Sunday.

    One was held in northern Gaza. Several thousand people demonstrated against the war and against Hamas, many were women and children, including ten-year-old girl Bassma al-Sheik who stood in front of the demonstration procession and shouted:

    “We want to live, it is our right, to live in our homes, Hamas must go, Hamas must go out!”

    In Gothenburg, it sounds different. On the same day that ten-year-old Bassma protested against Hamas, a demonstration was held at Gustaf Adolf’s Square where Hamas was praised from the stage and where Huda Faraj, the new chair of the Unity Front for Palestine, expressed her wholehearted support for the events of October 7, 2023. Everyone gathered in the square, she declared, stood behind October 7.

    It is obvious that the Left Party does not know which side to stand on.

    The Left Party is deeply divided after Member of Parliament Lorena Delgado Varas was urged to resign from her duties due to allegations of antisemitism, reports SvD. She refuses to resign, which has led to an internal uprising. Over 900 party members have signed the petition “Support Lorena,” writes SvD and according to Aftonbladet, 15 local party branches and 1,600 voters have also signed. Several prominent Left Party figures, such as Lars Ohly and Rossana Dinamarca, criticize the party leadership’s decision. At the same time, among others, Jonas Sjöstedt defends the decision as necessary.

    The division seems to be significant between those who praise Hamas’ killings and those who distance themselves. The Left Party obviously has a large number of members who praise terrorists and the killings they carry out. We can only hope that the party disintegrates from within. Right now, it feels like all those who voted for Jonas Sjöstedt, who supported Ukraine instead, have given their vote to a bunch of terrorist sympathizers.

    1. MatsExtrude

      Agree, the Left Party must take this issue seriously and if they do not clearly distance themselves from Hamas, they are welcome to collapse as far as I’m concerned.

      The reason they have not done so yet is probably because they are afraid of losing the votes of Palestinian supporters.

      As I have written before, in Palestine, ordinary people seem to want to get rid of Hamas but around the world, the image projected is rather one of praising them and allowing hatred against Israel to flourish. I truly hope that this is not the majority’s viewpoint. 

      One can both believe that Palestine has the right to its own land and that Israel deserves criticism for its excesses without becoming radicalized to the point of glorifying murder and violence and wanting to see Israel wiped out.

      Just as Israelis, of course, should not turn a blind eye to what Hamas did but have every right to defend themselves and ensure that it does not happen again, without resorting to what is increasingly starting to resemble genocide. Even in Israel, there are protests against the excesses that Netanyahu is carrying out. There are ordinary sensible people on both sides.

      Regardless, the Left Party must take a clear stance, and if they lose votes to those who praise what Hamas stands for, it is simply the price they have to pay. Otherwise, I don’t think they belong in politics.

      1. Westley Richard

        Harvard and several other universities, including Lund University where Hamas activists occupied an area which they declared as Judenfrei.
        That’s why Trump is so tough on Harvard, unfortunately news about this is usually spun to suggest that the reason is something completely different.
        There is no major difference between the Left Party and Harvard when it comes to this.

    2. johan No.1

      Israel – Palestine is not easy to navigate at all – depends on which year you start to justify one side in the conflict 😀

      But…

      That a lot of the conflict is because of the Soviet Union and now Russia is an absolute truth.

      For example, October 7th just when it started to calm down a bit.

      And that the demonstrations in the west also have Russian fingerprints we can safely assume.

      Where, for example, are the demonstrations against the ethnic cleansing in Syria now?

      Or as you write for the Palestinians against Hamas – because they hate Hamas as much as the Lebanese hate Hezbollah.

      1. Westley Richard

        Sensible Palestinians have no representative, everything is controlled by terrorists in Hamas or the thoroughly corrupt in Fatah.

      1. Westley Richard

        I feel sorry for the child who should have been able to come to a foster home and get a new chance, far from the current school.
        This should have been able to be solved in some other way with alternative financing so that the school trip could take place.

          1. Westley Richard

            The child hasn’t done anything wrong, it’s her mother she should be taken away from.
            The mother can gladly sit in the stocks outside the local ICA store.
             

  39. MatsExtrude

    “CIVILIAN CASUALTIES ACCORDING TO THE U.N.
    The U.N. has recorded 43.6 thousand Ukrainian civilian casualties to date, thereof 12.9 thousand deaths. The true figure is unfortunately much higher as the reporting doesn’t include e.g. the siege of Mariupol.”

  42. MatsExtrude

    “A rapid response team from the 4th Battalion of the 3rd National Guard Brigade “Spartan” carried out an operation near Pokrovsk — dismounting from an APC, they stormed and recaptured a Russian-held position.”

  45. MatsExtrude

    “A Swedish study on how the spread of TBE can be linked to climate change is prevented from being published in the prestigious American journal Environmental Health Perspectives, writes DN. The reason is stated to be the Trump administration’s changes to the National Institutes of Health.

    The agency will no longer fund research on, among other things, the health effects of climate change. The journal, whose future funding is now uncertain, has therefore decided not to publish the Swedish study – despite it being previously agreed upon.”

      1. MatsExtrude

        They write that it concerns new contributions, the Swedish study had already been accepted once.

        “Due to recent changes in operational resources, the journals are pausing the acceptance of new manuscript submissions at this time.”

        1. Westley Richard

          The insects have not decreased in number in Sweden over the past 35 years, according to a study from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences that will be published in the autumn.

          In several other European countries, insect populations have decreased in recent decades.

          “Looking internationally, it is usually said that insects decrease by one to two percent every year,” says Mattias Jonsson, research leader at SLU.
          https://www.sverigesradio.se/artikel/forvanande-upptackten-lika-manga-insekter-idag-som-pa-80-talet
          I don’t know about the number of mosquitoes, the number of insects of a particular species is certainly influenced by how nature evolves, mosquitoes like stagnant freshwater, bark beetles like bark, etc.

          1. Lasse W

            I see fewer mosquitoes. And insect-eating birds are decreasing. Has anyone seen a skylark this year? A wagtail? You have to rely on what you see based on your previous experiences as a nature enthusiast. I am an ornithologist and spend a lot of time in nature. That doesn’t mean I automatically believe in global warming and climate change.

            1. Westley Richard

              The number of songbirds is probably more dependent on the development of agriculture than on whether the average temperature has been affected to any degree. Agriculture and forestry can also promote certain types of insects at the expense of others, perhaps those that the songbird feeds on.

            2. MatsExtrude

              It can of course be temporary variations but we have significantly fewer mosquitoes nowadays but also bees.
              We have a patio that is partially overgrown with wild wine and in the past, it was full speed ahead with a constant buzzing sound mat with probably around fifty bees at the same time.
              In recent years, they have almost completely disappeared with only a few left.
              We also see a lot fewer wasps and bumblebees.

              Instead, last summer we saw a few occasional hornets for the first time ever.

              Since we have cats, we have also noticed that the tick season has been extended and occurs later in the autumn and earlier in the spring.

          2. johan No.1

            The bees have indeed decreased significantly – it affects harvests.

            So beekeepers SHOULD be a state-prioritized job and something our aid money went to

             

            The mosquitoes have been actively combated enormously so it would be strange if they didn’t decrease I think 🤣🤣

  47. johan No.1

    You have kept up with the fact that Putin has built a replica of the Reichstag, right?

    And that Armata is there.

    This is a different May 9th from the Russian side.

  52. Westley Richard

    🇺🇸🇨🇳 Trump on China tariffs: At some point I’m going to lower them because otherwise you could never do business with them — and they want to do business very much. Their economy is really doing badly. Their economy is collapsing.
    A good guy who doesn’t want China’s economy to collapse 😇

    1. Lasse W

      China should be pressured, according to Trump. But not so much that they stop trading with us. Yes, Trump is a decent guy. Or a schoolyard bully. Probably the latter. He wants to see a humble China that crawls to him to make sales. He doesn’t understand the Chinese.

    3. johan No.1

      Have you noticed how the discussion has completely died down?

      One has the sequence of events clear but not what triggered it.

      That the frequency fluctuated in the UK on Sunday or in Spain at 09:30 on Monday is also gone from the discussion.

      Now the culprit is Spanish solar power at 12:30…

  55. MatsExtrude

    Of course, it’s Biden’s fault, those damn tariffs he kept insisting on all the time!!!

    “What’s good about the US economy is Donald Trump’s merit, the rest is former President Joe Biden’s fault. That’s what the American president says in the interview with the NBC News program “Meet the Press”. – The good parts are Trump’s economy and the bad parts are Biden’s economy because he has done a terrible job, he says.”
    https://omni.se/a/1M9O8X

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