29 combat engagements take place in 4 frontline areas, hottest battles go on for Bakhmut and Marinka – AFU General Staff

The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces shared the information in a morning briefing on May 19.

Russian troops attack in Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Marinka directions - 29 combat engagements took place in these areas of the frontline over the past day. 

The most intense fighting is taking place for Bakhmut and Marinka.

Russia launches 39 missile and 39 air strikes against Ukraine 

On May 19, Russia once again launched a massive missile and air strike against Ukraine. Detailed information will be released later.

Over the past day, Russian troops launched 39 missile and 39 air strikes, as well as 50 MLRS attacks.

The threat of further missile and air strikes throughout Ukraine remains very high.

Situation in other directions is as follows

On the northern border with Belarus, the situation remains unchanged.

On the northeastern border with Russia, Russian troops fired mortar and artillery shells at 13 settlements in Chernihiv, Sumy region, and Kharkiv regions.

In the Kupyansk direction, 10 settlements in the Kharkiv region and 1 in Luhansk region were subjected to Russian artillery and mortar attacks.

In the Lyman direction, Russian troops did not launch any assaults over the past day.

However, they launched air strikes near Bilohorivka, shelled 2 settlements in the Luhansk region and 2 more in the Donetsk region. 

In the Bakhmut direction, the Russian army is on the offensive. Heavy fighting continues for the city of Bakhmut. 

In addition, it launched unsuccessful attacks in the direction of Ivanivske yesterday and air strikes near 3 other settlements. 

Ten settlements in the Donetsk region suffered from Russian shelling.

In the Avdiivka direction, Russian troops launched attacks in the direction of the settlements of Sieverne and Pervomaiske, but were unsuccessful.

During the day, they launched air strikes near Avdiivka and one more settlement, shelled 7 other settlements in the Donetsk region.

In the Marinka direction, Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled numerous attacks near the town of Marinka, as well as an attack in the direction of Novomykhailivka.

At the same time, Russian troops destroy settlements along the contact line, firing artillery at 3 settlements in the Donetsk region.

In the Shakhtarsk direction, Russian troops did not launch any assaults over the past day.

They launched air strikes near 2 settlements. They also fired at settlements near the frontline.

In Zaporizhzhia and Kherson directions, Russian troops are on the defensive.

They launched an air strike on Novopil, Donetsk region. 

They also shelled 10 settlements in Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions, as well as the city of Kherson.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces hit 3 artillery units at firing positions, 7 electronic warfare and air defense stations

Aviation of the Ukrainian Defense Forces launched 7 strikes on concentrations of Russian personnel and military equipment over the past day.

Ukrainian missile and artillery units struck a concentration of Russian weapons and military equipment, an ammunition depot, 3 artillery units at firing positions, an air defense missile system, 7 electronic warfare stations and a radar station.

In addition, they destroyed 21 cruise missiles and 8 UAVs of various types.

Russian troops use a railway hospital of occupied Luhansk as a hospital for wounded soldiers and Wagner mercenaries

As noted, due to large sanitary losses, the Russian occupying forces are increasingly using civilian medical facilities in the settlements for their own purposes. 

In particular, in the temporarily occupied Luhansk, a railway hospital is used as a military hospital to treat wounded Russian military personnel and mercenaries of Wagner PMC.

• Earlier, Ukrainian General Staff reported that in the Kakhovka district, Kherson region, Russia was settling its newly arrived military in houses where the local population still lived.