Russia continues Donbas offensive, tries to force Siversky Donets - Ukrainian General Staff 

The Ukrainian Armed Forces' General Staff shared their regular report on Facebook, as below.

On May 21, Russia continued offensive operations in the Eastern Operational Zone. The shelling continues along the entire line of contact, in the depths of the Ukrainian defense in the Donetsk operational area and in the Slovyansk direction, where the aggressor is trying to resume offensive operations. In particular, to force a crossing over Siversky Donets river.

In the Donetsk direction, Russia is conducting active hostilities in the Severodonetsk, Bakhmut, Avdiyivka and Kurakhiv directions.

In the Lyman direction, the Russian forces plan to resume offensive operations in the direction of Yampil - Siversk with the forcing of Siversky Donets river. There is also a concentration of special equipment for pontoon-bridge crossing.

Eleven Russian attacks were repulsed in Donetsk and Luhansk over the past 24 hours, eight Russian tanks, three artillery systems, ten armored combat vehicles, three special armored vehicles and six vehicles were neutralized by Ukrainian forces.

Ukrainian air defense hit two Russian ground-based UAVs, and Ukrainian Air Force's neutralized one UAV, a cruise missile, and hit one hitherto unidentified target, probably a helicopter.

In the Slobozhansky direction, the main Russian efforts are focused on maintaining the occupied frontiers. They launched airstrikes on Tsyrkuny village.

The Russian grouping in the Kharkiv direction is expected to be strengthened by units from the 1st Panzer Army of the Western Military District.

In the Zaporizhzhya direction, Russia fired on Ukrainian troops.

In Mariupol, Russia  is taking measures to restore the port. In particular, conducts demining of port infrastructure.

In the Kryvyi Rih and Mykolayiv directions, Russia doesn't stop artillery shelling of Ukrainian units. There is an additional deployment of barrel and jet artillery units.

In the Siversk direction, the Russian forces fired on the Ukrainian positions in the areas of border Ukrainian settlements in the Sumy and Chernihiv regions.

The Russian Black Sea Fleet ships in the Black and Azov Seas perform tasks to isolate the area of ​​hostilities, reconnaissance and fire support in the coastal direction.

Russia continues to use terror tactics against Ukrainian civilians in the temporarily occupied territories. They prevent the evacuation of people from the Kherson region to the Ukrainian-controlled territory and the opening of humanitarian corridors for the delivery of food, medicine and evacuation of the elderly, sick and children.