Russia-Ukraine War: List of Major Events, Day 798

As we enter the 798th day of the war, these are the most important developments.

Here is the situation as of Thursday, May 2, 2024.

Battle

Odessa region governor Oleh Kiper said at least 14 people were injured after Russia hit a postal depot with a ballistic missile, sparking a major fire. It was the third rocket attack on the Black Sea port city in just a few days.
At least two people were killed and six injured in a Russian rocket attack on the town of Hirnyk, just over 12 km (7.5 miles) from the front line in Maryinka in the eastern Donetsk region.
Most recently, two people were killed and 13 injured after Russia fired two guided bombs at the city of Zolochiv in the northeastern Kharkiv region, about 15 km (9 miles) from the Russian border.
Oleh Shyriaiev, commander of Ukraine’s 225th Separate Attack Battalion, which is among the forces defending the strategic eastern fortress of Chasiv Yar, told Reuters his unit was in urgent need of ammunition, especially artillery shells, as it was under almost constant attack by Russian attacks Drones.

Two people were killed when Russian guided bombs hit the city of Zolochiv in the northeastern Kharkiv region [Sergey Bobok/AFP]

New drone footage from the Associated Press news agency showed months of relentless Russian artillery fire devastating Chasiv Yar. The city was once home to 12,000 people, but footage shows that it is now almost deserted with hardly any buildings left intact.
The USA accused Russia of violating the international ban on chemical weapons by using the asphyxiant chloropicrin against Ukrainian troops. Chloropicrin is listed as a banned substance by the Hague-based Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). The US said Moscow was also using counterinsurgency assets in Ukraine “as a method of warfare.”
Russia said Ukrainian drone strikes caused power outages in villages in the central Oryol and southern Kursk regions. A Ukrainian drone also hit a Russian oil refinery in Ryazan, about 190 km (120 miles) southeast of Moscow.

The United States announced new sanctions against nearly 300 companies over Russia’s war in Ukraine, aimed at getting Moscow to circumvent existing restrictions imposed by China, among others. Sanctions were imposed on 20 companies based in China and Hong Kong, including one that allegedly exported items for drone production.

Russia’s Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu ordered an increase in weapons production for the war in Ukraine and said deliveries also needed to be accelerated.
Moscow showed a display of Western tanks and military equipment captured by Russian forces in Ukraine and said the “Russian Army Trophies” exhibition showed that Western aid would not deter Russia in its full-scale invasion of the country Ukraine to be successful.