From 12 to 14 May, Ukraine executed a string of highly effective strikes that exposed deep tactical flaws in the Russian military’s efforts and left millions of pounds worth of Russian military equipment destroyed or abandoned.
On 12 May, Ukrainian forces shot down a Russian Su-25 fighter jet, a Soviet-era aircraft still widely used by Russian forces. The kill was made by a soldier with the callsign Talib from Ukraine’s 58th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade. Armed with a shoulder-launched Igla 9K38 surface-to-air missile, Talib tracked and struck the Su-25 mid-flight, sending the £8.7 million ($11 million) aircraft plummeting. This marked Talib’s fourth confirmed Russian aircraft takedown. In footage released by the brigade, the missile’s launch and the subsequent explosion are followed by Talib’s blunt message: “Welcome to Ukraine.”
Just two days later, Russian troops launched a mechanised assault from Hrodivka toward Myrnohrad in Donetsk. The plan was to use a narrow 3.1 mile asphalt road to move tanks and BMP infantry vehicles into Ukrainian territory. However, Ukraine had heavily fortified this corridor since 2015 with trenches, bunkers, observation towers and anti-tank positions.
Ukrainian forces lured the Russian column—consisting of one tank and two BMPs—into a kill zone. A combination of anti-tank mines, first-person view (FPV) kamikaze drones, and guided missiles swiftly disabled the vehicles. Trapped, Russian soldiers abandoned the wreckage and fled on foot. Ukrainian drones then picked off fleeing troops before dropping incendiary grenades into the abandoned armoured vehicles to ensure total destruction. The entire Russian operation was neutralised within minutes.
In addition to battlefield domination, Ukraine has begun targeting Russian equipment on their own territory. On 13 May, Kyiv released footage from April showing a Russian Tu-22M3 strategic bomber destroyed in a targeted missile strike, reportedly involving a modified Soviet-era S-200 system. These bombers cost over £31.4 million ($40 million) each and are capable of carrying nuclear and conventional weapons over long distances.
Further footage released on 9 May showed Ukraine striking another prized Russian asset—a 2S43 Malva self-propelled howitzer—near the Russian border, likely in Belgorod or Kursk. This state-of-the-art artillery platform, introduced by Russia in 2023, was discovered hidden among trees by a Ukrainian reconnaissance drone. An FPV drone followed closely and delivered a direct hit, causing a fiery explosion and destroying the weapon.
The Malva is believed to cost several million pounds. Built for high mobility and devastating long-range strikes, its loss is not only financial but symbolic. It marks yet another failed attempt by the Russian dictatorship to dominate the battlefield using supposedly superior equipment.
