Ukrainian defenders have successfully repelled a major assault by Russian forces attempting to regain control of a border checkpoint between the Sumy and Kursk regions in recent days. Units from Ukraine’s elite 225th Assault Regiment employed kamikaze drones to destroy waves of Russian soldiers advancing recklessly on motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles. Despite what sources described as “maximum effort” from Russian and North Korean combatants, Ukrainian troops have maintained their positions near the border areas of Kursk, Belgorod, and Sumy.
Simultaneously, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) launched drone strikes in the Black Sea, successfully targeting Russian radar systems and supply depots on offshore gas platforms. The destroyed NEVA radar, crucial for monitoring aerial and naval activity, marked a significant blow to the Russian military’s operational capability.
On 16 May, another strike obliterated an ammunition storage facility used by the Russian 126th Coastal Defence Brigade in occupied Crimea. Satellite imagery confirmed the destruction. Given the site’s proximity to known military ranges, it is believed the storage facility contained foreign-supplied munitions, likely from Iran or North Korea.
Earlier, on 14 May, Ukraine’s 77th Air Assault Brigade thwarted another Russian advance at dawn. The attackers used a combination of motorcycles, light armoured vehicles, and a tank. Ukrainian forces destroyed the entire convoy and held their line with unshakable discipline. The battlefield was soon strewn with burning wreckage, a stark symbol of Russia’s failed blitz.
In another disturbing development, a former Russian detainee named Vadim has publicly exposed the Kremlin’s appalling treatment of prisoners. He described being tortured inside a windowless cell and given an ultimatum by masked guards: either endure sexual violence or sign a contract to join Russia’s war effort. Detainees were threatened, dehumanised, and sent to the front with only ten days of digging-focused “training” and uniforms riddled with bullet holes.
Vadim’s testimony reveals how thousands of men are being coerced into suicidal assaults against fortified Ukrainian positions. Lacking ammunition and proper equipment, many of these men perish within minutes of combat, victims of a regime using its own citizens as expendable weapons. During one such assault, only 20 of 50 detainees reached the designated point. The rest were killed by Ukrainian defences, including drone strikes and artillery fire. Vadim narrowly survived, though others wounded in the assault lay abandoned for days, without evacuation or aid.
Meanwhile, United States President Donald Trump claimed after a two-hour call with the Russian dictator that Ukraine and Russia would soon begin peace talks. However, no concrete plans or timelines have emerged. Trump’s statement, laden with vague promises about future trade and “unlimited potential” for postwar collaboration, was met with scepticism. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant later confirmed that the US and EU would intensify sanctions if Russia continued refusing good-faith negotiations.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky remains firm that any ceasefire must not allow the Russian regime to benefit from its unprovoked aggression. Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz and European leaders echoed this, insisting on coordinated sanctions and unwavering support for Ukraine’s sovereignty.
