A wave of Ukrainian counterattacks has shaken Russian positions along the border with the Kursk region, causing panic and confusion among Russian troops and civilians. According to reports from both Ukrainian sources and open-source intelligence, Ukraine has successfully carried out daring incursions and drone strikes that crippled key Russian military infrastructure and equipment.
In the latest action near the Russian town of Tetkino, Ukrainian infantry units advanced on foot across the border. The unexpected move, which did not involve heavy armour, caught Russian defences off guard. Local Russian sources reported alarm and fear as Ukrainian troops breached positions once thought secure. Kursk residents expressed growing concern over the vulnerability of their defences, suggesting morale among Russian forces has severely weakened.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s 225th Assault Regiment destroyed a Russian vehicle concentration, including a T72 tank and a BMD2. Most other destroyed assets were lightly armoured vehicles fitted with anti-drone cages. These outdated defences proved ineffective against Ukraine’s precision drone warfare. Ukrainian forces have turned commercially available drones into deadly airborne weapons, capable of destroying millions of pounds worth of Russian military equipment at a fraction of the cost.
Drone strikes by Ukrainian forces also hit the Shcheglovsky Val plant in Tula on 7 May 2025. The plant, which manufactures the Pantsir S1 air defence system and other advanced military hardware, suffered major damage. Satellite imagery confirmed the destruction of a newly built workshop. The plant, which expanded production only in March 2025, was a key site in Russia’s war machine and is now reduced to charred rubble. This site was also previously targeted in January 2024.
On the same day, Ukrainian drones struck two other military industrial facilities in Tula: KBP Instrument Design Bureau and NPO Splav. Both are subsidiaries of the Kremlin-controlled Rostec group and responsible for producing multiple launch rocket systems and other precision guided weapons. Ukraine’s strikes continue to disrupt Russia’s ability to manufacture, supply, and deploy weapons to the front.
In Mariupol, a city still under Russian occupation, frustration is boiling over. Residents are begging for protection from the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic authorities, who have been seizing homes, businesses, and public property. Locals say that despite the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin’s promises, they have been turned into homeless victims. Corruption and mismanagement by DNR officials are rampant, and appeals to Russian law enforcement go unanswered. Many believe the puppet administration is lying to the Kremlin about conditions in the city. The people of Mariupol are demanding the return of their homes and for Putin’s supposed reconstruction promises to finally be fulfilled.
