A dramatic Ukrainian precision strike left Russian troops scrambling in Russia’s Kursk region as a HIMARS missile hit a bridge near the town of Tyotkino. The moment of impact was caught on camera from the Russian side, exposing both the reach and effectiveness of Ukraine’s modern weaponry. The bridge, used by Russian forces for logistics and movement, was hit while soldiers were filming nearby.
This strike forms part of a growing campaign of long-range attacks by Ukrainian forces. Further HIMARS launches and FPV drone strikes were reported in the same region, extending Ukraine’s ability to hit key infrastructure. It sends a clear signal that no location is beyond the reach of the Ukrainian military, even deep inside Russia’s borders.
In another devastating blow to Russian logistics, soldiers from Ukraine’s 30th Mechanised Brigade set fire to a Russian hideout stocked with military supplies. The concealed hangar, which included fuel reserves, an armoured vehicle and a tank, was engulfed in flames. Footage from the scene showed the structure collapsing under fire, reducing valuable assets to smouldering debris. These types of targeted strikes are steadily eroding Russian capabilities at the front.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian counterintelligence agents from the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) detained a 50 year old Russian agent accused of directing enemy strikes in Donetsk. The woman, who worked at a local catering business often visited by Ukrainian soldiers, allegedly passed surveillance footage to the Russian military via a pro Kremlin Telegram channel. Ukrainian authorities say she disguised her filming as video calls while walking to work. She has been charged with high treason during martial law, a serious offence which could result in life imprisonment and the confiscation of her property.
Reports have emerged of shocking treatment of Russian soldiers by their own commanders. According to Russian sources, deserters from the Ninth Separate Motorised Rifle Brigade are subjected to torture by being locked in barrels without food or water for several days. Some soldiers are reportedly left to die in these conditions, with their deaths covered up by claiming they went missing. The cruelty is not limited to desertion; even those who refuse to surrender part of their wages to commanders face similar punishment. It is believed that 20 to 30 percent of those placed in these barrels die.
In a grotesque example of Russia’s attempt to erase its war crimes, a supermarket in Mariupol, once used as a makeshift morgue by Russian forces during the 2022 siege, has been reopened under a new name. The Shirikum supermarket, which once stored rotting corpses for months, was reopened as “Grazia” in 2023, complete with balloons, music and discounted sausages. This chilling transformation from death chamber to shopping aisle reflects a broader ideology of denial and dehumanisation — a regime that hides its crimes behind smiling store clerks and discount bread.
Elsewhere in the world, chaos erupted in Tripoli, Libya, following the assassination of Abdul Ghani Al-Kiki, a powerful militia leader. Intense fighting broke out between rival factions, prompting the UN to call for urgent de-escalation. At least six people were injured. The situation remains fluid, with armoured vehicles deployed and emergency curfews enforced.
In Belarus, which borders Ukraine and Poland, conscript training has begun for territorial troops. The training focuses on defending against aerial threats, including drones. The exercises are part of preparations for the “West 2025” joint Russian Belarusian military drills, expected to be staged later this year.
