Ukrainian troops have delivered a devastating blow to Russian invaders during an intense battle in the Belgorod region, as the Kremlin attempts to expand its war front beyond Ukraine. The 92nd Assault Brigade and the 58th Motorised Brigade of Ukraine’s Armed Forces successfully repelled a large-scale mechanised Russian assault near the border settlements of Juravlivka and Spivka.
Russian forces deployed a substantial number of combat vehicles, including tanks and infantry fighting vehicles, as well as lighter modes of transport such as buggies, motorcycles, and even civilian cars in a desperate attempt to punch through Ukrainian defences. Initial Ukrainian strikes targeted unarmoured Russian troops advancing ahead of the main force. After several precise attacks, these troops were neutralised as they sought cover near a forest belt.
Ukrainian units then engaged the armoured Russian main assault column. The 92nd Brigade alone destroyed at least ten infantry fighting vehicles in the area around Juravlivka. Meanwhile, the 58th Brigade responded to a Russian artillery and missile barrage before launching a counterattack near Spivka. They reported destroying 14 Russian vehicles, including a tank, eight infantry fighting vehicles, two buggies, two motorcycles, and a civilian car.
Despite continued attempts by the Kremlin to open a new axis towards the Kharkiv region through the Belgorod front, Ukrainian defenders have remained vigilant, launching bomb and missile strikes on enemy positions and even conducting counter-operations within Russian territory.
This escalation follows disturbing remarks made in 2023 by Colonel General Morozov, now the commander-in-chief of Russia’s ground forces. Morozov, infamously dubbed “General 200” for his disregard for Russian soldiers’ lives, stated that Ukraine is merely the beginning and Russia intends to push further into Eastern Europe.
The Ukrainian resistance has also remained strong in areas Moscow claims to control. In the Kursk direction, Ukraine’s 103rd Territorial Defence Brigade eliminated a group of Russian troops hiding in a basement. While the Kremlin falsely boasts about holding Kursk, Ukrainian reconnaissance and drone teams continue to conduct successful strikes, underscoring the region’s ongoing contest.
On the Donetsk front, a Russian soldier attempted to shoot down a Ukrainian drone from the 28th Brigade using a rifle, only to injure himself with shrapnel in a self-inflicted debacle. Russian soldiers have even been seen using shotguns in vain attempts to target drones, revealing the profound inadequacy of their counter-drone tactics.
Meanwhile, Russia’s reputation for dysfunction reached new lows on Victory Day, 9 May, when 73-year-old Vladimir Nadoshivan, a Russian missile designer, died after being thrown down a stairwell by a neighbour while urinating in a public corridor—drunk and depressed.
In another sign of dangerous naivety, pro-Trump figure Steve Witkoff travelled to Moscow in April for a solo negotiation with the Russian dictator. He ended up being “interpreted” by a known Russian spy—Julia—posing as a US embassy official. She had long-standing ties to the Russian intelligence apparatus and NATO diplomacy circles, calling into question the credibility and security of any discussions he participated in.
Elsewhere, pro-Russian Romanian presidential hopeful George Simion accused France of interfering in Romania’s election, claiming French President Emmanuel Macron is leveraging financial and diplomatic pressure to swing the vote.
Poland’s foreign minister Radosław Sikorski meanwhile identified China as the only power capable of ending the war in Ukraine. He described Russia as a mere economic servant of China and stated that if China imposed a trade embargo, Moscow would have no choice but to comply. Yet he admitted it seems unlikely that Beijing will act.
