In this week’s summary:
- Russian pro-war Telegram channels reported that a Ukrainian sabotage group had infiltrated Russia’s Bryansk Region. The local governor later dismissed the claims as “fake.”
- Ukraine deployed a motorcycle assault unit in combat for the first time near the Kursk region.
- Ukrainian FPV drones are countering Russian unmanned ground vehicles near Bakhmut.
- Pro-Russian sources claimed Russian forces reached the border of Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk Region (west of the partially occupied Donetsk Region). There is no independent confirmation of this development.
- Vladimir Putin again announced the creation of a “buffer zone” along the Russia-Ukraine border — it is at least the eighth such statement he has made since the start of the full-scale war.
- Nearly 800 UAVs struck Russian territory between the evening of May 20 and the morning of May 23, marking the largest and longest drone assault yet from the Ukrainian side.
- The updated verified Russian military death toll, compiled by BBC News Russian and the independent exiled publication Mediazona, reached 109,625.
- Australia’s decommissioned M1A1 Abrams tanks were finally shipped to Ukraine after delays.
Situation at the front
Russian pro-war Telegram channels reported (1, 2, 3, 4) that a Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance group of up to 10 fighters infiltrated 90 kilometers (close to 56 miles) deep into Russia’s western Bryansk Region. Governor Alexander Bogomaz dismissed the claim as “fake” but confirmed road closures in the Vygonichsky District, initially reported by self-styled “war correspondent” Vladimir Romanov. The channels later diverged in their opinions: some said the Ukrainian group had been destroyed, while others questioned whether it existed at all. No visual evidence of combat in the region had surfaced as of the time of reporting.
In the Kursk Region, the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) are continuing to attack the villages of Tetkino and Novy Put’ in the Glushkovsky District and several areas located to the east. Russian forces are repelling the attacks (1, 2), inflicting heavy equipment losses on the Ukrainian side. Meanwhile, Oleksandr Shyrshyn, the commander of the 1st Mechanized Battalion of Ukraine’s 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade, which is active in the area, submitted his resignation, criticizing the AFU command for issuing “idiotic” orders.
Ukraine’s first motorcycle assault east of Tetkino — carried out by the newly formed 425th Separate Assault Regiment’s motorcycle company “Skala” (lit. “Cliff”) — was reportedly successful.
In the neighboring Sumy Region of Ukraine, Russian forces entered the village of Loknya. Vladimir Putin visited the Kursk Region for the first time since it was “liberated.” Separately, five Russian soldiers are on trial for murder and looting during combat operations there.
Near Bakhmut, Russian forces unsuccessfully assaulted Ukrainian positions in Chasiv Yar using MT-LB tracked vehicles and unmanned ground drones. Ukrainian Telegram channel In Factum warned that the use of these drones allows Russia to conserve and accumulate manpower. A Russian serviceman running the Telegram channel Tѣmный (lit. “The Dark One”) claimed Russian forces had cleared the center of Chasiv Yar, with ongoing clashes further south.
On the Pokrovsk front, Russian forces advanced on both eastern and western flanks. They took control of Oleksandropil’ and Nova Poltavka in the east, and made tactical gains toward Dachne and Novooleksandrivka in the west, reaching the outskirts of Novomykolaivka. This pressure reportedly led to the replacement of the commander of Ukraine’s 59th Motorized Infantry Brigade, Bohdan Shevchuk. Russian sources also claimed that its troops reached the border of Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk Region. Ukraine’s DeepState monitoring group, however, reported that the Russian “flag-planting” photo was actually taken near the village of Troitske — a village in the Donetsk Region close to the Donetsk-Dnipropetrovsk regional border — and that the unit responsible later withdrew from the area after sustaining losses.
In the southern Donetsk direction, battles are ongoing in the village of Bahatyr. Ukrainian and Russian sources gave conflicting reports about control over the area. However, Russian drone operators are reportedly attempting to establish positions in the village, which may threaten Ukrainian logistics as far as the Dnipropetrovsk Region. Russian forces also posted “flag-planting” videos from Otradne and advanced along the Novopil’–Zelenе Pole–Novosilka line.
Vladimir Putin once again reiterated his plans for a “buffer zone” along the Russia-Ukraine border. It was his eighth such statement since June 2023 about establishing a “sanitary,” “demilitarized,” or “buffer” zone in the area. According to sources cited by RBC-Ukraine, Russian forces intend to penetrate 15 to 20 kilometers into Ukrainian territory along the borders of the Sumy and Kharkiv regions by the end of 2025.
Following talks with Putin, Donald Trump reportedly refused to support new sanctions on Russia and hinted to European leaders that the U.S. might exit the peace process. The UK and EU, however, have maintained their pressure on Moscow and adopted new sanctions packages against Russia.
Mutual strikes and sabotage
Over the past week, Ukraine’s Air Force reported shooting down 413 drones — including Iranian-designed Shaheds and other unidentified types — out of 934 launched toward Ukraine over the past week (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7). A record-setting 273 drones were involved in an overnight assault on May 18. Another 365 drones were reported as “radar-lost.” Russia was also reported to have launched two Iskander-M ballistic missiles at Ukraine.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense (MoD) reported shooting down 835 fixed-wing drones over Russia and the occupied Crimean peninsula. From 8 p.m. on May 20 to 8 a.m. on May 23, it claimed to have downed 1,117 fixed-wing Ukrainian drones — 788 of them over Russia and Crimea. This marks the largest and longest drone assault yet from the Ukrainian side. The Telegram channel Fighterbomber argued that these repeated attacks — which often lead to airport closures and mobile internet outages in Moscow — are aimed at crippling Russia’s transportation and communications infrastructure.
According to data put together by volunteers at the independent investigative organization Conflict Intelligence Team (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6), at least 41 civilians were killed and 257 wounded in strikes on civilian infrastructure on both sides of the front between 8 p.m. on May 15 and 8 p.m. on May 22.
Losses
BBC News Russian and the independent exiled Russian publication Mediazona, aided by a team of volunteers, have verified the identities of 109,625 Russian soldiers killed since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In the last two weeks alone, 2,009 names were added to their ongoing count of Russian military casualties. The publications noted that in a recent video featuring pro-war singer Vika Tsyganova at a cemetery near Moscow, researchers recognized only two of the 30 names on the graves of Russian soldiers as having been previously documented.
In Russia’s Orel region, a Mi-8 military helicopter crashed at an abandoned chemical plant near the village of Naryshkino, killing all three crew members. Russia’s MoD blamed a technical failure. Pro-Russian military blogger Kirill Fyodorov confirmed that the helicopter had been conducting air defense missions prior to the crash.
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) reported the destruction of radar systems, storage facilities, and a living module on gas extraction platforms in the Black Sea. According to the agency, the operation involved the use of both aerial and naval drones.
Weapons and military vehicles
Over the past week, several new military aid packages for Ukraine were announced:
- Australian M1A1 Abrams tanks are on their way to Ukraine. The delivery had previously stalled due to the lack of a U.S. re-export license.
- Italy will supply Ukraine with 400 M113 armored personnel carriers, an additional SAMP/T air defense system, and access to its satellite surveillance system.
- As part of its annual aid package, Belgium will deliver 20 Cerberus counter-drone systems, around 100 trucks and armored medical evacuation vehicles, five unmanned surface vessels, and over 16,000 small arms, along with a test model of the Leopard 1A5BE tank equipped with a modern C3105 turret.
- Denmark will provide its 26th military aid package to Kyiv, totaling €563 million. It includes artillery systems, ammunition purchased under the “Czech initiative,” equipment for Ukraine’s air force, and expanded training programs for Ukrainian troops.
- Finland will send €90 million worth of ammunition to Ukraine, funded in part by the yields from frozen Russian assets.
On the Russian side, a Soviet-era Yak-52 light aircraft has been modified to combat drones, now equipped with a Saiga carbine with an effective firing range of 50 meters. Meanwhile, Russian stockpiles of military equipment at storage sites and unit locations continue to dwindle. In response, foreign aid is being utilized — such as the deployment of North Korean Koksan self-propelled guns to arm a new artillery brigade in the Leningrad Military District.