THE RUSSO-UKRAINE WAR BRIEF
Day 1169 of the full scale invasion
Slava Ukraini! In early 2022 I began a Telegram channel aggregating news from a number of sources daily on the war in Ukraine. In June 2023 I began providing a daily draft for the Ukraine War Brief Podcast collecting news from over 70 sources daily, which formed the basis of the script. While the Podcast no longer exists I have continued to make this Brief available for my followers here on Substack for those who wish to keep up with the news from the war.
All the latest news on the Russo-Ukraine War 6 days per week
ALONG THE CONTACT LINE
GSAFU Morning Report
For: May 7, 2025
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in its Operational Information update at 08:00 on May 7 stated that day 1169 of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation against Ukraine had begun.
The situation on the line of combat remains tense in some sectors. Ukrainian defenders continue to actively counteract the Russian aggressor, causing them significant losses in personnel, equipment and technology. Exhausting the enemy along the entire front line and continuing to disrupt the plans of Russian occupiers to advance deeper into the territory of Ukraine.
During the past day, 171 combat engagements took place.
Over the past 24 hours, the enemy carried out 4 missile strikes, 96 air strikes, used 3,267 attack drones and fired approximately 6,400 artillery shells across the positions of Ukrainian forces and civilians.
Air Force Daily Report
TWO BALLISTIC MISSILES AND 81 ENEMY UAVS SHOT DOWN, 64 SIMULATOR UAVS FAILED TO REACH THEIR TARGETS (LOCATIONALLY LOST)
➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖
From 8:30 p.m. on May 6 to 1:30 p.m. on May 7, the enemy attacked with 5 Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles from the directions of Kursk, Taganrog, and Bryansk, and also carried out several waves of attacks with 187 strike UAVs and other types of simulator drones from the areas of: Bryansk, Kursk, Orel, Millerovo, Primorsko-Akhtarsk - Russia, Gvardiyske - Crimea.
The enemy air attack was repelled by aviation, anti-aircraft missile units, electronic warfare equipment, and mobile fire groups of the Defense Forces of Ukraine.
As of 2:30 p.m., the downing of two Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles and 81 Shahed attack UAVs (other types of drones) in the east, north, south, and center of the country has been confirmed.
64 enemy drone simulators — lost in location (without negative consequences).
As a result of the enemy attack, the Kyiv, Sumy, Zhytomyr, Donetsk, and Zaporizhia regions suffered.
Combat Operations in the Russian Federation
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a US based think tank, in its May 6 Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment reported that:
Sumy - Kursk Border: Ukrainian forces continued limited attacks across the international border near Tetkino and Novyi Put, Kursk Oblast. Russian milbloggers claimed on May 6 that Russian forces repelled the Ukrainian attacks near Novyi Put and Volfino (southwest of Glushkovo) and that fighting continued near the railway station in southern Tetkino (southwest of Glushkovo).
Several Russian milbloggers claimed that Ukrainian forces seized up to two streets in southwestern Tetkino, but ISW has not observed confirmation of this claim. Russian milbloggers claimed that elements of the Russian 83rd Airborne (VDV) Brigade, 217th VDV Regiment (98th VDV Division), and 56th VDV Regiment (7th VDV Division) are defending near Tetkino.
Ukrainian forces also continued drone, air, and artillery strikes aimed at isolating Russian units in and near Tetkino. Geolocated footage published on May 6 shows Ukrainian forces conducting a Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) guided munition strike on a Russian position in southwestern Tetkino, indicating that Russian forces maintain positions near the Tetkino Railway Station.
Russian milbloggers continued to claim that Ukrainian forces are conducting drone and artillery strikes against Russian ground lines of communication (GLOCs) to isolate Russian units near Tetkino.
A Russian milblogger claimed that Ukrainian drones have interdicted and maintained fire control over an unspecified section of the 38K-040 Tetkino-Karyzh highway. Russian milbloggers claimed on May 5 that Ukrainian forces destroyed a bridge over the Seim River between Zvannoye (northwest of Glushkovo) and Tetkino.
Belgorod Incursion: Russian milbloggers claimed that Ukrainian forces maintain limited positions in northwestern Belgorod Oblast near Demidovka on May 5.
The Khortytsia operational-strategic group
(Responsible for the northeastern part of Ukraine. )
Toretsk Sector: Russian forces recently advanced in the Toretsk direction.
Geolocated footage published on May 4 indicates that Russian forces recently advanced along Berehova Street in eastern Novospaske (formerly Petrivka, west of Toretsk).
Geolocated footage published on May 6 indicates that Russian forces marginally advanced north of Toretsk.
The Tavria operational-strategic group
(Responsible for the central-eastern and southeastern part of Ukraine.)
Novopavlivka Sector: Russian forces recently advanced in the Novopavlivka direction.
Geolocated footage published on May 6 indicates that Russian forces recently advanced along the Solona River south of Novoserhiivka (northeast of Novopavlivka).
Velyka Novosilka Sector: Russian forces recently advanced in the Velyka Novosilka direction.
Geolocated footage published on May 4 indicates that Russian forces recently advanced in central Vilne Pole (northwest of Velyka Novosilka) and north of Novosilka (west of Velyka Novosilka) during a series of large motorcycle assaults in the area on May 3 and 4.
Ukrainian sources reported on May 4 that Ukrainian forces destroyed 70 motorcycles during the assaults.
The Odesa operational-strategic group
(Responsible for Kherson, Qırım, (also known as Crimea) and the Black Sea.)
There have been no major changes to the combat environment since our last report.
TEMPORARILY OCCUPIED TERRITORIES
Nothing major to report.
THE HOME FRONT
Russian missile strike on Sumy suburb kills 3, injures 11
Russian forces launched a missile attack against a suburb of Sumy on May 6, killing three and injuring 11 people, including three children, the Kyiv Independent reported citing the local military administration.
According to the preliminary information, Russian troops used a ballistic missile, the Sumy Oblast Military Administration said. It was launched at around 5:30 p.m. local time, targeting civilian infrastructure.
A 20-year-old woman was killed at the scene of the attack. A six-year-old boy and a 41-year-old man died on the way to the hospital, according to the administration.
Most of the injured are children, according to the authorities. Further details about the attack are being clarified.
Sumy Oblast is a northeastern region that borders Russia's Kursk, Belgorod, and Bryansk oblasts. Sumy Oblast residents often experience multiple attacks per day, with border areas suffering from artillery and glide bomb attacks, and the regional capital of Sumy coming under missile and drone strikes.
Most recently, Russia has been deploying small assault groups to infiltrate the region in a bid to expand the front line.
Russian missile, drone attack on Kyiv kills 2, injures 8.
Russia launched a missile and drone attack on Kyiv overnight on May 7, killing two people and injuring eight others, including four children, the Kyiv Independent reported citing local officials.
Russian drone debris struck several residential buildings in the Dnipro, Shevchenkivskyi, and Sviatoshynskyi neighborhoods of the capital.
In the Shevchenkivskyi district, the bodies of two people were discovered after a drone struck a five-story residential building, Ukraine's State Emergency Service reported. While in the Sviatoshynskyi district of the city, one adult and four children sustained injuries as a result of the attack.
A drone also struck a multi-story residential building in the Dnipro district destroying the 29th and 30th floor
A total of three children have been hospitalized due to burns stemming the attack. One other adult was also hospitalized.
First responders have been dispatched to the sites of attack.
Kyiv Independent journalists first reported explosions around 1 a.m. local time, as Ukraine Air Force warned of missile strikes on Kyiv. Additional explosions were reported around 4:30 a.m. amid the threat of drone attacks.
Local officials also reported that a supermarket, post office branch, as well as a number of cars were damaged in the attack.
RUSSIAN WORLD
Ukrainian drones reportedly hit fiber optic plant in Saransk.
Ukrainian drones struck the Optic Fiber Systems plant in Saransk, Mordovia Republic, Russian independent outlet Astra reported on May 7.
Two fires broke out in Saransk following the drone attack. One fire erupted at the Optic Fiber Systems plant, while the second ignited a few kilometers away, reportedly at the Saranskkabel plant.
Local residents told the pro-Kremlin Telegram channel Shot that several powerful explosions shook the city's industrial district around 6 a.m.
"The fiber optic systems plant in Saransk was very seriously damaged after the strike," Andrii Kovalenko, an official at Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, said on May 7.
Kovalenko claimed the factory supplied the Russian army with materials for the production of fiber-optic drones, which are resistant to electronic warfare interference, and said the shutdown of the factory was now a possibility.
The potential consequences of the attack on the Saranskkabel plant remain unknown.
The operational headquarters of Mordovia banned the publication of photos and videos showing the aftermath of the attack.
The Optic Fiber Systems plant, with an annual capacity of 4 million kilometers of fiber, also supplies major Russian telecom operators.
The facility was also targeted on April 4, when Ukrainian drones struck fiber-optic and explosives factories across Russia.
Saransk lies about 630 kilometers (around 390 miles) east of Moscow and roughly 1000 kilometers (620 miles) from the nearest point on the Russia–Ukraine border.
Ukrainian drone attack disrupts Moscow airports as Xi visits.
Ukraine attacked Moscow with drones for a third day on Wednesday forcing most of the Russian capital's airports to close just as Chinese President Xi Jinping was due to arrive to mark the victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two, Reuters reports.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that Russian air defence units destroyed at least 14 Ukrainian drones from 10 p.m. on Tuesday (1900 GMT) until Wednesday morning.
Moscow's key airports remained out of operation for most of the night, and Russian national carrier Aeroflot said it was reordering timetables to cope with the disruption.
Twenty-nine world leaders, including Xi, are expected to attend World War Two Victory Day commemorations in Moscow in the coming days, according to the Kremlin. Military units from 13 countries, including China, will take part in the parade.
Xi is due to start a four-day visit to Russia on Wednesday, giving President Vladimir Putin an important diplomatic boost at a time when the Russian leader is keen to show his country is not isolated on the world stage.
Xi, whose country is locked in a tariff war with the United States, is expected to sign numerous agreements to deepen the already tight "no limits" strategic partnership with Moscow, which has consistently seen China crowned Russia's biggest trading partner.
The Soviet Union lost 27 million people in World War Two, including many millions in Ukraine, but eventually pushed Nazi forces back to Berlin, where Adolf Hitler committed suicide and the red Soviet Victory Banner was raised over the Reichstag in 1945.
For Russians - and for many of the peoples of the former Soviet Union - May 9 is the most sacred date in the calendar, and Putin, angry at what he says are attempts by the West to belittle the Soviet victory, has sought to use memories of WW2 to unite Russian society.
Ukrainian drones strike numerous other Russian military sites overnight.
Ukrainian site Militarnyi has reported a number of other sites in Russia that Ukrainian drones and missiles struck overnight.
Authorities ordered an evacuation in the city of Neya, Kostroma region, following a drone attack on the morning of Wednesday, May 7, regional governor Sergei Sitnikov announced.
Public sources indicate that the 100th Arsenal of the Russian Ministry of Defense’s Main Missile and Artillery Directorate, also known as military unit 55486, is located near the city.
The evacuation is being carried out in the southern part of Neya, where the arsenal is situated, according to local officials.
Drone Strike Targets Pantsir-S1 Manufacturer in Tula. Strike drones targeted two defense industry facilities in Tula, Russia, according to reports from Astra.
The facilities, which are part of the State Corporation Rostec, are involved in producing multiple launch rocket systems and the Pantsir-S1 surface-to-air missile and anti-aircraft artillery systems.
The first reports of explosions came from local residents who noticed smoke in the area of Shcheglovskaya Street, where JSC Instrument Design Bureau is located. The bureau specializes in the development of high-precision guided munitions.
Drones Strike Russian Air Bases: Satellite Images Reveal Fires at Shaykovka and Kubinka On Wednesday, May 7, strike drones attacked the Shaykovka air base in the Kaluga region and the Kubinka air base in the Moscow region of Russia
Following these attacks, satellites from NASA’s fire monitoring system detected fires at these military sites.
Ilya Tumanov, a Russian propagandist and administrator of the aviation Telegram channel Fighterbomber, confirmed the recent drone attacks and claimed that the Ukrainian Defense Forces are targeting locations housing personnel and equipment set to take part in the upcoming Moscow parade.
Notably, the Russian Knights and Swifts aerobatic teams, stationed at the Kubinka airfield, regularly perform during the aerial segment of the event with Su-30, Su-35, and MiG-29 aircraft.
RELATED INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Former US president Biden accuses Trump of appeasement of Russia.
Former U.S. President Joe Biden said his successor Donald Trump's pressure on Ukraine to give up territory to Russia is a form of "modern-day appeasement" that will never satisfy Moscow, Reuters reports.
Speaking to the BBC in what the broadcaster said was his first interview since leaving the White House, Biden said Russian President Vladimir Putin believes Ukraine is part of "mother Russia" and "anybody who thinks he's going to stop is just foolish".
"I just don't understand how people think that if we allow a dictator, a thug, to decide he's going to take significant portions of land that aren't his, that that's going to satisfy him," Biden said in the interview which was broadcast on Wednesday and the BBC said was recorded on Monday.
Trump has changed U.S. policy toward the war in Ukraine, pressing Kyiv to agree to a ceasefire while easing pressure on Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbour in 2022. Trump has said he wants to stop the killing.
In the interview, Biden expressed concern that "Europe is going to lose confidence in the certainty of America and the leadership of America".
Europe's leaders were "wondering, well, what do I do now?... Can I rely on the United States? Are they going to be there?" he said.
The former president said he was dismayed by the explosive meeting in February in the White House between Trump, his top officials and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. "I found it sort of beneath America in the way that took place," Biden said.
EU's plan to phase out Russian gas by end-2027.
The European Commission will next month propose legal measures to phase out the EU's imports of all Russian gas and liquefied natural gas by the end of 2027, Reuters reported citing the Commission on Tuesday.
Russia was Europe's top gas supplier before its 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, providing around 45% of the European Union's gas. That share plunged to 19% last year, and the EU has vowed to eliminate it altogether in response to the war.
The European Commission will in June present legal proposals to ban new Russian gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) deals, and ban EU imports under existing spot contracts by the end of 2025, it said in plans published on Tuesday.
The Commission will also propose next month to ban imports under existing long-term contracts by the end of 2027. Companies including TotalEnergies, and Spain's Naturgy, have Russian LNG contracts that extend into the 2030s.
The EU plans would affect countries including Hungary and Slovakia, which still receive Russian gas via pipelines, and countries including Belgium, France, the Netherlands and Spain, which buy Russian LNG.
Others, including Poland and the Baltic states, already stopped buying Russian gas.
To attempt to better track imports from Russia, the Commission will also propose rules obliging companies to disclose the volumes and duration of their Russian gas contracts.
Unlike with gas, the EU has imposed sanctions on most Russian oil imports, with exceptions for Slovakia and Hungary. Those countries, which have sought to maintain close political ties to Russia, have threatened to block gas sanctions, which they say would drive up energy prices.
The EU will propose requirements for Slovakia and Hungary to produce national plans for how they will quit Russian oil by end-2027. The two countries still import more than 80% of their oil from Russia.
Just 3% of total EU oil imports now come from Russia, compared with around 27% before the Ukraine war.
Member countries will also be required to present national plans for phasing out Russian gas by end-2027, the Commission said.
Canada initiates court proceedings to seize Russian Antonov An-124 aircraft.
Canada has initiated court proceedings to seize a Russian Antonov An-124 "Ruslan" transport aircraft, Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna said on May 6.
The aircraft, owned by Russian Volga-Dnepr cargo airlines, has remained grounded at Toronto Pearson International Airport since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022, amid a travel ban on Russian aircraft in Canadian airspace.
A spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada confirmed to Canadian publication InSauga that the Canadian government had initiated proceedings in the Ontario Superior Court.
"The Attorney General of Canada commenced forfeiture proceedings by seeking the issuance of a Notice of Application by the Superior Court of Ontario on March 18, 2025," the spokesperson said.
The aircraft, which is approximately 69 metres long and 21 meters tall and originally produced in Ukraine, is the world’s largest mass-produced cargo plane.
The similar Ukrainian-owned and produced Antonov An-225 Mriya aircraft served as a one-off flagship of the Antonov An-124, until it was destroyed by Russian forces at Hostomel airport in February 2022.
"I am convinced that all these actions are leading to one outcome: the 'Ruslan' will soon have a new home — in Ukraine, where it will serve our country’s needs," Stefanishyna said in a statement.
"I’m grateful to Canada for its unwavering support and decisive actions. Justice is not just a word — it's the concrete steps we are witnessing today. And this is just the beginning."
MILITARY & TECH
Ukraine presents its new long range FP-1 attack drone.
Ukraine has unveiled the FP-1 long-range attack drone, which can travel up to 1600 kilometers, Militarnyi reports.
The drone was presented at an exhibition dedicated to Infantry Day. The FP-1 drone is designed to defeat the enemy at strategic depth.
It is capable of carrying a warhead weighing up to 120 kg and flying a distance of up to 1600 km. The weight of the warhead is likely to correlate with the distance the drone can cover.
The FP-1 is already being produced in large numbers and is attracting interest from Ukraine’s partner countries. The FP-1 drone first appeared in 2024. Even then, it was used to attack Russian regions.
According to RBC-Ukraine, the exhibition also showcased the Ukrainian drone Bulava, developed by the Ukrainian-Czech company UAC.
This drone is equipped with a powerful 3.6 kg cumulative thermobaric warhead. It can hit targets within a radius of 60 kilometers.
The system includes kamikaze drones, a ground control station, repeaters, and intelligence equipment that allow for autonomous combat missions.
That’s it for today’s Brief folks if you would like to keep up with events in Ukraine daily please consider subscribing, it’s free!