Today, there are a lot of interesting updates from Ukraine.

Here, Ukrainian forces are unleashing a wave of precision strikes supplied for by the French arms industry—obliterating Russian positions, command posts, and troop concentrations with deadly accuracy. In response to their success, France is sending its entire production of these guided bombs this year straight to Ukraine, doubling Ukraine’s monthly supply and escalating the pressure on Russian forces.

French Army General Nicolas Richoux recently stated that sanctions alone are not enough to bring Russia to the negotiating table. According to him, the only realistic path to a ceasefire, or any negotiated peace, requires the West to deliver large-scale military assistance to Ukraine. Other officials agreed and reiterated that the only way to reach peace and deter Russia further is by arming Ukraine to the teeth by any means necessary. France has provided over €8 billion in military aid since the start of the war, including advanced systems like the AASM-guided bombs, which have proven highly effective on the battlefield.

Combat footage from the battlefield reveals how the Hammer-guided bombs rarely miss, which is why the Ukrainians used them to great effect to strike and demolish Russian command posts, force concentration, and control points for Russian drone operators. 

In Bakhmut, Ukrainians hit such an exact Russian command post of the Third Army Corps in a high-rise building, eliminating the high-level commanders, and delaying the already slow assaults in the Chasiv Yar area. 

In Kursk, Ukrainian first started bombing buildings in Tyotkino where Russian drone operators were stationed. 

They then expanded their operations by striking against Russian strongpoints and fortifications concealed in the tree lines in the border area, scoring direct impacts, and destroying the strongholds. 

The most significant Ukrainian strikes targeted and destroyed large Russian forces concentrations in Guyevo, using drones to detect them and then relay information to fighter jets, destroying Russian forces that were preparing for an assault in Sumy. 

In coordination with the reconnaissance teams, the Ukrainian Air Force also struck concealed positions of Russian drone operators deep in the rear, effectively eliminating a big part of the Russian drone threat. 

The Ukrainian precision bomb strikes in Kursk against Russian forces’ concentrations, command posts, and drone operators are aimed at thwarting the Russian summer offensive in this area, eliminating their forces in the rear before they organize for attacks, and undermining their drone support. 

Ukrainian Air Force has also been very active in Zaporizhzhia, launching a destructive series of strikes against the Russian units. 

Geolocated combat footage reveals how the Ukrainians identified and destroyed multiple buildings at once where Russian drone operators were hiding, outmatching the operators completely. 

Here, Ukrainians also did not miss Russian forces’ concentrations, destroying large numbers of the little reserves Russians have stationed here. 

Lastly, they hit a series of Russian command posts, cutting the head off the snake in Russian attempts to revitalize an offensive in Zaporizhzhia.

The effectiveness of AASM Hammer bombs only increased their demand among Ukrainian Air Force personnel, who praised them for their precision and effectiveness, and urged the French to deliver more of them. Given the excellent results, French officials stated that they will produce over 1,200 AASM Hammer guided bombs this year, and will send all of them to Ukraine. 

The AASM Hammer is a modular kit that turns standard 125 to 1,000 kilogram bombs into precision-guided weapons. It combines a nose-mounted guidance system with added wings on the tail and a solid-fuel booster to give it a range of up to 70 km from fighter jets while still being deadly accurate, allowing Ukraine to hit Russian targets precisely while staying out of the range of Russian air defenses. Using a combination of GPS, infrared, and inertial navigation, it maintains high accuracy even in bad weather or under jamming, meaning that once it’s launched, Russians can do nothing to stop it from connecting with its target. 

Overall, the Ukrainian forces intensified their air strikes against the Russians ever since the recent delivery of French AASM Hammer-guided bombs, with up to 30 visually confirmed bomb strikes against Russian forces confirmed in the last month alone. The recently announced increase in production and delivery is doubling the bomb supply to Ukrainians, which will simultaneously double the Russian losses inflicted by them.

The Ukrainians utilized Hammer bombs to strike Russian forces’ concentrations, all of which usually contain a full unit or company of at least ten to fifty soldiers, meaning that the newly announced delivery of 1200 French bombs could wipe out from 6- to 30,000 Russian soldiers, including key officers in the rear areas – capabilities that will play a crucial role in repelling the Russian summer offensive.

In our regular frontline report, we pair up with the military blogger Reporting from Ukraine to keep you informed about what is happening on the battlefield in the Russo-Ukrainian war.

Russia made more territorial gains in Ukraine in May 2025 than in nearly any month since the end of 2022, but the Kremlin’s aim is not only battlefield progress but also to shape perceptions in Western capitals, making a Russian victory appear inevitable and discouraging future support for Ukraine, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Kremlin intensifies multi-front assaults to create momentum

WSJ reports that the Russian offensive has expanded across several fronts, with the Kremlin probing for weaknesses while forcing Ukraine to defend along the entire 1,000 km front line. Moscow seeks to exploit its manpower advantage and the onset of summer foliage, which hampers Ukrainian drone visibility.

George Barros, an analyst with the Institute for the Study of War, told WSJ:

“The center of gravity for this war is not terrain—the place where it’s being decisively waged is the perception space in Western capitals.” He added, referring to the Russian reasoning behind the strategy: “If the map is moving, they’re able to say, ‘We’re making progress. Ukraine is screwed. How many more billions are you going to spend?’”

Putin counting on US fatigue to win what his army cannot, WP op-ed argues

Kostyantynivka becomes key focus in eastern Ukraine

In Donetsk Oblast, Russia has shifted troops toward Kostiantynivka from Pokrovsk, surrounding the city on three sides. The city, a vital logistics hub, is under increased attack. A senior Ukrainian lieutenant fighting in the area told WSJ: “The city is rapidly transforming into a front line.” He also warned of frequent, precise Russian drone strikes enabled by fiber-optic drones capable of traveling up to 40 km — double their range a year ago.

Russian airstrikes intensify on Ukrainian second defensive line northeast of Pokrovsk

Northern front sees renewed Russian push toward Sumy

In Ukraine’s north, Russian troops have entered Sumy Oblast after amassing over 50,000 soldiers. According to WSJ, one Ukrainian sergeant in the region said the Russians outnumber local troops roughly two-to-one. Russian forces appear to be attempting to seize Yunakivka and ultimately reach the regional capital of Sumy, located less than 30 km from the border.

Even where Russian forces have not advanced, assaults continue to fix Ukrainian forces in place. A Ukrainian captain in the Pokrovsk area told WSJ that Russian attacks happen at all hours:

“They want to reach the border with Dnipropetrovsk Oblast—it’s important to them symbolically.”

Russia captures Sumy’s Kostiantynivka village as Russians try to widen frontline in region

Zaporizhzhia buildup raises concerns of wider offensive

Ukrainian officials and sources familiar with the matter told WSJ that Russia is also increasing its troop presence in the Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Ukrainian special forces have been sent there to reinforce defenses.

A senior lieutenant near Kostiantynivka summarized the toll of the ongoing campaign:

“We anticipate worsening conditions across all directions this summer. Personnel are exhausted. There are not enough rotations. Everyone is operating at the edge of their limits.”

Today, there are a lot of important updates from the Pokrovsk direction, Donetsk Oblast.

Here, between Pokrovsk and Kostyantynivka, Russian forces have punched through a vulnerable section of the front, threatening two of Ukraine’s most strategic cities in Donbas. As the breakthrough deepens, both sides are now rushing to tip the balance before the summer offensive reaches full scale.

Recently, Russian forces made relatively rapid gains in a breakthrough between Pokrovsk and Kostyantinivka. This breakthrough places key Ukrainian positions in Donbas at risk, including the logistics behind Kostyantynivka and the Myrnograd-Pokrovsk agglomeration, which would open up an axis of advance for the Russians on both Kostyantynivka and Pokrovsk. This vector of advance is the best chance of frontline progress for the Russians, which is why they are throwing the most forces for attacks here.

This creates a potential vulnerability for the Ukrainians in the defense of both Pokrovsk and Kostyantynivka. Ukrainians understand that this Russian breakthrough will play a pivotal role in the upcoming Russian summer offensive in their effort to take both cities. 

The Russian offensive effort on the other frontlines surrounding Pokrovsk and Kostyantynivka is relatively slow, characterized by brutal and grinding battles that lead to meager territorial gains. Meanwhile, in the area of the breakthrough, the Russians managed to advance over 10 kilometers from their initial positions at Vozdvizhenka in less than 2 months of fighting, placing them just 12 kilometers away from Kostyantinivka. Such a continued rate of advance could allow the Russian forces to reach the city during the summer, unless the Ukrainians successfully contain them and stabilize the situation.

Russians achieved these territorial gains through multi-phase assault tactics designed to systematically locate, bombard, and overrun Ukrainian positions. Russians start by probing Ukrainian defenses with small reconnaissance units made up of expendable “suicide squads”, hoping to reveal Ukrainian firing positions.

After several squads have been sent forward, the Russians are then able to accurately identify Ukrainian positions, before hitting them with intense artillery and glide bomb strikes. Following the bombardment, additional Russian infantry squads are sent forward to assess the damage and engage in close-quarters combat if any Ukrainian defenders remain. 

Meanwhile, Russian drones work to isolate the Ukrainians by monitoring and cutting off potential Ukrainian retreat or reinforcement routes, limiting their tactical flexibility. This leaves Ukrainian defenders with a difficult choice: either remain in position and risk being overrun after bombardment, or attempt a retreat under the threat of Russian drones. Regardless of the loss of positions, this Russian tactic usually results in a casualty ratio of at least three to one in favor of the Ukrainians. 

Ukrainians counter this Russian tactic by taking out the initial Russian suicide squads with mines, drone-dropped grenades, and kamikaze strikes. This ensures the Ukrainian defenders do not have to reveal their position by firing on the Russian assault groups. The implementation of these drone interceptions has reportedly increased the casualty ratio in some areas to as high as seven to one, with a number of cases going even higher. 

As a result, these Russian tactics typically succeed only when Ukrainian forces lack sufficient drone support to detect and eliminate the Russian recon squads before they reach the Ukrainian positions, and can commence their bombing strikes. 

This is why, in response to the Russian breakthrough, Ukrainians redeployed elite drone brigades to stabilize the front. The units deployed include the Phoenix drone regiment, whose elite drone operators have already started to successfully counter and destroy Russian heavy equipment and infantry on the move. 

They are further complemented by ground components of the Anne of Kiev Brigade, assigned to reinforce and defend key ground positions from the Russian onslaught while the drone units relieve the pressure. Their experience with past successful counterattacks on the western flank of Pokrovsk will enable them to conduct an active defense, and possibly even push the Russians back around their recent breakthrough. 

Overall, the Russians managed to exploit a critical breakthrough along the Pokrovsk-Kostyantynivka highway, where the Ukrainians responded promptly to counter the threat. By redeploying elite drone units, such as the Phoenix Regiment, to counter Russian assaults, as well as the Anne of Kiev assault brigade, Ukrainians are effectively closing a weakness in their defensive lines. If the newly redeployed units succeed in their respective missions, they will prevent Russians from consolidating their positions and halt the advance before Russians could translate this into a larger operationally significant gains.

In our regular frontline report, we pair up with the military blogger Reporting from Ukraine to keep you informed about what is happening on the battlefield in the Russo-Ukrainian war.