Ukrainian forces have captured two Chinese citizens serving in the Russian military in the eastern Donetsk region, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday.
“Our soldiers captured two Chinese citizens who were fighting as part of the Russian army,” Zelensky said in a statement shared by the Office of the President. “This happened on Ukrainian territory — in Donetsk region. We have their documents, bank cards, and personal information.”
Zelensky said intelligence services are now working to determine how many other Chinese nationals may be operating within Russian military units.
“We believe there are more,” he said. “Our intelligence, the Security Service of Ukraine, and relevant Armed Forces units are verifying all the facts.”
The two Chinese fighters were reportedly captured by Ukraine’s elite 81st Airmobile Brigade during a clash near the villages of Tarasivka and Bilohorivka. According to a post by the brigade on Facebook, a total of six Chinese nationals took part in the firefight. The remaining four have not been publicly accounted for.
The Office of the President noted that the captured individuals were found with weapons in hand, actively participating in combat operations as part of a Russian military formation. President Zelensky said he had instructed Ukraine’s foreign minister to urgently contact Beijing for an official explanation.
“This is another country militarily supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” Zelensky said. “We’ve already seen this with Iran and North Korea. But there’s a key difference — the Chinese were captured fighting on Ukrainian soil.”
Zelensky added that the development demands an international response. “This is a clear signal that [Vladimir] Putin intends to prolong this war at any cost. It requires a reaction — from the United States, from Europe, and from everyone in the world who wants peace.”
The Chinese government has not yet responded publicly to Ukraine’s statements.
Worth noting, korrespondent.net has compiled its Invasion of Ukraine series into separate months, beginning May 9th, 2023. Linked in the title.
[Korrespondent] 22:10 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky heard a report from Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrsky. He spoke about the situation at the front and the operation of Ukrainian troops in the Kursk and Belgorod regions of Russia. This was reported in the evening address of the head of state.
18.50 In March, more than 77 thousand hostile targets were hit and destroyed using drones of various types. This is 10% more than in February, said Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrsky, publishing a video of the combat work of Ukrainian UAVs.
17.08 Since the beginning of the day, 77 combat clashes have occurred on the front. Russian invaders are active in the Pokrovsky and Limansky directions. At the same time, there have been no battles in three directions yet. This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in an operational summary as of 16:00.
16.47 A Russian informant who spied on the ships of the Defense Forces near the Nikolaev seaport has been sentenced to 12 years in prison. The suspect was detained at his place of residence in Nikolaev in early 2024 when he returned from a reconnaissance mission.
15:28 China continues to insist that "only dialogue and negotiations are the only way out of the "Ukrainian crisis", despite the massive shelling by the Russian Federation and the killing of Ukrainian children and civilians. This was stated by the spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Lin Jian, at a briefing."
14:59 Ukraine initiated a special meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council on Tuesday, April 8, in the context of the Russian missile attack on Kryvyi Rih. This was reported by the Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the International Organizations in Vienna Yuriy Vitrenko.
"At the request of Ukraine, in response to the bloody Russian missile attack against children and adults in Krivoy Rog, as well as the escalation of Russian terror against civilians throughout Ukraine, tomorrow (08.04) the OSCE is convening an emergency special session of the Permanent Council," he wrote on Facebook.
14:30 Soldiers from the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense destroyed Russian tactical-level drones in the skies over eastern Ukraine.
The Wings' specialized unit carried out successful operations to destroy drones in the air.
The video released by the military shows the moment of the destruction of enemy UAVs in the skies over the Zaporizhia and Donetsk regions, in particular, in the Pokrovsk direction.
Eight enemy drones were destroyed:
Zala – two units;
Supercam – five units;
Orlan – one unit.
13:33 A Russian serviceman who committed a war crime in the form of sexual violence against a 13-year-old girl in the temporarily occupied Mykolaiv region has been identified and has been placed on suspicion. This was reported by the Office of the Prosecutor General.
13:30 The Security Service has exposed new arsonists who, on instructions from Russia, were operating in the northern and central regions of Ukraine. The youngest of the suspects was only 12 years old, the oldest was 16. All of them were local schoolchildren and students who were "hooked" by Russian special services while looking for "easy money" on Telegram channels.
After drawing minors into subversive activities, the occupiers "aimed" them at destroying Ukrzaliznytsia relay cabinets. To commit arson, the defendants used flammable mixtures and then recorded the burning of damaged objects on video.
12:59 The Ministry of Defense has codified and approved for use in the Armed Forces of Ukraine the Ukrainian-made ground robotic complex D-21-12R. This was reported by the Main Directorate for Support of the Life Cycle of Weapons and Military Equipment.
The robot can perform a wide range of tasks on surveillance, patrolling, fire support for our units, and the destruction of enemy manpower and lightly armored vehicles.
12:54 The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine has prepared a bill on demobilization. However, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine does not support the document. This was reported by Ukrainska Pravda on Monday, April 7.
"The bill on dismissal from service and rotation of fighters during martial law is already ready, representatives of the Ministry of Defense reported in response to a request from UP back in late January 2025. However, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine did not support the document, so officials did not register it in parliament," the article says.
It is noted that if the Verkhovna Rada adopts this bill, a significant number of military personnel will have to be demobilized at once, which will lead to a significant reduction in the staffing of combat units. According to several interlocutors of UP in parliament, we are talking about 108 thousand soldiers, including 14 thousand officers.
Key provisions of the "demobilization" bill of the Ministry of Defense.
12:49 Russians continue to build a large landing ship in the occupied Crimea. This was reported by the spokesman for the Ukrainian Navy Dmitry Pletenchuk on the air of Espresso.
We are talking about the universal landing ship Ivan Rogov. Its construction has not yet been completed, and it is still unclear whether the ship will be put into operation at all.
Russia continues to implement a number of military projects in the temporarily occupied Crimea. According to Pletenchuk, the Kremlin is trying to compensate for the lost "Mistrals" - helicopter carriers that France did not transfer due to sanctions.
12:09 In the Kirovograd region, in the Blagoveshchensk community, restoration work continues after the Russian missile strike on April 6. As a result of the attack, 52 houses were damaged. This was reported by the head of the Kirovograd OVA Andriy Raikovich.
10:35 Ukrainian military have destroyed three Russian anti-aircraft missile systems (SAM) Buk of the Russian army in the Kursk region in 12 hours. This was reported by the Unmanned Systems Forces (Soon! S) of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
10:16 Counterintelligence of the Security Service prevented a series of terrorist attacks in the Poltava region. A Russian agent who was preparing explosions near local military and law enforcement administrative buildings was detained.
A woman received an order from Russia to carry out explosions near the district police department and the city's shopping mall during rush hour. The attacker was supposed to plant a homemade explosive device (IED) near the government agency.
At the time of mining the territory of the administrative building, the occupiers planned to detonate the explosives along with their agent. SBU officers exposed the enemy's intentions in advance and detained the terrorist.
09:30 US President Donald Trump said that Washington continues to talk with Russian representatives in order to end the Russian-Ukrainian war.
Trump said that he "does not like" the bombings and called on the Russians to stop them.
"We are talking to Russia. I do not like the bombings, the bombings go on and on, and thousands of young people die every week. We would like them to stop," the American leader said.
09:16 As of the morning of April 7, 33 residents of Kryvyi Rih are in hospitals, who were injured as a result of the Russian ballistic strike on the city on April 4. This was reported by the head of the city's Defense Council, Oleksandr Vilkul, on Telegram.
"33 wounded after the attack on April 4 are now in hospitals, including four children. 18 wounded are in serious condition, including two children," he wrote.
08:30 Over the past 24 hours, 165 combat clashes have been recorded at the front. In the Pokrovsk direction, defenders have stopped 53 Russian attacks. This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
08:18 In the village of Tokarovka Vtoraya in the Kharkiv region, a man was killed as a result of a strike by a Russian guided aerial bomb. This was reported by the head of the OVA Oleg Sinegubov.
"The occupiers dropped a UAB on the village of Tokarovka Vtoraya Dergachevskaya TO. As a result of the strike, a 48-year-old man died. Two women suffered an acute stress reaction," he wrote on Telegram.
07:55 As of April 7, 2025, the total combat losses of Russian troops on the territory of Ukraine amounted to approximately 925,020 people (+1,350 per day).
07:20 American billionaire Elon Musk condemned the Russian-Ukrainian war and those who encourage it. According to him, this war looks "cruel, senseless and inhumane."
"President Trump is right: it's time to end this bloodshed. We should be concerned about the soldiers who are dying every day in the trenches in Ukraine and Russia. They are forced to kill each other without understanding the reasons and timing of this war. It's time to say - enough," the billionaire said.
02:07 Russians hit Kramatorsk in Donetsk Oblast with a drone. Six houses were damaged as a result of the fire.
01:03 Occupiers advanced near Zapadnoye (Kharkiv Oblast), in Lisovka and Razliv (Donetsk Oblast). This was reported by the Deep State project.
[EngMilRu] The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue the special military operation.
In Belgorod direction, units of the Sever Group of Forces inflicted damage on units of two mechanised brigades, one assault regiment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), and one territorial defence brigade close to Miropolskoye, Prokhody, Veliky Prikol, and Osoyevka (Sumy region).
The enemy lost more than 85 troops, one armoured fighting vehicle, and two motor vehicles.
As a result of the resolute actions the Zapad Group of Forces, Katerinovka (Donetsk People's Republic) has been liberated.
Russian troops hit manpower and military hardware of two mechanised brigades of the AFU and one territorial defence brigade near Kondrashovka, Kupyansk, Shiykovka (Kharkov region), Novoye, and Kirovsk (Donetsk People's Republic).
The enemy lost up to 215 troops, three artillery guns, one electronic warfare station, and one ammunition depot.
The Yug Group of Forces improved the tactical position. Seven mechanised brigades of the AFU and one territorial defence brigade were engaged near Seversk, Minkovka, Chasov Yar, Konstantinovka, Artem, Kalinovo, and Tarasovka (Donetsk People's Republic).
The enemy sustained losses of up to 300 troops, two armoured fighting vehicles, including one U.S.-made M113 armoured personnel carrier, 22 motor vehicles, one electronic warfare station, two ammunition depots, and two materiel depots.
The Tsentr Group of Forces took more advantageous lines and positions. Losses were inflicted on manpower and hardware of three mechanised brigades, two infantry brigades, one airborne brigade, one assault brigade, one UAV brigade, one assault regiment, one regiment of unmanned aerial systems of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, one naval infantry brigade, and one National Guard brigade near Yelizavetovka, Dimitrov, Krasnoarmeysk, Zverevo, Kotlino, Udachnoye, Lenina, Novosergeyevka, Kotlyanovka, and Bogdanovka (Donetsk People's Republic).
The Ukrainian armed formations sustained losses of up to 440 troops, one tank, and three armoured fighting vehicles, including one U.S.-made MaxxPro armoured vehicle. Seven motor vehicles, three field artillery guns, and one ammunition depot were also neutralised.
Elements of the Vostok Group of Forces continued advancing into the depth of enemy defences. They inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of two mechanised brigades, one mountain assault brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and a territorial defence brigade near Poddubnoye, Komar, Burlatskoye, and Volnoye Pole (Donetsk People's Republic).
AFU losses amounted to up to 140 troops, one armoured fighting vehicle, two motor vehicles, and three field artillery guns, including one Polish-made 155mm Krab self-propelled artillery system, and one U.S.-made 155mm M777 howitzer.
The Dnepr Group's units improved the tactical situation. They hit units of one mechanised brigade, one mountain assault brigade, two coastal defence brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and one territorial defence brigade near Novodanilovka, Pavlovka (Zaporozhye region), Sadovoye, and Ponyatovka (Kherson region).
Up to 70 troops, one armoured fighting vehicle, and three motor vehicles of the enemy have been neutralised.
Operational-Tactical Aviation, attack drones, missile troops, and artillery of the Groups of Forces of the Russian Federation have hit command posts of unmanned aerial vehicles, missile and artillery depots, as well as clusters of AFU manpower and hardware in 137 areas.
Air defence systems shot down three U.S.-made HIMARS MLRS projectiles and 95 fixed-wing UAVs.
Since the beginning of the special military operation, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation have neutralised: 660 aircraft, 283 helicopters, 50,177 unmanned aerial vehicles, 601 anti-aircraft missile systems, 22,710 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 1,534 MLRS combat vehicles, 23,320 field artillery guns and mortars, 33,750 units of special military vehicles.
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue to destroy AFU units on the territory of Kursk region.
During offensive actions, units of the Sever Group of Forces inflicted fire damage on clusters of one mechanised brigade, one tank brigade, three air assault brigades, and one territorial defence brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) close to Gornal, Guyevo, Oleshnya.
Operational-tactical, Army Aviation, and artillery fire hit enemy manpower and hardware close to Belovody, Varachino, Vladimirovka, Vodolagi, Zhuravka, Loknya, Miropolye, Sadki, Shalygino, Yunakovka, and Yablonovka in Sumy region.
During the day, the AFU losses amounted to more than 150 troops, one armoured personnel carrier, two armoured fighting vehicles, seven motor vehicles, and a mortar, as well as two UAV command posts.
Since the beginning of hostilities in Kursk direction, the AFU losses amounted to more than 72,470 troops, 404 tanks, 331 infantry fighting vehicles, 297 armoured personnel carriers, 2,256 armoured fighting vehicles, 2,637 motor vehicles, 595 artillery guns, 53 MLRS launchers, including 13 HIMARS and seven U.S.-made MLRS launchers, 26 anti-aircraft missile launchers, one self-propelled anti-aircraft system, 10 transport-loading vehicles, 123 EW stations, 18 counter-battery warfare radars, ?ten air defence radars, 56 units of engineering and other materiel, including 23 counterobstacle vehicles, one UR-77 mine clearing vehicle, five bridge launchers, one engineering reconnaissance vehicle as well as 15 armoured recovery vehicles, and one command post vehicle.
The operation to neutralise the AFU units is in progress.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[NewsFront] 20:50 Crews of T-80BV tanks of the Vostok group provide fire support for motorized rifle units in the South Donetsk direction.
The combat vehicles fire from both closed and open positions, demonstrating sniper accuracy. The UAV operators provide fire adjustments.
"We work in conjunction with a UAV: the drone guides, the tank destroys. Even if the target has shifted by 10 meters - no problem. The tank is practically a sniper rifle," said the tank battalion commander with the call sign "Altai."
20:23 Drone operators destroyed a Humvee armored vehicle and a pickup truck of the Ukrainian Armed Forces near the settlement of Mayskoye —video.
19:53 The operator of the FPV of the 20th Army hit a dugout with Ukrainian Armed Forces militants in the Liman direction —video.
19:26 Crews of 152mm howitzers "Msta-B" of airborne artillerymen destroyed a temporary deployment point of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Kherson region —video.
18:59 FPV drone crews of the North group of forces disabled another Abrams tank of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, which attempted to fire on the positions of Russian units —video.
18:28 Russian Ministry of Defense:
Around 16:00 Moscow time, air defense systems on duty destroyed two Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles of the airplane type over the territory of the Belgorod region.
17:55 Drone operators of the North group of forces destroyed armored vehicles of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Sumy region —video.
17:19 120mm mortar crews continue to hit identified targets on the right bank of the Dnieper.
This time, mortarmen from the Dnepr group destroyed a concentration of enemy personnel discovered by reconnaissance drone operators —video.
16:24 Military medics on the front lines are often called angels in armor - for their willingness to risk their lives to save others.
Enemy snipers, gunners and UAV operators are hunting them down, fully aware of the importance of their work. "Doc" served in the Far East, heading the surgical department of a military hospital.
However, seeing the acute shortage of medical personnel in the SVO zone, he volunteered for the front lines without hesitation.
"I knew where I was going. The main thing for me was to be useful where it was needed most," he says.
Read about Doc's combat path in material war correspondent of "Guardian of the Baltic" Dmitry Tolmachev.
15:57 FPV drone captured the arrival of FAB from UMPK on Ukrainian Armed Forces positions in Pokrovsk —video.
15:25 The Orion attack drone again strikes an American Stryker armored personnel carrier of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, which was involved in the evacuation of Ukrainian military personnel —video.
14:47 Destroyed Ukrainian T-64BV tank with crosses —video.
14:27 Russian Ministry of Defense on the progress of repelling the attempted invasion of the Ukrainian Armed Forces into the territory of the Russian Federation in the Kursk region as of April 7, 2025
By units of the North group of forces during offensive operationsinflicteddefeat of formations of a mechanized, tank, three airborne assault brigades and a territorial defense brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the areas of the settlements of Gornal, Guevo, and Oleshnya.
Strikes by operational-tactical and army aviation and artillery fire hit enemy manpower and equipment in the areas of the settlements of Belovody, Varachino, Vladimirovka, Vodolaghi, Zhuravka, Loknya, Miropolye, Sadki, Shalygino, Yunakovka and Yablonovka in the Sumy region.
Over the course of a day, the Ukrainian Armed Forces lost more than 150 servicemen, an armored personnel carrier, two combat armored vehicles, seven cars and a mortar, as well as two UAV control points were destroyed.
14:59 From 11:00 to 12:00 Moscow time by air defense systems on dutydestroyedTwo Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles of the airplane type over the territory of the Belgorod region.
13:45 As a result of decisive actions by units of the West military group released the settlement of Katerinovka in the Donetsk People's Republic.
13:20 Russian Ministry of Defense:
The Kiev regime, in violation of Russian-American agreements to cease strikes on energy facilities for 30 days from March 18 of this year, continues daily unilateral attacks on Russian energy infrastructure. Over the past 24 hours, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have attacked Russian energy facilities six times.
– In the Rostov region: on April 6 at 01:22 as a result of an attack by a Ukrainian UAV on the power facility of the branch of PJSC Rosseti – Rostov PMES, the high-voltage line 220 kV Novocherkasskaya GRES – R-20 I circuit was disconnected. In addition, at 02:55 as a result of an attack by a Ukrainian UAV on the power facility of the branch of PJSC Rosseti South – Rostovenergo, the high-voltage line was disconnected. About 1,000 household consumers in the Myasnikovsky district were left without power supply.
– In the Voronezh region on April 6 at 07.30 as a result of an attack by a Ukrainian UAV on the power facility of the branch of PJSC Rosseti Centre – Voronezhenergo, due to damage to wires in the span of supports, household consumers in the village of Kalinino in the Borisoglebsky district were left without power supply.
– On April 6 at 22:15 in the Kherson region, a Ukrainian attack UAV attacked the 150 kV Vinogradovo electrical substation of the Tavricheskoye PMES branch of PJSC Rosseti.
– In the Donetsk People's Republic on April 6 at 18:14, as a result of deliberate artillery shelling by the Ukrainian Armed Forces at the electrical substation of the State Unitary Enterprise of the DPR "REK", a transformer was disconnected and caught fire. The municipal enterprise "Company "Water of Donbass" in Donetsk was left without electricity.
– In the Bryansk region on April 7 at 06:05 as a result of shelling by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, a transformer substation of the branch of PJSC Rosseti Centre – Bryanskenergo was disconnected due to damage to a transformer.
12:44 Belgorod section
Another American ABRAMS tank has been destroyed -video.
12:40 Southwest of Nadezhdinka, our assault unit practically took under control of Troitskoye, which the enemy was preparing for all-round defense.
Further ahead, before the Dnepropetrovsk region, there remains the larger Orekhovo.
12:15 Tank crews of the North group of forces disrupted the rotation of Ukrainian Armed Forces units in the Kharkov direction during combat operations.
Tankers of the 44th Army Corps destroyed the firing positions of the machine gun crews of the Ukrainian Armed Forces with precise shots. Combat work on the Ukrainian Armed Forces militants was carried out from a closed firing position with high-explosive fragmentation shells. All identified enemy targets were destroyed —video.
11:40 Servicemen of a motorized rifle regiment of the "Center" group of forces told about the liberation of the settlement of Uspenovka in the DPR.
The military personnel entered the city in small groups – threes. All actions were carried out under the control of UAV operators.
Powerful fire support for the assault aircraft was provided by barrel and rocket artillery, crews of strike and reconnaissance drones, which drove the enemy out of forest shelters and fortifications in urban areas.
11:16 Telegram channel «Fisherman»:
Chronicle of the SVO for April 5-6
– In the Kursk direction, fighting continues in the border area, especially in the Oleshnya and Guevo areas. Basovka has been completely cleared, the fighting has moved to Loknya.
In other areas, including the Vladimirovka-Zhuravka line, the situation remains uncertain. The Ukrainian Armed Forces are urgently installing anti-drone nets after losses from Russian UAVs.
– In the Dzerzhinsk direction, fighting continues in the urban development of Dzerzhinsk. North of Druzhba, near the Seversky Donets-Donbass canal, units of the 4th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade have expanded the zone of control, capturing a number of forest belts. The enemy holds fortified positions near the canal, despite being semi-encircled. The Russian Armed Forces are advancing in the area of Panteleymonovka, Alexandropol and Novokalinovo.
- In the Novopavlovsk direction, the liberation of Uspenovka has been confirmed. Heavy fighting continues in the Udachny area and in the counter-attack zone near Nadezhdinka and Bogdanovka. The goal of the Ukrainian Armed Forces is to slow down the advance of the Russian Armed Forces to the Dnipropetrovsk region.
10:41 Army Aviation worked on the positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Kursk border area
A group of Mi-28NM and Ka-52M attack helicopters, accompanied by Mi-8PSG helicopters, carried out missions to support the ground group of troops.
"We carried out combat sorties in the designated direction. My task is to escort the attack helicopters to the strike site. Today, the enemy's bunkers with manpower were destroyed, as well as combat equipment," shared helicopter commander Ivan.
10:27 Criminal Kyiv regime continues to shell civilian infrastructure of populated areas of the left bank of the Kherson region, yesterday during the day the Ukrainian Armed Forces released:
– Four rounds to the village of Aleshki;
– Six rounds in the village of Novaya Kakhovka;
- according to n.p. Kakhovka four rounds;
– Two rounds to the settlement of Dnepryany;
- according to n.p. Korsunka three rounds;
– Three rounds in the village of Golaya Pristan;
- according to n.p. Ermine two rounds.
During the night, the Kiev regime continued to shell civilian infrastructure in the settlements of Tavriysk, Korsunka, Podstepnoye, Sagi, and Novaya Kakhovka, firing a total of 15 rounds from cannon artillery.
Civilian casualties and destruction of infrastructure are being clarified.
09:44 Fighters of the "West" group of forces for three days fight off counterattacks by equipment and elite GUR assault aircraft of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Kupyansk direction in the Kharkov region. The enemy suffers significant losses, but continues to try to break through.
09:02 152mm Msta-B howitzer destroyed temporary enemy deployment point on the right bank of the Dnieper
Intelligence revealed a temporary deployment point for Kyiv militants in the basements of half-destroyed buildings on the right bank of the Kherson region. The enemy planned to use it to organize a crossing to the left bank of the Dnieper. The information received was promptly transmitted to the artillery control point. Using a 152mm howitzer "Msta-B", the paratroopers quickly eliminated the enemy military facility.
09:01 Situation on the morning of April 7 in Kursk Oblast
The situation in the Kursk region is approaching its logical conclusion. However, the work continues. The enemy is actively defending the borders of our offensive forces. The main battles are concentrated in the forest belt areas near Oleshnya. The enemy periodically rotates and evacuates personnel.
In the Plekhovsky area, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are also trying to defend themselves and prevent our forces from reaching Gornal, the last settlement that remains under Ukrainian Armed Forces occupation.
After the liberation of Guevo, its cleanup is completed. Fighting is also taking place in the nearby forest areas. The Ukrainian Armed Forces are shelling the areas of advance with both artillery and drones.
08:21 The Russian Armed Forces destroyed a 122mm self-propelled howitzer 2S1 "Gvozdika" of the Ukrainian Armed Forces with a loitering munition "Lancet" in the Krasnolimansky direction in the Serebryansky forestry area, -video.
8:11 Ukrainian drone shot down fell on the railway track in Krasnodar Krai, the track and contact network were damaged, no one was hurt - regional operational headquarters.
08:08 Frontline report for the morning of 05/07/2025
Zaporizhzhya Front. Fighting continues in the Kamenskoye area. The Russian Armed Forces continue to put pressure on the enemy's defense in several areas, striking at the rear positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, using long-range weapons.
Donetsk Front. Fierce fighting continues here in several directions. The Russian Armed Forces have advanced from Burlatskoye in the direction of Shevchenko, reaching the approaches to this settlement. Heavy fighting continues in several areas of the Pokrovsk direction. Ukrainian troops are trying to counterattack, but are unable to achieve any serious success.
Fighting continues in Dzerzhinsk, where the Russian Armed Forces are trying to dislodge the Ukrainian Armed Forces from their positions in the urban area. At the same time, Russian troops are advancing on the flanks.
Kursk Region. Here, the Russian Armed Forces continue to drive the Ukrainian Armed Forces out of the settlement of Guevo, from where footage of objective control appeared yesterday, confirming the advance of our troops. Also, the Russian Armed Forces continue to advance toward Oleshnya.
Belgorod Region. It is reported that the settlement of Demidovka has been cleared, but the LBS situation in this area is changing rapidly, so for now it can be considered that this settlement is in the gray zone.
Fighting continues in the Popovka area, where the Ukrainian Armed Forces continue to operate in small infantry groups. Also, the enemy's forces and assets continue to accumulate in the rear areas of the border area.
08:02 Last night, Russian fighters tracked down the enemy moving near his dugout and inflicted fire damage on him using an ATGM.
07:11 During the past night, air defense systems on duty intercepted and destroyedand 19 Ukrainian aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles:
– 13 – over the waters of the Sea of Azov;
– Four UAVs – over the territory of Krasnodar Krai;
– One UAV each over the territories of Bryansk Oblast and
- One over the Republic of Crimea.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] In Peter the Great Bay, the Pacific Fleet (PF) military, with the support of veterans' organizations, discovered a Malyutka-class submarine that sank in 1941. This was reported on April 7 by the fleet's press service.
“As a result of a long search by the Pacific Fleet with the active support of veteran organizations of submariners, a Malyutka-type submarine that sank during the Great Patriotic War was discovered in Peter the Great Bay,” the statement said.
It is noted that the discovered submarine is, preliminarily, the submarine "M-49" of the Pacific Fleet, which sank on August 16, 1941. Then the entire crew perished - 22 people. In addition to the submarine "M-49", a submarine of the "M-63" type sank in Peter the Great Bay. The search for the boats began 20 years ago with the help of the research sailing vessel "Iskra", the hydrographic vessel "Vice-Admiral Vorontsov" and other vessels of the fleet.
The vessel Igor Belousov was able to determine the type of submarine; its sailors measured the shape and parameters of the submarine using underwater remotely controlled vehicles, coming to the conclusion that the discovered boat was the Malyutka.
The submarines sank in August 1941 while on a combat mission. They were named for their compact size, which allowed them to be transported by rail without being completely disassembled.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, earlier in Germany, 47-year-old historian Mirko Kühn claimed to have discovered a secret aircraft hangar that was built by the Nazis using prisoner-of-war labor. It was noted that the length of the discovered hangar was 200 meters, the width was 25 meters, and the height was at least five meters. According to Kühn, the hangar could accommodate about 10 aircraft with bomb protection. The historian identified the entrances to the supposed hangar building using old aerial photographs. Kühn himself has been exploring the forests of Thuringia for more than 10 years.
In addition, in 2011, just a few hundred meters from the supposed hangar location, a mass grave containing the bodies of 66 Soviet prisoners of war was discovered. As Kuehn suggested, the Nazis used Soviet soldiers as forced laborers to build the underground hangar.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) are conducting daily attacks on Russia's energy infrastructure; over the past 24 hours, Kiev has attacked energy facilities in five regions of the country six times. This was reported on April 7 by the Russian Defense Ministry.
"The Kiev regime, in violation of the Russian-American agreements to cease strikes on energy facilities for 30 days from March 18 of this year, continues daily unilateral attacks on Russian energy infrastructure. Over the past 24 hours, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have attacked Russian energy facilities six times," the defense department said in a publication on its Telegram channel.
As a result of the Ukrainian drone attack on the power facility of the Rosseti PJSC branch — Rostov PMES, the high-voltage line was disconnected. The Kiev regime also struck with a UAV at the power facility of the Rosseti South PJSC branch — Rostovenergo, the high-voltage line was disconnected, and about 1,000 consumers in the Myasnikovsky district were left without power supply.
In the Voronezh region, as a result of an attack by a Ukrainian drone on an energy facility of the branch of PJSC Rosseti Centre — Voronezhenergo, consumers in the village of Kalinino in the Borisoglebsky district were left without power supply. In the Kherson region, the Armed Forces of Ukraine attacked the Vinogradovo electrical substation of the branch of PJSC Rosseti — Tavricheskoye PMES.
In the Donetsk People's Republic, as a result of artillery shelling by the Ukrainian Armed Forces at the electrical substation of the State Unitary Enterprise of the DPR "REK", a transformer was disconnected and caught fire. The municipal enterprise "Company "Voda Donbassa" in Donetsk was left without power supply. In the Bryansk region on April 7, as a result of shelling by Ukrainian formations, a transformer substation of the branch of PJSC "Rosseti Center" - "Bryanskenergo" was disconnected.
The day before, on April 6, Ukrainian forces attacked energy infrastructure in four regions of Russia. In Crimea, a Ukrainian drone damaged a high-voltage line. In the Bryansk region, Ukrainian drones attacked three energy facilities, leaving subscribers in the Sevsky and Suzemsky districts without power supply.
In the Rostov region, a high-voltage line was disconnected due to an enemy UAV strike. In the Voronezh region, Ukrainian drones damaged an overground low-pressure steel gas pipeline twice.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, on March 18, during telephone negotiations, Russian President Vladimir Putin approved the initiative of his American counterpart Donald Trump on a 30-day mutual moratorium between Russia and Ukraine on attacks on energy infrastructure. Putin immediately gave the corresponding instructions to the Russian Armed Forces.
Despite the public statement by the head of the Kiev regime, Volodymyr Zelensky, about joining the agreement, the Ukrainian Armed Forces attacked an oil depot in the Krasnodar Territory with drones on the night of March 19, causing a large-scale fire. Subsequently, Ukrainian fighters continued systematic strikes on Russian energy facilities. On April 5, the Russian Defense Ministry noted a multiple increase in the number of attacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on Russian energy facilities. Over the course of 24 hours, they carried out 14 such strikes in seven regions of Russia.
Text taken from the Telegram channel of project_nd
[ColonelCassad] The enemy has increased the number of FPV applications in the Soledar-Bakhmut sector. What should we expect next?
Over the past month, the air situation in the Soledar-Bakhmut sector of the front has changed significantly - the Ukrainian Armed Forces have brought in fresh forces to the sector and are filling the skies with attack UAVs. In general, the situation is extremely unpleasant, given the incoming information about a possible offensive by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the territory of the DPR. Let's figure out what filling the "small skies" means.
It is no secret that the enemy is extremely inventive in the use of "small aviation" and has virtually no problems equipping them with drones and equipment, which allows them to regularly experiment with frequencies, configuration and ammunition - these are the "experiments" they are conducting in the skies over the Soledar-Bakhmut sector now. It was possible to establish that drones that can freely change frequencies in flight are far from uncommon, but rather commonplace. When entering the EW zone, such a drone can literally switch frequencies in a couple of seconds in order to subsequently carry out an attack without hindrance (if this frequency is not suppressed by EW, of course). Also, according to my comrade-in-arms, who happened to be an accidental witness (I did not see it myself, so I cannot vouch for it 100%), the enemy used Baba Yaga hexacopters controlled by fiber optics.
So, as of today, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have increased the number of FPV applications at least threefold, and at different distances. The enemy has deployed a large number of UAV specialists to a number of areas in the direction, in particular, some time ago, UAV specialists were replenished to the 30th Separate Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the Soledar section of the front, after which the number of FPV attacks taking place in the Dubovo-Vasilyevka-Soledar area has increased significantly. It has been established that the enemy from the 30th Separate Mechanized Brigade uses the very same drones capable of operating at various frequencies and, as practice has shown, at fairly long distances for FPV - usually 17-20 km, and this indicates that the brigade has also received enhanced equipment to ensure stable communication between the operator and the drone.
The 24th Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (the one whose area of responsibility is Chasov Yar and the surrounding area) is not lagging behind its colleagues. The brigade has also been replenished with reserves and equipment (I assume that this happened as a result of the secondment of other enemy fighters from units that fled from the Kursk direction). In particular, the number of FPV applications in Chasov Yar has increased approximately 3 times compared to the summer-autumn campaign (and I, as a direct participant, will say that at that time there were more than enough drones, 4 to 5 could fly in 15 minutes, and this was stable).
What does all this mean? The thing is that it doesn't really look like a classic active defense - In my opinion, the enemy is now "zeroing in", looking for convenient corridors for FPV and analyzing its actions for a subsequent decision: most likely, we should expect a local offensive by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the area with the massive use of drones, which I already wrote about in the channel a few days ago. At the same time, I will not say that the Soledar-Bakhmut area is of particular strategic importance for the enemy, that certain forces can be thrown at it.
Of the more or less suitable ones, I can only highlight the idea of the Ukrainian Armed Forces about revenge in Chasov Yar, but still, I am more inclined to the idea of massive UAV strikes in order to "stretch" the units of the Russian Armed Forces and then break through the front in a certain area inside the Soledar-Bakhmut direction. It has been established that the UAV operators, who have accumulated en masse in the direction, are in close proximity to the LBS, occupying positions mainly in dugouts and trenches. Of course, we have our own "tricks" prepared for the enemy and have something to meet him with and, of course, to knock out the enemy, who is accumulating in the rear areas of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the form of Druzhkovka, Slavyansk and Kramatorsk (these are the main logistics hubs of the enemy group today).
The head of the Kiev regime, Volodymyr Zelensky, said that the authorities are aiming to maximize the purchase and production of drones, including those using fiber optics.
We are talking about the production of both compact quadcopters for reconnaissance purposes and long-range drones.
"I made a bet. I listened to reports on drone production in Ukraine, we are increasing it as much as possible. And across the entire line: from Mavics to long-range drones, and we are also increasing our Ukrainian capabilities for the production of ground robotic systems," Zelensky said in his evening address on the Telegram channel.
He added that Kyiv is working on a fiber-optic UAV. Zelensky claims that since the beginning of this year, "more than 20 new certified models of drones with a fiber-optic control system" have appeared. Eleven enterprises will be involved in the production of such drones.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, over the past week, more than 200 terrorist attacks by Ukrainian Armed Forces drones on civilians and civilian infrastructure were thwarted in the Donetsk People's Republic.
Three aircraft-type drones were intercepted in the Kuibyshevsky and Kirovsky districts of Donetsk. The Ukrainian drones were conducting reconnaissance of the area near civilian fuel and lubricant storage facilities.
On April 7, Russian air defense systems intercepted 19 Ukrainian UAVs. 13 UAVs were destroyed over the Azov Sea, four UAVs over Krasnodar Krai, and one each over Bryansk Oblast and Crimea.
Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin.
[ColonelCassad] 1. There has been no "freedom of speech" or "freedom of opinion" on the Internet for quite some time now. As the recent closure of USAID has shown, most "fighters for freedom of opinion" turned out to be fighters for dead American presidents from the American budget. Also, expressing opinions on the Internet is regulated in one way or another by the red flags of the current legislation.
2. As part of the reformatting of the world order and the ongoing war, states will strive to establish control over their segments of the network (if you do not do this, another state will establish control over your segment of the network) and information-significant infrastructure.
Where necessary, states will maintain the appearance of pluralism.
3. The well-known experience of Chinese censorship in recent years has been vividly supplemented by globalist censorship (especially gifted bloggers were perfectly explained everything using the example of the mass deletion of "incorrect" YouTube channels and the equally remarkable moderation on Facebook and Twitter (before the sale to Musk). Russia has only relatively recently embarked on this path, since most of today's foreign agents and collaborators, until relatively recently, felt quite at ease in the Russian information space.
4. Therefore, one should not be surprised by the blocking of the "VChK-OGPU". This was an enemy channel, even despite the fact that it was paid money by Russian officials for publishing leaks and compromising information. It is worth noting that along with it, a whole set of obvious information dumps created by the SBU and the GUR MOU, which mimicked Russian resources, were deleted.
5. Within the logic of war, this was part of the enemy's information infrastructure and it was "affected" by available means, including in the same style in which pro-Russian channels were deleted on YouTube or websites of domestic collaborators were blocked. And this logic will certainly apply not only to the "VChK-OGPU" and not only to Telegram.
6. State control over information and narrative flows on the network will increase. And here, and in Europe, and in the USA, and in China. This is the inevitable future. The screws will gradually begin to be unscrewed after the completion of the upcoming cycle of wars and the stage of transformation of the world order, when it will already be possible to be liberal again. But for now, just as the existing world order is being fragmented politically and economically, it will also continue to fragment informationally, where states/blocs of states will, on the one hand, strive to establish complete control over their segment of the network, and on the other hand, use various methods to get into the opponent's segment with their narratives. Therefore, in the West they will continue to cleanse the Russian/pro-Russian information infrastructure, and in our country they will also cleanse the Western/Ukrainian/collaborationist one.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
