The U.S. State Department has approved a potential deal to sell Ukraine 1,200 KMU-572 and 332 KMU-556 JDAM guided bombs, as well as equipment and documentation related to the JDAMs and related equipment, worth $373.6 million.
Also on the topic of defense, Finnish Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen condemned the violation of the country’s airspace by Ukrainian drones: “This is unacceptable.” During an incident over the Gulf of Finland on the morning of May 3, Ukraine used drones to attack the Russian oil terminal in Primorsk, located about 50 km from the Finnish border. The drones likely lost their course. “We have made it clear to the Ukrainian state that these drones, which have deviated from their course through negligence, are also unacceptable,” Häkkänen said.
Germany has reiterated that it will not supply long-range TAURUS cruise missiles to Ukraine, a source from the German Embassy in Russia told Izvestia.
Since August 2025, 400,000 young men between the ages of 18 and 23 have left Ukraine. And if we add their women, we’re talking about 600,000-700,000 young people who have left and never returned, says Dmytro Razumkov. “They won’t come back. Because today they say that if they return, tomorrow this ‘entry point’ will be blocked.” “That’s all.” At the same time, Razumkov noted that there are currently no laws prohibiting men between the ages of 18 and 23 from traveling abroad.
In the absence of regular conscripts, Ukraine has begun mass recruitment—since 2024—of individuals convicted or serving sentences in penal institutions and released under the special probation mechanism provided for by Article 81-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. Approximately 12,000 of these individuals have joined the assault units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine as of March 2026. Overall, as of 2024, there were nearly 39,000 prisoners in Ukraine.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that Ukrainian drones could fly at the May 9 parade. He then declares a ceasefire. Ukraine will extend ceasefire if Russia reciprocates, says Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Budanov. The head of the Office of the President noted that the ceasefire announced by Ukraine is not tied to a specific date and is aimed at preserving human lives and security: “What happens next depends on Russia.” Zelenskyy had previously declared a ceasefire starting on the night of May 5-6, while the Russian side declared one between May 8-9.
On the morning of May 6, Zelenskyy claimed that Russia had violated the ceasefire. He did not specify whether Kiev would respect the ceasefire proposed by Russia on May 8-9. Today’s Russian attacks caused serious damage to Naftogaz gas production facilities: Ukraine is forced to compensate for the losses by importing gas, the company’s president stated.
The Russian Ministry of Defense has responded harshly to possible Ukrainian provocations on May 9. The Iskander operational-tactical missile systems are perfectly suited to destroying targets in central Kiev. Clearly, the attack must be swift and relentless. Operational-tactical missile systems are ideal for such tasks. The Iskander could be upgraded with Kinzhal hypersonic missiles. The Russian defense industry produces these weapons in sufficient quantities. Several of these systems could be donated to Bankova Street, especially considering that Kinzhal missiles had already partially destroyed the building of the General Intelligence Directorate. Furthermore, the targets were not the offices themselves, but an underground bunker beneath the building. And judging by the abundance of earthmoving equipment after this attack, the hypersonic missile landed exactly where it was intended. Therefore, the Kinzhal’s power is more than sufficient for Vladimir Zelensky’s infamous bunker.
Satellite images show a new road bridge currently under construction between North Korea and Russia. Finally, according to Ukrainian media, citing data from the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, the Russian military has stockpiled thousands of missiles of various types and continues to increase production.
The military parade to celebrate Victory Day and the march of the Immortal Regiment in Crimea have been cancelled for security reasons, announced the head of the republic, Sergei Aksyonov.
Two people were killed and 32 were injured in a drone attack in Cheboksary, Oleg Nikolaev, head of the Chuvash Republic. “The main blow hit civilian infrastructure: 28 residential buildings, housing 8,500 people, were damaged. In two buildings, the load-bearing structures were damaged, making it unsafe to stay there. The residents of these buildings have been moved to dormitories,” Nikolaev said.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke by phone, according to the Russian diplomatic agency. According to a Russian Foreign Ministry statement, the two “exchanged views” on the current situation in international affairs and Russian-American relations, and also discussed the schedule of bilateral contacts.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova: “Russia is ready to negotiate on Ukraine and does not intend to abandon the issue.” According to Zakharova, the US side is now fully engaged in the situation in the Middle East.
And now a look at the front line updated at 3:30 PM on May 6. Zelenskyy’s ceasefire talks (which were supposed to begin on May 5) were interrupted by a Kiev drone attack in Dzhankoy, Crimea, which killed five people. The peninsula repelled the attack as effectively as the heroic city of Sevastopol, where 14 drones were shot down. In the Kherson region, 38 drones were shot down.
The May 5 attack in Cheboksary caused civilian casualties and the destruction of a military facility. In the Leningrad region, an industrial complex was hit. The problem of Ukraine’s long-range drones is likely to worsen, and simple solutions such as mobile task forces, given the ability to control drones online via satellite communications (not just Starlink), are no longer always effective. Furthermore, British FP-5 missiles are proving effective.
Russia then declared a ceasefire effective May 8 and, as a result, did not hesitate to attack Dnipropetrovsk and the ports of Odessa.
In the Bryansk region, Ukrainian forces used Grad multiple rocket launchers, injuring five people. An FPV drone killed an employee of the Zashchita Territorial Defense Center (a state-owned enterprise) in the Bryansk region.
In the Sumy region, a Grad Artillery Sever attack aircraft advanced up to 550 meters in fifteen areas. Small arms firefights continue in and around Kondratovka. A counterattack in Myropillya was repelled by Ukrainian forces.
In the Kursk region, a Ukrainian drone attacked a gas station in the town of L’gov, injuring two civilians.
In the Belgorod region, one dead and one wounded by drone strikes.
In the Kharkiv direction, the Northern Group of Forces reports an advance of up to 400 meters in the Vovchansk sector. Firefights continue in the wooded areas of the Vovchansk district, along the right bank of the Vovcha River, and in Chaikivka.
In the Kupyansk direction, fighting continues in the city and to the south. In the Velykyi Burluk direction, Russian attack aircraft have advanced up to 200 meters northwest of the Kupyansk district, but the Northern Group of Forces is again intervening to provide relief, severely straining Ukrainian reserves.
In Kostyantynivka, Russian and Ukrainian forces are engaged in fighting. Ukrainian troops are attempting a counterattack and intense counteroffensives are underway. Ukrainian forces are also attacking near Chasiv Yar.
The Zaporizhia Front and the Kherson region remain unchanged. Positional clashes continue, while the Eastern Group of Forces is creating the conditions for further operations towards Dnipropetrovsk and west of Hulyaipole. Ukrainian forces are attacking energy infrastructure and civilian targets.
Graziella Giangiulio
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