The President's Daily Brief
PDB Evening Bulletin | May 5th, 2025: Re-Invasion: Ukrainian Forces Storm Into Russian Territory Again & Israel Approves Plan To Seize The Entire Gaza Strip
Tue, 06 May 2025
In this episode of The PDB Evening Bulletin: First, Ukraine storms back into Russia’s Kursk region—missiles, minefields, and armored units smash through the border just days before Putin’s planned Victory Day ceasefire. Later in the show—a major update on the Israel-Palestine conflict, as Israel's security cabinet approves a plan to expand its military offensive against Hamas to seize and hold the entirety of the Gaza Strip. To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President’s Daily Brief by visiting PDBPremium.com. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President's Daily Brief. YouTube: youtube.com/@presidentsdailybrief Birch Gold: Text PDB to 989898 and get your free info kit on gold TriTails Premium Beef: Visit https://TryBeef.com/PDB for 2 free Flat Iron steaks with your first box over $250 True Classic: Upgrade your wardrobe and save on @trueclassic at trueclassic.com/PDB ! #trueclassicpod. Please review the “AD” disclosure requirements based on FTC legal regulations here: http://ftc.gov/influencer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Chapter 1: What major actions have Ukrainian forces taken in Russia's Kursk region?
First, with peace talks to end Moscow's war on Ukraine stalled, leaders in Kyiv are upping the pressure on the battlefield, reportedly launching a fresh cross-border incursion into Russia's Kursk region, taking out a critical Russian drone command unit in the process.
Later in the show, a major update on the Israel-Hamas conflict, as Israel's security cabinet approves a plan to expand its military offensive against Hamas to seize and hold the entirety of the Gaza Strip. But first, today's afternoon spotlight. We'll begin today with an update from the battlefields of Eastern Europe.
As peace efforts falter due to Vladimir Putin's lack of interest in peace, Ukrainian forces are bringing the fight back into Russian territory with renewed vigor. According to Russian war bloggers, cited in a Reuters report, Kyiv's forces mounted a fresh cross-border offensive into Russia's Kursk region on Monday, surprising Moscow's troops with a blitz of military actions.
Ukrainian forces reportedly smashed through Russian border defenses and then crossed a minefield with specially devised vehicles as they bolstered the ground offensive with a missile barrage on critical targets, including a Russian drone command unit.
The activity comes less than a month after Russia claimed to have regained control of Kursk and expelled all Ukrainian forces from the region following a bloody counteroffensive. Ukrainian officials have not commented on any of the reported advances, but simply said Monday that operations in the Kursk region, which began last August, continued.
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Chapter 2: How has Russia responded to Ukrainian military actions in Kursk?
One prominent Russian war blogger told Reuters, quote, "...the enemy blew up bridges with rockets at night and launched an attack with armored groups in the morning. The mine clearance vehicles began to make passages in the minefields, followed by armored vehicles with troops. There's a heavy battle going on at the border." End quote.
The reports of the renewed attacks came just days after Russian officials said they were attempting to establish a, quote, security strip on the border to prevent a renewed Ukrainian assault. The action also comes ahead of Moscow's Victory Day ceasefire.
That's a Putin planned three day cessation of hostilities as supposedly to begin on May 8th, marking the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two.
Chapter 3: What are the implications of Ukraine's military operations for Putin's Victory Day plans?
Putin will be hosting a number of world leaders in Moscow, most notably China's Xi Jinping, for the Victory Day festivities, and clearly he was hoping that a three-day pause in fighting would prevent a possibly embarrassing potential Ukrainian attack during the parades.
We should note, however, that the ceasefire has been met with skepticism from Ukraine and Western allies, and if Monday's military actions are anything to go by, leaders in Kiev plan to keep the pressure on the Putin regime as his Victory Day celebrations get underway.
As a reminder, Ukraine launched a military operation last August inside Russia's Kursk territory, catching the Putin regime by surprise. At the time, they managed to seize roughly 530 square miles of territory, which Kiev intended to use as leverage in potential future negotiations with Moscow.
But beginning in the fall, Russia mounted several counteroffensives using some 50,000 troops, supplemented by, of course, 12,000 North Korean soldiers, and slowly began clawing back a significant chunk of the area captured by Kyiv's military. By mid-March, Russia declared victory over Ukrainian forces in the region, all but dislodging them from the territory.
Though reports suggested Ukraine did manage to hold onto a narrow strip of land roughly 40 square miles. As I said, Ukraine is staying relatively quiet about their renewed activity in Kursk.
It follows reports in early April that Ukrainian forces had mounted a limited offensive into Russia's nearby Belgorod region, which also borders Ukraine, in order to protect Ukrainian towns and settlements in the regions of Sumy and Kharkiv.
We should note that Sumy has been the recent target of intense aerial bombardments from Russian forces stationed near the border, with officials in Kyiv warning that the attacks are part of Russia's spring offensive to capture additional Ukrainian territory. On April 13, Russia launched a deadly strike on Sumy as civilians were attending morning church services to celebrate Palm Sunday.
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Chapter 4: What is the current state of diplomacy between Ukraine and Russia?
The attack killed 35 people and wounded more than 100, prompting widespread condemnations. Those attacks continued over the weekend, with the Ukrainian prosecutor's office saying Monday the two settlements in Sumy had been struck by mass artillery fire and guided bombs, leaving three residents dead and injuring four others.
Local authorities have urged residents to evacuate the area as fighting in the northeastern border region continues. Meanwhile, diplomacy continues to falter. Putin remains as intransigent as ever, having rejected multiple favorable ceasefire offers from the Trump administration, instead opting to stick to his long list of Moscow-centric demands.
Trump, in turn, has since bolstered his support for Kyiv. Last week, he approved the sale of $50 million or more worth of weapons and other defense-related products to Ukraine, the first direct military aid granted by Trump to Kiev since his return to office. That came the same day that Kiev and Washington finally inked a long-anticipated minerals deal in exchange for U.S.
investment to help rebuild the war-torn country. The White House has since also approved a $310 million package, give or take some change, to provide support and training for Ukraine's Air Force, specifically their F-16s. Trump, who has vowed to end the war, appears to have lost all patience with the diplomatic process.
Chapter 5: How is the U.S. supporting Ukraine amid ongoing conflicts?
State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters last Thursday that the U.S. will be stepping back from its role as a mediator in peace talks, citing frustration over Putin's stalling tactics. Trump reiterated that position in an interview on Sunday, although he said that he's still hopeful a peace deal can be secured.
Coming up next, the Israel Security Cabinet approves a plan to expand its military offensive against Hamas to include the full capture and occupation of Gaza. I'll be right back. Hey, Mike Baker here. Well, as you know by now, I'm sure, the tariffs and the trade wars have thrown the global economy into something I guess we could call chaos.
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That's trybeef.com slash pdbgrill. Your family, your friends, and your grill will thank you. Welcome back to the Afternoon Bulletin. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's Security Cabinet unanimously approved a sweeping plan to expand its military campaign to seize and hold the entirety of the Gaza Strip.
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