Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)

Russian troops accelerated their advance west of Avdiivka in the Donetsk region, creating a narrow passage deep into Ukrainian territory to enter the town of Ocheretyne.

British intelligence believes that the detention of Russian Deputy Defense Minister Timur Tvanov on bribery charges indicates a serious scandal in the Russian defense ministry.

British intelligence reports a record 7,400 desertions of mobilized Russian soldiers since September 2022, with the largest number of cases in the Moscow region.

The Russian army is slowly but steadily advancing in the capture of settlements in the Donetsk sector, with the capture of Novomykhailivka taking 73 days despite its limited strategic importance.

The United Kingdom will provide Ukraine with the largest package of military aid, including ammunition, air defense equipment, drones, boats, missiles, vehicles and munitions to strengthen Ukraine's defense against Russian aggression.

The Russian Armed Forces have created a special unit called Bars-Cascade for Kremlin VIPs, which operates far from the front line and includes the sons of Kremlin elites, allowing them to bypass compulsory military service while gaining favor with the Kremlin.

Russian troops are intensively shelling Chasovyi Yar, using the same aerial bombardment tactics as during the offensive on Avdiivka, dropping 20-30 rounds of ammunition per day from aircraft with the aim of capturing the town by May 9.

Ukraine shoots down a russian Tu-22M3 strategic bomber with old Soviet S-200 missiles for the first time, marking a successful attack on the russian air force and the loss of at least 100 combat aircraft.

The UK Ministry of Defense has not used more than half of the £900 million international military fund earmarked for Ukraine due to bureaucratic delays in processing contracts, having allocated or spent only £404 million so far.

Russia has largely withdrawn its Black Sea Fleet ships and submarines from Sevastopol to Novorossiysk. After the dismissal of the Black Sea Fleet Commander in March 2024, the fleet was the least active since the beginning of the war.

The Ukrainian reconnaissance unit Kabul 9 destroyed 10 enemy military targets in two days, including vehicles, a fuel truck and an ammunition depot in the Zaporizhzhia sector of the frontline.

The British Ministry of Defense believes that Ukraine's strike on the plant in Tatarstan, more than 1,000 kilometers from the border, confirms its ability to hit targets deep inside Russia, bypass air defense and hit facilities used in warfare, demonstrating the development of long-range weapons.

More than 34,000 Ukrainian recruits have been trained in the UK and 12 partner countries as part of Operation Interflex, a training program for the Ukrainian military organized by the UK.

The United Kingdom is considering sending a prototype of the DragonFire laser weapon to Ukraine before its planned deployment in 2027, even if it is not fully finalized, to speed up the process of providing new technologies to help Ukrainian defense.

Ukraine has never used Western weapons to strike at the territory of the Russian Federation, in compliance with the conditions for the use of such weapons set by international partners.

The United Kingdom and BAE Systems have signed an agreement for the company to repair and maintain L119 guns in Ukraine at British expense, reducing logistics for the Ukrainian military and attracting partner funds to the country.

In 2024, Russia aims to recruit about 400,000 contract soldiers to compensate for the significant losses in the war against Ukraine and to support plans to increase the size of its armed forces.

Russia is losing powerful AS-23a KODIAK missiles due to production failures, probably caused by sanctions and hasty production to meet the needs of the war against Ukraine.

According to British intelligence, due to the shortage of 30,000 doctors in Russia, the country recruits medical personnel from African countries without confirming their qualifications. This can lead to a deterioration in the quality of medical care.

The Watchkeeper drones in service with the British Air Force cannot fly in adverse weather conditions and are not currently in use.

Due to the sanctions, third countries charge a price premium of more than 60% for the export of some sanctioned goods to Russia, disrupting the supply and demand balance for Russian arms exports and complicating payment mechanisms, leading to a significant reduction in Russian arms exports.

For the first time in 100 years, the British army has lifted the ban on soldiers wearing beards, allowing officers and soldiers to grow facial hair.

russia is actively working to integrate the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine by creating russian administrative, educational, judicial, and infrastructure systems there, which indicates its plans for the long-term occupation and russification of these regions.

Russia is planning to create a "Dnipro River Flotilla" and a brigade of boats to protect the waterways and islands separating Russian-occupied territories from Ukrainian-controlled Kherson, but it is likely to be vulnerable to Ukrainian drones.

Britain calls on Europe to extend duty-free and quota-free imports from Ukraine for most goods to protect Ukraine from Russian invasion.

Russia does not have enough soldiers to form new military districts because its troops are involved in the war in Ukraine.

British intelligence has analyzed the ability of the Russian Federation to form and equip two new armies consisting of 14 divisions and 16 brigades announced by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, but doubts their effectiveness due to limited training, outdated equipment and infrastructure problems.

russia's Black Sea Fleet is suffering huge losses due to successful strikes by Ukraine, which is sinking Putin's ships even in the occupied port of Sevastopol.

russia continues to build a railroad in the occupied Ukrainian territories as far as Crimea, but it passes through areas vulnerable to long-range Ukrainian strikes, according to a British intelligence report.

According to British intelligence, Russia is unlikely to be able to protect all vulnerable energy facilities, despite plans to deploy Pantsir air defense systems, given the size and scope of the Russian energy sector.