PDB Evening Bulletin | May 5th, 2025: Re-Invasion: Ukrainian Forces Storm Into Russian Territory Again  & Israel Approves Plan To Seize The Entire Gaza Strip
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It's Monday, the 5th of May. Welcome to the PDB Afternoon Bulletin. It's a little bit late. I'm back on the road. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. All right, let's get briefed.

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

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 counter-offensive. 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.

One prominent Russian war blogger told Reuters, "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." The reports of the renewed attacks came just days after Russian officials said they were attempting to establish a "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, supposedly to begin on May 8th, marking the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.

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

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 Kyiv 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 counter-offensives 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 Kiev'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. 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 Kyiv since his return to office. That came the same day that Kyiv 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. 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, Israel's 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...

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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.

The plan, reported by Israel's public broadcaster Khan and confirmed by Israeli officials today, was presented by IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Ayyad Zamir. His plan outlines a gradual expansion of operations, beginning in select areas before extending across the enclave.

Tens of thousands of reservists have already been called up as part of the military's preparations to intensify the campaign. According to Security Cabinet Minister Ze'ev Elkin, the aim is to dismantle Hamas militarily, hold newly annexed territory, and apply enough sustained pressure to force the terror group into agreeing to a ceasefire and hostage release. That timeline, he added, could align with President Trump's expected visit to the region in mid-May, giving

giving Israel a potential edge at the negotiating table. As of now, Israeli forces control roughly one-third of the battered enclave. As we've covered here on the PDB, IDF operations resumed in full force in March after the collapse of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire.

As part of the updated battle plan, Israeli forces intend to clear targeted population centers, particularly in northern Gaza, by pushing civilians further south before advancing ground units. Meanwhile, despite mounting pressure, the Israeli government has refused to lift its full aid blockade, which has remained in place since early March. Instead, the

The cabinet has authorized a workaround that would allow humanitarian deliveries via private contractors, sidestepping or bypassing the UN and other international aid agencies entirely. The MOF has, as you might imagine, drawn swift condemnation from those aid organizations. Earlier today, Jan Egland, Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council, accused Israel of demanding that humanitarian organizations dismantle their aid networks.

UN officials say the bypass plan violates humanitarian principles and have signaled that they will not cooperate. Jerusalem insists the restrictions are necessary to prevent aid from being hijacked by Hamas. Officials maintain that the policy is legal under international law.

But the UN has pushed back, stating Israel as the occupying power is still responsible for the welfare of Gaza's civilians, most of whom are now displaced. The Iran-backed terror group, which of course started this current conflict with their slaughter and hostage-taking back on the 7th of October in 2023, denounced the proposal as "political blackmail". You know, I'm getting the impression that Hamas might not be very self-aware.

Israel's stated war aims remain unchanged, destroy Hamas and bring home the remaining 59 hostages, 24 of whom are believed to be still alive. That's according to Israeli intelligence.

Inside Israel, public support for the war, though, is starting to crack. Recent polls show a growing number of Israelis now favor a negotiated deal over a prolonged occupation. But Hamas isn't budging either. It continues to demand a total Israeli withdrawal as a precondition for any ceasefire or hostage agreement, a stance that Netanyahu's cabinet has repeatedly rejected.

And that, my friends, is the PDB afternoon, or let's call it evening, bulletin for Monday, the 5th of May. If you have any questions or comments, please just reach out to me at pdbathefirsttv.com. Now, don't forget to listen to the show ad-free. Simply become a premium member of the President's Daily Brief by visiting pdbpremium.com. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool.

Hey, Mike Baker here.

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