Sumy Oblast authorities urge residents of two border towns to evacuate immediately

Residents of the towns of Bilopillia and Vorozhba, located near the Russian border in Sumy Oblast, were urged to evacuate urgently on 5 May.

According to a Facebook post by Mykhailo Melnyk, Head of the Sumy District State Administration, he called on residents to leave immediately for a safer location. He informed that evacuation buses depart every morning at 08:00.

Melnyk also noted that people could register for evacuation at any time of day.

Russians intensify militarisation of children in occupied Zaporizhzhia

Russia is intensifying the militarisation of children and increasing funding for propaganda organisations in the temporarily occupied part of Zaporizhzhia Oblast, according to Ivan Fedorov, Head of the Zaporizhzhia Oblast Military Administration.

Speaking during the national 24/7 news broadcast, Fedorov said that while the occupiers previously aimed to make people support Russia, their current goal is to instill hatred toward Ukraine. He noted that Russian authorities were taking extensive measures to achieve this, including significantly boosting funding for militarised propaganda groups such as Yunarmiya (Young Army) and Voyin (Warrior).

Fedorov indicated that billions of roubles were expected to be allocated to these organisations in 2025 — a sum two to three times larger than in the previous year.

He also reported that Russia is actively building a network of so-called "military-patriotic" centres where children are trained in military strategy and tactics. One such centre is reportedly already being launched in the occupied city of Berdiansk.

Fedorov added that the Kremlin is reinforcing the Movement of the First initiative, using it to involve children in political activities. Meanwhile, the number of cadet classes in schools is growing, with the expectation that these pupils will later join Russia’s security forces.

He warned that Ukrainian children in the temporarily occupied territories are being psychologically manipulated so that in five to ten years, Russia would have a new generation ready to follow orders from the Kremlin without question.

Ukrainian Human Rights Commissioner Dmytro Lubinets previously reported that around 1,000 children from the occupied territories of Zaporizhzhia Oblast were recruited into the Yunarmiya militarised movement in 2023.

Kursk operation has achieved most of its objectives in nine months – Ukraine's commander-in-chief

Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, stated that Ukraine's military operation in Russia's Kursk Oblast, which has been ongoing for nine months, has accomplished most of its intended goals, and that the buffer zone established by Ukrainian forces in the border areas remains strategically important.

In a Facebook post, Syrskyi explained that the active operations in Kursk Oblast had successfully prevented Russian forces from launching offensives in Sumy and Kharkiv oblasts. He emphasized that the defensive buffer zone created by Ukraine’s military continues to serve its purpose.

Syrskyi noted that defeating a numerically superior enemy requires unconventional tactics, and that the Kursk operation was an example of such an approach. He said the operation took Russian forces by surprise and demonstrated Ukraine’s ability to strike, counterattack, and push the enemy back — even on Russian territory.

He credited the operation’s success to specific military units and individual soldiers, saying that during a recent working visit, he had presented awards to troops who had distinguished themselves in the operation.

Among the most effective units, Syrskyi highlighted the 225th Separate Assault Regiment, noting that it had carried out its objectives in Kursk Oblast with notable quality and efficiency. He added that when discussing Ukraine’s successful active defence in northern Ukraine and in the border areas of Russia, the efforts of the 225th Regiment stood out in particular.