"Azov" Is Already Patrolling The Streets Of Mariupol

Ukraine once again seized the initiative on the front.

Ukraine's defense forces are expanding the use of unmanned systems and fire control deep into the positions of the Russian occupiers, making it difficult for them logistically.

Azov says it has started patrolling roads in Mariupol, Donetsk region, with the military saying it is expanding its zone of control. "Gordon" reports how Ukraine is gradually retaking the initiative on the battlefield.

"Russia stumbles on the battlefield"

The May 9 parade in Moscow without a display of heavy military equipment (for the first time in nearly two decades) and with the internet down demonstrated Russia's vulnerability and weakness to Ukrainian drones, The Economist writes. Adding to the "humiliation," Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky issued a decree of "permission" for the parade, saying there would be no strikes on Red Square.

For the first time in nearly three years, the initiative in the war has shifted in Ukraine's favor, the publication notes. And adds: having survived a harsh winter and the shelling of energy infrastructure, Ukraine is now changing "the course of events."

"Russia is stumbling on the battlefield," The Economist writes.

Up to 80 percent of Russian troop losses are now caused by FPV drones. The equipment's strike zone has expanded to 20 km from the front line, which paralyzes the logistics of the Russian offensive. Medium-range drones destroy warehouses, air defense systems and radars at a distance of up to 300 km.

In addition, Ukrainian drones are capable of hitting targets at a distance of up to 2,000 km. About 70 percent of Russia's population is within range of the UAVs, Bloomberg reported.

The Russian military complains that Ukraine's new autonomous drones remain stealthy until they begin to dive. They use artificial intelligence and are controlled by fiber-optic cables to bypass electronic warfare equipment, The Economist tells us.

Experts say the Russian army is having difficulty moving units close to the front line because of the drones.

Lawrence Friedman, professor emeritus of military studies at King's College in London, points out that the drone strike zone is about 20 kilometers long and extends far into the Russian rear.

Return to Mariupol

On May 8, Azov said that the corps' pilots have begun patrolling areas up to 160 kilometers deep from the front line with the help of a reconnaissance and strike complex. They fix military targets of the Russians in Mariupol and around the city, which the Russian army occupied back in 2022. Prior to that, the military claimed fire control of roads around Donetsk.

Azov explained that Russian troops use Ukrainian roads in the city and on its outskirts to move personnel and other military equipment.

Azov is returning to Mariupol. For now - with the help of a reconnaissance and strike complex," the statement said.

The corps indicated that it continues to create a "sanitary zone" for Russian logistics. The depth of strikes will increase, the military added.

"Control of logistics, by and large, is what land control is all about. Fire banning the enemy to drive trucks and cars a hundred kilometers deep into its territory will mean: no tank, gun, truck with infantry or ammunition will be free to reach the point where it becomes a threat to our troops," said soldier and former MP Igor Lutsenko.

He said Ukraine's defense forces have managed to extend the kill zone for the Russians to 100 km to the rear of the contact line. This, according to Lutsenko, demonstrates that there is no longer any point in seizing Ukrainian territory and the so-called "SWO" itself.

The picture is quite bleak for Putin

The US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) estimates that Russian forces in April 2026 suffered net territorial losses on the frontline in Ukraine for the first time since the Ukrainian operation in the Kursk region in August 2024. The May 2 report states that Russian forces lost control over approximately 116 km² of territory in a single month. At the same time, these figures do not take into account areas where Russian units could only penetrate without establishing full control.

The New York Times believes that at the current average monthly pace of Russia's offensive, it will take more than 30 years to establish full control over Donbass.

This slowdown may be temporary and can be partly explained by seasonal factors. Russian forces typically accelerate in the summer, aided by better weather and dense vegetation that provides better cover from drones.

The Russian army, however, has yet to solve a fundamental problem: how to make major breakthroughs on a battlefield saturated with drones.

- The reality is that they are barely holding their own on the front lines, and little is going according to plan. It's hard to see how the situation for Russia can improve. If you're preparing a report for Putin, the picture is pretty bleak," Friedman said.

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