Exclusives
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Russia's $15 million stealth drone is back—15 months after Ukraine got the last one. The surviving Okhotniks are flying again, but Moscow is keeping them far from Ukrainian skies. |
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Allies supplied the F-16s — Ukrainian pilots figured out the tactics. NATO training did not prepare them for this battlefield |
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Russia mastered drone-proofing its tanks—Ukraine is copying its tricks. It took years and tens of thousands of casualties, but the Russians have learned to innovate in Ukraine. |
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New sanctions sledgehammer: 500% tariffs for buyers of Russian energy. A vote could come as early as next week, Senator Graham says. |
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Russian oligarch hired UK opposition's top legal adviser to fight his sanctions. Protesters want him fired. Abramovich fights to keep £5.3bn frozen while his lawyer advises Conservative leadership. |
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How one woman's Threads posts got a pro-Putin Italian banned from Ukraine. "Him entering Ukraine? Over my dead body." |
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Russia's corruption "crackdown" looks hollow as losses surge without more cases. Seven in ten crimes are classified as grave or especially grave. |
Military
Frontline report: Venezuela becomes latest casualty of Russia's pattern of ally abandonment. Despite urgent pleas for military assistance and a Strategic Partnership Treaty signed just months earlier, Moscow watched from afar as US forces captured Maduro, adding Venezuela to a growing list of betrayed Russian partners.
Ukrainian paratroopers crush Russian assault near Pokrovsk (VIDEO, MAP). The 46th Airmobile Brigade of Ukraine repelled another Russian push, destroying tanks, armored vehicles, and dozens of troops.
ISW: Russia unlikely to rebuild battlefield losses and create strategic reserves at the same time. Only a fraction of Moscow's planned new units were actually formed, and those divisions appear undermanned and under-equipped.
Russian tank hunted her for 36 shots. Ukrainian widow, 54, kept fighting. A Russian tank and artillery piece opened fire together on her position near Bakhmut.
From Arma 3 to the frontlines: how South African gamers were lured into Russia's war in Ukraine. What began as online military simulations turned into real combat when two young men signed up for war after chatting on Discord.
From Arma 3 to real war: Russia recruits soldiers for war against Ukraine through popular game app. South African gamer killed in Ukraine after Discord recruitment.
Intelligence and technology
Ukraine's military goes paperless as Defense Ministry digitizes personnel and supply logistics alike. NATO-standard logistics approach and 17-nation IT Coalition back digital transformation
Starlink on horseback: Russian soldiers turn horses into Starlink carriers on the front lines (VIDEO). Footage shared online reveals Russian troops using horses with welded metal frames to carry satellite terminals on the battlefield.
International
Moscow's response to UK-France hub plan: Any Western troops in Ukraine will be targeted by Russian military. Non-combat trainers? Russia doesn't care. Moscow threatens strikes on any Western military presence in Ukraine.
Trump cuts US from nuclear non-proliferation center that kept Soviet weapons scientists out of rogue states. Withdrawal ends 30-year US investment in redirecting weapons of mass destruction expertise to civilian research
Oscar winner Chernov nominated again: 2000 Meters to Andriivka earns DGA nod. Ukrainian soldiers say it's "must-watch" for understanding war. From Oscar to DGA to Academy Awards: Chernov's "2000 Meters to Andriivka" continues Ukrainian cinema's global rise.
Humanitarian and social impact
"Emergency of national scale": Russia is tormenting 1 million people in Dnipro day after Coalition of Willing talks. Security guarantees discussed one day. Dnipro blacked out the next.
Russian drones black out Dnipro and Zaporizhzhia with -20°C freeze looming (MAP). The attacks halted operations at two major steel plants, disrupted mobile networks, and left homes without power, heat, and water, as crews raced to restore critical services.
Humanitarian catastrophe is unfolding in Ukraine's Dnipro and Zaporizhzhia, despite peace talks. Police warn civilians by loudspeaker as Russia strikes east of Ukraine.
New developments
Ukraine's demining just got smarter — rolls out data-driven mine clearance for liberated lands in 2026. A cutting-edge digital platform will determine where mine clearance is most urgent, starting with agricultural zones.
Read our earlier daily review here.
