Exclusives
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As Russia breaks air attack record, Ukraine's interception rate climbs to 90%. Defense Ministry credits new air defense systems and further development of proven ones |
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Support for Ukraine is 'turning critical, badly'—the warning comes from its most committed corner. Even Estonian MEPs are saying it now. That changes something. |
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Ukraine files extradition request with Israel for Midas suspects—outcome far from certain. Both suspects are Israeli citizens. Israel almost never extradites its own. |
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UAE says it would join Hormuz fight as Iran fires 2,500 missiles at Dubai. A country that was mediating between Washington and Tehran as recently as February is now lobbying for a military coalition to seize Iranian-held islands and clear the Strait of Hormuz by force — a strategic about-face driven by nearly 2,500 Iranian missiles and drones that have hit Dubai's airports, hotels, and airline routes. |
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Szijjártó told Russia's deputy minister he'd removed 72 entities from EU sanctions — then asked Moscow to write his arguments for removing more. The detail, buried in leaked transcripts from a call with Russia's deputy energy minister, reveals the full scope of Hungary's collusion: not just delisting oligarchs on request, but seeking Kremlin-authored justifications for Budapest's own EU lobbying. |
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Most drone-armored tanks can't fire their guns. Ukraine just fixed that on an Abrams. The Ukrainian 1st Assault Regiment is readying its ex-Australian M-1 tanks for assaults through Russia's drone kill zone. |
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Ukraine fired its NATO trainers. The alliance is running out of time to learn why. Ten Ukrainians eliminated two allied battalions in a day. The frigate crew never saw the attack coming. |
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8th Corps pioneers "Uber" for strikes — Russians once had three days to flee, now they have "minutes to pray". "The principle is as simple as an online taxi service: we see a 'client' — we assign the nearest available 'car' — we get the enemy a ride to the afterlife." |
Military
Russia lost two military aircraft in one day — an An-26 military transport killing all 29 aboard and an unconfirmed Su-34 fighter-bomber. The An-26 crashed into a cliff in occupied Bakhchisarai's mountains killing all aboard; the same day's Su-34 loss was reported only by Russian bloggers.
Russian advance is slowing — and ISW's numbers prove the Kremlin's demands on Donetsk have no basis on the battlefield. ISW found Russian forces seized 29% less territory in the six months to March 2026 than in the same period a year earlier, advancing at 10.66 km² per day versus 14.9 — a pace that makes Russia's two-month ultimatum on Donetsk Oblast a cognitive warfare tool, not a military reality.
Brilliant ambush plan: Ukrainian troops impress experienced NATO instructors with superior "tactical imagination". Six hours to plan an ambush — and they produced the most brilliant plan he'd ever seen.
Intelligence and technology
US is tripling Patriot heads production under Boeing deal. Ukraine needs missiles to stop Russian ballistics. Washington also reportedly told allies PAC-3 missiles may be diverted from Ukraine to Iran.
This is Moscow's parallel war: Russian intelligence orders spying on German drone supplier for Ukraine — Spiegel. GRU recruited a Ukrainian refugee in Germany via Telegram. His target: a Bavarian businessman supplying drones to Ukraine.
Rheinmetall's contract for Ukraine stalls — FV-014 Raider loitering munition's price has been revealed. Rheinmetall's FV-014 Raider has been combat-tested in Ukraine. 200 are ready for delivery.
Ukraine's $1,200 drone is getting an upgrade: swarm mode. Ukraine is working to give its low-cost interceptor drones — which can cost as little as $1,200 — the ability to operate in swarms, as Kyiv looks to scale up air defenses against Russian attacks that last week included nearly 1,000 drones in a single day.
Ukraine's drone forces chief Madyar reinforced SBS command with two Hero of Ukraine battlefield commanders. Ukraine's drone forces have two new senior commanders whose stated task includes closing the Drone Line continuously along the entire contact line, according to SBS chief Robert "Madyar" Brovdi.
Russia is ordering companies to nominate employees for military service — 2 to 5 names depending on size. Enlistment rates falling in major cities. Despite incentives, army struggles to replenish.
International
700,000 barrels of Russian oil arrived in Cuba: Kremlin keeps island's lights, as its mercenaries bolster war ranks. A Russian tanker on a US sanctions list docked at Cuba's largest fuel terminal on 31 March with 700,000 barrels of oil—the first major delivery since Washington imposed an energy blockade on the island early in 2026.
Humanitarian and social impact
BREAKING: Russia attacks Ukrainian regions bordering Poland and Hungary with nearly 650 drones. One week after killing a father and daughter outside a maternity hospital, Russia is striking western Ukraine again — up to NATO's border.
Russia broke his heart — literally. Ukrainian doctors gave him a new one, just in time for his 45th birthday. The story of Yurii Mykytenchuk, a Ukrainian soldier whose heart was destroyed in Russian captivity, and the Kyiv transplant team that saved him.
Ukraine names seven archaeologists Russia sent to steal treasures from occupied Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Crimea. They had Kremlin-issued permits to be involved in the looting of Ukrainian cultural heritage.
Political and legal developments
Ukraine files extradition request with Israel for Midas suspects—outcome far from certain. Both suspects are Israeli citizens. Israel almost never extradites its own.
Read our earlier daily review here.
