Exclusives
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Estonia's Orthodox church that declared independence from Russia is still run by Moscow, intelligence report says. The Estonian Christian Orthodox Church adopted a new name and new statutes in 2025 — but Estonia's internal security service found the changes cosmetic, with Moscow Patriarch Kirill's oversight departments still directing its activities. |
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Trump and Vance showed Europe's far right how to weaponize Ukraine. Don't expect them to stop.. For the White House, Ukraine is now reduced to a cheap punchline—lies and stereotypes they throw about—to aid the MAGA-European extreme right-Putin axis. |
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Ukraine launched two rockets into space from its territory during war, plans to make own space force. MP boasts of missile defense, hypersonic strike capabilities. |
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Mark Dixon: "We must declare the Economic World War on Russia". Four years into Russia's war on Ukraine, Mark Dixon thinks the West is losing the economic fight—not because the tools don't exist, but because they've never been used at full power. |
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The 10-point plan to wage the Economic World War—to harm Russia and help Ukraine. The domino effect of a rich Russia risks tipping the balance between whether democracy or autocracy prevails, and whether the future human race lives in freedom or under servitude. |
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Oil jumped 8% as Trump's Hormuz blockade undid the ceasefire crash. Talks collapsed in Pakistan. A naval blockade replaced a truce. For Russia's war revenues, the brief window of relief is over. |
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Russia spent $130 billion extra on sanctioned goods since 2022 — and it still couldn't find replacements for some of them, Latvia says. Latvia's intelligence service assesses that Putin likely receives sanitized reports burying the economic losses — making him even less likely to change course under economic pressure. |
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Trump's and Putin's ally Orbán ousted after 16 years as Magyar wins two-thirds majority and promises Hungary's return to Europe. Magyar's supermajority gives Tisza the votes to reverse the constitutional changes Orbán made after winning his own first two-thirds majority in 2010. |
Military
Russia's Easter "ceasefire" stopped Shaheds for a day — and nothing else. Russian forces shot four Ukrainian POWs after capturing them near Veterynarne, Kharkiv Oblast — after the truce had formally begun — while Russia accumulated 10,721 other violations across the front, Ukraine says.
Russian tanks and IFVs rarely reach the contact line — Ukraine's 20 km kill zone stops them cold, spokesman says. Trehubov noted that quad bikes and motorcycles still get through, but calling them military hardware is a stretch.
No infantry: For first time, Ukraine captured Russian position using only drones and robots. Such systems conducted 22,000 missions in three months.
Intelligence and technology
Ukraine and NATO are building new kind of wartime procurement. The Alliance just backed it financially.
Developer of Ukraine's Ruta missiles just partnered with Rheinmetall to build Europe's answer to HIMARS. Rheinmetall wants to scale it across NATO.
Ukraine built Areion on Neptune's backbone — and it can now be launched from almost anywhere. It fits on a trailer and hits like a cruise missile.
Russia's KRONA just entered testing. Ukraine and its allies need to move faster. Kalashnikov built an anti-drone system with two guidance types.
Russia is now using one Shahed to distract — and second to kill crew shooting it down. Russia has found Ukraine's drone hunters.
Ukraine just X-rayed Russia's $100,000 drone — and found components from China, Taiwan, and Switzerland. Only the EU is sanctioning the factory behind this drone. That's the problem.
Putin fortifies his family's home. Seven new missile towers went up in single day. Seven new Pantsir went up at Putin's residence in Valdai in a single day. The total is now 27. Ukraine hasn't struck there—yet.
International
Belgium and Spain just committed €1 billion each to Ukraine. Here's what they buy. Belgium is sending more F-16s.
EU hands Hungary's new leader 27 conditions. One of them is unlocking €90 billion for Ukraine. The other conditions span anti-corruption measures and the reversal of Orbán-era decisions found to violate EU rules.
Future Hungarian PM Magyar makes first statements on EU's €90 billion loan for Ukraine. The loan, not the aid, was blocked by Viktor Orbán's government.
Five years after Belarus' stolen election, Ukraine is still catching up on Tsikhanouskaya. Zelenskyy met Tsikhanouskaya in January — Ukraine's first presidential-level contact. Two months on, the Kyiv visit and special envoy remain undelivered.
Humanitarian and social impact
Russia executed Ukrainian POWs under cover of its own "ceasefire". Russian forces shot four Ukrainian POWs after capturing them near Veterynarne, Kharkiv Oblast — after the truce had formally begun.
Political and legal developments
Trump's and Putin's ally Orbán ousted after 16 years as Magyar wins two-thirds majority and promises Hungary's return to Europe. Magyar's supermajority gives Tisza the votes to reverse the constitutional changes Orbán made after winning his own first two-thirds majority in 2010.
Read our earlier daily review here.
