Exclusives
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Russian church courts strip priests of rank for refusing Patriarch Kirill’s war prayer. About 50 priests have been documented as targets so far. Several have since had their ranks restored by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople after lengthy appeals. |
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A Russian banker hid in Brittany as a Ukrainian refugee—France just gave him to Lithuania. Ten months in a Breton village. Now 10.5 years in Vilnius. |
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Russia’s new Kyiv strike threat is posturing for the Victory Day humiliation, not retaliation—ISW. EU, France, Poland, and Ukraine answered Moscow's evacuation demand in lockstep. The diplomats are staying. |
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US pressure flows to Kyiv, Vilnius, and Warsaw—never to Minsk itself. Bombed country rejects relief for the regime hosting Russian drone launches. |
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Spain pledged €1 billion to Ukraine—then helped block NATO’s plan to count it. Four other allies blocked the metric, and six frameworks now run uncompared. |
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Why are EU farmers still protesting? Subsidies, not Ukrainian imports. Brussels imposed trade quotas in 2025—the CAP fight is the next one. |
Military
"First 500 targets already marked": Ukraine has a response plan if Belarus enters war, says drone forces commander. The comments come amid repeated warnings in Kyiv that Russia is seeking to draw Belarus deeper into the conflict through military coordination and planning discussions.
Ukraine has stabilized the front—next priorities are air defense and anti-ballistic systems, President says. Zelenskyy credited drones, mid-range strikes, and long-range sanctions in his 25 May address. Defensive results in 2026 are better than before, he said.
British-French Storm Shadow missiles took out a Russian command-and-control post on 25 May, per Ukraine. Russia announced a local missile alert in Luhansk around 16:30 on Monday. Ukraine's General Staff disclosed neither the exact target site nor the damage.
"Flash" Beskrestnov on Russia's new threats to strike Kyiv: They have no dynamics on front and need result. Russia again threatens Kyiv with new strikes, but they're partly psychological pressure.
Competition across six manufacturers saves Ukraine 16% on its largest-ever 155mm shell contract. Ukraine redirected money to tens of thousands more shells.
Ukraine destroyed a Russian S-300 launcher, rare radar, and fuel tank cars in occupied Donetsk in one day. Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces also struck multiple ammo and logistics depots, a field artillery store, and one of Russia's largest drones, the Merlin-VR reconnaissance UAV, on 24 May 2026.
Russia fails to capture Mala Tokmachka for 1,500 days — longer than Rome's siege of Carthage and three times siege of La Rochelle. The Book of Records of Ukraine has formally certified the position as one of the longest-held front-line defensive stands of the modern Russo-Ukrainian war.
Russia's fourth "Oreshnik" on Ukraine may have struck its own troops in occupied Donetsk Oblast — while first hit Kyiv Oblast. The Ukrainian Air Force confirmed one Oreshnik impact on Ukrainian territory, the strike on Bila Tserkva.
Intelligence and technology
Russia plans broad aviation restrictions as Ukrainian drones keep disrupting airspace. New rules would ban most civilian flights below 5,100 meters across large parts of central Russia, according to aviation associations and industry reports.
The "Behemoth" strike drone – Ukraine's answer to Russia's Shahed. Russia's widespread use of Shahed drones has shaped the war beyond the frontlines, with Ukraine increasingly expanding its own drone-based strike capabilities in response.
Ukrainian drone maker now in contention for US Army contracts: General Chereshnia advanced to second round of Pentagon's $1.1 billion drone competition. Twenty-five companies from around the world participated in the first round at Fort Benning, Georgia, each given two hours to demonstrate their systems to US military personnel.
Ukraine's new air defense system convinces Russian missiles they are in Peru — at one percent cost of Patriot. Lima electronic warfare, Cascade Systems, Night Watch, Alchemist, Patriot PAC-3 alternative, Shahed jamming, Kometa antennas, Lima Quant.
Ukrainian intelligence: Russia's new jet-powered Geran-4 attack drone runs on Chinese turbojets. The Geran-4 has a brand-new reinforced airframe and can pull high-G maneuvers at 300-400 km/h, per Ukraine's military intelligence. It carries up to 90 kg of thermobaric explosives.
International
After drone incursions in the Baltics, Ukraine's bomb shelter know-how draws official interest. Baltic governments are in early talks with Ukrainian firms on civil defense systems following recent drone incidents in the region.
Belarusian exiled leader and Ukraine's President shook hands in Kyiv—at a 24-country summit. Tsikhanoŭskaya and Zelenskyy discussed Russia's attempts to drag Belarus deeper into the war and Belarusians who live and fight in Ukraine. It was the first in-person meeting between the two leaders.
Ukraine offers African nations cooperation across eight sectors from food security to digitalization. Ukraine pledged equal partnership with Africa, where Russia recruits fighters from 36 countries.
Smaller NATO economies already spend 0.25% of GDP on Ukraine. UK, France, Spain, Italy, and Canada block plan to require it. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte had hoped to bring a binding commitment to the Ankara summit: each Alliance member to allocate 0.25% of GDP to military aid for Ukraine.
Humanitarian and social impact
UN food aid warehouse in Dnipro struck by Russian Iskander missile, impacting supplies for 130,000 people. Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said the strike reflects continued attacks on humanitarian infrastructure despite repeated international calls to protect aid operations.
Russia's "BARS-33" campaign is offering Kherson men close-to-home service. Documentation reveals what actually happens. The discharge papers never get signed.
Political and legal developments
UK sanctions crypto exchanges and "A7 network" in crackdown on Russian evasion systems. Officials say Moscow has increasingly turned to shadow financial systems and crypto channels to sustain wartime spending as sanctions tighten.
Russia warns diplomats to leave Kyiv ahead of "systemic strikes" — day after it launched "Oreshnik" missile on region. Russia warned foreign diplomats to leave Kyiv ahead of announced "systemic strikes."
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