Frontline report

Moscow has issued a 14-page guide instructing companies on how to structure goods-for-goods contracts and bypass banking channels, with at least eight documented transactions swapping wheat and flax for Chinese cars and appliances.

Today, there is interesting news from the Russian Federation. Here, the Russian political leadership is claiming confidently that…

Russia controls roughly 30 percent of the town after narrow infiltration tactics left their gains unstable. Now Ukraine's newly formed Joint Forces Group is counterattacking from four directions to encircle them instead.

With 40-50 Neptune and 90 Flamingo missiles rolling off production lines monthly, Ukraine is now conducting some of its most complex deep-strike operations yet - destroying rare aircraft, crippling oil exports, and overwhelming Russian air defenses.

With fabricated charges piling years onto sentences and frontline survival rates near zero, Russian prisoners are increasingly killing their guards and fleeing - recognizing that running offers better odds than either prison or combat.

After pulling back forces from exposed positions in Myrnohrad, Ukraine launched the second phase of its withdrawal operation. Russian troops rushed to exploit the moment - and walked straight into a coordinated ambush by marines, drones, and airpower.

Despite public claims of openness to peace, Russia launched intensified attacks in Donbas just before US-mediated talks were set to begin. The move exposes that even terms mirroring Russia's own demands - including permanent cession of Crimea and four other regions - are not enough for the Kremlin.

More than 5,000 vehicles carrying Chinese goods destined for Russia remain stranded at Kazakhstan's border crossings, with Russian companies reporting multimillion losses as shipments spoil and contracts fail. Kazakhstan's enforcement of secondary sanctions has created a choke point with nationwide consequences for Russia's already overstrained economy.

Russian forces have broken through Ukrainian defenses north of Huliaipole, creating a rapidly expanding threat to one of Ukraine's most fortified positions in Zaporizhia Oblast. The breakthrough has prompted Ukrainian forces to reposition for a high-stakes defensive battle along the Zarichne River.

The powerful ATACMS missile system made an unexpected comeback, striking the Pogonovo training ground where a significant presence of Russian troops was reported. With restrictions on striking Russian territory lifted, the weapon's 300-kilometer range now puts major Russian regions supporting the frontline within reach, including ammunition depots, airfields, and logistics hubs.

Azerbaijan has quietly become one of Russia's most significant strategic challengers, supplying fighter jets and gas to Ukraine while reshaping regional energy markets. Moscow's missile strike on the Azerbaijani embassy marks a dangerous escalation in their confrontation.

While Russian analysts claimed two successful crossings with zero losses, Ukrainian forces documented the reality: one crossing with roughly 50 soldiers, half of whom were eliminated or captured, along with destroyed armored vehicles and a seized BMP-1 trophy.

The innovation by the Third Army Corps demonstrates how Ukraine is leveraging automated systems to compensate for manpower shortages against Russian infiltration tactics.

Ukrainian command deployed some of their most lethal drone units to hunt down Russian infiltrators inside Pokrovsk, with special forces proving their effectiveness by dealing the enemy some of their worst losses in the biggest drone massacre of the war.

Mass layoffs at Russia's primary tank factory reveal a defense industry buckling under sanctions, with production down 33% and the facility that repairs most of Russia's main battle tanks now unable to sustain its workforce.

Russian forces are turning to scorched-earth tactics after repeated failed assaults on Myrnohrad, with the chance to encircle the strategic town slipping away.