Miroslav Simonov, a Russian drone operator from an elite unit defected to Ukraine, walking six miles through the front line at night, dodging sentries and minefields.
He carried drone secrets and intelligence on Russia's Rubicon Centre. — The Times.
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Miroslav Simonov, 24, was an estate agent in Novosibirsk. He arrived in Moscow for a prestigious course — and was immediately arrested for not completing national service.
Officers watched him sign a military contract. Within weeks, he was at the front.
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In his drone unit, Simonov watched his commander joke in a chat after a strike hit a residential building — a 20-year-old girl in intensive care, grandmothers and children wounded.
"This is war. War will write everything off, will forgive everything," an officer told him.
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Putin said the war in Ukraine may be "coming to an end." In April, Russia lost 45 sq miles — its first net territorial loss since August 2024.
Ukrainian strikes cut Russian oil exports from 5.2M to 3.5M barrels a day. — The Guardian.
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In April, Russia lost 45 sq miles of Ukrainian territory — the first net loss since August 2024. Ukraine recaptured Kupiansk in December.
Gains in Zaporizhzhia reversed after Russia lost Starlink access. A slow-motion Russian victory no longer looks certain.
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Ukraine claims it killed or wounded more Russian soldiers than Russia recruited for five straight months.
March and April: ~35,000 casualties each month. Russian recruitment: 24,000–30,000 per month. Putin has no appetite for a second public mobilization.
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The Iran war should have given Moscow an oil windfall, fiscal breathing room, and fresh leverage in Ukraine.
The opposite happened. Since the war began, Kyiv has been in its strongest stretch on and off the battlefield in years — Casey Michel, The Moscow Times. 1/
Russia's offensive slowed to a WWI-style slog while Kyiv held the line.
For the first time in nearly 3 years, Ukraine retook more territory than Russia — some of it captured by a brigade of robots and drones alone. 2/
Drones did most of the work.
Ukraine now launches more cross-border drone attacks than Russia — confirmed by both the Ukrainian Air Force and Russia's Defense Ministry. 3/
Keane: Five weeks of talks have produced almost no progress.
Iran still refuses to dismantle its nuclear enterprise, wants indefinite control of Hormuz, and wants the US to finance regime recovery through reparations, unfrozen assets, and sanctions relief. 1/
Keane: A deal like that would favor Iran and set back both the Iranian people and US interests.
Tehran would use the money to rebuild its nuclear program, ballistic missiles, and proxies — the very things this war was launched to stop. 2/
Keane: After all this time trying to negotiate, Washington should recognize that no deal meeting its objectives is available.
The best option is to return to full combat operations, finish what we started, and go full throttle with Israel for one to two weeks. 3/
If the US and Europe keep Kyiv funded and armed, Ukraine can negotiate from strength.
The fastest way to prolong the war is to offer Putin an exit that preserves his system — The Telegraph. 1/
Putin sells inevitability. The parade showed vulnerability.
Ukraine can now hit deep inside Russia. Putin avoided parking real hardware at a known place and time. 2/
After the spectacle, Putin said: "I think that the matter is coming to an end."
He still calls this war a "special operation." The language stays. The capacity shrinks. 3/