Operation “Spider Web” [took down 34% of Russian strategic aviation] started one month late because the recruited Russian drivers got drunk during Easter, May holidays, and May 9th — Head of the Security Service of Ukraine, Malyuk.
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Malyuk: Today, our country must transform into a steel porcupine.
This includes increasing the number of personnel, their training, boosting air defense, UAV systems, ground robotic complexes, and all possible counterintelligence measures.
2/
Malyuk: Sea Baby drones [hit frigate “Admiral Makarov” and much more] are now multipurpose, with FPV systems, machine guns, and capabilities for combat, mining, and underwater missions.
We're constantly improving them. 3/
Malyuk: The Ukrainian Security Service engages renowned plastic surgeons to ensure the safety of its undercover agents after completing missions.
We also prepare cover documents for a fresh start.
4/
Malyuk: We won’t officially acknowledge anything, but Kirillov, the Russian chemical general, ordered over 45,000 chemical attacks on our troops.
He also repeatedly commanded the killing of our soldiers.
The 800 grams of explosive mixture did its job, and we "thanked" him.
5/
Malyuk: Russia spent $4.6В on information warfare against Ukraine last year.
It’s hard to imagine where that money went.
Probably, half of it was stolen.
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Q: Can we strike further than 700 km?
Malyuk: Our priority is to target objects that support military tasks along the front line. First and foremost, we focus on how to best assist our soldiers on the front lines and ensure they are supported.
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Malyuk: Our war is a battle between good and evil.
Good always wins.
And we are the good in this situation.
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Malyuk: Medvedchuk and Marchievsky [pro-Russian] created the Voice of Europe movement to promote the "Russian peace" under the guise of European values.
Thanks to Czech counterintelligence and our team, they were documented, sanctioned, and their operation was shut down. 9X
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$129 million a month. That is what Russia’s steel lobby wants to remove from the budget in tax relief.
Bloomberg: Moscow faces mounting corporate rescue demands as wartime spending strains state finances. 1/
A steel industry group asks to scrap the raw steel excise and iron ore extraction tax. The move would cost about $129M per month. Profits at top steelmakers have fallen, though they remain globally profitable with low debt. 2/
The Transport Ministry seeks 65 billion rubles for Russian Railways. The state monopoly had requested 200 billion rubles in emergency aid in late 2025 to sustain operations and investment under rising costs and heavy debt. 3/
Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin: Russia’s war against Ukraine is criminal aggression, and Russians can love their country while supporting Ukraine’s defense. 1/
Buterin: Two arguments are used to justify the invasion — Russia’s right to block NATO expansion, and claims that Russian speakers in Crimea and Donbas needed protection. Neither explains launching a full-scale invasion in 2022. 2/
Buterin: NATO expanded because countries feared Russia after Moldova (1992), the two Chechen wars (1994–2000), and Georgia (2008). In 1991, 51% of Crimea and over 80% in Donbas voted for Ukrainian independence. 3/
The Moscow Times: After Russian frontline units lost access to Starlink, Ukrainian forces regained the village of Kosivtseve in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, according to a NATO official in Brussels. 1/
This month, SpaceX disconnected Starlink terminals near the front at Ukraine’s request after Kyiv reported Russian forces were using them to receive commands, coordinate assaults, and pilot drones. 2/
A senior NATO official said the cutoff placed Russian units in a “command and control predicament.”
Some Russian frontline elements had integrated Starlink into daily operations despite the service not officially operating in Russia. 3/
EU’s top court adviser says the Commission was wrong to release €10B to Hungary in Dec 2023.
If judges follow the opinion, Budapest may have to repay the money, Politico. 1/
The funds had been frozen over rule-of-law concerns.
The European Parliament argues the Commission unfroze them on the eve of a key EU summit — when leaders needed Viktor Orbán’s support on Ukraine aid. 2/
Advocate-General Tamara Ćapeta says the Commission “incorrectly” applied its own rule-of-law criteria.
She cites failures to properly assess judicial independence and Constitutional Court appointments in Hungary. 3/
Putin tightens the grip of dictatorship. Russia has erased WhatsApp from its internet.
Roskomnadzor removed the Meta-owned app — used by at least 100M Russians — from the national registry, making access nearly impossible without VPN workarounds, FT. 1/
It’s a deeper block than past slowdowns.
By Dec, WhatsApp traffic had already been throttled 70-80%. Now Moscow appears to be cutting access long-term — after labeling Meta platforms “extremist” and degrading YouTube. 2/
The push is toward Max — a state-designated “national messenger” owned by VK, linked to Putin’s inner circle.
Modeled on China’s WeChat, it combines messaging and госservices — but without encryption. 3/