1/ With Donald Trump ("our Trumpushka") increasingly seen as irrelevant to the war in Ukraine, Russian warbloggers are increasingly calling for "demonstrative strikes" on the EU, UK and Canada to force them to cease support for Ukraine and negotiate a peace settlement. ⬇️
2/ On 15 April 2026, Russia’s Ministry of Defence published detailed lists of European companies and facilities it claimed were producing strike drones (UAVs) and components for Ukraine. It explicitly framed these joint production sites as "potential targets".
3/ This has led to calls from Russian warbloggers to attack the facilities. Alexey Zhivov posted a particularly lurid example of this a couple of weeks ago (see thread below). 'Pint of Reason' provides a strategic rationale for Russia to do so.
4/ "The European Union is gradually becoming a significant player in global politics, and the war in Ukraine is the primary instrument of this process. During this conflict, the Brussels bureaucracy is demonstrating its independence from the United States on political…
5/ …and military matters. At the same time, experience shows that Washington has little desire or ability to oppose the European Union, which also includes the United Kingdom and Canada [sic].
6/ "This is precisely why the agreements between Putin and Trump in Anchorage failed: Brussels couldn't care less about Washington's views and is pursuing a completely independent approach to the Ukrainian issue. After some hesitation, Zelenskyy has fully sided with Europe…
7/ …and is demonstratively defying the American side. Both he and his European allies clearly view Donald Trump as a lame duck and are banking on a crushing defeat for the Republicans in the midterm congressional elections in November.
8/ "Under these circumstances, relying on negotiations with the United States is pointless, and Russian officials' declarations of loyalty to the "spirit of Anchorage" and the "Anchorage understanding" only discredit them in the eyes of the international community and appear…
9/ …as a clear sign of weakness. If there's anyone with whom to negotiate a settlement of the conflict in Ukraine, it's the European Union, which has become Kyiv's main donor and military backbone.
10/ "Such negotiations are necessary, but they must begin from a position of strength and a demonstrated commitment.
11/ "To achieve this, before entering into negotiations—and they should concern not only Ukraine (which is generally a secondary issue) but also the new European security architecture—European allies must be shown their vulnerability in terms of security.
12/ "This means launching demonstrative attacks on EU enterprises working for Ukraine's military production, while using nuclear weapons as a shield from retaliation. Otherwise, no one in Europe will negotiate with Russia.
13/ "A serious diplomatic process will only begin if the Brussels bureaucracy recognizes the security threat [from Russia], and not otherwise." /end
1/ Sevastopol is effectively under siege from Ukrainian drones, prompting some Russians to make comparisons with the sieges of 1855 and 1942. Others compare it to J.R.R. Tolkien's Minas Tirith. However, unity is lacking among the inhabitants, says a Russian warblogger. ⬇️
2/ 'Near the War' describes a recent visit to Sevastopol:
"I confess, I thought several times before driving from Donetsk to Sevastopol. Military acquaintances had long warned me that the enemy might attempt to blockade the Crimean Peninsula."
3/ "And since early May, the R-280 "Novorossiya" highway has been under attack by Ukrainian Hornet drones.On the way to Sevastopol, we saw the aftermath of these artificially intelligent hornets' hunt:…
1/ Former Roscosmos CEO and current Russian Senator Dmitry Rogizin has a novel suggestion for deterring Western countries from seizing 'shadow fleet' tankers. He advocates turning them into giant bombs by rigging them to explode if they're captured. ⬇️
2/ Commenting on the British seizure of the Russian shadow fleet tanker SMYRTOS at the weekend, Rogizin – like many other Russian commentators – likens it to an act of piracy. He suggests:
3/ "I believe we should mine the tankers we use. Initiation should occur when appropriate commands are received or when a tanker deviates from its route and is forced to enter a foreign port.
1/ Russian warbloggers have rushed to disclaim blame for the attack on the historic Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. They claim the Ukrainians did it themselves, argue that the church isn't sacred to the Ukrainians, and say Ukraine just wants Russia to look bad. ⬇️
2/ Damage, what damage?, asks Andrey Medvedev, claiming that the whole thing was faked for the cameras:
"There's no need to restore anything in general. There's no damage. It's just a vivid night picture. Which suggests a deliberate arson for the sake of a photo."
3/ Lev Vershinin says the church was a legitimate military target:
"My busy schedule prevented me from commenting on the strikes on Kyiv this morning, and thank God for that, because I might have said something stupid in the heat of the moment."
1/ Iran has reportedly assessed that Donald Trump is "mentally incompetent" and has incorporated psychologists into its negotiating team to adapt the wording of the proposed agreement "as if the recipient were a [mental] patient ... whose capacity is limited." ⬇️
2/ The Russian 'Political Report' says that "Iranian authorities have included leading psychologists in the negotiating team to review drafts of all messages before sending them to Trump."
3/ "This is not a supplementary measure, but a direct consequence of an internal assessment that the American president is mentally incompetent, whose reactions cannot be predicted by conventional diplomatic methods.
1/ The news at the weekend that the British Royal Marines have seized a Russian shadow fleet tanker in the English Channel has aroused anger and expressions of shame from Russian warbloggers. They demand that the Russian government should take action. ⬇️
2/ 'Alex Parker Returns' characterises the seizure as "Captain Price landing on a tanker of the Russian shadow fleet. I remind you that you can get revenge on the Brit who is causing trouble by voting for United Russia and rallying more strongly around the president. Be good!"
3/ 'Novorossiya militia reports' declares:
"The British have openly entered into war with Russia, no longer hiding behind either the "law" or their proxies."
1/ Russian commanders routinely make false claims to have captured territory, in order to win awards and personal bonuses. However, the army is reportedly stepping up efforts to uncover instances of "painting over" the map of the front line in Ukraine. ⬇️
2/ Russian warblogger Vladimir Romanov highlights how the practice is causing mass casualties among Russian soldiers, with some commanders maintaining two parallel maps – one of the true line of contact, and a more flattering 'painted over' version to show to their superiors.
3/ "Returning to the paint-overs, the higher-ups periodically conduct compliance checks on the personnel data.
In some places (like in the Kupyansk sector), this is purely formal.