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/ The war in Ukraine has been very beneficial for one particular group: Russia's aging elite of super-rich oligarchs, who have recorded a record-breaking increase in their wealth. It's a sign of how sanctions and state capture have hugely boosted the oligarch class. ⬇️
2/ 'Political Report' notes that the collective wealth of the 155 Russian members of the 2026 Forbes rich list has increased by 11 percent during 2025, reaching a record $696.5 billion, despite the pressure of sanctions and an increasingly difficult economic situation.
3/ However, the oligarch class in Russia is effectively closed to outsiders: "the path to independently accumulating billions in wealth, without inheritance or integration into the networks established in the 1990s, remains virtually inaccessible to younger generations."
1/ Yuri Kozarenko, the high-profile Russian drone developer who was arrested last Friday on fraud charges, is being accused of passing off Chinese products as his own. Other Russian UAV developers say that his firm was notorious for "brazen relabeling of products from China." ⬇️
2/ The video above shows a drone claimed by Kozarenko's company to be its 'Quadcopter Krechet' model. It's actually a Chinese-made Autel EVO MAX 4T, which has been relabelled as a Russian-made product without even any cosmetic modifications to disguise its origins.
3/ Kozarenko's arrest (see the thread below) is being greeted with glee by Russian UAV specialists who have been accusing his company, Transport of the Future (TB), of fraud for at least the past year.
1/ Igor 'Strelkov' Girkin thinks things are terrible in Russia, which is "being beaten and will continue to be beaten" and is being "humiliated before the entire world" due to the failures of "the cretins in power." He also ridicules his prison's motley Victory Day parade. ⬇️
2/ In a letter to a friend, posted on his Telegram channel, he writes:
3/ "[T]he forecast we made at the start of 2026 has been fully vindicated: “We are being beaten and will continue to be beaten.” — On all fronts and in all directions. (Including—and in the literal sense—on the active front.)
1/ The Russian ultranationalist community has exploded into a fit of apoplectic rage over Volodymr Zelenskyy's decree 'permitting' Russia to hold its Victory Day parade. They condemn it as a humiliation for Russia and call for maximum retaliation. ⬇️
2/ Russian Telegram channels have had a meltdown over Zelenskyy's decree declaring Red Square to be off-limits for attacks on 9th May in order "to permit the holding of a parade in the city of Moscow (Russian Federation)." Many helpfully translate it for their readers.
3/ 'DSHRG Rusych' grumbles: "Is this denazification or demilitarisation? (We can't figure it out)."
'Novorossiya militia reports' is furious: "Is this what the Russian government was aiming for?"
1/ A recent video filmed by Russian soldiers shows Ukrainian AI-controlled Hornet drones hunting for Russian targets near Mariupol. A Russian UAV specialist warns that advanced AI processing will soon turn the Hornet into a fully automated system. ⬇️
2/ Ukraine introduced the US-designed Hornet into large-scale battlefield use in the last few months. It is already being described by the Russians as a game-changer and a severe threat to their rear logistics, due to its advanced design and AI systems.
2/ This photo shows the Project 06363 (Kilo class) submarine Mozhaisk and Project 877EKM (Kilo class, built for tropical waters) submarine Dmitrov, equipped with anti-drone protection, in Kronstadt near St. Petersburg.
3/ The first submarine's defensive armament consists of a heavy machine gun, likely intended for use against unmanned surface vessels (USVs), which is mounted on a turret aft of the keel, and a searchlight on the navigation bridge.