French baker Loïc Nervi bakes bread in Troyeshchyna, Kherson, and Kramatorsk. Locals call him Vitalik.

Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, he has been baking bread for elderly people in frontline and hard-hit areas, writes Hromadske. 1/ He is 43. In France’s Var region, he owns four bakeries and leads a team of 25 people. At home, his wife and two daughters, aged 7 and 9, wait for him. 2/

Ukraine recaptured 201 sq km in just five days last week — the fastest battlefield gains since June 2023.

Starlink shutdown crippled Russia's communications and drone operations across the front — The Guardian. 1/ The ISW confirms Ukrainian counterattacks are "likely leveraging the recent block on Russian forces' access to Starlink, which milbloggers claim is causing communications and command and control issues on the battlefield." 2/

Innovation → test → analytics → scale.

This is how the battlefield evolves in Ukraine’s fifth year. This is how a war of endurance works now.

Michael Kofman writes in Foreign Affairs that the war has shifted from maneuver to positional, drone-saturated attrition in 2026. 1/ In February 2022, Russia aimed to seize Kyiv in days. That failed. What began as a rapid assault has become Europe’s largest conventional war since WWII. Advances are now measured in meters. 2/

Former Ukraine PM Arseniy Yatsenyuk: The position of the American administration is to avoid involving the EU in negotiations with Russia on Ukraine.

Zelenskyy performed here to the maximum — everything that could be said and everyone that could be met, he did it. 1/ Yatsenyuk: We have to prepare for the next winter. Russia caused $65B in damage to Ukraine's energy sector.

Without long-range missiles, without Tomahawks, without Ukraine having the ability to retaliate, we will not be able to ensure energy security for the next year. 2/

Ben Shapiro: Russia has never quite entered Europe; it’s existed on the fringes. As Dugin says, “Atlanticist” ideas aren’t Russian ideas.

Integrating Russia into Europe has been a failed experiment. Europe and the U.S. must uphold shared values to sustain their alliance. 1/ Ben Shapiro: The Germans and the French fought for centuries. The French and the English fought for centuries.

The Roman Empire was its own civilization; outlying areas were “barbarians.” After Rome fell rose Christendom, ended by the Reformation and the Peace of Westphalia.

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Sanna Marin: We, as Europe, would be fooling ourselves to think there will be peace if Russia wins.

If a bully in a classroom is allowed to take whatever it wants, would we think it would stop? Absolutely not. The war would continue in the future. 1/ Marin: Long-lasting just peace cannot be made on Putin’s terms. I don’t see that Putin has any initiative to even come to the peace negotiation table with a serious mind.

He doesn’t want peace. The only way to stop this war is to support Ukraine. 2/

Zelenskyy: Ukrainians will never forgive me or the US if we cede Donbas to Putin.

Ukrainian people will reject peace deal that involves Ukraine unilaterally withdrawing from eastern Donbas and turning it over to russia — Axios. 1/ Main sticking point in Geneva talks is control of Donbas. Around 10% still in Ukrainian hands.

US mediators proposed Ukrainian forces withdraw from parts they hold and allow area to become demilitarized "free economic zone." Washington has not taken position on sovereignty. 2/

FT: Zelenskyy at Munich said he'd hold elections but only after two months of ceasefire and with security guarantees in place.

He's pushing back hard on US pressure to hold votes by May 15. 1/ Washington wants elections and a peace deal by mid-May, with security guarantees contingent on the broader settlement. Kyiv insists security guarantees must come before any peace deal is signed. 2/

Xi Jinping purged 5 of 6 generals in China's top military body over past three years. He reaches back to Maoist tactics of "rectification."

Only two members left in Central Military Commission: Xi and Vice Chairman who oversees purges — The NYT. 1/ In January, Xi called on China to remember Yan'an, where Mao transformed guerrilla fighters into disciplined force through campaign of political terror that eliminated rivals and cemented his absolute authority. 2/

Finland Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen: Russia has most of its biggest strategic capabilities in nuclear, submarines, and long-range bombers in the Kola Peninsula area.

They are building new military facilities along our border, same as in the Cold War — United24. 1/ Kola Peninsula hosts most of Russia's sea-based strategic nuclear arsenal — submarines and long-range aviation assets.
Häkkänen: "It would be wise to watch the Arctic and build Arctic capabilities for deterrence. High North should have been treated as priority years ago." 2/

Hodges: Nobody believes that if Russia gets that last bit of Donbas they will be satisfied and stop.

I’ve listened to Putin, Medvedev. They haven’t backed down on anything. Why should anybody think that’s all they wanted? 1/ Hodges: I can’t imagine Putin admitting his war was a huge mistake. Maybe people say, “You are destroying us.” Or maybe he doesn’t know what’s going on.

For years we were told the ex-KGB officer is smart, playing three-dimensional chess. If he doesn’t know, that’s his fault. 2/

At Munich Security Conference world leaders declared post-1945 world order is dead — Ray Dalio.

Merz: "The world order as it has stood for decades no longer exists. We are in a period of great power politics. Freedom is no longer a given". 1/ Macron: Europe's old security structures tied to previous world order don't exist. Europe must prepare for war.

Rubio: We are in a new geopolitics era because the old world is gone. 2/

Russia's foreign intelligence service planned military coup in Senegal.

Leaked documents show Moscow recruited local military figures to seize power and prepared political and logistical support for new regime — United24. 1/ After Prigozhin's death, Russia brought Wagner under direct control of foreign intelligence service.

76 internal documents from 2023-2024 show transfer of Wagner's assets to state structures. Key figures include Sergei Mashkevich, Sergei Klyukin, Artem Gorny. 2/

Andrey Kurkov, Ukrainian writer: Nobody’s winning in Russia-Ukraine war.

Trump wants to be a winner and look like a peacemaker, but he’s a business dealer. He wants a deal with Russia, and Ukraine is an obstacle to restarting joint oil projects and profits. 1/ Kurkov: I feel like I spent already half of my life in war. Now it became part of daily life and lottery. You never know who will be killed tomorrow by Russians.

You just live one day at a time, hoping to survive till the next year, but with no guarantee. 2/

Bolton: It was a mistake not pressing earlier to admit Belarus, Ukraine and Moldova to NATO. We absorbed eastern Europe for one reason — space.

Every country pushed the front line closer. We failed to close the gap and Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus were left in a gray zone. 1/ Bolton: The French and the Germans objected Ukraine and Georgia in NATO. Ukraine is an incredibly rich powerful country striving to be Western, rejecting the nationalism of Putin.

It was closely related to our vital interest in the peace and stability of other NATO members. 2/

A mine tore off his foot. He tightened a tourniquet and crawled six hours under FPV drones to stay alive.

This is “Keks,” a fighter from Ukraine’s 144th Special Operations Center. — Ukrainska Pravda 1/ At 05:00 he moved out with three comrades. High grass covered the trail. He stepped on a Soviet-designed “petal” mine.

The blast shredded his foot. He tried to run, collapsed twice, then dragged himself to a tree for cover. 2/

Estonia FM Tsahkna: The story “Estonia is one of the most vulnerable countries” is fake news. We prepare for a Russian probable invasion and the deterrence is really strong. NATO is stronger than ever. If Russia is coming to our territories, we will bring the war to Russia. 1/ Tsahkna: For 20 years we have been saying Europe must do more and have more self-confidence. Our relation with US is very strong but not anymore unconditional. Let’s use this pressure to wake up Europe. The new vision must be let’s unite Europe. 2/

Volker: We need more Europe in NATO, but the US doesn’t go to zero.

Europe is preparing a ‘coalition of the willing’ to deploy to Ukraine after a ceasefire. They’re reviewing forces and equipment to be more capable.

But they still see the alliance with the US as essential.

1/ Volker: Trump got Ukraine to accept a ceasefire idea, aligned US-Ukraine economically, and pushed Europe to step up.

But he hasn’t pressured Putin.

Without secondary sanctions and action against the shadow fleet, Moscow has no reason to stop.

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Ex-Nato Chief Stoltenberg: We might have prevented the full-scale invasion in 2022 — if we had started helping Ukraine in 2014.

If we had armed and trained Ukraine back then, Ukrainians would control more of their territory today.

1/ Stoltenberg: My first decision as finance minister was to triple Norway’s military support to Ukraine.

We provide €7.3 billion a year. We are fewer than six million people.

No country gives more per capita or as a share of GDP. That’s 1.3% of GDP, higher than most allies.

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Hodges: We are lucky Ukrainians are not against us and want to be on our side I spoke with seven of their soldiers, these are some killers

One was a 25-year-old woman, a drone operator. They have real capability. The US and UK will have to reach their innovation and adaption. 1/ Hodges: NATO would be better the day the Ukrainian flag is raised in Brussels. Just as we got better when the Swedish and Finnish flags were raised.

Ukraine brings a strong, resilient society, a robust defense industry, and hundreds of thousands of experienced soldiers. 2/

Sen. Tillis: Putin is a liar and a murderer. He should be expelled from Ukraine.

I’ll accept a peace deal if Zelenskyy wants one, but we must not appease adversaries. Europe must step up. NATO isn’t in decline; claims it is are alarmist.

1/ Sen. Tillis: NATO is the most important alliance in history.

But a $2 trillion defense shortfall over two decades weakened readiness — and limited how much more we could scale up to support Ukraine and modernize its weapons. Congress strongly backs the alliance.

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