Russian territorial gains have flatlined, giving Moscow next to nothing to show for its consistently high losses. But in a long war that has seen many ebbs and flows, perceptions can be deceiving, and making quick judgements can be a dangerous game.

Our Russian KIA estimate now includes a new category: 90,000 soldiers declared dead by court order, many without a body ever returned. Combined with 261,000 “regular” fatalities, that brings our total estimate with @meduza_en to 352,000 by end of 2025 en.zona.media/article/2026...

“Lada-Rus’ followers are spread across Russia’s regions, from the republics of the North Caucasus to the Far East. The majority of them are women, a clear political advantage in a country where women increasingly outnumber men. ” www.themoscowtimes.com/2026/05/04/t...

🔴🇷🇺 NEW: Security measures of unprecedented severity have been instituted in the Kremlin in recent weeks as Russian President Vladimir Putin anticipates a possible coup or assassination attempt. Read more: www.occrp.org/en/news/secu...

“We don't just oppose Putin anymore, we're at war with him,” Nadya Tolokonnikova told the Kyiv Independent during a meeting in Kyiv. “To me, (saying) anything less bold is insufficient to meet the moment.”

Worth reading: Russia’s redevelopment plans for occupied Ukraine envision repopulating these territories with Russians & marketing them to tourists. Journalist Elizaveta Antonova digs into the institute recruiting young architects & students to make these plans a reality. meduza.io/feature/2026...

NEW: We’ve just published an investigation that shows how Russia recruits teenagers on occupied Ukrainian territory to become pro-Moscow infowarriors. The Young Correspondents program, ostensibly a journalism club, is part of Yunarmia, a militarized mass youth organization. 👇

Residents in Ukrainian-controlled areas say they are struggling to reach loved ones across the front line, as disruptions to Telegram coincide with broader efforts by Russian authorities to restrict internet access.

Finally out: my piece about Russia-occupied Mariupol where locals face homelessness due to Russian "laws". Incredibly challenging story to report. So grateful to the Mariupol residents who trusted me with their stories. www.nytimes.com/2026/04/22/w...

“Orbán’s was a regime built on both EU funding and on anti-European rhetoric, all the while attracting non-European allies, whether China or Russia, on the basis that Hungary was the one member state willing to veto EU measures” Great interview with the insightful Ivan Krastev.

As the war in the Middle East continues, Russia's windfall from soaring oil prices is only growing. “The war-risk premium will be in there for at least a couple years,” industry expert Sergey Vakulenko told me. Watch the full interview for @ceip-politika.bsky.social now! youtu.be/0LuzAi-cKoQ?...

💥🇭🇺🗳️ BREAKING: Péter Magyar says Viktor Orbán called to concede and congratulate him. Magyar will be Hungary’s next prime minister and, as it stands, is set to secure a 2/3 supermajority – enough to fully dismantle Orbán’s system. A 16-year chapter is over.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's camp and the opposition are accusing each other of electoral fraud as both sides gear up for a potential clash over the results of today's crucial election.

Right on schedule. (Putin did this last year too.)

Today in Russia (so far): ▪️Russian human rights group Memorial designated an "extremist" movement; ▪️FSB says former Russian freelancer for RFE/RL detained, accused of treason; ▪️Masked security officers searching Moscow office of Novaya Gazeta newspaper.

“We know everything already, but we’d like to know more." My deep-dive into how the FSB tries to recruit informants to keep tabs on Russian dissidents and foreigners helping them abroad

In Hungary, unfortunately, Orbán’s intelligence services spy on journalists. Also in Hungary—fortunately—it took only about two days to piece together the puzzle and understand who targeted me and why. Of course, it was my reporting that angered them.

Putin held a closed-door meeting with major Russian oligarchs today, where he asked them to pitch in to fund the war against Ukraine, reports The Bell. “We will push to the borders of Donbas,” one source quotes Putin as saying. thebell.io/putin-na-zak...

“Interviews with Ukrainians who fought for Russia reveal how they became Putin’s soldiers — and the agonising duty of those tasked with upholding their rights.” www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/world/europe...

Is Trump’s unpredictability making Putin nervous? How is Russia reacting to the war in the Middle East? And what does this have to do with the Kremlin’s latest Internet restrictions? For @ceip-politika.bsky.social, I asked Alexander Baunov. youtu.be/EQPaUA4hBUg?...

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in 2022, the Free Russia Foundation’s “Poshuk.Polon” (“Search.Captivity”) project has worked to track, document, and advocate for Ukrainians who have been captured, detained, or simply vanished amid the chaos of war.

Friday was my last day at Meduza. I'm still figuring out what's next, but I fully intend to keep my focus on Russia’s war against Ukraine. If you need a writer or editor for a project, don’t hesitate to reach out here or on LinkedIn! www.linkedin.com/posts/eilish...

Friday was my last day at Meduza. I'm still figuring out what's next, but I fully intend to keep my focus on Russia’s war against Ukraine. If you need a writer or editor for a project, don’t hesitate to reach out here or on LinkedIn! www.linkedin.com/posts/eilish...

“The Middle East has severely reoriented political attention” away from Ukraine, one of the EU diplomats said. “For us, and for Ukraine, it’s a disaster.” www.ft.com/content/c4fa...

NEWSFLASH: Trump admin lifts sanctions on Russian oil.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree that indefinitely extends the ease of obtaining Russian citizenship in the occupied territories, a move that experts say is a sign that Russia is consolidating its occupation by pursuing mass passportization.

The U.N. Inquiry on Ukraine says Russia’s forced deportation and transfer of children from occupied territories constitutes a crime against humanity and a war crime. www.currenttime.tv/a/komissiya-...

What does the U.S. and Israel’s war against Iran mean for Ukraine? Meduza spoke to top Zelensky advisor Mykhailo Podolyak for insight. meduza.io/en/feature/2...

In a political twist unimaginable when Russia began its full-scale invasion four years ago, the U.S. is requesting Ukraine's military expertise to help intercept Iranian drones. x.com/ZelenskyyUa/...

Russia’s recruitment numbers look steady, but regional funding is reaching a breaking point. How much longer can Putin avoid another mobilization? We asked researcher @jakluge.de. meduza.io/en/feature/2...

Russia relies on high bonuses to recruit soldiers to fight in Ukraine, but with costs soaring, is there a looming risk of another mobilization? “Recruitment is clearly the Achilles’ heel of Russia’s war,” says @jakluge.de. My latest Q&A for @meduza.io. meduza.io/en/feature/2...

Russia’s recruitment machine brings in 30,000 new volunteers every month to keep up with staggering losses. On this week's Naked Pravda, researcher @jakluge.de explains why the Kremlin’s "cash-for-combat" system is hitting a wall as regional budgets run dry. meduza.io/en/episodes/...

On this week's Naked Pravda, @eilishhart.bsky.social spoke to @jakluge.de about the regional funding dynamics of Russia's surprisingly successful, possibly teetering military recruitment system. meduza.io/en/episodes/...

What did this year’s Munich Security Conference reveal about the state of transatlantic ties? For Carnegie Politika, I spoke with @alexgabuev.bsky.social about war games, peace talks, and the mood in Munich. Watch now on YouTube! www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRLV... @ceip-politika.bsky.social

Made in the EU, Dropped on Kyiv: How European Parts Are Enabling Russia’s Winter Drone War www.occrp.org/en/investiga...

“It can seem that the world watches Russia’s war on Ukraine as if it were a film. When attention wanes, there is a demand for an ending — if not good, then bad. For Ukrainians, this is not cinema but reality. It will last as long as it lasts” — Nataliya Gumenyuk. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/15/o...

Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny was killed in prison using a rare dart frog toxin, five European countries said today in a joint statement. meduza.io/en/feature/2...

What motivates Ukrainian resistance to Russian occupation after four years of all-out war? @drjademcglynn.bsky.social explains how hatred — not hope — drives those still fighting behind the front lines. meduza.io/en/feature/2...

Last year began with high hopes for U.S.-brokered peace negotiations in Ukraine. The reality was a nightmare: civilian casualties didn't drop — they surged, making 2025 the deadliest time in the war for noncombatants since the invasion's first year. meduza.io/en/feature/2...

After five years of full-scale war, Ukrainian resistance behind the front lines hasn’t stopped — it’s gone deeper underground. @drjademcglynn.bsky.social for joins me on @meduza.io’s podcast to discuss how resistance to Russian occupation has evolved to survive. meduza.io/en/episodes/...

Russia has crushed open defiance in occupied Ukraine — but resistance hasn’t stopped. @drjademcglynn.bsky.social joins The Naked Pravda to discuss how Ukrainians are fighting back behind the front lines. meduza.io/en/episodes/...

After five years of full-scale war, Ukrainian resistance behind the front lines hasn’t stopped — it’s gone deeper underground. @drjademcglynn.bsky.social for joins me on @meduza.io’s podcast to discuss how resistance to Russian occupation has evolved to survive. meduza.io/en/episodes/...

NEW: Ukraine has begun planning presidential elections alongside a referendum on any peace deal with Russia, after the Trump administration pressed Kyiv to hold both votes by May 15 or risk losing proposed US security guarantees w/ @henryjfoy.ft.com @maxseddon.bsky.social www.ft.com/content/50d3...

At least 175 journalists in Ukraine have been victims of abuses committed by the Russian army since Feb. 2022, reports @rsf.org. This includes 16 journalists killed by Russian forces, at least 53 journalists injured, and 26 Ukrainian journalists in Russian captivity. rsf.org/en/175-journ...

Russia just passed a law giving the Russian Red Cross exclusive rights to its name. The twist? Enforcing it in occupied Ukraine would mean officially recognizing the very ties to local "imposter" groups that Moscow has spent years trying to deny. meduza.io/en/feature/2...

⚡️At least 55,000 Ukrainian soldiers killed in Russia's war, with many more missing, Zelensky tells French media. It would also cost Russia "800,000 more corpses" to take eastern Ukraine by force, President Zelensky said in an interview with France TV on Feb. 4.

Donald Trump has said Vladimir Putin agreed not to fire on Kyiv for a week after the US president personally asked his Russian counterpart to halt attacks due to frigid temperatures in the Ukrainian capital. www.ft.com/content/f8e8...

Massive Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure have left homes without electricity or heating. Five Kyiv residents spoke to Meduza about how they’re surviving these extreme conditions. meduza.io/en/feature/2...

The Trump admin has indicated to Ukraine that US security guarantees are contingent on Kyiv first agreeing a peace deal that would likely involve ceding the Donbas region to Russia… Scoop with FT comrades @maxseddon.bsky.social @henryjfoy.ft.com @a-mackinnon.bsky.social

With the Kremlin’s global recruitment drive in the spotlight, I turned to @karenphilippal.bsky.social of @diis.dk for insight into how Russia lures foreign nationals into its war against Ukraine and uses them as “disposable soldiers.” My latest for @meduza.io meduza.io/en/feature/2...