Exclusive
 | Russia just released 390 POWs. Here’s why that doesn’t mean peace is coming. Every freed prisoner is a victory worth celebrating. Every prisoner exchange that gets mistaken for a peace breakthrough is a victory for Putin’s playbook. |
 | Russia copies Ukraine’s cheap & dirty WWI-style drone killers as Kyiv’s long-range drones hit home. Ukraine’s drones are reaching deep into Russia, and the converted Yak52s are a cheaper way to stop them. |
 | “Dudes with track pants and hunting rifles”: why Ukraine became the West’s most embarrassing blind spot. Three years after Ukraine’s allies gave it three days to live, its “track pants soldiers” are still redefining global warfare — exposing the painful truth why Western experts got everything wrong. |
Military
Ukrainian drones hit Energia plant supplying batteries for Iskander and Kinzhal missiles. The Lipetsk Oblast-based plant’s output supports Russian drones, naval systems, and electronic warfare equipment.
Top Russian bomb-maker survives hammer attack right outside his residence. Kondratyev is the chief designer at the Kurganpribor plant, involved in the production of air-to-air missiles and guided bomb kits.
Putin wants a buffer zone in Ukraine — Kyiv says put it in Russia. As Russia ramps up threats of new invasions, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry says such a zone could just as well exist inside Russia, referencing Ukraine’s operations in Kursk Oblast.
Ten nations forge Ukraine’s marines into Europe’s ultimate fighting force. Once a Soviet-style force, Ukraine’s marines now drill with NATO’s best, preparing for battles that will decide Europe’s eastern frontier.
Dancer with machine gun: Ukrainian ballroom pro now storms Russian positions in elite special forces. Serhii Nazarenko brings the discipline of dance to Ukraine’s fiercest battles.
Intelligence and technology
Ukraine and Swedish defense giant SAAB launch talks on modernizing Soviet-era jets. The sides also discussed the potential transfer of advanced Swedish combat platforms.
Ukrainian-Estonian start-up turns recon copters into precision killers that outsmart jammers. Ukraine’s hover-capable copters now strike through jamming — and they cost a fraction of what traditional weapons do.
German tech giant arms Putin’s war machine while Europe sleeps. Officially out of Russia. Secretly still inside.
International
G7 says Russia’s frozen assets stay off-limits until full compensation paid to Ukraine. If Moscow doesn’t agree to a ceasefire, the G7 says it may “maximize pressure, such as further ramping up sanctions.”
EU launches € 150 bn SAFE defense loan scheme, eyes joint Ukraine procurement. The Security Action for Europe gives EU member states funding options for joint procurement and support for Kyiv.
Humanitarian and social impact
Russia kills 10, injures 31 civilians across Ukraine in latest wave of attacks — Kherson suffers worst toll. A 55-year-old ambulance driver and a 36-year-old man with an eye wound were among Kherson’s injured.
Russia strikes global food lifeline in Ukraine, killing two civilians and injuring many others. The attack killed a 71-year-old man and a port employee.
Ukrainian defenders who survived battle of Kyiv and over 1,000 days in Russian captivity return home in largest prisoner swap of war. This marks the first step in a deal to trade 1000 lives for 1000 between Ukraine and Russia, achieved in Turkiye.
Political and legal developments
Russian war goal: to create “unified state” including Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, says Kremlin official. Russian Defense Committee member linked the war in Ukraine to broader “Russian world” narratives, which reflect the country’s imperialism.
Seven Hermitage museum employees named in illegal Crimean excavation report. Seven employees of Russia’s State Hermitage Museum have been conducting illegal archaeological excavations in occupied Crimea for nearly a decade, according to a new human rights report.
Ukraine detains six suspected Russian agents, including teen arsonist. The SBU security service says suspects were recruited via Telegram and ordered to target railway and military infrastructure.
ISW: Putin uses nationalism and tradition to militarize Russian society. Award events and public rhetoric support an emerging informal ideology meant to unify Russia against the West.
Read our earlier daily review here.