All articles tagged with #ukraine war
At Cannes, Andrey Zvyagintsev used his Grand Prix acceptance to directly appeal to Vladimir Putin, urging him to end the war and the carnage. His new film Minotaur—a Russia-set domestic thriller and his first feature in about a decade—is in competition at Cannes and the Sydney Film Festival.
At Cannes, Russian director Andrey Zvyagintsev used his Grand Prix moment to urge President Putin to end the Ukraine war, saying millions on both sides dream of stopping the carnage; his film Minotaur, set during the invasion, finished runner-up to Cristian Mungiu's Fjord, and he said he is ashamed of Russia's actions while living in exile in France, noting that many Russians will see the film via pirated copies or VPNs.
Russian mid- and lower-level officials privately warn Vladimir Putin’s political system may have no future amid waning public support and the protracted war in Ukraine, though those closest to Putin feel relatively secure; economists warn the economy may not withstand a prolonged conflict, and the Kremlin is tightening internet controls to curb dissent.
President Zelensky warned Moscow may mount a northern offensive toward Ukraine’s Chernihiv–Kyiv axis, possibly with Belarus involvement; Kyiv says it is strengthening defenses in the north and pressing Belarus and partners on diplomatic coordination to deter any new front.
A wide-scale Ukrainian drone attack hit Moscow and the surrounding region overnight, killing three people and injuring at least a dozen, marking the deadliest strike on the area since Russia’s invasion began and signaling Kyiv’s growing long-range capabilities.
Russia is expanding Shahed drone use into long daytime waves, launching thousands of drones and missiles over consecutive days to wear down Ukrainian defenses and civilian life. Analysts call this a developing tactic aimed at psychological pressure and economic disruption, aided by a ramp-up in Shahed production at Russia's Alabuga plant. Ukraine counters with interceptor drones and mobile air defenses, but casualties rise as air defenses destroy most drones while missiles still cause damage. Whether this approach becomes a permanent pattern remains unclear.
A overnight drone attack sparked a major fire at the Ryazan Oil Refinery, one of Russia’s largest fuel facilities, after a separate strike disrupted Gazprom’s Astrakhan gas plant. Local officials say incoming drones were intercepted but debris caused the blaze; both sites are key to Moscow’s war economy, with the Ryazan refinery processing about 17.1 million tons of crude annually and flights near Moscow briefly restricted.
Putin publicly suggested the Ukraine war “is coming to an end,” a shift analysts view as tactical populism aimed at dampening domestic fatigue while still pressing maximalist demands. The front lines have stalled, Ukraine’s long-range strikes target Russian infrastructure, and Russia has tightened internet controls ahead of Victory Day, signaling rising internal anxiety. Officials caution the remarks don’t mean Moscow is surrendering; they hint at a managed exit with messaging that could frame any settlement as a victory, as Moscow seeks to balance public opinion with its strategic aims.
Putin suggested the Ukraine war may be nearing an end, but battlefield momentum has shifted: Ukraine has recaptured territory and expanded its drone–missile capabilities, while Russia’s gains stall and recruitment looks weak. Oil earnings are volatile amid refinery strikes. Analysts say Putin may be trying to re‑engage Washington to pressure Ukraine on Donetsk, but no clear path to a settlement is evident.
A Ukrainian robotics maker says its TW-7.62 ground robots are now used to reduce danger on the front line and have reportedly led to Russian soldiers surrendering to the machines, with multiple incidents cited. The robots are being deployed for tasks from evacuation and logistics to direct engagement, aided by drones, as Kyiv pursues a rapid expansion of robotic systems—targeting tens of thousands of ground robots and a shift of frontline logistics away from human troops.
Putin's Victory Day parade in Moscow was muted and depended on video displays for heavy weapons, with the leader looking tired as he delivered a defiant speech amid questions about a potential end to the Ukraine war. Zelensky’s strategic move—allowing the parade to proceed in Moscow and naming the exact coordinates exempt from strikes—highlighted Ukraine’s leverage and mocked Putin. Attendance by foreign leaders was thin, underscoring Russia's international isolation. Domestically, the spectacle sat alongside antiwar sentiment (including a survivor’s protest) and the unsettling ‘Immortal Regiment’ moment, revealing a Russia caught between a death-cult myth and growing fatigue. The piece argues Victory Day is increasingly a liability for Putin and may foreshadow a path toward ending the conflict without a clear military victory.
Putin said the Ukraine war could be nearing its end and named former German chancellor Gerhard Schröder as a potential mediator for talks, a development Euronews covered alongside related European political and security context.
Mediazona and Meduza update their estimate of Russian losses in the Ukraine war to about 352,000 male citizens aged 18–59 killed through the end of 2025, derived from the Probate Registry and a compiled names list. About 261,000 are 'regular' fatalities, while roughly 90,000 are deaths confirmed by courts or registered late after long delays (often when bodies aren’t recovered). The method uses inheritance data to infer total deaths and includes groups underrepresented in official tallies; the figure is provisional and may change as more court and registry data come in to refine the late-death category.
Independent Russian outlets Mediazona and Meduza updated their estimate of Russia’s military losses in Ukraine to about 352,000 killed since February 2022, based on Russia’s Probate Registry and a verified war-dead database, plus roughly 217,808 confirmed names and about 90,000 deaths or missing persons declared by court orders; the figure, which includes cases where bodies weren’t recovered, accompanies coverage noting Russia has not released official casualty figures and comes as a scaled-down Victory Day parade took place, with Ukraine's broader tallies and Western assessments indicating far higher losses for Russia.
Putin signaled the war in Ukraine may be nearing an end and said he could meet Zelenskyy only after a peace settlement is reached, while proposing new European security talks; analysts warn his comments reflect optimism rather than a guaranteed resolution as fighting continues, peace talks stall, and queries over Donbas and NATO complicate any breakthrough.