Ukraine
Russia Is Bringing the War to Europe’s Defense Industry
When German authorities disrupted an alleged Russian intelligence operation targeting Stefan Thumann, founder of Bavarian drone manufacturer Donaustahl, the immediate story appeared to concern one company and one suspected plot. According to a Die Zeit investigation, investigators believe the operation progressed beyond routine intelligence gathering and was intended to culminate in Thumann's assassination after months of surveillance conducted by two suspected operatives. Prosecutors ultimately charged the suspects with acting on behalf of a foreign intelligence service, while the alleged murder plot itself has not been included in the current arrest warrants because investigators say the available evidence did not yet satisfy the legal threshold for that charge. The Battlefield Behind the Front Line According to ZEIT, the operation began to unravel after a partner intelligence service warned German authorities in December 2025 that Thumann had become the target of a Russian operation. Bavarian investigators arrested one suspect, identified as Serhii…
Ukraine’s Drones Now Reach 2,000 Kilometers Into Russia
Ukrainian drone struck a Wildberries warehouse in Yekaterinburg early Friday, sparking a fire and grounding flights at Koltsovo Airport. The site sits roughly 1,700–2,000 km from the front line, depending on whether the distance is measured from the border or the active front, making it one of the deepest hits yet in the campaign against the retailer's logistics network — comparable to a strike from Kyiv reaching London. Governor Denis Pasler said eight drones were shot down over the region, yet the fire and airport disruption sit awkwardly next to his and Wildberries' claim that the facility itself went untouched, according to Mezha, citing RFE/RL. The strikes exploit what Ukrainian officials describe as a gray-zone supply chain: Russian volunteer units and local commanders have used the marketplace to buy commercial FPV drones, fiber-optic cable and tactical gear at scale, sidestepping slower military procurement, according to Meduza. Wildberries has told sellers…
U.S. Intelligence Warns Putin May Test NATO Before 2029
A new U.S. intelligence assessment concludes that President Vladimir Putin could test NATO's resolve with limited military or hybrid actions before 2029, marking a significant shift in Washington's assessment of Russian escalation risks. According to The Wall Street Journal, U.S. officials no longer assume that Russia's war against Ukraine will, by itself, deter the Kremlin from challenging the Alliance elsewhere. Instead, intelligence analysts reportedly assess that the overall risk of Moscow probing NATO's cohesion has increased, even though a conventional ground incursion remains the least likely scenario. The assessment examines a spectrum of possible actions over the period from this autumn through 2029, ranging from major cyberattacks, sabotage and other hybrid operations to a limited military incursion against a NATO member on the Alliance's eastern flank. Rather than predicting a specific course of action, it reflects a reassessment of how Russian leaders may calculate risk as the war in Ukraine…
U.S.-Ukraine Intelligence Sharing Returns to Pre-2025 Levels
U.S. intelligence sharing with Ukraine has rebounded to its pre-suspension levels, Politico reported Wednesday, citing U.S. lawmakers and officials. The renewed cooperation comes as Kyiv expands its campaign of long-range drone and missile strikes against military and industrial targets deep inside Russia.Sen. Mark Warner, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, told Politico that the intelligence relationship had "improved" and described cooperation as critical to Ukraine's military operations. Republican Sens. John Cornyn and Roger Wicker likewise said intelligence sharing had increased, while Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine said he had also seen signs of closer coordination. The White House did not comment publicly on the scope of the intelligence relationship.The Trump administration suspended intelligence sharing and military assistance following the February 28, 2025 Oval Office meeting between President Donald Trump and President Volodymyr Zelensky that ended in a public dispute. CIA Director John Ratcliffe confirmed the pause on March 5, and…
Ukrainian Drones Strike Major Russian Oil Refinery Again
Ukrainian drones struck the Slavneft-YANOS oil refinery in Russia's Yaroslavl region for a second consecutive night, with residents posting videos showing a large fire and smoke rising over the city. Independent Russian monitoring channel Astra geolocated the footage to the refinery, and Yaroslavl Governor Mikhail Yevrayev acknowledged drones were attacking the region, reporting traffic restrictions on roads near the Southwestern Ring Road and Moskovsky Prospekt, where the plant is located. Yevrayev made no mention of the refinery itself, and Russian authorities had not confirmed operational damage at the time of writing.The refinery lies roughly 250 kilometers northeast of Moscow but more than 700 kilometers from Ukraine's border, illustrating the growing reach of Kyiv's long-range drone campaign. The facility processes about 15 million tonnes of crude annually, placing it among Russia's five largest refineries and making it a major fuel supplier for central Russia. Ukrainian military officials have previously described YANOS…
Ukraine Says Interceptor Shortage Cost Lives
Russian strikes killed at least 17 people and injured 44 in Kyiv overnight; Ukraine's air force said it intercepted none of 24 ballistic missiles launched, though it downed 98 of 115 drones, the Financial Times reported.President Volodymyr Zelensky said interceptors "could have saved the lives of those killed today," blaming delayed Western supply. Ukraine's Patriot interceptor shortage has collided with unresolved talks over domestic production: President Trump has grown cautious about licensing the technology, and U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said a long-term production deal remains unlikely before winter. Trump separately declined a request for hundreds more interceptors last week, citing shortages needed to defend U.S. assets amid the Middle East war with Iran.Zelensky called for expanded sanctions on Russia's missile production instead. Russia's defense ministry said it hit logistics and drone-production sites; Zelensky said the targets were civilian, including a brewery and construction-materials warehouses.The attack came as Ukraine's…
