A Ukrainian soldier with an interceptor drone near the front line on the outskirts of the city of Sumy. Photo by FRANCISCO RICHART / ANADOLU / ANADOLU VIA AFP The Russian army continues to slowly creep forward - it occupies the center of Konstantinovka, enters Kupyansk from two sides, presses west of Gulyai-Polye - but problems are growing in the near and far rear. In the occupied territories there is a complete collapse of logistics; fuel shortages have already reached St.

By the end of May, Ukrainian mid-range drones paralyzed cargo traffic in a significant part of the occupied territories, causing a fuel crisis in Crimea, an energy blockade of the eastern Kherson region and disruption of military transport in the Donbass. Nikolai Mitrokhin* writes about this, analyzing the sharp increase in strikes of the new generation of drones - “middle strike” drones, capable of reaching targets at a distance of up to 200 kilometers from the front line.

Ukrainian soldiers of the Black Raven battalion ride in vehicles along a road covered with mesh to protect equipment from drone attacks. Photo by IRYNA RYBAKOVA / THE 93RD KHOLODNYI YAR SEPARATE MECHANIZED BRIGADE / AFP From May 9 to 11, Putin and Zelensky publicly discussed the possibility of a direct meeting for the first time in eight months.

President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky at negotiations with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz Photo by CHRISTIAN MARQUARDT / NURPHOTO / NURPHOTO VIA AFP Zelensky’s military planning horizon appears to have expanded to three years—Kyiv now expects to wear down Russia with attacks on export infrastructure and financial strangulation. The front has stabilized, the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ drones are reaching Western Siberia, and the EU has allocated a 90 billion loan.

A serviceman of the 93rd Kholodnoyarsk separate mechanized brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the outskirts of Druzhkovka, Donetsk region. Photo by IRYNA RYBAKOVA / 93RD SEPARATE MECHANIZED BRIGADE "KHOLODNYI YAR" / AFP While the world media condemns every sneeze coming from the Middle East, the war between Russia and Ukraine continues quite intensely. There are changes at the front, in diplomacy, and in technology.

The Gulf War suddenly became a very important factor determining the situation in Ukraine. Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz forced the US to lift sanctions on the Russian "shadow fleet", which helped the Kremlin delay the looming financial crisis. In response, Ukraine launched multiple strikes on oil ports. Over the past time, the country has made a qualitative leap in the technology of combat drones, which Russian military experts are already openly calling a disaster.

Military SUV of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Izyum, Kharkov region. Photo by IVAN SAMOILOV / AFP Negotiations on Ukraine, which had not previously been very successful, turned out to be virtually frozen due to the war between Israel and the United States with Iran.

Operators of the 65th mechanized brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces are preparing to fire from the MILAN man-portable anti-tank missile system. Photo by DMYTRO SMOLIENKO / NURPHOTO / NURPHOTO VIA AFP The operation of Israel and the United States in Iran directly influenced the Russian-Ukrainian war: Kyiv for the first time became a full-fledged partner of the Western coalition outside its own theater of operations.

Nikolay Mitrokhin Vladimir Zelensky, in an interview with Piers Morgan, dismissed Putin’s arguments pulled from the depths of history - and he was right: they are worth nothing in negotiations. But if you throw “historical crap” into the trash, then on both sides. Ukrainian rhetoric about “Muscovites”, “Mokshas” and hereditary imperialism mirrors Russian theses about the Ukraine “invented by Lenin”.

Ukrainian recruits undergo basic military training in the Zaporozhye region. Photo by ANDRIY ANDRIYENKO / 65TH MECHANIZED BRIGADE OF UKRAINIAN ARMED FORCES / AFP Four years ago, the largest war in Europe since World War II began. During this time, hundreds of thousands of people died and cities were destroyed.

Soldiers of the 18th Slavic Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine in the Donetsk region. Photo by TETIANA DZHAFAROVA / AFP Two weeks of negotiations to end the war disappeared. Again attacks on infrastructure, retaliatory attacks and attempts to put pressure on Moscow through oil and sanctions, between all this - a failed “energy truce”.

Ukrainian soldiers fire from the BM-21 Grad MLRS at Russian positions near Druzhkovka, Donetsk region. Photo by IRYNA RYBAKOVA / THE 93RD KHOLODNYI YAR SEPARATE MECHANIZED BRIGADE / AFP While delegates in Abu Dhabi discussed the terms of the truce, the Russian army targeted Konstantinovka, a key city on the outskirts of Kramatorsk.

Two people inspect a damaged residential building after the Russian attack on Kyiv in the early morning of January 10, 2026. Photo by FREDERIC DIDES / HANS LUCAS / HANS LUCAS VIA AFP The year 2026 began with a sharp escalation on all fronts - from the diplomatic halls of Paris to the oil routes of the Black Sea.

US President Donald Trump greets Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida, December 28, 2025. AFP The year 2025 began with hopes for a quick end to the war in Ukraine - Trump promised a deal, Europe hesitated, Putin put forward ultimatums. The year ends without peace, but with a new reality: Europe is rearming in anticipation of a real war with Russia. At the same time, the front is holding, there has been no Russian breakthrough.

Negotiations to end the war have entered a phase in which compromises no longer seem theoretical. The United States is putting pressure on Kyiv and Moscow at the same time, the front is slowly but inexorably changing its configuration, the cost of breaking down negotiations is becoming higher for Ukraine and its allies.