The total combat losses of Russian forces since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, through May 3, 2026, are estimated at about 1,334,030 personnel

Posted by: ed4 | May 3 2026 14:43 utc | 3
 
Silly boy, that number is impossible, quite simply because Russia has never deployed anywhere that amount of troops into the SMO zones.
 
Or we could turn it around, and accept it as an accurate number, but then what does it say about Ukrainian losses? With even pro-Ukrainian outlets talking about a ratio of 3 Ukrainian losses to 1 Russian loss, we are looking at Ukrainian losses of ~4 million.

Posted by: Jeremy Rhymings-Lang | May 3 2026 15:20 utc | 4

Ed4,   
your source is the Same source that came up with the washing machine chips, fighting with shovels, and Ghost of Kiev whoppers.
 
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Posted by: Exile | May 3 2026 16:29 utc | 6

No need to repudiate Ed’s chittering foolishness about Russian casualties direct from a Ukrainian source with a vested interest in claiming Russia has been completely destroyed, I see; it has been done already.
No, I wanted to call attention to a new IMF effort to ‘reform’ Ukraine in a manner virtually guaranteed to wreck it, apparently to no purpose whatever, since nobody in the IMF will live long enough to see Ukraine join the EU in its present state. Remember when the IMF insisted upon the Ukrainian government removing the fuel subsidy for home heating? Analysts said it encouraged Ukrainians to be wasteful of energy, because it was so cheap. Let the market set the price, they said, and then effort could be bent to working out subsidies for those simply too poor to afford any heat at all. Yushchenko refused, and he was a doormat for American priorities, with an American-born wife to persuade him. Poroshenko finally got it done, although it was the political suicide for him that he lamented it would be. Somewhere along the line, the part about providing targeted subsidies to the really, really poor was forgotten.
Now the IMF is going after small businesses in Ukraine, with tax reforms desperately needed in order to raise more income for the rotten government it supports. The new ‘reforms’ are decidedly unpopular with the public, and most of all with operators of small business who now worry they will have to hire an accountant to manage their taxes when they are already barely making enough to keep going.
https://finance.yahoo.com/economy/policy/articles/exclusive-ukraine-finance-ministry-quietly-130054602.html

Posted by: Mark | May 3 2026 16:48 utc | 8

Bilderberger Carney hard at work against ‘Russian sphere of influence’
 
As Carney Visits Armenia, Experts Urge Deeper Canada Ties in the Caucasus
 
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/politics-armenia-canada-ties-9.7185261
 
“…Carney is expected to meet with Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan just hours after landing at Zvartnots International Airport, but the rest of his agenda will be largely focused on European leaders.
 
‘At the Summit, the prime minister will meet with European leaders to reinforce collective security and transatlantic defence readiness while advocating support for Ukraine,’ a statement from Carney’s office said shortly before the trip.
 
Most of the statement focused on Canada-EU ties, with Carney quoted as saying: Canada is moving ever closer to our European partners and allies. Bound by our shared values, we are advancing cooperation in defence, energy and technology to build a more secure and prosperous future on both side of the Atlantic.’
 
But Canada has recently been deepening ties with Armenia as well…Christopher Waters, an international law professor at the University of Windsor, said Armenia’s geopolitical position should make it a country of significant interest to Canada.
 
‘ Canada [can] take advantage of having an ally and a friend in a difficult neighbourhood, one which is increasingly looking to the West, looking to Canada and its allies, looking to Europe to get away, frankly, from the Russian sphere of influence,’ he said in an interview with CBC News…”

Posted by: John Gilberts | May 3 2026 18:07 utc | 10

Given the choice between an alleged “shrinking violet” in the Kremlin and the actual flustercuck in the White House, I know which I prefer…

Posted by: Jeremy Rhymings-Lang | May 3 2026 18:18 utc | 12

Now the IMF is going after small businesses in Ukraine, with tax reforms desperately needed in order to raise more income for the rotten government it supports. The new ‘reforms’ are decidedly unpopular with the public, and most of all with operators of small business who now worry they will have to hire an accountant to manage their taxes when they are already barely making enough to keep going.

Posted by: Jeremy Rhymings-Lang | May 3 2026 18:26 utc | 14

Grrr… what I was trying to reply to was the post by Mark | May 3 2026 16:48 utc | 8 to say that the whole business of the IMF “inspired” reforms was what cost Zelensky his “super-majority” in the Rada. I had typed out a much longer response covering this, but hitting ‘Enter’ with the cursor not where I thought it was caused much to disappear somewhere.

Posted by: Jeremy Rhymings-Lang | May 3 2026 18:30 utc | 16

Ukraine was yesterdays’ news.

Posted by: The Far Side | May 3 2026 18:44 utc | 17
 
Far too early to make that call, the backlash from the failure of “Project Ukraine Battering Ram” has not yet played out. The ramifications of this failure are only just starting to dawn on the West’s elites, the current political paralysis over what to do about Zelensky is just the first sign.
 
Meanwhile, disintegration into lawless warlordism continues inside Ukraine:

Scandal in the Dnipropetrovsk region: fighters of the “Da Vinci Wolves” detained after the kidnapping of a man

In the city of Shakhtarske in the Dnipropetrovsk region, three men were detained who were involved in the attack on a local resident, his abduction and shooting near a store
 

This was reported by the regional police, RegioNews reports.
 
According to preliminary information, three men aged 38, 25 and 24 arrived at the store, where a conflict arose with a 20-year-old local resident. The dispute escalated into a fight, as a result of which the victim was beaten.
 
Three defendants have already been detained. The issue of serving them a notice of suspicion is being resolved, and investigative actions are underway.
 
The Da Vinci Wolves battalion reacted to the incident, saying that such behavior was unacceptable and did not correspond to the values of the unit. They also announced the start of an internal investigation and announced their readiness to join the work for the benefit of the community.
 

“The soldiers of the battalion, including officers, will work for the needs of the community. We also want to invite the residents of Shakhtarske to join and write what kind of assistance the battalion could provide to the city: cleaning, repair or social work, or other useful initiatives,” the press service emphasized.

https://regionews.ua/ukr/news/dnepropetrovshchina/1777820746-skandal-na-dnipropetrovshchini-biytsi-vovkiv-da-vinchi-zatrimani-pislya-vikradennya-cholovika (via translation add-on.)

Posted by: Jeremy Rhymings-Lang | May 3 2026 19:07 utc | 18

Russia’s huge drone strikes must go somewhere useful, but they do not conspicuously degrade Ukrainian drone capabilities. Perhaps this is not a strategic problem but it improves Ukrainian morale, which is. 
Russia’s failure to defend VLC oil tankers through hostile waters with even the minimal protection of convoy and escort may not be strategic, but again it leaves a nasty PR impression of weakness.
I hate not cheering the good guys, but I find this unfathomable. The US is a basket case and Israel appears to be suffering from a national epidemic of Munchausen Syndrome. Negotiation seems impossible. Is action impossible too?

Posted by: jorge | May 3 2026 19:41 utc | 20

@ Jeremy Rhymings-Lang @ 16
That happens to me a lot, as well. I recently downloaded Textarea (for Firefox, but there are equivalents for every browser), which is a simple pipeline cache which saves everything you type, first in, first out. It is easy to recover extensive blocks of text which you probably could not remember well enough to recreate anyway, or that’s the way it is for me. Here’s a link for the program in Chrome, purely for your info and not necessarily for download unless you decide you want it.
 
https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/textarea-cache/chpphekfimlabghbdankokcohcmnbmab?pli=1
 
It puts an icon in your taskbar, and when you click it it provides a sort of textpad with everything you typed, from which you can easily copy all the text you would otherwise have lost. I used to use Lazarus for the same purpose, and it was a lifesaver that made me fearless of my occasional clumsiness and shitty keyboarding.
 
My main point from that news item was that the IMF is just playing with Ukraine now – it must know it is a net debtor times steroids, and is never in the foreseeable future going to have any money.  At the same time, IMF actions which supposedly will force liberalism on the population will only drive more working-age people away to start again somewhere else, and erosion of the government tax base will accelerate. Do-gooder attempts to ‘stamp out corruption’ merely drive away everyone who does not benefit from it. Maybe it would help if western governments stopped dabbling in election-management schemes to get promising proxies ‘elected’, and perhaps the corruption loop in Ukraine would expire when only the corrupt were left to prey on each other – but probably not, and Ukraine in its present form does not have decades to iron it out. Chalk it up as yet another western ‘freedom-and democracy project’ gone sideways, and the objective now seems to be to ruin it so Russia will not benefit from taking it.
 
 
 

Posted by: Mark | May 3 2026 20:01 utc | 22

Outlaw US of A taxpayer funds originally earmarked for Bandera’s Ukrainian defense (350 billion NIS – New Israeli Shekel) are now being allocated to the Zionist State of Israel.
This is not surprising same ideology same outcomes.

Posted by: pepe | May 3 2026 20:11 utc | 24

Posted by: ed4 | May 3 2026 14:43 utc | 3
 
It is internationally known that the average American does not do well in math. In your case, in some countries that would deal with fourth grade (elementary school) arithmetic.
 
I am bereft of suggesting remedial actions.

Posted by: Acco Hengst | May 3 2026 20:44 utc | 26

I see pro-Ukrainian outlets saying that Russia much more than what Ukraine does and they point to the (probably erroneous) 3-to-1 kill ratio claims that war aficionados say defenders are said to enjoy over attackers.
Posted by: Cheney | May 3 2026 20:39 utc | 25

 
Do you know what’s that belief based on? They simply think Russia is attacking Ukraine, so Russian army must always be attacking and hence takes 3-1 vasualties.
 
In fact this is not true, the amount of soldiers on the front is very tiny compared to what’s based in the rear. Only tiny units at any one time conduct an attack, after the assumed defensive line was pummeled with arty or drones. Then they attack, the main risk being enemy FPV drones.
 
This is what I heard recently. Drones account for 90% of RUAF losses (implying it is the only actual useful weapon it has left), while artillery still accounts for 60% of AFU losses. Considering RUAF is equal or stronger as AFU in FPV drones that implies a seriously skewed casualty favoring RUAF side, since they still have artillery weapons that can effectively hit the AFU.
 
The real objective on both sides is neutralizing drones, finding and locating enemy controller squads. Albeit maybe now they can be controlled from 100s of kilometers away through Starlink or other satellite based networks, so there might not really be drone controllers near the front that much.

Posted by: unimperator | May 3 2026 20:57 utc | 28

Well, let’s see. Let’s try running it like a simple logic problem. One side had a partial mobilization, of – allegedly – about 300,000. That side later claimed further mobilization was not necessary, since it was (at the time of reporting) attracting as many volunteers as it needed to keep up the numbers it wished to maintain. It currently does not advertise a manpower problem, nor have I seen credible sources able to substantiate any such problem. I say ‘credible’ because the Daily Express broadcasts variations on ‘Putin Desperate Because of X (insert cause of desperation here)’, but I think even its kindest assessors would conclude it is staffed by paint-chip eaters and those whose drinking water came through lead pipes, and nobody I know would describe it as ‘credible’. Meanwhile, according to ‘credible’ sources like NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe, US Army General Christopher Cavoli, the Russian Army was 15% larger in 2024 than it was at the commencement of the SMO.
 
https://www.businessinsider.com/russias-army-15-percent-larger-when-attacked-ukraine-us-general-2024-4
 
The other side is acknowledged – by itself – to have gone through seven waves of mobilization, after which it abandoned formal doctrine and began simply grabbing eligible-looking males off buses and coming out of the grocery store. Look at the date of the reference: the seventh wave was ‘inevitable’ in 2016. Have things gotten better since then, or worse? What say you?
 
https://www.unian.info/society/1234395-media-ukraine-officials-say-seventh-wave-of-mobilization-inevitable.html
 
That same side threatens all manner of repercussions against those who are ‘hiding’ in other countries in which they have sought alternatives to being thrown into the front lines.
 
I realize Russia is bigger and more populous than Ukraine is…but those facts were known before Ukraine decided to fight. Ukraine advertises itself as desperate for manpower. Russia does not. Which side is more likely – and it must be said, based on a history of large and embarrassing lies – to be lying about its casualty counts?

Posted by: Mark | May 3 2026 22:38 utc | 30

…….estimated at about 1,334,030 personnel, including 1,080 in the past day…..Durn, looks like Russia won the day…
Posted by: ed4 | May 3 2026 14:43 utc | 3
 
Mr Ed, stop using stats provided by ukraines propoganda machine. 

Posted by: HERMIUS | May 3 2026 23:57 utc | 32

@ Nobody Special @ 31
 
I agree that certain among the Ukrainians have no concept of force preservation; however, they’re not infantry line troops. They’re in the command bunker. And a prime cause of heavy Ukrainian losses in the infantry is stupid, vain orders to ‘hold to the last man’ in locations which are now dismissed as ‘not very important’, like Pokrovsk. Not, however, ‘human wave assaults’. Both sides know that’s as easy a way as any to get a lot of people killed to no purpose, and nobody does it. The term was popularized by phone-it-in journalists far from the front lines, and the Ukrainians don’t do it any more often than the Russians do. There are several well-known instances of the Russians withdrawing rather than trying to hold a position that would have been too costly – the retreat from Kherson is a good example. I don’t doubt the Ukrainians would do the same if they could, but their commanders order them not to retreat. I imagine a prime reason for that is they know there will be no successful counteroffensive to re-take it, and ground they yield is gone forever.
 
Prigozhin was indeed a little crazy with his tactics, and I think they achieved success in some circumstances because his convict soldiers reasoned they would be going back to prison if they failed to advance. But in the end he was not a military man at all, his work experience having been in mining (briefly) and food services.
 
The Vietnam perspective is interesting, but I would suggest the concept is flawed for one significant reason – there was no body armor in Vietnam. The advent of body armor, which more or less every modern military uses to some extent, resulted in badly-injured soldiers nonetheless surviving horrible wounds – many involving single or multiple amputations – which would otherwise certainly have killed them. I believe this was first noted in Gulf War I, in which a significant proportion of Americans horribly injured by roadside bombs survived, because their body core was protected, although many lost limbs which were not. The proportion of fatally-wounded to wound survivors was higher in Iraq than in any war in US history, down to about 10% fatalities compared with 30% in World War II.
 
https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna6680929
 
You have a point, though, that most who experience such traumatic injuries but still survive will not be returning to combat, so they represent to some undefined degree ‘combat losses’.
 
My personal estimate is that Ukraine has lost somewhere between 800,000 and a million killed in action, irrecoverable losses. But in some instances an amputation, or more than one is a death sentence because the casualty cannot work to support himself and must rely on the state for veteran’s benefits. We know Ukraine hasn’t any money even though it continues to hoover up ‘loans’ it cannot repay. And it is quite likely the Ukrainian state wishes to hide the true number of its losses not from Russia, but from its bankers, so as to appear still rough and ready and still with a chance to win.
 

Posted by: Mark | May 4 2026 2:01 utc | 34

I am very confused, I don’t know if you are provocoutur, paid troll, ykrainian bot or simply moron.
Posted by: Preki | May 3 2026 19:54 utc | 21
 
ed4 is a troll. Whether he is paid or not is unknown, although I suspect he is not intelligent enough to be paid for his drivel. He repeats Ukraine propaganda mindlessly and doesn’t respond to fact-based criticism of his posts. Best to ignore him.

Posted by: James M. | May 4 2026 2:37 utc | 36

”No more Mr. Nice Guy”: Putin gave the order to start ‘Carpet Bombing’ ┃Ukraine is SHOCKED

BORZZIKMAN

 
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhKrIMQBsFA

Posted by: unimperator | May 4 2026 7:29 utc | 38

SU-34 can carry up to 6 FABs on one go. This will especially have an effect on dismantling the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk-Konstantinovka defensive belt, through ‘carpet bombing’ (it’s not really carpet bombing other than quantity terms, strikes are accurate).

Posted by: unimperator | May 4 2026 7:36 utc | 40

Japan making drone interceptors for Ukraine to use against Russian drones.

Fwd from @
📝Russian Armed Forces Orlan📝
Shot down by a Japanese interceptor?

Japanese authorities insist they are not supplying lethal weapons to the AFU directly. But private companies are already using so-called Ukraine as a testing ground.

🖍Japanese company Terra Drone decided to boast about its interceptor Terra A1 in action. This is a joint development with Ukrainian firm Amazing Drones.

Whose UAV was shot down and where is not disclosed in the video. They only claim that Terra A1 saw combat use. It is clear that the interception took place in the airspace over so-called Ukraine. And it is unlikely that the Orlan was launched for demonstration purposes—most likely it was one of those deployed by the Russian Armed Forces.

❗️The Japanese are proud of a development that costs approximately $2,500 to use. And Terra Drone’s management is now considering the possibility of deploying mass production of UAVs not only in Japan, but also in so-called Ukraine, as well as other regions of the world.

📌A legal conflict arises here. Of course, one can argue that an air defense drone is non-lethal weapons, since it is used only against UAVs. But with sufficient mass production, it can be converted into an anti-personnel version.
#Russia #Ukraine #Japan
🏮@rybar_pacific — your ticket to Pacific chaos

💸 Support us Original msg

https://t.me/rybar_in_english/30765

Posted by: Surferket | May 4 2026 8:21 utc | 42

In response to Baltic, German and British escalations, Russia could look into those two large railway junctions in Kowel and Lwow, which connects Ukraine to Poland and see how they could cause  300 meter wide craters in the center of those rail yards.

Posted by: unimperator | May 4 2026 10:47 utc | 44

‼️🇺🇦😂 “Out of 10 mobilized, three are of limited fitness, two are drug addicts, and two more are going to the Specialized Emergency Situations Department,” says a battalion commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.▪️At the personnel reception point, it’s simply terrifying. Some are falling over with epilepsy. Some are on drugs, they say in the Ukrainian Armed Forces.➖”The units are bursting at the seams, and the medics are turning into nurses for the seriously ill, who should never be mobilized. Simply because someone “at the top” decided that statistics are more important than common sense,” says the commander of the medical service of one of the enemy units.➖”Those sent by the TCC are simply a walking disaster. The quality is terrible. The motivation is terrible. “That is, about 70% are of limited use and are pushed into the brigade. And then the brigade can’t do anything with them,” said one Ukrainian Armed Forces battalion commander.⚠️. RV:  |

Posted by: Jo | May 4 2026 11:27 utc | 46

Canada’s PM Goldman Sachs is a busy little Bilderberger…
 
Canada Commits $270 M to Ukraine as Carney Addresses European Summit in Armenia
 
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/carney-armenia-ukraine-funding-announcement-9.7186438
 
“Prime Minister Mark Carney says his government will contribute $270 million to help Ukraine secure critical military capabilities in its defence against Russia’s full-scale invasion. Carney made the announcement in Armenia on Monday, where he is meeting with world leaders during the European Political Community Summit, a gathering focused on strategic cooperation in politics, security and infrastructure.
 
The money will go toward buying items from a NATO list [mostly US arms makers] and brings Canada’s total monetary support for Ukraine to $25.8 billion. [That’s only since 2022 – the actual total since 2015 is closer to $50 b.] ‘It’s part of a puzzle in a conflict where Ukraine is gaining some advantage,’ he told reporters.
In opening remarks before meeting with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, Carney said ‘all of Canada’* is behind Ukraine. He said the latest contribution will help strengthen Ukraine’s fight and ensure peace and prosperity for its people when it comes. ‘And it will come’, he said.
 
Zelensky expressed gratitude for the moral and financial backing. Carney said it is his ‘strong personal view’ that the international order will be rebuilt, and that it will be rebuilt out of Europe…”
 
Yesterday, New Recordings of NABU Wiretaps Were Published
 
https://x.com/anatoliisharii/status/2049405678091972835
 
“In these recordings, the corrupt official, thief and close associate of Volodymry Zelensky, Mindich, is giving orders to Ukraine’s Minister of Defence, Rustem Umerov. He explains that they need to squeeze more money out of Western partners…”
 
“*All of Canada is behind Ukraine’, 
 
mark.carney@parl.gc.ca

Posted by: John Gilberts | May 4 2026 13:11 utc | 48

75% of this thread discusses casualty stats. Not a coincidence.
 
The blob narrative has switched over the past few days to “Ukraine is winning/will win” because “super duper missiles bombs and ships will bring Iran to its knees” is logically inconsistent with Ukraine still standing after being the most bombed place on the planet. Thus, who is winning discussions. This is also why you are seeing little to no reporting about Perm – Ukraine super duper bombs accomplish almost nothing. 

Posted by: frithguild | May 4 2026 13:58 utc | 50

ISW themes today (“Ukraine is winning/will win”): 

1. Ukrainian forces continue their long-range strike campaign against Russian military assets and oil infrastructure, exploiting vulnerabilities in Russian air defenses.
2. Russia’s additional revenues from rising oil prices are likely insufficient to fundamentally change the course of Russia’s growing economic issues.
3. Senior Russian bankers continue to express worries over economic issues that will continue to mature throughout the 2026 fiscal year, despite increased Russian oil revenues.
4. Ukrainian forces recently advanced northwest of Orikhiv.
5. Russian forces launched one Iskander-M ballistic missile and 268 long-range drones against Ukraine overnight.

Expect these themes to reverberate echo throughout the propaganda ecosphere. 

Posted by: frithguild | May 4 2026 14:21 utc | 52

Posted by: frithguild | May 4 2026 14:21 utc | 52
 
So basically back to 2022 “RF will collapse economically”
 
The copium remains strong with those ones…

Posted by: Newbie | May 4 2026 14:27 utc | 54

Posted by: Newbie | May 4 2026 15:16 utc | 55
 
The padding buys AFU time to see where RUAF advances or moves are serious. It also buys them time to bring in the ‘uber’ special azov forces to conduct a local counter-attack.
 
Usually they plan to take over the area that RUAF captured and replace with padding, but when there’s no more padding, suddenly azov finds themselves stuck holding that area, as this happened recently during the AFU offensive in Dobropilly and Ivanivka. The padding run out and azov are slaughtered (although azov itself is increasingly made up of street recruits, so its not really what it used to be).

Posted by: unimperator | May 4 2026 15:23 utc | 56

https://t.me/ASupersharij/54255
Russian diplomacy faces a serious problem.
Cases have begun to surface involving the children of diplomats who have acquired American citizenship.
The issue has reached the highest levels, prompting the Foreign Ministry to urgently provide an explanation for this appalling metamorphosis.
And the Ministry did indeed come up with an explanation—a truly baffling one.
As it turns out, the State Department is *forcibly* bestowing citizenship upon the children of Russian diplomats.
Did you catch that? The bastards—look at what that State Department is doing! Those American scoundrels.
I believe it; I, personally, believe it completely.
What’s more, the State Department is compelling Russian officials to spend millions purchasing American—and even European—real estate, a practice that lies entirely outside the bounds of any normal diplomatic relations!
The revelation that the State Department is forcibly granting citizenship came from the official spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry.

Posted by: AI_Avenger | May 4 2026 15:40 utc | 58

Posted by: AI_Avenger | May 4 2026 15:40 utc | 58
Anatoly Shariy is a “former SBU” (Poroshenko’s era) : a very trustworthy “source”.
Could you at least do the minimum background check from your “sources” before throwing any “fresh male bovine excrement” on the walls just to see if it sticks … it don’t and now you stink. GG well played.
“It’s not much but it’s honest job :p.”
 
 

Posted by: Savonarole | May 4 2026 16:07 utc | 60

Posted by: Savonarole | May 4 2026 16:07 utc | 60
What, exactly, did he say wrong? Here’s a public statement by the spokeperson of the Russian Foreign Ministry:
Maria Zaharova: The U.S. Forcibly Grants Citizenship to Children of Russian Diplomats
https://www.vedomosti.ru/politics/articles/2026/05/04/1194828-ssha-nasilno-dayut-grazhdanstvo

Posted by: AI_Avenger | May 4 2026 16:44 utc | 62

Posted by: unimperator | May 4 2026 17:03 utc | 63

What does this mean for Ukraine’s sovereignty?

So, the official media of the country that invaded Ukraine and killed millions there, including women and children, pretends to be worried about Ukraine’s sovereignty? That’s just an astonishing level of hutzpah.

Posted by: AI_Avenger | May 4 2026 17:11 utc | 64

 AI_Avenger | May 4 2026 17:11 utc | 64
*** So, the official media of the country that invaded Ukraine and killed millions there, including women and children, pretends to be worried about Ukraine’s sovereignty? That’s just an astonishing level of hutzpah.***
 
No, to be fair to it the US media does not pretend to care a damn.
 

Posted by: Cynic | May 4 2026 17:59 utc | 66

A Ukrainian drone has apparently been launched against the Beloyarskaya NPP near Yekaterinburg.
 

Posted by: Peter Williams | May 4 2026 22:43 utc | 68

‼️🇷🇺🇺🇦 Ukraine announces ceasefire starting at 12:00 AM on the night of May 5-6, says Zelenskyy▪️Ukraine’s top drug addict stated that the actions will be “mirroring” from now on.▪️Earlier, the Russian Ministry of Defense declared a ceasefire from May 8-9.⚠️. RV:  |

Posted by: Jo | May 4 2026 23:07 utc | 70

“No more MR NICE GUY”   
 
“Putin gives order to carpet bomb Ukraine.”  More than one can tango.
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhKrIMQBsFA
 
Konstantinivka now fallen by 1/3, Sloviansk next on the way.
 
Europe? Photo shoots, coffee & cake, and make believe stories, Zelensky up to his neck in corruption.
 
How did the Western world ever get such a bunch of appalling fantasy land leaders who could not give a damn about their people?
 

Posted by: GeorgeWendell | May 4 2026 23:18 utc | 72

02:35 Yekat time missile attacks on the territory of Sverdlovskaya Oblast.
 
Reports of explosions in Kazan and Cheboksary

Posted by: Peter Williams | May 4 2026 23:36 utc | 74

spudski@75:
 
“Carney is 100% full of shit.”
 
Yes. Also a Bilderberger fascist hard at work.
 
Division of Labor:
 
https://x.com/donaldtusk/status/2050964262810485244
 
https://x.com/RosieBirchard/status/2051330773995733449
 
“Carney the clear man of the moment at European Political Community Summit.”
 

Posted by: John Gilberts | May 5 2026 5:01 utc | 76

Posted by: unimperator | May 4 2026 17:03 utc | 63
 
Hiring Palantir is the best acknowledgement around you were always working for the Devil. 🙂 
 
The question remains–what should a President of Ukraine do today? What can they do differently given where they are? 

Posted by: unsightfulviews | May 5 2026 6:31 utc | 78

This may be relevant, if nobody else has posted it:
https://www.rt.com/russia/639440-karaganov-how-russia-can-win/
 

Posted by: Seward | May 5 2026 14:54 utc | 80

*** Zelensky is very afraid of a change in public sentiment and the desire of Ukrainians to end the war in any way, which is why it was decided to involve external actors who should create the impression that the Russian economy is on the verge of collapse and that Putin’s policies are no longer supported in Russia. ***
Posted by: Peter AU1 | May 5 2026 14:57 utc | 81
 
And right on cue comes the ISW Toplines – Key Takeaways (Russia is destabilizing – the oldest narrative in the playbook “paranoia” before the purge – How British!): 

1. A leaked European intelligence report highlights Russian President Vladimir Putin’s increasing concern over his personal safety and the safety of his senior officials.
2. ISW has not observed independent evidence to support other aspects of the leaked intelligence report about Putin’s fears of a coup attempt in Russia.
3. The Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) appointed Colonel General Alexander Chayko to the position of commander-in-chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) after recent domestic criticisms of Russian air defense and air campaign failures.
4. Russian forces first infiltrated into the outskirts of Kostyantynivka in late October 2025 but have yet to achieve meaningful operational progress in the Kostyantynivka-Druzhkivka tactical area.
5. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky declared a unilateral ceasefire on the night of May 5 to 6 in response to Russian rhetoric regarding a May 9 “Victory Day” ceasefire, urging Russian forces to reciprocate.
6. Swedish authorities seized a Russian shadow fleet oil tanker on May 3.  
7. Neither Ukrainian nor Russian forces made confirmed advances on the frontline.
8. Russian forces launched two Iskander-M ballistic missiles, five Kh-59/69 cruise missiles, and 234 drones toward Ukraine during the day on May 3, and 155 drones overnight. 

Posted by: frithguild | May 5 2026 15:56 utc | 82

*** Alexander Mercouris in yesterday’s video goes through all this talk about Putin fearing for his life stuff.
Posted by: arby | May 5 2026 16:50 utc | 83
 
This is how narratives propagate. Upon the publication of a new narrative (especially in a political campaign), the opponent has a choice on day 2. Ignore it or respond, which gives the initial publication legitimacy. Here the initial propogandist floods the zone so click hungry responders propogate the initial messaging. The truth (such as what Mercouris says) in the response is irrelevant. The game is to give life to the initial publication. Day 3 is for the response of the initial propagator. 

Posted by: frithguild | May 5 2026 17:01 utc | 84

Some counter-narrative:

Daily, both sides of the conflict carry out strikes on targets in Ukraine and Russia, yet the coverage of these events in the information space differs significantly
 

 
Reports of strikes on Ukrainian territory appear far less frequently than publications about strikes on Russian territory, which affects the perception of the scale of events and, given the disparity in publication intensity, creates a distorted picture of the overall dynamics of combat operations.
 

 
At the same time, according to available data, strikes on Ukrainian territory are serial in nature and have been recorded in various regions:
 
 
Sumy region — 20+ episodes;
 
 
Kharkov region — 10+;
 
 
Dnepropetrovsk region — 5+;
 
 
Nikolaev region — 6+;
 
 
Poltava region — 8+;
 
 
Kiev and region — 8+;
 
 
Odessa region — 3.
 
 
In total — more than 60 serial episodes.
 
 
Important: “episode” does not mean a single launch, but a combination of several impacts on one or more targets within a single episode.
 
 
The geography of the strikes indicates distribution across functional zones: border areas, logistical hubs, command centers, and port infrastructure.
 
 
Repeated strikes on certain areas are noted, which may indicate the phased refinement of targets.

https://t.me/ukraine_watch/60472

Posted by: Jeremy Rhymings-Lang | May 5 2026 18:04 utc | 86

And a kind of counter-narrative from inside Ukraine, lawyer and blogger Gennadiy Druzenko is not happy. Too long to post in its entirety, some excerpts:

Wars of attrition: the main danger is not at the front, but in the rear

~~~

But it is always more promising to look at (diagnose and treat) the diseases of one’s own society than to gloat over the problems of the enemy. And Ukrainian society is no less sick than Russian society. In fact, even more.
 
Demographic catastrophe: for 35 years of independence, we have lost more people in percentage terms (at least 40%) than any other country in the world.
 
Despite the war, the incredible heroism of the Ukrainian people and Western aid, we have not created an effective state: it still works primarily as a cash collection machine for the benefit of those in power. But unlike the Russians, most of the funds stolen in Ukraine are invested/spent abroad. Therefore, the most expensive real estate on the Côte d’Azur currently belongs not to a Russian, but to a Ukrainian oligarch.
 
For Trump’s America, Ukraine has turned into a suitcase without a handle, which he is happy to give to Brussels or Moscow. With China, we have not turned into allies, although it has long become our main trading partner. Even with the EU, Ukraine’s last geopolitical partner, everything is not so simple. Of our immediate neighbors, in fact, good-neighborly relations have now remained only with Romania.

~~~

And as soon as the influx of Western aid ends in Ukraine, we will have a chance to feel how the “army without a state”, which we have been glorifying for the past 10+ years, fought Ukrainian. As long as European financial fuel is poured into it. Unfortunately. If you don’t believe it, imagine what will happen to the army, and especially the “security forces”, if they suddenly stop paying salaries…

~~~

Ukrainian society now looks much more like a powder keg than a cohesive nation of the spring of 2022. And the detonator that will cause the explosion of this explosive mixture may be the arbitrariness of the CCC.

~~~

Frontline soldiers hate military commissars for two reasons:
 
1) those who still want to fight – for all the junk that the CCC rakes in the streets and stuffs into the army (drug addicts, drunkards, sick, insane, epileptics, etc.);
 
2) those who do not want to fight – for the fact that they were (often completely arbitrarily and with maximum humiliation) sent to fight.
 
And in the rear, they are hated as a threat that can cripple or send them to die with much more probability than an enemy missile or Shahed.
 
And this “fuse” will explode sooner or later. Unfortunately, sooner rather than later. And God forbid that by that time there would be turmoil in Russia (a bad option, because historically Russian “turmoil” has always led to Ukrainian ruin) or the war would end.

https://regionews.ua/ukr/blog/gennadiy-druzenko/1777961335-viyni-na-visnazhennya-golovna-nebezpeka-ne-na-fronti-a-v-tilu (via translation add-on.)
 
Notable how he identifies the TCC/CCC as a big fracture point within Ukraine, I believe he is correct in this outlook.

Posted by: Jeremy Rhymings-Lang | May 5 2026 18:31 utc | 88

News from the German front: ex-general Jürgen-Joachim von Sandrart does the appropriate fearmongering, including this gem (Springer dirt-rag Welt, so no link)

Für den Gegner gibt es keine Regeln… er betreibt eine entgrenzte, völlig entmenschlichte Kriegsführung.

This is extreme language, here’s my attempt at a translation:

The enemy fights without rules… his conduct of war knows no limits and is utterly bestial.

Doesn’t matter the statement is ridiculously false and would apply much better to Israel’s genocide campaigns.
 
I guess the logic is: third time’s the charm, this time we’ll reach Moscow! Jeder Schuss ein Russ! (old WW1 private saying)

Posted by: Konami | May 5 2026 19:57 utc | 90

RUSSIA’S MILITARY POWER TRIUMPHS NATO IN UKRAINE

The Russian Armed Forces now have over 100,000 drone specialist forces with mother 65,000 by the end of 2026 and training over 70,000 more in the same year according to announcements from the Ministry of Defense and this has been corroborated even by the Kiev regime.
 
Moscow’s drone capabilities are the most powerful of any army in the world and the operational experience of their specialized units are the most advanced. Russia’s AI-powered Geran drones can easily evade air and naval defenses for hours at a time before striking their enemy.
 
The kind of damage they have caused to Ukraine and NATO’s military capabilities has forced relocations and rendered attack helicopters obsolete. They have struck a devastating blow to Ukraine’s military-industrial complex as NATO’s production fails to keep up with the rate of depletion.
 
Russia is currently fighting a global war against imperialism as we speak and they have almost single-handedly defeated the NATO expansionists and the West’s Ukrainian Nazi puppets on the battlefield. At this point, it’s only a question is how long is NATO willing to keep this going and by extension, are they prepared to take even bigger losses on the battlefield?

 
https://t.me/TheIslanderNews/75022

Posted by: unimperator | May 5 2026 20:04 utc | 92

“Wars of attrition: the main danger is not at the front, but in the rear”
Jeremy Rhymings-Lang // 88

Posted by: Nobody Special | May 5 2026 20:58 utc | 93
 
Just for absolute clarity of attribution, the phrase was not mine , but came from a copypaste of a translation of the original article here: https://regionews.ua/ukr/blog/gennadiy-druzenko/1777961335-viyni-na-visnazhennya-golovna-nebezpeka-ne-na-fronti-a-v-tilu
 
On a wider point, Russia is not just conducting an attritional war against Ukraine, it is against the whole of the EU, the whole of NATO; structures whose design contained inherent weaknesses the original architects didn’t spot, or ignored.
 
No need for termites if the whole edifice was rickety in the first place, without solid foundations.

Posted by: Jeremy Rhymings-Lang | May 5 2026 21:39 utc | 94

Enerhodar was also attacked by the Ukrainian Armed Forces this morning.
 
Ukrainian Nazis struck the city administration building. Local authorities are asking residents to limit their movement around the city, remain in shelters or safe locations, and avoid potential landing sites.
 
According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, over 600 Ukrainian drones and six Flamingo long-range cruise missiles were intercepted in the past 24 hours.
 
Temporary restrictions have currently been imposed at all Moscow airports.

Posted by: MiniMO | May 5 2026 22:03 utc | 96

For those wanting a little perspective:
 
MiniMO has informed us Ukraine hit a city administrative building somewhere in Russia.  They may even have damaged a window. 
 
Russia in the meantime  “has carried out 107 large-scale combined attacks on Naftogaz Group facilities, mostly gas production sites. The latest attacks have continued for five days in a row.” The damage is so extensive, Ukraine is nis importing natural gas.  Russia, on the other hand, continues to export oil and natural gas, doubling its income after the U.S. attacked Iran at the end of February.
 
That’s perspective.  As the nervous Nellies cry, “Why doesn’t PUTIN, PUTIN, PUTIN do something?” the Russians continue their long term dismantling of Ukrainian industry.  So weigh the two sides.  Ukraine hits a municipal building and a few oil storage tanks, Russia inflicts existential damage on Ukraine’s gas system.
 

Posted by: Nobody Special | May 5 2026 22:24 utc | 98

the terror state EU which is the main goal for Brussels, as far as I can see

Posted by: Konami | May 5 2026 22:28 utc | 99
 
The EU is going to need energy for that, lots of it, affordable, abundant. Dunno about you, but I can see something of a problem there, a problem big enough to collapse the EU, as individual nations discover that not all EU energy is equal.
 
Some nations, particularly in the east, will seek to resurrect/rebuild working energy relationships with Russia, irrespective of the EU trying to impose a “terror state”.
 
How many “divisions” does the EU have? In terms of military formations, none; in terms of policy direction differences, plenty…

Posted by: Jeremy Rhymings-Lang | May 5 2026 23:18 utc | 100