Brent crude, the international benchmark for purchasing oil, hit $126 per barrel — passing $120 for the first time since the start of the war. Prices were $73.93 at the outset of the conflict.

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KYIV, Ukraine — In the early 2000s, I was still a kid. Every summer, my grandma and I would travel to visit her relatives in Tuapse, a city in southern Russia on the Black Sea’s coast.

We took the ‘platzkart,’ the cheapest sleeper train where strangers shared one open space with no compartments, and always brought our own bed linen because it cost us less that way. The train stopped at what felt like every small town along the way. With a border crossing, the journey stretched well past twenty-four hours.

My grandma Lilia looked forward to every summer, as the children had a holiday from school. She skimped on everything just to save up for this trip. Soon, she would see her sister, and they would spend the whole summer together, just like they used to when they were kids.

I had no idea that twenty years later, I would watch that same city burn and feel nothing but satisfaction.

Today I woke up to news that Ukrainian long-range drones had attacked Russian oil refineries in Tuapse for the third time in the past two weeks — the latest in a campaign that has shut down the plant, destroyed the majority of its storage tanks, and left Russia’s only Black Sea refinery incapacitated with no signs of recovering

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has already said that Ukraine’s partners asked him to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries during the war in the Middle East. In their view, these strikes could further drive up the prices of oil and other energy resources, which have already reached record highs in recent months. The Ukrainian side, however, believes the impact on prices is limited because Russia still has restricted capacity to export its oil. So it will continue striking Russian oil, as this is one of the most effective ways to put pressure on Moscow.

At first glance, mockery and gloating over destruction deep inside Russia may seem cruel to many. But for me, it is the logical conclusion of a shattered identity — and a story about how war destroys not only homes but the very possibility of remembering anything good about the enemy.

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KYIV, Ukraine — Yana Antoniuk comes to the Kyiv Sea to relax several times each summer. She celebrated her graduation, birthdays, and bachelorette party here.

The Kyiv Sea has become her substitute for the real sea, since she hasn’t left the Kyiv region during the war.

Locals call the Kyiv Reservoir the ‘Kyiv Sea’ — it’s so vast that when you stand on one shore, you can’t see the other.

This seemingly peaceful spot hides a significant danger at the bottom.

The Kyiv Reservoir is part of the Dnipro River cascade, a water source for millions of people, and an ecosystem that stretches to the Black Sea across several countries. On April 26, 1986, 40 years ago, an explosion occurred at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant.

After the reactor explosion, radioactive dust and particles rose into the air and were carried hundreds of kilometers away. What settled over the water fell into rivers and ended up in the Dnipro River cascade. The Pripyat River, which flows through the exclusion zone, carried the contamination directly into the Kyiv Reservoir. There, the particles settled to the bottom and remained there.

Official sources say there is no cause for concern as long as the sediment remains at the bottom. The main thing is to not disturb it.

But the war poses a particular threat to the stability of radioactive sediments.

For example, in 2024, Russia struck the Vyshhorod Hydroelectric Power Plant — the dam that directly holds back this reservoir.

If the dam of the Kyiv Reservoir collapses, radioactive particles will enter the water system and carry dangerous contaminants downstream along the Dnipro River, increasing the radiation risk to plants, animals, and millions of people.

Yana was born in Kyiv into a well-off family. Every summer, she and her family would go on vacation to Crimea and Odesa, in southern Ukraine. Not all Ukrainians had the opportunity to visit these resort areas, and many of them never got to see Crimea before its annexation.

Yana enjoyed sitting on the shore of the Black Sea, watching the sun set, and feeling the water tickle her heels. It felt like she owned the world during those peaceful moments.

The war cut Yana off from her favorite places along the Black Sea coast. After 2013, she never returned to Crimea, leaving behind places dear to her heart and countless friends. After 2022, she stopped traveling even to Odesa.

“I’m a very anxious person. I’m afraid of explosions, and it’s much easier for me to cope with things like that in the familiar surroundings of my home,” Yana said.

Yana’s desire for quiet getaways close to water never went away, though. As an accountant, she finds work exhausting. When she has the chance to take a few extra days off or a vacation, she gives her brain a break from the digital noise.

“I usually don’t even leave Kyiv; I go to the beaches here. But if I do manage to get away, the Kyiv Sea is truly the best place,” Yana said.

Yana had never wondered what lay hidden at the bottom of the Kyiv Reservoir.

The Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant explosion, 40 years ago tomorrow, was the worst nuclear disaster in human history. A cloud of radioactive particles was released into the atmosphere, covering a significant part of Europe.

What settled in the water, rivers, and soil remains there to this day. The same applies to the Kyiv Reservoir, located just 80 miles from Chornobyl.

The IAEA recommends leaving the contaminated sediments undisturbed; keeping them in place is the only barrier between the accumulated radioactivity and the water used by millions of people downstream. This strategy holds until the first major disturbance: a flood, a prolonged drought, dredging, or something worse.

In other words, sediments that were lying at the bottom rise to the surface and dry out. Radioactive dust could then rise into the air, be washed into the water by rain, or seep into the soil. What was previously trapped underwater becomes accessible to the environment.

Professor Timothy Mousseau, who spent more than 25 years studying Chornobyl and the effects of radiation on biological organisms, lives thousands of kilometers away from this shore, but he has been thinking about exactly these kinds of risks for decades. Yana lives right nearby and knows almost nothing about them.

Even before the full-scale invasion, there were attempts to clean up the Kyiv Reservoir, not to improve the security of the area, but to ensure navigability.

Back then, an independent study by the French organization ACRO found that 28 million people downstream, who depend on the Dnipro for water and food, could face increased radiation risks if dredging continued. The work eventually stopped. But this precedent shows that even peaceful, planned intervention in these sediments is recognized by the international community as an unacceptable risk.

War introduces a far more violent kind of disturbance.

Mousseau and his team arrived in the exclusion zone in 2022, shortly after the area had been liberated by Ukrainian forces. He got a lab and house there, had equipment and ongoing studies. He believes that if you don’t show up regularly, nothing gets done.

“Many mines were laid underground throughout the area, including where we do our fieldwork. Being in this war zone was very scary, with the sirens going constantly and drones flying over,” Mousseau said.

And although Russian troops have physically withdrawn from the Chornobyl zone, they continue to pose a radiation threat to the Ukrainian population – if they attack the dam, it could be catastrophic.

Yana doesn’t really believe there’s much risk of a radiation threat, but just in case, she bought some iodine supplements to protect herself: “It won’t save me if they [the Russians] do decide to use nuclear weapons, but it makes me feel more at ease.”

Mousseau isn’t so optimistic.

“If the dam were destroyed or damaged, that would dramatically increase the water flow from the Chornobyl region, stir up the sediments, and have the possibility of moving these radioactive sediments closer to Kyiv,” Mousseau said.

The stronger and faster the current, the more contaminated silt it can transport hundreds of kilometers in a short time.

This is exactly how, after 1986, traces of cesium and strontium reached as far as the Black Sea — the river and the current did their job.

In 2023, a very similar incident had already occurred: two explosions destroyed the Kakhovka Dam — a three-kilometer-long hydraulic structure on the Dnipro River in southern Ukraine. Nearly 90 percent of the reservoir was emptied, and the flood destroyed entire towns, left hundreds of thousands of people without drinking water, and killed tens of thousands of tons of fish.

When the reservoir emptied, sediments containing 83,000 tons of heavy metals, including lead, cadmium, and nickel, accumulated over decades rose to the surface. At the time, scientists compared the consequences of the dam’s collapse to the 1986 Chornobyl nuclear disaster.

But in the end, the Kakhovka dam did not contain Chornobyl-level sediment. The Kyiv Reservoir, however, does.

“People make use of the river to irrigate agricultural fields, for drinking water, and to recharge aquifers. The potential for increased radioactivity in agricultural products — the wheat and other crops — is a concern,” Mousseau said.

Some of the radioactive particles will settle again, but in new places, far from the exclusion zone. Some will enter the soil, and from there, into plants, into animals, into food. Ultimately, they will end up in humans, causing a slow accumulation of radiation exposure. For years, this may not be noticeable.

When cesium enters the body, it is distributed throughout all soft tissues, particularly in the muscles. Strontium accumulates in the bones and teeth, where it remains for years. Both emit radiation from within constantly, at low levels.

Over time, it increases the risk of cancer — primarily thyroid cancer, leukemia, and bone marrow cancer — the same conditions that emerged following the Chornobyl nuclear disaster. Children face a higher risk than adults because their cells divide more rapidly. For pregnant women, there is a risk to the fetus.

At the moment, no one is claiming that a disaster is inevitable, but there is a critical lack of data and research.

“We have insufficient information. It has not been sufficiently studied,” Mousseau said.

“Unfortunately, we got used to risks. But you can never know too much and relax.”

Yana tries not to think about the potential dangers. She says that if there were a real danger here, people would have been warned.

Until then, she’ll keep going to the Kyiv Reservoir for her vacations, since there are no safer alternatives for her.

In fact, Yana will probably go there again this summer to relax.

The water will look just as calm as it always does.

NEWS OF THE DAY:

By Oleksandra Poda

Good morning to readers; Kyiv remains in Ukrainian hands.

UKRAINE AND RUSSIA EXCHANGED 193 WAR PRISONERS: On Friday, Ukraine and Russia carried out an exchange of prisoners of war. There were 193 soldiers from each side, some of whom were wounded. Zelenskyy stated that most had been illegally detained in Chechnya. The exchange also included the return of 1,200 unidentified bodies to Ukraine. The United States and the UAE acted as mediators.

Prisoner exchanges remain the only specific result of the negotiation process between Ukraine and Russia. This is the second exchange in April, following the ‘175-for-175’ exchange on April 11.

PRINCE HARRY TESTS AI DRONES FOR MINE CLEARANCE: The UK’s Prince Harry made a surprise visit to Kyiv and met with mine clearance teams near Bucha, a suburb of Kyiv, on Friday. Wearing a VR headset, he operated an AI drone to detect mines and tested robots designed to defuse them. At the Kyiv Security Forum, he urged Putin to stop, and said Washington must intensify its efforts to achieve peace.

23% of Ukraine’s territory is contaminated with mines. It is the most heavily mined country in Europe.

ZELENSKYY VISITS AZERBAIJAN FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2022: On April 25, Zelensky arrived in Azerbaijan on his first visit to Baku since the start of the full-scale invasion.

Azerbaijan is a key energy partner for the EU as an alternative to Russian gas, but has a complicated relationship with Russia following the downing of the AZAL plane in 2024.

CAT OF CONFLICT:

Oleksandra’s daughter played chess with the cat. It looks like the cat won the game.

Stay safe out there.

Best,
Oleksandra

Editor’s Note:

We’re marking three years of The Counteroffensive.

For three years now, The Counteroffensive has been bringing you human stories. Our main mission is to keep you informed about places where authoritarianism threatens democracies.

But we do more than that. We also strive to support, train, and develop Ukrainian journalists — to show how international newsrooms operate and what standards they set. That’s why we regularly work with interns and help them grow professionally.

This week, Myroslava and Zoriana gave a lecture to students at a university in Kyiv on visual storytelling at The Counteroffensive — about how we tell stories through words and images.

If our work resonates with you, especially our commitment to developing new journalists, please support us with a subscription.

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KYIV, Ukraine — Before you get a notification about a new story from The Counteroffensive, it has already taken us days – sometimes weeks or even months.

Finding the right character, breaking through a wall of interview refusals, staying awake at four in the morning — these are challenges our small newsroom faces almost daily. And honestly, they’re the kind of challenges we welcome.

Each story begins with dozens of unapproved ideas, reporters’ heavy sighs, meeting editors’ skeptical tongue-clicks.

Every piece is argued for until it is proven to deserve your attention.

Today, we finally shed light on our mishaps in the trips and anecdotes that never made it past drafts into the final versions.

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KYIV, Ukraine — Yu* keeps a big secret. He has been carefully hiding it for three years, even from his friends, whom he left thousands of miles away without any explanation.

“If they knew, they might call the police…I will probably go to prison,” said Yu.

Once a South Korean former Marine Corps sergeant and a Korean Army reservist, he crossed the Ukrainian border in 2023 to fight against Russia.

Yu knew it might be a one-way ticket, that he might never return home if the authorities found out he had joined the Ukrainian army. He could easily face real prison time. In his country, simply visiting Ukraine could be considered a crime.

Yu’s fears are well-grounded. Earlier this month, Australian police charged a citizen for serving in the Ukrainian military without governmental authorization. This drone operator who fought against Russian forces and returned home to Australia in January 2026 can now face up to 20 years in prison for violating domestic laws.

This case briefly lifted a curtain on something that has quietly grown to an enormous scale.

As of early 2026, more than 20,000 foreign volunteers from dozens of countries are serving in the Ukrainian Armed Forces — roughly two percent of Ukraine’s total military strength. They sign contracts, receive legal residency support, and serve alongside Ukrainian soldiers, although they might be breaking laws in their own countries for fighting abroad.

The Australian case exposed a reality that governments tried to ignore: thousands of volunteers made life-changing choices to defend democratic values, only to find that their home countries offered no legal path back home but the threat of prison.

Yu grew up in a country that has lived under the shadow of potential escalation from its neighbor, North Korea. Like all South Korean men under the age of 35, he was required to complete mandatory military service, as the war with North Korea never officially ended. He spent 21 months in the Republic of Korea Marine Corps, serving as an artillery squad leader on Baekryeong Island — a frontline outpost just 20 kilometers from the North Korean border.

But now he must hide his service in Ukraine to avoid being criminalized by the nation that trained him to fight in the first place.

His choice to fight on behalf of Ukraine was personal. “I did not like the fact that Russia supports North Korea and China…If Russia were to occupy Ukraine…North Korea, possibly together with China, could threaten or invade South Korea,” Yu said “That is why I see defending Ukraine as ultimately helping to defend Korea as well.”

He is not alone in this logic. In conversations with other Korean volunteers, in messages passed carefully between people who do not ask each other’s names, there’s a common thread: the war in Ukraine is not a European war. They have a consensus that this war is the first move in a sequence of wars that could end on the Korean Peninsula.

Before leaving to fight for Ukraine, Yu decided to tell his parents his secret. Of course, they were worried. It’s one thing if their son was simply doing his mandatory military service; it’s another to send their child to the other side of the world to fight in an active war. But they did not try to stop him.

“I said: ‘Don’t worry. Artillery is safer than infantry. I can make my own choices.’”

Yu had already visited Ukraine as a traveler before the war. He already knew the country well enough: where to buy a SIM card, where to eat, and how to pass border control.

When he arrived at the border in 2023, he told the Ukrainian authorities directly: he wanted to join the International Legion. Yu was sent to a military base for a three-week training. As he already had some military experience, it was shorter than a standard one, which could last up to three months.

“In Korea, there are so many artillery systems and very good missiles. We can supply our shells. But that’s all. We don’t actually have war experience [like the Ukrainian army],” said Yu.

Yu was assigned as an anti-tank soldier and served the next six months with the Second International Battalion.

“Legally, foreigners here have the same rights as Ukrainians: they sign the same contract. The only difference is that they can terminate it at will after six months of service. It takes one month from filing the report to being discharged,” explained Oleksandr Klymchuk, a lawyer specializing in legal support for military personnel—and a war veteran himself.

In the very first days of the full-scale war, Zelenskyy called on foreigners to come and serve in Ukraine to repel Russian aggression. Volunteer service in foreign conflicts is fairly common — it was practiced, for example, during the wars in Afghanistan and Syria. By 2026, volunteers from 75 countries had arrived in Ukraine and joined the Armed Forces.

These foreign fighters’ choices often stem from a desire to defend democratic values, support Ukraine against aggression, and a belief that a threat to European security is a global threat, like Yu does.

Until late 2025, the international legions remained in separate formations within Ukraine’s military. But eventually, Ukraine integrated foreign fighters into regular assault formations to “have access to heavy equipment, resources, and the logistics of regular formations,” according to the Ministry of Defense.

Yu exercised the right to withdraw from the military after six months. But his reasons for leaving were not about the war, he said. They were about wanting to be more useful in it. Assigned to an anti-tank unit, he was prevented from returning to his specialty due to the language barrier.

“If I knew Ukrainian better, I could become an artilleryman,” Yu said.

So he enrolled in a preparatory course at a Ukrainian university, studying the language, literature, and history. The plan was to come back — better equipped, in the right role.

For Yu, the contract that made him a legal soldier in Ukraine makes him a fugitive at home. South Korea’s Passport Act designates Ukraine as a forbidden travel zone. Entering without government authorization, regardless of purpose, may be a criminal offense, punishable by up to 1 year in prison or a fine of up to 10 million won (or $7,500). Several South Koreans have already been convicted under this law for traveling to Ukraine.

Although South Korea’s government largely supports Ukraine in its war against Russia, it still fears damaging economic ties with Moscow and the threat of escalation with North Korea, with which Russia is exchanging military and nuclear technologies.

South Korea is not the only country where fighting in foreign wars is forbidden. Montenegro legislation criminalizes participation in foreign conflicts, with prison sentences for citizens who join armed forces abroad. In Albania, the law prohibits citizens from joining foreign wars, and violations can lead to significant prison sentences. Across dozens of countries, the same contradiction holds: a person can be a legal combatant in Ukraine and a criminal at home simultaneously.

But several nations have already carved out their own legal ‘corridors’ to allow their citizens to fight alongside Ukraine. For instance, in February 2022, Latvia passed urgent amendments to its National Security Law, officially granting its citizens the right to serve in the Ukrainian International Legion. Denmark and the United Kingdom have taken a path of declarative support, where high-level political statements provide de facto guarantees against criminal prosecution for returning veterans.

A unique model is demonstrated by Czechia: despite a formal legal ban on serving in foreign militaries, the president utilizes a mechanism of individual pardons or collective abolition, effectively shielding volunteers from liability.

For those who cannot return safely back to their homeland and risk prison, Ukraine has created some legal pathways of its own. In 2024, parliament passed a law simplifying citizenship for foreign volunteers, reducing the required service period from three to one year. However, this system is far from perfect, as foreigners seeking citizenship often face bureaucratic hurdles that significantly delay the process.

Yu’s friends in Seoul still do not know where he has been. They know he works in Ukraine, in business. When the topic of the war comes up, some of them repeat things he disagrees with — that the eastern territories were always Russian, that this is a European problem, that Korea has no stake in it. Yu does not argue with his friends. He listens and says nothing.

“If they really understood — if we were Ukrainian, and North Korea was invading, what would we do? We would fight. We would fight for our territory, for our families. Maybe after ten years I can tell them my story. But now I’m not ready.”

He feels at home in Ukraine. If he could return to serve as an artilleryman — his original specialty — he would want to. But first, he says, he needs to know the language to fully share his artillery experience, to communicate with his unit, to be as useful as he was trained to be.

Yu wants to stay in Ukraine if possible, at least while his future in South Korea remains uncertain.

“Even when the war ends, I do not know whether I will be able to return.”

*We are not disclosing the full name of our character, as he is at risk of facing legal charges for his Ukrainian service in South Korea.

NEWS OF THE DAY:

By Oleksandra Khelemendyk, Oleksandra Poda

Good morning to readers; Kyiv remains in Ukrainian hands.

DRUZHBA OIL PIPELINE TO BE RELAUNCHED: Ukraine is planning to resume oil transit through the Druzhba pipeline on Tuesday, anonymous sources told Bloomberg.

Druzhba was damaged in a Russian attack in January. It supplied oil to Slovakia and Hungary, which conditioned a €90 billion ($106 billion) loan for Kyiv on the pipeline being fixed.

Ukraine only has enough funds to defend itself until June, so the funding blocked by Hungary’s ousted Prime Minister Viktor Orban since December is crucial for it to continue fighting.

EU ambassadors will discuss the loan again on Wednesday.

Hungary and Slovakia are temporarily exempt from the EU-imposed restrictions on direct purchases of Russian oil since 2022, but the European Commission plans to phase this practice out by the end of 2027 at the latest.

HUNGARY’S NEW PRIME MINISTER READY TO DISCUSS STOLEN FUNDS: Péter Magyar, leader of the Tisza Party, who won Hungary’s parliamentary elections, is willing to discuss the confiscated assets of Oschadbank with Ukraine after taking office as prime minister.

On March 5, two vehicles carrying $40 million, €35 million, nine kilograms of gold, and seven members of the Oschadbank cash-in-transit team were detained in Budapest. Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Hungary’s current Prime Minister Viktor Orbán of having stolen a shipment.

RUSSIA MOVES TO EXPLOIT OCCUPIED UKRAINE’S MINERALS: A Russian company affiliated with the state-owned defense conglomerate Rostec has been granted a license to develop one of the world’s five largest manganese deposits in the occupied territory of the Zaporizhzhia region.

The deposit contains approximately 1.7 billion tons of reserves with a manganese content of over 25% — enough to sustain production for up to 100 years. Developing the site is estimated to require up to 100 billion rubles (approximately $1.1 billion).

Manganese is a crucial component in steel production and plays an important role in the manufacturing of batteries for electric vehicles. Peace talks are stalled as Russia extracts Ukraine’s natural resources.

NEW DETAILS ON THE TERRORIST ATTACK IN KYIV: The gunman who opened fire in Kyiv posted anti-Ukrainian and anti-Semitic messages, denied Ukraine’s right to exist, and expressed a desire for Russia to have occupied Bakhmut sooner.

Footage of the shooting showed two officers fleeing the scene after initial gunfire. As a result, Yevhen Zhukov, the head of Ukraine’s patrol police, resigned, and the officers seen in the video were placed under investigation by the State Bureau of Investigations.

The gunman served in the Ukrainian Armed Forces from 1992 to 2005, and moved between Russia and Ukraine, ultimately settling down in Kyiv. The weapon was legally registered, and the permit was renewed in December 2025 with a valid medical certificate.

According to Minister Klymenko, the shooting will not trigger mass checks of gun owners.

DOG OF WAR:

Zhuzha often attends trainings and conferences with her owner, a Ukrainian human rights defender. It’s windy outside, so she is wearing her stylish warm sweater.

Stay safe out there.

Best,
Kateryna, Anastasiia, Mariana

KYIV, Ukraine — Becoming a pediatrician, wearing beautiful business attire, traveling the world, or learning languages. In childhood, dreams seem simple — they grow alongside us, change, or stubbornly push through the years and circumstances.

For the third anniversary of The Counteroffensive, we gathered personal stories from our team — about who we imagined ourselves to be as children, how this journey has changed us, and which of those dreams survived when reality proved far more complicated.

Share your own photos that fit this description! Go to https://imgbb.com/, upload your photo, and paste the URL in our comments section below.

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On the afternoon of April 18, 2026, a man opened fire on people on the street in Kyiv’s Holosiivskyi district.

According to President Zelenskyy, at least 5 people were killed and 15 others were wounded.

Among the wounded is a child, as well as a supermarket security guard — the attacker subsequently barricaded himself inside the store.

Read more

The Trump administration on Friday night renewed a waiver that allows countries to keep buying certain Russian oil and petroleum products.

The waiver had lapsed for six days before the Trump administration renewed it, announcing their decision at around 9 p.m. eastern when most reporters – and indeed, most Americans – had signed off for the weekend.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had previously said that Washington would not extend it but…

After paywall:

• Why did Washington reverse course just days after saying it wouldn’t extend the waiver?

• Could this move weaken Western pressure on Russia’s war economy?

• What is Russia saying about the U.S. waiver?

Read more

KYIV, Ukraine — If your teenage kid is in danger, you might see signs. New, suspiciously fancy items they shouldn’t be able to afford, their phone buzzing with notifications even at night, and getting secretive about their online whereabouts, to name a few.

Then again, those changes can look like any other phase of growing up… until they aren’t. A college student from the town of Shostka in the frontline Sumy region is currently serving 8 years in jail for national treason. According to the court, he had been ‘leaking’ coordinates of strategic objects to the Russian army for two years and putting his family in danger – only to have his life ruined in return.

Beyond its efforts to defeat Ukraine on the battlefield, Russia is trying to shake the country from the inside through propaganda, information campaigns, and empty promises on the internet. Often, Russian agents reach out to children online and offer them tempting rewards for easy tasks. Teenagers who take on the challenge gradually spiral from painting provocative graffiti to spying on Ukrainian troops or even carrying out terrorist attacks.

Early in the morning on March 23, multiple loud explosions near a block of flats in Bucha, a town about 16 miles west of Kyiv, injured two police officers. A few hours later, a 21-year-old suspect was arrested. The 21-year-old suspect was reportedly working for Russia, which contacted him through the video game World of Tanks. He is now in custody and could get up to 12 years in prison for a terrorist attack.

In July 2024, Russian agents lured two South African citizens into the war against Ukraine via the gaming platform Discord.

In the age of the internet, nations whose governments control the press and the flow of information — like Russia, China and Iran — are increasingly leveraging online tools to push their agendas. As governments around the globe get bolder and more creative in their online manipulations, internet users must be extremely wary to avoid being dragged into crime.

Vasyl Filonenko, an information security trainer at the NGO Dignity Online, dedicates his life to protecting Ukrainian children from digital threats. He travels across Ukraine to tell kids about the various threats lurking online and creates guidelines on how to discuss safe web surfing for their parents and teachers.

Vasyl has taught history at a high school in Kyiv for seven years, and he knows for sure that digital competencies are crucial to succeed in present-day Ukraine. Working with children, he quickly realized that he knew nothing about the online world and that simply reading books or attending webinars was not enough. He then joined Dignity Online to help his elderly colleagues get acclimated to technology and educate their students about the risks they can face in the digital realm.

Now, three and a half years later, he has developed about 20 ready-made lessons on online safety and mental health for different grades.

Vasyl himself is not immune to the danger. One time, he received a suspicious offer “to mark some objects on Yandex maps” for money and blocked the suspicious account without any communication. He, too, has faced cyberbullying in online games.

“Even if you don’t have your own children, we still live in the same society, in a civil society. And I would like our society to be educated so that it could react adequately to any challenges, any threats in this volatile world,” he said.

One in five Ukrainians recruited by Russia to commit crimes is below 18, according to the Security Service of Ukraine. In 2025, children carried out 130 crimes against the national security of Ukraine, which is four times more than the previous year.

Vasyl believes that the real numbers might be even higher, as statistics have not been gathered from the very beginning of the war. When asked who is most vulnerable to Russian influence on the internet, he replied that no one is safe.

“Russians mostly target teens aged from 13 to 18 years, and nine out of ten are boys. Still, when it comes to any threats in the digital realm, we should remember that anyone, regardless of age and gender, can become a victim. Even you personally,” he cautioned.

First, strangers tempt teenagers by promising easy money or tickling their nerves with a cool task, be it spray-painting the wall or closely watching a car that belongs to military personnel. If the kid takes the bait and completes the assignment, the following ones grow more complex and dangerous. But the worst things begin once he or she tries to get off the hook.

“Certain means of manipulation turn on, and it is very difficult to get rid of them,” Vasyl explained. “Let’s say, with the help of artificial intelligence, they would receive some child’s material and blackmail the child with it. They can even threaten to kill his or her parents.”

Terrified by such threats or a punishment from adults for falling for the trap in the first place, the teen might be reluctant to tell anyone that they became a victim of Russian agents. Now, they are caught deeper in malicious schemes, like a fly in a spider’s web, and it never ends well. While their peers go to prom, make friends, fall in love and pursue their dream careers, most adolescent criminals end up behind bars. Others might even get killed in the explosions they set up for Russian agents.

Sometimes, the conversation takes a completely different direction when a Russian pretends to work for the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and asks for help to ‘defeat the enemy.’ In this case, parents need to explain one simple thing: no one would ask a child for help with an adult’s job, so it is better to take screenshots and report these suspicious accounts to the real SBU immediately.

Vasyl used to think that children from poorer families were more likely to fall for the rewards Russians offer for committing a crime, but the reality turned out to be even harsher. Even if the parents can afford most things their child needs, he or she might still jump at the chance to earn some money independently, no matter the means.

Still, the biggest threat we face online could lie within ourselves. One trait that all victims have in common is their unjustified self-confidence. Even aware of what the enemy could do to them online, most internet users tend to believe they are immune to falling victim — a common fallacy.

“We shouldn’t underestimate Russians. They are extremely smart, cunning, cold-blooded, and cruel. And they treat people who cooperate with them as consumable material,” he said.

Russian agents can get in touch with Ukrainian kids almost anywhere. One of the most common ways is on Telegram, a very popular messaging app in Ukraine. Despite its ties to Russia’s Federal Security Service, Telegram remains extremely popular in Ukraine. The latest large-scale research on Ukrainian youth conducted in July 2024 shows that more than 80 percent of teenagers used the messaging platform every day. About 92 percent of the entire Ukrainian population open the app at least weekly.

Although not yet as common as other tactics, Vasyl said that gaming groups and services are dangerous platforms on the rise.

“Potential communication can take place on [multiplayer game platforms and forums, such as] Steam, Discord, Riot Games, Roblox, and in any online game, such as Minecraft and the like,” he said. “This is how the ‘illusion of the bedroom’ works – when you are relaxed and physically safe, you think you’ll be fine online.”

Thanks to preventive measures, more and more teenagers have learned to be skeptical. In 2025, about 120 potential victims reported attempts to recruit them for dangerous tasks. Some of them even received awards for their quick actions. In July 2025, two boys from Kryvyi Rih in the Dnipro region helped identify Russian agents and were given gifts by the National Police and Security Service of Ukraine.

In Vasyl’s opinion, Ukraine is facing such a challenge for the first time in history. Responding to the online threat without relying on any prior experience is a task for everyone: parents, law enforcement, the education system, and ordinary users.

He is convinced that the best way to protect Ukrainian kids against Russian tactics online is to build mutual trust with the children through communication. Instead of total control or intimidating serious conversations about safety, parents should try to understand the context and express a keen interest in what their child is doing online. If Vasyl had a child, they would talk about the digital world a lot and play online games together.

“Communication has to be systematic,” Vasyl explained. “Kids need to know you will not scold them if they come to you with a problem or ask for advice. Also, you need to do a huge pile of work and figure out what skins are there in Brawl Stars and what a standoff is,” he said, referencing online gaming terminology. “If they start to pull a joke from Roblox,” which is a gaming platform where users can create and play games together, “it is very difficult to communicate without understanding what Roblox is.”

In his own training sessions, Vasyl tries to establish similar trust and comfort with the young listeners, and his efforts seem to pay off. He vividly remembers a lesson he once conducted at primary school: After the bell rang, kids ran up to him, the teacher, hugging him and asking him to come back to school once more. Surrounded by excited, grateful students, Vasyl felt that his work truly had meaning to it.

Even if he couldn’t give them a specific plan for every situation, he surely instilled in them an interest in learning, and this spark is key to keeping up with our rapidly evolving battlefields.

NEWS OF THE DAY:

By Serafima Melnychuk

Good morning to readers; Kyiv remains in Ukrainian hands.

U.S.–UKRAINE INVESTMENT TO APPROVE SECOND PROJECT: The U.S.–Ukraine reconstruction fund is expected to approve its second investment this summer, with a further project planned by the end of 2026, Yegor Perelygin, Ukraine's deputy economy minister, told Reuters.

The reconstruction fund was established according to the minerals deal with the US in the areas like critical minerals among others.

The first investment of the fund was made into the company Sine Engineering.

UKRAINE’S DEFENSE MINISTRY LAUNCHES DRONE ASSAULT UNITS: Ukraine has established a unit called drone assault formations, which comprises aerial and ground drones, and foot soldiers forming an all-encompassing fighting force. This unit, according to the Defense Ministry, heralds a new form of warfare aimed at improving efficiency, cutting costs, and reducing fatalities.

UKRAINE SECURED NEW RAMSTEIN AID PLEDGES: Ukraine will get new military assistance from allies following the Ramstein talks, including drones, air defense, and logistic support, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced.

Five nations agreed to contribute to the list of prioritized needs that NATO compiled for Ukraine, according to Zelenskyy. Norway pledged more than $500 million for drones and $150 million for logistical assistance, whereas the Netherlands pledged over €200 million for drones.

ZELENSKYY AND ITALY’S PM AGREE TO IMPROVE THEIR DEFENSE TIES: After talks in Rome, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni decided to collaborate more in the defense sector, including drone production.

The two heads of state emphasized that their delegations would work out the specifics of the partnership, but no details were disclosed. In the statement of the Italian PM, Meloni emphasized that the discussions centered on strengthening their defense relationship.

SANCTIONS HAVE BEEN PUT BACK IN PLACE AGAINST RUSSIAN OIL: The Treasury Department has officially said that they will not extend temporary waivers that would allow Russian oil exports.

Scott Bessent, the Treasury Secretary, said during a White House press briefing that this move was never meant to be a big favor to Russia. Instead, it was meant to stabilize oil prices on the world market by sending oil from China to America’s allies.

FRANCE TO JOIN AGREEMENT IN TRIBUNAL AGAINST RUSSIA: The Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Andrii Sybiha, has stated that France has officially become part of the initiative to create a Special Tribunal to investigate Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. The number of countries involved now stands at 18.

According to him, there will be an important decision in May when the Council of Europe meets in Chișinău, and he called upon additional countries to join the effort, which seeks to hold Russia’s leadership accountable for initiating the war against Ukraine.

UK PAID FINAL INSTALLMENT OF $1.02 BLN FOR LOAN TO UKRAINE: Ukraine received £752 million out of £2.26 billion loan ($1.02 billion out of $3.07 billion) from the UK under the G7’s Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration (ERA) scheme.

The scheme was signed in March 2025 and is structured as a 30-year loan with an intention to enhance Ukraine’s defense capacities through the use of funds raised by freezing Russian government assets overseas. Thus far, in March and April, £1.5 billion was already transferred, and the above loan completes the sum of £2.26 billion pledged by the UK.

PENGUIN OF WAR:

Nastia saw these penguins in the zoo during her one-day trip to Kharkiv. Although there was an air raid alert, one of many that day, the visitors were allowed to stay, and Nastia and her friend found these cuties.

Stay safe out there.

Best,
Oleksandra

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Walking through a night market in Taiwan is a wonderfully overwhelming experience. The packed crowd, surrounded by various food options, is full of people having a hard time deciding what to eat.

There’s baked pepper buns, stinky tofu, fried yam balls, and oyster pancakes.

And of course, after tasting it all, no one walks home without a bubble tea.

The place where ordinary Taiwanese people go for a bite has become an iconic signature for the country, attracting tourists from all over the world.

But it could all disappear if the Iran war lasts much longer.

Taiwan is one of many countries that have suffered from the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz since the U.S. and Israel first struck Iran on February 28.

The plastic that defines Taiwan’s night markets, from food packaging to utensils and even in the lids of the bubble tea cups, is made using crude oil from the Middle East.

Although the two-week ceasefire agreement announced on April 7 brought hope that the Strait of Hormuz might allow ships to pass through, Trump’s new naval blockade means renewed challenges to sailing oil and fertilizer through the waterway.

Taiwan imports 65% of its crude oil from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, and Iraq, according to a report from the Executive Yuan, the highest administration office in the Taiwan central government. Taiwan, its food scene, and its culture are left exposed to a war thousands of miles away.

A-Chan wakes up at 6 o’clock every morning to prepare food for the day: noodles (mee sua in Taiwanese), chicken fillet, and his signature dish, stinky tofu. His shop, A-Chan Mee Sua, is in the most popular market area that runs from day to night, near Taipei Main Station. He has been running the business for more than 30 years since he took over from his parents.

He sells an array of food that can be found in the night market, most of which gets wrapped in plastic before purchase.

The last thing A-Chan wants is to fail the business that belongs to his family heritage. He keeps the shop open every day except on official holidays such as the Lunar New Year, and makes sure that every customer enjoys every bite.

Now, the shortage of plastic bags is making A-Chan anxious. “Damn Trump! Stop the war!” he said.

To counter the plastic shortage, some vendors are recommending that customers bring their own plastic bags. Some charge the customers extra fees for bags. As the war in Iran drags on, the plastic shortage crisis has only continued to worsen.

Taiwanese media started showing plastic distributors complaining about the limited production, panicking the consumers. The plastic bags became rare and harder to find in the market, suggesting that either the distributors or the consumers are stockpiling, causing prices to skyrocket and forcing the Taiwanese government to announce a supply-distribution stability plan.

For heated food vendors, the issue is even worse — some plastic bags are made specially to endure the hot temperatures. “The price of those almost doubled,” A-Chan said.

But to A-Chan, the high cost of the bags isn’t the real problem. “It’s still affordable, but the issue is we can’t buy them, even if we pay more,” he said.

The Counteroffensive tried to find out if any distributors were stockpiling, and after visiting at least four distributors, only one was willing to comment.

“Please stop reporting on the shortage. People kept coming to panic buy.” The owner of the Hua-Yuan Trading House said.

A panic buy — which refers to sudden and excessive purchase of daily groceries, such as food, and fuel — has happened multiple times in Taiwan, especially when a typhoon or earthquake hits badly.

A-Chan’s mother, Mrs. Tseng, trusts her supplier. “They don’t stockpile. They need to maintain a good relationship with clients. If they hid bags from us, they would lose business soon.”

When asked what they plan to do with their business if the war lasts long term, Mrs. Tseng said with faith, “the war won’t end immediately, but it won’t last longer than six months. It will cost [the Americans] too much!”

The night market vendors and their supply chains are mostly small businesses. The floating cost of plastic could easily take over their profit, and that’s not the only concern.

Liquefied Petroleum Gas, or LPG, is one of the most important tools for the hot food vendors. 33.7% of Taiwan’s LPG is imported from Qatar, according to the data from the Taiwan Ministry of Economic Affairs, which makes Qatar its biggest supplier.

In order to control inflation, the Taiwanese government held up the price of LPG for household use toward the end of March. But the night market vendors aren’t as lucky.

Moreover, the rise in the price of vegetable oil could cause more damage to the food vendors. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization says that vegetable oil ​prices have increased 5.1% since last September.

All these factors can make it harder for night market vendors to make ends meet. Chris, the vendor who sells fried yam balls in a southern city of Taiwan, Tainan, is feeling the pain.

“I just started my business at the end of last year.” He can’t believe his luck: “In four months, I saw the Black Swan,” referring to the extremely rare wartime events unfolding that are impacting his business.

Most of these vendors are paying the rising cost out of pocket. It can take out hundreds of dollars from their profit per month.

To keep the night market lively during hard times, the Taiwanese government is trying to hold down oil prices for as long as it can. CPC Corporation, Taiwan, owned by the government, has paid 103.7 million dollars (3.3 billion NTD) for the extra cost of gas in the past two weeks, without sharing the burden with users.

Everyone tries to do their best to survive until the Strait of Hormuz opens. The plastic bag issue is probably easier to solve first. The Taipei city council started to promote using reusable bags or having the customers bring their own containers.

Before the plastic shortage crisis, some Taiwanese people were considering how to make bubble tea less carbon-intensive. They bring their own cups, reusable straws, and replace the plastic carrier bag with a cloth bag.

Some conservation groups even see this moment as an opportunity to change the night market into a more eco-friendly and sustainable place.

The lack of diverse energy sources during the Iran war has brought back the discussion about using nuclear energy after the referendum to restart the nuclear power plant in Taiwan failed last August.

Just two weeks ago, President William Lai made a speech revealing his nuclear energy strategy. “We don’t know how long the war will last, but Taiwan needs to be prepared for the worst.”

The Iran war has affected Taiwan slowly, but surely. This squeeze means that a cultural staple — the nightmarket — is dying slowly, too.

NEWS OF THE DAY:

By Oleksandra Khelemendyk and Anastasiia Lutsenko

Good morning to readers; Kyiv remains in Ukrainian hands.

UKRAINE TO PRODUCE DRONES IN NORWAY: Norway and Ukraine agreed to strengthen defense cooperation and produce Ukrainian drones in Norway, according to Reuters. Norway will support drone production in Ukraine, while Ukraine will share its experience, data, and knowledge. Some drones will also be made on Norwegian territory.

Norway strongly supports Ukraine and is on track to provide about $28 billion in aid from 2023 to 2030. On Tuesday, Ukraine’s president also agreed on a major drone production deal with Germany during a meeting in Berlin.

ISRAEL RECEIVED STOLEN UKRAINIAN GRAIN: A Russian bulker, ABINSK, carried more than 43 thousand tons of grain from the occupied territories of Ukraine and was docked in the Israeli port of Haifa on April 12, reported Hromadske. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha condemned the act in a call with his Israeli counterpart Gideon Sa’ar, calling it “illegal.” According to the Foreign Intelligence Service, Russia exported more than 2 million tons of stolen Ukrainian grain in 2025.

PRO-RUSSIAN HACKERS BREACH UKRAINIAN PROSECUTORS’ EMAILS: In the past several months, Russia-backed hackers broke into more than 284 emails of European officials in Ukraine, Serbia, Romania and Greece, Reuters reports.

170 accounts belong to Ukrainian investigators and prosecutors who deal with corruption and collaborators. The list of victims includes employees of Ukraine’s Asset Recovery and Management Agency (ARMA), which oversees assets seized from criminals and Russian collaborators, the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office in the Field of Defense, and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO).

According to Keir Giles, an analyst from London’s Chatham House think tank, Ukrainian law enforcement was targeted to prevent Moscow’s spies from being exposed and to gather potentially embarrassing information about top officials.

DOG OF PEACE:

Today’s Dog of Peace is Mei-Nung. She was abused by men before she was rescued. She’s still a little scared of men. But she’s very friendly to ladies!

Stay safe out there.

Best,
Elaine

Editor’s Note: Our reporting takes you behind the scenes in the place where democracy is under threat. We have two reporters in Hungary tonight covering the results – support us so we can keep going!

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BUDAPEST, Hungary — With 60 percent of the vote counted, Viktor Orbán has congratulated opposition candidate Peter Magyar on winning the election.

In his concession speech in Budapest, Orbán said the “election results, although not complete, are understandable and clear. They are painful for us but unequivocal.”

Today’s elections hit a record turnout, with 77.8 percent of voters showing up – substantially higher than in previous elections.

The result is a setback for the Trump family and Trump administration, which had lobbied hard to support Orbán.

After the paywall:
- Our reporting from on the ground in Budapest
- What is special about Magyar?
- What does TISZA’s victory mean for Ukraine?
- Exclusive photos and videos from the election counting gathering in Budapest.

Read more

MISKOLC & BUDAPEST, HUNGARY—“I really hope that I will be surprised as hell tomorrow. But yeah, as a Roma, as a queer person, I don’t see any kind of representation either in the Fidesz party or even in the TISZA party,” said Hungarian Norbert Horvath, shaking his head.

In the center of his hometown, Miskolc, it’s impossible to take a step without eyes staring back at you. Every meter here and across Hungary, where elections are being held today, is covered with posters, stickers, and billboards bearing the faces of parliamentary candidates.

For Hungary, these are historic elections. Yet for most Hungarians, including Norbert himself, it is hard to imagine anyone other than Viktor Orbán coming to power.

No one has managed to do that for 16 years.

In the final days before the election, tension and polarization in Hungarian society have reached a peak. The main contenders — current Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his Fidesz party, and Péter Magyar with his TISZA party — held their final rallies across the country in a last effort to convince voters.

Two days ago more than 100,000 people took to the streets of Budapest for a rally and concert, urging others to vote against the current government. The crowd chanted “Russians go home,” one of the defining slogans of the 1956 revolution, when Hungarians rose up against Soviet occupation. Now the slogan carries a completely new meaning amid reports of the Orbán government’s covert cooperation with Moscow.

Support for TISZA is also reflected in opinion polls, giving many Hungarians hope for a change in power. According to the latest independent surveys, Péter Magyar is significantly ahead of Orbán. Almost 57 percent have already voted today on the elections, suggesting a tremendous mobilisation in the society.

For Hungary’s minorities, a change in government may bring some relief. But it is unlikely to be transformative, as Péter Magyar still aims to preserve the national-conservative country course.

Today’s Hungary is a vivid example of how difficult it can be for proto-authoritarian systems to return to democratic norms, and of how a change in leadership alone is not always enough to produce big change in society.

For Norbert it is difficult to believe that real change will take place in his country. Still, he tries to hold on to hope.

He is one of Hungary’s Roma community — the largest ethnic minority in the country, estimated at around 7–8 percent of the population, or roughly 700,000 to 800,000 people. Despite their quantity, Roma remain one of the most discriminated-against groups there.

Roma in Hungary continue to face segregation in both kindergartens and schools, although Hungary has a legal ban on discrimination in education. They are often placed in separate classes or institutions and follow a lower-level curriculum. At times, they are misdiagnosed as having special educational needs. Because of that many Roma people are disadvantaged from very early on in their lives.

In addition, they frequently encounter barriers to accessing healthcare, housing, employment, and other basic services. Domestic racism against Roma people is also considered a norm and during Orban’s terms those issues secured.

“One month ago…at a drugstore, I was followed by the security guard. I just said to him, ‘John, you can help me and find my perfect foundation. I will not steal, I promise,’” Norbert recalled one of the thousands of situations when people acted according to their stereotypes about Roma people.

Since childhood Norbert had to try twice as hard to get what other Hungarians had: earn better grades, study more diligently. He never learned the history of his own ethnicity simply because it was often omitted in Hungarian schools. And when he was still very young, his family had to lock their doors and gates because of violent attacks on Roma people.

Norbert became the first in his family to graduate from university and receive a well-paid job. Unlike many of his relatives, he did not follow the path of becoming a hairdresser or a mechanic. Instead, he studied Nordic languages and eventually began working for a Norwegian company and as a tour guide in Budapest.

At first, Norbert appreciated not being associated with the stereotypical image of a marginalized Roma person, which later grew into irritation. Many people assumed Roma lived only in constant poverty, stole from shops, and were unkempt. Those stereotypes were sometimes fueled by people close to Orban, as well.

“If someone has to scrub the toilets on our Intercity trains…then we have to turn to our domestic reserves. And our domestic reserves are the Hungarian [slur used in regards to Roma],” claimed Janos Lazar, one of the ministers in Orban’s government, in January.

Сontroversially, Orban’s party historically relied on Roma population, although it never considered their rights as a priority.

“Orban relies a lot on Roma. There is a sort of consensus amongst analysts was that Orban successfully convinced in general poor people including Roma in the countryside that it’s him who gave them work and some stability,” explained István Hegedűs, a former Fidesz perty member and a chairman of NGO ‘Hungarian Europe Society.’

Even just days before the elections, people linked to the Fidesz party were widely seen distributing more than 11 tons of food to Roma communities in electoral districts where the party is seeking support. In this election, The New York Times reported, Roma voters could be the ones who determine which political force comes out on top.

“My grandparents always watch TV2 which is owned by the Fidesz party and they believe in it. They can’t imagine that that this election will be not won by the Fidesz party. It’s like a parallel universe they live in. And you cannot convince them that it is not the reality,” said Norbert.

If being a Roma is hard, being a Roma queer like Norbert hits on the whole different level.

Today he confidently wears long pink nail polish, seeing it as gender-neutral, and has dyed his hair pink, freely expressing his identity. Yet he is often forced to avoid using public transport, as he does not feel entirely safe. Besides, Norbert even had to stop organizing school lessons about Roma history as a community activist, because organizations could have been banned from teaching children under so-called ‘LGBTQ+ propaganda’ laws.

“In Hungary, if you are a Roma person, you are too much for the community. If you are a queer person, you are too much. If you are a Roma queer person, you don’t even exist [you are invisible for people],” said Norbert.

In 2021, Orbán’s government introduced a law banning the dissemination of any LGBTQ-related content to minors. The restrictions apply to schools, media, advertising, and more. Hungary became the first country in the European Union to adopt a law resembling similar legislation in Russia.

Last year, LGBTQ+ events were also restricted by Fidesz, including a Pride March. Around 200,000 Hungarians took to the streets in protest, making it one of the largest demonstrations in the country’s recent history.

“I really love daydreaming [about rapid improvement of human rights if TISZA wins]... But I don’t expect that everything will be changed if it wins this election,” said Norbert.

Although Péter Magyar proposes systemic reforms in his program, he can’t be considered as a person who will shift the country’s course in 180 degrees. As a former member of Fidesz, who left the party in 2024, his political ideas were shaped by the ideology of Orban’s party and conservatism.

Here’s where the Ukraine implications come in: Magyar’s program suggests closer cooperation with the EU, as relations between Budapest and Brussels became especially strained amid constant vetos and Hungary-Russia links.

TISZA chose five candidates among Roma people for elections this year. However, Norbert thinks it is still not enough for equal representation and inclusion. Apart from that, it is believed that Magyars’ program does not offer substantial reforms for Roma people to get out of the political isolation.

“Every 10th person in Hungary is Roma [according to unofficial estimates]. The year representation in the number even in the numbers would be at least 11 or 12 Roma people selected. It is five, which is fine, but we have to achieve better,” he said.

But like many other Hungarians Norbert will vote for TISZA to have at least some chance of rewriting his country’s future. Because Orbán’s regime is unlikely to promise him any improvement in his social conditions.

In the evening he will meet with friends to wait for the preliminary election results. And if the opposition does win, he will celebrate.

“I just want to experience a new regime. This is something that would be enough for me,” said Norbert with a small, almost unnoticeable exhale.

NEWS OF THE DAY:

By Oleksandra Khelemendyk

Good morning to readers; Kyiv remains in Ukrainian hands.

RUSSIA BREAKS EASTER TRUCE: As of 7 a.m., April 12, Russia has breached the Easter ceasefire 2,299 times, the Ukrainian Armed Forces General Staff said.

Russia announced the truce itself at 4 p.m., April 11, and also accused Ukraine of injuring people in drone attacks on the border regions of Kursk and Belgorod, as well as the occupied ​part of the southern Kherson region.

UKRAINE AND RUSSIA EXCHANGED 182 PRISONERS: Yesterday, Russia and Ukraine exchanged 175 servicemen and 7 civilians each. According to Zelenskyy, most of the Ukrainians involved in the swap have been held in captivity since 2022.

The Russian Foreign Ministry reported that the prisoner swap was mediated by the United Arab Emirates. The head of Ukraine’s presidential office, Kyrylo Budanov, expects another exchange next week.

UKRAINIAN POWS SHOT: The DeepState OSINT project shared a video of 4 Ukrainian POWs being shot by Russian troops in the Kharkiv region. Most likely, the video was filmed on April 11.

On the same day, a group of wounded Ukrainian soldiers was targeted by Russian FPV drones near the town of Huliaipole in the Zaporizhzhia region, as they were trying to evacuate.

Apart from the Easter truce, such actions blatantly breach international humanitarian law. The prosecutor’s office launched an investigation into both crimes.

UKRAINE’S EXPERTISE COULD HELP OPEN STRAIT OF HORMUZ: Britain’s armed services minister, Al Carns, said that Ukraine’s experience on the battlefield, including its drone interception capabilities, might be useful for reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

This week, Ukraine participated in consultations on safeguarding navigation in the Strait. Earlier, it deployed more than 200 experts to down Iranian Shahed drones in the Middle ⁠East. In March, it signed a series of 10-year defense cooperation agreements with Qatar and Saudi Arabia, while preparing a similar deal with the U.A.E.

CAT OF CONFLICT:

Sasha saw this cat in the bomb shelter where she recently went to sit out a morning missile attack on Kyiv.

Stay safe out there.

Best,
Mariana

KYIV, Ukraine — “You have no Hungarian heart. You’re not Hungarian at all. You’re just a Ukrainian Nazi.”

One day, a Ukrainian Hungarian man named Christian Shkiryak began finding comments like these under his Facebook posts. The catch: the comments were from his own relative.

Christian still couldn’t shake the memories: waking up to his brother’s curse words in Hungarian; fleeing Bucha, in Kyiv Region, just two hours before Russian troops moved in; his damaged apartment and dead neighbors.

But the woman who carries the same surname as his beloved grandmother, the one he used to blow kisses to over video calls, was harassing him.

She was showing up under every post with nothing but curses. His own flesh and blood, living in Hungary, had become his biggest hater and the only person Christian ever blocked on Facebook.

Ukrainian Hungarians like Christian, who carry both identities within them, have for years been living along the fault line between the two countries, caught in the middle of a dispute they never chose.

Hungary — the country they studied and worked in, whose television they grew up watching, where relatives live just across the border with Ukraine — is growing ever more hostile toward the country they call home. In doing so, it is exploiting their Hungarian ethnicity as fuel for government propaganda and political gain.

Orbán’s anti-Ukraine rhetoric has become a central tool in his political campaign for reelection as prime minister set to take place this Sunday, April 12.

This year, posters featuring Zelenskyy flooded the streets of Budapest and other cities, prompting jokes that Orbán’s main political opponent is actually the President of Ukraine, depicted with a sly smile.

Meanwhile, Orbán’s real challenger in this election has emerged as Péter Magyar, a former member of Orbán’s own party. Most people had not heard of until just a year ago, and same goes for his European conservative party, TISZA. For the first time in Orbán’s 16 years in power, a candidate has appeared who is leading him in the polls, and whose party could now secure a majority — TISZA was polling 23 percent higher among decided voters in the second half of March.

That is why Orbán has been actively linking a vote for the opposition with the prospect of Hungarians being drawn into the war.

Across the internet, AI-generated content from Orbán’s Fidesz party has been surfacing, amplifying fears of being drawn into the war in Ukraine. In February, the party released an AI-made video showing a little girl waiting for her father to return from war. In the next scene, he appears bound and blindfolded in captivity before being killed.

In this climate, Ukraine’s ethnic Hungarians find themselves forced to choose sides between two identities they have always considered their own. It becomes a personal tragedy for thousands of Ukrainians who now remain torn between families, friendships and sometimes even a sense of self.

Life for ethnic Hungarians in Zakarpattia, home to around 150,000 ethnic Hungarians, has always been a blend of two worlds. In towns and villages where Hungarian communities live in close clusters, shop signs appear in both languages. The dinner table might just as easily hold Hungarian goulash as Ukrainian borscht, and time is sometimes kept by both the clocks of Budapest and Kyiv.

Until the age of seven, Christian barely understood Ukrainian. Yet growing up in Uzhhorod, where there were no fully Hungarian neighborhoods like those found in the border districts of Zakarpattia, Ukrainian culture seeped into his life throughout his childhood.

Even at age 9 when he spent a year living with his mother in Hungary, where she had taken a job at a sanatorium, Christian sensed a certain gap in mentality between himself and Hungarians that were born and raised there.

The gap was mostly cultural. The games Hungarian children played were different. For instance, they didn’t have jump rope or elastic band games like Ukrainian kids. At Christmas, they didn’t go caroling door to door the way people did back in Zakarpattia.

“There was a certain difference — a product of the mix of Ukrainian, Transcarpathian, and Rusyn [another ethnic group in Zakarpattia] identity. It all layers on top of one another and shapes a person you can confidently call a person from Zakarpattia,” Christian said.

Back in Uzhhorod, Ukraine he continued his education at Hungarian-language gymnasiums, where only a portion of subjects were taught in Ukrainian. Then, when he needed to study at university, Christian found himself in the dazzling lights of Kyiv, leaving his native Carpathian mountains behind to pursue a promising future as a sound engineer.

“I had [some] classmates who barely spoke Ukrainian because they didn’t see the need for it. Their grades in Ukrainian simply didn’t matter to them. They were being prepared from early on with the expectation that they would continue their life in Hungary,” he said.

Hungarian-language schooling in Ukraine became the flashpoint for the first major conflict between Budapest and Kyiv, when in 2017 Ukraine introduced mandatory Ukrainian-language instruction for a portion of school subjects. The Orbán government responded by declaring that Kyiv was flagrantly violating minority rights and moved to block decisions related to Ukraine’s closer integration with NATO and the EU.

But Hungarian-Ukrainian relations fractured decisively after Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. Budapest formally condemned Russian aggression, yet over the past four years has consistently blocked the adoption of sanctions, the transfer of aid to Ukraine, and its path toward European Union membership. They argued that Kyiv continues to violate the rights of national minorities.

Now, in the days leading up to the parliamentary elections on April 12, the media reports that coordination between Moscow and Budapest has been ongoing since 2022. In December 2025, the Hungarian government signed a secret agreement with Russia to expand bilateral economic, trade, energy, and cultural ties, according to Politico.

Front-page reports have begun to emerge suggesting that Hungary personally coordinated its EU vetoes with Russia. One consequence of Budapest’s obstruction was that Ukraine has been denied a €90 billion package of financial and military support that was set to begin flowing this month.

“When I came back from Bucha alive, I found out that the first sanctions against Russia had been introduced. But Hungary was the only one dragging its feet, vetoing the decision, refusing to cut Russia off from SWIFT transfers… For the first time, my Facebook started speaking Hungarian,” Christian recalled.

Fleeing shelling and the Russian advance on Bucha in February 2022, a single wrong turn as he and his brother were leaving the city could have cost him his life, as a Russian armored vehicle was shooting at civilians trying to escape.

Since then, he has thrown himself into volunteer and civic work, believing he could change Hungarians’ minds by debunking Orbán’s propaganda on his social media pages. Angry Hungarians frequently appear in his comments, cursing him out, he says. But he doesn’t engage, maintaining what he calls “full democracy” on his page.

Christian Shkiryak wrote a song in Hungarian, based on Orbán’s statements. Video from his Instagram.

There was only one person whose comments Christian couldn’t bring himself to tolerate: his grandmother’s cousin.

“At some point we were messaging each other, and I said some very unprintable things about Viktor Orbán. I told her plainly — because of that idiot of yours, we can’t get the arms package through. After that we stopped talking, and she started ‘communicating’ with me through comments,” Christian said.

Viktor Orbán had been scaring Hungarian voters with the prospect of war as early as the 2022 elections, which helped him secure re-election and gave his Fidesz party a constitutional majority in parliament.

At the time, Orbán’s media empire labeled anyone who provided any kind of military support to Ukraine as ‘pro-war,’ framing it as an attempt to help Ukraine fight back. In particular, Fidesz claimed that the opposition wanted to send Hungarians to the front line. Hungarian society was alarmed by the possibility of being drawn into the war, and as a result, Orbán and his party remained in power.

In January 2024, Hungarians’ attitudes began to worsen, according to a Policy Solutions poll — 51 percent of Hungarians came to view Ukraine as a threat, compared to 46 percent who saw Russia that way.

Over all these years, the rift in Сhristian’s family never healed. They never reconciled with their grandmother’s cousin. And this election, he believes, she will likely be among those voting for Orbán.

To her, Christian is likely already a ‘Kyiv regime agent’ for good. And not just to her.

The media empire Orbán has built over 16 years in power, designed to dominate much of the information space, has also branded Christian a pseudo-Hungarian and a man with a questionable past. He was among those who accompanied Orbán’s main challenger, Péter Magyar, to Bucha during his 2024 visit to Ukraine, which could not go unnoticed by the Hungarian authorities.

“Viktor Orbán was in Kyiv, but he didn’t step anywhere beyond the Mariinsky Palace and left straight for Moscow. Péter Magyar, on the other hand, came after the missile strike on the children’s hospital. I think the difference is clear,” Сhristian said.

Péter Magyar is not unequivocally a pro-Ukrainian politician: he opposes military aid to Ukraine as well as its fast-track accession to the EU and NATO. However, his rhetoric is noticeably more conciliatory than Orbán’s. The European Union has placed hopes in his potential victory as a chance to normalize relations with Budapest.

For Christian, it is difficult to accept Magyar’s position when he calls, for example, for negotiations with Russia, as his memories of Bucha are still too fresh. At the same time, he considers such “peace-oriented” rhetoric fairly typical for a Hungarian politician.

“I understand him as a European politician, I understand him as someone who will act in the interests of Hungary. [This] is the demand of Hungarian society, which is very afraid of war and has been very afraid of war,” Christian said.

NEWS OF THE DAY:

By Anastasiia Lutsenko

Good morning to readers; Kyiv remains in Ukrainian hands.

TELEGRAM ALMOST FULLY BLOCKED IN RUSSIA: Access to Telegram in Russia has been nearly completely blocked, with connection issues reaching about 95% on Friday morning, according to Epravda.

The level of disruption is the highest since restrictions increased in March and may be even stronger than blocks on WhatsApp and Signal. Users, including those using VPN services, are also reporting problems, with many complaints coming through servers in the Netherlands.

UKRAINE PLANS TO FINISH DRUZHBA PIPELINE REPAIRS IN SPRING: Ukraine says it will complete repairs on the Druzhba pipeline by spring after damage from a Russian drone strike earlier this year, according to UKR.net. Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that most work is already done, but some storage facilities need more time to recover.

The disruption stopped oil supplies to Hungary and Slovakia, leading to tensions. Both countries demanded quick repairs and responded by limiting energy support to Ukraine. Kyiv rejected accusations of delays and called such pressure “energy blackmail.”

RUSSIAN-FLAGGED TANKER MAKES RARE PASSAGE THROUGH STRAIT OF HORMUZ: A Russian-flagged supertanker has passed through the Strait of Hormuz into the Persian Gulf, a rare move as global shipping remains highly disrupted due to the ongoing conflict involving Iran, Israel, and the United States, according to Bloomberg. The vessel was tracked sailing toward Iran’s main oil export hub before its destination was listed as “for orders,” meaning it had no fixed next stop.

Maritime traffic in the strait has dropped sharply, with many ships avoiding the area due to security risks and rising tensions. The route remains critical for global oil supplies, but shipping companies are increasingly cautious as the conflict continues to affect energy flows and prices.

EU LAUNCHES NEW ENTRY SYSTEM FOR TRAVELERS: The European Union has fully launched a new digital border system called EES across the Schengen Area,according to Unian. It replaces passport stamps with a biometric system that records entries and exits for non-EU citizens, including Ukrainians.

Under the new rules, travelers from Ukraine and other visa-free countries must provide fingerprints and a facial photo on their first entry. After that, border checks will be faster and mostly automated. The system is meant to improve security and track the 90-day stay limit, although some countries are still not fully ready for the rollout.

CAT OF CONFLICT:

Katia saw this cat that lives in one of the children’s hospitals in Kyiv. The name of the black-and-white cat is unknown.

Stay safe out there.

Best,
Mariana

KYIV, Ukraine — “My friends who fought on the front lines all told the same story. A tank would come at them, lock onto them, and kill them from five kms away. They had nothing to fight back with. All they had were assault rifles. They were lucky if they had a grenade launcher,” said Serhiі Okhotnik, founder of the Hunter project, which manufactures drones and trains drone operators.

The stories motivated Serhii to make drones for the army. The main request from soldiers was always to send drones deeper into enemy territory; that’s what drove Serhii to create drones that can now fly a distance of 70 km, but the goal is always to go farther.

Extending strike range is always a top priority for drone developers, and now Ukraine’s armed forces can hit targets more than 1,000 km away — hitting oil and military infrastructure and causing billion-dollar damage for Russia.

Over the past 4,5 years, Ukrainians have learned to defend themselves and strike back. Drones are everywhere: intercepting Shaheds, conducting reconnaissance, striking along the front lines, and striking hundreds of km deep into Russia — often damaging critical Russian state-level infrastructure.

However, last month Ukraine managed to do something impossible to imagine at the start of the war: outshooting Russia in cross-border strikes for the first time. In March, Ukraine launched more than 7,000 drones, targeting 1,000 km deep inside Russia. In return, Moscow sent almost 6,500 drones and 138 missiles to Ukraine.

The development of deep strikes has allowed Ukraine to wage war throughout Russia, proving that asymmetrical warfare can become an effective tool to gain a strategic advantage against a stronger enemy. If sustained, these attacks may give Ukraine leverage not only on the battlefield, but also in future negotiations, raising the question of whether mounting pressure inside Russia can force the Kremlin to reconsider its positions or make concessions.

“If I had known how much I would have to learn, how many people I would need to bring on board, and how many new developments I would have to undertake, I wouldn’t have taken that step, but at the time, it seemed like the logical thing to do,” Serhii said.

Before the war, he created his own online course on financial management and managerial accounting and taught it to others.

In mid-2022, Serhii founded a school for drone operators, as it was already clear by then that drones would help repel attacks from a safe distance.

“Back then, there were almost no Ukrainian-made drones. There were Mavics, made by the Chinese company DJI. The guys would make their own explosives, attach them to the drones, and send them toward the enemy as close as they could,” Serhii said.

Later, he heard requests from the military: the drones needed to fly farther. At that time, these drones could fly about 5 km, which meant operators had to get close to the target and put themselves in danger. This led to the gradual production and development of new, more powerful models capable of flying farther and farther. Now Serhii’s drone flies 70 km.

A distance of 70 km is considered a middle strike — when a drone can fly from certain locations across the Russian border and strike the enemy’s logistics or frontline strategic targets.

Drone targeting Russian trenches. Video provided by Serhii.

The difference also lies in the targets for each range: a medium-range strike can target moving targets, such as the movement of personnel, equipment, and the bases of individual brigades. Additionally, drone control for mid-range strikes is typically conducted in real time.

When a drone crosses the 200-km mark from the front line, it is considered a deep strike; some go much farther, with the ability to cover more than 1,000 km. Such drones fly autonomously along a predefined route and coordinates. The main risk to these drones is a 50-km buffer zone teeming with Russian air defense systems as well as air defense systems near the target, according to Bohdan Dolintse, an aviation expert.

Just two years ago, launches of such drones were rare. Now they occur almost daily, with hundreds of drones targeting oil extraction and processing sites. The oil industry is one of Russia’s main sources of revenue and it accounted for more than half of the country’s exports in 2023, making it a key source of funding for Russia’s war in Ukraine. The Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council reports that Ukrainian strikes have taken about 20 percent of Russia’s oil refining capacity offline, which directly affects its ability to continue the hostilities.

For a long time, the West was reluctant to supply Ukraine with precision-strike weapons, so as not to expand the war to regions beyond Ukraine. Systems like the American ATACMS have a range of 300 km, while the UK’s Storm Shadow missiles can reach 200 km. These systems are also limited in number and expensive. Therefore, they are used selectively as high-precision weapons for critical targets.

Drones are one way to wage large-scaled asymmetric warfare — a drone costing $50,000–$60,000 can inflict millions or even billions of dollars in damage.

“This is inflicting significant financial damage, and it’s really helping us win this war. The precision strikes are doing a great job of crippling their industrial capacity - especially in oil and gas - and this will pay off in due course,” Serhii said.

On average, Ukraine carried out more than 200 launches per day in March, targeting oil terminals and ports, frequently causing significant damage. Among the ports hit were Ust-Luga and Primorsk — two of the most critical berths for Russian oil exports. In addition, strikes hit a naval base in Novorossiysk where, according to reports, two frigates carrying Kalibr cruise missiles used for attacks on Ukraine were damaged.

Deep strikes require a lot of behind-the-scenes work: choosing the target, routes, and how to surpass air defense systems. Each mission also requires a post-strike analysis to minimize future mistakes.

“I tip my hat to the guys who carry out deep-strike missions, to the guys who execute them, and to the guys who plan these operations, identify targets, and map out routes. It’s a truly Herculean task — one that goes largely unseen. We see it in videos — refineries going up in flames — but it’s incredibly hard work,” Serhii said.

The drones Serhii manufactures have also shown Russia the cost of its war, as drones from his design bureau were used in the Kursk military operation. As for the rest of the drones, he doesn’t know exactly where the military is deploying them or what targets each one has struck, but simple words of gratitude motivate him to continue developing this technology.

“One of the brigades we work with told me that last month, using only our drones, they turned 250 Russians into ‘200s’ [killed-in-action]. It feels very nice to get feedback from the guys,” he said.

Serhii also continues to accept military personnel for drone pilot training. At first, they accepted anyone who wanted to join, but now they only accept military personnel whose skills can truly be useful in combat. The training is free for military personnel.

To fly a drone, a person must wear goggles to monitor the flight and use a joystick to control it. Serhii says that people perform very differently during training. Some people get dizzy from the goggles and the rapid image changes, and this kind of work might not be for them; others need more time to learn. The result is the same: many people come back to it again and again because it has an element of play to it.

“You can’t call it a game [for soldiers], because you’d have to be a sociopath for killing someone to be a game to you. They understand that they’re killing a person, but at the same time, they’re killing an enemy,” Serhii said.

Now Serhii manages about 250 people working at various locations across Ukraine. He had to spread out production due to the Russian threat, not wanting to concentrate production in one place that could be hit.

His constant personal goal is to achieve a 75 percent hit rate with the drones they manufacture.

“7,000 [Ukrainian drones deployed in March] is a decent number, but if 75 percent out of that 7,000 missions result in hits, the Russians will be wiped out very quickly. We need technology that allows our drones to complete their missions,” Serhii said.

Anastasiia Lutsenko and Kateryna Antonenko contributed to this report.

Correction: We previously listed the incorrect Pacific time for Sunday’s livestream. The correct time is 12:30 pm Pacific. We apologize for the error.

NEWS OF THE DAY:

By Anastasiia Lutsenko

Good morning to readers; Kyiv remains in Ukrainian hands.

ZELENSKYY SAYS US IGNORING EVIDENCE OF RUSSIAN HELP TO IRAN: Zelenskyy says the US is ignoring proof that Russia is aiding Iran in the war against the US and Israel, partly because some Trump officials trust Putin, according to Suspilne. He warned Russia shared intelligence on Israeli energy targets with Iran and criticized US reliance on Russian assurances. Zelenskyy stressed Ukraine understands Russia’s military goals better than the US and urged the EU to strengthen ties with Ukraine, the UK, Turkey, and Norway to counter Russia.

KREMLIN KEEPS SILENT ON EASTER CEASEFIRE PROPOSAL: Ukraine suggested a temporary Easter ceasefire, but Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin has made no decision, according to 24tv.ua. Despite the proposal, Russian forces struck Odesa, causing casualties. Analysts say Russia won’t seek peace voluntarily, and only increased sanctions and military pressure could halt its war efforts.

POLAND INVESTIGATES DEATH OF CITIZEN IN RUSSIAN PRISON: Polish authorities are probing the death of Krzysztof Galos in a Russian jail. He had previously gone missing in Ukraine. Authorities suspect torture and serious harm, despite Russia claiming natural causes, according to Hromadske. The investigation may also examine potential war crimes by Russian officials involved in his detention.

SUSPECT IN UKRAINIAN REFUGEE MURDER DEEMED UNFIT FOR TRIAL: American Dekarlos Brown, accused of killing Ukrainian refugee Irina Zarutska, has been declared mentally unfit for trial, according to Babel. His lawyer requests a six-month delay while Brown remains in custody. State and federal charges carry the death penalty, and authorities are evaluating his competency before court proceedings continue.

FRANCE TO DOUBLE PENALTIES FOR RUSSIAN SHADOW FLEET: France plans to double jail terms and fines for vessels sailing under false flags or ignoring stop orders, with up to seven years and €700,000 for endangering lives, according to RBC. The law targets anyone controlling or managing such ships, as part of efforts to crack down on Russia’s shadow fleet circumventing sanctions.

CAT OF CONFLICT:

This is Myroslava’s cat named Stuhna. She’s waiting for the moment when she’ll have to run away from Myroslava’s little son.

Stay safe out there.

Best,
Anastasiia

Editor’s note:

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KYIV, Ukraine — “I thought my heart would stop. The generator exploded right before my eyes: it went boom, and thick, foul-smelling black smoke billowed out of it,” said Elvira Valevska, the owner of a beauty salon in a small town in the Kharkiv region.

Her ex-husband didn’t believe in her. The pandemic nearly forced her to close her beauty salon, and during the war, she had to face challenges working without electricity, water, or heating. She thought nothing could surprise her anymore, but one day at work, the generator that powered her salon exploded.

Once winter was over, Russian attacks on infrastructure decreased but did not disappear. There are regular reports of new attacks and threats to the water supply.

Russia has also changed its tactics. Previously, mass strikes were carried out at night; now they frequently occur during the day, when people are at work, in schools, or on the streets. The largest attack of the entire war took place on March 24 in broad daylight, when the Russians launched 948 drones and 34 missiles.

China delivers about 81 percent of all battery shipments to Ukraine. Budget battery options, however, mostly use lithium-polymer (Li-Pol) models, which last about 2-3 years. At the same time, Ukraine lacks the capacity to recycle or dispose of batteries. Improper handling of used batteries leads to uncontrolled thermal runaway, toxic leaks, and hazardous waste disposal in landfills.

Such toxic waste seeps into the soil and groundwater, flowing into major rivers such as the Danube and Dnipro, which carry it into the Black Sea, endangering entire ecosystems and slowly emerging as a hidden environmental crisis in the middle of Europe.

Elvira Valevska has loved the idea of enhancing beauty since she was a young girl: “They [clients] shine so brightly when they leave my place! You just have to see it — I love making women happy!”

She started out as a hairdresser, doing prom and wedding hairstyles. Later, as gel polish gained popularity in the 2010s, she learned the art of manicure. In 2015, she opened her own beauty salon, now employing four other beauty experts.

“I’ve always dreamed of having my own business. In 2013, I divorced a man who said I’d never accomplish anything and the salon would remain just a dream. Well, screw you, Vadik!” Elvira said.

Back in 2015, her venture could hardly be called a full-fledged beauty salon. Since then, she renovated two rooms, painting the walls herself, installing laminate flooring, and assembling the furniture.

“I remember one weekend when I set up four stations: two for manicures and two for facials and makeup. It gave me so much energy. On Saturday morning, I was in an empty room, and by Sunday evening, I had a space that was almost fully equipped,” said Elvira Valevska.

With the outbreak of the war, she had no intention of leaving the country, even though she had lost many clients.

Due to power outages in Elvira’s city, she had to reschedule appointments to other dates, but the clients were understanding.

On March 22, 2024, Russia launched an attack on the Zmiiv Thermal Power Plant — one of the largest power plants in the Kharkiv region, located in the Chuhuiv district. As a result of the attack, the plant was shut down, as the strikes had destroyed the thermal power plant and all transformer substations.

“A beauty salon isn’t the most profitable business, at least for me…Sometimes I even take out loans if I realize it’s necessary for the salon,” Elvira said.

She also took out a loan to buy a generator, so she wouldn’t lose customers and her business. Elvira realized that the power situation would only get worse.

“I don’t know much about these things [generators]; I just went with the one my friend recommended,” Elvira said.

Elvira often bought supplies for the salon from online Chinese stores: consumables, decorative items, and electrical appliances. She knew they were of lower quality, but they were much more affordable.

The price of Chinese goods is low for a reason. China controls 70-80 percent of the global supply of key materials, such as lithium, for portable electronics and batteries.

The average annual salary in China’s manufacturing sector is much lower than the hourly wage in EU countries.

But not all Chinese workers are paid this wage. In some factories, students were forced to work night shifts under the threat of not receiving their diplomas. At Shein’s supplier factories, the company found workweeks of up to 75 hours, which violate Chinese law, and salaries below the minimum wage.

It is estimated that about 40,000 children are involved in cobalt mining in the DRC — some as young as seven. They work without protective gear, inhale cobalt dust, carry heavy loads, and suffer injuries from tunnel collapses.

Elvira hadn’t looked too deeply into why Chinese products were so cheap; most of what she knew came from hearsay. However, even if she were aware of all the pitfalls, she would still buy Chinese goods because of their price.

“I know I’m not the poorest person, but I can’t afford to buy German or Japanese appliances. I’ve been driving the same car for 10 years, I haven’t been on vacation since 2022, and I’ll even think twice before buying a jacket — I’ll probably just go for a cheaper one,” said Elvira.

According to the World Bank, the poverty rate in Ukraine increased with the beginning of the full-scale invasion, when more than 7.1 million people fell below the poverty line. In 2025, one in three Ukrainians lived below the subsistence level.

In January 2026, when Ukraine experienced its most widespread blackouts, Elvira arrived at the salon for work as usual. She opened the door, aired out the rooms, and started the generator, since there was no electricity. The first customers were due to arrive in half an hour.

Elvira smelled something burning and even asked her coworker if she could smell it too, since the room had just been aired out. “I went outside to check the generator; it seemed to be working as usual,” said Elvira.

A moment later, the generator exploded and caught fire. Elvira ran into the office to grab a fire extinguisher, while her colleague called the fire department.

Since the beginning of 2026, units of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine have recorded more than 1,200 fires. The main causes of these fires are the use of uncertified, homemade, damaged, or burnt-out electrical appliances.

“I didn’t know what to do; there was smoke everywhere. My heart was pounding. Even though I’m used to explosions, since they happen often in our city, this one really threw me off balance,” Elvira shared.

What starts as a personal safety risk becomes a collective risk.

The total capacity of home battery systems in Ukrainian apartments and houses has reached nearly 0.5 gigawatts. This is comparable to half the capacity of a single nuclear power plant unit.

Diesel generators release toxins into the air, which cause respiratory diseases and are known carcinogens. In enclosed spaces, this poisoning can be fatal.

“There are several places on our street that have generators, and locals regularly complain about the stench and threaten to call the police. But we have to work somehow; small businesses create many jobs, and people really need work to live,” Elvira said.

Additionally, once generators reach the end of their useful life, the components of battery systems — lithium, cobalt, and nickel — become hazardous. If a battery ends up in a landfill, its cells can release toxins, including heavy metals, which seep into the soil and groundwater. Fires at landfills caused by lithium-ion batteries can burn for years.

Elvira was upset because she recently paid off her loan for the generator. After the explosion, she had no choice but to take out another loan,this time for a larger amount, due to rising prices and her desire to buy a higher-quality generator than the previous one.

“I’m disappointed. It’s like trying to float, struggling in the water, and finally climbing onto the ice. I’d only been on that ice for a little while when it cracked, and now I’m back in the water,” said Elvira.

She did everything in her power to make her dream of owning her own business a reality, and she continues to fight for its survival every day. However, she often feels that her efforts are insignificant compared to external factors.

Elvira doesn’t understand why world leaders are so reckless about the future: “Rockets completely negate thе efforts [people put into building their future],” Elvira said.

NEWS OF THE DAY:

By Kateryna Antonenko

Good morning to readers; Kyiv remains in Ukrainian hands.

UKRAINIAN FORCES ATTACKED RUSSIAN TANKER IN LIBYA AS PART OF COVERT DEAL: Libyan officials told the Associated Press that Ukraine hit a Russian tanker in the Mediterranean last month with the backing of their government and the West.

In early March, the Russian-flagged Arctic Metagaz, with 61,000 tons of liquefied natural gas on board, was badly damaged by Ukrainian sea drones. The vessel belonged to the ‘shadow fleet,’ which helped Russia evade international sanctions for its armed aggression against Ukraine.

The Ukrainian forces were gradually deployed in recent months under a covert deal between Kyiv and the Prime Minister Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah, backed by Western countries, including the U.S. This step might be a part of NATO’s efforts to keep the country out of Russia’s reach.

UKRAINIAN MISSILE MAKER TO LAUNCH CHEAP AIR DEFENSE: The Ukrainian company Fire Point plans to develop its own air defense system by 2027. The primary goal is to reduce the cost of intercepting ballistic missiles to less than $1 million, compared to a single Patriot interceptor, which costs approximately $4 million.

The manufacturer, which has already developed the long-range “Flamingo” missile, is attracting European investment and technology. Beyond protecting the skies, the company plans to utilize its advancements to launch satellites into low Earth orbit, strengthening Ukraine’s status as a major player in the global arms market.

RUSSIA USED WIFI ROUTERS FOR ESPIONAGE: The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), in collaboration with the FBI and European law enforcement, has neutralized a widespread spying network organized by Russian military intelligence (GRU). The hackers carried out mass breaches of office and home Wi-Fi routers across Ukraine, the US, and the EU, specifically targeting hardware with outdated security protocols.

The joint operation successfully blocked over 100 servers and reclaimed control of hundreds of routers in Ukraine alone. The SBU urges all users to change their passwords, replace old routers with newer models, and disable any remote access to their routers.

LAST RUSSIAN RAILWAY FERRY DESTROYED: On April 6, the special forces of the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine (HUR) damaged Russia’s last railway ferry, Slavianin, using drones.

Based in the city of Kerch, it supplied the Russian army with fuel, machinery, weapons, and munitions. Another ferry, Avangard, was put out of operation in March.

PARTISANS SABOTAGED RAILWAY IN RUSSIA: Agents of the ATESH partisan movement carried out a coordinated double sabotage on a critical railway section between Stary Oskol and Urazovo, the Kyiv Independent reports. They simultaneously destroyed two relay cabinets – key control hubs for train traffic. This railway line serves as a vital supply artery for delivering ammunition and equipment.

As a direct result of the supply disruption, these Russian units suffered significant losses in personnel and equipment due to the lack of timely reinforcements.

DOG OF WAR:

Kateryna’s Lucky enjoys his afternoon nap.

Stay safe out there.

Best,
Oleksandra

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I was holding the test results in my hands, and hormone levels were 10 times higher than the ones I’d seen just a couple of months ago. Right then, it became clear why it was so hard for me to wake up, why the skin on my face was flaking despite all the creams and ointments I was slathering on, why I was constantly cold, why my period was late, and why I felt so terrible.

My pills haven’t worked for a whole two months.

The war has affected the healthcare sector in many ways, from direct strikes on hospitals and other medical facilities to disruptions in the logistics of medical equipment and supplies. Attacks on medical warehouses in Ukraine tripled in 2025 compared to the previous year, disrupting logistics and supply chains. According to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) estimates, after four years of full-scale war, 233 healthcare workers and patients have been killed and 930 injured as a result of attacks on healthcare facilities.

For anyone who is ill, access to medical care and medication is a matter of great importance. For people with chronic conditions or a life-threatening dependence on therapy, it is a matter of survival.

In 2025, a Russian strike on Kyiv destroyed the warehouse of Optima-Pharm, one of the largest pharmaceutical distributors, and the company reported losing a month’s supply of certain medications. With medicines unavailable in official pharmacies, unofficial suppliers and the black market flourished, offering products without sufficient quality control.

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It’s a cold autumn morning, in 2025, in Dnipro.

Valentyna pulls her warm coat tighter and steps outside to her garden, checking on the last plants before winter, which is a quiet routine she has kept for years.

That morning, her phone rang.

“Mom, what did you do? Someone is asking me for 20,000 hryvnias from your account. Your Telegram has been hacked.”

During wartime, internet scams have become part of broader Russian hybrid attacks aimed at destabilizing society from within, especially when it is already under constant tension. Scammers exploit the trust of vulnerable people, such as the elderly or internally displaced persons, deceiving them out of money and further undermining public morale.

Ukrainians were warned this March that hackers were sending phishing emails that appeared to be from the country’s government institutions. Russia’s goal was to infect devices and steal sensitive information.

Similar attacks have happened in other countries. This January, the Russian-linked group ‘Fancy Bear’ carried out phishing campaigns in several EU countries, targeting personal accounts and data.

Although these users are from different countries, the damage is equal for everyone: stolen personal data, hacked accounts of friends, financial losses, and harm to people’s reputations both among those they know and strangers.

For Valentyna, the growing threat of cyberfraud became something very personal.

Valentyna, who retired 25 years ago from the Dnipro City Council, lives alone, in a quiet apartment filled with jars of homemade jam and preserved vegetables. She is not entirely alone, though — her daughter, once a little girl who lived with her, has grown up and now has a family of her own.

Now, her days follow a steady rhythm. She likes spending time in her garden, growing raspberries, currants, dill, parsley, and basil. Valentyna plants trees and bushes and sometimes sells what she grows. That autumn morning in the garden, when her daughter called, was supposed to be like dozens of others.

The night before the cyberfraud incident, she had been scrolling through Telegram, reading the news as usual. A message came from a former colleague.

“Please vote for my granddaughterʼs drawing in a competition,” it said. It also claimed the girl had cancer and that the prize money would go toward her treatment.

Valentyna did not hesitate. Just days earlier, she had asked friends to vote for her own granddaughter in a modeling school contest in Dnipro.

“If people supported my child, why wouldn’t I support another?” she thought, and clicked the link.

She had yet to find out that Russian scammers would steal her identity.

Russia began its hybrid attacks in cyberspace against Ukraine long before its full-scale invasion, extending warfare beyond land. In March 2014, just three days before the referendum on Crimea’s status, Russia launched an eight-minute DDoS attack that made the governmental websites slow or completely unavailable to normal users.

The attack targeted the key governmental security institutions and major news outlets, rendering them temporarily unavailable to the public and successfully hindered the Ukrainian government’s ability to disseminate official information during the critical days leading up to the Crimea referendum.

The cyber pressure did not stop there. In May 2014, before Ukraine’s presidential elections, a pro-Russian hacktivist group managed to break into the network of the Central Election Commission and delete important files, hoping to alter the election results.

However, the attack ultimately failed. The malicious software was discovered and removed just 40 minutes before the elections began, which eventually delayed the vote count.

Over time, these large-scale cyberattacks evolved into smaller, more personal cyber fraud schemes that used the same tactics of deception and manipulation to target ordinary people.

“I remember feeling numb, shocked, terrified and panicking. I couldn’t think clearly because my daughter was scolding me over the phone, and I just stayed silent,” Valentyna said. She reacted this way when her daughter told her off for falling for scammers.

Even though phishing links are still the main tool used by Russian scammers, their methods are becoming more varied and better adapted to wartime. Offers for displaced people, social payments, and charity collections lure Ukrainians during the war.

In just one year of the full-scale invasion, 11 percent of Ukrainians became victims of cyberfraud. Scammers would usually target young people and people aged 65 and older.

Scammers use social engineering, according to Oleksandr Ulianenkov, head of the police online fraud counteraction department. It is a scammer’s manipulation that makes people give up access to their private information (like passwords or bank data) or to systems by getting around security protections.

Scammers call or message potential victims using scripts designed to create emotional pressure: sick children, urgent medical treatment, missing soldiers, or energy shortages.

People often don’t realize they’re being scammed because scammers exploit how our brains work. They play on emotions like fear, trust, or greed, emotions that cause the average person to trust authority or friends automatically. Additionally, the majority have an optimism bias, thinking “it won’t happen to me,” which makes people less careful. All these factors together make even smart people fall for scams.

After the morning call from her daughter, Valentyna rushed to a small local electronics shop nearby. A few young men worked there; they sold phones and accessories, fixed devices, and helped people with all kinds of technical problems.

She went straight to them because her neighbor had once told her his Telegram account was hacked, and these guys were the ones who helped him fix it. In that moment, they felt like her only chance.

“Guys, please help. What should I do?” she said, frightened.

Valentyna did not realize yet that someone from Russia had logged into her account.

Telegram is a messenger that had previously been flagged in Ukraine as potentially risky as it has a relatively low level of encryption, which makes it easier for scammers and intelligence services to access personal data. Telegram has become one of the key tools used by Russian intelligence services, posing a threat to Ukraine’s national security, as the app has been used to interrogate prisoners of war, spread fake narratives, and monitor people in occupied territories.

The danger of Telegram scams lies in their deception. When a victim clicks a phishing link, they actually log in to their account. The scam begins right after this step — once they gain access, attackers collect all the necessary personal data from the victim.

For example, if a user logs into social media, a hacker can steal cookie files stored in your browser and load them into their own one. Then, the attacker can appear as if they are already logged into the victim’s account, without needing a password, according to a leader of a hacker group named ‘4BID.’

In 2025, Ukrainian cyber police reported an increase in fraud cases on Telegram, which is actively used to spread phishing links, fake bots, and messages from hacked accounts.

But Valentyna was lucky.

After checking Valentyna’s phone, technicians from the local electronics shop explained that to remove the hackers from Telegram, they would need to wait 24 hours before fully disconnecting the account.

Valentyna did not wait in silence. She began calling everyone she knew, warning them not to send money or trust the messages.

“Cybercriminals have no limits,” Ulianenkov, Lieutenant Colonel of Police, said. “The threat has decreased, but it is still there. Every day we receive reports. There have been successful cases where hundreds of thousands of hryvnias were returned.”

When Valentyna returned to the workshop the next day, specialists found that one of the scammers was Russian. The technicians laughed.

“You caused quite a panic,” they told her. “The scammers realized you were not an easy target and disconnected themselves from your contact list.”

Two-factor authentication was installed on her account. Valentyna reduced her Telegram channels to just two and kept only her daughter and granddaughter in her contacts.

The cyber police are currently developing and implementing methods to effectively combat cyber fraud, Ulianenkov said. They designed multiple automated systems to monitor suspicious activity in order to freeze funds and prevent scammers from obtaining them. Additionally, phone numbers used in fraudulent schemes are blocked and phishing links are disabled.

Valentyna now guards her phone the way people double-check their door locks at night.

“Let the scammers know there are no fools left,” Valentyna said.

NEWS OF THE DAY:

By Oleksandra Poda

Good morning to readers; Kyiv remains in Ukrainian hands.

ZELENSKYY SIGNS FIRST-EVER SECURITY AGREEMENTS WITH THE PERSIAN GULF REGION: Zelenskyy visited the UAE and Qatar and confirmed the signing of 10-year security agreements. Ukraine is providing the Gulf region with its full anti-drone defense package, including maritime drones, electronic warfare capabilities, software, and interception expertise. In exchange, it will receive missile defense systems and financial aid.

This is the first time in history that Ukraine has signed such agreements with the Persian Gulf region. Kyiv is deliberately building long-term strategic partnerships outside of NATO.

RUSSIA IS DELIBERATELY REDIRECTING UKRAINIAN DRONES TOWARD FINLAND AND THE BALTIC STATES: Ukraine has stated that Russia is deliberately redirecting downed or captured Ukrainian drones toward Finland and the Baltic states. It aims to provoke tension between Kyiv and its NATO allies. Finland is already developing its own drone alert app based on the Ukrainian model.

If this operation succeeds, Moscow will be able to pit Kyiv against Helsinki and Riga without firing a single shot.

RUSSIA IS PREPARING A SPRING OFFENSIVE: The war in Iran is diverting attention from Ukraine while Russia launches its spring offensive. Over the past month, Russia has carried out 51 assaults on Pokrovsk alone in a single day and deployed 289 drones in a single night.

Russia is reaping a double benefit from the war in Iran. While the West’s attention is diverted, oil revenues are rising due to the Strait of Hormuz crisis, and the shortage of PAC-3 missiles for the Patriot system is already being felt, as a significant portion has been redirected to the Middle East.

DOG OF WAR:

The well-behaved dog patiently waited for his owner while she was buying coffee.

Stay safe out there.

Best,
Anastasiіa

“We always wanted a child, but first we had one miscarriage, then another. We spent a lot of money on treatment and IVF, but nothing worked out,” shared Lucy*.

Lucy and Brad lived in Colorado. They had been dreaming of having a child ever since they met 14 years ago, but when they finally decided to try for a baby, they discovered that the journey was much more difficult and longer than they had imagined.

After four years of infertility treatment and three unsuccessful IVF (in vitro fertilization) attempts, they decided to explore surrogacy; however, upon learning the cost of the process in the United States, they had to consider more affordable international options. So, they chose Ukraine.

Even before the war, Ukraine was one of Europe’s leading destinations for medical tourism - primarily for dentistry, fertility treatments, and plastic surgery, these figures dropped significantly since the start of the full-scale invasion (the World Health Organization has documented at least 2,881 attacks on Ukraine’s healthcare system as of February 2026) but the healthcare sector is adapting and continues to treat patients. Clinics are purchasing generators, setting up shelters, and providing services though risking disruption.

These risks remain a daily reality. In late March, Russian strikes damaged a maternity hospital in western Ukraine, forcing patients and doctors to evacuate to shelters while they were providing medical care. A father and his daughter, who were visiting the maternity hospital in Ivano-Frankivsk to see the mother after the birth of a baby brother, were killed.

And perhaps the most famous image of the war is from in 2022, when the Russians bombed a maternity ward in Mariupol.

For Americans, the biggest reason for medical tourism is the U.S. healthcare system itself: according to surveys by Peterson-KFF, a partnership that monitors American healthcare performance, about 41 percent of respondents carry medical debt, which can run up to hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars due to medical emergencies. About 36 percent of American adults say they have foregone necessary medical care in the past 12 months because of the cost.

The Ukrainian healthcare system is also known for its large number of high-quality private facilities that provide IVF or dental services. Many Ukrainian refugees travel home specifically to get dental treatment, even if they have insurance in the host country.

Before the full-scale invasion, Ukraine was one of the world’s leading centers for surrogacy after Thailand, India, and Nepal banned the practice, following reports of the exploitation of women. Surrogacy in Ukraine is so popular, in particular because of the Family Code of Ukraine, which leaves the surrogate mother with no possibility of claiming rights to the newborn, and the child belongs entirely to the intended parents from the moment of conception.

This differs, for example, from the United States, where in most states parents must go through a pre-birth order or adoption process even after undergoing IVF themselves.

Lucy and Brad met in 2012 while hanging out with friends.

“I remember really liking his smile, and I thought how I’d love for my children to have a smile like that,” Lucy said. “He kept telling me that he fell in love with me because of the way I played with his brothers. He said it would be great to someday find a woman who would treat his own children the same way. And here I am.”

For six years after their wedding, the couple didn’t even bring up having kids. Lucy worked as an elderly care provider, and Brad was in real estate. They both wanted to secure a stable income for their family first, and only then think about having children.

“Back in 2019 or 2020, we didn’t know much about [difficulties with] getting pregnant… I knew there were people out there dealing with infertility, but I never thought it would happen to me,” Lucy said.

Approximately one in six people worldwide experiences infertility or difficulty conceiving at some point in their lives; some of these people are candidates for IVF or other assisted reproductive technologies.

When the doctor told Lucy the problem was with her, she felt deeply alone. She blamed herself for not being able to give Brad a child, especially since he already had a son, and even thought about leaving him so he could build a family with someone else.

“All the people around me who were getting pregnant annoyed me to death. I hated them, I hated myself, and I hated Brad for choosing me,” Lucy said.

But despite all difficulties, the couple stayed together and even underwent three rounds of IVF in an effort to have a child of their own.

IVF involves collecting eggs and sperm, combining them under a microscope in the lab, and then placing them in an incubator to allow the embryo to develop. If everything is successful, the embryo is transferred to the woman’s uterus, where the baby grows just as in a normal pregnancy. More than half of IVF cycles are unsuccessful. Most often, this happens because the embryos stop developing either before or after being transferred into the woman’s body. That’s what happened three times in a row with Lucy.

Lucy and Brad didn’t consider surrogacy; they didn’t have that kind of money at the time. In 2026, the cost of surrogacy in the United States ranges from $150,000 to $220,000. Additionally, $25,000 to $45,000 may be required for donor eggs or sperm.

In 2023, Lucy came across an ad from a Ukrainian surrogacy agency offering prices that were half as much. She initially rejected the idea of surrogacy in Ukraine, but she became interested in international surrogacy. After considering other foreign countries, they decided to explore Ukraine again.

“Ukraine seemed like the least suitable choice — especially with the war and everything,” Lucy said. “I can’t pinpoint a specific reason — it just all seemed weird and unfamiliar. In Cyprus and Greece, we just didn’t find anything that felt right.”

Lucy was worried about the safety of the surrogate mother and the doctors, about keeping the embryos at the right temperature, and about her future child.

“I was concerned because I’d heard the approximate costs of surrogacy in the U.S…I was really worried that these women were being exploited. The price seemed very suspicious,” said Lucy.

The couple already had embryos that were created and frozen during previous IVF cycles. After signing the contract, they had them shipped to Ukraine via special delivery. The clinic assured her that the embryos would be safe in its laboratory with its own generator-powered independent power supply.

“It was like a fresh start for my husband and me. It was as if we were planning our wedding again, but this time for the baby,” Lucy shared.

Despite their own elation and joy, the couple couldn’t share their decision with their families for a long time. They feared misunderstanding and judgment, and Lucy still felt guilty about not being able to carry the child herself.

“I breathed a sigh of relief once we told them. It was incredibly hard to carry that burden alone, especially with the surrogate mother in Ukraine and all the heavy shelling going on there,” Lucy said.

They went above and beyond what was required by the contract to help the surrogate mother, and they grew very close during the nine months she spent carrying the baby. Lucy was even present at the birth.

“I was afraid to go to Ukraine. The news makes it all seem so unbelievable, but we got lucky and didn’t encounter any explosions,” Lucy said.

She and Brad spent about three weeks in western Ukraine before, during, and after the birth. While they were waiting for their daughter to be born, they even managed to get their teeth fixed - taking further advantage of Ukraine’s high standard of healthcare and lower costs for elective procedures not covered by their American insurance.

Just two months after their daughter was born, missile debris struck one of the offices at the clinic where they underwent treatment. Seven people were killed in the missile strike: two patients and five staff members.

“I saw it on the news; it was awful. When it’s something you know, it’s just awful to watch,” Lucy said.

Lucy knew little about Ukraine before her own journey to motherhood, which was far from easy. She risked her safety and traveled halfway around the world to make her dream come true.

“It’s not an easy journey, it’s very difficult, and I’m not sure I’d recommend it to anyone. But personally, I don’t regret a thing. Our daughter is almost 3 years old now. We’re still in touch with our surrogate mother and sometimes help her out,” Lucy said.

They haven’t told their child that she was born via a surrogate mother, but they have no intention of hiding the truth if she ever asks. They’ve already bought several books that explain complex processes like surrogacy in simple terms.

*Names have been changed due to the sensitivity of the topic. The couple has moved to New York, where international surrogacy is prohibited by law. To protect them from potential legal consequences, their names have been changed.

NEWS OF THE DAY:

Good morning to readers; Kyiv remains in Ukrainian hands.

By Oksana Stepura

RUSSIA SENDS UPGRADED DRONES TO IRAN: Russia is reportedly sending upgraded drones to Iran. They are based on Iranian Shahed models that Russia has refined during the war against Ukraine, adding improved navigation, anti-jamming systems, and AI capabilities, the Associated Press reported. These more advanced drones could pose a greater challenge for the U.S. and its allies, particularly jet-propelled models, which are significantly faster and harder to intercept.

UKRAINE AND UAE TO COOPERATE ON DEFENSE: Zelenskyy met with the UAE’s President, Sheikh Mohammed ‌bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to discuss a forthcoming security and defense cooperation, Al Jazeera reported. The UAE expressed a growing need for advanced drone defense capabilities. Several years of defending against Russian drone attacks has positioned Ukraine to become one of the world’s leading producers of sophisticated drone interceptors. “We are open to joint work, which in a strategic perspective will definitely strengthen our people and the protection of life in our states,” Zelenskyy said.

FINLAND TO CHECK WEAPONS DELIVERIES TO UKRAINE: Finland’s defense minister announced that they will verify whether US weapons purchased by NATO members are reaching Ukraine, following reports that the Pentagon might redirect that equipment to the Middle East, Ukrainska Pravda reported. While Rubio denied any such relocation is currently happening, Trump acknowledged the US regularly relocates weapons across the world. Meanwhile, NATO secretary general Rutte assures that promised military aid will continue being supplied under PURL.

DOG OF WAR:

Nastia met this cute pup. His name is Lilu.

Stay safe out there!

Best,
Oleksandra

I don’t remember what happened yesterday, or even what happened today.

It feels like there are no thoughts left in my head. All I can think about are the puzzles scattered on my floor, mixed with dust and strands of my hair, because I haven’t cleaned in weeks. Instead, I spend my days binge-watching The Sopranos.

All I want is not to be here.

When I wake up, I remember all of my acquaintances who have died. I remember how their parents screamed at their funerals. That sound still sends shivers through my skin, mixed with a gag reflex. Not a single day goes by without me thinking about death.

Today, my only goal is to finish the small church in my puzzle picture.

In a world overflowing with violence and information overload, reality sometimes feels too heavy to bear. And while some people escape from it by turning to psychoactive substances, others may simply ‘drop out of life,’ cutting off social ties and retreating painfully into other worlds.

This behavior is often the result of a pattern of escapism, learned in childhood. And with modern technology, a plethora of social media platforms, and terabytes of content, falling into this trap is easier than it might seem, especially for those who are going through tremendous life challenges or trauma.

Because of war, many of us have faced burnout, exhaustion, depressive states, or mental disorders, even though a few years ago we were certain this could never happen to us. Witnessing traumatic events even online like recent massive attack on Ukraine, which resulted in destruction of civillian buildings in several major cities is an example of what leads to exacerbated mental health issues.

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