As ground advances prove extremely difficult, Russia’s stated shift toward expanded and systematic air strikes is aimed at compelling Kiev to end the war on Moscow’s terms, writes RIAC President Dmitriy Trenin.

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Putin responds to Zelensky’s provocative letter with a clear message to the Russian troops: “Keep fighting, brothers, the entire country is counting on you!”

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Trump is “hugely impressed and enthusiastic” about Ukraine’s expanding deep-strike campaign inside Russia, enabled by U.S. intel support, and has privately told Zelensky to act “more boldly,” according to the Financial Times and The Kyiv Independent.

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The average life expectancy of a Russian soldier upon arriving on the battlefield in Ukraine is between 20 and 30 minutes, says CIA Director John Ratcliffe, citing U.S. intelligence.

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RT chief Margarita Simonyan expresses frustration at Russia’s hesitation to strike Europe, and notes that Vladimir Putin’s place in history hinges on the outcome of the war in Ukraine.

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The Russian people demand peace through victory, says President Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov.

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Lavrov: Russia has exhausted hope for a negotiated Ukraine solution with the West and will continue pursuing the war aims outlined by Putin in June 2024.

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Post-Soviet republics hostile to Russia will inevitably lose their sovereignty and independence, warns Pyotr Tolstoy, deputy speaker of the State Duma.

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Lavrov: A ceasefire in Ukraine without the dismantling of its Nazi regime is unacceptable to Russia.

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Putin: Ukraine will crumble.

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Ushakov: Putin told Kushner and Witkoff that Russia will achieve its war aims, and emphasized the Nazi nature of the Kiev regime, citing recent reburials (likely of Melnyk and Konovalets).

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The Spectator: Ukraine is running out of money and men to defend itself.

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Russia's military victory in Ukraine is “very near,” says Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, ahead of Putin's visit to India for the BRICS summit.

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Ushakov: Putin told Trump that for a quick end to the Ukraine war, the U.S. must stop all aid to Kiev.

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Lavrov: Burnham said Britain will stand with Ukraine till the end, but Ukraine's end won't be a happy one — so I feel sorry for Britain.

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Lavrov: Throughout its history, the West has never learned how to live and prosper except at the expense of others.

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NYT: Secret audits find Ukraine's military procurement system riddled with fraud, waste, and mismanagement.

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Ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt warns the Ukraine war has reached an inflection point, with Russia turning the tide.

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Medvedev: Russia is fighting to reclaim its place among the great powers, and the war must end on Russia's terms.

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Russian people should be ready for decades of war, says prominent Orthodox TV host Boris Korchevnikov.

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WP: Russia is shifting to a strategy of total war, mobilizing its factories and manpower to erase Kiev’s battlefield advantages and bombard Ukraine into submission.

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