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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Lavrov suggests Russia could renounce its 1991 recognition of Ukrainian independence.

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Vladimir Putin drew cheers and loud applause as he took the stage at the BRICS Business Forum in New Delhi.

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