[kellyhound]

Their economy officially contracted in the first quarter of 2026, with estimates ranging from 0.3% to 1.5% with significant downturns were recorded in construction (down 10–16%) and manufacturing (down 2.9%).

Corporate profits fell by 33% in the first 2 months of the year, as high interest rates made borrowing difficult.

The federal budget deficit reached $58.8 billion (4.6 trillion rubles) in the first quarter, already exceeding the projected target for the entire year.

Tax receipts from oil and gas plummeted by 45% in the first three months of the year compared to 2025.

Over 20 regions are considered problematic due to widening local deficits and the costs of military recruitment.

The Central Bank of russia slightly reduced the key rate to 14.5% on April 24, but it remains high to combat an inflation rate of approximately 5.9%

Many middle-class families can no longer afford to eat at restaurants, as the cost of a simple dinner for two has more than doubled.

Fees for municipal services, housing, and public transport (e.g., metro fares up 10.7%) are rising faster than general inflation.

Unemployment has hit a record low of 2%, reflecting a critical shortage of workers as many are drafted or work in the military-industrial sector.

The EU activated its anti-circumvention tool against Kyrgyzstan to block the re-export of critical tech like drone components.

EU added 46 vessels to the sanctions list, bringing the total to 632 tankers. These vessels are now banned from EU ports and maritime services. A total sectoral ban on russian crypto platforms and the digital ruble to prevent these from being used as shadow payment channels.

But their oil and gas tax revenues for May 2026 are projected to reach 650 billion rubles ($8.65 billion), up from roughly 513 billion last year due to the Iran war blockade and those higher prices, ruble is currently at a three-year high, could halve the projected annual budget deficit.

A recent survey by the russian Academy of Sciences found that 31% of russians display pronounced symptoms of anxiety or depression.

Over 52% of russians believe the worst times are still ahead, and 47% expect their personal finances to worsen this year.

Expenses for non-essentials, such as beauty salons and extracurricular education for children, are being cut as food now consumes nearly 40% of average household income, the highest level in 18 years.

The average price of a new passenger car in russia has climbed to approximately $45,500 (3.5 million rubles). This is double the average price in China or Japan and is driven by high import duties and sharply increased scrappage fees rather than currency fluctuations.

Used car sales remain the primary alternative, with Chinese second-hand models falling in price.

The largest automaker, AvtoVAZ, is suspending production from late April through mid-May 2026. Officially cited as "modernization," dealers report the real cause is overstocked warehouses and collapsing demand.

Lada sales fell 17.4% in Q1 2026. The mass production of the new Lada Iskra sedan has been pushed back to late spring 2026 due to critical shortages of electronic components and logistical disruptions.

Many high-net-worth individuals, concentrated in the Moscow region, have seen their incomes remain stable or grow due to natural resource wealth and the war economy.

For this group, luxury cars starting at ₽65 million ($700,000+) are viewed as "works of art" and stable assets for preserving capital.

Despite Western brands like Rolls-Royce officially halting deliveries in 2022, cars continue to flow into russia through unofficial gray-market channels as it showed a 27% growth and high registration of models like the Rolls-Royce Cullinan. Also the sale of the Lamborghini Urus and Bentley Bentayga were on the rise.

Thousands of doctors and nurses have either been drafted to the front lines or have fled the country (emigrated) to avoid the draft. This has left civilian hospitals, especially in rural regions, severely understaffed.

Massive amounts of the federal budget have been diverted from healthcare to the military-industrial complex. Maintenance for high-tech medical equipment (mostly Western-made) has stalled because of sanctions, meaning fewer MRIs, specialized surgeries, and cancer treatments.

While medicines aren't officially sanctioned, logistics and payments are a nightmare. russia has seen critical shortages of Insulin and high-quality diabetes medications, cancer drugs (oncology treatments) and antibiotics and raw materials for local drug production.

People with chronic illnesses are dying earlier because they’ve had to switch to lower-quality generic domestic versions that often have more side effects or lower efficacy.

After a decade of decline, alcohol consumption in russia has spiked again. This historically correlates with economic stress and social instability, leading to higher rates of liver disease, domestic violence, and fatal accidents.

Severe budget cuts forced some regions to prioritize working-age diabetes patients for life-saving medication over children or the elderly.

Rosstat data revealed an extra 138,500 excess deaths among men aged 20–54.

The constant psychological stress of the war and economic stagnation has led to an increase in strokes and heart attacks among the middle-aged population.

Returning veterans have been linked to over 550 civilian deaths (murders and fatal assaults) in russia since the invasion began

russia already had one of the world's fastest-growing HIV epidemics. The war has disrupted harm reduction programs and diverted funding for antiretroviral drugs, leading to a rise in deaths from HIV/AIDS and drug-resistant Tuberculosis.

All this for a 20 pct control of Ukraine as they thought they would decapitate Ukraine within 10 days.

As of late April 2026, russia has entered a critical phase where its current voluntary recruitment model is reaching a breaking point.

For the fourth consecutive month, battlefield losses have reportedly outpaced new recruitments, forcing the Kremlin to implement aggressive covert and administrative measures to avoid a politically risky second wave of open mobilization.

Contract recruitment rates fell by 20% in the first quarter of 2026. In March, daily enlistments dropped to roughly 800–930 per day, well below the 1,100–1,150 needed to reach the annual goal of 409,000.

Regional governments are spending record amounts to attract volunteers—averaging 1.47 million to 1.55 million rubles ($15,800–$16,700) per signing bonus—consuming up to 10% of some local budgets.

Roughly 40% of new recruits are debtors, and another 24% are individuals under criminal investigation or already convicted, offered pardons in exchange for service.

The Ministry of Defense plans to recruit at least 18,500 foreigners in 2026, primarily from Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan) and low-income countries in Africa and Asia (Bangladesh, Chad, Sudan).

[kellyhound]

Angstrem, russia's leading microchip manufacturer based in Zelenograd, has experienced a near-total financial collapse due to massive debt and sanctions.

The company's operational sales profit plummeted by 98%, dropping from roughly $11.5 million in the prior year to a mere $224,000.

While the company generated around $55.6 million in total revenue, it concluded the fiscal year with a net loss of $2.8 million.

Forbes previously ranked Angstrem at the top of russia's most unprofitable companies list due to multi-billion dollar debts owed to state-owned development bank VEB.

The latest net loss was triggered by an added 290-million-ruble debt ruling tied to the bankrupt BFG-Credit Bank.

The crisis extends beyond a single manufacturer to the entire domestic russian microelectronics ecosystem f.i russia's largest microelectronics conglomerate, Element Group, also reported heavy financial losses due to a steep decline in manufacturing orders from civilian and industrial enterprises.

Skyrocketing domestic interest rates set by the russian central bank, combined with Western sanctions, have forced a sector-wide investment pause.

Instead of funding technological R&D, domestic tech companies are spending their remaining cash reserves on replacing Western manufacturing equipment with Chinese components and managing complex gray-market supply lines.

Despite its severe financial distress, Angstrem remains a critical strategic supplier of microelectronics for the russian Ministry of Defense.

This cash crisis directly undermines the Kremlin's efforts to achieve military self-reliance, leaving its defense apparatus reliant on smuggled components.

The 9M727 Iskander cruise missile f.i. Angstrem manufactures logic gates and interface circuits for the onboard comp system. Their chips act as the bridge that links raw power systems to the missile's smuggled Western processing units.

The MLRS Tornado-S fires 300mm precision guided rockets designed to correct their trajectory mid-flight using satellite navigation. Disassembled navigation control boxes showed Angstrem memory modules on the integrated circuit boards.

Their chips store baseline launch data and work alongside foreign high-speed static random-access memory to compute trajectory updates.

Angstrem manufactures legacy EPROM and EEPROM, programmable read-only memory chip series (such as specialized variants of Soviet-legacy 573 and 558 series architectures). These chips are hardwired into Baget computers to host the bootloader software and core system firmware.

These Baget computers are standard installations inside Su-35S fighter jets, Ka-52 attack helicopters and the command systems of T-90 tanks.

Angstrem produces robust, radiation-hardened 600-nanometer logic chips and discrete transistors specifically tailored for military radars.

These are physically integrated into the signal processing units of mobile air defense systems like the Pantsir-S1 surface-to-air missile platform and the Barnaul-T tactical air defense command post.

In short China is slowly taking over, (making independent on China), russia just like they attempting to do in Africa and Europe for many years.

If i were Ukr., these are the addresses: Ploshchad' Shokina, 2, Zelenograd and Georgiyevskiy Prospekt, Dom 7, Zelenograd being part of a sort of russian silicon valley 20 miles North-West of central Moscow being a nice target for the Flamingo and a shitload of drones.

Don't forget directly adjacent to Angstrem is JSC Mikron, being russia's largest and most active manufacturer and exporter of microelectronics. It produces RFID tags, smart cards and standard military-grade microcontrollers. 1st Zapadny Proezd, d. 6, Zelenograd ;

[kellyhound]

Ukraine’s Air Force is preparing to deploy its first domestically developed guided glide bomb, named the Vyrivniuvach aka The Equalizer.

The precision-guided munition was developed over 17 months through the government-backed Brave1 defense tech platform. The Ministry of Defense has already purchased its first experimental batch, with combat deployment reported as imminent.

The Vyrivniuvach features a 250-kilogram warhead and utilizes universal glide and guidance modules.

It allows aircraft to strike fortified positions and command centers dozens of kilometers deep.

There are ongoing engineering plans to quickly upgrade the wing modules to extend the distance of 37 miles to 50 miles and up to 62 miles when dropped from a high altitude of 10 km.

According to details released, the weapon costs 3 times less than the U.S.-made JDAM-ER systems currently in Ukraine's inventory.

Western JDAM kits cost between $20,000 and $30,000. This means Ukraine's localized alternative delivers high-precision standoff range at a fraction of the cost of standard cruise missiles.

The introduction of the Vyrivniuvach directly addresses russia’s massive operational advantage as they launch an average of 250 guided aerial bombs per day on Ukrainian cities and frontlines.

They convert Soviet-era unguided FAB bombs using inexpensive UMPK wing kits. These weapons are highly devastating and financially asymmetric to counter.

Shooting down a cheap glide bomb often requires a Western air defense interceptor worth millions of dollars.

The Vyrivniuvach however features specialized, hardened electronics designed specifically to bypass heavy Electronic Warfare environment.

Because GPS-guided weapons like standard U.S. JDAMs frequently suffer from signal loss due to russian jamming, Ukraine’s engineers built the system from scratch with localized anti-jam protective measures.

The bomb utilizes heavily shielded, multi-constellation satellite receivers. These modules actively screen out white noise and false GPS spoofing signals broadcasted by russian EW units.

If satellite signals are entirely blocked, an internal inertial sensor system takes over. It calculates the bomb's trajectory using internal gyroscopes and accelerometers, requiring zero external radio signals to hit its target.

The weapon uses custom software developed by DG Industry. These unique algorithms adapt the flight path mid-air based on live wind and deployment altitude, ensuring high precision even when gliding blind.

Because the bomb's guidance brain is manufactured locally in Ukraine, the military can rapidly update the software.

If russia changes its jamming frequencies on the frontline, Ukrainian engineers can tweak the bomb's algorithms in a matter of days, something impossible to do quickly with locked, imported Western munitions.

The principal launch platform for the initial deployment of the Vyrivniuvach bomb is the Sukhoi Su-24M bomber.

The Ukrainian Air Force has successfully utilized this legacy Soviet-heritage aircraft to conduct all live-fire drop tests and initial field evaluations during the weapon's 17-month development cycle.

This supersonic, all-weather bomber serves as the primary primary launcher. Ukrainian engineers already have deep experience modifying its pylons to carry heavy Western standoff munitions like the Storm Shadow and SCALP-EG cruise missiles.

The bomb is fully designed to be compatible with Ukraine's newly acquired Western F-16 fleets.

However, the Air Force has noted that additional certification and software integration are still required before the F-16 can deploy the bomb in active combat operations.

Like the F-16, the system features built-in electrical and physical compatibility with French-supplied Mirage fighters, with final software and flight safety certifications currently underway.

To protect manufacturing infrastructure from russian reconnaissance and long-range missile strikes, production is entirely fragmented just like Ukrainian Flamingos.

Components are manufactured in small, isolated underground workshops or converted civilian facilities across different regions of Ukraine, then moved to a separate location for final assembly.

While the software algorithms and airframe modules are 100% Ukrainian, the localized guidance brains still rely on specialized commercial microchips and inertial sensors that must be imported. Global supply chain delays and the need to smuggle or secure parts past bureaucratic hurdles often create production choke points.

Continuous russian targeted strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure force factories to rely heavily on industrial diesel generators and localized power backup systems.

This drastically increases production costs and occasionally disrupts high-precision automated milling and soldering machinery that requires unfluctuating electrical currents.

[kellyhound]

Defense forces tested the launch of the Hornet kamikaze drone from an air balloon

During the tests, the air balloon carried the drone a distance of 42 km and dropped it from a height of 8 km.

Launching it this way allows to increase the drone's range of application by 1.5-2 times, even though the Hornet already flies at 100-150 km.

[kellyhound]

In Kyiv, the enemy killed one person. Another 21 people were injured, including a 15-year-old boy.

Residential buildings, a dormitory, an office center, schools, a supermarket, and a shopping center were damaged. All military targets according to the russians. No one in the world is protesting or takes action like usual.

In the Kyiv region, three victims are currently known. It is likely that the Oreshni multiple-launch rocket system was used in the Belotserkiv region.

In the Odessa region, nine people were injured, including three children aged 8 to 12 years.

In the Dnipropetrovsk region, 7 people were injured, including a 3-month-old infant and a 4-year-old child.

In Cherkasy, the enemy hit a multi-story building with a drone: 11 people were injured, including two children.

UPD: The number of deaths from the massive attack by the enemy on the capital has risen to two. There are 69 injured people.

In the Kyiv region, the russians killed two people. The number of injured has risen to 9, including a child, a girl who is not yet a year old.

[kellyhound]

From May 19th to May 22nd Ukrainian forces achieved tactical advancements in the Sumy Oblast border areas, as well as the Slovyansk and Pokrovsk directions.

Ukrainian military units successfully thwarted russia's plan to expand its frontier gray zone and build a permanent security buffer along the international border in the Sumy Oblast.

Ukrainian troops advanced southeast of Kryva Luka (directly east of Slovyansk).

Ukrainian forces officially recaptured the settlement of Andreevka, effectively leveling the playing field against a mass of roughly 53,000 enemy troops operating in that direction.

Near the Kursk-Sumy international line, Ukrainian brigades successfully baited and destroyed localized, platoon-sized mechanized columns attempting to break through with heavy armor and motorized equipment, containing russian pushes to a maximum depth of 7 kilometers.

Ukrainian units successfully detected and destroyed an active russian infiltration pocket in eastern Lyman.

Geolocated combat footage from May 21 proved that Ukrainian forces advanced northwest of Kotlyne, pushing russian forward elements away from a vital logistical flank.

Faced with constant russian Shahed and reconnaissance drone swarms crossing the Sumy-Chernihiv state borders, Ukrainian rapid-response units successfully stabilized the perimeter.

Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces tracked and struck thousands of personnel using the Delta battlefield management system, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delta_...areness_system) bleeding out the russian border groupings and directly setting up the subsequent liberation of border settlements like Zapsillya just days later.

Ukrainian forces launched a major surprise mechanized counterattack in the Borova direction (Kharkiv-Luhansk border), successfully penetrating 2 to 5 kilometers deep into previously held russian defensive lines.

Pockets of territory were also reclaimed by Ukraine near Hulyaipole in the Zaporizhzhia Oblast.

On the night of May 23–24, russia unleashed its largest combined aerial assault of the year, firing 90 missiles and 600 drones primarily targeting Kyiv.

The package included a rare "Oreshnik" intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM).

Ukrainian open-source intelligence later confirmed that a second Oreshnik missile launched in the same wave malfunctioned and crashed prematurely in russian-occupied Donetsk. The overall strike package cost Moscow an estimated $361 million.

From May 26th to May 29th in the Donbas, russian forces continued a slow, highly costly tactical grinding progression through the outskirts of Kostyantynivka.

Simultaneously, russian forces suffered minor terrain rollbacks and lost forward positions in western Zaporizhzhia and the Luhansk direction north of Lyman.

In the past 3 days the front lines achieved a state of high equilibrium after russian troops attempted to mount an infiltration mission near Kupyansk and tried to construct an improvised pontoon crossing in Vovchansk, Kharkiv region. The truck transporting the pontoon gear was promptly destroyed by Ukrainian drones before deployment.

On May 30 Ukraine expanded its deep-strike campaign, using long-range drones to hit the Primorsky Posad training ground in occupied Ukraine, inflicting heavy casualties on russia's 64th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade.

Concurrently, persistent Ukrainian drone strikes on oil refineries and transport links forced russian proxy authorities in occupied Crimea to officially ration gasoline sales to civilians due to severe localized fuel shortages.

Armed forces tracking confirmed that the 64th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade suffered at least 31 casualties at the Prymorskyi Posad camp, including 9 killed in action, 9 wounded, and 13 missing.

Now russia has gained and holds a net total of roughly 12.5% of Ukrainian territory solely from the land seized since the full-scale phase of the special military operation began 51 months ago.

This constitutes about 29,045 square miles which is about the U.S. state of Maine.

Western intelligence agencies estimate total russian military casualties (killed and wounded) have now surpassed 1.2 million, while newly released British intelligence reveals that nearly 500,000 russian soldiers have been killed outright.

Independent russian outlets Meduza and Mediazona use official russian inheritance/probate records and public obituaries to scientifically track deaths.

Their baseline count confirms a absolute minimum of 352,000 deaths, acknowledging that thousands more go unrecorded due to delayed filings or missing status.

Since the full scale invasion 17.2 russian soldiers were killed outright per square mile and 24.1 soldiers got wounded. Imagine, Central Park NY is 1.3 square miles.

U.S. and European defense officials evaluate Ukrainian personnel losses as significantly lower than russia's, but still severe.

Total Ukrainian casualties are estimated at roughly 300,000 to 350,000, with approximately 70,000 to 100,000 killed in action.

This yields an overall favorable casualty ratio for Ukraine of roughly 3.5 or 4 to 1, largely attributed to Ukraine fighting from fortified, defensive postures for most of the invasion.

Despite losing roughly 1,000 to 1,200 soldiers every single day, russia has managed to avoid a politically dangerous second wave of mass forced mobilization. Instead, the Kremlin uses a strategy called crypto-mobilization.

New contract soldiers are offered immense financial incentives. In many russian regions, the upfront signing bonus has been raised to over 2 million rubles ($22,000 USD), which can equal several years' worth of average local wages.

Recruitment heavily focuses on economically depressed regions, ethnic minority areas, and individuals carrying heavy bank debt.

They also expanded recruitment networks across the Global South. Citizens from Cuba, India, Nepal, Central Asia and diverse African nations are lured with promises of high-paying security jobs, only to be forced onto the frontline.

The deployment of convict units, now systematically organized under the russian Ministry of Defense as "Storm-Z" and "Storm-V" battalions, remains a steady source of disposable shock troops used for high-fatality infantry assaults.

This continuous influx allows russia to recruit between 25,000 and 31,000 new soldiers each month, matching their staggering monthly casualty rate almost exactly.

The Kremlin's baseline plan was to spend an unprecedented 16.84 trillion rubles ($238 billion USD) on defense and security for the 2026 budget, representing roughly 40% of its entire state expenditure.

However, leaked documents reveal that russia's actual war spending is rapidly outpacing these projections.

According to internal russian Finance Ministry documents leaked via the Financial Times, russia’s war machine faces a catastrophic funding gap.

The Finance Ministry estimated that military expenditures are track to exceed the official budget by at least 2 trillion rubles ($28 billion USD).

If high-intensity infantry and mechanized grinding continue at their current rates through the end of the year, the ministry warned that this immediate shortfall will likely double to 4 trillion rubles ($56 billion USD).

This scenario aligns directly with an approximate 25% to 30% surge beyond the Kremlin's initial operational cost estimates.

Leaked communications from Finance Minister Anton Siluanov state that russia expects this massive 4 trillion ruble overspend to persist every single year through 2027 and 2028.

This unexpected surge in war costs has triggered an immediate fiscal crisis.

To keep the military funded, the Finance Ministry requested the russian cabinet to freeze 2.9 trillion rubles ($40 billion USD) in non-defense spending.

Government agencies have been ordered to slash all non-essential civilian spending by 10%.

To plug the immediate cash gaps, Moscow is burning through the remaining liquid foreign currency and gold assets inside its National Wealth Fund.

This is russia's primary emergency piggy bank. Because of the massive 30% budget overspend, economists project that russia's remaining liquid cash and gold reserves in the NWF will be completely exhausted by mid-to-late 2027.

To prepare for the cash running out, the Kremlin has already started implementing aggressive domestic corporate and income tax hikes.

This shifts the financial burden directly onto russian citizens and businesses to keep the war funded through 2028.

As long as countries like China and India continue to buy heavily discounted russian oil, Moscow will bring in a steady baseline of hard currency, preventing a total economic collapse.

After 2027, russia will be forced to rely strictly on newly manufactured tanks (like the T-90M). However, russian factories can only build about 20 to 30 brand-new tanks a month—nowhere near enough to replace their massive monthly losses.

This will severely limit their ability to launch large-scale mechanized offensives.

The current system of paying massive $22,000 sign-on bonuses is sustainable for now, but the pool of willing volunteers is shrinking.

If the influx of volunteer contract soldiers drops below the 30,000-per-month casualty rate, Vladimir Putin will be forced to order a second wave of mandatory, forced mobilization.

Military analysts note this is a dangerous political move that the Kremlin wants to avoid, as it could trigger widespread domestic unrest and labor shortages.

Between 60% and 65% of all the pre-war tank hulls stored in the open air have been pulled out, shipped to repair plants, or entirely stripped for parts since February 2022.

Only about 35% to 40% of the physical hulls that were visible before the war are still sitting in these storage yards.

Analysts categorize the remaining 35% to 40% of tanks into three distinct pools of viability.

Only 10% to 15% are Good/Restorable, 50% are cannibalized scrap and 35% to 40% are obsolete rot.

If russia continues to lose tanks at its current high rate, the 10% to 15% pool of viable, restorable tanks will hit 0% by late 2027.

The invincible Armata tank: In March 2024, Alexander Potapov, the head of russia’s primary tank manufacturer, publicly admitted that the Armata is simply too costly to ever deploy in Ukraine.

A single T-14 Armata costs upwards of $5 million to $9 million USD. For the same price, russia can pull multiple old T-72 or T-80 tanks out of Soviet storage yards and modernize them.

The Armata’s highly complex X-shaped engine and automated turret system suffer from severe reliability issues.

During its public debut at the 2015 Moscow Parade, the tank notoriously broke down and had to be towed away and russian engineers have still not fixed these deep design flaws.

The Armata relies heavily on advanced Western electronics, night-vision thermal optics, and microchips. Strict international sanctions have cut russia off from these components, making it virtually impossible to mass-produce the tank.

Just like the Armata tank, russia's most advanced, invincible" stealth fighter jet, the Sukhoi Su-57 aka Felon has suffered a deeply embarrassing and highly restricted role in the Ukraine war.

While it is theoretically russia’s best aircraft, technical failures and Ukrainian drone strikes have forced the Kremlin to rely on older models to do the actual fighting.

They failed to mass-produce the plane. By mid-2026, they only has an estimated 30 to 42 operational Su-57s in its entire inventory.

Fearing the massive political embarrassment of an Su-57 getting shot down by Western air defense systems, the russian Aerospace Forces rarely allow the jet to cross into Ukrainian airspace.

Instead, they use it as a stand-off platform flying safely inside russian territory and firing long-range missiles from hundreds of miles away.

While russia protects the Su-57 from Ukrainian missiles in the sky, they have failed to protect them on the ground.

Ukrainian Unmanned Systems Forces have repeatedly bypassed russian air defenses using long-range kamikaze drones.

In a legendary deep strike on April 25, 2026, Ukrainian drones flew a record-breaking 1,700 kilometers into russia to strike the Shagol airbase, successfully damaging two Su-57 stealth fighters parked on the tarmac.

Because the Su-57 is kept hidden away, russia’s actual best and most effective fighter jet on the front lines is the Su-35S. (They have hundreds of them)

They sit safely behind the front lines and launch heavy UMPK guided glide bombs. These 1,500-pound bombs can glide for 40 miles, completely pulverizing Ukrainian trenches and city infrastructure before Ukrainian air defenses can target the plane.

Ukraine’s older jets and early F-16 configurations lack the range to hit these bombers without flying directly into russia's dense S-400 anti-aircraft missile umbrella but Sweden will donate 16 older Gripen C/D models, with deliveries scheduled to begin early next year.

Concurrently, Ukraine is utilizing EU-backed loan mechanisms to purchase 20 of the newest-generation Gripen E/F models, with a long-term strategic goal of scaling up to a fleet of 150 aircraft and localizing joint parts production inside Ukraine by 2033.

The biggest problem with Ukraine’s F-16's is that they require pristine, highly specialized and long concrete runways. these getting bombed daily by the russians.

The Gripen is designed for dispersed operations. It can take off and land on rugged, makeshift public highways or rough airstrips only 400 meters (1,300 feet) long. Ukraine can hide these jets in ordinary forests or highway garages.

Western aircraft typically require massive, highly trained contractor teams and hours of specialized diagnostic equipment to refuel and rearm between combat missions.

A Gripen can land on a highway, be completely refueled, and fully re-armed with fresh missiles in just 10 to 15 minutes by a crew of only five people, most of whom can be minimally trained conscripts or mobile mechanics working out of the back of a standard supply truck.

The deal includes the transfer of the MBDA Meteor air-to-air missile. The Meteor is widely considered the best Beyond-Visual-Range (BVR) missile in the world, featuring a ramjet engine that allows it to chase down targets at speeds over Mach 4 at a range exceeding 60 miles.

Operating a Gripen armed with Meteors allows Ukrainian pilots to shoot down russian Su-35 bombers from complete safety, effectively neutralizing russia's primary frontline breakthrough strategy.

According to Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson, a select group of Ukrainian pilots and technical crews are already on the ground in Sweden undergoing intensive flight training to prepare for the first squadron's deployment.

[kellyhound]

Funding Packages for Ukraine from allies:

A $35 Billion Ramstein Military Support Package which was approved in June 2026 at the 35th Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting.This massive coordinated package stands as one of the largest multi-country efforts to date, prioritizing advanced air defense and weapons procurement.

An additional emergency aid over $4 billion in net-new, immediate assistance, pushing the total Ramstein defense aid pool to nearly $39 billion.

A €90 Billion Long-Term EU Loan which was agreed upon by the European Council to bridge budgetary and defense needs for Ukraine across 2026 and 2027.

Then there's the Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List aka PURL, framework to pool resources.

European countries and Canada are collectively spending billions to buy American-made military tech such as Patriot systems to directly backfill and supply Ukrainian needs.

NATO allies are currently weighing an expansive new €70–$80 billion military aid proposal to provide long-term, stable support for Ukr.

Germany approved a baseline €5 billion military aid package through the Bundestag. Germany also expanded its immediate deliveries to include a three-digit number of air-to-air missiles and IRIS-T SLS/SLM guide missiles.

The U.K. allocated £500 million (~$680 million) strictly for strengthening Ukraine's air defense while actively joining the PURL weapon-purchasing program.

Norway committed $700 million to explicitly boost Ukraine’s domestic drone defense production.

Sweden pledged €440 million toward international artillery and ammunition procurement programs.

Belgium committed €1 billion per year through 2029 alongside a timeline to deliver operational F-16 fighter jets.

The Netherlands, in April 2026, approved a standalone €248 million package exclusively for drones.

In June the Netherlands approved a standalone €400 million maritime defense and countermeasure package consisting of €250 million, specifically to buy drones from Dutch defense companies and €250 million for U.S.-made Patriot missiles and F-16 ammunition via the PURL program.

The Netherlands permanently transferred an inventory of cruise missiles, around 700 units, to expand Ukraine's long-range striking capability.

Finland authorized its 33rd direct materiel assistance package, shipping €128 million worth of operational land combat equipment straight from its military warehouses.

France disbursed a major shipment of VAB Armored Personnel Carriers to Ukraine's frontline mechanized brigades, greatly increasing battlefield troop mobility.

European countries collectively shipped over 160,000 tonnes of physical cargo incl. mobile field hospitals, school buses, armored ambulances and heavy-duty industrial power generators to keep local energy grids alive.

Norway and Sweden have shipped millions in physical manufacturing gear and raw materials directly to Kyiv, allowing Ukraine to scale up its own domestic military factories.

On March 18, 2026, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez signed a €1 billion ($1.2 billion) military aid package.

Rather than a simple wire transfer, Spanish defense firm Escribano partnered directly with Ukrainian UAV manufacturer Skyeton. Over the past few months, they began jointly manufacturing strike laser-guided systems integrated onto Ukrainian drone platforms.

Multiple Ukrainian defense firms (incl. Fire Point and the Luch Design Bureau) signed direct technology-sharing agreements with Spanish firms to co-develop missile technologies and frontline air defenses.

The Polish and Ukrainian ministries of finance established a defense credit system. This allows Ukraine to buy weapons directly from Poland's defense industry using long-term, low-interest credit backed by Warsaw.

In February 2026, Prime Minister Donald Tusk rolled out a new $56 million package consisting heavily of spare parts, armored equipment, and maintenance logistics to keep Soviet-era armor functioning.

In June 2026, Defense Minister Guido Crosetto confirmed that Italy officially rejected participating in NATO's PURL program. Italy refused to use its budget to finance American-made weaponry for Ukraine, preferring local avenues.

Italy pivoted its 2026 aid packages toward a transitional decree prioritizing humanitarian aid over direct lethal assistance. They physically delivered thousands of industrial power generators and specialized energy equipment to help Ukraine stabilize its grid.

While limiting direct weapon transfers, Italy began negotiations in June 2026 to have Italian aerospace companies manufacture components for a joint European anti-ballistic defense project meant to shield Ukrainian airspace.

In June 2026, Portugal authorized a fresh €130 million support tranche. Portugal funneled a significant portion of this cash directly into the Czech Artillery Initiative, paying for large-caliber shells bought outside the EU to circumvent slow European manufacturing lines.

Austria focused heavily on civilian defense and agricultural recovery, delivering €2 million specifically for heavy-duty demining equipment and field clearing vehicles.

In May 2026 Greece successfully transferred 68 additional 155-mm M114 towed howitzers to Ukraine. This brings the total number of Greek M114s active on the frontline to 138 units.'

Greece continued executing its major €200 million intergovernmental transfer via Czechia. This ongoing shipment includes 60 powerful M110A2 self-propelled howitzers, 150,000 heavy shells, and thousands of aircraft-launched ZUNI rockets.

On May 4, Greece and Ukraine signed an official agreement to co-produce autonomous sea drones. Combining Greek maritime engineering with Ukraine's extensive real-world experience in Black Sea naval warfare, the initiative co-develops next-generation unmanned surface vessels to secure grain corridors and counter naval threats.

Moving beyond strict military hardware, the Greek Ministry of Culture announced on June 19, 2026, that Athens will fully fund the architectural and restoration research for the historic Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra complex after it suffered severe drone strike damage.

On April 28, 2026, the U.S. Department of War, aka Pentagon, officially unlocked a $400 million military aid package via the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative.

This money had been stalled for months under intense bureaucratic debate. The funds are being routed through U.S. European Command to buy brand-new weapons from American manufacturers for Ukraine.

Leading Republican Senator Mitch McConnell and other lawmakers explicitly accused Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby's policy office of holding up the approved funds, letting the aid collect dust and offering nothing but excuses.

Colby was also linked to broader decisions to pivot the financial burden of supporting Ukraine toward European allies instead.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth being the head of the Pentagon under the Trump administration, faced intense bipartisan pressure from the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee.

Under this scrutiny, Hegseth ultimately announced at a House committee hearing that the Pentagon had finally unblocked and transferred the funds.

Republican Senator Mitch McConnell was the main catalyst who publicly exposed and broke the bureaucratic deadlock, aggressively demanding the Pentagon release the funds that Congress had already authorized back in December.

[kellyhound]

According to updates from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, enemy forces launched 22 distinct attacks in the Pokrovsk direction over the last day.

The assaults focused near Sukhetske, Novooleksandrivka, Hryshyne and Kotlyne.

Ukrainian defenses repelled the majority of these engagements. Early reports indicate dozens of russian casualties and the destruction of multiple specialized vehicles and personnel shelters in this single sector.

Officials in Kharkiv Oblast revealed that russia has begun heavily utilizing specialized fiber-optic drones with a 30-kilometer range to bypass traditional electronic jamming systems.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense reported detecting and destroying several russian unmanned surface vehicles attempting to strike the Ukrainian coast.

Notably, russia had installed Starlink satellite systems on these naval drones to maintain long-range control.

Speaking in Moscow, russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov explicitly rejected any proposals to freeze the conflict along the current front lines.

Lavrov reiterated that Moscow will only negotiate based on the original maximalist terms outlined during the 2022 Istanbul talks, effectively demanding Ukraine's total capitulation.

The front line showed russia launching upwards of 200 daily combat engagements across multiple axes and russian forces achieved small group infantry breakthroughs in the Kostyantynivka tactical area.

However, the Institute for the Study of War reports these infiltrations have not resulted in consolidated, permanent territorial control and Ukrainian troops successfully recaptured several contested positions within the sector over the last day.

They also launched heavy assaults near Bilytske, Nikanorivka and Kotlyne. While russia has managed to incrementally creep forward, military experts reporting that the Kremlin's claims of massive territorial breakthroughs in the east are mathematically exaggerated.

The Lyman Frontline stalled after russian troops accelerated their ground offensives north of Lyman.

However, Ukrainian defenses successfully held the line, preventing any verified territorial losses in this sector over the past 36 hours by creating drone kill zones. Drones wait for them in a sort of ambush and stop or destroy the soldiers.

The Armed Forces of Ukraine confirmed a major, successful long-range strike targeting the main electrical power substation in occupied Sevastopol, Crimea, severely disrupting power supply to the russian military rear.

The strike was conducted using long-range attack drones launched from distances of roughly 155 to 220 miles from Ukrainian-controlled territory.

Ukrainian commander Robert Brovdi confirmed that 7 precise drone hits successfully disabled the 330/220/110/35 kV Sevastopol substation, which distributes power generated by the Balaklava Thermal Power Plant.

The hits on the Sevastopol substation were part of a massive, synchronized overnight drone campaign.

The russia’s Ministry of Defense claimed to have faced a swarm of over 300 Ukrainian drones across Crimea and various russian border regions that same night. Within that wave, Ukrainian drone forces successfully struck a total of 48 distinct military and tactical targets in the occupied south.

Among those 48 were logistics, and energy infrastructure, incl. Pantsir-S1 systems, an S-300 launcher and the Nebo-U radar which is a mobile, long-range 3D air surveillance radar system that operates in the VHF band.

It is designed to detect, track and determine the coordinates of airborne targets, incl. aircraft, drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles, at long ranges and high altitudes. The system can track targets at distances up to 700 kilometers (approx. 435 miles) and at altitudes up to 70 kilometers.

Operations also destroyed three Orion drones, a training facility, fuel storage, and critical electrical substations.

Ukraine successfully struck a major facility that produces critical raw materials for rocket fuel during a massive overnight drone operation.

The target was the Orenburg Gas Processing Plant and the adjacent Orenburg Helium Plant, located deep inside russia, more than 1,200 kilometers (750 miles) from the front lines.

The heavily damaged Orenburg Helium Plant is the only facility of its kind in russia. It produces helium, which is critical for liquid-fuel rocket engines and missile guidance systems, as well as ethane, a core chemical building block used to produce solid rocket fuel and gunpowder.

NASA’s Firms fire-detection satellites and local footage confirmed that the drone strikes sparked a large-scale fire and multiple active hotspots across the industrial complex.

The attack forced local authorities to temporarily shut down airspace and halt operations at the nearby Orenburg, Orsk and Yasny airports.

Modernized FP-1 attack drones were used by Ukraine's Special Operations Forces to strike the Orenburg facilities. These advanced long-range kamikaze drones have a maximum flight range exceeding 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles) and were upgraded by Fire Point, a private Ukrainian defense technology company.

The deep-strike operation was executed in close coordination with Black Spark aka Chernaya Iskra, an underground insurgent resistance movement operating internally on russian soil.

Local residents reported hearing at least 3 distinct drone impacts before the industrial complex caught fire.

In the Pokrovsk direction alone, Ukrainian defenders repelled 22 heavy attacks, eliminating dozens of infantrymen and destroying 2 personnel shelters, 3 automotive transport units, and 4 specialized military vehicles, while disbling or suppressing 220 russian reconnaissance and strike UAV's.

The russian Ministry of Defense and independent battlefield monitors confirm steady, incremental infantry advances in the Donetsk region.

Also russian ground units completely captured the village of Bratske, located directly south of the critical logistics hub of Pokrovsk and russian assault groups successfully breached Ukrainian forward defenses in the Kostyantynivka tactical sector, forcing Ukrainian troops to fall back to secondary defensive lines.

Utilizing heavy artillery superiority, russian forces achieved small-scale, verified territorial expansions near Bilytske, Nikanorivka, and Kotlyne in the Donetsk Oblast.

They also launched a massive, synchronized wave of over 90 missiles and 600 drones targeting Ukrainian rear logistics and cities.

A ballistic missile hit Kryvyi Rih, destroying civilian property and infrastructure, killing 4 people, and wounding at least 27 others.

Also russian forces executed 1,021 targeted strikes using FPV drones, aircraft and artillery against 38 settlements in the Zaporizhia region in the past 24 hours, damaging 135 buildings, homes and utility centers.

A heavy russian air attack in Druzhkivka, Donetsk region, caused extensive fire damage to a multi-story residential facility and local logistics sites.

They also launched roughly 20 drone attacks against the Nikopol and Pavlohrad districts, severely damaging high-rise residential complexes, an office building, a petrol station and transit infrastructure.