Putin wobbles as Russia’s top brass stays mum on Kyiv’s long-range strikes, which analysts say look set to continue.


Mansur Mirovalev is a Kyiv-based writer and video journalist who covers wars and peace in the former Soviet Union.
Putin wobbles as Russia’s top brass stays mum on Kyiv’s long-range strikes, which analysts say look set to continue.

President Zelenskyy demands Lukashenko shut down stations installed by Russia ‘or we will’.

President Putin has hinted at peace talks as the economy fails, people flee cities and toxic ‘oil rains’ fall.

Amid a brewing row that tests Poland’s alliance with Ukraine, President Zelenskyy will skip a key conference.

Fuel shortages and fears rock Crimea as Kyiv attacks the annexed peninsula.

Russia’s Federal Security Service chief said Western powers could weaponise ex-fighters, but analysts doubt the claim.

Russia and Iran have been locked in a centuries-long rivalry and pragmatism.

Russia’s ally participated in joint drills for the first time. Analysts say it was a risky move for Minsk.

More than a dozen Chinese companies operate in Donetsk and Luhansk, according to a Ukrainian monitor.
![[Handout/Evgeny Solntsev via Telegram]](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/photo_2026-05-21-12.07.05-1779354522.jpeg?resize=270%2C180&quality=80)
Photos of emaciated Ukrainians reveal conditions suffered by Ukraine, as meagre rations also afflict Russian soldiers.
