Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[Korrespondent] 22.01 An air alert was declared throughout Ukraine on the evening of May 27 due to the takeoff of a MiG-31K. The Air Force reported this.
"Attention! All of Ukraine is a missile danger! MiG-31K takeoff recorded," the message says.
Later, the military reported a missile, probably aimed at Starokostyantyniv.
21:53 President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, following a meeting with the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrsky and the Chief of the General Staff Andriy Hnatov, announced new long-range operations against Russia. Zelenskyy said this in an evening address on May 27.
20 46 On May 27, Russian troops attacked a playground in the Korabelny district of Kherson. The injured mother and daughters were wounded, and the man was killed. This was reported by the head of the city military administration, Yaroslav Shanko.
"A playground in the Korabelny district as a 'military facility'... It was near it that Russian terrorists struck a devastating blow today. As a result of this cynical attack, an entire family suffered - a mother with two little daughters, 3 and 6 years old. The father, most likely, died," he sighed.
Shanko added that, according to preliminary information, Russian terrorists killed the father of the family.
As reported by the Kherson OVA, it became known about another victim as a result of today's Russian shelling of the Korabelny district of Kherson.
"A 50-year-old man suffered explosive and closed head injuries, concussion, and a shrapnel wound to the leg. The ambulance crew took the victim to the hospital in moderate condition," the report says.
20.12 The letter that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote to the head of the White House, Donald Trump, and members of the US Congress, referred to the Russian attack using medium-range ballistic missiles "Oreshnik". The text of Zelensky's letter was published by journalist Barak Ravid.
The letter notes that on the night of May 24, Russia launched a particularly brutal, massive strike on Ukraine.
Zelensky recalled that at that time the Russian Federation used 54 cruise, 30 ballistic, 3 hypersonic Zircon missiles and 2 Kinzhal air-to-air ballistic missiles.
"Russia also launched Oreshnik medium-range ballistic missiles - one of them hit the Kyiv region, and the other, according to available data, fell in the temporarily occupied territory in the Donetsk region of Ukraine," Zelenskyy's letter states.
19:30 President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that he had a telephone conversation with President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, during which they discussed work on strengthening Ukrainian air defense, primarily anti-ballistic missiles.
"Europe has the appropriate capabilities, and we talked about this, in particular, within the framework of our work with the EU on the Drone Deal track. Thank you, Ursulo, for supporting this format. It is important that our teams are actively working, and there are already countries that are ready to join," the president noted.
The leaders also discussed Ukraine's European integration track.
18.55 Pope Leo XIV, after the attack on Kyiv on May 24, expressed concern about the intensification of massive shelling in Ukraine. This is reported by Vatican News. During a general audience held on May 27 in St. Peter's Square in the Vatican, the pontiff said that he was following with concern the war in Ukraine, which had escalated significantly in recent days. He expressed his closeness to all those suffering from the consequences of the recent shelling, which was also directed against the civilian population.
18.37 In Odessa, the number of victims has increased to 11 people due to a Russian drone hitting a shopping center on the afternoon of May 27. This was reported by the head of the OVA, Oleg Kiper.
"Unfortunately, the number of victims as a result of the enemy attack on the Odessa region has increased to 11. Eight of them have been hospitalized," Kiper noted.
The head of the OVA specified that the victims suffered shrapnel wounds, burns, acupressure injuries, limb injuries, head injuries, as well as acute stress reactions. Currently, doctors assess the condition of three victims as serious.
18.29 The Russian leadership has set a task to increase the occupation contingent in Ukraine by at least tens of thousands. This was announced by President Volodymyr Zelensky on Telegram following a defense meeting.
18.26 In Ukraine, 579 Ukrainians convicted of collaborationism are serving sentences in prisons. More than 400 of them have expressed a desire to be sent to Russia as part of a prisoner exchange. This was discussed during a press conference with the participation of Deputy Head of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War Andriy Yusov, Head of the Research Center for Penitentiary and Criminal Justice of the Penitentiary Academy Andriy Galay, Chief Researcher Oleksandr Tkachenko, and Professor of the Department of Psychology of the Penitentiary Academy Tetyana Danylchenko, at which they presented the study Criminological and Psychological Portrait of a Convicted Collaborator, Ukrinform reports.
18.03 Reports from Russian sources about the alleged capture of the village of Hraniv in the Dergachiv community of the Kharkiv region are not true. The 14th Army Corps of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has informed about this.
17.34 Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that Russia's war against Ukraine should not be expected to end anytime soon. She said this on the WDR podcast.
According to Merkel, she hopes that in ten years the war will end and Ukraine will remain an independent, free and sovereign state.
17.33 The Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War reported that a meeting was held with the leader of the Belarusian opposition Svitlana Tikhanovskaya and her team. The foreign delegation was briefed on the main areas of the Coordination Headquarters' work, the mechanisms for searching, identifying and returning prisoners of war and missing persons, as well as the peculiarities of interaction with international organizations.
Secretary of the Coordination Staff Dmitry Usov told the delegation how Belarusian citizens are recruited into the occupation forces and how many of them have already died at the front. The delegation spoke with prisoners of war Belarusian citizens who fought on the side of the invaders.
The actions of these prisoners, according to Tikhanovskaya, do not reflect the position of the lion's share of Belarusian society. Therefore, oppositionists are actively working to prevent the Kremlin from dragging Minsk into a full-fledged war.
17.28 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky sent a letter to US President Donald Trump and the US Congress regarding the shortage of air defense systems. This was stated by the Head of State's Communications Advisor Dmytro Lytvyn, Interfax-Ukraine reports.
16.44 Since the beginning of the day, Russian invaders have attacked the positions of the Defense Forces 65 times. The enemy focused more than half of the attacks on two key areas, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported in an operational summary.
16.06 In temporarily occupied Sevastopol, after the Ukrainian attack, a fire broke out in the building where, according to ASTRA OSINT analysis, the headquarters of the naval aviation of the Russian Black Sea Fleet is located.
15.39 Ukraine is launching a separate Logistic Lockdown program to scale up middle strike and systematically destroy the capabilities of the Russian army at operational depth. This was announced by Defense Minister Mikhail Fedorov on Facebook.
15.05 Law enforcement officers uncovered a scheme to embezzle UAH 2.7 million of budget funds for the construction of an Armed Forces command post on the territory of one of the military units in the Zhytomyr region. The SBU reported this.
14.54 A Russian drone attacked the territory of a farm in the Koropsky territorial community of the Novgorod-Siversky district of the Chernihiv region. A fire broke out in the farm building.
Rescuers quickly extinguished the fire. A woman died and a man was injured in the attack.
A video of a Russian drone hitting the ground just a few meters from a tractor driver working in a field appeared on social media. The ammunition hit the ground about two to three meters from the agricultural machinery.
14.19 Russian aggressors launched a drone strike on the civilian infrastructure of the Odessa region. Four people are currently reported injured, the head of the OVA, Oleg Kiper, reported on Telegram.
14.00 Vinnytsia City Court sentenced local blogger Oleksandr Shavlyuk to three years in prison for insulting CCK servicemen and fundraising fraud.
The regional prosecutor's office disagrees with the court's decision and will file an appeal. They stated that the blogger's actions should be qualified as obstruction of the lawful activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other military formations during a special period. The sanction of this article provides for five to eight years of imprisonment.
According to the investigation, the man used his own media resource, a YouTube channel, and a Telegram channel with an audience of many thousands to systematically discredit mobilization events.
In publications and speeches, he called the CCC "illegal," urged citizens to ignore state demands, evade mobilization, and not perform military service. He also spread personalized insults against the CCC military.
A separate episode of the case concerns fraud. The blogger posted an announcement on his channel about allegedly collecting funds to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine. For transfers, he indicated his mother's bank card details. Later, he spent the money received from citizens for his own needs.
13.52 The information from the British magazine The Economist that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky allegedly instructed to prepare for war for another 2-3 years is not true and is a hoax. This was stated by the head of state's communications adviser Dmytro Lytvyn, Interfax-Ukraine reports.
13.11 Since September 2022, Ukraine has received almost 6,000 radar satellite images thanks to the "People's Satellite" project. This was reported by the Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) of the Ministry of Defense.
12.31 An indictment was sent to the court against the head of a group of one of the departments of the Kovel District Territorial Center for Recruitment and Social Support, who, together with his colleagues, used force against a 60-year-old man.
According to the investigation, on March 20, in the village of Zabolottya, Kovel district, three employees of the CCC in Volyn approached a 60-year-old local resident who was fishing. Despite the fact that the man was no longer subject to conscription due to his age, while trying to detain him, they broke his arm behind his back and fractured a bone with displacement.
One of the soldiers then used a taser and sprayed pepper spray in his direction, causing chemical burns to his eyes. The CCC officers also damaged the wheels of the car so that it could not move.
As a result of the beating, the man received moderate injuries.
The group leader will be tried for intentional bodily harm of moderate severity. The sanction of the article provides for up to three years of imprisonment.
12:00 In Chernihiv, during a night attack, Russian drones struck several enterprises. The attack damaged warehouses, an administrative building, equipment, and cars.
Five summer houses were also destroyed. Six high-rise buildings were damaged - windows were broken.
The head of the regional military administration, Vyacheslav Chaus, added that Russia had massively struck Chernihiv and neighboring communities with drones. "Many explosions. Hits in various locations. There is destruction," he noted.
The Russians damaged summer houses in the Novobilouska and Kulykivska communities, a woodworking enterprise, a logistics company, and critical infrastructure in Chernihiv. A warehouse, special equipment, cars, and a truck were damaged.
11.45 Russian aggressors have shelled settlements in Donetsk region 18 times over the past 24 hours. Six civilians were killed, the head of the Donetsk Oblast's Armed Forces Vadym Filashkin reported on Telegram.
10.48 Counterintelligence officers detained in Odessa an agent of Russian military intelligence (better known as the GRU), who coordinated a double strike on Odessa in March 2024. This was reported by the SBU. It is indicated that this is a priest of one of the churches of the local diocese of the UOC-MP. The cleric came to the attention of racists when he published pro-Kremlin comments in Telegram channels.
10.22 On Wednesday morning, five regions of Ukraine recorded new power outages due to attacks by Russian aggressors and bad weather. This was reported by Ukrenergo. The situation is currently difficult in the Sumy region, where there are outages due to both Russian shelling and bad weather.
09.12 On the night of May 27, Russia attacked Ukraine with 163 Shahed, Gerber, Italmas attack UAVs and Parodia-type simulator drones.
Air defenses shot down/suppressed 150 enemy Shahed, Gerbera, Italmas UAVs and drones of other types in the north, south, and east of the country.
Eight strike UAVs were recorded hitting seven locations, as well as downed UAVs (fragments) falling at four locations.
08.56 On the morning of May 27, a fire broke out at the 325th aircraft repair plant in Taganrog, Rostov Oblast, Russia. Residents reported a series of explosions in the city. Smoke began to rise from the aircraft repair plant.
Rostov Region Governor Yuri Slyusar said that Russian air defenses allegedly shot down a missile over Taganrog this morning. As a result of the "falling debris," several cars on Tsiolkovsky Street allegedly caught fire, with at least two injured.
It is on Tsiolkovsky Street that the 325th Aviation Repair Plant is located. The 352nd Aviation Plant is also located next to the enterprise.
In the morning, it was also reported about explosions and arrivals in the Russian city of Voronezh, Krasnodar Territory. Before that, an air alert was declared in the region due to the missile and drone danger. After the explosions, black smoke rose over the city. According to preliminary data, the attack could have occurred at the airfield or airbase of the Russian Aerospace Forces in Baltimore.
In addition, social media is reporting an attack on Tuapse, Krasnodar Territory. Footage of the affected oil depot posted online shows a large-scale fire and thick smoke.
08.21 Over the past 24 hours, 296 combat clashes were recorded on the front, in particular, in the Pokrovsky direction, Ukrainian defenders stopped 53 assault actions of the Russian invaders. Aviation, missile troops and artillery of the Defense Forces hit seven areas of concentration of enemy manpower, one gun and one other important object.
07.53 On the night of May 27, explosions were heard in the temporarily occupied Crimea. It was loud in Simferopol and Sevastopol, writes the Telegram channel Crimean Wind.
It is reported that the building of the headquarters of the Air Force of the Russian Black Sea Fleet - the main control body after the destruction of the main headquarters - was attacked. A fire broke out. In addition, drones attacked airfields and military units on Cape Fiolent.
First, it became known about powerful explosions on Cape Fiolent, then reports began to appear about explosions in Simferopol, where the occupiers' air defenses were operating at the Tavria CHP.
Later, Krymsky veter reported shooting and explosions on the northern side of Sevastopol. There was also noise in the area of the Kacha and Belbek airfields.
In the morning, explosions began to sound again in Simferopol, and in Sevastopol, after four powerful explosions, something started to smoke in the area of Sevastopol Bay and Sapun Gora.
07.25 From February 24, 2022 to May 27, 2026, the total combat losses of Russian troops on the territory of Ukraine amounted to approximately 1,358,950 people (+1,000 per day).
03.56 Social media is reporting a new drone attack on Tuapse. A fire is reported near an oil depot.
03.20 About 15 explosions were heard in Chernihiv. Local authorities reported a massive UAV attack. One of the city's enterprises was damaged.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[NewsFront] 21:08 Group "Vostok"continuesadvance into the depths of the enemy's defense in the Zaporizhzhia region.
During fierce fighting, our soldiers liberated the village of Vozdvizhevka.
20:33 From 8:00 Moscow time to 20:00 Moscow time by air defense systems on duty intercepted and destroyed nine Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles of the aircraft type over the territories of the Belgorod and Kursk regions.
20:00 The Investigative Committee will investigate crimes committed by Ukrainian armed forces against civilians in the Kursk and Belgorod regions
19:28 One person died and two were wounded as a result of a drone attack on Svatovo in the LPR.
According to local authorities, a 51-year-old man died when an enemy drone struck a car in Svatovo, and two others, a woman and a man, received injuries of varying severity.
19:10 Ukrainian Armed Forces inflicted an attack on one of the key control centers of internet providers, which resulted in the loss of communication in Energodar.
18:31 UAV crews of the Dnepr group of forces successfully intercept enemy reconnaissance drones
During a routine flight, an FPV drone operator spotted a Ukrainian reconnaissance UAV, then launched an aerial ram attack and destroyed the target in the skies over the Kherson region.
17:08 In the Kursk region due to an attack by a Ukrainian drone wounded four civilians.
According to local authorities, four men were injured in the drone attack. All suffered moderate shrapnel wounds.
16:44 The Investigative Committee will investigate crimes committed by the Armed Forces of Ukraine against civilians in several regions of Russia
According to government authorities, a woman and a man were killed in the Kherson region as a result of Ukrainian armed aggression. Drone attacks in various towns and villages in the region left 14 people injured.
15:31 FPV drone operators destroyed two enemy missile systems in the Volchansky district of the Khar'kov region, video.
14:30 Military commissars in Volyn broke a 60-year-old fisherman whose arm was smashed, and was shocked with a stun gun, and had gas sprayed into his eyes.
In the village of Zabolot'e in the Kovel district, three TCC employees approached a 60-year-old local resident who was fishing.
Despite the man's age being beyond the age of conscription, they broke his arm while attempting to detain him. Afterward, one of the military commissars used a stun gun and pepper spray, causing chemical burns to his eyes. They also slashed the tires of the man's car to prevent him from driving away.
13:33 Severian reconnaissance units in the area of the village of Lukashovo uncovered the position of Ukrainian artillerymen who were carrying out indiscriminate strikes in the direction of the Volokonovsky district of the Belgorod region.
The FPV drone operators of the Northern Group of Forces worked on the target, destroying the American M-101 howitzer with several precision strikes. video.
13:00 Summary of the Ministry of Defense on the progress of the Special Military Operation as of May 27, 2027
Units of the North military group have actively established control over the village of Granov in the Khar'kov region.
The formations of the mechanized brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were defeated in the areas of the settlements of Rubezhnoye and Staritsa in the Khar'kov region.
In the Sumy region, the manpower and equipment of three mechanized brigades, an airmobile brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and a territorial defense brigade were damaged in the areas of the settlements of Tolstodubovo, Khrapovshchina, Ivolzhanskoye, Krasnopolye, and Katerynivka in the Sumy region.
The enemy lost over 165 servicemen, 10 vehicles, a US-made 105mm M101 howitzer and an electronic warfare station.
Units of the "West" force group occupied more advantageous positions and lines. They defeated the personnel and equipment of three mechanized brigades, two assault brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, two naval infantry brigades, and a territorial defense brigade near the settlements of Krasny Liman and Prishyb in the Donetsk People's Republic, and Smorodkovka, Gusinka, Novy Mir, Osinovo, Grushevka, and Monachinovka in the Khar'kov region.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost up to 190 servicemen, a British-made Snatch armored fighting vehicle, a Novator armored fighting vehicle, 19 vehicles, and a US-made 155mm M114 howitzer.
Units of the Southern Group of Forces improved their position along the forward edge. They defeated formations of three mechanized brigades, a motorized infantry brigade, a mountain assault brigade, an airmobile brigade, and a naval infantry brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces near the villages of Piskunovka, Orekhovatka, Nikolaevka, Novoselovka, Rai-Aleksandrovka, Kramatorsk, and Konstantinovka in the Donetsk People's Republic.
The enemy lost up to 180 servicemen, two tanks, including a German-made Leopard tank, an infantry fighting vehicle, a US-made Stryker armored personnel carrier, five armored combat vehicles, 18 cars, two artillery pieces, and a Grad multiple launch rocket system combat vehicle.
Units of the Center Group of Forces occupied more advantageous positions and lines. They defeated the personnel and equipment of the mechanized, assault, airborne, and airmobile brigades, as well as the assault regiment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, a naval infantry brigade, the special forces brigade, and two National Guard brigades near the settlements of Novopavlivka in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, and Raiske, Serhiivka, Krasny Kut, Toretskoye, Belitskoye, Kucherov Yar, Novooleksandrivka, and Novogrigorovka in the Donetsk People's Republic.
Ukrainian armed forces lost up to 340 servicemen, two armored combat vehicles, seven cars, an artillery piece, and an electronic warfare station.
Units of the "East" group of forces continued to advance into the depths of the enemy's defenses and, as a result of decisive actions, liberated the village of Vozdvizhevka in the Zaporizhzhia region.
The manpower and equipment of two mechanized, three airborne assault, one assault brigades and four assault regiments of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were damaged in the areas of the settlements of Novoselivka, Yegorovka, Omelnik, Charivne, Dolinka in the Zaporizhzhia region, Pokrovskoe and Gavrilovka in the Dnipropetrovsk region.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost up to 285 servicemen, three armored combat vehicles, and seven cars.
Units of the Dnepr group of forces defeated formations of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' mechanized brigade and the territorial defense brigade in the areas of the settlements of Preobrazhenka and Orekhov in the Zaporizhzhia region.
Up to 60 Ukrainian Armed Forces servicemen, 10 vehicles and five electronic warfare stations were destroyed.
12:32 Russian troops took control over the village of Granov in the Khar'kov region. As a result of decisive actions, the village of Vozdvizhevka in the Zaporizhzhia region was liberated.
11:45 Resident of Starobelsk, LPR will be tried for espionage in favor of Ukraine
According to investigators, 46-year-old Dmitry Dybka collected information about Russian military personnel in the Starobelsk district and transmitted it to Ukrainian intelligence services via the internet.
11:28 Four civilians wounded in the Kursk border region
According to preliminary information, this morning in the village of Belaya in the Belovsky district, an enemy UAV carried out an attack near a store.
Four men were injured in the attack. Three suffered multiple shrapnel wounds, and one suffered acupuncture. They were taken to the hospital and are receiving all necessary medical care.
10:58 On frames: FAB-500 strikes in order:
PVD 28 Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Konstantinovka;
PVD 81 Artillery Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Piskunovka.
9:32 Summary about the operational situation in the Kursk region over the past 24 hours.
In total, 51 enemy drones of various types were shot down between 9:00 a.m. on May 25 and 9:00 a.m. on May 26. The enemy used artillery 82 times on evacuated areas. Drones attacked our territory seven times using explosive devices.
07:40 During the past night, from 20:00 Moscow time on May 26 to 07:00 Moscow time on May 27, air defense systems on duty intercepted and destroyed 140 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles of the fixed-wing type flew over the territories of the Belgorod, Volgograd, Voronezh, Kursk, Oryol, Tula regions, Krasnodar Krai, the Republic of Crimea and over the waters of the Azov and Black Seas.
05:07 Crews of the 152mm Giatsint-B towed guns of the 83rd Self-propelled Artillery Regiment of the 25th Combined Arms Army of the West group destroyed temporary deployment points, observation posts and manpower of the Ukrainian Armed Forces units in the Krasnolimansk direction.
Artillerymen from the Vostok group covered strongholds containing enemy personnel in the Zaporizhzhia region with fire from 152mm Msta-B howitzers.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited by Kirill Velesov
[REGNUM] The Russian domestic market is fully supplied with food. Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Patrushev informed Vladimir Putin of this at a working meeting held in the Kremlin on May 27.
A good foundation has been created for the 2026 harvest, the deputy prime minister reported to the president. This year, 83 million hectares have been allocated for sowing. The weather this spring was challenging, with warmth delayed in several regions, but farmers are quickly making up for lost time. " Significantly more than half of the required area has already been sown," Patrushev said. In addition to the 83 million hectares allocated for spring crops, 20 million hectares were sown with winter crops last fall—and 97% successfully survived the winter.
The head of state keeps the harvest issue—as a strategic matter—under close scrutiny. Putin's primary goal for the domestic agricultural industry and its overseers in the government is to maintain the country's ability to feed itself without dependence on external supplies. This trend was set in 2014, when, in response to the Crimean sanctions, Russia imposed an embargo on Western agricultural products.
This state protection has opened up additional opportunities for our agricultural producers. The state, for its part, is assisting farmers and agricultural holdings with targeted grants and preferential leasing of machinery and equipment. Patrushev announced that assistance is guaranteed this year as well.
FIELD ROBOTS
"To maintain the affordability of agricultural machinery, we are, in particular, continuing to develop our preferential leasing program. Currently, supply volumes… are already almost 1.5 times higher than last year," the Deputy Prime Minister reported.
The state-owned company Rosagroleasing is implementing a project to develop MTS (machine-technical stations), which allow farmers to quickly and easily rent the equipment they need at any time. As Patrushev explained, this is essentially a revival of the Soviet MTS system (then known as machine-tractor stations) at a new technological level.
The state helps agriculture develop not only extensively, but also to reach a new technological level and master and apply digital technologies.
"We currently have 24,000 units of various automated equipment operating in the fields," Patrushev said. " Artificial intelligence and computer vision are used in livestock farming. And processing plants are actively using robotic equipment."
The Ministry of Agriculture works closely with Roshydromet, creating a digital platform through which forecasters can quickly transmit weather data.
Overall, the Russian agro-industrial complex (AIC) has become an industry open to the latest digital solutions. "Of course, this has a positive impact on process efficiency and increased production volumes," noted Dmitry Patrushev.
OUR OWN SELECTION
Starting in 2022, the issue of Russia's food sovereignty will be particularly pressing. The key issue here is providing our farmers with domestically produced seeds and fertilizers.
"Since 2022, our domestic seed supply has increased from 60% to 70%," Patrushev informed the head of state. "There has been a significant breakthrough in certain crops, where historically, foreign-bred varieties have been used primarily. These include sugar beets, sunflowers, and rapeseed."
As for fertilizers, Russia not only produces them for its own needs, but is also increasing their exports, including to the United States.
"I'd like to add that in recent years, we've been creating so-called agrobiotechnoparks. These are essentially unique clusters that combine the efforts of science and business to develop a particular science- or capital-intensive area in the agricultural sector," noted Dmitry Patrushev.
Thanks to government support, numerous new producers have entered the domestic market, while established players have increased production. The country now has virtually the entire range of products it needs.
Having supplied its own market with food, Russia is also concerned about global food security, Patrushev noted.
"We supply our products to our foreign partners. We expect to export 60 million tons of grain this agricultural season, which runs from July 1st to July 1st next year. This is a very respectable result," the Deputy Prime Minister emphasized.
We benefit significantly from caring about other countries' food security. Export revenues are almost 25% higher than in the same period in 2025, the deputy prime minister told the president.
Patrushev added that the volume of Russian agricultural technology exports is also growing, something that “previously was practically nonexistent.”
"First and foremost, these are seeds, genetic material, and breeding stock," the Deputy Prime Minister explained. " We have a significant amount of high-quality developments that are highly valued by buyers abroad. Last year alone, exports of these items increased by 40%."
MODERN AND CLEAN ENVIRONMENT
"While developing technologies, we also don't forget the need to improve the quality of life for people in rural areas," Dmitry Patrushev emphasized. He informed Putin that the state program "Comprehensive Development of Rural Areas," which has been in effect for seven years, will cover 13,500 villages and hamlets by 2026.
"Our villages are constantly being reimagined," Patrushev noted. "These include modern schools, kindergartens, medical, sports, and cultural facilities, and new roads. More than 6,000 infrastructure facilities have been built and modernized, and 200,000 families have already found new homes." Assistance programs for those working in rural areas will continue, the Deputy Prime Minister emphasized.
For the seven years that the rural development program has been in effect, the United Russia party has provided support—it places great emphasis on rural development, Patrushev added. This issue is also on the president's radar. Vladimir Putin has tasked both central and local authorities with achieving equal improvements in quality of life across the country, which will transform villages into magnets for skilled professionals.
One of the main keys to a high quality of life is a clean environment.
"Vladimir Vladimirovich, if you don't mind, I'd like to ask you about forestry—it's also a very important issue for us," Patrushev remarked, adding, "For the sixth year in a row, we've maintained a rate of reforestation that outpaces deforestation. By 2026, Russia is expected to have over 1 million hectares of new forests. Therefore, we certainly expect to maintain this important trend."
Clean air and water are critical issues for both rural areas and, especially, industrial cities. The President, who oversees the implementation of environmental programs, raised the issue of creating green belts around major urban areas.
"We're working on that too. It's a crucial issue around major cities. That's your instruction. And the most important thing is that we have our own seedlings there," Patrushev said.
In a conversation with the Deputy Prime Minister, the President highlighted the objectives of the Clean Air project. He recalled that the first stage focused on reducing emissions in 12 cities with the most pressing environmental impacts.
"Indeed, we initially conducted work in 12 industrial centers, and hazardous emissions have already been reduced by more than 20% thanks to our efforts," Patrushev reported. The project has now expanded to 29 more major industrial centers.
The private sector in these cities is being encouraged to switch to more environmentally friendly heating systems. Polluting industries will be equipped with modern purification systems and automatic emission control systems, the Deputy Prime Minister announced.
The project's implementation will continue to be monitored, as the president has set a common goal: to improve the well-being of citizens while maintaining a clean environment.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[Regnum] Russia does not intend to develop a dialogue with the United States on nuclear deterrence. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov stated this in an interview with Izvestia on May 28.
"We proposed that the Americans adhere to the voluntary restrictions they had assumed under the central quantitative ceilings of the expired treaty for at least a year. We proposed this. It didn't work for the Americans," the diplomat emphasized.
He explained that in the current situation, Russia does not consider it necessary to further develop its own position or establish anything.
Ryabkov clarified that dialogue on arms control and strategic stability will not take place until the United States changes its position toward Russia.
Earlier, Russia and China expressed regret in a joint statement that after the expiration of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), the United States did not allow the treaty's legacy to be preserved.
The New START Treaty expired on February 5. However, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed extending the New START provisions for another year beyond its expiration date back in September 2025. He called the complete rejection of the document's legacy a mistake.
In February, US President Donald Trump called the New START a poorly negotiated document. He advocates for an "improved" version of the treaty that would include China.
Commenting on Trump's statements, Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov noted that China opposes its inclusion in the nuclear arsenal treaty, as its nuclear potential is incomparable to that of either Russia or the United States. At the same time, Peskov added, Russia cannot ignore the nuclear capabilities of US allies in Europe—Britain and France.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited by Viktor Lavrinenko
[REGNUM] Norway, Sweden, and Finland have moved to an unprecedented level of military integration, creating a new “Russia containment architecture” in northern Europe, which is already being called the “Viking bloc.”
This "alliance within an alliance" aims to form a unified northern NATO front to counter Russia's growing Arctic defense capabilities. As the defense ministers of the three countries stated following their meeting in Trøndelag, Norway, on May 5–6, 2026, they can now "talk together, plan together, and act together in ways previously impossible."
UNIFIED TRANSPORT NETWORK
The militaristic integration of the three countries' efforts is being built on several critically important areas at once.
First, Norway, Sweden, and Finland are creating a common military transport corridor. The countries' leaders agreed to connect their northern regions for the rapid movement of troops and heavy equipment from Norwegian ports through Sweden to Finland.
The corridor idea was formalized at a meeting of the prime ministers and presidents of Norway, Sweden, and Finland in Bodø, Norway, on June 20, 2024. It envisions troops and equipment arriving by sea in Norway being able to proceed without delay to any point along NATO's eastern flank.
Risk Intelligence conducted a detailed mapping of the logistics corridor, identifying strategic constraints and capacity gaps through June 2026.
The corridor is based on a large-scale modernization of the railway network. The key artery is the line leading from the Arctic port of Narvik through Sweden to eastern Finland. To this end, Suomi is building a new Rail Nordica line, which will stretch from the Norwegian border to the Finnish ports of Oulu and Kemi.
The construction cost is estimated at several billion euros, with 20 million euros already allocated for the initial work. A critical decision was to abandon the wide "Russian" gauge (1524 mm), inherited from the Russian Empire, adopted in Suomi. This highway will be built with a 1435 mm gauge to integrate it into the pan-European TEN-T transport network.
Equally important will be the Swedish Malmbanan line, running from Kiruna to Narvik. It currently transports 80% of the EU's iron ore mined in Scandinavian mines. Malmbanan is also being converted for dual-use. It is now considered part of the military infrastructure, being modernized to handle particularly heavy cargo.
Double-track sections and new signaling systems are also planned. Norway and Sweden are jointly purchasing railcars designed for transporting heavy military equipment. The corresponding contract was won by the Finnish company VR FleetCare, which has committed to supplying 30 railcars under a pilot agreement, with an option for an additional 110.
A Norwegian-Swedish administrative structure called "Platform North" is being established. It will ensure the unimpeded movement of troops and supplies, both in peacetime and wartime.
This is expected to be achieved through the unification of border procedures. The Platform will also focus on road development, industrial investment, and the promotion of green energy.
NATO strategists hope that a single transport corridor will close the gap between the Atlantic and NATO's eastern flank, which were previously separated by the previously neutral Sweden and Finland.
From now on, as promised, in the event of any crisis, the transfer of troops from Norwegian ports to the Russian border will take days, not weeks. This project involves concrete and costly engineering and legal integration, transforming the region into a unified military base.
GENERAL AIR FORCE
Secondly, the four Nordic countries (Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland) are currently developing a joint air force. In March 2023, at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, the heads of the air forces of these countries signed an agreement to establish the Joint Nordic Air Command (JNAC), marking the largest air force integration project in Europe to date.
This project changes the balance of power in Northern Europe by creating a unified "air force." The new structure aims to achieve continuous combat readiness, which includes "joint situational awareness" and a unified command and staff structure.
The document signed by Stockholm, Oslo, Copenhagen, and Helsinki stipulates that the air forces of the four countries will operate under a unified operational command, enabling joint planning and operations. Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, and Finnish airmen now jointly monitor airspace, conduct exercises and training, and provide maintenance and logistical support.
The combined air fleet of the four countries comprises approximately 250 modern combat aircraft. This puts it ahead of the air forces of countries such as France (approximately 230 aircraft) and second only to the Russian Aerospace Forces in Europe.
In the coming years, four countries will transition their air forces to next-generation aircraft. Finland, Norway, and Denmark have purchased a total of 143 F-35A Lightning II fighters from the United States, which will form the core of their future strike force. Sweden, meanwhile, will continue to develop its own JAS 39 Gripen aircraft, the latest modifications.
Finland and Norway have launched an exchange program, with Norwegian cadets training at the Finnish Air Force Academy. The first group of these pilots successfully completed the Hawk jet training program and traveled to the United States to train for the F-35. Similar cooperation is underway with Denmark.
In June 2025, Denmark, Iceland, the Netherlands, and Norway signed an agreement to create a unified fleet of A330 MRTT tanker aircraft. Each aircraft can carry 111 tons of fuel.
GENERAL STAFF STRUCTURE
Thirdly, all of NATO's northern infrastructure is consolidated under the auspices of Joint Command Norfolk (JFC Norfolk).
Since December 2025, JFC Norfolk's area of responsibility has included Sweden, Finland, and Denmark. This now extends from North America to the border with Russia, encompassing the entire Arctic region. JFC Norfolk is positioned as a key command center for operations in the North Atlantic and Arctic, effectively making it the central headquarters for coordinating all NATO military activities in the north.
Specifically, JFC Norfolk leads FLF Finland, the ninth battlegroup in NATO's Spearhead Force system. Its creation is a direct consequence of the integration of Sweden and Finland into the alliance.
The group's structure consists of two main components. The core of FLF Finland's striking power is a Swedish unit, created from the Norrbotten Brigade (based in Boden, northern Sweden). It is commanded by Colonel Daniel Rydberg, who may be assigned between 600 and 1,200 troops. The troops are already practicing scenarios for a rapid advance from Boden across the border river into northern Finland.
The brains of FLF Finland's power is the Multinational Staff Element (MNSE). The administrative and command center of the new formation is located in the northern Finnish city of Rovaniemi. Initially, the permanent presence of NATO staff officers in Rovaniemi will consist of approximately two dozen personnel, half of whom will be Finns and the rest from Allied countries.
The goal is to complete the formation of FLF Finland by the NATO summit in Ankara in July 2026.
Finnish Defence Minister Antti Häkkänen confirmed that the plan is to deploy a battalion battle group and a headquarters element. Sweden will serve as the framework nation, and Finland will serve as the host nation. In addition to the founding nations, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Iceland, and other countries will also participate in the development and exercise of FLF Finland.
Thus, within the coming weeks, NATO's entire northern military architecture should be fully operational, creating a single command center and a new combat unit near Russia's borders.
PLANS AND WORRIES
All these plans are being tested in practice. From March 9 to 20, 2026, the Norway-led Cold Response 26 exercise, which brought together 25,000 troops from fourteen countries, was held.
Essentially, the exercise served as a dress rehearsal for combat operations on NATO's northern flank in Arctic conditions. Significantly, troops and equipment were transferred between the three countries, and the airbases and transport infrastructure of Norway, Sweden, and Finland operated as a single network, servicing allied aircraft.
Naturally, Moscow perceives this activity as a direct threat. Häkkänen warned that Russia is strengthening its strategic assets and creating new military facilities along the border.
The Finns' greatest concern is the Kola Peninsula, where nuclear deterrent forces are deployed. The exercises even prompted practice launches of Kalibr cruise missiles in the Barents Sea and warning flights by Russian bombers over neutral waters. The Russian ambassador to Norway directly stated that NATO is attempting to restrict Russian freedom of navigation in the region.
Northern Europe is turning into a military camp. Sweden and Finland, once neutral states, have become important players in the new NATO architecture (to no avail for their own security), while Norway is actively using its geographic location to coordinate this process on land, in the air, and at sea.
The alliance not only changes the balance of power in the region but also provokes a new arms race in the high latitudes, where the Arctic is increasingly becoming a zone of strategic confrontation. On the other hand, the creation of a "Viking Alliance" could contribute to increased fragmentation of the North Atlantic bloc.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[Regnum] The T-90M "Proryv" tank, produced by Uralvagonzavod, received high praise from Russian military personnel in the special operation zone. This was reported on May 27 by Andrey Terlikov, the T-90M project manager and the company's general designer.
He recalled that the prototype of the Breakthrough, the T-90 tank, was created in the 1990s.
“Its service life is at least 50 years,” TASS quotes Terlikov as saying.
According to the assessment of Russian military personnel operating the T-90M on the battlefield, the vehicles demonstrate the highest effectiveness in carrying out combat missions in the Air Defense Zone, the general designer said.
The T-90M tank is a major upgrade of the T-90 main battle tank. Development of the T-90M began in the early 2010s. The developers first unveiled the T-90M at the Army-2018 International Military-Technical Forum. The first vehicles were delivered to the Russian Armed Forces in the spring of 2020, and serial production began in early 2021.
In turn, the T-90 is a deeply modernized version of the T-72B tank, which is considered one of the best in the world in the West.
In early May, the American military magazine Miltary Watch Magazine reported that Russia is ahead of Western countries in the field of tank counter-drone systems. For example, the anti-drone capabilities of the T-90M and T-72B3M tanks have been significantly improved by the integration of the Arena-M active protection system.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
