I suppose this can tie into this. Putin says Ukraine war coming to an end soon .
Vladimir Putin held a subdued Victory Day parade on Saturday in Moscow, with fewer missiles and other weapons that are an annual boast about Russia’s military power. If it’s true that Mr. Putin feared a long-range Ukrainian drone strike, it’s one more sign that the tide may be turning against Russia after four long years of death.
“Russian forces are performing worse on the battlefield in Spring 2026 than when the Kremlin emphasized its demand for Donetsk Oblast in 2025,” the Institute for the Study of War reported on Friday.
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Russia has been making grinding progress in Ukraine’s east for months, albeit at great cost in casualties. So it’s significant if Ukrainian forces are reversing the trend. Ukraine’s military says Russia suffered more than 35,000 casualties in April, dead or wounded, which if even close to true is also a growing toll.
ISW says Ukraine is increasingly able to hit targets deep in Russia with drones and missiles. These include oil production facilities, arms caches and other military assets, as our Jillian Melchior reported Friday. This explains Mr. Putin’s lack of confidence in exposing Russian assets in Red Square.
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All of this means this is a moment to increase support for Ukraine so it can keep the pressure on Russia. Only the prospect of greater losses and potential defeat will cause Mr. Putin to abandon his imperial ambitions in Ukraine—and in Western Europe. That’s the best way to end the war on honorable terms that secure peace and freedom for Ukraine.
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