Eilish Hart

In a political twist unimaginable when Russia began its full-scale invasion four years ago, the U.S. is requesting Ukraine's military expertise to help intercept Iranian drones.

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Russia’s military recruitment numbers remain steady, but how long can the regions foot the bill? Meduza asks researcher Janis Kluge. — Meduza It’s no secret that Russia relies on high salaries and sign-on bonuses to recruit more soldiers to fight in Ukraine. Despite staggering battlefield losses, an estimated 30,000 men still enlist every…

Russia’s recruitment numbers look steady, but regional funding is reaching a breaking point. How much longer can Putin avoid another mobilization? We asked researcher @jakluge.de. meduza.io/en/feature/2...

Russia’s recruitment machine runs on cash, and the regions bankrolling it are starting to run out. We asked researcher Janis Kluge how much longer Putin can avoid another mobilization. — Meduza It’s no secret that Russia relies on high salaries and sign-on bonuses to recruit soldiers to fight in Ukraine. Despite staggering battlefield losses, an estimated 30,000 men still enlist every month....

Listen to the full interview here: meduza.io/en/episodes/...

Russia’s military recruitment numbers remain steady, but how long can the regions foot the bill? Meduza asks researcher Janis Kluge. — Meduza It’s no secret that Russia relies on high salaries and sign-on bonuses to recruit more soldiers to fight in Ukraine. Despite staggering battlefield losses, an estimated 30,000 men still enlist every m...

Russia relies on high bonuses to recruit soldiers to fight in Ukraine, but with costs soaring, is there a looming risk of another mobilization?

“Recruitment is clearly the Achilles’ heel of Russia’s war,” says @jakluge.de. My latest Q&A for @meduza.io. meduza.io/en/feature/2...

Russia’s recruitment machine runs on cash, and the regions bankrolling it are starting to run out. We asked researcher Janis Kluge how much longer Putin can avoid another mobilization. — Meduza It’s no secret that Russia relies on high salaries and sign-on bonuses to recruit soldiers to fight in Ukraine. Despite staggering battlefield losses, an estimated 30,000 men still enlist every…

Russia’s recruitment machine brings in 30,000 new volunteers every month to keep up with staggering losses. On this week's Naked Pravda, researcher @jakluge.de explains why the Kremlin’s "cash-for-combat" system is hitting a wall as regional budgets run dry. meduza.io/en/episodes/...

Russia’s recruitment machine runs on cash, and the regions bankrolling it are starting to run out. We asked researcher Janis Kluge how much longer Putin can avoid another mobilization. — Meduza It’s no secret that Russia relies on high salaries and sign-on bonuses to recruit soldiers to fight in Ukraine. Despite staggering battlefield losses, an estimated 30,000 men still enlist every month....

On this week's Naked Pravda, @eilishhart.bsky.social spoke to @jakluge.de about the regional funding dynamics of Russia's surprisingly successful, possibly teetering military recruitment system. meduza.io/en/episodes/...

2026 Munich Security Conference Reflects Troubled Transatlantic Ties | Alexander Gabuev YouTube video by Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center

What did this year’s Munich Security Conference reveal about the state of transatlantic ties? For Carnegie Politika, I spoke with @alexgabuev.bsky.social about war games, peace talks, and the mood in Munich. Watch now on YouTube! www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRLV... @ceip-politika.bsky.social

Made in the EU, Dropped on Kyiv: How European Parts Are Enabling Russia’s Winter Drone War The workhorse of Russia’s drone fleet — responsible for crippling Ukraine's energy grid and triggering a humanitarian crisis — is built with EU technology. Despite tightening sanctions, parts for...

Made in the EU, Dropped on Kyiv: How European Parts Are Enabling Russia’s Winter Drone War

www.occrp.org/en/investiga...

Opinion | When Will This War End? The Question Is Meaningless.

“It can seem that the world watches Russia’s war on Ukraine as if it were a film. When attention wanes, there is a demand for an ending — if not good, then bad. For Ukrainians, this is not cinema but reality. It will last as long as it lasts” — Nataliya Gumenyuk. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/15/o...

Russia killed opposition leader Alexey Navalny using a rare dart frog toxin, five European countries say — Meduza Russian opposition leader Alexey was Navalny was killed in prison using a rare dart frog toxin, five European countries said in a joint statement on February 14.

Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny was killed in prison using a rare dart frog toxin, five European countries said today in a joint statement.
meduza.io/en/feature/2...

Ukrainian resistance to occupation has gone underground after years of brutal repression. Scholar Jade McGlynn explains how hatred — not hope — now drives those still fighting. — Meduza As the full-scale invasion of Ukraine enters its fifth year, resistance to Russian occupation has morphed into something radically different. The viral displays of defiance that defined the war’s…

What motivates Ukrainian resistance to Russian occupation after four years of all-out war? @drjademcglynn.bsky.social explains how hatred — not hope — drives those still fighting behind the front lines. meduza.io/en/feature/2...

Peace talks were supposed to save lives in Ukraine. Instead, last year became the war’s deadliest for civilians since 2022. — Meduza The investigative group Conflict Intelligence Team (CIT) has released a report documenting civilians killed and wounded in the war between Russia and Ukraine in 2025. The summary, which tracks…

Last year began with high hopes for U.S.-brokered peace negotiations in Ukraine. The reality was a nightmare: civilian casualties didn't drop — they surged, making 2025 the deadliest time in the war for noncombatants since the invasion's first year. meduza.io/en/feature/2...

Russia has crushed open defiance in occupied Ukraine. Scholar Jade McGlynn explains how the resistance went underground to survive. — Meduza As the full-scale invasion of Ukraine enters its fifth year, resistance to Russian occupation has undergone a radical transformation. The public displays of defiance that defined the war’s early days ...

After five years of full-scale war, Ukrainian resistance behind the front lines hasn’t stopped — it’s gone deeper underground. @drjademcglynn.bsky.social for joins me on @meduza.io’s podcast to discuss how resistance to Russian occupation has evolved to survive. meduza.io/en/episodes/...

Russia has crushed open defiance in occupied Ukraine. Scholar Jade McGlynn explains how the resistance went underground to survive. — Meduza As the full-scale invasion of Ukraine enters its fifth year, resistance to Russian occupation has undergone a radical transformation. The public displays of defiance that defined the war’s early days…

Russia has crushed open defiance in occupied Ukraine — but resistance hasn’t stopped. @drjademcglynn.bsky.social joins The Naked Pravda to discuss how Ukrainians are fighting back behind the front lines. meduza.io/en/episodes/...

Russia has crushed open defiance in occupied Ukraine. Scholar Jade McGlynn explains how the resistance went underground to survive. — Meduza As the full-scale invasion of Ukraine enters its fifth year, resistance to Russian occupation has undergone a radical transformation. The public displays of defiance that defined the war’s early days ...

After five years of full-scale war, Ukrainian resistance behind the front lines hasn’t stopped — it’s gone deeper underground. @drjademcglynn.bsky.social for joins me on @meduza.io’s podcast to discuss how resistance to Russian occupation has evolved to survive. meduza.io/en/episodes/...

Zelenskyy plans spring elections alongside referendum on peace deal after US push Trump administration has pressured Ukrainian leader to hold both votes by May 15 or risk losing security guarantees

NEW: Ukraine has begun planning presidential elections alongside a referendum on any peace deal with Russia, after the Trump administration pressed Kyiv to hold both votes by May 15 or risk losing proposed US security guarantees
w/ @henryjfoy.ft.com @maxseddon.bsky.social
www.ft.com/content/50d3...

Reporting under Russian fire: more than 175 journalists victims of abuse in Ukraine in the past four years Drone attacks, artillery fire, abductions… In 2025, Ukrainian and international journalists covering Russia’s war in Ukraine continued to be targeted by the Russian army in the course of their work. S...

At least 175 journalists in Ukraine have been victims of abuses committed by the Russian army since Feb. 2022, reports @rsf.org. This includes 16 journalists killed by Russian forces, at least 53 journalists injured, and 26 Ukrainian journalists in Russian captivity. rsf.org/en/175-journ...

Russia’s new law protects the Red Cross name, but enforcing it in occupied Ukraine would expose the very ties Moscow denies — Meduza The Russian Red Cross (RRC) has long denied allegations of operating in occupied Ukraine, despite mounting evidence to the contrary. In a 2024 investigation, Meduza and its partners in the Kremlin…

Russia just passed a law giving the Russian Red Cross exclusive rights to its name. The twist? Enforcing it in occupied Ukraine would mean officially recognizing the very ties to local "imposter" groups that Moscow has spent years trying to deny. meduza.io/en/feature/2...

At least 55,000 Ukrainian soldiers killed in Russia's war, with many more missing, Zelensky tells French media It would also cost Russia "800,000 more corpses" to take eastern Ukraine by force, President Volodymyr Zelensky told France TV in a Feb. 4 interview.

⚡️At least 55,000 Ukrainian soldiers killed in Russia's war, with many more missing, Zelensky tells French media.

It would also cost Russia "800,000 more corpses" to take eastern Ukraine by force, President Zelensky said in an interview with France TV on Feb. 4.

Trump says Putin has agreed to suspend attacks on Ukrainian capital US president personally asked Russian counterpart for ‘energy’ ceasefire amid frigid temperatures in Kyiv

Donald Trump has said Vladimir Putin agreed not to fire on Kyiv for a week after the US president personally asked his Russian counterpart to halt attacks due to frigid temperatures in the Ukrainian capital. www.ft.com/content/f8e8...

‘It’s simply a desire to destroy us’: Kyiv residents explain how they are surviving the cold as Russia weaponizes winter — Meduza After months of massive Russian strikes on power plants and distribution networks, residents of Ukrainian cities are freezing in their homes. Many have had little to no electricity or heating since...

Massive Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure have left homes without electricity or heating. Five Kyiv residents spoke to Meduza about how they’re surviving these extreme conditions.
meduza.io/en/feature/2...

US links security guarantees for Ukraine to peace deal ceding territory [FREE TO READ] Washington signalled Kyiv would receive more backing after any withdrawal from the Donbas, say people familiar with talks

The Trump admin has indicated to Ukraine that US security guarantees are contingent on Kyiv first agreeing a peace deal that would likely involve ceding the Donbas region to Russia…

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Russia is filling its ranks with foreign fighters and treating them as ‘disposable soldiers’ — Meduza Russia’s enlistment numbers have begun to fall after four years of waging all-out war against Ukraine. Meanwhile, the Kremlin’s recruitment drives abroad seem to be ramping up — or at least attracting...

With the Kremlin’s global recruitment drive in the spotlight, I turned to @karenphilippal.bsky.social of @diis.dk for insight into how Russia lures foreign nationals into its war against Ukraine and uses them as “disposable soldiers.” My latest for @meduza.io meduza.io/en/feature/2...

More on Russia's foreign fighters. I spoke with @eilishhart.bsky.social from @meduza.io about my research on Russia's use of foreigners at the frontlines in Ukraine.

Russia is filling its ranks with foreign fighters and treating them as ‘disposable soldiers’ — Meduza Russia’s enlistment numbers have begun to fall after four years of waging all-out war against Ukraine. Meanwhile, the Kremlin’s recruitment drives abroad seem to be ramping up — or at least…

Viral videos of Russian officers mistreating African recruits have cast a spotlight on the Kremlin’s global recruitment drive. To learn how Russia lures foreign fighters into its war against Ukraine, Meduza spoke with researcher Karen Philippa Larsen. meduza.io/en/feature/2...

Russia is filling its ranks with foreign fighters and treating them as ‘disposable soldiers’ — Meduza Russia’s enlistment numbers have begun to fall after four years of waging all-out war against Ukraine. Meanwhile, the Kremlin’s recruitment drives abroad seem to be ramping up — or at least attracting...

With the Kremlin’s global recruitment drive in the spotlight, I turned to @karenphilippal.bsky.social of @diis.dk for insight into how Russia lures foreign nationals into its war against Ukraine and uses them as “disposable soldiers.” My latest for @meduza.io meduza.io/en/feature/2...

Serbia let Putin’s spies zap dogs with ‘sound cannons’ Documents show Belgrade brought in Russia’s FSB to conduct experiments on animals.

Serbian intelligence officers have tested sound cannons on dogs in collaboration with Russia’s notorious security service, according to government documents seen by POLITICO.

‘Authoritarian learning’ What do the Iran protests mean for Russia? Meduza asks expert Nicole Grajewski. — Meduza Russia is once again watching one of its allies slide into crisis. Over the past several weeks, mass anti-government protests have erupted across Iran, in what many experts describe as the most…

As mass protests shake Iran, Russia is once again watching one of its allies slide into crisis. Meduza spoke with expert @nicolegrajewski.bsky.social about what the Kremlin is prepared to do for Tehran — and what it stands to lose.
meduza.io/en/feature/2...

This “exclusive” comment is basically evergreen at this point. Trump has never cared how Russia’s war against Ukraine ends, and he always prefers to pressure Zelensky rather than Putin.

Zelensky declares state of emergency in Ukraine’s energy sector as crisis worsens "The consequences of Russian strikes and worsening weather conditions are severe," Zelensky wrote.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has declared a state of emergency in the energy sector, with particular attention on Kyiv, which is reeling from Russian attacks that have left residents without power, heating, or water in subzero temperatures.