Malazan Empire: Werthead - Viewing Profile - Malazan Empire

Ukraine's unmanned systems command has confirmed that, under current circumstances, Andrew Tate is not a legitimate military target for their drones.

“Being a shitty person doesn’t make someone a legitimate military target under international law. Climbing on a tank for internet clout isn’t enough to become a combatant."

Elvira Nabiullina hasn't been seen in public for over a week, amidst rumours she's tried (for the second time) to resign as Central Bank Governor.

The Grey Zone has shifted so far in Ukraine's favour that, in several key sectors, HIMARS are being deployed against Russian SAM systems. The range at which HIMARS had to operate had moved backwards almost to the point of uselessness due to Russian drone dominance, but with that drone dominance now gone, Ukraine can bring some other systems back on line. HIMARS is useful because of both its own shoot-and-scoot ability, but also its ability to hit targets at medium range quickly, before they can also scoot.

Russian recon forces in Kostyantynivka have managed to consolidate some forward positions. The situation in the city remains fluid, with Ukrainian counter-attacks continuing to blunt Russian attacks, but Russia overall is making incremental gains, albeit sometimes of only a few metres per week.

Putin asked a soldier during a medal ceremony if Russian forces were getting closer to Zaporizhzhia City, to which the soldier replied in the affirmative. However, Russian forces on the Dnipro have fallen back some ~20 kilometres from their most forward-advanced recon positions back to the Kamyansk area in the past few months. They're heading the wrong way.

British Royal Marines boarded the Russian shadow fleet tanker Smyrtos in the English Channel and commandeered the ship, the first such operation carried out by British military forces.

CNN claims a 20% recruitment drop for Russian forces in the first quarter of 2026.

Ukrainian drone strikes on power infrastructure in the occupied part of Kherson Oblast left a large part of the Russian-occupied territory without power overnight.

ISW claiming that Russia is prepping an Oreshnik ballistic missile for possible use this week.

Ukraine destroyed the Armyansk bridge near Myrne and took out around 50 Russian trucks in the same attack.

The VNIIR-Progress Defence Facility in Cheboksary has been almost completely destroyed by Flamingo cruise missiles. Neptune cruise missiles destroyed multiple targets in Sevastopol.

Russia has moved troops from Saratov and Voronzeh westwards towards Belarus. The purpose of the maneuvering is unclear. Lukashenko has vociferously denied his country will be used to launch a "meat grinder" attack on Ukraine.

One span of the Henichesk Bridge linking Crimea to the mainland has been destroyed by Ukrainian missiles. The Russians are erecting a pontoon to replace it. The Chonhar Bridge further west is already effectively closed for business. Ukrainian drone commander Magyar confirms that the "complete isolation of the Crimean Peninsula" is the goal of this operation.

Apparently the governor of Sevastopol is in a panic after fuel supplies failed to reach the city for a second day in a row.

Sevastopol is now under a very heavy drone strike, maybe one of the heaviest of the war. Military and fuel targets around the city are being targeted.

I think the idea is not to do what they did at Krynky, which was a bit inexplicable. Instead you'd try to push the grey zone forward and create an environment so saturated the Russians have zero choice but to retreat (as we've just seen as Kinburn) and then, once you've pushed the grey zone as far inland from the river as possible, cross whilst not under constant fire. A contested crossing would be insane, the Russians themselves have lost tens of thousands of troops trying to do the same in the opposite direction.

This may be doable in Kherson because you only have limited land routes to worry about. They're trying to do a similar thing at Kamyanske, using the river to anchor the flank so you can just pour more firepower onto the target. The Russians seem to be firming up (or trying to) that front, though.

Crossing the Dnipro at its mouth without the Antonivka Road Bridge is extremely hard though, even if you have pushed the Russians far back. The Russians found that out themselves whilst retreating.

One Ukrainian regiment's drone unit, by itself, destroyed 110 vehicles, including taking out a full Russian infantry company in transit to the front, in one week, at an operational depth of 150km. DARTS drones were primarily used to destroy supply trucks, tankers, pickups and trucks transporting military personnel.

The Russians have counter-attacked near Mala Tokmachka, apparently sending in an under-strength force. The Ukrainians halted the push.

Ukraine has hit the Grushovaya oil depot near Novorossiysk again, sending smoke rising over the city. The oil export facility was hit earlier in the weekend.

More information on the evacuation of Kinburn from a Russian milblogger. The 337th Regiment was holding the spit but has given up. Deliveries of ammunition, food and fuel ceased in their entirety some weeks ago. Ukrainian drones and artillery have bombarded the spit, inflicting heavy casualties. The 337th's own drone defences have been neutralised. Some troops from the regiment have been reassigned to the Zaporizhzhia front, and the other units remaining have not been refreshed for months. Local commanders apparently ordered the withdrawal to preserve some vague semblance of combat power on the peninsular further east.

A civilian petrol station in Krasnodar ran out of petrol and apparently have zero idea on when they will be resupplied.

The Valdaysky district of the Novgorod region has put up extensive drone nets in a massive circular area roughly 18km across, despite being some distance from the front. The epicentre appears to be one of Putin's residences.

Apparently Zelensky has spoken to Witkoff and Kushner. Apparently they believe the mood in Russia has taken a considerably more pessimistic turn over the last few weeks, and this may set the tone for more positive discussions from a Ukrainian perspective. I think the "may" is doing heavy lifting there.

A Ukrainian soldier using a heavy machine gun on a pickup appears to have shot down a Russian missile (not a drone) in mid-flight.

The EU's €90 billion loan to Ukraine is starting to be paid, with a €5.9 billion drone fund being sent this month.