Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[VK] In the Yaroslavl region,
…a city of about half a million population, 250 km northeast of Moscow….
the leader of an ethnic gang, Adlan Aslambekov, was arrested after extorting money from a SVO veteran and threatening his family.
❗️Furthermore, he and his gang abused residents of the Myshkinsky and Uglichsky districts of the Yaroslavl region. His gang robbed and extorted money from local residents, got them hooked on drugs, and brutally beat them.
🚨Locals report that some of the victims have gone missing. Incidentally, this exemplary family man had multiple previous convictions. The final straw was Adlan's attempt to "time" a veteran of the SVO, after which he was quickly detained.
[Cortes Investigates] Volodymyr Zelensky’s top aide Andriy Yermak is now charged with criminal corruption in Ukraine. Yermak was so close with Zelensky that he has been known as his "shadow" and widely regarded as the co-president, who often dictated strategy, more than Zelensky himself.
Now, the "shadow president" looks at years in prison for laundering money through a dirty real estate scheme. These new charges flow from the Operation Midas scandal, so named because the oligarchs, who stole over $100 million from the public wartime treasury of Ukraine, used some of their ill-gotten loot to purchase a toilet made of gold.
These mafia-like figures formed the inner circle of Zelensky’s team, both inside government and within the business realm of connected Ukrainian oligarchs. They have nicknames like "Sugarman" and "Che Guevara." The opulent housing development which implicates Yermak is called "Dynasty" after the 1980’s U.S. hit TV show.
But unlike Blake Carrington, these thieves did not earn their fortunes, they stole their bounty.
Even the ardently pro-Zelensky US legacy media platforms recognize the tragic comic absurdity of the criminal culture all around Zelensky. The New York Times even posted a headline: "Move Over, Netflix: Ukraine’s Corruption Investigators Bring the Drama."
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[Korrespondent] 23.55 United States President Donald Trump does not rule out the possibility of visiting Russia this year. When asked by a correspondent for a Russian propaganda agency about a potential trip to Russia, Trump said that such an option is not excluded, and that he is ready to do whatever is necessary to bring a peace treaty between Moscow and Kyiv closer. At the same time, Trump did not specify either the possible dates or the format of a possible visit.
23.26 In the Sumy region on the evening of Tuesday, May 12, a Russian drone attacked civilian infrastructure, injuring a 13-year-old boy. As reported by the head of the Sumy regional military administration, Oleg Grigorov, the enemy drone hit the civilian infrastructure of the Bilopol community, the child was near the site of the hit. The boy was hospitalized and is undergoing surgery.
22.48 The governments of the United States and Ukraine have prepared a draft memorandum outlining the framework of a potential defense agreement between the countries in the field of UAVs. This was reported by sources familiar with the negotiations, CBS News reports.
The document, which has already been agreed upon by the US State Department and Ukrainian Ambassador Olga Stefanishyna, provides for the possibility of exporting Ukrainian military technologies to the United States and creating joint ventures for the production of drones.
22.27 As a result of a Russian strike on a residential building in Kryvyi Rih, the number of injured has increased to four people, two people have died. This was reported by the head of the OVA Oleksandr Ganzha.
According to him, doctors hospitalized a 9-month-old girl. The child is in intensive care in serious condition. A 23-year-old woman was also taken to the hospital in moderate condition.
Meanwhile, women aged 45 and 74 will be treated on an outpatient basis.
21.49 President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed decrees implementing the decisions of the National Security and Defense Council regarding sanctions against Russians and companies related to the Russian military-industrial complex.
20.59 Ukraine is gradually advancing the initiative to create an anti-ballistic missile coalition in Europe. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated this during an address.
The Head of State called this "a very important initiative" and noted that the meeting of national security advisors was attended by representatives of 13 countries and the office of the NATO Secretary General.
20.24 President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that Ukraine continues to carry out strikes on Russian facilities in response to shelling from Moscow. This includes gas industry facilities in the Orenburg region, located more than 1,500 kilometers from Ukraine. The head of state stated this in an evening address.
19:57 Russian troops attacked settlements in the Kherson region with artillery, mortars, and drones throughout the day. Three civilians were injured as a result of the shelling, the regional prosecutor's office reported.
19.37 The head of the ruling regime of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, plans to carry out a "point" mobilization of units in the country. He stated this during a meeting with Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin, where the latter reported on personnel issues in the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus, writes the local propaganda news agency BELTA.
The head of the Center for Countering Disinformation (CDC), Andriy Kovalenko, reacted critically to such statements by the Belarusian dictator, and also advised not to pay too much attention to Lukashenko's words, because "everything is under control in our forces."
19.33 On the night of May 12, units of the Defense Forces of Ukraine destroyed a number of important Russian military facilities on the TOT. The General Staff reported this on Tuesday.
18.52 Currently, there are no delays in the supply of weapons from the US under the PURL program. This was stated by Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga, Interfax-Ukraine reports.
18.36 Canada became the first country outside Europe to sign the Convention on the Establishment of an International Compensation Commission for Ukraine. This was announced on the social network by Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga on Tuesday, May 12.
Canada is now the first non-European country to sign the Convention establishing an International Claims Commission for Ukraine - an international mechanism that will help hold Russia accountable for the destruction and suffering caused by its illegal war. #SlavaUkraini… pic.twitter.com/qzUPQ2BVWv
— Anita Anand (@AnitaAnandMP) May 11, 2026
18.36 Various states asked Ukraine not to strike Russia during the May 9 parade, when their leaders were there. This was stated by Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga, the Foreign Ministry reported.
18.17 Russian troops struck Zaporizhia district on Tuesday. As a result, houses were destroyed and there were injuries. This was reported by the head of the OVA Ivan Fedorov.
"The Russians hit Shchaslyve with a guided bomb. Houses were destroyed and damaged. A 75-year-old woman was injured," Fedorov noted.
Meanwhile, a 77-year-old man was injured in Kushugum. A Russian drone hit his yard and damaged his home.
18.08 Russia carried out a launch of the Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile, which was called "successful." The commander of the Strategic Missile Forces (SRF), Sergei Karakayev, reported this to Russian leader Vladimir Putin, propaganda media reported.
17.23 Russian leader Vladimir Putin is ready to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky not in Moscow just to put an end to the war, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a comment to Russian propagandists.
"A lot of homework still needs to be done to "finalize the process," he warned.
16.51 Since the beginning of the day, Russian invaders have carried out 57 attacks on Ukrainian army positions in nine directions. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported this in an operational summary.
More than half of all Russian attacks on the front are concentrated in the Pokrovsk and Kostyantynivka areas.
15.47 Law enforcement officers exposed and detained a Russian FSB agent in one of the front-line units of the SBU. This was reported by the Ukrainian special service.
The Russians recruited the official through her father, a resident of temporarily occupied Berdyansk. He acted as a "liaison officer."
15.02 Two large-scale mobilization evasion schemes, which were used by more than 1,000 conscripts, were dismantled in Kyiv. The organizers were detained, the SBU reported.
One of the schemes was organized by the head of a critically important enterprise in the capital. She massively "booked" conscripts.
14.20 Explosions have been heard in the Russian city of Orenburg. There is an "arrival" at a high-rise building, Russian public media reports.
In particular, one of the drones allegedly hit a residential building on Volgogradskaya Street, 4 km from JSC PO Strela, which produces cruise missiles and components for Su and MiG aircraft, ASTRA notes.
14.00 Mandatory evacuation of families with children was announced from certain territories of the Nikopol district of the Dnipropetrovsk region. This was announced by the head of the Dnipropetrovsk OVA Oleksandr Ganzha.
According to him, 28 families with children are to leave Novokiivka and Ilyinka of the Marhanets urban community, and Vyshchetarasivka of the Myriv rural community. Currently, 34 children live there.
All residents must leave one of the streets of Marganets and almost 100 streets of Nikopol. 1,145 people must evacuate.
12.28 Operators of the Unmanned Systems Forces destroyed important Russian equipment and facilities in the Donetsk region. In particular, two radar stations that helped the enemy detect targets in the air, and also destroyed fuel and ammunition depots. The corresponding video was shown by the Unmanned Systems Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
On December 12, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Palantir Technologies CEO Alex Karp. The Ukrainian leader announced this on Telegram.
11.16 A gasoline shortage has emerged in Russia amid powerful Ukrainian drone attacks on oil refineries. This follows from data from the National Exchange Pricing Agency, cited by the Russian publication Kommersant.
Thus, according to media reports, during the exchange trading on May 8, sellers sold 32.64 thousand tons of gasoline, which is 5.9% less than the level of the previous trading day. In particular, sales of AI-92 decreased by 8.9%, to 20.34 thousand tons, and AI-95 increased by 1.5%, to 12.24 thousand tons. At the same time, the volume of unsatisfied solvent demand for AI-92 amounted to 23.46 thousand tons, while for AI-95 - 26.34 thousand tons.
11.03 On Tuesday morning, power outages were recorded in six regions of Ukraine due to Russian shelling and bad weather. Ukrenergo reported this. Emergency restoration work has already begun wherever security conditions allow.
10.44 A Russian agent who was carrying out hostile missile, bomb and drone attacks was exposed and detained in the city of Sloviansk in the Donetsk region. The SBU reported this.
It is indicated that this is a local unemployed woman. To attract the woman to cooperation, Russian special services involved her son, a member of the armed groups of the Southern Military District of the Russian Federation, who is fighting on the Eastern Front.
10.15 Ukrainian Intelligence has published an interactive 3D model of the Pantsir-S1 complex and data on 52 enterprises involved in its production, some of which are not under sanctions. The Defense Ministry's Directorate of Intelligence reported this on Telegram.
The published materials identify more than 50 companies involved in cooperation in the production of the complex. According to intelligence, at least ten of them are not currently under sanctions by any of the countries of the sanctions coalition. Among them are companies that supply individual electronic components, power supplies, computing systems, and elements for target detection stations.
10.05 On Tuesday night, Russian invaders launched 216 attack drones of various types over Ukraine. Air defense units intercepted most of the enemy targets, the Ukrainian Air Force reported.
9:00 Russians launched massive strikes on the Dnipropetrovsk region. The Dnipro, Nikopol, Synelnyk, Samariv and Pavlohrad districts were under attack. One person was killed and four others were injured as a result of the shelling. This was reported by the head of the Dnipropetrovsk OVA, Oleksandr Ganzha.
8.30 As of 8.30, the following consequences are known as a result of the night attack:
The roof of a 16-story building in Kyiv was damaged and a fire broke out.
One person was injured in Kharkiv after a drone hit the roof of a high-rise building.
Transport infrastructure in Dnipro was damaged, one person was injured.
There are injured people in Kherson as a result of night shelling.
8:00 Russians hit a kindergarten in the Fastiv district of the Kyiv region. Residential buildings were also damaged.
7.38 Over the past 24 hours, the Ukrainian Defense Forces have eliminated another 1,020 Russian soldiers, as well as destroyed dozens of pieces of equipment and weapons of the occupiers. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported this on Tuesday, May 12.
According to the General Staff, the total combat losses of the Russian army from February 24, 2022 to May 12, 2026 are approximately 1,343,050 military personnel.
During the day, the Ukrainian military also destroyed:
• 2 tanks;
• 2 armored combat vehicles;
• 72 artillery systems;
• 2 multiple launch rocket systems;
• 1,252 operational-tactical level drones;
• 145 units of automotive equipment and tank trucks;
• 2 ground robotic complexes;
• 1 unit of special equipment.
In total, since the start of the full-scale war, Russia has lost 11,926 tanks, 24,553 armored combat vehicles, 41,935 artillery systems and 285,506 UAVs. The General Staff added that data on enemy losses is being revised.
6.25 Fires broke out in Kyiv and Dnipro as a result of a nighttime Russian attack. One person was injured in Dnipro, and no injuries were reported in Kyiv.
04.16 Russian UAVs attack Kyiv. Explosions can be heard in the capital. City authorities reported that debris from a downed UAV fell onto the roof of a 20-story residential building in the Obolonskyi district.
01.29 Ukrainian stocks of interceptor missiles for Patriot air defense systems are almost completely exhausted, and European allies are in no hurry to transfer their own stocks to Kyiv for fear of weakening their own air defense. This is reported by The Washington Post with reference to its own sources. It is noted that Ukraine has now almost completely run out of PAC-3 interceptors for Patriot - with the exception of a few missiles that had to be distributed throughout the country.
00.25 Ukraine has offered Europe help in resuming peace talks with Russia, starting with a concrete step - a mutual cessation of attacks on airports on both sides. This was stated by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga. According to him, Putin may have an incentive for such a truce, since major Russian transport hubs, including Sheremetyevo and Pulkovo international airports, are becoming increasingly vulnerable to Ukrainian attacks.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[NewsFront] 21:33 In the period from 17:00 Moscow time to 20:00 Moscow time, air defense systems on duty destroyed 14 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles of the aircraft type over the territories of the Belgorod and Bryansk regions. 20:45 Servicemen of the 35th Guards Command Brigade of the Center group handed over state and departmental awards (rear area of the special operation zone).
20:07 Servicemen of the Somali battalion of the Center group are passing preparation and combat coordination at one of the training grounds in the rear area of the special operation. "Somali" is an honorific attached to a Donetsk based tank battalion
Under the guidance of experienced instructors, assault troops practice various combat scenarios: storming trenches, capturing buildings, working in forested areas, or on a "postcard."
19:29 Units of the Ivanovo Airborne Forces successfully apply NRTK "Courier" in the Special Operations zone.
"Couriers" demonstrate high efficiency, performing a wide range of tasks: from destroying the enemy and clearing mines along routes to evacuating the wounded from the front lines.
19:11 In the period from 9:00 Moscow time to 17:00 Moscow time, air defense systems on duty intercepted and destroyed 40 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles of the aircraft type over the territories of the Belgorod, Bryansk, Samara, Kursk, Orenburg regions and the Republic of Crimea.
18:57 Intelligence of the Vostok group opened nn enemy attempt to establish supply lines to its positions near the village of Charivne in the Zaporizhzhia region. Using an aircraft-type UAV, not only supply routes but also hidden manpower deployment points were discovered.
18:44 In the period from 9:00 Moscow time to 17:00 Moscow time, air defense systems on duty intercepted and destroyed 40 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles of the aircraft type over the territories of the Belgorod, Bryansk, Samara, Kursk, Orenburg regions and the Republic of Crimea.
18:14 Three civilians suffered from further attacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
In the Graivoron district, on the Graivoron-Ilek-Penkovka highway, a man suffered a mine blast injury and barotrauma as a result of an explosive device dropped from a drone onto a passenger car.
A man was injured when a drone struck a UAZ vehicle near the village of Sheino in the Korocha District. An ambulance crew transported the victim, who suffered barotrauma and an open leg wound, to Belgorod City Hospital No. 2. The vehicle was destroyed by fire.
In the city of Shebekino, a man was mowing his lawn when he discovered an unknown object. He picked it up and struck it with a hammer. The device detonated. It was presumably a drone warhead. The victim, who sustained a mine blast injury, multiple shrapnel wounds to his arms, and a non-penetrating chest wound, was hospitalized at the Shebekino Central District Hospital. Medics are providing him with all necessary care.
17:56 The Investigative Committee of Russia will investigate crimes committed by Ukrainian armed forces against civilians in the Kherson region.
18:04 TOS-2 crews from the 58th Guards Combined Arms Army of the Dnepr group destroyed strongholds of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Orekhov direction of the Zaporizhzhia region,video. 58th Guards Combined Arms Army was the main operational unit conducting combat during the Chechen Wars and the defensive operation in South Ossetia (Georgia). It It originally had the designation of 58th Army. 16:51 The Investigative Committee of Russia willinvestigatea crime committed by Ukrainian armed forces that resulted in the injury of a civilian in the Zaporizhzhia region
According to government authorities, Ukrainian Armed Forces militants carried out a massive shelling attack on the Kamensko-Dniprovskyi municipal district of the Zaporizhzhia region. A man was hospitalized with shrapnel wounds.
16:15 Ukrainian drones attacked a group of utility workers in Oleshky, Kherson Oblast, was injured. Six people were injured, one of whom died from their wounds.
According to local authorities, at approximately 10:00 a.m. in the town of Aleshki, on Golopristanskaya Street, near the Romashka grocery store, a team of housing and communal services employees performing landscaping work came under attack from a Ukrainian Armed Forces drone.
15:10 Crews of the 152mm 2S5 Giatsint-S self-propelled gun destroyed enemy UAV control points (Zaporizhzhia direction)
Reconnaissance from the Vostok group discovered control posts for Ukrainian Armed Forces drones in the forest belts and transmitted the coordinates to the command post. Crews of 2S5 Giatsint-S self-propelled guns from the 5th Combined Arms Army then sprang into action.
14:35 Over the past couple of weeks, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have launched a series of counterattacks and restored positions in Primorskoye and north of Stepnogorsk in the Zaporizhzhia direction, MAP
13:57 The Russian Armed Forces improved their positions west of Grishino, MAP
13:48 Summary of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation on the progress of the Special Military Operation as of May 12, 2026
In accordance with the decision of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, during the celebration of the 81st anniversary of Victory, all groups of Russian troops in the special military operation zone from 00:00 on May 8 to 24:00 on May 11 strictly observed the ceasefire and remained at previously occupied lines and positions.
With the end of the ceasefire, the Russian Armed Forces continued to conduct a special military operation.
Units of the North group of forces defeated the manpower and equipment of the mechanized brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces near the village of Zapselye in the Sumy region.
In the Khar'kov region, units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' mechanized brigade and territorial defense brigade were damaged near the villages of Ryasne, Granov, and Volokhivka in the Khar'kov region. The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost up to 145 service members and 17 vehicles.
Units of the "West" group of forces defeated formations of three mechanized brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the areas of the settlements of Pristen, Podliman and Druzhelyubovka in the Khar'kov region.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost more than 100 servicemen, 21 vehicles and a field artillery gun.
Units of the Southern Group of Forces defeated the manpower and equipment of the mechanized and mountain assault brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the areas of the settlements of Konstantinovka, Tikhonovka and Artema in the Donetsk People's Republic.
The enemy lost up to 75 soldiers, 13 vehicles and two artillery pieces.
Units of the Center group of forces defeated formations of the mechanized and airmobile brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the naval infantry brigade in the areas of the settlements of Sergeyevka and Belitskoye in the Donetsk People's Republic, Novopodgorodnoye and Novopavlovka in the Dnipropetrovsk region.
The Ukrainian armed forces lost more than 290 servicemen, a US-made Stryker armored personnel carrier, five armored combat vehicles, 10 cars, and a field artillery piece.
Units of the "East" group of forces inflicted losses on the manpower and equipment of the airborne assault brigade and assault regiment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the areas of the settlements of Charivne, Verkhnyaya Tersa in the Zaporizhzhia region and Dobropasovo in the Dnipropetrovsk region.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost more than 230 servicemen, an armored combat vehicle, eight vehicles, and an artillery piece.
Units of the Dnepr group of forces defeated formations of two mechanized brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the areas of the settlements of Preobrazhenka and Dimitrovo in the Zaporizhzhia region.
Up to 35 Ukrainian Armed Forces servicemen, an armored combat vehicle, and nine vehicles were destroyed.
12:25 Military personnel of the "North" group are working on various scenarios for using the Kurier NRTK before performing combat missions in a special operation zone.
11:06 Slavyansk direction. Assault units are taking up new positions southeast of Rai-Aleksandrovka, MAP
10:03 Russian fighters dislodged the Ukrainian Armed Forces from NATO-standard fortifications in the Dnipropetrovsk direction,video.
9:47 In response to Russian proposals to introduce a “silence regime” during the Victory Day celebrations on May 8–9, the Kyiv regime answered an increase in the number of attacks on civilian targets, which led to an increase in the number of victims of strikes by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Over the past week, more than 230 civilians were injured, 25 of whom were killed by Ukrainian militants. The Ukrainian Armed Forces also attempted to expand the geographic scope of their strikes on civilian targets. Attacks affected at least 20 Russian regions located outside the SVO zone, including the Moscow region, Chuvashia, and the Chechen Republic.
The largest number of civilian casualties was recorded in the Belgorod, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, and Bryansk regions, the Chuvash Republic, and the Donetsk People's Republic. Residential areas and infrastructure facilities were hit.
Between May 4 and 10, 234 civilians were injured by Ukrainian shelling: 209 were wounded, including 14 children, and 25 were killed, including one child. During the week, the Ukrainian Armed Forces fired at least 3,594 munitions at civilian targets.
9:08 In the period from 7:00 to 9:00 Moscow time, air defense systems on duty intercepted and destroyed four Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles of the aircraft type over the territories of the Volgograd and Rostov regions.
8:31 During the past night, in the period from 0:00 to 7:00 Moscow time, air defense systems on duty intercepted and 27 destroyed Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles of the aircraft type over the territories of the Belgorod, Voronezh and Rostov regions.
8:08 Frontline summary as of the morning of May 12, 2026
Zaporizhzhya Front
In the Kamensk direction, fighting continues in the Stepnogorsk area.
In the Gulyai-Polye direction, clashes are reported in the Verkhnyaya Tersa and Gulyai-Polye areas.
Russian Armed Forces are establishing a foothold southeast of Vozdvizhevka.
Donetsk Front.
Fighting continues west of Rodinskoye in the Krasnoarmeysk sector.
In the Dobropillya sector, Russian forces repelled counterattacks in Belitsky and Novy Donbas.
The Sumy Front
of the Russian Armed Forces is repelling enemy counterattacks in the Miropolsky area.
[NYP] The mystery of how a Russian cargo ship sank deepened after it was revealed that the vessel suffered multiple explosions while allegedly carrying two nuclear reactors believed to be bound for North Korea, according to a new report.
The prevailing theory suggests that the West might have been involved in the incident that saw the Ursa Major sink 60 miles off the coast of Spain on Dec. 23, 2024, CNN reported.
The ship, also known as the Sparta 3, appeared to have been hit by a rare type of torpedo that breached the ship’s hull and forced it to sink to the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea, according to Spanish investigators.
The investigation suggested that the only thing that could have breached the ship was the Barracuda supercavitating torpedo, a powerful weapon of which only the US, a few NATO countries, Russia and Iran are believed to be in possession.
In the aftermath of the incident, the ship’s Russian captain allegedly told Spanish investigators that Ursa Major was hauling “components for two nuclear reactors similar to those used in submarines,” with the sailor unsure if the reactors were loaded with atomic fuel, CNN reported. Uh huh. Unsure?
The captain, identified as Igor Anisimov, reportedly told investigators that he believed the cargo would be diverted to the North Korean port of Rason to deliver the reactors.
The ship, which has a license to carry atomic materials, departed Russia on Dec. 11, 2024, with its public manifest making no mention of nuclear reactors or materials on board, only empty shipping containers, two large cranes and two large “manhole covers.”
The voyage came just two months after North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un committed to sending thousands of soldiers to help Russia retake its Kursk region following Ukraine’s surprise counter-invasion, which served as a humiliating blow to Moscow strongman Vladimir Putin.
It has long been believed that Russia had provided technical expertise to North Korea as part of an exchange for the soldiers, with Kim notably eager for Pyongyang to have its own nuclear submarine.
Europe had been tracking Ursa Major’s movements, with the Portuguese navy deploying aircraft to locate the ship and its military escort vessels in the Mediterranean.
THE TIMING THAT EXPLAINS EVERYTHING
The context of when the Ursa Major departed Russia explains why investigators believe the reactor transfer was happening and why the international community may have decided to stop it.
The ship departed Russia shortly after Kim Jong Un sent North Korean troops to support Russia’s war against Ukraine, a military exchange that brought approximately 10,000 or more North Korean soldiers to the front lines in eastern Ukraine.
Those troops were equipped with North Korean ballistic missiles that had already been used against Ukrainian cities.
The missiles had undergone what amounted to live combat testing in Ukraine, giving North Korea real performance data on how US-made and Western interceptor systems responded to their weapons.
North Korea, in other words, had provided Russia with something extremely valuable: military manpower and live-fire weapons testing that yielded intelligence about American defense systems.
The reactor transfer was likely the payment. Russia would upgrade North Korea’s submarine nuclear capabilities in exchange for troops and missiles.
Experts described the arrangement to CNN as a “quid pro quo,” Russia giving Kim Jong Un the submarine modernization his navy had been seeking, while Kim gave Putin soldiers to throw at Ukrainian positions and ballistic missiles whose performance data was now informing future North Korean weapons development.
The reactor transfer, if completed, would have represented one of the most significant nuclear proliferation events in recent decades, a state with advanced nuclear submarine technology passing it to a rogue nuclear state with a demonstrated willingness to use military force and a record of pursuing nuclear capabilities specifically to hold the United States at risk.
#2
Maybe they weren't sent by rail as China kind of controls the rails around NKorea. Maybe China wants the sub reactors or doesn't want NKorea to have them?
#4
Considering that there's been several Russian cargo ships with unexplained explosions in that particular part of the eastern Med., I'm inclined to think that there's some Uke sappers active in the area that board in the dead of night amd place charges. Just a week ago the Arctic Metagaz LNG carrier finally sank off the coast of Libya.
Posted by: ed in texas ||
05/13/2026 10:54 Comments ||
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#5
Ed in Texas, I can't find any reporting that Arctic Metagaz sunk?
#6
RE#2: Russia developed a massive rail transshipment point in North Korea in the 1960s-1970s timeframe, in the North Korean town of Tumangang. They easily could have moved the reactors by rail, if they were small enough and not too heavy. May have been over-large for all the tunnels on the Trans-Siberian, but the Baikal-Amur link isn't so restricted.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
05/13/2026 11:54 Comments ||
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[Washington Monthly] Of the many standing ovations King Charles III received in Congress last week, few were more surprising than the response to his comments about the war in Ukraine. Britain and the United States have stood "shoulder to shoulder" for centuries, he declared, through two world wars, the Cold War, 9-11, and Afghanistan. "Today ... that same, unyielding resolve is needed for the defense of Ukraine"—and with that, more than 400 U.S. Senators and Representatives, Democrats and Republicans, leapt to their feet in applause.
But President Donald Trump is determined to go his own way despite the consensus, and there were more signs last week that the U.S. has washed its hands of Kyiv’s four-year-old conflict with Moscow.
First, America’s acting ambassador in Kyiv resigned—the second envoy to quit in just 12 months—citing Washington’s dwindling support for its one-time ally. Then Trump had another friendly 90-minute phone call with Russian strongman Vladimir Putin. Apparently forgetting that Moscow has been supplying Iran with intelligence about American targets in the Persian Gulf, the 47th president once again underlined their long friendship and praised the dictator for what Trump sees as his willingness to agree to a Ukraine ceasefire. Speaking later from the Oval Office, Trump reminded reporters that the United States is no longer giving Kyiv American weapons or ammunition, and he dumped responsibility for Ukraine’s future in Europe’s lap.
Of course the 'Washington Monthly' sees this as a bad thing.
#2
...I remember reading that the Germans in Normandy were somewhat appalled at the radio discipline of the American. On one hand it was providing the Germans tactical intel, on the other hand it also reveal the amount of force was being focused on them which was not quite good for their morale.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[Rusvesna] Russia has begun to specifically target American businesses in Ukraine, but Trump is ignoring it, the New York Times writes.
Since 2025, Cargill, Coca-Cola, Boeing, Mondelez International, and Philip Morris International facilities have come under attack. In April, seven Russian drones attacked a Cargill grain terminal in southern Ukraine.
Ukrainian and American businessmen believe that Moscow is trying to scare off investors and disrupt economic cooperation between Kyiv and Washington.
At the same time, the Trump administration has shown virtually no public response to these attacks, which has raised questions even among American senators.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[Regnum] The first Sarmat missile regiment will be on combat alert by the end of 2026. Sergey Karakayev, commander of the Strategic Missile Forces (SMF), reported this to Russian President Vladimir Putin on May 12.
Putin was informed that the first Sarmat regiment would be placed on combat duty by the end of the year.
He also noted that the regiment will be on duty in the Krasnoyarsk Territory.
"I congratulate you and wish you continued success," Putin said following his report.
In 2025, Putin announced that systems with the Sarmat heavy intercontinental ballistic missile would enter combat duty in 2026. The head of state emphasized that Russia poses no threat to anyone and, like other nuclear powers, is developing its capabilities. Putin also noted that the Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile has the longest range of any missile system known in the world.
On October 26 of that year, the Russian leader announced the completion of tests of the Burevestnik missile, which has an unlimited range. On October 29, Putin announced the successful testing of the Poseidon underwater unmanned vehicle. He noted that the Poseidon is significantly more powerful than the most advanced domestic intercontinental ballistic missile, the Sarmat, and emphasized that no other weapon like it exists anywhere in the world.
**The RS-28 Sarmat**, a **super-heavy liquid-fueled intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM)** developed by Russia, is designed to replace the Soviet-era R-36M2 Voyevoda (NATO: SS-18 Satan). **Tested successfully on May 12, 2026**, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced it will enter **combat duty by the end of 2026**, calling it the **"most powerful missile system in the world"** with a total warhead yield **over four times greater** than any comparable Western system.
**Capabilities and Design**:
The Sarmat has an **official operational range of 18,000 km**, but can achieve **sub-orbital flights up to 35,000 km** using Fractional Orbital Bombardment System (FOBS) technology, enabling **flight paths over the South Pole** to evade missile defenses. It can carry:
- Up to **16 lighter MIRV warheads**, **10 heavy warheads** (~750 kt each), or
- **3 Avangard hypersonic glide vehicles (HGVs)**, capable of maneuvering at **Mach 20 (~24,000 km/h)** during terminal phase.
The missile weighs **208.1 tonnes**, is **35.3 meters long**, and uses **inertial, GLONASS, and astro-inertial guidance** for high accuracy.
Despite its advanced design, the program has faced setbacks, including **five failed tests** as of November 2025, with a **launch silo destroyed in September 2024**. It officially entered service in **September 2023**, but full deployment is ongoing.
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.
[Cortes Investigates] Volodymyr Zelensky’s top aide Andriy Yermak is now charged with criminal corruption in Ukraine. Yermak was so close with Zelensky that he has been known as his "shadow" and widely regarded as the co-president, who often dictated strategy, more than Zelensky himself.
