A soldier who defected from Russia's notorious mercenary army has slammed military leaders who left troops to "rot in the fields". The Wagner soldier, named as Yevgeny, has reportedly defected to Finland after fighting as part of Russia 's new assault forces in Ukraine.

"As a result of the explosion, a satellite communication hardware station—intended by Russian military leadership to coordinate occupying forces—was also destroyed," Ukraine's military intelligence said.

The analysts reviewed recent remarks by Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine’s HUR military intelligence agency, who said Russia’s stated goal of capturing all of Donetsk Oblast by the end of 2025 is unrealistic.

NATO fighter jets were scrambled on Saturday after Vladimir Putin unleashed the most intense wave of drone and missile attacks on western Ukraine since the start of the war. Russia is believed to have launched up to 30 missiles and 700 military drones in a major escalation overnight, targeting cities including Lviv, Lutsk, and Chernivtsi.

Satellite imagery shows expansion at Russia's Kazan Aviation Plant but production is being hampered by sanctions.

European intelligence officials say they’re worried the risk of serious injury or even death is rising in a campaign of sabotage blamed on Russia as untrained saboteurs set fires, plant explosives or build bombs.

Russia's military announced Thursday that Major Gen. Mikhail Gudkov was killed "during combat operations in one of the border areas of the Kursk region."

Poland's scrambling of aircraft comes amid heightened tensions across the alliance's eastern flank over Russia's aggression. It follows another NATO member, Romania, announcing it would implement an Iron Dome defense system similar to that used by Israel.

Russia’s army has vast manpower and equipment advantages over Ukraine but its progress has been slow and Russian military bloggers blame a culture of military corruption.

So while our adversaries have produced millions of cheap drones before us, we were mired in bureaucratic red tape, not anymore.”