They call you — and suddenly, you’re an “agent,” without even realizing it. Ukrainian law enforcement is reporting a surge in cases where the Russians target pensioners by phone, impersonating officers from the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) or the National Police. Victims are then blackmailed into carrying out sabotage missions for Russia, according to the National Police.

Russia’s strategy is clear: recruit people who are unaware they have become pawns in a campaign of international sabotage.

In Ukraine, elderly people are typically contacted via Viber. The goal: coerce them into following “orders” based on fake draft notices, fabricated criminal cases, or alleged links to Russia through purchases of medicines or dietary supplements.

One common scheme involves telling a pensioner that a drug they bought is banned because it was “produced in Russia.” That, the scammers claim, amounts to “collaboration with the enemy.” What follows is extortion — and a so-called “way out”: either wire money or complete a “small task.”

Pensioners in Kyiv have already contacted police after being defrauded or drawn into dangerous schemes. Ukraine’s Ministry of Internal Affairs emphasizes that legitimate security agencies never issue illegal or covert orders to citizens.

According to the SBU, Russian operatives are also attempting to recruit minors. These efforts often begin with photographing sensitive sites or tagging graffiti, and escalate to acts of sabotage against railway and energy infrastructure.

Moreover, in Europe, the Russians recruit Ukrainian agents to cause a double wave: shock in the West and propaganda within Russia. 

Exclusives

“Bakhmut wasn’t the darkest”: Ukrainian medic exposes Russia’s deadlier strategy from the war’s new hell. As the world debates peace, Mykhailo Malinovskyi’s combat diary exposes the brutal truth: the Ukraine war everyone knew is over, replacing Bakhmut’s past hell with “one chance in a hundred.”

Putin’s hackers had priorities: First the hookers, then maybe Ukraine — leaked chats reveal. Putin’s plan for Ukraine included tanks on the ground and hackers in the network. The tanks rolled in. The Insider reveals why the hackers didn’t.

Surprisingly, Russian soldiers used scissors to down a Ukrainian fiber-optic drone — but Kyiv also knows a trick or two. The latest Russian defense against Ukraine’s best fiber-optic drones is a pair of scissors. It actually works! But there’s no way the Russians can deploy it very widely.

“Retaliation” headlines are a gift to the Kremlin—and a betrayal of Ukraine. Three years of systematic slaughter doesn’t become “retaliation” because Ukraine finally fought back.

Military

Frontline report: Russia faces oil price collapse as OPEC+ hikes production again. With Urals crude at its lowest since 2023, Moscow’s budget faces major damage.

ISW: Russian forces advance to Dnipropetrovsk Oblast border. The Russian officials are “likely setting information conditions to illegally declare Dnipropetrovsk Oblast annexed.”

Ukrainian drones target drone-producing Tatarstan in Russia. Meanwhile, Russia imposes new fines and censorship policies, aiming to prevent public access to evidence contradicting official interception claims.

Five-year window: NATO chief warns Russia could strike alliance members by 2030. Russia could launch military operations against NATO states before 2030 without fully restoring its pre-2022 force levels, the Institute for the Study of War confirmed.

Intelligence and technology

Norway transfers over twice the number of F-16s promised to Ukraine. Norway’s arms report indicates eight more aircraft than declared.

Ukrainian jamming drone downs Russian Molniya-2 without a shot (video). The method allows re-using of the interceptor against cheap mass-produced Russian drones, crucial in the ongoing drone arms race.

Ukraine’s Lyut’ Brigade deploys Spanish BMR M-600 armored vehicles. A military Telegram account revealed a rare look at new equipment in use.

US sending 20,000 Ukraine-bound anti-drone missiles to Middle East, Zelenskyy says. The transfer to Ukraine was reportedly previously approved by the Biden administration.

Half of North Korea’s first missile shipment to Russia exploded in mid-air — now they strike Ukrainian targets with deadly precision. Russia desperately needs missiles. North Korea hungers for forbidden technology.

Russia just gave North Korea the blueprint for Iran’s long-range killer drones, Ukraine’s spy chief says. Ukrainian intelligence chief Budanov confirms Pyongyang will soon make its own Shaheds with Moscow’s full backing.

International

Israel says it didn’t send Patriots to Ukraine, denying its envoy’s claim. Ambassador Brodsky claimed Israel provided Ukraine with military aid, allegedly including the Patriot air defense systems.

Peace talks or war? Russia may choose both to avoid Western sanctions. Sergey Lavrov pulled back the curtain on Russia’s twisted diplomatic strategy: keep talking and keep fighting,

EU to drop roaming fees for Ukraine and Moldova starting 2026. For the first time, the EU has opened access to “Roaming Like at Home” to non-member candidates.

Only 40% of Russian capacity under sanctions, EU must step up, Lithuania says. The Lithuanian foreign minister says the EU has more work to do on sanctioning Russia’s economy.

Ukraine says Russia ignoring ceasefire proposal, giving only ultimatums and escalating attacks. After proposing a ceasefire and humanitarian steps recently in Istanbul, Kyiv says Russia stayed silent.

Humanitarian and social impact

From hell to healing: Ukraine starts POW return under Istanbul agreement. After years in Russian captivity, Ukraine’s most gravely injured defenders are finally coming home.

Doctor’s desperate act: Breaking medical ethics to show world Russia’s torture of Ukrainian POWs. Unable to stay silent while examining the tortured body of a Ukrainian hero, he made a choice that violated patient privacy but served a higher truth.

Russia kills woman in Kyiv in one of worst air attacks on city, strikes maternity hospital in Odesa. Among Russia’s targets were three hospitals, residential houses, businesses, a former consulate, and a stadium. Two more people were killed in Odesa.

Body recovered in Kharkiv after Russia’s 7 June attack, five still missing. Rescuers continue searching the rubble of a bombed enterprise in Kyivskyi District.

Injured teen dies a week after Russian attack on Sumy. A 17-year-old boy, injured during the 3 June strike, has passed away in hospital, becoming the sixth to perish from the rocket strike, local officials say.

Read our earlier daily review here.

Telegram, a global messaging app known for its emphasis on privacy founded by Pavel Durov, is facing new scrutiny after an investigation by Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) and its Russian partner Important Stories. It revealed that the infrastructure routing its traffic is controlled by a Russian network engineer whose companies have previously worked with Russian intelligence and defense agencies.

Critical access controlled by Russian engineer

The investigation identifies Vladimir Vedeneev, a 45-year-old Russian engineer, as the owner of Global Network Management (GNM), which maintains Telegram’s servers and controls thousands of its IP addresses. Legal documents from a Florida court show Vedeneev had exclusive access to Telegram servers, signed contracts on its behalf, and even acted as its informal CFO under a power of attorney from Telegram founder Pavel Durov.

Vedeneev’s other companies — including GlobalNet and Electrontelecom — have provided services to Russia’s FSB, the GlavNIVTS computing center, and the state-run Kurchatov nuclear institute. Electrontelecom continues to assign over 5,000 Telegram IPs and manages surveillance systems used by the FSB in the St. Petersburg area.

Telegram blocks then unblocks chatbots used by Ukraine’s security services to get info on Russian activities

Metadata vulnerability through Telegram’s protocol

Despite Telegram’s claims of security, the MTProto protocol used in its encrypted messaging system includes an unencrypted “auth_key_id” element. Security expert Michał Woźniak explains that this allows anyone monitoring network traffic to identify a user’s device, IP address, and location even if the message content is encrypted.

Other experts, including John Scott-Railton of Citizen Lab, echoed these concerns, noting that metadata exposure could place users — especially those seen as threats by the Russian state — at serious risk.

Russian FSB has the keys to Telegram and Viber messengers and uses them for espionage — Ukrainian intelligence

Man-in-the-middle risk and physical infrastructure

A Ukrainian IT specialist said Russian forces used captured telecom infrastructure to conduct man-in-the-middle surveillance.

“In such an attack, the hackers aren’t even interested so much in the user’s correspondence,” he explained, “They get metadata to analyze… really, all possible information.”

Documents show that Vedeneev’s company owns a router inside the Telegram server room in Miami, and leases over 10,000 IPs to Telegram. Woźniak notes this allows potential access to user metadata, posing a major privacy concern.

Telegram’s founder under legal pressure

Telegram founder Pavel Durov, known for creating the VKontakte platform – the Russian clone of the early Facebook – and later launching Telegram in exile, is under judicial supervision in France over charges related to illegal content. Though he has denied any infrastructure in Russia or post-2014 visits, a leak showed over 50 trips to Russia between 2015 and 2021.

Politico: French investigation into Telegram’s founders reveals broader scope

Durov did not respond to OCCRP’s requests for comment. Vedeneev declined to publish his statements publicly.

Opaque partnerships and Russian state links

Vedeneev’s long-standing links to Russian state projects extend back to his partnership with Roman Venediktov, a former space forces officer and minority co-owner of GlobalNet. Their joint company, Peering, managed traffic for VKontakte through DATAIX and was acquired by GlobalNet in 2018.

The investigation also reveals that GlobalNet implemented Russia’s Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) system after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, aligning itself with Roskomnadzor regulations.

“If someone has access to Telegram traffic and cooperates with Russian intelligence services,” said Woźniak, “this means that the device identifier becomes a really big problem — a tool for global surveillance of messenger users.”

Two Russian agents were arrested by Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) on June 7 after allegedly planting a car bomb targeting a Dnipro prosecutor on June 6.

"As the investigation established, the enemy agents turned out to be two men whom the Russian Federation recruited through Telegram channels," the SBU said.

Russian intelligence regularly attempts to recruit Ukrainian civilians over social media to carry out terrorist attacks or gather information in exchange for money.

The two men allegedly planted an improvised explosive device (IED) under the car of a Dnipro prosecutor's office employee.

"As a result of this crime, the law enforcement officer received minor injuries, and his vehicle was completely destroyed. According to doctors, the prosecutor's life is currently not in danger," the SBU said.

The detainees were instructed by Russian intelligence services to monitor the prosecutor, his daily schedule, and transport routes prior to the attack.

The two agents were then instructed to plant a car bomb and take photos and videos of the aftermath of the explosion.

"Currently, both detainees are giving law enforcement officers incriminating evidence against their curator and subversive work in the interests of the Russian Federation," the SBU said.

The two suspects are being charged with committing a terrorist attack and could face up to 12 years in prison.

On June 5, the SBU said Russian intelligence operatives are impersonating the SBU in an expanded effort to recruit Ukrainian civilians for sabotage operations.

Ukrainian drone strikes Russian Tu-22 bomber: SBU releases new footage of Operation Spiderweb

The video shows the flight path of an FPV drone from the moment it takes off from the roof of a modular building to the moment before it strikes a Russian Tu-22M3 strategic bomber at the Belaya air base in Siberia.

The Kyiv IndependentAbbey Fenbert

Ukrainian citizen Roman Lavrynovych, suspected of setting fire to property linked to U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, may have been recruited by Russia via the Telegram messaging app, RFE/RL's Schemes investigative project reported on June 3.

Two properties and a car linked to Starmer were targeted in arson attacks in the first half of May.

Lavrynovych, a 21-year-old working as a model and a roofer, was charged on May 15. He allegedly set a car that Starmer previously sold to a neighbor on fire on May 8. The suspect also allegedly started fires at Starmer's two former residences on May 11 and 12.

The police said the property suffered damage, but no one was injured.

An analysis of Lavrynovych’s social media activity revealed that between 2022 and 2025, he actively searched for work through various Telegram channels aimed at foreigners in London. His most recent job-seeking post appeared in the London UA group on May 2, days before a car linked to Starmer was set ablaze in London.

"Looking for a job, I will consider any options," Lavrynovych wrote.

Soon after, a user named Yurii replied, asking Lavrynovych to message him privately. Yurii had joined London UA only a few days prior to the dialog, according to Schemes.

Another Ukrainian citizen, Petro Pochynok, was charged with conspiracy to commit arson with intent to endanger life, is expected to appear at Westminster magistrates’ court on May 21.

Stanislav Carpiuc, a Russian-speaking Romanian national born in Ukraine, was also charged with conspiracy to commit arson with intent to endanger life.

British security officials are currently investigating possible Russian involvement in the attacks, the Financial Times reported on May 23.

Western officials have repeatedly accused Moscow of using covert sabotage, cyberattacks, and disinformation as part of its broader campaign to destabilize European nations that support Ukraine during the Russian large-scale war.

Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) warned on June 2 that Russian intelligence services are actively attempting to recruit Ukrainian nationals for illegal operations across the European Union.

Operation Spiderweb — everything we know about Ukraine’s ‘audacious’ attack on Russia’s heavy bombers

Ukraine was jubilant on June 1 as news filtered through of a stunning drone attack targeting Russian heavy bombers, that simultaneously targeted four air bases, two of them thousands of miles inside Russia. “Enemy strategic bombers are burning en masse in Russia — this is the result of a special operation

The Kyiv IndependentChris York

Telegram and Elon Musk's xAI will enter a one-year partnership, integrating the Grok chatbot into the messaging app, Telegram CEO Pavel Durov announced on May 28.

Musk, the world's richest man who also owns Tesla and SpaceX, commented that "no deal has been signed," prompting Durov to clarify that the deal has been agreed in "principle" with "formalities pending."

"This summer, Telegram users will gain access to the best AI technology on the market," Durov said.

"Elon Musk and I have agreed to a one-year partnership to bring xAI’s chatbot Grok to our billion+ users and integrate it across all Telegram apps."

The announcement comes as Musk announces his exit from his role in the Trump administration to focus on his business ventures, many of which saw their profits drop in the past few months.

Musk founded xAI in 2023, and earlier this year, another of his ventures, X Corp., which operates the X social platform, acquired the AI company. Grok is xAI's flagship project and has already been integrated into X.

Musk's takeover of X saw the social platform, formerly known as Twitter, become the leading source of disinformation, EU officials said. The Grok chatbot also faced scrutiny recently after posting unprompted comments on the topic of so-called "white genocide" in South Africa, Musk's home country.

Durov, the Russian-born founder of Telegram, currently resides in Dubai and holds Russian, Emirati, and French citizenship. He is under investigation in France for criminal activity on his messaging app.

Durov has claimed he is a pariah and has been effectively exiled from Russia, but it was reported last year that he had visited Russia over 60 times since leaving the country, according to Kremlingram, a Ukrainian group that campaigns against the use of Telegram in Ukraine.

Telegram remains one of the most popular social media platforms among Ukrainians. A September 2023 poll by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology indicated that 44% of Ukrainians use Telegram to receive information and news.

Ukrainian officials have warned about security risks associated with using Telegram, leading to restrictions on its use by civil servants and politicians.

Trump holds off on sanctions to push Ukraine-Russia peace efforts

U.S. President Donald Trump said on May 28 that he has not yet imposed new sanctions on Russia because he believes a peace deal to end the war in Ukraine may be within reach.

The Kyiv IndependentOlena Goncharova