Russia has begun using artificial intelligence-based bots for spreading propaganda on social media, especially on Telegram, according to a joint investigation by OpenMinds and the Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRLab).
Researchers have uncovered over 3,600 bots that posted more than 316,000 AI-generated comments in Telegram channels linked to Ukraine’s temporarily occupied territories. Another three million messages were spread in broader Ukrainian and Russian Telegram groups. These bots used human-like language, adapting replies to the context of each conversation to promote pro-Kremlin narratives and undermine Ukraine.
Unlike traditional bots that spam identical messages, these accounts simulate real users. They reply directly to other users, shift tone and content, and tailor messages to appear authentic. On average, a bot posts 84 comments per day, with some exceeding 1,000 daily.
The goal is not just to spread fake news, but to create the illusion of widespread public support for the occupation regime, filling comment sections with praise for Russia and attacks on Ukraine. In an environment of information isolation, this becomes a potent tool of mass manipulation.
AI-generated bots often give themselves away through:
Even when bot accounts are deleted, their influence lingers. Locals repeatedly exposed to these comments may perceive Kremlin propaganda as the majority opinion, especially in regions where Ukrainian news is inaccessible.
They paid the highest price for Ukraine’s freedom. British journalist Colin Freeman, in his book The Mad and the Brave, told the stories of foreign volunteers who joined Ukraine’s International Legion, writes The Telegraph.
The International Legion of the Ukrainian Defense Forces, a military unit established in 2022, brings together volunteers from over 50 countries, including the US, Canada, and the UK, to help Ukraine fight off Russian aggression.
Freeman compares the influx of volunteers who rushed to aid Ukraine in the early weeks of the all-out war to the International Brigades in the Spanish Civil War of 1936–1939 when thousands from around the world fought fascism.
He portrays a variety of individuals, from veterans of the Syrian war against ISIS to adrenaline seekers and those fleeing heartbreak.
One striking story is that of British combat medic John Harding, who joined the Azov Battalion in 2018. He disproved Russian propaganda about “national extremists” and endured the horrors of the battle for Mariupol, the siege of Azovstal, and months of torture in captivity.
Another hero is Briton Christopher Perryman, a veteran of wars in Iraq, Somalia, and Bosnia, who left behind a young son to fight the Russian aggressor.
Perryman believed he had no moral right to abandon millions of Ukrainian parents in distress, given his extensive military experience. Sadly, he was killed by artillery fire at the end of 2023.
After more than three years of war, the fates of foreign volunteers vary: some died, some cope with PTSD, and others continue fighting alongside Ukrainians.
Earlier, Euromaidan Press published a story about a former paramedic from Colombia, known as Miguel, who came to Ukraine intending to serve as a combat medic. However, due to the language barrier, he was assigned to the infantry.
Despite this, he never abandoned his mission. Every day on the front line, he saves the lives of his comrades. He is learning Ukrainian by singing Chervona Kalyna, the country’s patriotic anthem, and surviving tactics against Russian artillery.
The Swiss Ministry of Defense reports that the US is delaying deliveries of Patriot air defense systems ordered by Switzerland due to priority support for Ukraine in its war against Russia.
Ukraine needs Patriot air defense systems and missiles to them to intercept Russian ballistic missiles. Moscow has intensified its aerial terror against civilians, launching sometimes over 700 drones per night. Russian attacks have resulted in an increased number of civilian deaths, with the UN reporting that in June alone, Moscow killed 232 people, including women and children.
In 2022, Switzerland ordered five Patriot systems, which were planned for delivery between 2026 and 2028. However, on 16 July 2025, the US officially announced a revision of delivery priorities due to the urgent need to replenish armaments for countries supplying weapons to Ukraine.
According to Defense Express, the contract included the delivery of 17 launchers and a stock of 70 GEM-T surface-to-air missiles, five AN/MPQ-65 radars, six MIDS-LVT data distribution systems, and five AN/MSQ-132 command posts.
Additionally, in November 2022, the US State Department approved the supply of 72 PAC-3 MSE missiles and related equipment to Switzerland worth $700 million.
Switzerland will receive the systems from later production batches, resulting in delivery delays. Meanwhile, Germany has increased its aid to Ukraine by transferring an additional two Patriot systems.
The delay currently has no specific timeline, and it is unclear whether it will affect deliveries of the PAC-3 MSE guided missiles, which the US promised to provide Ukraine earlier than Switzerland last year.
The Czech Ministry of Defense has announced a significant increase in artillery ammunition deliveries to Ukraine in 2025 under its weapon initiative. It combines NATO countries’ donations with direct ammunition sales through a government-led program that has earned the confidence of international partners, Reuters reports.
Czechia formed a special team for Ukraine, which together with private companies, scours global markets for surplus ammunition stockpiles and new production lines. Ammunition batches are offered to donor countries, which decide individually what to finance.
Director Ales Vytecka of the Czech Defense Ministry’s AMOS international cooperation agency says 850,000 shells have already been delivered in 2025 to Ukraine, including 320,000 of NATO-standard 155 mm rounds. These figures are approaching last year’s total of 1.5 million shells, 500,000 of which were 155 mm.
Despite the opposition party’s threats to shut the program down after elections, Vytecka stresses that transparency is maintained to the extent allowed by security considerations. He added that the 29% increase in donor contributions compared to 2024 is a clear vote of confidence in the program’s effectiveness.
Donor nations, including Canada, Germany, Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Denmark, choose which deliveries to fund, and all procurement offers are subject to audit in their respective jurisdictions.
Schemy, a project of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, has identified a Russian prison medic responsible for crimes against Ukrainian soldiers held at Penal Colony No. 10 in Mordovia. His cruelty was so extreme that Ukrainian prisoners nicknamed him “Dr. Evil.”
Journalists have gathered testimonies from more than 150 former captives who recognized “Dr. Evil” in photos and videos. He turned out to be 34-year-old Illia Sorokin, a father of two and employee at Medical Unit No. 13 of Russia’s Federal Penitentiary Service (FSVP). He had previously listed his workplace publicly on social media, visited occupied Crimea, and participated in 9 May parades wearing Soviet uniforms with a St. George ribbon.
Pavlo Afisov, a Ukrainian marine from the 36th Brigade, said that Sorokin used a stun gun, forced Ukrainian prisoners to crawl, jump, and sing Russian songs.
“He derived aesthetic pleasure from seeing you bent over in front of him, hands raised, with nothing on you, eyes closed. Yet he would kick you between the legs, hit you in the gut, strike your liver, beat you with a rubber baton and a stun gun. He even said that people like us deserve genocide,” the soldier recalled.
Another soldier, Oleksandr Savov, confirmed the abuse and the denial of medical care. Sorokin was approached concerning the mental health of Ukrainian prisoner, Volodymyr Yukhymenko, who was brutally beaten and later died. A Ukrainian forensic examination found multiple fractures, hemorrhages, and pneumonia.
Despite Sorokin’s denials of responsibility, Tetiana Zhuravliova, a personnel officer at Medical Unit No. 13, confirmed his involvement. She said that Sorokin is currently serving in the Russian army, using the callsign “Doctor” and collecting supplies, equipment, medicine, and camouflage nets for his unit.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told ministers to boost local arms from 40% to 50% within six months as part of a wartime strategy to strengthen Ukraine’s military self-reliance. He outlined the directive during a major speech before parliament, following the formal approval of a reshuffled Cabinet of Ministers on 17 July.
Addressing lawmakers and the new Cabinet, Zelenskyy noted:
“We are transforming the management of the defense sector and weapons production in such a way that, in six months, the share of specifically Ukrainian-made weapons available to our soldiers will significantly increase. Currently, about 40% of all weapons in the hands of our soldiers are made in Ukraine. In six months, it must be no less than 50%,” Zelenskyy said.
He emphasized that boosting domestic arms production was essential in a global environment where attention to Russia-Ukraine’s war is being diluted by other crises.
Zelenskyy also instructed the reshuffled cabinet to carry out a full audit of all existing defense-related agreements and commitments. These include international partnerships, production deals, memorandums, and resilience programs.
The president stressed that these agreements must be implemented “100% in the interests of Ukraine.”
During the 17 July parliamentary session, lawmakers approved Zelenskyy’s nominee for prime minister, Yuliia Svyrydenko. Before the reshuffle, she served as Ukraine’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economic Development and Trade.
Most ministers either retained their roles or were reassigned to new posts. The president called for immediate implementation of the new government program and said results must be delivered “daily.”
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