CIRCLE WITH A DOT

Kremlin political czar Sergey Kiriyenko told United Russia's leadership not to "forget" the Ukraine war veterans who lose in the party's upcoming primaries, Vedomosti reports. 535 vets are among the 4,400 candidates. In 2021, United Russia won 324 of Duma's 450 seats. https://t.me/vedomosti/77748

Russia's "Sever" Army Group claims its forces killed Colombian, Spanish, and Brazilian fighters in Ukraine's Kharkiv region, capturing one Colombian survivor. The group also alleges that Moldova is funnelling foreign mercenaries into Ukraine through Turkey. https://t.me/warriorofnorth/18248

Meduza's latest count of Russian military deaths puts the total at 352K between Feb 2022 & late 2025. This instalment adds a new category of soldiers, currently estimated at 90K: men whose deaths left no body for a civil registry to record. I wrote this summary explaining how the calculations work. https://meduza.io/en/brief/2026/05/14/dead-souls-and-counting

oh brother

Europe's tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with less than a quarter of a percent of the blood of patriots.

NATO chief Mark Rutte wants member states to triple annual flows to Kyiv by raising their aid to 0.25% of GDP. The big ask comes amid frustration from some capitals that the Nords, Balts, Poles, & Dutch are donating to Ukraine at higher shares than many other allies. https://www.politico.eu/article/natos-rutte-asks-allies-for-billions-more-in-ukraine-aid/

Food for thought: The U.S. legally continued the international slave trade for 31 years after declaring independence in 1776.

AI labs aren't X, they're Y.

всё было так хорошо, пока не появился Нехороший

Access to footage showing the aftermath of drone and terrorist attacks in Moscow will likely become more difficult following a new ban introduced by the city on sharing "unauthorized" photos and videos. Only the govt itself is allowed to distribute this stuff now. https://zona.media/news/2026/05/13/moscow-say-no

You asked for affordable childcare and education, but "affordable missiles" is what you'll get and like it, chumps.

Sounds like licensing hell ain't over: Animaccord is suing Kuzovkov, saying it still has the exclusive rights to these characters, days after he announced plans to produce a feature film reboot through his new LA/Moscow-based studio. Animaccord says Kuzovkov already accepted a buyout years ago. https://www.rbc.ru/technology_and_media/13/05/2026/6a04244a9a794749efd513a1

Another Ukrainian drone wanders into friendly territory: Greece confirms an armed Ukrainian sea drone washed ashore on Lefkada island, where a fisherman found it May 7. Greece’s defense minister warned it "could have struck a tourist vessel" on the busy waterway between Greece and Italy. https://apnews.com/article/greece-ukraine-russia-sea-drone-c51b74a4472ab60411b330515eadf5e8

Europe-based NYT "Open Source Intelligence Reporter" job posting: https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/thenewyorktimes/jobs/4694308005

Russian drones damaged a kindergarten and residential buildings in the Kyiv region's Fastiv district, according to local officials, who say no one was hurt in the attack. https://t.me/astrapress/112314

Very enjoyable write-up by Ian Penman of Peter Doggett's book on Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys. Fans of the music (️) will appreciate the heart and soul brought to this review. https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v48/n07/ian-penman/i-m-just-a-sound

Oleg Kuzovkov has reclaimed rights to "Masha and the Bear" from the Russian animation studio Animaccord (which he helped found) & is developing the first feature film through his new company, Studio MiM. The film will reboot the characters, with a 2028 production target. https://variety.com/2026/film/global/masha-and-the-bear-oleg-kuzovkov-first-feature-film-1236743974/

Variety describes Studio MiM as an "independent animation production company based in both Los Angeles and Moscow."

Zelensky has graciously signed a decree "permitting" Moscow to hold its Victory Day parade tomorrow, ordering Red Square's GPS coordinates removed from Ukraine's targeting for the day. The doc cites US requests as the reason that the square will be spared. https://www.president.gov.ua/documents/3742026-59389

More Victory Day weirdness from Russia: Citing security concerns, Izhevsk did its parade yesterday, 2 days early, without any prior announcement. The governor showed up at the veterans' rehearsal and told everyone that this would be it. The region has been under repeated drone & missile warnings. https://t.me/bezposhady/39852

The International Federation of Journalists has expelled the Russian Union of Journalists for opening branches in occupied Ukraine. The union rejected the ruling as "politically motivated," accusing West European media orgs of threatening the IFJ with funding cuts to force the decision. https://www.vedomosti.ru/politics/news/2026/05/08/1196122-soyuz-zhurnalistov