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

@kevinrothrock I think he'll find Canada will not get over the threat of annexation anytime soon

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.

@kevinrothrock good God, with Alex Karp. If that's the kind of people they're going to let in, marginal benefit over trying their luck with Putin

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

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.

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

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

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

Cities across Russia are struggling to adapt to life under threat of Ukrainian drones and missiles. Signs posted in Murmansk apt buildings advise residents to shelter in the nearest subway station, though Murmansk has no subway. Similar failures have been reported in Cheboksary, Omsk, & Tolyatti. https://t.me/Govorit_NeMoskva/63066

A Russian zoo in Novosibirsk is under investigation after featuring an orangutan on its "Happy Victory Day!" billboards. The zoo director defended the display, asking why this is offensive but not bears. Delicious. https://t.me/pdmnews/89486

@virtuous_sloth I couldn't tell ya. I practically live on Telegram for monitoring Russian news.