Putin’s war machine choked as Ukraine brings halts ‘highway to hell’

Russian intelligence agencies have grown more aggressive in their efforts to steal Western technology and defense secrets as sanctions squeeze the country’s wartime economy

Zelensky's boast on May 19 about dynamic changes in Kyiv's favor would have been hard to predict earlier this year amid stalled United States-led peace talks, the Trump administration lessening support, and a winter of relentless Russian strikes on Ukraine’s energy and critical infrastructure.

Kyiv was hit particularly hard last weekend by a huge Russian bombardment attack – one of the largest since the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion in 2022.

After more than four years of war and increased Russian occupation of eastern and southern Ukraine, neither side has gained any significant ground in recent months.