Roman Sheremeta

Mar 2, 2026

Recent survey reveals a striking portrait of the mindset among russian prisoners of war held in Ukraine.

According to a study conducted by the Ukrainian public organization LingvaLexa, a significant majority of captured russian soldiers still view russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine as justified and necessary — despite being on the receiving end of that aggression.

Key findings from the survey of 1,060 russian POWs:

• 68% of POWs said the war was “legitimate, necessary and justified to some extent,” even after being captured.
• Among those who trust Kremlin propaganda, 88% viewed the war as justified; among those skeptical of propaganda, 51% still described it as such.
• 48% of POWs believe in at least some russian propaganda narratives, and nearly 77% accept at least one such narrative overall.
• 43% of POWs do not consider the average Ukrainian to be a fully human person — and on average they rated Ukrainians as only about 88% as developed compared to other people.

The survey also showed that many POWs remain psychologically anchored in Moscow’s information space: those who believed propaganda were much more likely to express a desire to return to the front after release — whether in combat roles (about 33%) or support roles — compared to those less influenced by propaganda.

Source: Ukrainska Pravda

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Russia lost the “battle for winter.” And we won.

The first day of spring. The daylight is getting longer. It’s getting warmer. Ukraine continues the fight.

On the front line, for the first time in many months – perhaps even years – we have begun liberating more territory than we are losing.

Thank you to those who are holding the line.
Thank you to the air defense forces.
To the energy workers.
To the utility workers.
To local and central authorities.
And to each of us – for our resilience.

Ukraine has won the battle for winter.

Author: translated and adapted from Taras Chmut

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The Moscow–Tehran axis is collapsing before our eyes.

It has been confirmed that Iran did in fact appeal to russia, invoking clauses on “mutual assistance in the event of a threat to sovereignty.” Moscow — who could be surprised — resorted to legal sophistry: since the U.S. and Israeli strikes are framed as “targeted operations against terrorist infrastructure,” rather than a full-scale invasion, the Kremlin interprets this as a situation that does not trigger the collective defense clause.

Iran reportedly asked russia to activate S-400 systems and Krasukha/Leer-3 electronic warfare systems at russian bases in Syria (Khmeimim and Tartus) to blind Israeli aircraft. Instead, russia not only refused but, according to some reports, even turned off transponders and active radar systems at its bases during the flight of Israeli missiles — in order to avoid accidental involvement and any pretext for entering the conflict.

And finally, Moscow’s refusal has been heard in Pyongyang, Beijing, and across the Global South. Russia has demonstrated that it is an “ally until the first serious challenge.” Iranian elites — especially the pragmatic wing — are now openly saying that the strategic bet on russia was a mistake that led to a national catastrophe.

What can one say — slow learners, indeed.

Source: translated and adopted from Igor Semyvolos

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“Ukraine supports the operation against the Iranian regime, which terrorizes the region, supports, and finances groups that bring destabilization to other countries… We are on the side of the Iranian people.”

Foreign Minister of Ukraine Andrii Sybiha