A man posing as a Ukrainian soldier interrupted a recruitment event for Russian university students via video call, threatening to kill anyone who signs a contract. The man initially claimed to be a Russian soldier serving in the Rubicon unit of unmanned systems, then revealed he is Ukrainian and threatened to kill any student who signs a contract, according to his own statements during the call. The incident was reported by several Ukrainian media, The Telegraph, and independent Russian news site Meduza. Meduza assessed that the lecture hall in the video is likely at the Kuban State Agricultural University in Krasnodar, Russia, but the exact location and time cannot be confirmed. The man's claim that he serves in the Ukrainian armed forces could not be verified. According to The Telegraph, Ukraine's state-owned United24 news site reported that the operation was carried out in cooperation with Ukrainian intelligence services. Ukrainian comedian Yevhen Volnov published a video last Friday claiming he infiltrated a closed meeting of the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade.
Russian authorities have set a target for universities to recruit 2% of their student body as contract soldiers for the Russian armed forces, according to reports. Independent Russian news site IStories reported in March that Russia aims to recruit nearly 80,000 soldiers for its unmanned systems units by the end of 2026. Russian universities are recruiting students to sign contracts with the Defense Ministry for one-year service in drone units, as reported by multiple outlets.
On the battlefield, Ukraine's foreign minister claimed the country's frontline position was the strongest in a year. Russia's army claimed it had seized hundreds of square miles of Ukrainian territory in 2026. Kyiv killed a dozen Russian officers in drone strikes on a command post in Donetsk, according to one of its commanders. Putin declared movement along the entire front line daily. Russian forces advanced an average of 0.12 km per day in Pokrovsk from July 31 to November 26, according to research. Russian forces have consolidated advances in 66% of Pokrovsk as of November 26, according to research. Russian forces could seize the remainder of Ukrainian-held Donetsk Oblast by August 2027 at the current rate, according to research. Russia occupies roughly 20% of Ukraine after gaining almost 5,000 sq km in 2025, according to research.
A person was killed in a Russian drone attack in Kharkiv region, according to Ukraine's national emergency service. Fighting has inflicted nearly 56,000 civilian casualties, 3.7 million internally displaced, and 5.9 million refugees, according to research.
Movement along the entire front line every day.
Almost 200 Ukrainian servicemen returned home in a prisoner exchange with Russia, according to Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Ukraine is developing a security agreement with Saudi Arabia, Zelenskyy said. The Duke of Sussex visited Ukraine and called for Putin to end the war, according to multiple reports. Ukraine has received about $188 billion from the US and $197 billion from the EU since January 2022, according to research. Zelensky suggested battle-hardened Ukrainian troops could replace US forces in Europe after the war. Ukraine is on an irreversible path to NATO membership, according to NATO. Zelensky would accept NATO membership applying only to territory under Kyiv's control initially, according to Zelensky.
The Trump administration set out a 20-point draft peace deal with a June deadline, according to research. Russia will not agree to an amended deal departing from the spirit of Putin's summit with Trump in Alaska, according to Russia. Trump promised to end the conflict within 24 hours of taking office, according to Trump.
Ukraine restarted Russian oil flow to Europe via the Druzhba pipeline, unblocking a 90-billion-euro EU loan, according to reports. Ukrainian drones ignited fires at Russia's Tuapse oil refinery, according to reports. Russia struck Ukraine's Odesa port and killed a railway worker in Zaporizhia, according to Ukraine's deputy prime minister. Germany imported 55% of its gas from Russia before the war, according to reports.
Poland intercepted two Russian jets over the Baltic Sea, according to Poland's deputy defence minister. Vladimir Putin's approval rating in Russia has fallen to its lowest level since the war began in February 2022, according to state polling figures. The Kremlin did not rule out Putin attending the G20 summit in the US later this year, according to the Kremlin. Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, according to reports. Putin's goal was regime change in Kyiv and Ukraine's subjugation, according to analysts. Russia has increased influence in parts of the Global South and allied with China, Iran, and North Korea, according to reports. The Trump administration is committed to upending alliances and engaging in great power politics, according to analysts. Putin's first public denunciation of the US came in his 2007 Munich speech, according to reports. Russia was ejected from the G8 after annexing Crimea in 2014, according to reports. A Russian military victory in Ukraine is not inevitable, according to analysts. Russian police raided a book publisher accused of pushing 'gay propaganda', according to reports.