Washington is simultaneously working on the restoration of military supplies to allies, new sanctions mechanisms and countering Russian cyber operations. Against this background, American intelligence has published assessments of Russia's many years of activity to influence US domestic policy. A separate topic was the escalation of the discussion within the Ukrainian leadership after public statements by the former Minister of Defense.
Conflict between the former Minister of Defense and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
In Ukraine, the conflict between former Minister of Defense Mykhailo Fedorov and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi has become public for the first time. After his dismissal from office during the government changes, Fedorov accused Syrskyi of blocking his initiatives, intrigues and deliberately obstructing the work of the ministry. According to the former minister, he had previously asked President Volodymyr Zelenskyi to replace the Commander-in-Chief, but after that he agreed to work together. Reuters notes that this is the first time that the disagreements between the defense sector leadership have become public knowledge.
During a press conference, Fedorov said: “We have reached a situation where all the initiatives that we proposed have been blocked, and Syrsky, given all the problems that we discussed today, is not ready to look me in the eye and talk openly about the problems.” He also said: “Instead of looking for ways to asymmetrically defeat Russia… he found a way to split the country.”
In response, Syrsky thanked Fedorov for his work as defense minister and said that Ukraine should focus on the war, without commenting on the allegations. President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the differences between the two officials, noting that he could not yet say how the situation would be resolved.
US resumes arms deliveries to Estonia after delay due to Iran war
Estonia expects the resumption of US arms deliveries, which were suspended due to the war in Iran, to be resumed. This was announced by the country's Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur in an interview with ERR. According to him, an agreement has already been reached with the US to unblock most of the deliveries. It is expected that the ammunition will begin to arrive in Estonia in the coming months after the completion of the coordination of logistical issues.
Pevkur noted: "Currently, the deliveries of ammunition are allowed, with the exception of one type - ATACMS missiles. They are currently on hold, as this is primarily related to US operations in Iran. As for other types of ammunition, they are all already unblocked. They should arrive in Estonia in the coming months - we hope sooner rather than later."
The minister also confirmed that although the deliveries were delayed by about four months, the further schedule of the contracts will not be violated. According to him, the parties are currently only agreeing on the technical and logistical details of the delivery.
US Senate concerned about tariffs in the bill on sanctions against Russia
A bill proposed in the US on new sanctions against Russia has raised concerns among Democratic lawmakers due to the provision on the possibility of introducing high tariffs. The document gives the president the right to impose 100% tariffs on goods from the five largest importers of Russian oil and natural gas. The bill is aimed at reducing Russia's income from energy exports, which finance the war against Ukraine. At the same time, Democrats believe that the proposed mechanisms could significantly expand President Trump's powers in the field of trade policy.
According to the bill’s supporters, the largest buyers of Russian oil are China, India, Slovakia, Hungary and Azerbaijan, and of natural gas, China, France, Japan, Hungary and Belgium. The document includes exemptions for countries that import less than 15% of Russian gas exports and would reduce such dependence, but Democrats say the criteria remain vague.
Senator Ron Wyden and Representative Richard Neal said: “Congress must stop shifting responsibility for trade and tariffs to an unchecked executive branch more interested in consolidating its own power than in the well-being of the American people.”
The document, prepared by Democratic staff, also notes: “New countries can be added to the scope all the time, and the vague criteria for determining the scope give Trump too many opportunities to abuse this authority.”
In addition, Congressman Gregory Meeks stated: “This is not so much a sanctions bill as a massive backdoor presidential power grab that would allow President Trump to impose additional tariffs, including on our European allies, while hurting American families.”
The U.S. has announced a $10 million reward for information on three Russian hackers
The U.S. Department of Justice has announced an indictment against three Russian citizens suspected of facilitating large-scale cyberattacks on the country’s critical infrastructure. At the same time, the U.S. State Department announced a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the location of these individuals or their associated companies. According to American authorities, these are Alexander Volosovyk, Kirill Zatolokin and Yulia Pankova, who, according to investigators, provided computer infrastructure for ransomware attacks and other cyber operations. As a result of these actions, users in 21 U.S. states and several other countries were affected, and the total losses reached tens of millions of dollars.
According to the indictment, all three are charged with conspiracy to commit computer fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering. According to the US Department of Justice, the related companies Media Land and ML.Cloud, registered in St. Petersburg, provided so-called “bulletproof” hosting services that made it difficult for law enforcement to detect and block cybercriminal infrastructure. Their servers operated not only in Russia, but also in China, Finland, the Netherlands and the United States. In November 2025, the United States already imposed sanctions against the defendants and the companies mentioned.
US intelligence has announced long-term attempts by Russia to influence American politics
For many years, Russia has been collecting information about current and former US government officials, which it can make public at any time, and has also conducted campaigns to discredit American politicians. This is stated in the report of the US National Intelligence Council dated August 19, 2020, dedicated to the assessment of foreign interference in the presidential election. The document states that the main goal of Russian information operations was “to smear former Vice President Biden and what it considers to be an anti-Russian establishment.” US intelligence also believes that these actions were aimed at increasing public discord in the United States and undermining Washington’s international authority.
The report states: “For example, it directs or encourages proxies to spread statements about Vice President Biden. Some Kremlin-linked actors also seek to promote President Trump’s candidacy on social media. More broadly, Moscow’s efforts are aimed at increasing social hostility in the United States and undermining Washington’s global authority.”
In addition, the intelligence agency reports: “Derkach, Kilymnyk, and other intermediaries associated with the Russian government are distributing such statements among American officials and other prominent individuals, as well as on the Internet, including through personal communications and audio and documentaries released through American and Ukrainian media.”
The document also states: “Since our assessment in May, Russia has continued to use state media, social media, and other online platforms to smear the former vice president, the Democratic Party, and the U.S. political ‘establishment’ and to encourage division in the country.” It also states that “Russia has been monitoring and collecting information about current and former U.S. government officials for years, which it can release to the public at any time.”
Photo: REUTERS/Alina Smutko
Author: Danylo Pievchev