A Grand Review of Global Absurdity: Comrade Xi Builds a School in Irkutsk, Cuba Bombs Florida with Russian Drones, and NATO Loses the War

This is actually an anecdote invented by your columnist, but, as they say in such cases, it is based on real events.

Petition to the "Dear Friend Xi" («Настоящее время»)

While Putin visited Beijing, residents of the Berezovy neighborhood near Irkutsk recorded a video appeal to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, begging Chinese President Xi Jinping to complete the construction of their local school, promised back in 2021. Due to Russia's federal funds being drained by Moscow infrastructure, foreign aid, and defense spending, locals expressed readiness to learn Chinese in exchange for basic services. This case highlights the domestic infrastructure collapse and the mental capitulation of remote Russian regions to Chinese geopolitical dominance.

How Beijing Secretly Teaches Russians to Fight (Reuters)

A Reuters investigation based on European intelligence reports reveals a covert program where China has been training Russian military personnel (from sergeants to lieutenant colonels) in military academies across Beijing and Nanjing. The training focuses on UAV operations, electronic warfare (EW), and army aviation. Military expert Colonel Fedir Doroshenko notes that the program focuses not on combat tactics, but on engineering and tech algorithms, functioning as a transfer of technical keys from the world’s microelectronics factory to Russian instructors.

How Ukrainian "Middle Strikes" Paralyze the Occupiers (Reuters)

Reuters reports on the Ukrainian Armed Forces' successful campaign of mid-range strikes (30–180 km deep into the operational rear). This strategy has crippled Russian offensive capabilities and forced the Kremlin to pull air defense assets from the front lines to protect deep-rear oil refineries. Using domestic drone innovations like "Chaklun V" and "V-2," Ukrainian units rapidly bypass Russian electronic warfare, systematically bleeding the Russian war machine without relying on Western long-range restrictions.

The Cuban Missile Crisis 2.0 on Drones (Axios)

According to classified US intelligence cited by Axios, Cuba secretly purchased over 300 military drones and discussed using them against the US Navy base in Guantanamo and Key West, Florida. Despite Havana's denials, the intelligence suspects a Russian footprint behind the supply via a recent oil tanker delivery. The text notes that while a major war is unlikely, Donald Trump might use this as an opportunity for a swift geopolitical victory, opening a window for Ukraine to assist Washington using its unique expertise in destroying Russian-made assets.

War Game in Hamburg: How Russia Plans to Dismantle NATO (Foreign Policy)

 Military analyst Franz-Stefan Gady details a classified December 2025 war game at the Bundeswehr University in Hamburg, published by Foreign Policy. Simulating a Baltics crisis in late 2026 post a hypothetical Ukraine freeze, Gady played the Russian General Staff, using high-tech drone-artillery synchronization to trigger a rapid fait accompli. The simulation concluded that Russia's primary goal would not be vast territorial capture, but the political destruction of NATO's Article 5 by exploiting European political indecisiveness and reliance on US capabilities.

The Digital Empire: Why Big Tech Became the New Global Colonizer (Al Jazeera)

Al Jazeera analyzes the concept of "digital colonialism," arguing that Silicon Valley Tech Giants (Big Tech) have built a new 21st-century empire. By extracting raw materials (cobalt, lithium) and exploiting low-paid labor from the Global South for data labeling and content moderation, these corporations hoard wealth and patents in the West. Hromada comments that servers, algorithms, and subsea cables have replaced battleships, leaving developing nations trapped in a digital dependency that erodes their national sovereignty.

Read more in the Ukrainian edition....