Ukraine: The Latest ‘Staggering’ Russian losses as ‘tens of thousands of troops’ stall in Putin’s spring offensive & interviewing Ukrainians who fought for Russia
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Mar 24, 2026 
Jen Stout, freelance journalist who interviews Ukrainians who fought for Russia. James Kilner, Russia analyst on politics, society and internet controls. They discuss Russia’s costly spring offensive and soaring casualties. They unpack Moscow’s internet outages, censorship and social strain. They explore why some Ukrainians fought for Russia and how researchers document these cases.
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Censorship Whitelist Breaks Essential Services
- Kremlin's whitelist approach to censorship caused practical failures across services.
- GPS and taxi apps collapsed, reviving informal "gypsy taxis" and disrupting everyday life in Moscow.
Insider Turned Dissident Locked In Psychiatric Hospital
- Ilya Remeslu, a former pro-Kremlin insider, publicly challenged Putin and was then detained in a psychiatric hospital.
- His five-point memorandum and subsequent hospitalisation highlighted elite-level discontent and state reprisals.
Putin Acknowledges Economic Contraction
- Putin admitted Russia's GDP fell 2.1% year-on-year, an unusual presidential acknowledgement of economic decline.
- Rising consumer prices, VAT increases and labour import problems deepen recessionary pressures.
