News Digest: Drone Attacks, Internet Restrictions on Victory Day, and Benefits for Soldiers

News Digest: Drone Attacks, Internet Restrictions on Victory Day, and Benefits for Soldiers

Escalation of Fighting and Mutual Drone Attacks

• During the night of May 7, 2026, one of the most intense waves of drone attacks since the beginning of the war was recorded. Russia reported intercepting 347 drones, with attacks in Bryansk, Tver, and Belgorod causing the death of one woman, the wounding of dozens, and heavy damage requiring the evacuation of residents.


• Concurrently, drone alerts were activated in the Sochi and Kherson regions.


• Conversely, Ukraine reported Russian drone strikes in Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk, which led to damage to civilian infrastructure and several injuries, including a pregnant woman.


• Against the backdrop of the fighting, significant pension benefits were approved for volunteers in Russia: every day of combat (or hospitalization following an injury) will count as three days of service toward pension seniority.

• The Russian Ministry of Communications plans to disable mobile internet and SMS services in Moscow on May 9 for security reasons. Opposition sources advise downloading offline maps and stocking up on cash. In the background, the government plans to invest billions to block 92% of VPN services in the country by 2030.


• Russia is promoting patriotic events, including the 15th-anniversary celebrations of the "People's Front" movement, the distribution of the "Flame of Memory" to veterans and fighters in Ukraine, and the "Immortal Regiment" march around the world (including in Cyprus).

• Sales of antidepressants in Russia have doubled over the last three years. Simultaneously, the local pharmaceutical industry recorded a significant leap in production capacity, a step presented as strengthening national sovereignty and reducing reliance on imported drugs.


• In the State Duma, a new bill is being promoted to impose strict regulation and mandatory professional certification on photographers specializing in newborn photography.

• Former US President Barack Obama dismissed rumors and conspiracy theories that the US government is hiding the existence of aliens. Obama joked that the administration is simply "very bad at keeping secrets" to hide such dramatic information from the government for many years.