Mary Ilyushina

@ilyushina.bsky.social

The Washington Post Eastern Europe Reporter, mainly covering Russia and Ukraine

And a huge thank you to @ilyushina.bsky.social for covering this critical analysis with a stellar article in the @washingtonpost.com! Read👇 www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0...

Russia’s deadly drone industry upgraded with Iran’s help, report says

Russia once struggled to field its own long range drones until Iran sold them the technology to build their own. Now hundreds hit Ukraine every night.

washingtonpost.com

C4ADS@c4ads.org · last yr.

NEW: #Russia has launched at least 8,000 Iranian-designed #drones since war with #Ukraine first broke out in 2022. Now, Airborne Axis traces how those drones were produced — and how a $1.75B deal ushered in a new era of Russo-Iranian collaboration. 🧵1/6 Read 👇 buff.ly/DsR1w3K

“In many ways Putin has already got what he wants - the chance to negotiate directly with the US on Ukraine, possibly over the heads of Kyiv and Europe - as well as the opportunity to put himself at the top table of international politics,” writes BBC’s Steve Rosenberg. www.bbc.com/news/article...

Donald Trump offers Vladimir Putin a way back in from the cold

The BBC's Steve Rosenberg analyses how one phone call between Moscow and DC has already upended east-west relations.

bbc.com

Kremlin sounded less enthusiastic than Trump when asked whether yesterday’s Fogel swap is a step towards the end of war in Ukraine: “Such agreements are unlikely to become a turning point, but at the same time they represent the bit by bit rebuilding of mutual trust, which is at its lowest point."

The major fuel oil spill on the Black Sea was at first largely ignored by local and federal officials, even as thousands of volunteers flocked in to aid in the Sisyphean cleanup — sifting sand to separate it from sludge as waves bring in more deposits. www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0...

As Russian oil spill fouls beaches, locals fume over official response

Volunteers flooded the beaches to help with cleanup eventually prompting the federal government to step to help clean up thousands of tons of fuel oil.

washingtonpost.com

Russia has been closely watching Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks, meticulously tracking the nominees’ positions on military aid to Ukraine and opinions of President Vladimir Putin, in hopes of predicting the policies of a president who is famously unpredictable. www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/1...

The Russian guide to Trump’s Cabinet picks

Who’s good for Russia and who’s going to be a problem among Trump’s Cabinet choices, according to Russian commentators.

washingtonpost.com