Louis Beaudemont

Every winter since 2022, Ukraine has lived through what people now call Blackout —mass power outages Russian missile and drone attacks caused. While Russia spends billions to plunge ordinary people into darkness, thousands of energy workers are doing the extraordinary to keep the country’s lights on.

In a country where missiles and drones have halted civilian flights, train chief Pavlo Vynarchyk and thousands of railway “iron workers” keep Ukraine moving under Russian bombings, evacuating families and sustaining the nation’s lifeline.

As Russia faces mounting military and political setbacks, Russian leader Vladimir Putin is increasingly leaning on nuclear threats—from “unlimited-range” missiles to doomsday torpedoes—to project strength that experts say the Kremlin can no longer guarantee.

Ukraine’s nuclear power plants operate under constant threat from Russian missile and drone attacks. UNITED24 Media received rare access to the Rivne Nuclear Power Plant—one of only three Ukrainian nuclear facilities still under Kyiv’s control—to see how it is protecting itself and keeping the country supplied with electricity during the war.

Despite bans across Europe, the US, and Canada, Russia’s state-funded network RT is far from gone. The Kremlin’s favorite media weapon has morphed into a hybrid propaganda machine—streaming through smaller platforms, partner outlets, and social media ecosystems that still reach millions. Data reviewed by UNITED24 Media shows how RT adapted its playbook after 2022, turning sanctions into an opportunity to rebrand and retarget new audiences.

Russia has revived military cooperation with Cuba, a move that echoes its Cold War strategy of projecting power near US borders.