AN ARMED ANTI-REGIME MOVEMENT EMERGES IN RUSSIA...
An underground Russian resistance movement known as Black Spark has claimed that it is building a clandestine anti-regime network inside Russia that seeks to remove President Vladimir Putin from power. The group, reports the UK Metro newspaper, is "made up of 'middle-class' professionals, business figures, anti-war activists and fighters with combat experience." It reportedly believes that the only way to act against Putin's dictatorship is to fight back with armed resistance, and has further denounced Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Black Spark's main goal is said to be targeting and destroying the Russian oil industry, which the group views as the nation's "lifeblood." Igor Volobuev, a former Kremlin-connected banker who defected to Ukraine, is believed to be the group's leader. Volobuev claims that "shifts" are underway in Russia and that members of Putin's elite have lost faith in his regime. Black Spark claims to have influential members embedded across Russia, including in the state-linked energy giant Gazprom. (Metro, May 25, 2026)
...WHILE PUTIN'S SUPPORT CONTINUES TO SLIP...
Following Western media reports that Russia's president has spent weeks hiding in a underground bunker amid fears of assassination or a coup, Putin held a highly televised meeting with his former school teacher, greeting her with a huge bouquet of flowers and driving her to dinner at the Kremlin. The staged photo-op was meant to present Putin as a confident and approachable leader as people begin to sour against his regime in the face of a faltering war in Ukraine and economic decline on the home front. One well-connected Russian business leader told The Guardian that "there is profound disappointment in Putin [among the elites]." The source said that no one believes the country will collapse tomorrow, but that there is a growing understanding Putin is making destructive decisions.
That awareness, moreover, appears to be trickling down into Russian society. Putin's approval ratings are reportedly slipping, including among Russian military bloggers, who historically rarely criticized the president. The souring attitudes are driven by the ongoing costs of the Ukraine war, which are finally being felt by Russians who are seeing higher taxes and rising inflation as the cost of living in Russia skyrockets and many businesses are forced to close. (The Guardian, May 24, 2026)
...AND THE RUSSIAN PRESIDENT DOES DAMAGE CONTROL
Putin, meanwhile, is seeking to improve his political position. Russia's president has ordered the government and FSB to ensure that critical online services remain accessible during mobile internet outages. Critical services include healthcare platforms and the "Gosuslugi" government services portal, as well as electronic payment networks. The move constitutes an expansion of an existing "white list" of entities that have been allowed to remain online despite rolling government internet restrictions. That list also includes government-backed messenger Max, state news agencies, and major banks. (The Moscow Times, June 1, 2026)
[EDITORS' NOTE: The measure is telling. Putin's recent restrictions on the internet, ostensibly implemented to encourage uptake by citizens of state-backed messaging app Max and the sidelining of alternatives like WhatsApp, has proven deeply unpopular — especially among Russia's youth. The measure contributed materially to what has now become a notable decline in Putin's previously unassailable political standing.]
RUSSIA'S HYBRID ASSAULT ON EUROPE
In late May, Anne Keast-Butler, the director of Britain's cyber and signals intelligence agency, GCHQ, publicly warned businesses, governments, and allied nations that Russia is conducting daily hybrid attacks against the United Kingdom and Europe. She stated that Russia is targeting critical infrastructure, democratic processes, supply chains, and seeking to erode public trust, both in the UK and on the European continent. In response, the British government is implementing a range of countermeasures, including defending undersea cables and energy pipelines located in British waters. The UK is also introducing a new national cyber defense capability that embeds agentic AI into systems in order to detect and respond to such attacks faster than human operators can. (The Record, May 28, 2026)