Zelenskyy Reveals Ukrainian Military Losses as Cyberattacks Target Diplomatic Organizations
Kyiv, Ukraine – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy disclosed that 55,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, according to an exclusive interview with French public broadcaster France 2 on Wednesday. The announcement came as cybersecurity researchers reported that Russian-state hackers exploited a recently discovered Microsoft Office vulnerability to target diplomatic, maritime, and transport organizations across multiple countries.
Zelenskyy, visibly emotional during the interview, shared the casualty figures, which are rarely made public, reflecting on the human cost of the ongoing war. The Ukrainian president also addressed ongoing negotiations and Europe's stance toward Russia, according to Euronews.
Meanwhile, Microsoft released an urgent, unscheduled security update late last month to address a critical Office vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2026-21509. Researchers said that the threat group, known by names including APT28, Fancy Bear, Sednit, Forest Blizzard, and Sofacy, quickly capitalized on the vulnerability, compromising devices within 48 hours of the patch's release, according to Ars Technica. The hackers reverse-engineered the patch and developed an advanced exploit that installed previously unseen malware.
In other news, the increasing demand for metals like nickel and copper for cleantech applications is putting pressure on existing mines. According to MIT Technology Review, the only active nickel mine in the US, located in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, is nearing the end of its life, with nickel concentrations falling too low to justify continued digging. Biotechnology could offer a solution for extracting more metal from aging mines.
The rising costs and complexities of cloud computing are also prompting some organizations to consider building their own data centers. According to a blog post on Hacker News, one company, comma, has been running its own data center for years to maintain control over its compute resources and avoid high cloud costs. "If your business relies on compute, and you run that compute in the cloud, you are putting a lot of trust in your cloud provider," the post stated.
In related news, NPR Politics reported on the experiences of a French tennis coach who was detained and expelled from the U.S. under tightened border rules implemented by the Trump administration. This story highlights a broader trend of declining European tourism to the U.S., with many citing the volatile political climate as a deterrent. "There was a sharp drop in the number of European tourists visiting the U.S. last year compared to 2024," NPR reported.
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