Moscow claims the encrypted apps are used for “deceit and extortion.” Meta says it’s a push to get Russians onto less secure services to allow government surveillance.

The drones were launched from the directions of Kursk, Oryol, Bryansk, Primorsko-Akhtarsk and Shatalovo in Russia. Attack drones targeted frontline areas in the Kharkiv, Sumy, Donetsk and Chernihiv oblasts,

Kh-59 missiles are air-to-surface systems designed to strike ground and naval targets and they have often been used in tandem with Shahed drones by Russia to wreak havoc on Ukrainian infrastructure. Kyiv's claims that Moscow is struggling to produce them because of a lack of components reinforces the argument that continued sanctions targeting lower-tier suppliers could further reduce Russia's strike capacity.