Good morning to readers; Kyiv remains in Ukrainian hands. In September, Russia flooded Ukraine with jet drones that could cross Kyiv in three minutes, mass-produced an inexpensive new missile, and pushed sabotage deeper into NATO.

Russia chose its next weapon to terrorize Ukraine

Russia launched nine times more jet drones than in June, put cheap missiles into mass production, and ramped up its NATO sabotage campaign.

counteroffensive.news

Trump, fresh off his call with Putin, says Zelenskyy needs to be replaced (!!!) As we approach the midterms, Trump is trying to make Ukraine the scapegoat for the problems his Iran war is causing Video: U.S. Network Pool via AP

Good morning to readers; Kyiv remains in Ukrainian hands. The rumored case of a plague death in Russia’s Irkutsk region has incited anxiety throughout the world. Andrii Aleksandrin, an epidemiologist, doesn’t seem as worried about the plague, though.

Should we panic over Russian plague?

As the world awaits new details, Russia is reluctant to reveal facts about the rumored case of death from plague. An epidemiologist Andrii Aleksandrin is skeptical about the whole situation.

counteroffensive.news

Here’s what The Counteroffensive is reading today:  U.S. and Russia top officials have discussed bringing an American investor into the Nord Stream pipeline. Jared Kushner believes business is key to the Russia-Ukraine peace talks.

EXCLUSIVE: US, Russia explore gas sale to Europe amid Ukraine war, say sources

Top Russian and US officials, including Special Envoy Jared Kushner, have held talks about bringing a US investor into the Nord Stream pipelines that delivered gas to Germany before Russia invaded Ukr...

reuters.com

Here’s what The Counteroffensive is reading today: Bulgaria’s Defense Minister says he is “unsure” whether Russia or Ukraine struck two merchant vessels in the Black Sea. He called it a deliberate attack that draws Bulgaria into the “hybrid war” between the two.

Стоянов: Все още не може да кажем дали дроновете, ударили двата кораба, са украински или руски

Не можем да потвърдим дали дроновете, ударили двата кораба в Черно море, са украински или руски. Това заяви пред бТВ министърът на отбраната Димитър Стоянов. Трябва да намерим отломките от

bgnes.bg

Good morning to readers; Kyiv remains in Ukrainian hands. Ukraine may decriminalize porn to boost its budget, but critics warn it could lead to exploitation. But it would be transformative for Sofya, an OnlyFans creator who has used the platform to raise money for the military.

Porn decriminalization to fund the war effort?

Ukraine is one of the few European countries where porn production is illegal. As lawmakers weigh decriminalizing the industry to help refill a war-drained budget, anti-porn activists are worried.

counteroffensive.news

Good morning to readers; Kyiv remains in Ukrainian hands. Ukraine may decriminalize porn to boost its budget, but critics warn it could lead to exploitation. But it would be transformative for Sofya, an OnlyFans creator who has used the platform to raise money for the military.

Porn decriminalization to fund the war effort?

Ukraine is one of the few European countries where porn production is illegal. As lawmakers weigh decriminalizing the industry to help refill a war-drained budget, anti-porn activists are worried.

counteroffensive.news

Here’s what The Counteroffensive is reading today: Ukrainian train reserves are almost depleted after Russian attacks on railways. Ukraine is now looking to Europe whose railways have the same track gauge as Ukraine’s to supply additional rolling stock.

Russia’s new drive to crush Ukraine

Moscow’s relentless offensive on cities and ports has halted the country’s grain exports, severing an economic lifeline

ft.com

Good morning to readers; Kyiv remains in Ukrainian hands. Many young men in Ukraine are leaving the country at war, with the army struggling to fill its ranks. Petro could also flee the country and build a new life in Europe. Instead, he chose to come back.

Why I returned from Germany ready to fight

While Russia mobilizes more troops to continue the war, many young Ukrainians are fleeing the country to avoid conscription. Petro had the chance to do the same but chose to come back.

counteroffensive.news

Today is Defenders Day in Ukraine. Many of the people defending the country now do it from behind a screen. In December 2024, one Ukrainian unit carried out the first all-drone assault on Russian positions. Around 30 ground and aerial drones, each with its own pilot, attacked a fortified line.

Inside the first ever all-drone assault by Ukraine

The Counteroffensive is the first to give a detailed play-by-play of a major milestone in military drone history. Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at its planning, execution and impact on future wars.

counteroffensive.news

Here’s what The Counteroffensive is reading today: The Pentagon excluded the UK, France and the Baltic states from the NATO meeting in Poland next month. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth previously warned that allies not supporting U.S. interests would face consequences.

Pentagon excludes key allies from NATO meeting

Some of Europe’s biggest defense spenders — and U.S. allies — were not invited to a Pentagon-led meeting to discuss the alliance.

politico.com

Here’s what The Counteroffensive is reading today:  Trump’s envoy is considering trading sanctions relief for Russia in exchange for political prisoners. The deal could pave the way for U.S.-Russia business deals to take place even before the war in Ukraine ends.

Trump’s Latest Appeal to Russia Could Outrage Even His Allies

Trump’s envoy wants to trade Russian political prisoners for U.S. sanctions relief, creating a path to business deals before the war in Ukraine ends.

theatlantic.com

You're probably seeing daily footage of explosions, fires and casualties in Kyiv. Footage that doesn't look like it's coming out of a European capital. I'm going live with Ryan McBeth on why Kyiv looks like a frontline city and if Russia's strategy is working. 12pm ET / 5pm BST Tune in live:

LIVE SOON: Why Kyiv looks like a frontline city

Starting Sep 30 at 12:00 PM EDT

open.substack.com

Good morning to readers; Kyiv remains in Ukrainian hands. Poland has been one of the biggest supporters of Ukraine, but this summer, historical tensions between the two countries have spiraled into rising xenophobia. Ivanna has witnessed this shift in sentiments herself.

Do Poles really hate Ukrainians?

The escalated tensions in Poland-Ukraine relations this summer caused rising xenophobia against Ukrainians in Poland. Ivanna Spivachenko has witnessed this shift herself.

counteroffensive.news

You don't need to be a tech expert to fly a military drone. The drones used in war today cost a few hundred dollars and take minutes to learn, so anyone who has played a video game could be flying one well after 2 days of practice, including people who mean harm.

Here’s what The Counteroffensive is reading today: The Ukrainian army used drones to deliver 4 tons of food to 100 locations in occupied Oleshky in the Kherson region. Regional authorities said this was one of the largest efforts to ease the local humanitarian crisis so far.

Прокудін Олександр - Офіційна сторінка

В окупованих Олешках росіяни тримають у заручниках близько двох тисяч наших людей, серед яких майже пів сотні дітей. Вони змушені виживати без їжі, електрики та води. А найстрашніше – росіяни фактично...

t.me

Good morning to readers; Kyiv remains in Ukrainian hands. Despite Trump’s claims about an energy ceasefire, Ukraine braces for another tough winter, but this time Russia may target water supply and sewage systems. Valentyna has faced this disaster before, fears doing it again.

Trump's “energy truce" contradicts Putin's winter plans

Still deeply traumatized by last winter, which nearly tipped Kyiv into a humanitarian crisis, Ukraine is bracing for new disasters this year.

counteroffensive.news

1 hour to go until I'm live with Alex Lord, Sibylline's lead Europe-Eurasia analyst, breaking down our Black Hawk Down simluation. Come find out what our wargame revealed. Today 10am ET / 3pm BST / 5pm Kyiv Tune in live: open.substack.com/live-stream/...

LIVE SOON: What if Somali militias had drones in ‘Black Hawk Down’?

Starting Sep 25 at 10:00 AM EDT

open.substack.com

Here’s what The Counteroffensive is reading today: Ukraine’s recognition of Russian sovereignty over occupied territories is no longer on the peace talk agenda, Zelenskyy said. He attributed the shift to Ukraine’s gains on the battlefield.

The US might've fired more Patriot missiles in one week of the Iran war than Ukraine has in over 4.5 years of this whole war. The US fires 3 interceptors at once per missile, just to be safe. Ukraine used to do that too but now they're down to firing just one, if that.

Ada is a semiconductor salesperson and an investor in Taiwan’s AI company. Now it is caught in the middle as two world superpowers are fighting over a tiny island’s tech industry, hoping to win the AI race.

Xi's Trump visit puts Taiwan's AI boom in crossfire

As the two superpowers fight for leverage over Taiwan, businesses that control the country's AI trend are walking a tightrope between them

counteroffensive.news

No effect on mobile as far as I can tell

Will Code For Pizza@markshatraw.bsky.social · 3w ago

Do you know when the strikes hit? Are they affecting mobile Internet?

Internet’s been out at the Counteroffensive office all day. We called the wifi company but no one picked up. Russian strikes hit data centers of some internet providers in Kyiv and the Ministry of Digital Transformation said about 100K households are dealing with the same outage.

Here’s what The Counteroffensive is reading today: Von der Leyen made it clear to Zelenskyy in a tense meeting at the UN that Ukraine needs to make progress on aligning its legal system with the EU standards to get further funding.

EU Tells Ukraine to Bolster Rule of Law Before It Gets More Aid

European Union officials have told Ukraine they need to see progress on new legislation to curb the shadow economy, bolster tax revenue and move closer to EU law before they’ll dispense more funding.

bloomberg.com

We published a wargamed version of Black Hawk Down but in the presence of today's cheap drones. Tomorrow, I'm going live with Alex Lord, Sibylline's analyst, to unpack what the simulation revealed. September 23, 10am ET / 3pm BST / 5pm Kyiv Get notified:

LIVE SOON: What if Somali militias had drones in ‘Black Hawk Down’?

Starting Sep 23 at 10:00 AM EDT

open.substack.com

Here’s what The Counteroffensive is reading today: Russia has introduced a curfew in areas bordering Estonia. This is the first such measure on a frontier with an EU and NATO member since the full-scale invasion began. Movement near the border is now restricted at night.

Russia imposes curfew on border with Estonia

Read more

newsukraine.rbc.ua

And for those of you who want to keep up to date on Kyiv, @timkmak.bsky.social is your man.

We war-gamed what the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu would've looked like with today's cheap combat drones added in. 2 Black Hawks were already down by the end of part one. Here's what happens next:

Good morning to readers; Kyiv remains in Ukrainian hands. THE LATEST NEWS AT THIS HOUR: RUSSIA TO RAMP UP DRONE PRODUCTION BY 80%: According to Russian plans obtained by Politico, Russia plans to scale up its production of drones by about 80 percent.

Russia’s secret plan to supercharge kamikaze drone production

Documents obtained by POLITICO show a Russian state company blueprint for increasing drone carbon fiber production as the Kremlin escalates air war over Europe.

politico.eu

What if the Somali militia in the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu had access to today's cheap combat drones? We ran the whole scenario as a wargame with actual military veterans and intelligence analysts.

What if Somali militias had drones in ‘Black Hawk Down’?

How would drones have changed the SOF mission in Mogadishu that Americans know as Black Hawk Down? Would the battle have ended in a deadlier fashion and what lessons can we draw for modern warfare?

counteroffensive.news