Btw, the US created the conditions that led to Ru invading Ukraine only in so far as it was overly accommodating and thus gave Ru the idea they can conquer Ukraine and the intl community would just sit and watch. Anyone arguing the US deliberately "provoked" Ru to invade doesn't understand the war.

A large explosion occurred in the chemical plant of Nizhnekamsk, Tatarstan, currently Russia. It is said that the explosion originated from the polystyrene production workshop.

More and more people are arriving at Franko Square in Kyiv 🇺🇦👀

Small Bulgarian town on a Friday afternoon. The park is well-maintained and full of families; the central square’s restaurant is full of pensioners hanging out over beers and snacks; there’s free wifi everywhere courtesy of the municipal govt and the EU. EU’s demise is grossly exaggerated…

Iran has been helping Ru since 2022. Now that Ukr has struck an Iranian military shipment, the right questions to ask are: why isn’t Iran focusing on its own défense? Will it finally reconsider aiding Ru and stop risking more Ukr strikes? « Why would Zelensky do this » is the wrong question!

Ukrainian drones struck another Wildberries logistics hub overnight, hitting a 44,000 m² complex in Volgograd's Dzerzhinsky district, around 500 km from the front. The strike brings the reported total to 14 Wildberries logistics centers hit over the past two weeks. #Ukraine

While Western journalists invariably assumed that the Fedorov-Syrskyi departures combined with street protests put Ukraine in a political crisis and asked me about impeding military setbacks, it might turn out that the reshuffle-cum-renewal will make Ukraine stronger.

MAKS 26 👀🇺🇦@maks23.bsky.social · 5d ago

🇺🇦 “With Commander-in-Chief Drapaty, we have strong synergy and a common vision of war: technological advantage, asymmetric solutions, more opportunities to destroy the enemy,” said Yevhen Khmara.

Zelenodolsk in Tatarstan, currently Russia: Looks like the first attempt to hit a logistics center of Ozon, Wildberries‘ strongest competitor.

FT on Russian refineries 🔥👀

Discussing diplomacy in Ru-Ukr war always benefits Ru. If I say talks are unlikely to work because Ru demands surrender terms and only Ukr has compromised, some still hear Ukr intransigence; if Ze says he wants to restart talks, journos ask me whether Ukrainians are tired and want to stop fighting.

First good view on the burning Wildberries logistics hub in Penza, Russia. I’m pretty sure that no package will be dispatched from here any more. The area size of that facility is / was 90,000 square meters, around 1 million square feet. And there were plans to double the size.

President #Zelenskyy 💬 ""Too many losses, as President Trump said, but he (putin) does not want to stop this war. Now the initiative is not in putin’s hands. This is the main thing that has changed since the beginning (of the war) en.interfax.com.ua/news/general...

Zelenskyy: War initiative is no longer in RF's hands

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared the shift of the initiative in the Russian-Ukrainian war from Russia to Ukraine.

en.interfax.com.ua

Im guessing Piers Morgan is doing a Chotiner here but unfortunately way too many, including in academia, continue to consider Mearsheimer credible or even correct.

Sven-Erik Volberg@volberg.bsky.social · last wk.

It’s day 1,616 of John Mearsheimer insisting that russia is winning its 3 day war. War he previously insisted wouldn’t happen because a Great Power like russia is much too strategically rational to do any of this. The "great esteemed realist scholar" is still introduced as an expert on said war.

"Now, the initiative is not in the hands of Putin," Zelensky said. "And this is the main thing that's been changed." We've come a long way from the Oval office "no cards" meeting. kyivindependent.com/putin-no-lon...

Putin no longer holds upper hand in war, still won't budge on ceasefire, Zelensky says

"Now, the initiative is not in the hands of Putin," Zelensky said in an interview with Fox News following his White House meeting on July 28.

kyivindependent.com

Wildberries further tightens the screws on its clients. It already has refused the request from sellers to move stockpiles elsewhere. Now, Wildberries has suspended accelerated withdrawal options for sellers, as well. This is what I would expect from a company at the verge of the bankrupt stage.

The 86:12 vote in Senate emphasizes again that against the deep political divisions and polarization, the vast majority of Americans understand full well the moral clarity of the Russo-Ukrainian war and want to support the good guy (Ukraine) and punish the bad guy (Russia).

Wildberries used to have a tab « everything for the special military operation » that leads an ordinary russian to all supplies they need to help invade Ukraine and murder Ukrainians comfortably and efficiently. No longer!

(((Tendar)))@tendar.bsky.social · last wk.

The Wildberries logistics hub in Ryazan, Russia, is basically gone. There is nothing to salvage here.

Ukrainian drones struck the Ryazan Oil Refinery and the largest Wildberries logistics center in the Ryazan region. A large fire broke out at the Wildberries facility, prompting the company to evacuate. A fire was also confirmed at the refinery, with the full extent of the damage still being assessed

Look closely at this photo. It’s a civilian fire engine in Kharkiv wrapped in anti-drone armor. Ukrainian firefighters are now forced to weld steel cages to their rescue trucks because Russian forces actively hunt first responders with FPV drones. Read that again.

⁉️ Even anti-drone nets did not save it: Ukraine reveals details of strike on Russian oil refinery 2,000 km away

Even anti-drone nets did not save it: Ukraine reveals details of strike on Russian oil refinery 2,000 km away – photo, videos

Drones operated by Ukraine's Special Operations Forces (SOF) have once again struck the Tyumen Oil Refinery despite its location deep inside Russia – more than 2,000 km from the Ukrainian border – and...

pravda.com.ua

Ukrainian long-range drones struck the Tyumen Oil Refinery in Siberia early on July 25, approximately 2,000 kilometers from the Ukrainian border

This is Russia’s crime — but it is partly our responsibility, in the United States. We are doing much less than we should, on the rationale that letting Russians kill Ukrainians will end the war. It won’t. That is wrong as strategy, and as ethics.

Anton Gerashchenko@antongerashchenko.bsky.social · 3w ago

"Mom is gone...We don't have a mom anymore.I wish this were just a nightmare..." Last night,a Russian missile strike on Odesa killed the mom of 3 boys as they were rushing to a shelter.Her sons survived but were injured One more person was killed. Deepest condolences. Russia must be stopped

Today, Russia struck a civilian car in Kharkiv with a fiber-optic FPV drone. The Russian operator deliberately targeted an ordinary car. ​The driver was killed. ​Russia is hunting civilians in frontline cities‼️ Just because they can.

Ukrainian engineers: Sleep is for countries not being invaded.

My op ed argues Bulgaria is fast becoming the new Hungary within the EU, at least where Ukraine policy is concerned. New PM, Rumen Radev, has has set in train a pivot in Bulgarian policy: from strong support for Ukraine to obstruction of EU sanctions. www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2026...

John O'Brennan: Orbán is gone, but the EU has a new headache in Bulgaria

The country’s new administration has made a number of moves that indicate a striking change in its position towards Ukraine, placing it at odds with EU partner states and Ireland

irishtimes.com

The move reflects the accountability of the Zelensky admin to Ukrainian society as well as Ukrainian political elites' ability to sort out disagreement through consultations. Drapatyi is widely popular in the army and in society so his appointment will likely end this episode of uncertainty.

The Kyiv Independent@kyivindependent.com · 2w ago

⚡Drapatyi thanks Zelensky for entrusting him with the role of Commander-in-Chief. "Serving Ukraine has always been an honor for me, and during the war for independence it means absolute responsibility," Mykhailo Drapatyi said following the announcement.

A short explainer of the political crisis in Ukraine right now. Fedorov, Syrskyi, Zelensky, and the majority of Ukrainians share the same goal— defeat Russia. The debate and disagreement is how best to achieve it. Also, don’t forget that…

« France showed up with soldiers and a navy and spilled French blood for American independence. Ukraine asks for no such sacrifice. It asks for the moral clarity to recognize that its fight is righteous and that the aggressor deserves defeat »

Andrew Chakhoyan 🇺🇦@andrewchak.bsky.social · 2w ago

Ukraine 🇺🇦 is holding a mirror to 🇺🇸’s founding story: A nation refusing imperial rule. A people choosing liberty over submission. A smaller republic fighting a distant metropole. Ukrainians recognize the resemblance. Do Americans?

A reminder

Maria Popova@popovaprof.bsky.social · last yr.

Laments about how Ukraine was a "bridge" between Ru-West and hopes it could reprise the role ignore what Ukrainians want. Ukr rejected Ru's autocracy and have chosen to align w EU democracies. They've sacrificed a ton to defend the choice. Wanting to stuff them back into your euphemism is offensive.

Reappointing Fedorov is Zelensky's best route to restoring societal trust and continuing needed anticorruption reforms. Removing Syrsky would be a partial but still useful course correction. It'd show the president is responsive to society and entrenched corrupt networks haven't won the day.

Christopher Miller@christopherjm.ft.com · 3w ago

NEWS: Volodymyr Zelenskyy is considering sacking Ukraine’s commander-in-chief, Oleksandr Syrsky, who is known as “the Butcher”, as he seeks to navigate a path out of the biggest military leadership crisis of his presidency. www.ft.com/content/1b34...