Steven Saum
@swamiriver.bsky.social
Writer, editor, wearer of hats including RPCV 🇺🇦 | Consular Officer, 🇨🇿 Czech Honorary Consulate Gen. in SF
When Ukraine destroys Russian data centers, hoards of aggressive right-wing bots disappear & the internet becomes friendlier. So much of politics is driven by the internet & so much of the internet is driven by Russians who want to hurt us. Shouldn’t we do something about that, given that we know it
⚡11-year-old boy killed, five injured by Russian drone attack in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. One child was killed, and five other people were injured, including two children, in Russian drone and missile attacks on Dnipropetrovsk Oblast on Oct. 10, regional authorities reported.
11-year-old boy killed, five injured by Russian drone attack in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast
The latest attacks in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast follow several days of deadly Russian strikes across Ukraine, hitting residential buildings and critical civilian infrastructure, killing civilians, disrupt...
kyivindependent.com
⚡️'Ukrainians did not choose this war. We choose not to die,' Zelensky says to UN General Assembly as he calls for peace.
'Ukrainians did not choose this war. We choose not to die,' Zelensky says to UN General Assembly
President Volodymyr Zelensky, on Sept. 23, addressed the U.N. General Assembly, calling for continued support for Ukraine, stressing the importance of negotiations, and warning that Ukrainians will co...
kyivindependent.com
“We hold these truths to be self-evident…” Join me in San Francisco or online for a conversation with @walteri.bsky.social at @cwclub.bsky.social on Tuesday at noon Pacific. We'll talk ideas and ideals that have shaped the nation. And bring your questions! www.commonwealthclub.org/events/2026-...
Walter Isaacson: The Greatest Sentence Ever Written
In celebration of America’s 250th anniversary, bestselling biographer Walter Isaacson has taken a fascinating deep dive into the creation of one of history’s most powerful sentences: “We hold these tr...
commonwealthclub.org
FT Exclusive: CIA director John Ratcliffe will play a larger role in shuttle diplomacy between Moscow and Kyiv while maintaining contact with intelligence officers. ft.trib.al/pYYwLWn
⚡️Russian attacks kill 3, injure over 20 across Ukraine as Putin meets US envoys in Moscow. Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov said the strike killed nearly an entire family: a 19-year-old woman, an 11-year-old boy, and a 45-year-old man.
Russian attacks kill 3, injure over 20 across Ukraine as Putin meets US envoys in Moscow
Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov said the strike killed nearly an entire family: a 19-year-old woman, an 11-year-old boy, and a 45-year-old man.
kyivindependent.com
🎙️ON AIR: The Trump administration is reportedly considering giving a private developer control of land in Yosemite. We’ll discuss what’s at stake and efforts to stop it with @annackramer.bsky.social. ❓What does Yosemite mean to you? 📻Listen:
Trump Administration Allow Private Development in Yosemite? | KQED
We’ll talk about the consequences of privatizing a cherished landmark and the efforts to stop it.
buff.ly
Dutch central bank moves 86 tonnes of gold to UK from US and Canada, citing ‘geopolitical unrest’
Dutch central bank moves 86 tonnes of gold to UK from US and Canada, citing ‘geopolitical unrest’
Bank says gold reserves held in London could be traded more easily and the move will allow it to respond more rapidly in a ‘crisis situation’ The Dutch central bank says it has moved 86 tonnes of its gold reserves out of the US and Canada to London, citing “increasing geopolitical unrest”. De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) said gold reserves held in London could be traded more easily than those held in New York and Ottawa. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
A Russian journalist told Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov that Moscow now effectively has only two allies, North Korea and Iran, and asked: "How did we get to this point, how did we end up in such company?" Lavrov responded: "What's wrong with such company?" #Russia
A Russian "double-tap" drone attack on a busy Ukrainian shopping mall on Friday evening killed at least 16 people and injured more than 130 others, including 23 children. Nine people in the mall during the attack were still unaccounted for on Saturday morning, including two children.
Russian ‘double-tap’ attack on Ukrainian shopping mall kills at least 16
Volodymyr Zelenskyy calls on allies to pile ‘real pressure’ on Moscow to end the war
ft.com
Another horrific night for Kyiv with waves of Russian missiles and jet-powered drones striking in the early hours of Thursday, killing at least 13 people in an attack that came as Ukraine struggles with a severe shortage of Patriot interceptor missiles. www.ft.com/content/7364...
Russian missile attack kills at least 13 in Kyiv
Strikes come as Ukraine struggles with a shortage of Patriot interceptor missiles
ft.com
⚡️Russia destroys World Health Organization warehouse in Dnipro. "Even wars have rules. One of those is that health must be protected," World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.
Russia destroys World Health Organization warehouse in Dnipro
"Even wars have rules. One of those is that health must be protected," World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.
kyivindependent.com
Russia commits war crimes every single day
Anton Gerashchenko@antongerashchenko.bsky.social · 3mo agoIt was a massive attack involving dozens of ballistic missiles. Russia killed nine people and injured 28 more, including four children, in Kyiv overnight. Civilian infrastructure was heavily damaged across multiple districts of the city.
⚡️Russia preparing to receive additional North Korean troops, Zelensky says. "Russia wants to bring in another 30,000 North Korean troops," President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly address on July 25.
Russia preparing to receive additional North Korean troops, Zelensky says
"Russia wants to bring in another 30,000 North Korean troops," President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly address on July 25.
kyivindependent.com
I caught up with President Zelenskyy today at his office. He told me that one of Ukraine's goals with its long-range drone strikes is to terrify Putin and drive him out of Moscow. “The farther Putin is from Moscow, the closer the end of the war will be,” he said. www.ft.com/content/6ca8...
⚡️Update: 10 killed, 56 injured in Kyiv, surrounding region following massive Russian attack on apartment buildings. The casualty count has risen to include 10 deceased and a further 56 injured victims in the overnight Russian attack on Ukraine's capital region.
Massive Russia attack hits apartment buildings in Kyiv, killing 10, injuring 56
Russia launched a barrage of missiles and drones toward Kyiv overnight on July 6, hours after President Volodymyr Zelensky warned of yet another large-scale attack targeting the capital.
kyivindependent.com
In 2023, Jeffrey Goldberg and I wrote, among other things, about Ukrainian plans to liberate Crimea in @theatlantic.com. With road and ferry connections to the peninsula now cut off, they seem suddenly more plausible www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
Crimean authorities have stopped selling fuel to individuals and businesses as shortages become acute. Ukrainian strikes are slowly cutting access to the peninsula, hitting fuel trucks and ferries. www.rferl.org/a/russia-ukr...
Russian Authorities Halt Fuel Sales In Occupied Crimea
Russian-installed authorities in occupied Crimea have suspended fuel sales to private individuals and businesses amid a severe fuel shortage and a weak tourist season, as Ukrainian drone strikes conti...
rferl.org
Again and again, Russia kills the people and destroys the cultural sites it says it went to war to protect. These crimes will end when the US supplies missile defense to Ukraine and enforces sanctions on Russian energy. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...
Kyiv monastery set on fire in night of Russian attacks across Ukraine
Dormition Cathedral at Unesco world heritage site struck along with residential buildings across capital
theguardian.com
⚡️Update: At least 6 injured in Kyiv as Russia strikes residential buildings, historic Pechersk Lavra. At least six people have been injured in Kyiv amid a large-scale Russian attack, as a fire continues to burn at the historic Dormition Cathedral in the Pechersk Lavra.
Kyiv's historic Pechersk Lavra burns as Russian rains ballistic missiles on capital
"We ask for prayers for the salvation of the shrine from destruction. Another Russian crime against humanity, against history, against Christianity," Metropolitan Epiphanies, head of the Orthodox Chur...
kyivindependent.com
Rubio congratulated Russians on Russia Day 💩 He is wishing a “more prosperous future for Russian people” at the very moment when they are slaughtering thousands of Ukrainians under occupation, across the front line, and behind it with missiles and drones. What a disgrace!
You can help to keep Ukrainians safe. By contributing, you are allowing people to survive and helping people to persevere. You are also letting them know that they are not alone, and that you can see a better future, and want to part of it. Please help if you can. snyder.substack.com/p/sky-defens...
Sky Defense: Bringing it Home
We are saving lives and neighborhoods in Ukraine
snyder.substack.com
Ukraine is not losing. And for Russia, that's a major defeat. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
Ukraine Is Not Losing. Russia Is Not Winning.
A momentum shift that changes everything
theatlantic.com
The Justice Department removed information about the January 6 insurrectionists from its website. @lawfaremedia.org has preserved and posted it www.lawfaremedia.org/article/the-...
The Justice Department Erases History; Lawfare Restores It
Last week, the Justice Department deleted thousands of press releases related to the Jan. 6 insurrection and other matters. Here they are.
lawfaremedia.org
If we give the Ukrainians Patriots and sanction Russian energy the war is over. In other words, US policy at present is to keep the war going. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/m...
Ukraine war briefing: Eliminate Putin’s ‘last major advantage,’ Zelenskyy urges Washington
Patriots would neutralise ballistic missiles and force Russia to negotiate, says Ukrainian president; half a million Russian dead – GCHQ boss. What we know on day 1,555
theguardian.com
In one of the most devastating attacks on Kyiv since the start of the full-scale war, Russia’s missiles and drones targeted some of the city’s most treasured cultural landmarks.
Russia's latest assault on Kyiv turns Ukraine's cultural heritage into another front line
In one of the most devastating attacks on Kyiv since the start of the full-scale war, Russia’s missiles and drones targeted some of the city’s most treasured cultural landmarks. The National Art Muse...
kyivindependent.com
When a federal agency tasked with protecting all Americans decides to mandate a specific religious worldview, it ceases to protect democracy and begins to threaten it.
⚡️Ukraine Support Act wins enough signatures to force vote in US House. "Recent Ukrainian gains have created an opportunity for peace, but the collapse of the recent ceasefire shows that leverage is needed for diplomacy to succeed," said Rep. Kevin Kiley, who gave the crucial final signature.
Ukraine Support Act wins enough signatures to force vote in US House
"Recent Ukrainian gains have created an opportunity for peace, but the collapse of the recent ceasefire shows that leverage is needed for diplomacy to succeed," said Independent Rep. Kevin Kiley, who ...
kyivindependent.com
In my book Twilight of Democracy, I wrote about how authoritarian populism had divided friends, including in Hungary. After Prime Minister Magyar was sworn in today, he said he hoped "Family, friends and communities will be able to speak to each other again." www.theguardian.com/world/2026/m...
Péter Magyar sworn in as Hungary’s prime minister to end 16-year Orbán era
Jubilation in Budapest as Péter Magyar becomes leader and invites people to ‘step through gate of regime change’
theguardian.com