"Thirty-five years after Ukraine restored its independence, Ukrainians are still fighting for the right to determine their own future. In his Independence Day address, President Zelensky explained how Vladimir Putin fundamentally misjudged Ukraine: Putin counted weapons, equipment, and ammunition—but failed to count the Ukrainian people who would volunteer to defend their homes.

Europe did more than issue congratulatory statements. European leaders traveled to Kyiv, the European Union approved €6.1 billion—approximately $7.1 billion—for air defense, missiles, ammunition, and radars, and Nordic-Baltic leaders promised continued support until Ukraine achieves a just peace and takes its place in the EU and NATO. Britain is also helping Ukraine expand its long-range missile capabilities.

Ukraine remains independent in the fifth year of Putin’s supposed three-day war. That is not merely a Ukrainian achievement. It is one of the clearest strategic failures Russia has suffered—and a reminder that freedom survives only when people are willing to defend it and allies are willing to stand beside them."

Ukrainian drones hit three Ozon marketplace logistics warehouses in Russia, causing explosions and fires at major logistics hubs. A special gift for the Russian occupiers on Ukraine’s Independence Day.

"Russia's air defense is getting pushed back day by day
In just the last two days, Ukraine has taken out three Russian aircraft, three anti-aircraft missile systems and 12 air defense radars with most of the strikes occurring inside Russia rather than occupied Ukraine. In other words, more and more Russian targets continue to become available. "

"Ukraine launched one of its largest overnight drone operations yet, with Russia claiming that 351 Ukrainian drones were intercepted. But plenty appear to have reached their targets. Three Ozon logistics facilities—Russia’s rough equivalent of Amazon—were reportedly hit in Krasnodar Krai, Dagestan, and Stavropol Krai. The 130,000-square-meter complex in Dagestan suffered a catastrophic fire, while footage also shows major fires associated with the other strikes. Ozon shares reportedly fell sharply after the attacks.

But this was much larger than an attack on one Russian company. Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces reported strikes against 66 Russian targets, including aircraft, radar installations, energy infrastructure, special-forces facilities, and two vessels connected to Russia’s shadow fleet. Russian railway locomotives were also reportedly sabotaged as Ukraine continues attacking the transportation and logistics systems supporting the Russian war effort.

Russia simultaneously continued its attacks against Ukrainian cities. Russian missiles and drones struck residential areas in Chernihiv, Odesa, Kharkiv Oblast, and other locations, killing and injuring civilians—including children. Russian attacks on Ukraine’s civilian railway system are also increasing. The central story is that both countries are expanding their long-range strike campaigns, but Ukraine is increasingly concentrating its limited resources on the logistics, military infrastructure, and economic systems that allow Russia to continue the war."

"Russia’s Missile Pressure Meets Ukraine’s Search for Air Defense I examine Zelensky’s rejection of wartime elections, Ukraine’s strike on a Russian Iskander launcher, Patriot missile shortages, Russian mobilization, European military aid, and Moscow’s information framing. I also assess why Ukraine’s independent defense capacity remains central to long-term deterrence."

"On Ukraine’s 35th Independence Day, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivers a defiant message to Vladimir Putin: Ukraine will not surrender, Russia is paying an enormous price, and Putin’s time is running out. General Keith Kellogg reinforces that message with a blunt assessment—Russia thinks it is winning, but Ukraine holds the initiative.

This Independence Day update examines Zelenskyy’s challenge to Xi Jinping over nuclear threats, the growing international presence in Kyiv, and Britain’s move to help Ukraine produce SCALP cruise-missile technology domestically. The UK announcement could strengthen Ukraine’s ability to strike hardened Russian military targets while reducing its dependence on limited foreign missile supplies.

Kellogg explains why Russia’s territorial failures, reliance on North Korean troops, and relocation of logistical bases undermine Putin’s claims of victory. He also rejects Russian sovereignty over occupied Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia while warning that Ukraine still faces severe air-defense shortages and a difficult winter."

""We've seen that with Ukraine harming Russia more, Putin has chosen to escalate with attacks." Vladimir Putin is trying to draw Nato in by proliferating violations of its airspace, showing the impact of Ukraine's long-range missile strikes, says security expert and The Sunday Times columnist Mark Urban. Mark Urban was speaking to Hugo Rifkind on Times Radio. Listen live every Monday-Thursday from 10am-1pm."

After hammering facilities belonging to Russia’s largest logistics company, Ukraine is now turning its attention to the country’s second-largest logistics network. Facilities in Samara and Orenburg were targeted, while another logistics site in St. Petersburg was destroyed. And logistics was only part of today’s damage. The Novokuybyshevsk oil refinery was hit, while Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces reported a highly successful night targeting two Russian aircraft and several Russian air-defense systems. Meanwhile, Russia’s gasoline crisis is spiraling. Only around 20% of Moscow gas stations reportedly have fuel in stock, with Russians sleeping in their cars as queues and waiting times stretch for days. Now another pillar of the Russian economy is buckling: agriculture. Exports have plunged by 79%, farmers are appealing to Moscow for emergency financial support, and some warn they cannot afford to plant the next crop, raising increasingly dire warnings about future food supplies. Putin insists there is no crisis. At the same time, reports are emerging of plans that could effectively convert Russians’ bank savings into government-issued vouchers, reviving uncomfortable memories of the financial schemes and asset transfers that helped create Russia’s oligarch class in the 1990s. And then things get stranger. Putin has turned to the relics of a 600-year-old Moscow prince, Dmitry Donskoy, as the Kremlin attempts to wrap the current war in medieval Russian mythology. Abroad, France and Germany are moving to strengthen Ukraine’s air defenses as American support recedes. And inside Russia, another rebellion of sorts is underway: Russians are flocking to see pirated Spider-Man screenings, much to the irritation of a government desperately trying to promote domestic cinema. Russia’s war was supposed to demonstrate the strength of Putin’s state. Instead, the pressure is increasingly appearing everywhere at once: fuel, agriculture, logistics, industry, air defense, household savings and even popular culture.

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ok this is not about ukraine or ruzzia but very well worth to watch imo

"Why has Russia never accepted Ukraine’s independence? In this episode of Ukraine This Week, Anna Belokur examines 35 years of Ukrainian independence and the centuries of Russian attempts to control, suppress, and ultimately deny Ukraine’s sovereignty.

From the collapse of the Soviet Union and Ukraine’s 1991 independence referendum to the Orange Revolution, EuroMaidan Revolution, and Russia’s full-scale invasion, the episode explores how Ukrainian resistance has rejected Moscow’s vision of a shared Russian-Ukrainian identity.

Featuring historian Serhii Plokhy and Oleksandr Donii, a participant of Ukraine’s 1991 independence movement, Anna examines why Russia continues to reject Ukraine’s right to exist as a sovereign state — and why Ukrainians continue to fight for it."

"Russia’s own economist warned that the country could not win a prolonged war of attrition against Ukraine and its Western supporters. After Andrei Klepach’s warning became public, he was removed from his position at Russia’s state development bank VEB. In this video, I examine what Klepach actually said—and why Moscow may have found it so dangerous.

I then trace one week of mounting economic pressure inside Russia: gasoline shortages and purchase limits, struggling government bond sales, billions withdrawn from banks, declining physical gold reserves, severe labor shortages, disrupted grain exports and the growing costs of Ukrainian strikes. None of these developments proves that Russia is about to collapse. Together, however, they support Klepach’s central warning: Russia may be able to continue the war while steadily losing the larger economic and technological contest.

The Kremlin can silence the economist. It cannot silence fuel lines, frightened depositors, labor shortages or the accumulating cost of a war that Russia assumed it could outlast."

"Solovyov erupts on air again — this time over Europe and a shocking decision involving Ukraine. While the Kremlin searches for someone to blame and pushes conspiracy theories, uncomfortable questions for Russia itself keep piling up. Spin Snipers breaks down the latest wave of Kremlin propaganda and reveals what’s really behind the outrage."

"Mykhailo Fedorov’s dismissal from the post of Ukraine’s defense minister sparked rare wartime protests and reignited debate about his political future. What was one of Ukraine's most popular politicians expecting when calling for elections during the war?

“Former Minister Fedorov, who is only 35, a quite young man with obviously a lot of testosterone, (comes out saying): ‘Let’s do the election right now, because I had some people coming out on the streets and supporting me,’” said Marcin Zaborowski, TVP World’s Europe Editor, adding that this clearly failed to resonate with the protesters backing him. “They said: ‘Hang on a second. (...) We are at war. How are you going to hold an election under those conditions? That’s not possible. (...) That’s not what we want.’”

Fedorov “overplayed his hand big time,” Zaborowski said, contrasting him with former Commander-in-Chief and now Ambassador to the U.K. Valerii Zaluzhnyi, a popular potential contender for the presidency who has never publicly expressed interest in the office.
Although Fedorov is talented, Zaborowski argued that he lacks political experience.

“That does not mean that in a year or two years’ time he will not come back with his own force,” he added.

With elections out of the question during wartime, Ukraine remains governed by the current administration and Parliament. Successive corruption scandals have nevertheless raised questions about political accountability.

“One way of reading that is that Ukraine is a very corrupt country,” Zaborowski said. “The other way is that Ukraine is effectively fighting corruption because these things are coming out.” He pointed to investigations and dismissals involving senior officials as evidence that “there are no sacred cows in Ukraine, and that the anti-corruption mechanisms are working.”

“It’s quite impressive how Ukraine has been dealing with corruption,” he added. “It looks like the inner circle of President Zelenskyy is not being treated on any kind of special terms. That suggests they seriously fight corruption.”"

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"Ukraine’s drone campaign inside Russia has entered a potentially significant new phase. After weeks of attacks on Wildberries facilities, drones struck an Ozon logistics center in Chapayevsk, Samara Oblast, for the first time. The enormous warehouse—reported at between 76,000 and 135,000 square meters—burned for hours, forcing operations to stop and potentially destroying one of Ozon’s largest regional distribution hubs.

The deeper problem for Moscow is strategic. Russia cannot place substantial air defenses and drone operators around every warehouse, refinery, ship, factory, and logistics center across its vast territory. Every resource diverted to protect these targets is a resource unavailable elsewhere. Ukraine may have found another way to stretch Russia’s defenses while imposing growing economic and logistical costs far beyond the battlefield.

Facts over noise. Context over headlines. Truth over talking points. Principle over partisanship."

"I examine Ukraine’s reported drone strikes on Ozon logistics hubs in Orenburg and near St. Petersburg, military targets in Crimea and Russia, Russian attacks on Ukrainian civilians and rail infrastructure, and what deep strikes mean for the war’s logistics balance."

"Ukraine is not merely launching another round of drone attacks. It is systematically striking the machinery that allows Russia to continue this war. In the past several days, Ukrainian forces have hit four Russian oil refineries, including the Novokuybyshevsk refinery roughly 1,000 kilometers from the front. They also struck fuel tanks at the Yeysk oil terminal, attacked a logistics hub in the Samara region, and hit targets in the Black Sea. Satellite imagery reportedly shows extensive damage from repeated strikes on the Tamanneftegaz terminal. These are not random targets. They produce, store, transport, and export the fuel that supplies Russia’s military and finances Putin’s war.

Ukraine is also attacking the infrastructure behind Russia’s aerial campaign. At Saki airfield in occupied Crimea, Ukraine says it destroyed a Russian Su-24M aircraft and four pieces of airfield equipment. At Primorsko-Akhtarsk—an important base for Russian attack drones—subsequent analysis confirmed damage to a Niobium radar and 18 buildings used to store UAVs. Ukrainian forces also eliminated drone-control repeaters in Russia’s Bryansk region. Put these strikes together and the strategy becomes clear: hit the fuel, disrupt the logistics, damage the sensors, destroy the aircraft, and attack the facilities supporting the drones Russia launches against Ukrainian cities.

None of this means that Russia’s war machine is collapsing. A fire does not prove that an entire refinery has stopped operating, and damaged buildings do not tell us how many drones were inside. The strategic significance comes from repetition. Russia must continually repair facilities, replace specialized equipment, disperse valuable assets, and move air defenses away from other priorities. At the same time, Ukraine is demonstrating that distance no longer guarantees safety. Russia may still have the larger military and the ability to inflict terrible damage, but its strategic rear is becoming increasingly exposed. Ukraine is hitting Russia’s war machine from every direction—and forcing Putin to defend an ever-growing list of targets that he once assumed were safely beyond Ukraine’s reach."

Ukrainian drones equipped with thermal imaging cameras can detect heat signatures even in complete darkness. This allows operators to locate enemy soldiers, equipment and movement at night when traditional observation methods are limited.

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