Just sent out this free post. Something notable has happened in the last few months (particularly since the Putin-Trump love fest in Alaska). GOP public opinion in the USA, which Trump has almost singlehandedly made Ukraine-skeptical earlier… open.substack.com/pub/phillips...

1/ Following recent reports that Russia is recruiting alcoholics, drug addicts, and the elderly en masse to fight in Ukraine, a soldier on the front line near the Dobropillia salient reports that "marginalised individuals" are struggling to advance there. ⬇️

Nobel Peace Prize goes to to Venezuelan Politician María Corina Machado.

www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10... News from Australia: Putin very concerned by return of extreme criminals from the front in Ukraine. Verstka, an independent Russian media outlet, reported that by October 2024 almost 500 civilians had become victims of soldiers returning from fighting in Ukraine.

Moldovan energy minister says Transnistrian region receives up to 1.5 million m³ of gas daily, deliveries managed by Moldovagaz company, monitored by National Energy Regulator. www.moldpres.md/eng/economy/...

www.moldpres.md/eng/society/... Moldova: Head of Floresti-based Shor organization to face trial for complicity in illegal financing of millions. The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office has sent to court the criminal file on the president of the Floresti organization of the Shor Political Party.

You might hate your job. But at least you're not a russian general invited to a meal & drinks with Putin next to an open window.

Moldova's Information Technology and Cyber Security Service (STISC) announced today that new DDoS cyber attack attempts on government IT infrastructure have been recorded in the past few hours. www.moldpres.md/eng/society/... Who could be responsible?

metro.co.uk/2025/10/06/r... Another Russian businessman falls out of a window for no reason at all. Though I disagree with the article in that it's hardly mysterious...

Swiss archivists and historians visiting the National Agency of Archives in Chişinău, interested in Moldovan history, memory and archives, October 6. Thanks for the visit and waiting for Swiss historians to conduct research in our depositories! arhiva.gov.md

Moldova nearly fell to Russia. Trump shrugged his shoulders

Europe is making a cheap anti-drone rocket for Ukraine that blasts a cloud of steel balls www.yahoo.com/news/article...

OTD in 2006 journalist & activist Anna Politkovskaya was shot dead. Whoever is responsible for having her killed is still at large. And turns 73 today.

The FT writes that EU member state governments have agreed to restrict the travel of Russian diplomats within the bloc in response to a surge in sabotage attempts, which, according to intelligence reports, are often carried out by spies working under diplomatic cover. www.ft.com/content/bc1a...

www.moldpres.md/eng/politics... EU increases support for Moldova. “We consider this increase necessary to partially compensate for the United States' decision to withdraw support for civil society in the region,” Mureșan stated.

www.moldpres.md/eng/economy/... As of today, October 6, 2025, Moldova becomes an operational part of the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA), meaning that citizens and companies can make fast, secure, and low-cost euro transfers..

www.moldpres.md/eng/tourism/... On the gentle hills of Moldova, where the sun caresses the vineyards and the soil holds the memory of an art millennia old, a new national brand has been born - wine tourism.

Moldova: Igor Dodon uses Shor's criminal network. nokta-md.translate.goog/massovku-na-... The same people who recruited crowds for the Shorovtsy protest on August 23 and the "opposition" march on May 9 recruited crowds for the September 29 protest organized by Igor Dodon after the elections.

Romanian MEP Victor Negrescu called on the European Union to immediately begin accession negotiations for Moldova on thematic clusters. His appeal to EU Council President António Costa was supported by 55 MEPs from 19 countries. nokta.md/es-dolzhen-s...

Also, all the hopes that Trump would provide concrete aid to Ukraine began to ebb away this week (as predicted). Trump still does not want to help Ukraine and still wants to work with Putin--he just wants Putin to love him in return. And you know who knows this? Putin does.

In Russia there are 3 grades of public toilets. Grade 3. You wouldn't use it even if your life depended on it. Grade 2. You would use it but only if your life depended on it. Grade 1. McDonalds.

A Russian woman who is not afraid to speak the truth says: “Of course, our great strategist Putin has many “achievements,” but the most outstanding ones, in my opinion, are the following. He replaced truth and reality with wild propaganda.

www.moldpres.md/eng/economy/... National Wine Day 2025, on October 4-5 in Chișinău. The event gathers over 100 winemakers from all regions of the country, offering visitors a complex experience: tastings, masterclasses, folk performances, and the discovery of Moldovan wine identity.

Hi all, just sent out this free post to explain what matters (and what does not) in the Ukrainian campaign against Russian oil refineries. It discusses why the campaign now seems more successful, but also what else needs to happen to have a greater strategic effect. open.substack.com/pub/phillips...

😁

Excellent by Maia Sandu, president of Moldova on Russian attempts to sabotage Moldova's elections and steal Moldova One tough lady youtu.be/fe1SrWKn1zs?...

The best local analysis of the recent elections you're going to find.

Nine months. That's how long Russia admits it needs to fix what Ukrainian drones broke in weeks. The self-proclaimed energy superpower just suspended fuel import tariffs through June 2026—a humiliating admission that Ukraine's drone campaign crippled 38% of Russian refining capacity.

What the generals, admirals and their senior enlisted face when they return from Quantico. My latest in @thebulwark.com www.thebulwark.com/p/questions-...

Chisinau in the 1920's via oldchisinau.com

Russian Telegram channels post about a total gas collapse at the M12 Moskva Kazan highway. The woman filming says gas stations are spaced about 150 km apart, and there are hundreds of vehicles in line to each of them. She said about 130 cars are ahead of theirs in the line.

Weird parallels between the anti-American left and the Ru opposition. Scratch many who fervently insist they are pro-Ukr, anti-war/anti-Pu and you'll discover they don't support what needs to be done for Ukr to win (military aid to Ukr, domestic mil investment, isolating/weakening Ru, etc)...

"They hated immigrants more than they loved their own country's freedom" would make a hell of an epitaph.

BBC Russian Surge in Ukrainian attacks on oil refineries sparks Russian fuel shortages Drone strikes on refineries, some deep inside Russia, soared in August and remained high in September, an analysis of Russian media reports and verified footage showed. bbcrussian.substack.com/p/surge-in-u...

Moldova: The Prosecutor's Office for Combating Organized Crime and Special Cases (PCCOCS) announced the detention this morning of the leader of an extra-parliamentary political party. Institution's spokesperson Emil Gaitur made the statement today. www.moldpres.md/eng/society/...

The Central Electoral Commission (CEC) today ruled to exclude the Republican Party HEART OF MOLDOVA from the list of political entities registered for the new local elections scheduled for November 16. www.moldpres.md/eng/society/...

www.moldpres.md/eng/society/... Gabriel Calin, the leader of the Christian Social Union in Moldova Party, has been arrested for 30 days, being investigated in a file on electoral corruption and money laundering.

I don’t know where the myth comes from that Russia never again violated Turkish air space after Turkey shot down the Russian jet in 2015. They did it again only 3 months later. NATO even issued a statement:

Russian Z-propagandist Tatyana Montyan claims there is a lack of manpower to conduct offensive operations, and Putin will have to resort to a new mobilization "if there's no major breakthrough in this spring-autumn campaign."

Dmitry Rogozin, a Russian senator from Russia-occupied Zaporizhzhia region, said that the front line has reached a "deadlock" and de-facto said that the Russian army was not capable of great advances.

www.euronews.com/my-europe/20... False allegations that France is planning to send its toxic waste to Moldova have spread across social media, EuroVerify debunks.

Chisinau International Airport Eugen Doga becomes promoter of Moldovan wine and traditions www.moldpres.md/eng/economy/... Wine of Moldova stand offers passengers a unique cultural and tasting experience, allowing them to discover authentic Moldovan wines right from the airport.

skyview.social?url=https%3A... The current state of Russian civilian aviation. Spoiler Alert: It's a steaming pile of dangerous donkey doodah.

Seems about right...

Congratulations, Moldova 🇲🇩, from the people of Rustaveli Avenue. ✊ Day 308 of uninterrupted, nationwide protests in Georgia. 🇬🇪

Seems about right...

⚡️ Russia faces a fuel crisis so deep it’s preparing to import gasoline. united24media.com/latest-news/...

President Maia Sandu of Moldova.

1/ Videos showing Russian oil refineries covered in new anti-drone netting have not impressed Russian warbloggers, who point out that it's unlikely to protect vulnerable facilities against blast damage. ⬇️ bsky.app/profile/spec...