⚡️Ukrainian journalist Roshchyna died in Russian custody in September 2024, investigation finds. Viktoriia Roshchyna disappeared in August 2023 while reporting in Russian-occupied territories. Russian authorities confirmed her detention the following year.

Very interesting. Trump seems to finally be getting intelligence that Russia is not doing well and Ukraine has actually started to gain an upper hand in some areas. The narrative of Ukraine failure, which was always overblown, might be ending in Washington.

That is indeed the point.

⚡️Update: 1 killed, 13 injured in large-scale Russian missile, drone attack on Ukrainian cities. In Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, regional Governor Serhii Lysak reported that one person was killed and 13 others injured amid the large-scale attack on the country.

The US ceased to be a reliable NATO ally on January 20, 2025. The last week has simply made that undeniable. The only question now is whether European leaders accept it. The USA will not now defend Europe from Russia. That is reality. Everything else is hopes and dreams.

⚡️Ukraine reportedly strikes oil refinery in Russia's Saratov Oblast, explosions reported deep inside Russia. Ukrainian drones reportedly struck an oil refinery in the Russian city of Saratov overnight on Sept. 20, Russian Telegram media channels reported, citing resident accounts.

Not only the Saratov refinery, which produces annually over 7 million tons in oil products, was hit by Ukrainian drones last night, but also the Novokuybyshevsk refinery in the Samara region, Russia, the latter producing 7.9 million tons in oil products, annually.

Against the backdrop of Russian jets violating the airspace of Estonia and Poland earlier today, I find it odd that so many sensible people, including Lithuania’s Defence Minister, invoke Turkey’s response to a Russian attack aircraft in 2015. 1/7

I have heard this view many times and interestingly, I am hearing it more now than in the past. Often it is little more than a convenient excuse to sit back and do nothing. Even when it isn't, the distance from here to complacency is short. "Kyiv in 3 days" is history but Russia might as well win

⚡️Zelensky calls for tougher US sanctions, warns Russian drone strikes on Poland are 'Putin’s war.' Zelensky remarks come days after Russian drones violated Polish airspace and were shot down in what marked the first known instance of NATO forces directly engaging Russian aerial assets.

⚡️Romania scrambles jets, Poland closes airport over Russian drone alerts. "Russian military personnel know exactly where their drones are headed and how long they can stay in the air," Volodymyr Zelensky said, commenting on the attacks. "This cannot be an accident.”

⚡️'This is just the beginning' — Pro-Ukrainian partisans claim strike on Russian air defense factory. Communications were disabled after a strike on an air defense factory in the Russian city of Tula, the pro-Ukrainian Atesh partisan group claimed on Sept. 11.

Latest in @theatlantic.com . The Russian deliberate attack on Poland (and thats what it was) should have been easy for NATO to handle. However the alliance failed--and the reasons why show just how dysfunctional it has become.

Russia attacked Poland with 19 Shahed and Gerbera drones costing around $35,000 each. Four of the drones were shot down with AIM-120C-7 missiles, each costing over $1 million. Given Poland and NATO refuse to recognize they're at war, the battle advantage lies with Russia.

🤡 Russia has demanded that Poland immediately reopen checkpoints on the Polish-Belarusian border. 😵‍💫 Zakharova called the decision to close the checkpoint “destructive” and warned Poland of “serious damage.”

NEW: Russian drones violated Polish airspace on the night of September 9 to 10 in what NATO and European officials have suggested was an intentional Russian incursion. Read the full update: isw.pub/UkrWar091025

The Russian drone attack on Poland has created an extremely sensitive situation. Some groups within Poland may push to trigger Article 4 of the NATO treaty, which would mean requesting Alliance-wide consultations on the country’s security concerns. 1/7

⚡️ Update: NATO activates Article 4 after Russian drones entered Polish airspace, Warsaw says. Article 4 of the NATO treaty allows member states to request consultations with the allies if they believe their security has been threatened, without triggering a military response.

Russia sentences Crimean Jehovah’s Witness to six years 'for reading religious texts' khpg.org/en/1608814987

The Union State of Russia and Belarus carried out a pre-planned armed attack on Poland. Because Poland and NATO do not recognize last night's assault with drones to be an act of war, this engagement must be regarded as a victory for the russian terrorist state.

So if Russia did not attack Poland last night--can we say the Russians launched a special military operation against Poland? That cant offend anyone right....

Today, millions of people suddenly discovered, to their astonishment, that the North Atlantic Treaty also has articles 1 to 4. Thanks to the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation for their educational efforts

Russian drones attacked Poland, a NATO country. Are we just supposed to spin this story some other way?

⚡️Putin ‘testing NATO resolve,’ US congressman warns as Poland confirms airspace breach by Russian drones. Polish authorities temporarily closed Warsaw Chopin Airport and placed the country’s air defenses on high alert overnight on Sept. 10.

The "coalition of the willing" should be called the "coalition of the meetings". They don't do blitzkrieg, they do sitzkrieg.

Just sent out this free post. Russia attacked Poland last night--and the NATO response indicates institutional and national failure. They were clearly not prepared, cannot even call the Russian attack an attack, and do not understand their real security concerns. open.substack.com/pub/phillips...

We got very close to a hot war with Russia in the last 24 hours.

Last night in Poland we saw the most serious European airspace violation by Russia since the war began, and indications suggest it was intentional, not accidental. I am in contact with NATO Secretary General Rutte and Poland FM Sikorski. The EU stands in full solidarity with Poland. (1/2)

❗️To shoot down up to 10 Russian drones over Poland, the following were involved: ▪️Polish F-16 fighter jets; ▪️Dutch F-35s; ▪️Italian AWACS reconnaissance aircraft; ▪️NATO-operated tanker aircraft

BREAKING: Poland shoots down Russian drones, closes 4 airports due to drone attack For the first time since Russia's full-scale invasion, a NATO member country came under direct attack when Polish forces intercepted Russian drones violating national airspace euromaidanpress.com/2025/09/10/p...

As the Polish military confirmed that aerial objects were shot down, the incident marks what is believed to be the first direct engagement by a NATO member against Russian assets in its own airspace since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

⚡️Update: At least 8 Russian drones aimed at Poland, Zelensky says. A Russian drone struck a house in Wyryki in Poland’s Lublin region, damaging the roof and a car, Polsat News reported, citing a police official.

Last week: the deal's almost ready, make peace with Putin! This week: Russian is firing drones into NATO countries 🤦‍♂️

So, how is the rules based international order treating you this morning?

Russian drones attacked Poland, a NATO country. Are we just supposed to spin this story some other way?

This is almost certainly the Kremlins testing the West. While it is can be hazardous to assume that Russians aren’t this incompetent, ten+ terror drones don’t just get lost at once. This *will* escalate unless met with strength and resolve. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/s...

..."If I was president, that war would have never happened" It’s about time we send Steve Witkoff to Moscow. We’re going to make a tremendous deal - nobody makes deals like this

Just days after the Polish President visits the White House, Russians send what appear to be over a dozen drones to attack Poland. With some of Ukraine's allies still refusing to take any action against Russia, Putin continues to expand his war aims.

A moment that changed me: I’m a chef who joined the Ukrainian army – and it transformed how I live and cook

Russian-Iranian-Chinese "Shahed" strike UAVs are over Volyn and Lviv regions in Ukraine, adjacent to Poland. Reportedly, there are no longer enemy drones in Polish airspace. This is the current alert map for Ukraine. I have circled the PL-UA border area.

russia revokes Crimean #Tatar political prisoner’s citizenship, making deportation from occupied #Crimea permanent Having failed to terrorize Crimean Tatars into leaving occupied Crimea, russia may now be planning to use fabricated criminal prosecutions. khpg.org/en/1608814983

To be followed by an executive order renaming every Slavic Studies department the Department of War and Peace

More than 85 scientists say that a recent U.S. Department of Energy report is full of errors and misrepresents climate science.

William Kentridge’s “Promised Land” (2008) has got to be of the ever-timeliest art pieces. Also, incredible embroidery over a cartographic silk tapestry

Nothing to see here, just a totally normally shaped electoral district.

That surely means that new sanctions are coming fast, right?

Day one, fall 2025 teaching. 📚

New look

The Gathering of the Books. Fall 2025 lecture prep. This week.

Trying to figure out how not to spend my day thinking about what Trump and Putin are saying to each other. Absolutely disgusted.