France’s Navy intercepted a Russian oil tanker in the Mediterranean, President Macron said. The sanctioned vessel, suspected of using a false flag, was stopped with allied support. The crew tied to Russia’s “shadow fleet” will face trial in France. #France

Serhii Sternenko has been appointed adviser to Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov on drone warfare efficiency. Fedorov said Sternenko will help boost analytics and coordination, aiming to expand combat performance across all 400 Ukrainian drone units. #Ukraine

'A European counterpart to the US [DARPA], for example, could pool resources, fund high-risk, high-reward projects and accelerate technological breakthroughs that no single member state could achieve on its own' Read our latest #RUSINewsbrief exclusively for members.

CARNEY: “.. You cannot live within the lie of mutual benefit through integration when integration becomes the source of your subordination.” 🔥

An interesting and long thread. While I agree with some parts, I disagree with others (hunting infantry is IMO necessary due to the very sparse infantry coverage of the FLOT) So, here is my thread on this topic: x.com/RyanO_Chosen...

I think this one is top-tier.

Those Trump awards are still coming

"Disbelief gives way to alarm. Greenland is covered by NATO’s Article 5. An armed attack on it would legally constitute an attack on Denmark, potentially triggering collective defense obligations among alliance members.…In other words, the U.S. would be attacking the very alliance it helped design."

The shadow fleet of oil tankers out of Venezuelan ports (gray) overlaps with the shadow fleet operating in the Baltic. This overlap is a chance for Europe, which has struggled to get the US to sanction the shadow fleet and shut it down. Now's the time... robinjbrooks.substack.com/p/tracking-o...

Trump: MADURO HAS BEEN CAPTURED

Yak-52 pursues Russian Italmas drone at very low altitude

Sauron wants to see Frodo succeed.

DeepState confirms the chaos. Russian troops overran a TDF battalion command post, leaving behind maps, documents, devices and seals. This points to a serious breakdown in command and control. Huliaipole is turning into a gray zone. Urgent action is needed.

Stay up to date on the war in Ukraine with Noel Reports.

According to Rosstat, as of October, the total amount of overdue wage arrears in the country reached 2.156 billion rubles, and over the past year this figure has increased 2.95 times.

US sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil caused the Urals oil price to fall sharply relative to Brent (lhs). The discount on Urals has almost doubled in November from October and is now around $22 (rhs). This is exactly how sanctions were supposed to work. @econharris.bsky.social @brookings.edu

Young people are quitting their jobs en masse following Kyiv’s decision to allow men aged 18-22 to leave Ukraine, according to a new survey by a Ukrainian recruitment platform.

Reuters writes that Russia’s oil and gas revenues will fall by 35% in November. In the first 11 months of the year, oil and gas income will decrease by 22% — to 8 trillion rubles. Compared to October, revenues will drop by another 7.4% (excluding cyclical payments). www.reuters.com/business/ene...

Francis Farrell also did a good interview about Pokrovsk with Lawfare Daily. www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhK7...

China’s Yanchang Petroleum, one of the country’s largest refineries, has reportedly dropped Russian crude from its latest tender covering December to mid-February, according to Reuters. The plant had previously purchased Russian oil regularly, typically one cargo per month.

"Starting today, the 19th EU sanctions package against Russia takes effect in Ukraine." Zelensky. He called it “strong,” targeting Russian resource exports and electronic component supply routes. Its impact is estimated to cut Russia’s revenues by tens of billions of euros annually.

This is an excellent interview on Prokrovsk and the Ukraine frontline in general, with great questions and interesting information in the discussion. The interview reaches into some other interesting areas. Francis's information on AFU's reform to a corps system was especially interesting to me.

‼️ At least 250 Russians in Pokrovsk, Ukrainian troops walk 10-15 km to reach positions

The Kyiv Independent’s Francis Farrell sits down with Kyrylo Veres, commander of the K-2 regiment, to discuss Ukraine’s manpower shortage, the growing role of drones, including how drone evacuations have become vital for saving lives and sustaining morale.

As of mid-2025, as Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine enters its fourth fall season, Ukraine's military is gripped by a deep manpower crisis, most acute in the ranks of its infantry.

The Kyiv Independent spent a day with an artillery crew from the 28th Mechanized Brigade in the front-line city of Kostiantynivka, Donetsk Oblast, in early July. As Russia's summer offensive heats up, the brigade's sector has become one of the hottest parts of the front line.

This is excellent news. "Ukraine has created a drone that can detect mines using special equipment and artificial intelligence." militarnyi.com/en/news/ukra...

Here's the video. www.youtube.com/watch?v=ND3u...

US sanctions are crushing Russia's shadow fleet. Activity in oil tankers sanctioned by the US falls -86% (red). These ships are getting shut down. Joint EU & UK sanctions also pack a punch, taking activity down -50% (orange). Putin is hurting. My substack: robinjbrooks.substack.com/p/effectiven...

We built a comprehensive database of the Russian shadow fleet. The US in January sanctioned many ships. Activity in those vessels is down 85% (blue). Some shadow fleet ships are sanctioned jointly by the US, EU and UK (green). Activity for those is down 93%. Sanctions work! @econharris.bsky.social

Russia in desperate advance to reclaim Kursk oblast, as it loses military and strategic relevance for Ukraine within context of ceasefire negotiations. Interview with Francis Farrell on latest battlefield developments. @kyivindependent.com - youtu.be/pvy8ehSs89s

This was a wonderful interview. Francis Farrell recently interviewed Rob Lee and that also provided great information. www.youtube.com/watch?v=7O5C...