We're witnessing Georgia fall into Russia's hands in real time. The country that bravely resisted the 2008 Russian invasion now has its top leaders saying Georgia should apologize to Russia for its "aggression." 1/ Bidzina Ivanishvili, founder of Georgia's governing Georgian Dream party, suggests Georgia should apologize for the 2008 war with Russia, contradicting the truth that Russia was the aggressor 2/

This week, the IMF starts its mission to Russia. They do it quietly because they know it is a scandal. The IMF has decided to normalize its relations with Russia and change its policy of isolation without providing any reasons

It is not “neutrality” but complicity in the war 1/ Western nations previously pressured the IMF to drop the idea of sending missions in 2022 and 2023. Now, the IMF is reengaging with Moscow. This decision is abig diplomatic win for the Kremlin, even if the IMF is acting as though it's business as usual 2/

Russia encourages its soldiers, commanders, and new elites to plunder and pillage occupied Ukraine, creating incentives for atrocities. This makes them complicit while saving on salaries and turning them into criminals—a win-win for Putin. 1/ For this to work, there should be infrastructure to sell stolen goods. The market is especially large for agriculture

Russia and its partners(Iran, Syria, Yemen, UAE, Turkey) have sold almost $1 billion in stolen Ukrainian grain on a global black market 2/

Kyiv's Botanical Garden is in crisis. Its 13,000 plant species, including some extremely rare and exotic, can die this winter due to Russia's attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure. They need financial support. Details are here: 1/ buff.ly/4epSSGY
Blackouts and resulting variations in temperature threaten the survival of those rare plants requiring constant conditions in greenhouses

The garden has resorted to using wood-burning stoves and relies on donations and volunteers's work to maintain operations during power outages 2/

This is the truth: "Supporting Ukraine as long as it takes" doesn't align with the reality on the ground. I'd add: Western decision-makers would benefit from visiting the front lines rather than offering political wisdom and words of support from fancy hotels in downtown Kyiv 1/ Ukraine is suffering heavy losses in its war against Russia, with soldiers describing severe injuries from drone attacks and grenade strikes at the front lines 2/

Ryan Routh social media posts: From offering sniper rifles on Amazon to Belarusian opposition to offering to buy jets from Poland and borrow Patriot missile systems from the US. He is completely insane. But somehow he did get a rifle. Here is a list of his crazy posts 1/

https://twitter.com/visegrad24/status/1835499461881078153

1. The only way to end this war is to kill Putin in his bed at night

2. I am flying to Poland to buy the planes [Mig-29]

3. I will fly them at night and hit every place Putin sleeps [at] 2/

Top Zelensky quotes from YES this weekend

So far, the only country shooting down Russian strike drones when they enter their airspace is Belarus—not NATO countries.

NATO countries say they can’t boot drones down because of weather. This is beyond humiliating 1/ Yesterday, Russia killed International Red Cross workers, yet the organization didn’t have the courage to name Russia as the aggressor in their statement 2/

First Lady Zelenska on global threats for children: 400 million children in the world suffer from physical or psychological violence in the family. And this is comparable to armed conflicts. Whether in war zones or "peaceful" homes, children suffer 1/ 16% of adolescents have been targets of cyberbullying. Approximately 12% of adolescents admitted to committing acts of cyberbullying. Online safety is as crucial as physical security. So, we need comprehensive strategies for both 2/

Russia is not a Ukraine's problem—it's the EU's

Eventually, after the war in Ukraine is over, won or lost, Russia will focus on another target: Georgia, the Baltic states, or even the Nordic countries

An aggressive Russia will remain. And what will Europe do?

1/ This is an unpopular, often overlooked view.

The West and Ukraine have a conflict of objectives. Many people think that Ukraine wants to escalate to defend, while it’s not the West’s war and the West should try to stay away from it. But it is not that 2/

Several EU nations, including France, Belgium, Poland, and Baltic/Nordic countries, are challenging the IMF's decision to restart annual economic reviews with Russia, viewing it as legitimizing Putin's regime amid ongoing isolation efforts 1/ The IMF plans to begin virtual discussions with Russian authorities on September 16, followed by in-person meetings starting October 1, marking the first mission by a major international organization to Russia since the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. 2/

The first Russian attack of its kind

A Russian Tu-22M bomber launched a Kh-22 anti-ship missile at a civilian vessel carrying Ukrainian grain in the Black Sea

The ship, operated by Turkish interests and bound for Egypt. It was hit near Romania 1/



Fortunately, no casualties were reported

The attack is further evidence of Moscow's strategy to attack civilian infrastructure, logistics, goods, and manufacturing facilities to suppress and isolate Ukraine’s economy.

They do it because they can’t win militarily 2/

Both candidates were incredibly weak on Ukraine. They blamed each other for a lack of competence and leadership, but offered no strategy for moving forward. Neither directly said if they wanted Ukraine to win

These are the quotes 1/ MUIR: "Do you believe it's in the U.S. best interests for Ukraine to win this war? Yes or no?"

TRUMP: "I think it's in the U.S. best interest to get this war finished and just get it done. [...] Negotiate a deal." 2/

Russian milbloggers are panicking, reporting on Ukraine's drone innovations. Some are so simple yet ingenious, you can’t help but think, "Why didn’t I come up with that?" Would you?

A list

1. Fast FPV drones paired with slow bombers to protect them from Russian air defense 1/ "The enemy [Ukraine] has begun pairing their slow agricultural drones, known as 'Baba-Yaga,' with [fast] FPV drones equipped with night cameras and thermal imagers. This tactic counters the anti-drone defenses set up by our [Russian] units, 2/

EFE reveals parts of Zelensky's strategy for achieving peace, with a surprising focus on diplomacy, territorial exchanges, and leverage swaps

Amid all the discussions in the West about appeasement, this is the first realistic approach I've seen 1/

efe.com/mundo/2024-09-… It is a unilateral roadmap aimed at ending the war this fall, relying heavily on international pressure on Russia

Ukraine's operation in Russia's Kursk region, where it controls about 1,300 square kilometers, is a key element in pressuring Moscow to negotiate 2/

This is Moscow today.

Russian media report over 20 Ukrainian drones intercepted over the city (though this one wasn’t) and 144 drones intercepted across Russia.

Key things:

1. Russian official media are no longer downplaying these attacks—they can’t ignore them anymore 1/ 2. Explosions are happening in Moscow.

Just like in Kursk, the war has now reached Russian soil, publicly challenging the illusion that Putin has everything under control 2/

What? Lavrov now claims Russia’s war in Ukraine was never about territories and they are fine not having them, they just want peace and human treatment for Russian speaking Ukrainians.

I guess that’s why they killed so many ethnic Russians in Donbas, especially Mariupol 1/ Here is the full text. Every word is a lie.

1. There are hints suggesting that we should proceed with the idea that the territorial issue will need to be resolved based on the realities on the ground.

Not hints, Putin said it 2/ yahoo.com/news/putin-urg…

In their first joint public appearance, CIA Director Burns and MI6 Chief Moore stated that Ukraine's Kursk offensive has shaken Putin's war narrative, created doubts among Russian elites

Also spoke on China, the Middle East, Russia's "feral" operations in Europe, Putin’s power/ On Kursk. MI6 Chief Moore characterized the Kursk offensive as "a typically audacious and bold move by the Ukrainians" aimed at changing the dynamics of the conflict /

Politico: "Zelenskyy suffers huge backlash as reshuffle triggers power-grab accusations. A parliamentary majority and martial law mean the Ukrainian president has the right to assemble his government as he sees fit, but the opposition is crying foul."

Every statement is incorrect 1/ There is no backlash because of the cabinet reshuffle in Ukraine. None. Zero.

Politico cites members of Poroshenko's party, the previous president, arguing this is a sign of a deep crises, etc. But they criticize every decision of Zelensky in a similar style. That's their job, btw 2/

The IMF is set to resume missions with Russia from September 16.

This move, the first of its kind among international organizations, signals that the IMF prioritizes financial relations over moral accountability.

By doing so, it undermines international efforts to pressure and isolate Russia, effectively normalizing a status quo where Russia can commit war crimes, bomb cities, and wage war without consequence.

For the IMF, financial stability appears to outweigh the need for justice. This will be the first official mission to Russia since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022

The mission will begin online on September 16, 2024, and continue with a visit to Moscow until October 1, 2024 2/

Europe faces a bigger problem than the war in Ukraine— Russia. The war in Ukraine will eventually end, but the aggressive, anti-Western stance of Russia will persist. No peace agreement, appeasement, offer of friendship, or funding will change Russia's attitude toward Europe 1/ A transformation of Russia into a peaceful, friendly nation is unlikely in the near future. It would take another Gorbachev and a perestroika-like movement for change, but the conditions aren't there yet 2/

Zelensky: Ukraine has developed its first ballistic missile

This and other key points from his today's conference

on Kursk, compromises with Russia, F-16s, restrictions on the use of Western weapons, Russian nuclear threats, Donbas, Ukrainians abroad, and Pavel Durov 1/ Kursk has shown that Putin is more focused on capturing a city in Ukraine he likely never heard of than defending his own territories