Thanks to Flamingo and U.S. intel, Ukraine takes the war back to Russia.

NYT: With frontlines frozen, Kyiv hits deep — refineries, depots, factories in flames.

Zelensky calls it “drone sanctions,” making Putin feel the cost of his own war. 1/ New weapons like the Flamingo missile, with a 3,000 km range, and U.S. intelligence on routes and timing make each strike more precise.

Ukraine calls this campaign “long-range sanctions.” 2/

Zelenskyy: Putin uses these drone and jet incursions to test Europe — its air defences and its reaction. He saw the response wasn’t loud enough.

In Poland, 19–23 drones crossed in; only four were destroyed. It was a test, not missiles yet — just drones.

1/ Zelenskyy: Putin did the same before Crimea — tested the world’s reaction, saw it was weak, and moved in.

Now he’s testing again, preparing Russian society for new aggression. That’s why it’s dangerous for Poland, the Baltics and others.

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Ukraine’s air defense is 74% effective but needs improvement, Syrskyi said Oct. 11.

Russia increased air strikes 1.3 times last month, hitting energy and rear targets.

Zelenskyy criticized Kyiv officials for weak protection of critical sites — Kyiv Independent. 1/ DeepStrike program reduced Russian oil processing by 21% through long-range strikes on military-industrial facilities.

Ukraine developing new Air Force unmanned air defense systems as part of military modernization. 2/

Trump pursues opposition

MSNBC: Federal prosecutors plan to charge John Bolton [Trump’s active critic, his former National Security Advisor]

Charge him next week, for allegedly keeping classified national security files at his home in Maryland
1/ Bolton would be the 3rd Trump critic charged in weeks, after James Comey and Letitia James, under what many view as politically driven prosecutions by Trump’s DOJ.

FBI agents raided Bolton’s Bethesda home on Sept 22, acting on a CIA tip and a federal judge–approved warrant

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Ex-CIA Director Petraeus: Putin became NATO’s greatest gift since the Cold War.

For years the threat seemed gone, defense was deprioritized.

I expect Merz to show more leadership. Germany is Europe’s largest economy and now the world’s 3rd

1/ Welt: What could bring Putin to talks?

Petraeus: When Ukraine proves he can’t win at acceptable cost.

Around 950,000 Russians are killed or wounded, 500,000 can’t return.

Ukraine needs more aid and new sanctions like Lindsey Graham proposed.

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The Baltic states are rehearsing for Russian war. The scenario: a full invasion within a week.

Reuters: Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia are drafting evacuation plans for up to 1 million people. Governments are turning schools, churches and arenas near the border into shelters. 1/ Lithuania prepared evacuation routes for 400,000 residents living near the borders with Russia and Belarus.

Kaunas [second-largest city] alone can shelter 300,000 people in schools, churches, and sports arenas stocked with beds, food, and fuel. 2/

In Kyiv, wounded Ukrainian soldiers bake bread to recover from war.

One of them, Dmytro survived three years in Olenivka prison, where Russians killed 62 POWs.

“We were starving and dreamed of bread every night. Now, baking feels like coming home,” he said for Times. 1/ Kyiv baker Vlad Marchuk leads the workshops. Many of the veterans lost arms, legs, or sleep.

Vlad says they lived through hunger and captivity. And when they work with dough, they start to breathe again. 2/

Trump administration helps Ukraine to attack Russia.

For months, Washington has shared intelligence for long-range strikes on Russian energy sites. - FT

Data on routes, altitude, and weak points helped Ukraine hit 16 of Russia’s 38 refineries, cutting over 1M barrels a day. 1/ The strikes, part of Ukraine’s DeepStrike campaign, have forced Moscow to curtail diesel exports and import fuel from Belarus and China.

Russia has lost about 20% of its refining capacity. 2/

Ukrainian marines fight like “phantoms in the night” on the Dnipro delta — striking Russian bridgeheads and vanishing before dawn.

Their mission is to stop Russian troops from crossing the river into Kherson, writes The Times. 1/ The 1st Battalion of the 40th Coastal Defence Brigade operates in the floodplains of the Dnipro River.

They raid islands at night, in silence, to prevent Russia from building bases for future attacks.

Each operation is small — 4 to 6 men per team. 2/

Zelenskyy: Winter is coming.

Russia will keep striking our energy system — Ukraine can’t face it alone.

2 Patriot systems are coming this fall.

Last night, 80% of enemy drones and missiles were shot down. [but unfortunately it isn’t enough]

1/ Zelenskyy: When Russia fails on the battlefield, it turns to terror — destroying power plants, water systems, and critical infrastructure.

We warned our partners: when Moscow can’t win militarily, it targets civilians and energy.

That’s what’s happening now.
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Britain, France, and Germany move closer to giving Russian assets to Ukraine.

“We are ready to progress towards using the value of the immobilized Russian sovereign assets to support Ukraine’s armed forces.” — Starmer, Macron, and Merz in a joint statement. 1/ “And thus bring Russia to the negotiation table. We aim to do this in close cooperation with the United States of America.” 2/

Russian commanders torture conscripts until they agree to fight in Ukraine and kill or jail those who refuse.

Thousands shoot themselves, bribe doctors, or flee abroad to escape the front. Leaked data show 50,000 deserters since 2022 — Moscow Times. 1/ In 2024, officers conscripted 19-year-old Nikita Zvezdov from Khabarovsk.

Commanders locked men in boot dryers, beat them with rifle butts, and forced them to run 50 laps in gas masks and hazmat suits. One recruit collapsed and died during punishment drills. 2/

Russian blocking detachments shoot Russian soldiers retreating from combat positions, but they are also shot.

“Many of the soldiers refuse to follow orders and leave their positions on their own because they're scared of dying.” — Russian soldier Ivan.

From Russian Telegram channel. 1/ His wife shared the story of how her husband was killed.

Ivan had spent 2 days evacuating a severely wounded comrade from the front line.

When he returned to his unit, the deputy commander ordered him to go on another combat mission. 2/

Kramatorsk sits 20 km from the frontline, enduring daily Russian airstrikes by fiber-optic drones, residents refuse to leave.

Dmytro, Afghan War veteran turned steelworks employee, says locals helped elderly and families of the dead in 2022-2023: "When you help, you love," – United24. 1/ Olena randomly invited strangers to her birthday party in Yuvileinyi Park, spending 2 days cooking far more than anyone could eat, then performed old love songs all afternoon — generosity locals call "the Kramatorsk spirit." 2/

Estonia DM Pevkur: Russia wants to see what is our reaction. Are we overreacting or not? It's so easy to say let's shoot them down or strike back.

We need to keep our heads calm. Russia wants to get more freedom to operate in Ukraine. No mistakes when we talk about Russia. 1/ Pevkur: 3 MiGs had no chance against 6 NATO jets/F-35s. No risk to sovereignty. NATO showed we can act and engage. We acted proportionally.

Russia wants us to overreact so they can claim NATO started a war. Don't fall into that trap. 2/

“I had read Hemingway and Remarque for years. I thought they knew everything about war. But they didn’t know mine.”

“When I came back from the front and saw my bookshelf, I felt like a fool,” wrote 25y old Ukrainian soldier and author Artur Dron in UP. 1/ Dron fought for 3 years and 4 months in Ukraine’s east — in the Seredbriansky forest on the Luhansk front.

He volunteered on March 2, 2022, joined the 125th Territorial Defense Brigade, and carried a rifle he named ‘Ernest’. His callsign was “Davyd.” 2/

Trump did not receive his coveted prize. The 2025 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to María Corina Machado.
Machado was one of the leading figures during the 2014 Venezuelan protests against the government of Nicolás Maduro.

1/ FT: The Nobel Committee honored her for promoting democracy and a peaceful transition in Venezuela.

Machado is in hiding after a disputed election that Maduro claimed, though evidence shows González won by over 2:1.

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Leaders like Volodymyr must rebuild Ukraine: they’ve lived through its darkest trials and understand what strength and justice truly mean
Volodymyr Mykolayenko, 65, former Kherson mayor, survived 3 years of Russian captivity, daily beatings, starvation, tortures,The Economist.1/ A UN mission in Kyiv found that 92 % of 216 freed civilians — and most POWs — endured torture: beatings, electric shocks, rape, and forced stress positions. Mykolayenko: every transfer began with welcome beatings. Food shortages caused mass weight loss.
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Russians hunt civilians in Kherson for sport.

WSJ: One video shows a Russian drone dropping grenades on an old man until his house burns. Another shows an explosive hitting a man walking his dog.

The captions read: “No one deserves pity” and “Target eliminated.” 1/ Russian forces have launched about 30,000 drones at Kherson since January, killing 90 civilians and wounding more than 1,300.

Drones hit buses, markets, ambulances, and people on bicycles. Most streets in Kherson are empty. People hide indoors or move only under cover. 2/

Russians seized Donetsk doctor Ihor Kirianenko in 2018. He was 57.

They tied him to a table like a cross, wired his feet and fingers, and electrocuted him until he screamed. Then they tore out his teeth with pliers and broke his ribs and fingers, writes Hromadske. 1/ When he screamed, the guards joked: “Don’t shout, there’s a kindergarten upstairs.”

After torture they took him home, smashed his antique shop, searched for “bugs,” and found nothing. Then they arrested his wife too. 2/

Four years into the war, Europe is still funding both sides.

In January–August 2025, EU countries paid €11.4 billion for Russian energy while supplying weapons and aid to Ukraine. That is 21% less than last year but still a major cash flow to Moscow, Reuters.

1/ Seven EU states increased imports compared to 2024.

France bought €2.2 billion worth of Russian energy, up 40%. The Netherlands increased by 72% to €498 million. Belgium, Croatia, Romania, and Portugal also raised purchases — in Portugal’s case by 167%.

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