A small logistics firm is quietly breaking Europe’s sanctions on Russia.

Berlin-based shipping network moves banned goods to Moscow disguised as postal parcels — exploiting loopholes in EU law. Reporters tracked packages with GPS from a German supermarket to Russia, Politico. 1/ The network revolves around LS Logistics Solution GmbH, a Cologne-based firm founded by former staff of RusPost — the German subsidiary of Russia’s state postal service.

Packages move through a warehouse near Berlin airport, then by truck through Poland and Belarus to Russia. 2/

A convicted accomplice in a political murder returned to Europe.

Sulejman Dadaev helped kill Chechen dissident Umar Israilov in Vienna in 2009. Sentenced to 19 years, he was released early, flew to Moscow in 2022 — and later reappeared in Germany, Correctiv reports. 1/ Israilov was a former bodyguard of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov.

He was shot dead in Vienna after accusing Kadyrov of torture and planning to testify at the European Court of Human Rights. Prosecutors said Kadyrov may have ordered the killing. 2/

Bolton: Best counter drone technology in the world is from Ukraine.

If you want to know the virtue of alliances, this is now. We need to turn to the Ukrainians and say "Excuse me, could we lease your technology so we could build cheaper drones?" 1/ Bolton: I'd call the Revolutionary Guard a deep state. I don't see anybody that could be acceptable to regime change that we would find acceptable.

What we need to do is pull the Revolutionary Guard apart, pull the Ayatollahs apart, pull the regime apart at the top. 2/

Petraeus: Ukraine will make 7M drones this year. They're already throwing 10,000 a day at the Russians in various forms, suicide drones, surveillance.

We produce probably 400,000. Ukrainians produce them at a much lower cost and generally are more effective. 1/ Petraeus: The most sophisticated air ballistic missile defense system that Iran had was taken out in the early hours of the 12-day air campaign by the Israelis flying F-35s. This is a Russian system [S-400], and Russia has none to spare at this point in time. 2/

People were hanging themselves from hunger. Hunger was the hardest thing to endure — Resident of Izyum, a Ukrainian city in Donbas.

No one was allowed to leave.

Those who had something in their cellars survived. Others starved — Hromadske.

1/ Izyum resident: At first we called them Germans — by analogy with WWII. Then "ruscism" came naturally.

You came with St. George ribbons? Put on angel wings if you want.

When you drop bombs on us, you're not the descendants of those who liberated Izyum in WWII.

2/

Fico is following Orban's playbook.

He’s blocking EU sanctions on Russia, banning emergency electricity sales to Ukraine, and threatening to oppose Ukraine's EU membership. Slovakia's elections aren't until fall 2027. So why now? — European Pravda. 1/ Myroslav Lajcak just resigned as Fico's national security adviser after his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein was exposed in DOJ files.

Lajcak was one of the last voices pushing Fico to maintain dialogue with Kyiv. Now he's gone. 2/

Europe is waking up.

Finland to allow import of nuclear weapons on its territory.

Helsinki will lift a 1980 ban and permit the import, transport, and storage of nuclear arms as it adapts to NATO membership after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Politico. 1/ The US stores nuclear warheads in Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy and Turkey, while France and the UK maintain their own arsenals.

Paris is exploring deployments of French nuclear-capable aircraft across Europe. 2/

“I had a $700,000 salary in Seattle. I still went to fight in Ukraine.”

Andrew Webber, a U.S. Army captain and Iraq–Afghanistan veteran, left his corporate law career and joined Ukraine’s International Legion in 2023. He died in combat on July 27, 2023, reports hromadske. 1/ Webber graduated from West Point in 2005. The U.S. Army deployed him to Iraq in 2006, then to Afghanistan in 2008 and 2012.

During his second Afghan tour he commanded the 1191 Cavalry reconnaissance and sniper unit. His callsign was “Palwar” — “fighter” in Dari. 2/

Here is how interceptor drones shoot down Russian Shaheds and Orlans.

These are the drones Zelenskyy proposed exchanging for Patriot missiles at Gulf States, writes Ukrainska Pravda. 1/ Ukraine cannot fire missiles at every target. Russia launches hundreds of drones per week. Patriot missiles cost millions of dollars. Interceptor drones cost 50,000–100,000 UAH ($1.3k–$2.6k). 2/

Mykola Liubarets flew a helicopter into the besieged Azovstal steel plant to see his wife. He carried out several near-suicidal missions delivering ammunition and evacuating wounded soldiers.

For these flights he received the title Hero of Ukraine, writes Ukrainska Pravda. 1/ When his commander asked him: “Will you fly to Mariupol?”, he did not hesitate.

Liubarets: “If I’m allowed to take my wife out of there, consider me already on board.” 2/

Kellogg: The Russians and the Chinese are kind of saying we can't match up. You're on your own with Iran.

The real country that's hurt by this is China, because 20% of their oil has been coming from Iran. 1/ Kellogg: You're going to have a hard time finding anybody that wants to take charge in Iran now because they know it's their demise if they do so.

We've systematically taken their leadership apart. 3/

Former U.S. Secretary of State Blinken: One possible off-ramp from the war with Iran is simply declaring victory.

Saying the ayatollah is gone and Iran’s nuclear and missile programs have been degraded — and leaving the future of the regime to the Iranian people.

1/ Blinken: Looking at the war with Iran, two factors will determine where this goes and how it ends — markets and munitions.

2/

J.P. Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon: Since World War II, wars usually move markets but rarely have long-term effects.

The exception was 1973, when oil prices tripled. If the Iran war is short and oil hits $80–$100, it likely won’t matter much — but if it drags on, all bets are off.

1/ Jamie Dimon: The most important thing in the world right now is geopolitics.

The free Western democratic world is under pressure — from Russia in Ukraine, Iran in the Middle East, and to some extent China, which wants to divide and weaken the West economically and militarily.
2/

Kasparov: Trump is a bulldozer — he clears the rubble but can't build anything.

Obama could have acted in 2009. People were in the streets and elites were split.

Instead he chose cowardice. Iran got stronger and Putin entered the Middle East.

1/ Kasparov: The West has stopped worshipping the fetish of international law.

Putin and Khamenei destroyed it. They used international institutions to cover their crimes.

Now it's coming back at them. If there's no law, we find out who is stronger. And everyone knows the answer.

2/

Valerii Puzik spent 40 days in a dirt hole with no food, no water, no signal.

He serves on the Zaporizhzhia front. He calls it “infantry hell” and his second birthday. — Ukrainska Pravda 1/ Puzik: “We were five in the hole — three Ukrainians and two Colombians.”

When supplies ran out, they split one can and a 14-cm piece of ham with a tape measure. Millimeters per person. 2/

Rubio: The hardest hits on Iran are yet to come. The next phase will be even more punishing.

We have clear objectives and will act as long as it takes to achieve them. When this operation is over, the world will be a safer place.

1/ Rubio: In a year or so, Iran would cross a line of immunity — with so many missiles and drones no one could stop them. This operation had to happen.

Look at the damage they cause now, weakened. Imagine them a year from now.

2/

Operation Epic Fury is now in Day 4.

Iranian Shahed suicide drones are swarming Gulf airspace. They're targeting military bases and infrastructure.

Russia has been using Shaheds against Ukraine for 3,5 years.

And Ukraine knows how to deal with Shaheds cheaply. 1/ A Shahed-136 costs roughly $20k–$50k.
A Patriot PAC-3 interceptor costs about $4–6 million.
THAAD can exceed $10 million per shot.

This is asymmetric warfare by design — forcing defenders to burn gold on aluminum. 2/

Rutte: Europeans are stepping up [in backing US strikes on Iran].

Merz backed taking out Iran’s nuclear and ballistic capability. The UK committed defensive assets. Europe supports degrading a threat to Europe, Israel and the region. 1/ Q: Will NATO be involved in Iran?

Rutte: No. The Americans and the Israelis are leading this campaign.

Allies enable it where they can, especially as Iran lashes out at Dubai, Bahrain, Oman and others, hitting civilians and hotels. 2/

How to hide from missiles? People keep asking me.

They are now a threat not only in Ukraine, but also over Israel, Saudi Arabia, Cyprus, Bahrain and the UAE.

Here’s what Ukrainians learned under constant Shahed and missile attacks.

1/ Rule #1: Go underground.

Best option — a proper shelter or deep metro station.

If not: underground parking or a solid basement (better with 2 exits).

Most people die from shrapnel, not direct hits.

2/

Pahlavi: My message to Trump is that I'm here to echo and join millions of my compatriots inside and outside of Iran to thank him for having the courage to do what is not easy, but intervene.

He will go in the annals of Iranian history as the most celebrated foreign leader. 1/ Pahlavi: Our 4 core principles

- Iran's territorial integrity.
- Separation of religion from state
- Equality of all citizens under the law and individual liberties.
- Democratic process to allow the people to decide what their future system of governance should be. 2/

Zelenskyy offered to send Ukraine’s top drone-interception experts to the Middle East if regional leaders persuade Putin to agree to a month-long truce in Ukraine – Bloomberg.

He says 4 years of war gave Ukraine expertise in downing Shahed drones now hitting the Middle East. 1/ Zelenskyy: Leaders of the Middle East have great relations with Russians. They can ask Russians to implement a month-long ceasefire.

Gulf states have economic ties with Moscow and can use them to press the Kremlin for a temporary halt. 2/