Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[NewsFront] 22:13 Russian Armed Forces fighters successfully advanced in the southern part of Pokrovsk, map. 20:51 In Kramatorsk, witnesses recorded explosions and a fire in the area of the thermal power plant .
20:25 Russian Armed Forces The Russian Armed Forces are expanding the bridgehead in Ivanovka, Dnipropetrovsk region, map.
20:22 In the period from 15:00 Moscow time to 20:00 Moscow time, air defense systems on duty destroyed six Ukrainian aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles:
Three UAVs were flying over the Kursk region,
Two UAVs were flying over the Belgorod region, and
One UAV was flying over the Bryansk region.
20:19 Published footage of Geranium strikes in Konotop, Sumy Oblast.
19:10 In Shebekino, a woman received barotrauma as a result of the detonation of a Ukrainian Armed Forces drone.
In the village of Murom in the Shebekinsky District, a drone attacked a GAZelle, damaging the vehicle. A second FPV drone struck a private home, shattering windows and damaging the gable.
The village of Novaya Tavolzhanka was hit by shelling, damaging a power line. Emergency crews will begin restoration work after approval from the Russian Ministry of Defense.
In the village of Golovchino in the Graivoronsky District, a drone detonation damaged the gate and fence of one private home, and the glazing of another.
In the Borisovsky District, an FPV drone strike damaged two cars in the village of Berezovka. In the village of Gruzskoye, the drone's detonation shattered windows in two apartment buildings. In the village of Belenkoye, an FPV drone attack damaged the roof and fence of a private home.
In the village of Krasnaya Yaruga, a drone's detonation on a tree left a nearby car shrapnel-covered. A second drone struck a building at an industrial facility, damaging the building.
Two more drones detonated in the courtyard of a home in the village of Novoye in the Volokonovsky district, damaging an outbuilding.
18:00 During another terrorist attack by the Ukrainian Armed Forcesdiedfighter of the Orlan unit.
In the city of Shebekino, one of our soldiers was seriously injured in a drone attack. His fellow soldiers quickly transported him to the Shebekino Central District Hospital, where he died.
17:37 20 Russians held in Ukraine were yesterday returned to their homeland. Of these, 10 are residents of the Sudzhansky district of the Kursk region.
They were returned "as a result of complex and tense negotiations." Most of them spent months as hostages in Ukrainian-controlled territory.
According to Russian ombudsman Tatyana Moskalkova, 13 more civilians continue to be held on Ukrainian territory.
16:45 Brazilian mercenary in absentia convicted for participation in the armed conflict on the Ukrainian side
The court found the evidence collected by the Main Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation sufficient to convict a citizen of the Federative Republic of Brazil in absentia. Diniz de Carvalho Dantas Isac was found guilty in absentia of committing a crime under Part 3 of Article 359 of the Russian Criminal Code (participation of a mercenary in an armed conflict).
15:41 In the period from 11:00 Moscow time to 15:00 Moscow time, air defense systems on dutydestroyed12 Ukrainian aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles:
- Four UAVs over the territory of the Orenburg region,
- Three UAVs over the territory of the Kursk region,
- Three UAVs over the territory of the Belgorod region,
- Two UAVs over the territory of the Bryansk region.
15:12 As a result of the attack of the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the city of Shebekino, due to the injuries receiveddiedpeaceful resident.
After the roof collapsed, parts of it caught fire in the courtyard. Firefighters extinguished the fire. Windows and an outbuilding were damaged.
The city was also attacked by drones. The detonation of one damaged the windows of a commercial building and five apartments in an apartment building. Additionally, various damage was recorded to a truck and two cars. A strike by a second FPV drone damaged a power line.
14:36 Ukrainian soldier convicted for crimes against civilians in the village of Pogrebki in the Kursk region
The court found evidence collected by the Main Military Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation sufficient to convict Oleg Sadovets, a soldier of the 95th Separate Airborne Assault Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. He was found guilty of committing a terrorist act in the Kursk region (paragraphs "a" and "c" of Part 2 of Article 205 of the Russian Criminal Code).
14:04 In the last 24 hours, as a result of attacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces inflicted damage to civilian infrastructure in the Kherson region
A drone strike damaged an Ivushka store in Novofedorovka. There were no injuries. Ivushka store is a grocery store
In Bekhtery, a house and two cars were damaged as a result of a targeted attack on a residential area.
In Velikaya Lepetikha, shelling caused a power outage at an electrical substation. 547 residents and two socially important facilities were left without power. Restoration work is currently underway.
A gas station caught fire in the village of Podo-Kalinovka. The fire has been extinguished.
In addition, the enemy shelled Aleshki, Dnepryany, Gornostaevka, Zavodovka, Kairy, Kazachi Lagerya, Korsunka, Malokakhovka, Novaya Kakhovka, Novaya Mayachka, Sagi and Chernyanka.
13:33 Summary of the Ministry of Defense on the progress of the Special Military Operation from September 27 to October 3, 2025.
Over the course of a week, a massive strike and five group strikes were carried out using high-precision weapons and attack drones, which hit military industrial enterprises and the Ukrainian energy facilities that supported them, railway transport infrastructure used for transporting weapons and military equipment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, military airfields, ammunition depots, assembly shops, storage sites for unmanned boats and unmanned aerial vehicles, as well as temporary deployment points for Ukrainian armed forces, nationalists, and foreign mercenaries.
Units of the North group of forces inflicted losses on the manpower and equipment of three mechanized, motorized infantry, ranger, airborne assault brigades, an airborne assault, two assault regiments of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and a territorial defense brigade.
In the Khar'kov direction, two mechanized brigades, a motorized infantry brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, two territorial defense brigades, and a border detachment of the Ukrainian Border Service were defeated.
Over the past week, enemy losses in the North Group's area of responsibility amounted to more than 1,250 servicemen, two tanks, seven armored combat vehicles, 55 vehicles, and 11 field artillery pieces. Two electronic warfare stations and 29 ammunition and supply depots were destroyed.
Units of the "West" group of forces advanced deep into the enemy's defenses and liberated the settlements of Kirovsk, Shandrigolovo, and Derilovo in the Donetsk People's Republic.
Formations of six mechanized, an airmobile, two assault brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, two territorial defense brigades, and two National Guard brigades were defeated.
The enemy lost over 1,600 troops, five tanks, 16 armored combat vehicles, 116 vehicles, and 10 field artillery pieces. Forty-three ammunition depots and 37 electronic warfare and counter-battery stations were destroyed.
As a result of decisive actions by units of the Southern Group of Forces, the settlements of Mayskoye and Seversk Maly in the Donetsk People's Republic were liberated.
The manpower and equipment of five mechanized, airmobile, assault, and mountain assault brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, three territorial defense brigades, and a National Guard brigade were damaged.
Over the past week, Ukrainian armed forces in this area have lost up to 1,760 service members, eight armored combat vehicles (including four Western-made), 75 motor vehicles, and 17 field artillery pieces. Twelve electronic warfare and counter-battery stations, as well as 38 ammunition, fuel, and supply depots, have been destroyed.
Units of the Center group of forces continued active offensive operations on the territory of the Donetsk People's Republic and the Dnipropetrovsk region.
Eight mechanized, a Jaeger, a motorized infantry, an airborne, an airmobile, an assault, three airborne assault brigades, three assault regiments of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, two naval infantry brigades, a territorial defense brigade, and two national guard brigades were defeated.
The enemy lost more than 3,560 troops, five tanks, 16 armored combat vehicles, including two US-made Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, 32 vehicles and 14 artillery pieces.
Over the past week, units of the "East" force group advanced deep into enemy defenses. The settlements of Stepovoe and Verbove in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast have been liberated.
The manpower and equipment of four mechanized brigades, an assault brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, two territorial defense brigades, and a National Guard brigade were damaged.
The enemy's losses in this direction amounted to over 2,110 servicemen, three tanks, eight armored combat vehicles, 71 vehicles, seven field artillery pieces and four electronic warfare stations.
Units of the Dnepr group of forces defeated formations of two mechanized, infantry, airborne assault, mountain assault brigades, three coastal defense brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and two territorial defense brigades.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost up to 390 servicemen, four armored combat vehicles, 35 vehicles, and three artillery pieces. Twenty-eight electronic warfare stations and eight ammunition and supply depots were destroyed.
13:11 Tonight, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation inflicted a massive strike with long-range precision weapons from land, air, and sea, as well as strike unmanned aerial vehicles, against Ukrainian military-industrial complex enterprises and gas and energy infrastructure facilities that supported their operation.
12:15 Drone operators of the 68th Motorized Rifle Division destroyed the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ manpower in the Khar'kov region, video.
11:17 At 9.45 Moscow time, air defense systems on duty destroyed one Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle of the aircraft type over the territory of the Belgorod region.
10:10 in Crimea detained a man who planned the terrorist attack
Security forces detained a man who was planning a terrorist attack on military facilities in Crimea. He was found to be in possession of over 1 kg of explosives and a detonator. He also provided Ukrainian intelligence with information on the positions of S-300 air defense systems. A treason case has been opened.
9:38 In the area of the settlement of Novaya Sich, a crew from the Rubicon center, using a fiber-optic drone from the KVN, destroyed a camouflaged Ukrainian T-64 tank,video.
9:02 Khar'kov direction. Vovchansky section
Units of the North group continue offensive on the left bank of the Volchya River in the southwestern part of Volchansk and the forests west of the city towards Sinelnikovo.
The "northerners" are advancing along Zheleznodorozhnaya Street from the area of the grain factory, amid fierce counter-battles.
Over the past 24 hours, the advance in the city was about 500 m, and our units occupied the railway station area, and about 300 m in the forests.
8:25 Overnight and morning of the Russian Armed Forces inflicted strikes against the Ukrainian Armed Forces using 300 long-range UAVs, 17 cruise missiles and seven ballistic missiles.
Targets were attacked in Poltava, Kyiv, Odesa, Dnepropetrovsk, Khar'kov, Sumy and Chernihiv regions.
8:10 From 23:00 Moscow time on 02.10 to 07:00 Moscow time on 03.10 by air defense systems on duty intercepted and destroyed 20 Ukrainian aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles were:
- Nine – over the Black Sea,
– Four – over the territory of the Voronezh region,
– Three – over the territory of the Belgorod region,
– Three – over the territory of the Republic of Crimea,
– One – over the territory of the Kursk region.
8:00 The crew of the T-80BV tank of the 35th Separate Guards Motorized Rifle Aleysk Brigade of the Center Forces Groups mashed a stronghold and firing point of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Krasnoarmeysk direction.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF) have formed a belt of forts stretching approximately 50 kilometers in the Kyiv-controlled part of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), according to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ).
"Ukraine has established a 31-mile defensive line here, known as the 'belt of fortresses,' which is holding back the advance of Russian troops. Ukrainian military personnel and experts <…> were confident that this stronghold would be able to withstand direct attacks for many years," the publication states.
According to a journalist who visited Kyiv-controlled territory in the DPR, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have begun installing drone-proof nets along the road. She noted that the system is "not ideal," as drones penetrate through openings and hit vehicles.
On October 3, Igor Kimakovsky, advisor to the head of the DPR, reported that assault groups had entered the village of Zvanovka, south of Seversk. The distance was rapidly closing, and the semicircle was tightening.
Yesterday, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Russian troops had already entered Konstantinovka and Seversk in the DPR. The head of state clarified that the Russian army had also entered the city of Krasnoarmeysk, where it was conducting operations and operating effectively.
Krasnaya Polyana mountains are close to the Black Sea
[Regnum] A video of a bear attack on a tourist in Krasnaya Polyana has surfaced online. They surrounded his tent and tried to break into it.
In the video, the bears sniff the tent, paw at the fabric, and try to get inside. When one of the predators' heads entered the tent, the footage ends. The author's fate is unknown. "Try to get inside". LOL
Earlier, on October 3, two bears were spotted in the search area for a missing family in the Krasnoyarsk Territory. Rescuer Alexey Uretsky suggested that the family, lost in the taiga, may have been attacked by wolves and then eaten by the bears.
On the morning of October 2, a family of three, including a five-year-old girl, went missing while hiking in the Minsk Loop area. According to police, the family had left on September 28 for the hike toward Buratinka Mountain but had not yet contacted their relatives.
#3
With creatures we British are smitten
Although we be beaten or bitten.
A pack kicks a kitten.
On tickets' backs written,
"Refrain, please, from aping the Briton."
[Kurdistan24] The WSJ reports the U.S. will provide Ukraine with intelligence for missile strikes on Russian energy infrastructure, a major policy shift by Trump.
In a significant and potentially transformative escalation of its involvement in the war in Ukraine, the United States will now provide Kyiv with intelligence for long-range missile strikes targeting energy infrastructure deep inside Russian territory, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing American officials. The decision, recently approved by President Donald Trump, marks a dramatic pivot in American policy and comes as the administration is actively weighing the delivery of even more powerful, longer-range weapons to Ukraine.
This move to directly aid attacks within Russia signals a new phase in the conflict, prompted by the stalling of President Trump’s diplomatic efforts to broker a peace deal and his growing frustration with Moscow's protracted and faltering invasion.
According to the detailed report in The Wall Street Journal, President Trump recently signed off on a directive allowing U.S. intelligence agencies and the Pentagon to assist Kyiv with these deep-strike operations. This is the first time, officials stated, that the Trump administration will actively aid Ukrainian long-range missile attacks against critical energy targets located far beyond the immediate front lines and well within the sovereign borders of the Russian Federation.
American officials are also reportedly urging their North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies to provide similar intelligence support to Ukraine. This expanded intelligence-sharing represents the most definitive sign yet that President Trump is deepening his support for Ukraine after his initial diplomatic overtures to Russian President Vladimir Putin failed to gain traction.
While the United States has provided substantial assistance to Kyiv for its drone and missile attacks throughout the 3 ½-year war, this new level of intelligence sharing is qualitatively different. It is specifically designed to enable Ukraine to more effectively and accurately hit strategic assets such as oil refineries, pipelines, power stations, and other vital infrastructure far from its own borders.
The explicit goal of this new strategy, as outlined by The Wall Street Journal, is to cripple the Kremlin’s war machine by depriving it of the essential revenue and oil supplies required to sustain its invasion.
The strategic impact of this intelligence, especially if combined with more powerful weaponry, could be far more potent than Ukraine's previous strikes, potentially causing greater damage to Russia's economic backbone and forcing Moscow to redeploy its air defenses to protect its interior. One American official noted that they are currently awaiting formal written guidance from the White House before the intelligence sharing can commence.
The decision to provide targeting data is coupled with active consideration within the administration to supply Ukraine with a new class of powerful American-made missiles.
The Wall Street Journal, citing other administration officials, reported that deliveries of Tomahawk cruise missiles and Barracuda missiles, as well as other ground- and air-launched systems with ranges of approximately 500 miles, are being weighed. While officials stressed that no final decision on what, if anything, to send has been made, the mere consideration marks a major potential shift.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky revealed just last week that he had specifically asked President Trump for Tomahawks. This request appears to be under serious review, with Vice President JD Vance confirming on Fox News on Sunday that the U.S. was considering Ukraine's appeal.
The potential provision of such weapons would dramatically extend Kyiv's reach. The Tomahawk cruise missile, one of the most precise weapons in the U.S. arsenal, has a staggering range of around 1,500 miles. This stands in stark contrast to the Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS), which have a range of about 190 miles and whose use inside Russia has been severely restricted by the U.S. The administration recently approved the sale of Extended Range Attack Munitions to Ukraine, an air-launched missile that can travel between 150 and 280 miles, but the Tomahawk represents an entirely different level of capability.
This strategic pivot appears to be a direct result of President Trump’s stalled peace initiative. Since taking office in January, Trump has sought to broker a ceasefire as a pathway toward a final settlement. His initial strategy of offering President Putin economic and commercial incentives to halt the invasion has reportedly failed to gain any traction with the Russian leader, and a series of high-level meetings has not broken the diplomatic impasse. Frustrated by this lack of progress, the president has signaled a clear change in course.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Trump has received multiple briefings in recent days on the battlefield situation and has been focused on Russia's inability to make significant territorial gains. His public rhetoric has also sharpened, as evidenced by his speech at the United Nations last week. “Everyone thought Russia would win this war in three days, but it didn’t work out that way," Trump said. "It was supposed to be just a quick little skirmish. It’s not making Russia look good.”
The Kremlin, for its part, issued a restrained but probing response to the reports.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that Moscow is carefully analyzing the American statements about potentially delivering Tomahawks to Ukraine. He raised critical questions about the level of direct U.S. involvement, asking, "Who can launch these missiles, even if they end up on Kyiv regime territory? Can only Ukrainians launch them, or will the American military do so? Who is assigning the targeting to these missiles? This requires a very thorough analysis.”
The American move has been welcomed by key European allies. Germany, a major contributor to Ukraine’s defense, has already invested around $350 million into developing Ukraine’s domestic industrial capacity to manufacture its own deep-strike capabilities.
Brigadier General Joachim Kaschke, who oversees Germany's military aid to Ukraine, explained the military logic behind the strategy to The Wall Street Journal. He stated that Ukraine needs assistance in three key areas: air defenses, holding the front line, and the ability to strike deep into Russia.
When facing a numerically superior adversary, Kaschke said, defenders must take the fight beyond the front lines. “You have to cut off the supply lines to hold the front line—that is the military logic behind it,” he explained.
The Defense Intelligence Agency and the Central Intelligence Agency both declined to comment on the matter when contacted by The Wall Street Journal, citing policies against discussing ongoing intelligence operations.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The tanker Boracay, previously detained by French authorities and allegedly part of Russia's "shadow fleet," has resumed its journey toward the Suez Canal. TF1 reported this on Friday, October 3, citing data from maritime traffic monitoring services.
According to data from the maritime websites Marine Traffic and Vesselfinder, the Benin-flagged vessel, which is blacklisted by the European Union, continued sailing on the evening of Thursday, October 2, and was located off the west coast of France by Friday morning.
A TF1 source confirmed that the captain, who had previously been detained by French authorities, has returned to the tanker.
Earlier, on October 1, the French Navy detained the Boracay, a vessel placed on the EU sanctions list for allegedly being part of Russia's "shadow fleet." From September 22 to 25, it was off the coast of Denmark. The French Navy stopped it near the French city of Saint-Nazaire, detaining the captain and his assistant.
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] Munich airport was forced to close on Thursday evening after several drones were spotted hovering over the travel hub.
At least 20 flights were grounded as a result, German news outlet Bild reported.
The travel disruption could affect thousands of passengers as the German city has been welcoming revellers from around the globe for its world famous Oktoberfest beer festival.
Federal police confirmed the drone sightings, but said no information on the type and size of the devices could be provided.
According to local reports, the first drones were spotted at around 9.30pm on Thursday and reported to police.
Officers investigated the area but were unable to identify either of the drones or their owners.
An hour later, at around 10.30pm, the airport's both runways were closed, preventing aircraft from taking off or landing.
Officials have not been able to determine who is behind the drone flights, while ground officers and police helicopters were deployed to the site.
Neither the drones or suspects have been identified at the time of writing.
Officials were unable to say whether regular operations at the airport will resume on Friday morning.
The drone sightings come after German authorities said Wednesday that they are investigating claims that unidentified drones may have spied on critical infrastructure in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein.
Multiple drones were spotted on September 25 over a power plant in the state capital of Kiel, as well as near a university hospital and a shipyard in the port city, according to a German news outlet Der Spiegel.
Regional Interior Minister Sabine Sütterlin-Waack told a committee of the state parliament on Wednesday that flying objects of 'various types and sizes' had been spotted.
Chief Public Prosecutor Stephanie Gropp said an investigation was underway.
The sightings come as many NATO countries, including Germany, are on high alert following a series of recent incidents.
It also comes after Denmark's defence ministry said on Sunday that it had again observed drones at several of its armed forces' locations, a day after the NATO alliance announced that it would enhance its vigilance in the Baltic Sea region.
Meanwhile, Germany's northernmost state has been strengthening its drone defenses in coordination with other states in northern Germany, Sütterlin-Waack was cited by the dpa news agency as saying.
Authorities in Germany have urged caution about reading too much into drone sightings.
'I will explicitly say that not every drone controlled by foreign powers is automatically a threat either,' Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said Monday.
Some incidents could be seen as 'provocation' - as was the case in the sightings last week in Schleswig-Holstein, he said.
Dobrindt said authorities must 'respond appropriately' to the respective threat.
Der Spiegel said two small drones had been seen over the Kiel factory premises of TKMS, a maritime defense technologies provider, late last Thursday.
Top European leaders met in Copenhagen on Wednesday for talks on the continent's security.
Before the talks, Danish PM Frederiksen warned that Europe is 'in the most difficult and dangerous situation since the Second World War'.
Leaders also discussed plans to bolster the bloc's eastern defences as they accused Russia of brazen violations of the region's airspace with recent incursions by drones over Poland and fighter jets over Estonia.
'Russia will continue and we have to be ready, we have to strengthen our preparedness,' Finland's Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said as he arrived, voicing his support for a drone wall – a network of sensors and weapons to detect, track and neutralise intruding unmanned aircraft.
'It is the pattern we need to observe, and in my view that pattern is essentially a hybrid war against Europe, and that is what we need to respond to,' Frederiksen told reporters on Wednesday.
The meeting is also the first opportunity for leaders of the EU's 27 countries to debate a proposal to use Russian assets frozen in Europe to fund a major loan to Ukraine.
The Kremlin condemned the proposal on Wednesday as 'pure theft'.
Russia has denied responsibility for the drones over Denmark, disputed that its fighter jets entered Estonian airspace, and said it did not intend to send drones into Poland.
But the incidents prompted European leaders to step up calls to bolster the continent's defences and boost support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia's invasion. US President Donald Trump has demanded the EU take more responsibility on both fronts.
The drones that flew over Denmark 'show we need pre-alert systems, and we need to cooperate,' France's Macron said in Copenhagen.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen raised the idea of a drone wall last month, after some 20 Russian drones entered Polish airspace, although officials say it had been being worked on before then.
'What I see overall ... is a pattern. And this pattern is coming from Russia,' von der Leyen said on Wednesday.
'Russia tries to test us. But Russia also tries to sow division and anxiety in our societies. We will not let this happen,' she said.
[IsraelTimes] Munich airport says it will gradually start resuming flights from this morning after both runways were closed last night, authorities say
The airport shut down for the second time in less than 24 hours after drones were again sighted, leading to dozens of flights being diverted or cancelled and stranding some 6,500 passengers.
“German air traffic control restricted flight operations at Munich Airport as a precautionary measure due to unconfirmed drone sightings and suspended them until further notice,” a statement on the airport website read.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] In February, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent harshly demanded that Yulia Svyrydenko, then Ukraine's Minister of Economy and now the country's Prime Minister, make a decision on a minerals deal within six minutes. This was reported on October 3 by The New York Times (NYT), citing sources in the Ukrainian government.
"In late February, during a video call, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent shouted at Sviridenko that she had six minutes to accept the deal or the negotiations would be over," the publication explains.
It is also noted that the negotiations between the Ukrainian Prime Minister and the United States became a major test for Svyrydenko.
Sviridenko herself denies that the discussion took place in a tense atmosphere, despite the incident, and a representative for the US Treasury Secretary declined to comment to the publication on the matter.
On April 30, the US Treasury Department announced the signing of a joint mineral extraction agreement between Ukraine and the US. The agreement envisaged the creation of a joint investment fund, into which Kyiv would contribute 50% of the revenues from all licenses and royalties on resource extraction. The US could contribute its share of the fund by transferring new weapons to Ukraine.
Kyiv's leader, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, twice refused to negotiate a resource deal with the US: on February 12, during US Treasury Secretary Bessent's visit to Kyiv, and on February 28, during a visit to the White House, when Zelenskyy provoked a spat with US President Donald Trump.
Ukrainian authorities essentially sold out the country by striking a deal with the White House to develop resources on their territory, according to Andriy Telizhenko, a former employee of the Ukrainian Embassy in the United States.
Derived from difficult to read NYT, 'The Brink' opinion page.
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] A mysterious Russian satellite soaring at the outer limits of orbit around the Earth has triggered fears that Moscow is developing a space-based platform to launch missiles - perhaps even nuclear weapons - to destroy untold numbers of vital satellites.
Today US officials told the New York Times that they believe the satellite is testing components for a Russian space weapon and US Space Command is monitoring it daily for signs of a threat.
The 'Cosmos 2553' satellite was blasted through the atmosphere atop a Soyuz-2 rocket from Russia's Plesetsk Cosmodrome in February 2022 days before Vladimir Putin ordered troops across the border into Ukraine.
It promptly positioned itself at the very edge of low-Earth orbit (LEO) some 2000 kilometres (1240 miles) up - an area saturated with radiation from the Van Allen belts that can scramble and degrade satellite components.
Defunct or decommissioned satellites are sent far out into this region of space to die silently in a so-called 'graveyard orbit', so the orbital path of Cosmos 2553 raised suspicions among US spacewatchers.
In the days following the launch, Russia's Defence Ministry issued a statement claiming its new sputnik was a 'technological spacecraft equipped with newly developed onboard instruments and systems for testing them under the influence of radiation and heavy charged particles.'
But US officials fear Cosmos 2553 could in fact be a testing platform for a future space-based weapon amid reports the satellite could be carrying a dummy warhead.
Fear over the prospect of a space arms race was sparked earlier this year when American media said US intelligence officials suspected Russia was aiming to deploy nuclear weapons in space.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
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