Since I have been locked on the Baltics since last autumn when we suspected that Russia was preparing for conflict in the near future, much earlier than analysts had thought, we saw quite early that the countries with troops in the Baltics were the hardest hit.
It was difficult to find common denominators as to why Trump had Canada in his sights and Spain constantly getting their comeuppance besides both having the most troops in the Baltics.
The US has troops all over Europe but (had) quite few in the Baltics; when Trump started worrying about the costs, the Baltics promised to cover everything – transportation to and from, accommodation, equipment maintenance, and probably some strawberry on top like good food and four-star quality.
Trump withdrew everything but so far only from the Baltics, Poland, and Germany – for example, he has left a lot in southern Europe still.
The Baltics were also the ones who immediately started spending +5% on NATO defense just as Trump demanded, and in addition, they promised to only buy weapons from the US at any overprice – they topped Trump’s entire checklist with extras but that did not stop him from pulling all units from the area generally considered Russia’s next invasion target.
All the crap happens in Spain – the thunder-run against Ceuta and the worst forest fires in Europe, for example, besides some scattered special focus from Trump on all sorts of things. Yes, it doesn’t help that they have weak leaders in difficult times but that is not the reason all bad things are happening to them right now, hate coincidence.
Trump has never left Canada alone; he constantly goes after them with all sorts of strange tirades. Now he probably supports some province wanting to become independent and threatens to cut all import-export lines to them because Carney didn’t greet politely enough the last time they met.
Germany has just forced its brigade movement into Lithuania by the way, and all combat parts are now in place but support functions are lagging.
Poland has of course been exposed all the time, so there it is more of a steady Russian subversive activity mixed with sabotage and direct attacks like the 23 drones in autumn 2025, or that sharp missile recently. As a country, they also fail to completely protect themselves and the conflict with Ukraine became so serious that Zelensky had to go there. Nawrocki believes some are a Trojan horse.
And then the Baltics themselves naturally, but there it is direct preparation for war so it is part of the holiday package they bought from Russia.
What I do every week is see what changes and we caught early when Trump moved the last combat unit out of the Baltics without fanfare, namely the heavy battalion in Võru.
Next I scan if Canada, Germany, or Spain pull troops but so far it is calm.
If you haven’t forgotten the hybrid attack on Ceuta, the Spanish coalition government’s supporting parties have now made statements; both are suspiciously close to Russia on their respective fringes and the horseshoe theory is not just wild imagination.
Ceuta has not blown over if you thought so – in an area with 85,000 inhabitants, several thousand idle young men run around where insecurity, vandalism, and crime have risen sharply – translate that to your own residential areas and stop thinking politics.
Yesterday the residents had a large demonstration where they demanded that security be restored; they were careful to make it apolitical.
All security services with some self-respect now warn of a new call on social media for another rush into Ceuta on August 15, so we will get a receipt quite soon on the magnitude of this operation.
Russian psyops have also shifted into high gear and are capitalizing maximally on the situation to create division not only in Spain but throughout the EU. Far-right and far-left are coming up with all sorts of exciting statements.
The governing party Ezquerda Unida was deeply hurt by the 22 EU countries’ letter to Spain and wants, as proportional retaliation, to immediately withdraw all Spanish soldiers from Slovakia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Romania – if you still had trouble putting this together, maybe it opened your eyes a bit?
Vox, who stand on the right wing, were just as outraged but have previously preferred to withdraw all soldiers from the rest of Europe and send them to border protection, and now it became even more urgent with the chaos in Ceuta.
That the Spanish central government has failed to guarantee the safety of the citizens in Ceuta is indisputable, and if you ask yourself – “why haven’t they just sent some special forces from Spain, kicked out all who are there illegally, closed the border, and fulfilled their commitments to the citizens” – you have asked a very good question.
Spain is already in full beef with Morocco so there is no direct relationship to maintain there, rather Morocco should apologize for completely opening their side of the border and assisting with buses to get people to the area; Spain basically has the right to shoot back those who illegally sneaked in with a catapult.
The Spanish government, which then did not solve the problem in Ceuta, instead chose to impose strict border controls against Italians – now no one really likes Italians but the priority seems a bit strange even to many Spaniards now.
I stand firm that this is state-supported hybrid warfare and if the Spanish government does not soon show decisiveness, votes of no confidence from fringe parties or larger demonstrations will come as sure as mail; we can be confident of that. Russia sits as a puppet master pulling all the strings at once.
But Germany you say quickly, they are thriving in a sea of sauerkraut and bratwurst.
We have gone through the drone attack in Leipzig but at the same time Russia attacked a German-owned cargo ship in the Black Sea with several drones, and two German company warehouses in Ukraine were totally written off – a total of four German targets were attacked over a few days.
By the way, the Russian drone in Leipzig tried to crash into the fuel tank of the Ukrainian plane before the airport employee took it down, but the detonation did not occur. Apparently God is on the Germans’ side.
It is also claimed that the government is lying and that the plane was fully loaded with ammunition from France.
Trump has tailored his tariffs from time to time and in May they were especially targeted at Germany according to the Germans. Hard to see anything else actually unless it is specifically Morrison Garage he dislikes the most?
But Denmark and Sweden also have troops in the Baltics you say as proof that this does not hold up to reasonable scrutiny – Greenland maybe or have you forgotten that?
Trump has not forgotten Greenland and companies he has interests in are prospecting in Greenland even though they have not received permission from the Greenlandic government – if you thought that madness was over.
Sweden seems to have managed, I can’t recall anything major in the past year and we have also given Ukraine our Gripens now. The fact is that Russia ranks Sweden as one of the bigger threats to its imperial ambitions. We are probably in a coveted podium position, which makes me very proud since otherwise, it is usually Curling we excel in, which was indeed mesmerizing when we filmed the Canadians’ shameless cheating, but not as big as winning the World Cup in football or the decathlon in the Olympics.
Yes, Russia is doing its best to complicate our parliamentary election and probably prefers a difficult government formation. If they can’t get that, they would rather not see this government again because it has done too much good over 4 years regarding the Ukraine war. Which is what they care about.
That doesn’t mean a new government would make any deteriorations at all, just that Russia is trying to remove a problem they have today – I repeat that all 8 parliamentary parties have made the right decisions since 2022 with one exception once, which is a rounding error.
Without stepping into domestic politics, some statements from several different people have been a bit strange in recent months and mostly felt like they led to negative chaos for their own party. I usually raise an eyebrow at such things because before an election, people tend to be extra careful not to embarrass themselves and instead promise what voters want to hear, but do not intend to honor once the vote is cast. Not to be confused with demonizing the opponent in pitch-black demonization with flames behind, but more direct own goals that don’t stop even though the party tries to silence the individuals.
No party can control individuals’ statements on social media, and when the media picks up on it, it becomes “the party says/thinks,” which can then affect the optics for the entire party, and in the long run, it hits the whole group of parties they belong to.
I believe Russia has amused itself with this among us, individuals who have either stood in Russian pay or have been persuaded with a gratification of 10 million SEK into the partner’s newly opened limited company account for lecture services in an empty meeting room in Stockholm spread over a year. They have been activated before the election to create chaos, and as long as the Tax Agency gets its tax, they don’t care. The police stopped investigating crimes a long time ago.
If you pair the offer with some dirt from the individuals’ internet history, fabricated or true, and maybe also some threats against the family with the help of any gang, you can quite easily justify it to yourself with, “I actually have to protect my children, they are the most important,” which is one of God’s ten commandments.
That Russia has been caught influencing elections across the West is indisputable, so if you are one of those reading above but do not believe that Russia is also involved here, you are more than naively optimistic and should consider why you had that reflex.
Regarding Iran, Israel has fired the two high-ranking officers responsible for the regime change in Iran. Our line is that Israel wanted regime change, and I stand by that.
About European interceptors, this one is worth reading and we have an almost Soviet five-year plan where key components come from a single manufacturer, making it difficult to scale up production.
Now it is SAM/PT that is needed against ballistic missiles, and the authors hope we can increase to 500 interceptors annually around 2028, with a bit of luck.
https://www.csis.org/analysis/europe-needs-asap-program-air-defense
That is far below Russia’s own production for ballistic missiles, and since you probably need more than one interceptor per missile – too little, too late.
They build 65 Iskander Ms per month, and if we need 3 interceptors per Iskander, we should build five times that. Then, of course, it also depends on where we position the platforms and where Russia chooses to strike somewhere.
Additionally, Russia has China backing it, which is constantly expanding production lines for them – the production rate is increasing besides introducing various countermeasures such as flares, evasive maneuvers in the terminal phase, and cluster munitions in the warhead.
We follow this in waves and assume somewhere that the problem is solved when we stop hearing about it, but probably there has been some political survival with “yes, we are tackling this immediately” and then it has been left alone because decisions are required to make progress, and that is not a political specialty.
Defense materiel needs political decisions on purchases for them to dare to scale up since they are partly not allowed to sell to whoever they want, politics has decided that, and then they cannot sell on the civilian market. If political decisions are missing, companies do not scale up, and everything has a lead time of years, then politicians naturally blame all problems on the companies, but that’s how it is.
Already last winter, Ukraine flagged an acute shortage, and at that time, it seems we have already sent some from our emergency stocks.
Now we are at a loss when the US stopped giving us Patriot interceptors, and besides worsening the situation in Ukraine since Russia can now smuggle North Korean ballistic missiles to bridge its own production, it has exposed a weakness in ourselves.
Apparently, our air-launched missiles have not worked well against ballistic missiles according to Ukraine, which has tested with F-16s; we’ll see if Gripen becomes a game changer?
Simply put, we currently have low capability in Europe to defend ourselves against FPV drones, long-range drones in mass attacks, and ballistic missiles. A bit like the Netherlands in 1940.
We have some NASAMS, guns, and Iris-T for individual drones and regular missiles, but it is a thin little picket line outside Ukraine, unfortunately.
The fact is that now when Russia has lobbed drones into the Baltics, the Balkans, and now Germany, they have not been detected on radar in most cases, so our “early-warning” systems are apparently half-good on top of all other misery.
Could it be that in all the staff functions that the US has now withdrawn, they were involved?
Bulgaria has had two drone visits with warheads, by the way, besides Romania. Earlier, an oil pipeline for S-N transport exploded in Italy, if you remember.
Easy to see that they are targeting the oil infrastructure from the Balkans up into central Europe.
Putin will probably capitalize maximally on this, one would guess, with verbal threats against us in the near future now that he knows we do not have the defense capability against ballistic missiles.
I’ve already checked the Baltics, and they have alarmingly little air defense in a country as large as Ukraine in area.
If you remember 2022, countries like Hungary and the Czech Republic started placing large orders for CV90, Gripen, and other high-value platforms. I tried then to explain to everyone that it was Russia’s way of building up a queue through orders so that nothing could be ordered by Ukraine – that drew a lot of criticism at the time, but over the years everyone now knows that Orban and Fico were/are close to Putin, so that assumption was not entirely off the mark.
Russia also projects a threat against us to get our countries’ Chiefs of Defense to start glancing at job descriptions and placing prioritized orders for national defense – Russia can further increase that concern by placing some missiles in our larger cities and blaming Ukrainian electronic warfare.
Or they use Ukrainian drones they have repaired and blame Ukraine; it seems that’s what they did in Bulgaria recently.
Both make our Chiefs of Defense full-time Omeprazole users, and Ukraine gets even less from us.
We will not declare war since it can still be interpreted as a mistake with a bit of goodwill, but the Chief of Defense will panic and order everything that can be bought for pesetas.
Moreover, some governments have been too infiltrated to function properly, with Germany being the worst – the manufacturer of Taurus started smelling morning air in 2022 and promised to begin producing Taurus in large quantities and at bargain prices as soon as orders were placed.
The Germans placed no orders, and I guess they also stopped others from placing orders because if Ukraine had been allowed to buy Taurus, they would have bought every Taurus on the market and eventually just bought the parts and assembled them themselves.
Then Germany chose not to send Taurus to Ukraine either on humanitarian grounds; it got confusing in the end with all the explanatory models and most recently “Ukraine doesn’t need them.” Tell that to the murdered children.
For a long time, at least until 2024, Ukraine was not allowed to use Western weapons inside Russia, and there were 48 Iskander platforms along the northern border launching missiles at civilians.
Compare that to the Iran war where the entire West shoots down missiles aimed at other Gulf countries, and the US is furious at Europe because we refuse to combat targets in Iran – double standards and zero equal treatment, but I no longer have the energy to cascade-cry over this.
According to rumors (unconfirmed), Syrskyi also has not prioritized taking out missile launchers after Ukraine began equipping domestic capabilities that could strike deep.
Of course, it makes a big difference if Ukraine can do as they did with Russian air defense and radar and take out the platforms for ballistic missiles; they know the geographic areas where they are but currently do not have the capability to combat them, according to their own recent statements.
But suddenly they did it anyway – some suspicion that the drone units have tested whether they can solve the problem within their mandates.
Simply put – Ukraine was not allowed to buy weapons, they were not allowed to license-produce weapons, they did not receive the right weapons in material support, and they were not allowed to engage targets inside Russia.
Now in 2026, Europe does not have enough defense because we have dismantled ourselves, Russia has produced new equipment too quickly, and we are starting to worry about our own security and are hoarding instead, but too little.
A very long chain of bad decisions over 4.5 years has brought us to today – no roses for today and lots of thorns.
Elon Musk refuses to let Ukraine use Starlink inside Russian territory, which they probably could use to take out the ballistic weapon platforms since it would give them real-time navigation capabilities they do not currently have for long-range weapons – I guess?
Another thing that would probably work well against the launch platforms is Taurus if they got Germany’s entire stock immediately – just guessing there too.
Turkey has recently promised a huge load of long-range ammunition, so maybe that will solve it?
It’s still exciting that we are putting our hopes in Turkey 4.5 years into the war.
Others highlighted as the West’s saviors are South Korea and Japan and that they will manufacture for us – not exactly a glowing endorsement for Europe at all.
Probably our production problems also have to do with China starting to impose export bans on key components and raw materials designed to slow down our critical manufacturing.
You can quickly translate this to civilian production and finance as well; if China slows exports we need for our own production, it will be 99% finished products that no one buys.
If Russia causes our electricity prices to skyrocket, all production becomes more expensive, and we sell nothing on the competitive market.
The US just sold EUR without warning to defend the USD, by the way. That may not sound so dramatic, but it is a departure from a 40-50 year established procedure.
The US has been working overtime for a while now to become as self-sufficient as possible, Russia has had its steel bath and even though they are in bad shape, they are standing with crutches. China has a central dictatorship that can more decisively implement tough measures, whereas we are 27 democracies with our own wills. In addition, we have a few countries, political parties, and individuals working inside the union for foreign powers with the aim to undermine.
For me, it is clear that we have everyone against us in everything and that it will be a biblical trial for us in the coming years – if we just see the light, everything will be resolved; soon the posts about Bible studies will come.
The US will defend its petrodollar with beak and claw, Russia wants to retaliate for old Ukrainian cheese, and China preferably wants us as weak consumers and absolutely not producers who compete with them.
Until a few years ago, we were defenders of the petrodollar and did everything the US asked, we bought all our products from China, and Russia was allowed to do as they pleased until 2022 – then everyone was happy.
A new European sheriff has definitely moved into Aborrträsk, but it is important that we can live up to the somewhat short mantle we have now taken on, and there will be no shortage of backstabs from everyone else starting now. We have entered an active phase in the hybrid war fought on all levels, and if we do not manage to defend ourselves, Russia will go to war where the Baltics are the first stop.
One thing we know – empires that have stepped out into the daylight and gone full bananas do not stop until they are stopped, so we can probably assume that either Russia collapses or they continue to escalate.
Ukraine is currently between us and them; the faster Ukraine can collapse Russia, the sooner calm will settle over Europe – they are doing everything they can and a little more.
In the near term, we will probably see increased crisis for Spain through Ceuta, in Ireland there will be unrest that may spill over to mainland England, and drone war/sabotage against Europe will increase exponentially.
Then follows a financial crisis with LNG/oil shortages this fall and sabotage against our electricity production/electricity transmission.
The curve is constantly rising, and at some point, if we do not put our foot down, Russia will test-run the Baltics on our behalf.
Since you read yesterday’s post, you know what it entails to put your foot down four times.
Many thanks to the one who took the step to a paid subscription on my Substack yesterday.
If anyone feels that you want a nobler purpose beyond all the texts, you get it – we have a major commitment in Angola where we directly help people in distress every month out of our own pocket. I was in the country for 10 years and that remains. We have scaled it down a bit over the years as it simply became too much and the need is endless, but it is still considerable, so you can also feel that you are donating to those in need in Angola through a subscription since the fund is shared. I have long thought about starting to alternate with posts about Angola, especially if I manage to find a job there again and go back, but there is too much else to write about right now. I have also thought about trying to attract Swedish companies to the country because it will become an enormously attractive market in the future, so it will be a rare win-win, but that is also on the to-do list.
Don't forget to donate, Ukraine's cause is ours! Support Ukraine!
Russian losses in Ukraine 2026-08-11
SLAVA UKRAINI
Ukrainian General Staff Morning Report
Summary
A few days ago, they stopped reporting the proportion of artillery attacks that consisted of MLRS in their summary; today they completely omitted artillery attacks as well as the number of suicide drones.
Here is the full report:
The 163rd day of the Russian Federation’s large-scale armed aggression against Ukraine has begun.
A total of 212 combat contacts were recorded during the past day.
Yesterday, the enemy carried out a missile attack with one missile and 79 airstrikes, dropping 255 guided bombs. Additionally, the communities of Koryenok, Tovstodubove, Bachivske, Sopich, Ulanove, Otrob, Yasturbyske, Seredyna-Buda, and Chuykivka in the Sumy region, as well as Khrynivka in the Chernihiv region, were subjected to hostile artillery shelling. Airstrikes were also conducted against areas around Sumy, Suhyl, Luhsky, and Tovstodubove.
During the past day, air defense, missile units, and artillery within the Ukrainian Armed Forces struck twelve areas where hostile forces were concentrated.
In northern Slobozhanshchyna and in the Kursk direction, our defenders repelled four enemy attacks. At the same time, the attacker conducted an airstrike with a guided bomb and shelled our forces’ positions and communities 62 times.
In southern Slobozhanshchyna, Ukrainian units repelled twelve enemy attacks. The invaders attempted to advance in the areas around Starica and Liman as well as in the direction of Volokhivka.
In the Kupiansk direction, the enemy launched an attack toward Novoplatonivka.
Attempts to break through our defense were stopped in the Liman direction, where the occupiers attacked ten times in the areas around Liman and Dibrova as well as toward Novoselivka and Karpivka.
In the Sloviansk direction, the enemy conducted 15 offensive operations in the areas around Kasyivske and Kryvyi Luh as well as toward Dronivka and Ray-Oleksandrivka.
In the Kostiantynivka direction, the enemy carried out two attacks in the areas around Kasyivske, Illinivka, and Ivanopil as well as toward Novoselivka, Toretskoye, and Mykolaipilne.
In the Pokrovsk direction, our defenders repelled 25 attacks. The enemy was active in the areas around Bilytske, Novo-Oleksandrivka, Kotelny, and Serhiyivka as well as toward Kucherevye, Toretske, Vylina, Novodonbas, Svitlo, Vasylyvka, Udanekhane, Novy Mykolaivka, Mylozhechne, and Novoplatonivka.
In the Oleksandrivka direction, the enemy conducted four attacks in the areas around Kalynivske, Danylivka, Yevorivka, and Rybne.
In the Hulyaipole direction, the occupiers attacked eight times. The enemy tried to advance in the area around Hrykye as well as toward Vozdivyivka, Rivne, and Charyivka.
In the Orikhiv direction, our defenders stopped seven enemy attempts to advance toward Novoselivka, Zarykha, Novakivka, Novodanylivka, and Pavlivka.
In the Prydniprovske direction, the enemy conducted no offensive operations.
In the Volyn and Polissya directions, no signs were detected that the enemy was forming assault groups.
The total losses of the Russian invaders over the past day amounted to 1,190 personnel. Additionally, four tanks, four armored combat vehicles, 44 artillery systems, one rocket artillery system, two air defense systems, nine ground-based missile systems, 1,578 unmanned aerial vehicles, 307 vehicles, and three units of special equipment were neutralized.
Very good again Johan no 1. Also thanks to MXT and others who contribute so much to the blog.
Johan is on Trump’s hatred of Canada. Do you remember the interview when Canada’s former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was supposed to respond to some attack from Trump? Trudeau was silent for exactly one minute before he answered what he thought about Trump. The funniest interview I have seen. But I guess Trump got upset. Could this be the reason for Trump’s hatred of Canada?
Nice that Johan is engaged in Angola. When there was high unemployment in Portugal a few years ago, many Portuguese sought jobs in Angola and Mozambique. They probably needed those jobs themselves, one might think. Otherwise, it has been heard that Portugal was the least bad colonizer. England was the worst with its overseer tendencies.
Worst.
*Belgium enters the chat
King Leopold was responsible for the Belgian Congo. The country Belgium was well outside.
Please visit the Central African Museum in Brussels. Very interesting.
Initially. The state took over Congo at the beginning of the 20th century and the worst abuses were abolished.
The Portuguese are quite tough on each other even in Portugal, like working unpaid overtime, being treated half-decently, then with salary and all that. Genuine Southern Europeans.
They had Mozambique, Sao Tome, Guinea(?), Brazil, and something else.
Sure, they were involved in the slave trade, the former president Dos Santos’ family started already in the 1500s selling slaves to the Portuguese who were sent to Brazil and has had a brilliant career up until today.
In comparison, the Portuguese behaved completely differently than the others; they integrated into the countries, married and had children so the colony became an extended arm of the country instead of segregated.
Luanda in Angola had a more modern state core than Lisbon, everyone went to school, it was safe, secure, good infrastructure, and so on.
To Angola, prisoners convicted of violent crimes were sent, and to Mozambique political prisoners – it is said that this left a mark on how both countries developed, which is not unlikely.
After decolonization, Portugal has close cooperation with all the former colonies and many from the former colonies live in Portugal, so quite intertwined yes. About half of Portugal’s population lives outside the country in these former colonies and other countries.
The liberation war in Angola was quite bloody yes but the Portuguese let go of it immediately when there was a military dictatorship in Portugal, 400,000 left the country and abandoned everything.
Those who stayed had a hard time for quite a while so to some extent one could say both groups got their fair share of difficulties.
Now in 2026 it should be getting better but Angola made the same journey as many countries post-colonization, socialism – civil war – the strongest wins – runaway corruption and everything got worse.
Angola also became a proxy war arena during the Cold War and they had a terrible civil war with the USA – Soviet Union on each side.
The Cubans were a major contributor with weapons and soldiers, Sweden had UN police on site – know someone who was there.
—
Maybe one has to draw a line over history and today they have the opportunity to become a powerhouse as the country is so rich in natural resources that it’s almost ridiculous.
Angola is quite street-smart and many in the administration are young educated in Europe so they have every chance to get going but corruption is still a numbing problem.
Between 2006 when I arrived and today it is a different country.
Thank you for the interesting information.
Sold a TV when we were moving a few years ago and an old Cuban comes.
He fought on Cuba’s side in Angola a very long time ago.
The world is really small 😀
The Swedish UN police had it terrible apparently, they had no food in Angola and when he came home after six months or longer he was starving.
The Portuguese (and the Spanish) had a different attitude towards “racial superiority.” While other colonial powers actively segregated different ethnic groups, Portugal had the idea that the population should be branqueamento:ed by whites having children with the colored part of the inhabitants, then the mestizos (mixed-race children) would have children with whites, and if they were light-skinned enough, they were considered white. Remnants of this mindset still exist in, among other places, Brazil. For example, the vice president under Jair Bolsonaro, Hamilton Mourão, spoke about his own grandchild as a successful branqueamento:ing. https://www.france24.com/en/20181007-presidential-candidate-running-mate-stirs-brazil-with-whitening-race-quip
Summary of last night’s events
Wildberries
Ukraine once again attacked a logistics hub belonging to Wildberries during the night. This time it was in Novaya Usman, located in the Voronezh region. According to reports, there were first several explosions and then the entire facility caught fire.
Oil refinery
An oil refinery in the city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur in Khabarovsk Krai, which is 6,000 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, has caught fire. There is so far no information about what started the fire.
Power plant
In Angarsk in Irkutsk, located 4,300 kilometers in Russia, a power plant reportedly caught fire.
Oil refinery and mechanical facility
In the city of Orsk, about 1,500 kilometers from Ukraine in the Orenburg region, both an oil refinery and a mechanical facility/factory have reportedly been hit.
Read more here.
Russian attacks
During the night, Russia attacked both Zaporizhzhia and Kyiv, and so far five dead and twenty-one injured have been reported, most in Zaporizhzhia. Kyiv was likely attacked by ballistic missiles.
Read more here.
Comment:
In yesterday’s news about the attack on the petrochemical plant in Tobolsk in the Tyumen region, it was stated that it was a collaboration between Ukrainian SOF and the resistance movement Black Spark. That attack took place 2,000 km from Ukraine.
As you can see above, several of last night’s events are even further from the Ukrainian border. Of course, these could be spontaneously occurring fires from, for example, smoking, but it is not so far-fetched to believe that Ukraine in these cases has also received help from inside Russia.
The Russians are trying to recruit in Ukraine by paying for various services, and of course Ukraine is doing the same in Russia. Moreover, more and more Russians have openly shown their dissatisfaction, so it may not be so difficult to find those who want to help.
If yesterday’s attack, and those last night, were actually carried out by Russians who are on Ukraine’s side, it is enormously positive. Then there is virtually no facility in Russia that is protected, regardless of the range of Ukrainian drones.
If this pace continues, Russia’s economic collapse is much closer in time than before.
Not much left!
** ❗️Everything that remains of the Wildberries logistics hub in Voronezh after the nighttime Ukrainian drone attack ** Movies:
https://bsky.app/profile/militarynewsua.bsky.social/post/3msrvvsqyy22m
** In Angarsk, Irkutsk Oblast, a power plant caught fire quite by chance. **
https://bsky.app/profile/babayagafella.bsky.social/post/3msrlywusp22d
** Footage of the burning Wildberries logistics hub in Voronezh during the ongoing drone attack. **
https://bsky.app/profile/specialkhersoncat.bsky.social/post/3msrbjxm4jc2l
** 🕯 Five people died, 20 more were injured: unfortunately, the number of victims as a result of the enemy attack on Zaporizhzhia is increasing… **
** 🔥🛢️For unknown reasons, a major fire has broken out at Russia’s Komsomolsk oil refinery in Khabarovsk Krai, roughly 6,500 km from Ukraine. The Rosneft refinery has a design capacity of about 8.5 million tonnes of crude oil per year. **
https://bsky.app/profile/specialkhersoncat.bsky.social/post/3msrxr7bpqk2y
** 🔥 ATESH agents destroyed an electric locomotive’s cab near Voronezh, disrupting supply lines to Russian Armed Forces. **
https://bsky.app/profile/maks23.bsky.social/post/3msqzca72g224
** ❗️During the night, 🇺🇦Ukrainian forces shot down 98 out of 120 🇷🇺Russian UAVs. In addition, the enemy attacked Zaporizhzhia and Kyiv with Tsirkon anti-ship missiles and Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles. **
https://bsky.app/profile/militarynewsua.bsky.social/post/3msrxu6j5d22m
Hybrid war is grinding on
Society does not know what is going on.
(In collusion with old SS generals
Who stick poisonous needles in anuses)
✊
Calm in here today.
The undersigned has finished the vacation and started working again and has only now had time to read today’s posts. Will try to catch up a bit tonight.
Same here. I don’t have many minutes left for what is important, work completely consumes me.
am very busy right now. I think I managed to put together the most important events of the night anyway.
Haven’t had the opportunity to keep track of whether anything interesting has happened during the day.
(Don’t even know if anything weather-wise interesting has happened! 😄 )
Good good, work is important 👍👍
Informative yellow post today with Johan 👍
Also several uplifting answers MXT 💥
Hopefully, more of the colonized and oppressed peoples in the various republics in the so-called Russian Federation will realize that Moscow is a cancerous tumor that has been allowed to grow far too large and start to resist.
It would, in fact, be good if even the people in the very core begin to realize that the best thing is for the regime to fall.
Likewise, if we Europeans could seriously wake up soon.
Well, now it’s starting to get serious actually, and the consequences of doing nothing can be significant.
Politico reads the blog…
“Ukraine’s shortage of US-made Patriot surface-to-air missiles has made the Russian nightly missile attacks on Kyiv increasingly deadly. Now Europe is also beginning to run out of Patriot missiles to send to Ukraine, writes Politico.
Kyiv needs hundreds of missiles, but the war with Iran is rapidly depleting the US weapons stockpile, and several of Ukraine’s largest European donors have so few missiles left that they barely dare spare any more.
– In recent months, Russia has fired more missiles at us per week than we receive from our allies in a month, said Ukraine’s former defense minister Mykhailo Fedorov last week.
At the same time, Russia is receiving external assistance. According to Ukraine, a ballistic missile system from North Korea has been deployed in Voronezh in western Russia, and several North Korean missiles were fired at Kyiv on the night before Tuesday.”
https://omni.se/a/K8aLzX
North Korean soldiers are now being flown into Voronezh, which seems to be their base area – at this very moment.
Now, maybe “six weapon platforms” or “30,000 soldiers” doesn’t sound like much, but we now have an active warring party that no one cares about.
I absolutely think the North Koreans should give us an opening to reinforce the border with Belarus and my other points.
By the way, RU is strongly reinforcing in Africa.
And transport flights are making streamlined jumps between Belarus – China.
To be continued
“The Russian couple who were arrested while camping in Gävleborg this week are being investigated by the police for trespassing and preparation for aggravated theft. This is reported by SVT Nyheter Gävleborg.
The couple was arrested near a cabin where Saab’s CEO Micael Johansson sometimes stays.
The police are still at the cabin. The police state that they are searching for possible tools used in the crime.
– The reason they suspect the two crimes is that the individuals were on private property, says the police spokesperson Maria Hall.
The couple’s lawyer states that the couple will not be deported to Russia, but to Spain where both have residence permits.”
https://omni.se/a/xrVJpQ
Why aren’t they arrested for the intent they had?
SAAB’s CEO of all people, they had communication radios – should be possible to arrest on suspicion of espionage or preparation for XXXXXXX?
Then perhaps the Russian embassy would drop the mask and obstruct as much as possible. Now the police can work more undisturbed.
I wonder if they, the Russian couple, will get something like “house arrest” when they return to Spain. They are now both “flagged” and “burned,” but they should also not be left without any form of restrictions and consequences, as that would send the wrong signals.
Anyway, NEVER TRUST A RUSSIAN!!!
Excellent episode of Frontline, with Kate Gerbeau, Philip Ingram, and Louis Sykes. Interview with Bill Browder describing how Putin can escalate.
Watch it.
https://youtu.be/jGmoMBJsiqU?is=dQoNx9r4HoobDbBq
** ❗️Claimed by the Russians as more than a hundred Ukrainian FPV drones that were waiting in ambushes on one of the frontline roads in Donetsk Oblast. **
https://bsky.app/profile/militarynewsua.bsky.social/post/3mst43yrxus2t
** 🔥🇺🇦 Entered enemy territory – came out with a prisoner: special forces of GUR “BAT-13” and “ARATTA” are working **
https://bsky.app/profile/maks23.bsky.social/post/3mst4476lq22h
** Russia can’t get its own Starlink terminals onto the battlefield, so it pays broke Ukrainians to register them. Ukraine’s SBU caught three more, all found on Telegram. **
https://euromaidanpress.com/2026/08/11/ukraines-security-service-breaks-up-two-schemes-registering-starlink-terminals-for-russia/
** Upgraded Shahed drones are now using onboard electronic warfare systems designed to disrupt Ukrainian interceptor FPV drones. Ukrainian military expert Serhii “Flash” published footage he said showed an interceptor’s video feed being overwhelmed by interference as it approached a Shahed. **
https://bsky.app/profile/noelreports.com/post/3mst3viuwg22s
** Russian strikes on Donetsk region set fire to a church in Kramatorsk and injured at least four people at a central market in Sloviansk. Local authorities condemned the attack on the bustling market at midday. **
https://www.kyivpost.com/post/82153
** Russian ground drones don’t last long near Sloviansk. Ukraine’s 81st Brigade destroyed six Russian logistics hubs in July and nine more in just the first week of August, while also targeting key supply routes and Russian unmanned ground vehicles. 📹81st Airmobile Brigade **
https://bsky.app/profile/euromaidanpress.bsky.social/post/3mssx3gkirx2n
Oh 😍😍
** 🔥 High-quality satellite images of the burning tank farms of the oil terminal “Tamanneftegas”, – Dnipro Osint **
https://bsky.app/profile/maks23.bsky.social/post/3msswigxxxk2l
** ‼️🔥 In the South, border guards with a series of precise strikes turned two motorcycles, a D-30 gun, electronic warfare, a video camera and a shelter into scrap metal, and also hit the dugout and position of the invaders. **
https://bsky.app/profile/maks23.bsky.social/post/3mssuqmi3vc2p
** An unsuccessful attempt by a Russian mobile air defense group to intercept a low flying Ukrainian middle strike drone passing overhead. P.S: One can only wonder what the truck drivers feel when a gunner on a twin mounted machine gun opens fire almost directly over their windshields. **
https://bsky.app/profile/specialkhersoncat.bsky.social/post/3msssdl7s4c2p
For mobile fire groups, handling is everything and they shoot down everything possible mostly on the ground 😀
The moment they get fire-and-forget interceptors, the same fire group becomes effective.
Given the increased Russian hybrid warfare against EU and NATO countries, and Germany in particular, could it be that the Germans want to be able to retaliate clearly and flagrantly, such as if the Russian scoundrels “succeeded” with their latest stunt in Leipzig, with a quick delivery of Taurus or something similar.
I definitely don’t think the German government would just passively continue to “take it,” as that would be devastating both in foreign and domestic politics.
Taurus would be a suitable answer. You can hope, of course, but I think they are too cautious about it.
Taurus would be the absolutely best response, but at least something seems to be happening.
“Marc Henrichmann, chairman of the Bundestag’s intelligence committee, wants to allow the German intelligence service to carry out preventive cyberattacks against Russian drone manufacturers. This is reported by Die Welt.
The proposal is part of the ongoing reform of the intelligence service, of which Henrichmann is one of the architects.
The Russian drone threats are part of a new reality that Germany must adapt to, and pure intelligence gathering is no longer enough, he says:
– The best drone is the one that can never take off and threaten Germany.”
https://omni.se/a/xrVMRB
A good first step! 👍
Jo Taurus is a low-hanging fruit that should be picked now.
“2024, NATO declared that Ukraine’s path to membership is ‘irreversible.’ These were empty words – at this year’s summit, membership was not mentioned even once, writes David Averre for Newsweek. Ukraine is starting to get tired of the empty promises, he continues. Zelensky cannot say it openly – but the popular former Chief of the General Staff Valeriy Zaluzhny, now ambassador to the United Kingdom, can. He believes that Ukrainians should realize that it’s over.– I know NATO inside and out. For twelve years, I worked to ensure we met NATO’s requirements, and every year I listened to stories about how we were on the way to becoming members. Unfortunately, it will never happen, says Zaluzhny. At the same time, Ukraine faces the challenge of dealing with an entire generation of children traumatized by war and Russian attempts to eradicate their national identity, writes Luke McGee for Foreign Policy. Beyond those who have lost parents and relatives, he points to the millions of Ukrainian children living under Russian occupation. In school, they are constantly force-fed Russian propaganda about the inevitable existential war against the West and NATO, he writes.– Even if the war ends tomorrow, an entire generation of Ukrainian children will carry it within them, says Julia Sotska, communications manager at the aid organization Children of Heroes.”
https://omni.se/a/q6VO2w
They will probably form with the border protection + a few more countries to JEF maybe?
Then over time the EU will solve the financing of the border protection.
A bit ironic that we managed to join NATO two years before it became obsolete but that doesn’t prevent us from solving our own security which we should have done from the beginning anyway.
The government is investing 500 million kronor to expand Sweden’s production capacity of ammunition for the Armed Forces. This is stated in a press release. The EU already has a support program for European ammunition companies, and the government has now chosen to co-finance the Swedish companies’ applications for EU funds. Among the companies applying for funds are the Swedish Eurenco Bofors, Nammo, and Sweden Ballistics, writes TT.
https://omni.se/a/vrVkRV
Have noticed that a lot of birch is saved in the forest landscape, hmmmm…
This thing about cutting down all the birch and seeing it as a weed is a very Swedish thing. Look at the Baltics and Finland. They have significantly more birch and much better birch than we do.
It is starting to become more reasonable in Sweden. But since we have long produced so little quality birch timber, there is almost no one who takes care of birch timber in Sweden, and almost everything goes to pulpwood, which makes the price low. (There is like one birch sawmill down in Småland, Östra Hult, that is not enough).
I say this as a forest owner, born into the Swedish system. I am trying to change myself. But Sweden is almost uniquely bad at letting birch grow, we are not normal.
Interesting 👍👍
Shall we start with javelin throw 🧐
The Bible studies are progressing slowly and have not gotten very far with IRA, I apologize as I understand that the wait to be sanctified is difficult to endure.
The old man would probably need a thorough exorcism, but for everyone else, holy water is enough.
”Ukraine’s intelligence service has obtained internal Russian documents showing that Putin is planning a new mobilization after the parliamentary elections in September, reports Kyiv Independent.
”After the so-called election, he plans to quickly mobilize hundreds of thousands before the end of the year, and the same number next year,” Zelensky writes on social media.
Ukraine has warned all summer that a new Russian mobilization round is underway. So far, it has only happened once, in September 2022, which triggered large protests and mass flight from Russia.
Over the years since then, Russia has largely relied on attracting men from poor regions with large cash bonuses to sign contracts with the military.”
https://omni.se/a/3pxqpA
”AP
North Korea suffered from crisis and hunger. Now Kim Jong-Un is raking in billions and the country’s revenues have skyrocketed. Behind the turnaround is Putin’s war – which has become an unexpected economic jackpot for the dictatorship.
Per Elinder Liljas
Published 22:02
It has been described as “the world’s most unlikely growth story.” In five years, North Korea has increased its foreign revenues sixfold. The country has gone from teetering on the brink of starvation to its most stable economic situation in a decade.
And it’s all because of the war in Ukraine.
Since the summer of 2023, the country has sent huge amounts of ammunition, and also several thousand soldiers, to Russia. According to Ukrainian intelligence, North Korea today accounts for up to 40 percent of Russia’s need for artillery ammunition – and on Monday President Volodymyr Zelensky said that North Korea is about to send between 30,000 and 50,000 soldiers.
– It’s like North Korea has won the lottery, says Hazel Smith, professor of Korean studies at the British university SOAS.
The contrast to October 10, 2020, is enormous.
North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un visits a military-industrial factory on June 6.
North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un visits a military-industrial factory on June 6. Photo: AFP
Back then, North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-Un cried before the people. It was a military parade, a show of strength. But beneath the surface, the economy had collapsed. The country’s trade was strangled by sanctions, and the COVID pandemic had closed the borders. Widespread hunger prevailed, in some places even starvation. Now Kim admitted his failure. He took off his glasses and wiped his eyes.
– Our people have shown me trust as high as the sky and as deep as the sea, but I have not always managed to live up to it. I am truly sorry.
Ammunition the biggest income
But since Russia invaded Ukraine, North Korea’s situation has turned around. South Korean intelligence and associated think tanks have studied satellite images of deliveries and can confirm that North Korea has been compensated with values between 0.58 to 1.5 billion dollars. But the think tank INSS estimates that North Korea has delivered about six million artillery shells, plus a number of other ammunition units, and that the real value of the weapons deliveries is far higher than the compensation they have managed to confirm – somewhere between 7.7 and 14.4 billion dollars.
This is also far more than the country’s official exports, but also far more than the estimate of all unofficial revenue streams, such as crypto thefts and labor exports.
– The opportunities presented by the Ukraine war were a huge stroke of luck for Kim Jong-Un, says Benjamin Katzeff Silberstein, associate researcher in North Korean politics at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs (UI).
– They have been both smart and opportunistic to get as much as possible out of it. The money coming from Russia can give the North Korean state apparatus a chance to function.
North Korea’s total foreign income
The estimate of North Korea’s total foreign revenues are calculations from Bloomberg. The Russian revenues are an average from a study by the South Korean think tank INSS.
*Estimate – includes among other things illegal labor, coal, and gold.
SOURCES: BLOOMBERG ECONOMICS, INSS, KOTRA AND CHAINALYSIS
Paid mainly in oil
North Korea has developed rapidly in recent years. Studies from the country describe widespread use of mobile phones, digital payments, and Chinese electric cars. Skyscrapers characterize the cityscape in Pyongyang, and the city added over 10,000 new homes last year. That is more than, for example, Los Angeles did.
Satellite images also show that large cities and industrial areas are about a third more illuminated today compared to 2018, indicating expanded electrification.
Katzeff Silberstein warns, however, against drawing too strong connections between the revenues from Russia and the country’s superficial modernization.
– Much of this development started long before.
Moreover, the compensation from Russia mostly does not come as money, but in the form of oil, military materiel, and technology transfer.
Benjamin Katzeff Silberstein, UI.
Benjamin Katzeff Silberstein, UI. Photo: Private
Professor Hazel Smith points out that especially the oil has been crucial for North Korea, since Western sanctions have hit that trade hard.
– North Korea is a poor country but has a complex economy with industries and large agriculture. All of this depends on oil.
There may be more export of soldiers
North Korean soldiers are a significantly smaller source of income than the ammunition. The American think tank CSIS estimates that Russia pays 2,000 dollars per month per soldier. But as North Korea exhausts its stocks of old ammunition, the human export could come to play a bigger role.
– North Korea has incorporated troop shipments into the general propaganda image, says Katzeff Silberstein.
– It is seen as part of the war against imperialism, and monuments are being built for them.
But as with much information from North Korea, it is uncertain and there are differing opinions.
Professor Smith doubts that the sums from Russia are as large as claimed, partly because it is in the South Korean military’s interest to inflate the threat from North Korea. She also does not believe that North Korea would send large numbers of soldiers – at least not trained soldiers.
Hazel Smith.
Hazel Smith. Photo: Private
– It is not in their interest. Since they don’t even speak Russian, they are not even particularly useful as cannon fodder. And fallen soldiers create unrest at home.
Kim’s position better than ever
Rather, she believes that President Zelensky is exploiting the threat from North Korea as propaganda.
– North Korea is seen as a major security threat in the US. Zelensky is a skilled diplomat. Hyping up the North Koreans’ role in Ukraine is a way for him to get continued American support.
Regardless, Kim Jong-Un has reached a level of influence he has never experienced before. In September, he was the first North Korean leader in 66 years to stand side by side with the presidents of Russia and China during a military parade in Beijing. When Xi made his first foreign visit this year, it was to Pyongyang.
1/5
North Korean soldiers march during a military parade in the capital Pyongyang on February 26.
North Korean soldiers march during a military parade in the capital Pyongyang on February 26. Photo: STR/AFP
2/5
North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un visits a weapons factory on May 6.
North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un visits a weapons factory on May 6. Photo: STR/AFP
3/5
North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un and his daughter Kim Ju-ae visit a military base on March 19. Photo: STR / AFP
4/5
North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un participates in a military parade in Pyongyang on October 10, 2025. Photo: AP
5/5
North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un, his wife Ri Sol-ju and daughter visit a tourist area on June 24, 2025. Photo: AP
Russia has vetoed stricter monitoring of sanctions against North Korea at the UN Security Council. Recently, the first road bridge between North Korea and Russia was also built.
– Western sanctions have more or less lost their significance now, says Benjamin Katzeff Silberstein at UI.
– Kim Jong-Un has an international status that his father could never have dreamed of.
The development is, however, fragile.
– What happens when the war ends? says Professor Smith.
– Russia has no interest in long-term trade with North Korea, it is too cumbersome. What really matters in the long term for North Korea is their relationship with China and whether they can get companies to invest in increased trade, despite the sanctions.
Per Elinder Liljas”
https://www.svd.se/a/q6V1E1/sa-blev-ukrainakriget-ekonomisk-jackpot-for-nordkorea
Thank you, yes we would like 205 to come back 👍
the second Ryds destroyer from the Northern Fleet arriving
”Measures are being taken for more countries to send Patriot missiles to Ukraine, says Defense Minister Pål Jonson (M) to DN.
– It is not only Sweden and the USA that have Patriot missiles, but also a long list of other countries both in Asia and the Middle East.
Just like the USA, many countries in Europe are beginning to run out of important air defense missiles to send to Ukraine, according to Politico. Pressure is now increasing on countries such as Poland, Spain, and Greece, which have missiles in stock.”
https://omni.se/a/3pxqA9
Poland may possibly need theirs in the near future, but Spain and Greece should send most of what they have.
Good morning!
1260 KWIA
7 AFVs
60 Artillery systems
2 MLRS
1 Air defense systems
1767 UAVs
13 UGVs
388 Vehicles and Fuel tanks
2 Special equipment
Slava Ukraini