The war in Ukraine 2025-08-04

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Russian losses in Ukraine:

  • 1010 KIA
  • 1 Tank
  • 8 AFVs
  • 28 Artillery systems
  • 77 UAVs
  • 1 Cruise missile
  • 85 Vehicles & Fuel tanks

SLAVA UKRAINI

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96 thoughts on “The war in Ukraine 2025-08-04”

  1. MXT
    AFU “In total, 183 combat encounters were recorded during the past day.
    Yesterday, the opponent launched one rocket and 65 aviation strikes at the positions of Ukrainian units and settlements, applied one rocket and 103 controlled bombs. In addition, carried out 4307 shells, 100 of them from jet fire systems, and deployed 2,419 kamikaze drones to impress.”
  3. MXT

    ⚡️Användning av 57mm S-60 luftvärnskanon för att bekämpa attackdronar. Vi kan se att kanonen är utrustad med en laser (tydligen en del av siktsystemet). En annan luftvärnskanon används tillsammans med S-60, vars skott syns i början av videon.

  8. MXT

    “Around 15 Russian soldiers were killed in a HIMARS strike on a military logistics base near the village of Bilovske, Belgorod region, according to Russian sources. The strike hit a concentration of personnel and equipment. Following the attack, the base was relocated.”

  9. MXT

    Crude Oil is now at ~67.2 and turned down from 70.
    The turnaround is probably due to OPEC announcing that they intend to increase production (again).

    Russian Urals Crude Oil is now only a dollar or two below the regular, currently at 65.7.

    The price would need to be significantly pushed down. Those new maximum prices of 48USD/barrel that were announced some time ago seem to have had no impact at all so far. This is probably because Europe is not one of Russia’s major customers. Most of it goes to India and China.

    If India were to stop buying Russian oil after Trump’s threat of secondary sanctions, it would have a significant impact. At the same time, it would be costly for India to switch suppliers as they currently get Russian oil cheaply. Additionally, prices are at risk of rising (despite OPEC) if Russian oil is no longer available.

    Regarding India, Beefeater states:
    “🇮🇳🛢️ India faces multi-billion dollar losses if it stops buying Russian oil — Bloomberg. Assuming that the $5 per barrel discount is reduced at 1.8 million barrels per day, India’s import costs could increase by $9-11 billion a year. 1/3”
    https://bsky.app/profile/beefeaterfella.bsky.social/post/3lvjvpgiw5c27

    How they choose to proceed, of course, depends on what Trump comes up with. India is dependent on the USA, but the USA is also dependent on India. The USA buys just over twice as much in monetary terms as India buys from the USA.
    Trump has the idea that an uneven trade balance is unfair, so he is naturally not satisfied even from the beginning with India. High tariffs could hit the USA just as hard, but Trump doesn’t seem to realize that now.

    India already imports oil and petroleum products from the USA today, and it has increased in recent times.

    (In monetary terms, India imports more oil from Russia than they do in total from the USA.)

    Trump could choose to pressure them to increase that import even more from the USA instead of imposing tariffs.
    Now, I don’t know how much more oil the USA can produce, if they can take over production from Russia, but Trump has repeatedly said that oil production should increase, and they have scrapped some environmental regulations and other things to simplify extraction.

    If Trump succeeds with this, it would be a hard blow to Russia (if it doesn’t lead to very significant price increases, of course), while the USA will benefit from increased exports.

    This would probably be the first smart thing Trump does and something he should have done already six months ago, and something that Biden/Europe should have done three years ago.

    Not many days left now until we see what Trump comes up with.

    1. Umlaut

      There was a lot of talk about the Russians not having the know-how to take care of their petroleum industry, especially not to refine into petroleum products. From what I’ve read, it seems that the export of petroleum products is almost at pre-war levels. Is it because: 

      1. The Russians can handle it themselves. 
      2. There is Western expertise on site and/or they can import materials to maintain and repair damaged facilities.
      3. Some other foreign actor has taken over where others left off.
      4. The industry was far from operating at full capacity, so there was room to increase production elsewhere when facilities break down.
      1. MXT

        It is difficult to obtain exact figures, but the distribution of Russia’s exports has traditionally been between 65-80% crude oil and 20-35% petroleum products, and it seems to still be at approximately the same level.

        India imports in a ratio of about 80/20, so it’s not just crude oil, which is the common perception, that India imports crude oil and sells refined products to the rest of the world, using it as a way to circumvent sanctions.

        Russia has halted the export of gasoline and diesel several times to try to manage domestic supply and keep prices down.

        Despite producing so much, one would think that Russia should have both the technology and expertise, but apparently they are heavily dependent on equipment from, among others, the USA, Switzerland, and others, at least for certain parts of the process. The Russians can handle a lot themselves, but not everything.

        https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/us-sanctions-hamper-russian-efforts-repair-refineries-sources-say-2024-04-04/

        https://www.googpro.org/russia-is-struggling-to-repair-refineries-due-to-sanctions

        Unfortunately, they eventually get hold of most of the parts they need.
        There are certainly plenty of experts who are eager to make a lot of money as well.

        With additional sanctions and stricter controls, it might be possible to cripple Russia, especially if Ukraine continues to target the refineries with drones.

        But going back to your comment, the Russians cannot handle everything themselves, but the other three points you list may well be accurate.

        There are several different oil companies, and they may have solved the situation in various ways, perhaps by finding external companies that are less scrupulous, or by directly hiring expertise, etc.

        It also appears to be true that they were far from maximum production, even during the war. In 2024, the plan was to produce 275 million per year, while the maximum capacity was 312 million tons, a difference of about 10-15%.

        https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-03-22/russia-s-spare-refining-capacity-seen-mitigating-drone-attacks

        Before the war, it was estimated that the excess capacity was 20-30%.

    2. 205

      It would be a step in the right direction. Removing India as an oil customer for Russia should, considering that China and India are the largest oil customers for Russia, and that oil is Russia’s largest export revenue, severely undermine Russia’s economy. With such a step, it also does not seem likely that the USA will start buying oil from Russia. It would ruin the deal. Some inflation may still have to be expected since it is probably more expensive to extract oil in the USA than in Russia?

      1. MXT

        Well, it will be unavoidable to have price increases if India is forced to buy more from the USA. That oil is significantly more expensive. But as you write, maybe that’s something one has to accept.

        Oil and gas are the largest, but they still export quite a lot of petroleum products and they get a little more paid for that too. If Ukraine can knock out more refineries, they will eventually have destroyed that market.

         

    3. Flurrevuppen

      Increased oil supply at lower prices is unlikely to primarily come from the USA due to high production costs.

      Low-cost production is probably mainly found within OPEC+ and the North Sea.

       

      1. MXT

        Sure, if the USA were to force India to buy oil from them, it would be at a significantly higher price.

        At the same time, all prices would rise if Russian oil disappeared from the market.

        And IF Russia cannot export its oil at all (or in significantly smaller quantities), then it doesn’t matter if prices rise either.

        Of course, the risk is that someone else might choose to buy the cheap Russian oil instead.

        1. Umlaut

          Then this someone must not fear secondary sanctions from the USA (unless that’s why India ultimately withdraws), and at the same time be able to replace India’s volumes.

    4. MXT

      I have checked a bit and the USA also has an overcapacity. Today, it would be enough to replace approximately 60-70% of the oil that India currently imports from Russia. At the same time, the USA’s production capacity has been increased, and since it involves a lot of fracking from shale fields, it is quite quick to further expand production. Setting up a new rig and starting extraction within 1-3 months.

      Trump has removed many obstacles when it comes to environmental assessments, etc.

      Of course, it also requires that there is available capacity within the companies to perform the work. Both equipment and expertise are needed.

    5. Westley Richard

      Not easy with the Russian oil exports. 

      We need it so that the oil price does not crash our economy while at the same time we do not want the Russians to make any money from it.

      A price ceiling is a good idea, the question is how good we are at following up to ensure that the price ceiling is actually being followed and if it is low enough?

      Then we have the question of which countries should be allowed to buy the oil?

      Should it be reserved for developing countries?

      How long should we let India get away with being a developing country? 

      A country with nuclear weapons, space industry, and prominent IT, is it a developing country just because there are many poor people in the country?

       

      1. MXT

        Well, it’s difficult to completely replace Russia. We do have a partial ceiling price, just need to control it.

        The USA cannot increase its production sufficiently, possibly cover India’s needs. That is about 30% of Russia’s exports, it would be noticeable for them if they lost so much.

        Unfortunately, Venezuela is a crappy dictatorship but has large reserves, but it would take a few years to get it going. Unlikely to happen.

        It’s not entirely easy no matter what you do.

        (Imagine if the world had invested more heavily in greener solutions 😉 )

        In what way will India escape being considered a developing country?

        1. Westley Richard

          India is covered by the EU’s tariff preference system for developing countries. The so-called Generalized Scheme of Preferences (GSP) provides reduced or zero tariffs on imports to the EU of goods originating from developing countries. India is also included in this.

           

          1. MXT

            Ah, you were thinking about that.

            Yes, that’s correct, at the same time they have significantly reduced their customs duties since 2023. Nowadays, it only applies to ~20% of their exports to the EU just because they no longer classify them as a developing country.

            It is mainly agricultural and food products that still have partially reduced tariffs (and it is within that area that India can still be classified as a developing country). Important for example for rice producers in India, but for us in the EU, it is a small part of our imports. 

            I guess it will also be phased out in a few years.

            One might think it’s fair to do it gradually as a country develops. 
            It’s not really possible to say that India is a developed country either considering the enormous differences within the country.

            Although something they mainly have to solve themselves, but I think it’s probably good if they can get some help along the way.

            We export about 60-70% to India compared to what we import (to the EU).

        1. MXT

          Yes, Trump’s deadline has not expired and until then we don’t even know what he will come up with.

          But it can be a bit interesting to speculate anyway and perhaps mainly to get a clearer picture of what exports and imports actually look like today, how they may change, etc.

  10. 205

    N Slobozhansky-Kursk 19💥
    S Slobozhansky 8
    Kupyansk 9💥↗️
    Lyman 29💥💥↗️
    Siverskyi 5↗️
    Kramatorsk 8↗️
    Toretsk 13💥↗️
    Pokrovsk 49💥💥💥↗️
    Novopavlivka 22💥💥↗️
    Huliaypillia 0
    Orikhivsk 0
    Dnipro/Prydniprovsky 2

  11. 205

    N Slobozhansky-Kursk 19💥
    S Slobozhansky 8
    Kupyansk 9💥↗️
    Lyman 29💥💥↗️
    Siverskyi 5↗️
    Kramatorsk 8↗️
    Toretsk 13💥↗️
    Pokrovsk 49💥💥💥↗️
    Novopavlivka 22💥💥↗️
    Huliaypillia 0
    Orikhivsk 0
    Dnipro/Prydniprovsky 2

      1. 205

        Doesn’t feel entirely clear yet. Thought so yesterday but then it rose to high levels today. But maybe the dips are becoming more frequent. The Russians are grinding towards Pokrovsk/Nobopokrovsk, Lyman, and Kursk/Sumy (N Slobozhansky-Kursk) and can still show the same amount of attacks as a day in early summer. But as I said, without looking at the numbers, my impression is that there have been some dips recently that haven’t occurred before and may indicate decreased strength.

          1. Lasse W

            One sees what one wants to see. But I saw a fresh interview with a tired Putin. He looked like he had slept poorly. Sure, Putin has control over the security apparatus and the large state-owned companies, but he doesn’t have a handle on what ordinary people think about the war. It can stress him out. Closed airports. Cancelled trains. Burning oil facilities. The strategic bomber fleet disabled. This is not how it was supposed to be. And a half victory in Ukraine is a half loss at a high cost for the country of Russia. It’s probably sink or swim for Putin. When Witkoff arrives in Moscow later this week, Russia will probably have to come up with something concrete in terms of peace. I believe Putin avoids peace negotiations like the plague because he risks being seen as a loser in a peace deal. He can handle war, but how to deal with the forces that can be unleashed in peacetime? Well, one can wonder.

    2. johan No.1

      No RU still has more gas left.

      However, UA has started bombing raff, which is sensational, and then UA has made some local counterattacks.

      Possibly they have exaggerated them a bit since we praise everything UA does, unclear.

    1. MXT

      Russia is probably starting to feel pressured now, and I think we will see the number of sabotage increase (or at least attempts at sabotage).

  13. MXT

    “The national security chief of Moldova warns of Russian interference in the country’s election next month, reports Politico.

    Stanislav Secrieru states that Russian actors are trying to influence Moldovans living outside the country not to vote in the election, and that disinformation against Moldovans abroad has increased significantly in recent times.

    – The campaign is designed to demobilize voters in the diaspora – by encouraging them to stay at home – and to manipulate those who vote to support a false pro-EU force, he tells Politico.”

  14. MXT

    Israel – Palestine

    Agree with them. “Large demonstrations have been held in Tel Aviv over the weekend after Palestinian Islamists released propaganda videos with two Israeli hostages. The demonstrators’ anger is directed at both Hamas and the Israeli government.

    – We have had enough of Netanyahu and Hamas, says protester Ami Dror to SVT.

    A spokesperson for an organization representing the hostages told the newspaper Haaretz that “Netanyahu is leading Israel and the hostages towards destruction”.

    One of the two videos recently released shows a very emaciated man. His relatives have confirmed that it is Rom Braslavski.” https://omni.se/israelisk-ilska-fatt-nog-av-netanyahu-och-hamas/a/zAqnJ4

    1. MXT

      Not only protesters who believe it is time for the war to end.

      “600 former high-ranking security officials in Israel have signed a letter urging Donald Trump to increase pressure on the Israeli government, reports the Jerusalem Post.

      In the letter, they write, among other things, that the terrorist group Hamas is no longer “a strategic threat” to Israel. They now want to see Trump “steer” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end the war.

      Among those who signed the letter are former heads of Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad, the security service Shin Bet, and the military IDF.

      “The IDF has long since achieved the two goals that can be achieved through violence: to dismantle Hamas’ military formations and rule. The third, and most important, can only be achieved through an agreement: to bring all hostages home,” they write in the appeal.”
      https://omni.se/600-tidigare-israeliska-sakerhetstoppar-i-oppet-brev-mot-regeringen/a/1MLKqJ

    2. MXT

      At the same time, there are protesters in the UK who apparently do not understand that this type of action only destroys for the Palestinians and themselves. Furthermore, it disrupts for the entire population when the police have to devote time to foolishness instead of focusing on law enforcement.

      “In the UK, thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators are planning to overload the country’s legal system, reports The Telegraph. It all stems from the fact that the group Palestine Action, supported by the country’s terrorism laws, was recently labeled as illegal.

      Therefore, the protesters are now planning to sit on streets and squares with signs bearing the message: ‘I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action’. In this way, they want to challenge the legal system and see what happens when the police have to deal with thousands of cases at once.

      Since July 5, more than 200 people have been arrested for expressing support for the group.”
      https://omni.se/brittiska-propalestinier-ska-overbelasta-polisen/a/wgq17G

      1. MXT

        No, I still think it will be difficult if there is no strong pressure on Netanyahu’s Israel.
        The above is well, in a way, a first step in that direction and it’s good that it comes from within.
        If there are enough [people], maybe it can be resolved.

        Then, if other countries both recognize Palestine as a state and dare to exert economic pressure, maybe the pressure will become too great. (Yes, I am in favor of “blackmail” when it comes to genocide, etc., not because you want to save a friend or just generally dislike a country).

        But Netanyahu depends on the support from the far right, and they do not want to approve of any Palestinian state at all (and he probably doesn’t want that himself either, of course). Like Putin, he probably prefers to go all the way rather than lose power.

  15. MXT

    “Russian forces attempted to storm the Hoptivka checkpoint on the Kharkiv region border but were repelled, losing over ten soldiers, according to Dergachi administration head Zadorenko.”

  16. MXT

    I wonder when Signal will become mandatory in the USA? 😀

    “From September, all new smartphones in Russia must have the state-approved messaging app Max pre-installed. This raises concerns that the Kremlin may be on its way to blocking popular services like Whatsapp and Telegram, reports the New York Times.

    According to experts, Max is part of a broader strategy to create a censored, domestic internet under state control. At the same time, laws against VPN services are being tightened, and searches for “extremist” content are being criminalized.

    Human rights organizations warn that Russia is increasingly approaching China’s model, where digital surveillance is part of everyday life.

    – The goal is total control, says Anastasiia Kruope of Human Rights Watch to the newspaper.”
    https://omni.se/statlig-app-vacker-oro-putin-kan-strama-at-natet/a/63EL8L

  17. MXT

    Off-topic

    Fortunately, we do not have any such problems, we sanctify Friday drinking and stick to that!

    “Six out of ten Swedes increase their alcohol consumption during the summer, and 39% state that they drink at least every other day while on vacation. This is revealed in a survey by IQ.

    About half as many have also drunk so much that they have started to wonder about their own drinking, according to Mojtaba Ghodsi, CEO of IQ:

    – The fact that so many have drunk more than they planned and in a way that even makes them question their own drinking should be taken seriously.”

    https://omni.se/fyra-av-tio-svenskar-dricker-varannan-semesterdag/a/KMVoaM

      1. MXT

        Ouch, ouch, it’s going to be alcohol-free here on the site!

        Or wait, maybe we should have a revote and decide that we only have one day of the week, Friday, that simply runs throughout the whole week? 🤔

    2. johan No.1

      This constant nagging on those who want to be half-drunk during the day on weekdays 😡😡

      Leave people alone, no one is shouting about all the damn water drinking with water bottles or that we’ve turned into rabbits with salad.

  19. Jan W

    The issue with the ceiling price on Russian oil is not entirely easy to understand. The latest mentioned was 47.5, right? Is it okay for India to buy if they don’t pay more than the ceiling? Probably that’s what was said. However, how Trump acts probably has very little to do with international agreements. The ceiling would probably also apply to shipping. That is, a serious shipper cannot participate if the price ceiling is not upheld. None of the major insurance companies are allowed to insure ships and cargo otherwise. But then we have the notorious shadow fleet that apparently is not being stopped.

    Has Ukraine resumed attacks on oil infrastructure?

    1. MXT

      The price ceiling only applies to the EU + a few more countries if I understand it correctly.
      Other countries can just ignore it, just avoid Western shipping companies, insurance companies, etc.

      As you mentioned, Russia’s shadow fleet is quite extensive.

      China and India probably don’t care about our price ceiling (although they are probably happy about the price ceilings anyway, as it surely helps to push prices down).

      I haven’t seen anything recently about infrastructure, just refineries and depots, also a gas pipeline but not pure infrastructure (like ships). Now the railway has some problems, a lot goes through there as well.

      I would also like Ukraine to hit a few pipelines.. There should be unprotected stretches to strike against.

      1. Jan W

        I intended to include raffineries, etc., in the infrastructure. Perhaps improperly, but intended to include all installations necessary for Russia’s export of crude oil and products. But perhaps even more important if deliveries to the front can be stopped.

        1. MXT

          Well, then they have actually picked up some speed again. The day before yesterday and yesterday we had both excitement and setbacks that burned nicely!

  20. T23

    @MXT page keeps track of which comments are new, marked with a blue line next to the comment and a blue highlight at the window lift. Could one then also mark on the front page which posts have new comments? Sometimes you want to leave a comment late in the evening, but it’s hardly worth it since no one reads yesterday’s thread. If one had seen that there was a new comment on yesterday’s post, the likelihood of reading it/commenting further would increase.

    1. MXT

      No dumb idea!

      Then I have no idea how to implement it just like that.
      Now cookies are set for the page you are on, then it kind of takes care of itself based on that.
      To show something on the homepage becomes a bit trickier, then I need to dig down and check which pages it concerns, then go through all the cookies that exist for users, and then compare times with the last visit. I wonder if another approach might be needed.

      I’ll put it in the queue with development ideas!

       

      1. T23

        Hmm, yes, maybe there is also a risk that the page will be slow if it has to check all the posts? But maybe just show the latest five posts?

        1. MXT

          I have to test a bit and see when I have time.

          Should maybe go if I rebuild it from scratch. We have a limited number of pages on the homepage so I don’t need to search through all pages on the entire site.

          Then I could set up a separate table where I constantly update with the time of the latest posted comment for each page, then I don’t need to search through the pages and then all comments to be able to compare when the last time one visited the page.

          Probably possible to achieve without too much performance loss..

          But, it might take a while before I have the opportunity to look at it.

    2. johan No.1

      It was not a bad idea at all.

      Early on, we had a plan that you would receive a push notification when someone replied to your comment in the thread, or when a new one was written – can’t remember exactly.

      But it was too expensive.

      However, it would generate more discussion because now there are a bunch of great comments in the afternoon that no one reads.

       

    1. Jan W

      Incredibly good article yet depressing reading. Insert Landsbergis (or Kasparov) instead of von der Leyen.

      Some quotes:

      It is easy to blame Trump for pulling back and leaving Europe weak and defenseless, but he has only exposed what has always been a devastating flaw in Europe’s architecture.

      It is as though adapting to the new reality of war would invalidate the EU’s founding mission, when it is precisely the opposite — embracing new, tougher measures is the only chance Europe has to save the peace-driven project it has so carefully fostered.

      The project of peace cannot survive if peace is not defended.

      There will be no peaceful coexistence with Putin’s Russia. And Europe might eventually come to understand that such coexistence with Xi’s China is also impossible.

      Europe is not doomed to fail. But to survive will take the understanding that freedom is no longer free, and that all available means must be used to defend it.

      1. Jan W

        Flurrevuppen has been here before. He/she/they are equally welcome.

        Trying to avoid a misgendering here. However, the risk always exists. Read somewhere that there are 64 genders, so it can be difficult to be correct.

        2. johan No.1

          I am terrified of misgendering with supposedly gender-neutral names – after a while, I think it usually becomes clearer but until then it’s important not to burn out completely.

           

  23. johan No.1

    Just want to take the opportunity to thank you for all the praise yesterday that we have moved up from 90-something to 54th place in world politics on Substack 🙏

    It was the security guard at Fruängen subway station who inspired me to reach orbit.

    Join me in starting to write anonymous comments on the 53 ahead of me in the list about how wrong they are in all their analyses 👍

  24. johan No.1

    Had a post in progress about UA’s offensive capacity but didn’t have time to post it to Monday’s world-leading page but will do it tomorrow.

    In line with what I wrote on Saturday.

  27. Westley Richard

    The anger is great in Switzerland after the surprising American tariff move. Now more politicians are demanding that the country stops buying American F-35 fighter jets.

    “In the current situation, we cannot just continue as if nothing has happened,” says a member of parliament.

    https://www.di.se/live/schweiziska-politiker-vill-stoppa-kop-av-amerikanska-stridsflyg/

    Believe they have soured after 39% in tariffs.

    Maybe someone else can seize the opportunity to sell planes.

    2. maggan

      I hope not, then they will probably re-export the plane to some other neutral country in the east, which needs new planes as the naughty Ukrainians have bombed their fleet to pieces.

  28. Westley Richard

    Am I the only one reacting to the fact that 600 former officials in Israel are writing an open letter to a foreign power asking them to interfere in their country’s politics?

    What if 600 Swedish officials wrote an open letter to Trump or Putin asking them to interfere in Swedish politics.

    Officials, especially those working with a country’s internal and external security, should keep their political views to themselves, otherwise they risk undermining trust in democracy.

    What is the next step? Will the foreign power depose the democratically elected government or annex the country?

     

    1. MXT

      Sure, it’s remarkable, but I interpret it more as a sign of how bad things are.

      We hope that ordinary Russians will dare to rise up and protest against the war and Putin, and we would applaud them if they did.

      If we in Sweden were to invade another country and commit war crimes and atrocities, I would probably protest as well.

      It has long since crossed the line of self-defense or proportionate self-defense, and it does not help to release the hostages alive either.

      1. Westley Richard

        Ever since the time of Axel Oxenstierna in the 17th century when Sweden’s governance with non-political authorities, they have succeeded in having non-political officials who have carried out what has been assigned to them by the government and parliament. It has been one of the cornerstones of Swedish democracy.

         

        Israel as a state does not have the same history but has managed to build a democratic society that also relies on non-political officials.

         

        We would probably be quite upset if serving or former Chief of Defense, National Police Commissioner, or SAPO Chief went out and not only expressed a political viewpoint that is not in line with a majority of the parliament but also asked a foreign power for help in enforcing this, even though it goes against the elected majority.

         

        Looking at democracy indexes, Israel ranks 31st with an index of 7.8, ahead of our Baltic countries and Belgium, as well as Italy, for example. Countries that we do not call undemocratic. Comparing Israel to Russia, which ranks 150th with an index of 2.03, or Palestine, which ranks 112th with an index of 3.44, is a bit absurd.

         

        But if one only praises democracy when it aligns with their own political beliefs, then they are on thin ice. It is not possible to only look with the right or left eye when assessing if something is democratic.

         

         

        2. MXT

          We are talking about former employees.

          So, don’t they have the right to say what they think?
          Is it democracy to force them to keep quiet?

          Carl Bildt often says what he thinks, maybe he should keep quiet too if he hasn’t received permission from the government?

          What about active employees? If they see that something is not working and is heading for disaster, should they just keep quiet like puppets if it’s due to political decisions?
          At the same time, voices are raised about civil servant responsibility?

          For my part, the desire to stop what is happening in Gaza is completely non-political, and I am not alone in this, you also have no idea if those 600 have a political agenda or just want to stop the war. 

          It can’t be that just because you voted for a leader and a government, you should keep quiet until the next election regardless of what they do along the way?

          For me, part of democracy is being able to express criticism and propose alternative solutions.
          I am neither left nor right, I start from my own ethics and morals (and logic).

          As you write, it is not possible to only look with the right or left eye when assessing if something is democratic.

    2. johan No.1

      Was thinking about that too.

      Then again, Israel is not just any country – the day they can’t keep up their guard, they will be run over.

      Russia is also deeply involved in Israel with its subversive activities.

    3. Umlaut

      There are probably quite a few family ties that run back and forth between Israel and the USA. The two countries have a “special relationship”.

  31. 205

    Ukrainian drones strike five Russian fighter jets in Saky, one destroyed

    Drones operated by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) hit five Russian fighter jets at the Saky airbase in temporarily occupied Crimea, with one aircraft completely destroyed.

    Last night, drones from the SBU’s Special Operations Center A targeted the Saky military airfield, a key Russian airbase for operations over the Black Sea.

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