A large number of Ukrainian drones attacked Belgorod during the night, and according to reports from residents in the area, the drones targeted central Belgorod and the MegaGRINN shopping center – Belgorod’s largest facility for commerce and entertainment. MegaGRINN covers an area of over 163,000 square meters and houses more than 200 stores, as well as a grocery store, a cinema, and restaurants. The facility was closed when the attacks occurred.
The attacks have been confirmed by Russian authorities, describing it as a “massive drone attack” on the city, and they stated that emergency services had been dispatched to the affected areas. According to Russian authorities, one civilian was killed and 14 others injured in the attack. At least 30 apartment buildings, 35 vehicles, four villas, three administrative buildings, and eight commercial properties were damaged. Read more at Kyiv Independent.
The Russian company Novatek, which is under sanctions, has secretly financed an American gas project worth billions of dollars – a project that has been discussed in negotiations between the White House and the Kremlin about ending the war in Ukraine according to reports from the New York Times (NYT).
Novatek is Russia’s second-largest producer of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and has been subject to American sanctions since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Polar LNG, an American company aiming to liquefy and export natural gas from Alaska, received secret funding from Novatek – something that may constitute a violation of the sanctions.
John Riddle, former CEO of Polar LNG, left the company in September after becoming aware of the hidden connections to Novatek. Riddle states that he had been told the funding came from a company in the United Arab Emirates.
“It is not only illegal; it is also not in the United States’ interest for Russian technology to control the commercialization of Arctic gas from the North Slope,” Riddle told the NYT. Riddle reports that he informed representatives of the Trump administration about the secret Russian funding and urged them to investigate the matter. It is unclear whether Witkoff or Kushner knew about the financial link between Novatek and Polar LNG. Read more at Kyiv Independent.
A Russian drone hit a residential building in the Synelnykove district of the Dnipropetrovsk region on October 24. Three civilians were killed and twelve others injured, according to Governor Oleksandr Hanzha. The drone attack caused a fire on the fourth floor of an apartment building and also damaged vehicles and a nearby store, Hanzha reports. Three people died. According to Hanzha, at least twelve more people were injured in the Russian attack on Synelnykove. Among those affected is an 11-year-old girl. Five of the injured are being treated in hospital. Read more at Kyiv Independent.
It also appears that Ukraine has attacked Omsk; BeefeaterFella has two posts, one about the chemical industry and another about OZO. Here and here. I have not yet had time to verify these claims.
Russian losses
The high Russian losses of soldiers continue; October will likely be a record month. Total Russian soldier losses are now up to 1,578,450 (dead and wounded). Mediazona has released a new report stating that they have been able to confirm at least 283,000 killed Russian soldiers, while admitting that the real number is likely much higher. Read more at Kyiv Independent here and see Mediazona’s compilation here.
- 1850 KWIA
- 3 Tanks
- 5 AFVs
- 49 Artillery systems
- 5 MLRS
- 3 Air defense systems
- 1738 UAVs
- 6 UGVs
- 417 Vehicles & fuel tanks
- 4 Special equipment
Ukrainian General Staff Morning Report
Operational information as of 08:00 on October 25, 2026, regarding the Russian invasion
Glory to Ukraine!
The 1705th day of the Russian Federation’s full-scale armed aggression against Ukraine has begun.
Total losses of the Russian attackers during the past day amounted to 1,850 personnel. Additionally, three tanks, five armored fighting vehicles, 49 artillery systems, five multiple launch rocket systems, three air defense systems, six ground-based missile systems, 1,738 unmanned aerial vehicles, 417 vehicles, and four units of special equipment were neutralized.
During the past day, a total of 193 combat engagements were recorded.
Yesterday, the enemy conducted 83 airstrikes, during which 281 guided bombs were dropped. Additionally, the attackers used 10,010 kamikaze drones and carried out 3,276 shellings against communities and our troops’ positions, including 24 with rocket artillery.
Hostile shelling affected, among others, the communities of Pavlivka, Korenok, Sopych, Neskuchne, Bezsalivka, Kucherivka, Luzhky, Mala Korchakivka, Topolia, Nova Sich, Khrapivshchyna, Obody, Yastrubshchyna, Baranivka, Mala Slobidka, Myropillia, Khotin, Volfyne, Iskryskivshchyna, Fotovyzh, Potapivka, Hirky, Stara Huta, Ulanove, Kindrativka, and Zapsillia in the Sumy region, as well as Mykhalchyna-Sloboda, Buda-Vorobivska, Khrinivka, and Kliusy in the Chernihiv region. Svesa, Paliivka, and Pysarivka were subjected to airstrikes.
During the past day, defense forces’ missile units and artillery struck an area with a concentration of enemy personnel and equipment, a command post for unmanned aerial vehicles, and an enemy command and observation post.
On the northern Slobozhansky and Kursk sectors, the attacker conducted two airstrikes with six guided bombs and 51 shellings against our troops’ positions and communities.
On the southern Slobozhansky sector, Ukrainian units repelled eight enemy attacks. The attackers targeted the communities of Ternova, Okhrimivka, and Bochkove.
On the Kupyansk sector, the enemy attempted four times to improve their positions through offensive operations towards Radkivka.
Attempts to break into our defense were repelled on the Lyman sector, where the occupiers conducted six assault attempts in the area around Zarichne and towards Stavky, Dibrova, and Novoselivka.
On the Sloviansk sector, the enemy carried out four attacks in the area around Kryva Luka.
On the Kramatorsk sector, the enemy conducted no assault operations.
On the Kostiantynivka sector, 13 attacks were recorded. The attackers conducted offensive operations in the area around Kostiantynivka.
On the Pokrovsk sector, the enemy conducted 16 attacks. The occupiers tried to advance in the areas around Sofiivka, Vilne, Novyi Donbas, Vasylivka, and Molodetske, as well as towards Dobropillia, Krasnopodillia, and Serhiivka.
On the Oleksandrivka sector, the enemy attacked once towards Zaporizke.
On the Huljajpole sector, the occupiers attempted to advance 13 times in the areas around Dobropillia and Bilohiria, as well as towards Verkhnia Tersa, Kopani, Huliaipilske, and Yehorivka.
On the Orikhiv sector, the enemy made an attempt to attack towards Novoiakovlivka.
On the Prydniprovsk sector, the occupiers conducted no assault operations.
On the Volyn and Polissya sectors, no signs have been detected that the enemy is forming offensive force groupings.
Every day we defend Ukraine, its citizens, and their right to a free future.
Join the defense forces! Glory to Ukraine!
Comment:
66 localized attacks out of a total of 193 leaves 127 unlocalized, resulting in a very nice ratio: 127 / 66 ≈ 1.92.
Don't forget to donate, Ukraine's cause is ours! Support Ukraine!
Good morning
Timothy Snyder, professor of history at Yale, reacts strongly to the revelation that leading executives recently resigned in protest from a $25 billion American natural gas project. He tweeted about the gas scandal in Alaska and refers to an investigation published by, among others, the Financial Times and the New York Times regarding the American energy project Polar Train LNG in Alaska.
The former CEO Joel Riddle and several other top executives left their positions after discovering that the Russian, sanctioned energy giant Novatek secretly financed and controlled the project. The money is said to have been funneled through a shell company in the United Arab Emirates.
The project has been marketed as a patriotic win for American energy. At the same time, it has been part of discussions between the Krasnov administration and the Kremlin regarding business deals linked to negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.
Days before the scandal broke, President Krasnov chose to temporarily lift recently enacted sanctions against Novatek, with the justification that it was necessary to keep the peace talks alive.
Snyder describes this action as a “superpower suicide,” because according to him, the administration facilitates Russian economic infiltration and control over strategic infrastructure in Alaska while the country has a declared foreign policy aimed at harming the USA.
https://x.com/timothydsnyder/status/2114151344680423810?s=46
https://eurasiabusinessnews.com/2026/10/24/polar-train-lng-executives-quit-over-alleged-russian-control-of-25-billion-alaska-project/
https://michaeldsellers.substack.com/p/american-executives-quit-25-billion
Elmo crawls to the cross and admits that his company SpaceX was behind the trouble with the satellite internet service Starlink in Ukraine during the week.
However, he lies and claims that it is about the Ukrainian defense misusing Starlink by using the service for drone attacks.
In the same post, he shares a tweet saying that Zelenskyy must resign.
Elmo’s claims have been refuted by several Ukrainian representatives.
Good explanation from Fria Ukraina on Twitter
https://x.com/friaukraina/status/2114107282447311067?s=46
Attacks within Ukraine are probably okay? SL is blocked within ryz, so it doesn’t work there no matter how much you want to cheat.
Then SL is Musk’s creation, so he should be able to do as he pleases with it. 79% of the votes and 42% of the capital. Asshole or not, he decides. We don’t have to be customers of his. Hope for a European alternative, Eutelsat. Probably won’t happen though, more likely to trust that it will rather be a Ukrainian alternative. They should be able to come up with some cheap McGyver solution.
It shows, if nothing else, the danger of relying on foreign systems that are also controlled by a capricious private individual.
Compare, by the way, with the filmmaker Alex Gibney’s critical documentary “Musk” about the tech billionaire Elon Musk, which has been subjected to an extensive cover-up campaign on social media.
“A small handful of billionaire dollars basically control all the major media companies, news services, and social media, and are now showing how this uncontrolled concentration of power threatens our democratic conversation.”*
Regardless of everything else, he cannot change the rules of the game just because he owns the company.
There is a paying customer.
Musk’s words do not hold up under scrutiny, according to former and current representatives of Ukraine.
President Zelenskyy’s advisor Serhij “Flash” Beskrestnov writes on Telegram that it is strange that Musk does not know how Starlink works in the country: there are already speed limits of 70–90 kilometers per hour, and the service does not work at all over Russian territory.
“So physically we cannot use commercial Starlink for long- and medium-range attacks,” he writes.
Serhij Sternenko, former advisor in Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense focusing on drones, fills in the gaps. He writes that Musk’s words are simply not true and explains that a system was introduced in February where all satellite terminals to be used in motion must be added to a special list and linked to Starshield.
“In other words, it is technically impossible to use civilian Starlink for drone missions. All drone missions requiring satellite communication can only be carried out with Starshield,” Sternenko writes.
*https://omni.se/a/2VavMv
Completely dreadful with the film and an example of how it can go. When it comes to the current administration in the USA where the richest have direct power over governance by being able to donate enormous amounts of money, it also makes it difficult for anyone to influence it.
Elon Musk is a co-owner of the company, so he cannot do exactly as he pleases. In addition, there are regulations, terms, and agreements that apply to both users and providers, so Elon Musk cannot do as he pleases.
Putin rules
Part-owner yes, but majority voter. The majority can override the minority. There is some protection for the minority, but it is weak (at least in Sweden). I maintain that he has an enormous amount of power, and that the only thing we customers can do is vote with our feet.
That does not mean, however, that he can do as he pleases. There are rules to follow. Otherwise, it simply becomes the right of the strongest that prevails. And we can see what happens if that is the precedent that is to prevail.
So you don’t see any problem with an enormous concentration of money and thus power? As long as they own it, it’s free to go ahead?
The problem is that there is no similar system to Starlink and it requires enormous amounts of money to build something similar, which makes it very difficult to compete. You can’t just say “build something better yourself since it’s a free market”.
Social media is almost even worse because of how it can influence. It is basically impossible to outcompete the biggest ones, and if a competitor comes along that does well enough, they get bought up. When they then (as in Pehr’s example) use it for propaganda and work against others, you must agree that it is a problem, right?
You can of course say stop using X or Facebook, but because of their size, that’s where you have to be to be visible, and therefore most people stay. (Thinking about those for whom social media is a way to market themselves to earn income).
YouTube, same thing. Sure, there are some competitors, but with the others, it’s not possible to make a living for those who depend on creating content. Now, YouTube also has its flaws, but so far they have stayed away from pushing any kind of political agenda (as far as I know).
But if they were to do that, they would get criticism, but they probably wouldn’t lose very many users.
I own my house but that doesn’t mean I can paint it purple if I want to. Why not? Out of consideration for the surroundings. A bit sad for those who want purple houses, of course, but some adaptation for everyone’s best interest is probably necessary, right?
Of course I see the problem. But I was also there when Vattenfall voted to shut down Ringhals 1 and 2 against the minority owner Sydkraft’s wishes. 70.6-29.4%. So minority owners are not protected. I always exaggerate in my arguments to make the point clear, but I know from my own experience that the largest owners can overrule the smaller ones, how else would it work?
The only social media I use are a few blogs, and so far I have not been blocked on any, but of course it is the owner’s right to do so if they wish.
I have absolutely no problem with concentration of money; those who have earned a buck legally can well keep it and thereby use it within the boundaries of the law.
I hope that we can all learn from the very clear lesson: trust no one else, every country is one choice away from your worst nightmare (including ours).
The arguments come across well here. Sharpened argumentation is all well and good, I also engage in that, but sometimes it can become a bit too blunt.
I am not very sure, but I seem to remember reading that the military part is controlled by the state.
It should be controlled by the state according to the agreement, but ultimately it is Starlink that manages even that.
Ann Applebaum writes that a carefully planned Russian propaganda operation is underway. After starving people in Oleshky for months, Russia, with the “intervention” of Melania, will allow people to leave and pretend that it was Ukraine’s fault.
**Google AI translation of the text in the report:
“According to operational data, military personnel from one of the occupying units have been ordered to prepare a series of ‘compromising’ interviews with the residents of the occupied city. In these videos, local residents are forced to accuse the Ukrainian defense forces of constant shelling and blockade of the city; discredit the decisions of Ukraine’s military and political leadership; and express a positive attitude and gratitude towards the aggressor state’s military.”**
http://www.kyivpost.com/analysis/88041
The American Stephen Hubbard was released after four and a half years in a Russian prison.
Now fellow prisoner Ihor Shyshko testifies about daily torture and sexual abuse – and criticizes “peace negotiator” Witkoff’s words about Putin as a humanitarian.
– It is completely incomprehensible, he says.
Stephen Hubbard, 74, lived in the city of Izium in eastern Ukraine with his Ukrainian wife when Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. Two months later, the city was taken and Hubbard was arrested – accused of serving as a mercenary.
That was the beginning of a nightmare lasting over four years. This week, Hubbard was released in connection with Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff’s meeting with Vladimir Putin in Saint Petersburg. One particular statement from Witkoff drew attention worldwide.
– You are also a true humanitarian, sir, he said to the Russian leader, who is responsible for so many people’s deaths – and is ultimately responsible for the torture Hubbard was forced to endure during his time in Russian captivity.
According to Ihor Shyshko, who was imprisoned with Hubbard in two different prisons between September 2022 and May 2024, the American teacher was beaten every day. He was forced to crawl on the floor like a dog and was subjected to electric shocks and sexual abuse.
– They treated us worse than animals. How anyone can even call him that is completely incomprehensible, as if it were some kind of political game. If Steve Witkoff did not know what Stephen and the rest of us were subjected to, he should have known, Shyshko tells The Times.
Mental strain
Shyshko says that all prisoners from Ukraine received brutal treatment, but Hubbard was especially targeted because of his nationality. It could involve beatings six to seven times a day – and he was always the first to be beaten.
– We were taken out into the corridor three times a day, and there we were beaten with clubs, basically everywhere they could reach. On the legs, on the genitals, anywhere they could.
– It was to put us in our place, to show that they hated us and for their own high amusement.
The mental strain was also enormous for Hubbard, says Shyshko. The American could neither speak Ukrainian nor Russian and was therefore isolated and did not even understand why he was there.
– He constantly tried to explain that he should not be there and that he had rights. It was 100 percent obvious that Stephen had never been a soldier, says Shyshko.
He himself was released in a prisoner exchange in 2024. Since then, he has worried that Hubbard would not survive the imprisonment. Now the American has been flown to a military hospital in Texas, where he is being treated.
https://www.expressen.se/nyheter/varlden/raseriet-mot-witkoffs-ord-fullkomligt-obegripligt/
CNN had an article about UA yesterday which, among other things, showed which countries have supported UA financially and with what percentage of the total.
Many countries are doing a lot, but there are a number that could do more. It becomes quite clear that the closer you get to the enemy, the higher the willingness to contribute.
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/10/24/europe/ukraine-us-support-trump-zelensky-relations-intl
** Z-blogger and rapper Misha Mavashi just died suddenly in Russia. He’d raised money for Russian occupiers and was sentenced in absentia by a Ukrainian court to 8 years with asset confiscation for funding the war. **
https://bsky.app/profile/wartranslated.bsky.social/post/3myotztw5ss2j
** Russia struck Epicentr in Poltava 😡 **
https://bsky.app/profile/maks23.bsky.social/post/3myottrfzws2o
** Russian forces struck Kharkiv’s last operating Epicentr hypermarket on Saturday, obliterating the venue in a huge fire. A secondary strike directly targeted first responders battling the flames, wounding three rescuers. ** Video:
https://bsky.app/profile/kyivpost.com/post/3myotmgt3bs2h
** 💔🇺🇦 “Over 400 children were forcibly deported from the Kharkiv region during the occupation,” — Synehubov The head of the Kharkiv OVA said that this was the period before the deoccupation of the territories in the spring and fall of 2022. **
https://bsky.app/profile/theukrainianreview.bsky.social/post/3myotr7fuck2o
** A video from inside the shopping centre in Belgorod shows a lot of internal damage. It’s not known if Ukraine had intel on anything being stored in the building by Russian military. ** Video:
https://bsky.app/profile/twmcltd.bsky.social/post/3myothjteik22
** Imagine being a CEO of an US energy company and thinking that you work with close associates of the Trump family, only to find out that behind them is a sanctioned Russian company, really pulling the strings.
This happened in Alaska. Polar Train LNG’s CEO, Joel Riddle, stepped down after finding out that the Russian “Novatek” company, which is under US sanctions, has been involved in a $25 billion energy project in Alaska. The CEO thought that he was working with Gentry Beach, a close friend of Trump Jr.
Reportedly, that project was also discussed between Witkoff and Jared Kushner when they were with Putin. The White House admitted that the project was talked about “briefly”.
We are witnessing the greatest corruption scandal the USA has ever witnessed. It all leads to Trump, his family and the Russians, and apparently they were even ready to sell riches of Alaska to the Russians.
The people in Alaska just need to look over to Russia, where the richest regions in terms of minerals and hydrocarbon resources have been stripped-mined, transferring all the wealth to Moscow and Saint Petersburg and leaving a scarred landscape in extreme poverty. That is the result of corruption.
We are starting to see more details why Trump and his friends are trying so strongly to bully Ukraine into surrender. This is most certainly only the tip of the iceberg. **
https://bsky.app/profile/tendar.bsky.social/post/3myot6hjvso2d
** 🇺🇦 More than 5 kilometers along underground communications, stormtroopers of the 425th regiment “Skelya” cleared the gas pipeline near Kupyansk, through which the Russian occupiers entered the rear of the Ukrainian military A group of fighters from “Skelya” spent about ten days in the gas pipeline. They approached the enemy at a distance of 20 meters. The diameter of the gas pipelines along which they moved did not exceed 120 centimeters. ** Video:
https://bsky.app/profile/maks23.bsky.social/post/3myostlpvnc2o
** ❗️Some Russian monitoring channels report a possible new launch of Ukrainian Storm Shadow cruise missiles — already the second in the last week, which coincides with the recent delivery of a new batch of these missiles from Great Britain to the Ukrainian Air Force this month. **
https://bsky.app/profile/militarynewsua.bsky.social/post/3myovu6dtim2n
** Ukrainian drones struck Siberia’s Omsky Kauchuk plant over 2,500 km away, hitting a site producing missile rocket propellant. The record deep strike hit a logistics hub in Omsk alongside concurrent drone attacks on a Belgorod commercial complex. **
https://www.kyivpost.com/post/88099
This is how a grindstone should be sharpened.👊
Yes, that’s something you want to see more of!
I hope they can continue to strike against Omsk, there are quite a few legitimate goals there..
The bridge over the Irtysh is important for the Trans-Siberian Railway. But Ukraine does not seem to have any interest in touching the Trans-Siberian for some reason.
Yes, it is a bit strange. I don’t know if they don’t believe they can damage the railway bridges enough to feel that it’s not worth it, or if there is something else that makes them avoid even trying.
Jekaterinburg, somewhat westward, is considered Russia’s oil capital.
It is possible that the oil to China goes via Omsk, Novosibirsk, Irkutsk, Ulan Ude. There is a branch via Mongolia to China. Ukraine may not want to disrupt this important connection for China.
Well, of course it would be tough if China decided to significantly increase support to Russia if they feel that Ukraine threatens their trade.
Then, even though it sounds like Ukraine is basically able to build their drones entirely on their own, I am convinced that a lot still comes from China, so they might also be afraid that all deliveries from there will be stopped. Some have probably been stopped, but can probably be brought in via Europe, but China could suddenly refuse all exports (and send everything to Russia).
That’s probably the case
** 🇺🇦🙏 Drones Deliver Over 600 kg of Aid for Families with Children to Blocked Oleshky National Guardsmen delivered 15 packages of food, educational games, and toys to the occupied city in the Kherson region. The packages included, among others, milk and breakfast cereals.
Among the children who remain in the blocked city, there are those born during the full-scale invasion. Despite the occupation and danger, Ukrainian units continue to deliver aid to these families.**
https://bsky.app/profile/theukrainianreview.bsky.social/post/3myovnagbik2o
** Zarina Zabrisky: Behind me, you can see Oleshky: the town no one wanted to hear about nine months ago. Now, the world knows but the ordeal is not over. The next week ceasefire will be used for a “press tour” to whitewash Russia’s war crimes. Don’t fall for Russian propaganda. ** Video:
https://bsky.app/profile/antongerashchenko.bsky.social/post/3myowmifusc27
** 🇪🇺🇺🇦 Brussels has set a December deadline to resolve Ukraine’s financial problems, — Politico. The European Commission wants to figure out how to close the €70 billion budget deficit by the end of the year.
This deadline was set after a meeting of EU leaders in Brussels last week, where the bloc’s next seven-year budget and Ukraine’s needs were discussed. Despite the new funds coming in from a €90 billion loan, the country will face a €70 billion budget deficit next year.
https://bsky.app/profile/maks23.bsky.social/post/3myp7c6efls2o
Help for self-help
Exactly!
** 🔥⚡️ Destruction of Russian self-propelled artillery system with Blyskavka UAVs, – Apostoly **
https://bsky.app/profile/maks23.bsky.social/post/3mypfqch57224
😡🤢🤬🤮🤮🤮
** IWF Awards 2030 World Championships to Moscow
In brief: The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) chose Moscow as host for the 2030 World Championships on Sunday, Oct. 25, marking the first flagship Olympic world championship awarded to Russia since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The decision followed the IWF restoring the rights of Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under national flags and anthems. **
https://www.kyivpost.com/post/88127
This is upsetting but not exactly unexpected. It seems like the major sports organizations do not have the ability to resist pressure from various sides.
Probably only money that rules… but they should not be allowed to organize anything at all until the war is over and war reparations have been paid to Ukraine, and that they have also repaid everything all countries have given to Ukraine and handed over all war criminals to the courts that can judge them.
Completely deplorable and I hope we boycott this competition.
Completely 💯
** 🇺🇸🇺🇦 Trump has largely halted direct US financial and military aid to Ukraine, despite broad support from Democratic and Republican lawmakers as it fights a Russian invasion, – Reuters With a victory in both chambers in November, Democrats would be able to decide what gets voted on and when.
That could allow them to approve new aid to Ukraine, which likely would pass with the two-thirds majorities needed to overcome a Trump veto. **
https://bsky.app/profile/maks23.bsky.social/post/3mypabcmtgc2o
“In the future, the defense company Nautrik’s marine drones may patrol Sweden’s coasts, writes TT. They have launched the vessel Riverine 4 – four meters long, weighing 900 kilos, AI-driven, and with a speed of 20 knots.
The CEO of the Lidingö company, Oscar Fors, has a background including leadership at Northvolt. The board includes former Supreme Commander Micael Bydén, and among the investors are financial profiles Staffan Sahlén and Thomas von Koch – and the comedian David Batra.
– We have taken a lot from the gaming world about how to interact and have received help from some gaming gurus who have started large companies in Stockholm and become very successful, says Fors.
He does not want to comment on how many orders the company has, but says:
– This year we will not manage to deliver everything we have sold.”
https://omni.se/marina-ai-dronare-kan-skydda-framtidens-sverige/a/El81Rj
Just experience on Northvolt’s board may not be something to brag about?
The comedian David Batra?
Byden probably has a good handle on things, I have no idea about Sahlen and Koch.
Hopefully it’s not another hopeful company, own AI patrol burners within the country’s borders instead of French frigates is probably the best.
Experience on Northvolt’s board is probably good anyway, if it’s true that you learn from your mistakes? 😄
David Batra has a wife with good political connections. That may be why he has gotten a spot.
The USA is replacing the European market with Russia.
Exciting
Most people don’t care now, but it would be wonderful if enough people started boycotting the USA (and China of course) so that it actually made a difference. Tourism has probably decreased after all.
ryz bnp corresponds to Sweden+Denmark. So replacing the EU with ryz seems really stupid.
Exactly
The French police did well this weekend 👍👍👍
Yes, very quiet from France. When the youngsters have played out their restlessness, you don’t have the energy to cause chaos.
Why can’t the EU just cover the whole bill?
It’s a sale price now compared to what it might be in the future
Yes, the cheapest option from the start would have been to go in hard and support Ukraine. But it is never too late.
Short-term thinking, but they probably hoped that Ukraine would give up so that the war would end.
The longer time goes on, the more costly it becomes both for Ukraine, which is being bombed to pieces, and for Europe, but above all Ukrainians are harmed and killed every day.
Moreover, Russia is developing more and more cheap, but still quite well-functioning, solutions, making it increasingly difficult for Ukraine to defend itself against them, especially without proper air defense. Instead, they are forced to build smart drones based on hobby materials, but that only goes so far.
This applies not only to Europe but of course also to the USA (already during Biden’s time, even though he at least gave substantial support and was slowly boiled like a frog as he gave up his own red lines gradually).
It has soon been two years since Trump came to power. If he had wanted to end the war, he could have done so by giving Ukraine full support.
Europe has increased support but has not managed to replace the shortfall from the USA.
Really tragic and frustrating.
Off-Topic
“Eight people have been arrested following a police operation in Sala Backe in Uppsala. The police state that it concerns a serious crime but do not provide any details.
According to information to TV4 Nyheterna and Aftonbladet, it involves suspected female genital mutilation. Several members of a family are reported to be among those arrested.
One person was arrested wearing medical clothes and a plastic apron, according to Aftonbladet’s information. The operation is said to have started after a tip-off.
– We have seen several people being taken away by the police. The police have been dealing with a stroller for a long time, says a witness.”
https://omni.se/atta-gripna-efter-grovt-brott-i-uppsala/a/Aba9ej
The Hippocratic Oath to do no harm to people seems to weigh lightly with some.
**Trump: “I think both Russia and Ukraine want to make a deal, we’re going to have some talks soon.”** Video:
https://bsky.app/profile/wartranslated.bsky.social/post/3mypoq3exic2n
** Trump says Russia wasn’t supplying oil just to them, it was supplying it to the whole world, and that was very good. ** Video:
https://bsky.app/profile/wartranslated.bsky.social/post/3mypooh457k2n
Krasnov seems to believe his own lies.
** Reports indicate that the Energiya plant in Yelets, Lipetsk region, Russia, is under missile attack. The facility plays a role in Russia’s military-industrial complex, manufacturing batteries and power supplies for missile systems, aircraft, and other military equipment. **
https://bsky.app/profile/meanwhileua.bsky.social/post/3myporb6pks2g
** Ukrainian Mi-24 pilot Air Davy showed the warm welcome he received from residents of Kharkiv region as he returned from a combat mission in Donetsk region “It’s really special when Ukrainians greet you like this.It brought tears to my eyes.We see you waving to us,we wave back,too,”he wrote 📹airdavy ** Video:
https://bsky.app/profile/antongerashchenko.bsky.social/post/3mypmr6m3is2j
** 🇬🇧UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting warned that Britain must be ready for war within 1,000 days, saying Russia and other adversaries could be capable of attacking by 2030. He said Britain must strengthen its military to deter attacks and be prepared to “fight and win” alongside its allies. **
https://bsky.app/profile/beefeaterfella.bsky.social/post/3mypmhohj4k2d
Ready 100 days is probably more reasonable. Who thinks the war is 999 days away?
** ❗️Congressman Dan Crenshaw called on Elon Musk to allow Ukraine to use Starlink over Russia to strike mobile ballistic missile launchers that the Russian Federation uses to attack cities and energy infrastructure. According to him, this is a defensive application for which Zelenskyy has given guarantees, and without such connectivity, along with stronger sanctions and deliveries of Patriot systems, Moscow will continue to demand territories and the absence of security guarantees for Ukraine. ** Video:
https://bsky.app/profile/militarynewsua.bsky.social/post/3mypm53oxns2u
👏Dan Crenshaw is a Reagan Republican and former Navy Seal.
Doubtful that Elmo is listening though.
** Ukrainian air defense soldiers showed photos of an upgraded Soviet-designed Tunguska 2S6, a tracked anti-aircraft system armed with guns and missiles The upgrade was an electro-optical system called Ochi-T1, which the soldiers said was developed by the American company ATN 🎥 Soniashnik **
https://bsky.app/profile/euromaidanpress.bsky.social/post/3myplpimr2y2f
** 💥Results of the combat week of the Phoenix unit of the Pomsta brigade In the Toretsk, Dobropillya and Lyman directions, Phoenix border guards are working against enemy vehicles. ATVs, motorcycles, cars and armored vehicles – all this adds to the list of enemy losses. ** Video:
https://bsky.app/profile/maks23.bsky.social/post/3myplpiar4s24
Off-Topic, the weather
Maggan, how has the weather been in Gothenburg? Haven’t seen many reports, was it perhaps not as bad as feared?
“Around lunchtime, SMHI removed its yellow storm warnings for large parts of Västra Götaland, Värmland, and Skåne. However, the warnings remain along the coasts and by Lake Vänern.
– The good thing about Boelo is that it appears to be behaving according to schedule, says Erik Höjgård-Olsen at SMHI to DN.
Although the strongest winds have subsided in several places, Boelo continues to affect train and ferry traffic as well as electricity supply. Thousands of people have been without power during the day in several counties. Around 1 pm, 4,000 were affected by power outages in Håbo.
SVT’s meteorologist Nils Holmqvist also warns that it will continue to be windy on Monday.”
https://omni.se/smhi-plockar-bort-flera-boelo-varningar/a/2Vaz6B
The storm subsided. 18-23 m/s, i.e. not storm strength in the Norwegian Sea and the North Sea. Lower at Skagerrak and Kattegat. But good of SMHI to take it seriously.
Good that it didn’t get worse, and completely right to warn that 18-23 is not to be taken lightly and it could have been much stronger winds.
My friend is arriving in the Faroe Islands tonight. Was supposed to arrive at 21 but will be 01. It can be quite windy there. They have maintained a speed of almost 17 knots, which means the winds have not been storm force. But they have reduced the speed to 15 knots as the winds can become very turbulent when approaching the islands. Otherwise, the Faroe Islands are nice to visit. In the summer.
Now a real storm can also be an experience, but you are probably right, the islands are probably best in the summer. I have never visited them but they are said to be beautiful.
At Nidingen, 29 m/s was measured in the early morning hours, I read.
Then it subsided. Tricky wind direction.
It rained over 35 mm last night, a real swamp in the garden. It was quite windy too, but no damage as far as I’ve seen. All the trees in the forest are still standing, and I avoided running the batteries in island mode.
Not a disaster then, but a shame about the 35mm. Good that you have batteries in case they are needed!
A bit wet here too but no more than usual gray autumn weather.
** ❗️Consequences of today’s Storm Shadow cruise missile strike on the workshops of the Energia plant in Lipetsk Oblast. **
https://bsky.app/profile/militarynewsua.bsky.social/post/3mypl6gm7t22u
** 🔥 Beautiful footage of FP-2 strike UAV flying over objects that have just been hit, the operator simultaneously carries out objective control of the results of the strike and flies on about his business. ** Video:
https://bsky.app/profile/maks23.bsky.social/post/3myppdynmw224
** 🤡 Elon Musk says the slaughter of Ukrainians and Russians needs to stop and sympathy is owed even to poor Russian conscripts who have no choice but to fight and die under drone strikes. Really? **
https://bsky.app/profile/wartranslated.bsky.social/post/3mypn2nmsgc2n
Kids? The recruited Ryzyans are older than me. Absolutely tragic nonetheless, but not invading the neighboring country should be the easiest way to save lives, right?
Well, Russia can just turn back home if they wanted to, but that thought doesn’t seem to have occurred to Musk.
Agree. The Russian bastards can go home again.
Off-Topic, the war in Iran
“Donald Trump appears inclined to carry out more extensive attacks on targets on Iranian soil, according to senior American officials speaking to the Wall Street Journal.
The conclusion is based on internal conversations, and according to a source, the US Central Command Centcom has compiled a list of potential targets. It is said to involve energy infrastructure and other targets important to Iran’s economy.
Earlier this week, several American media outlets reported that the US has intelligence that Iran is planning to attack American officials in the Middle East.”
https://omni.se/uppgift-trump-lutar-at-att-genomfora-ny-iranattack/a/0Ba5oo
“Iran does not feel threatened by Donald Trump’s statements about a possible new offensive against the country. This is stated by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi according to AFP.
– If they want to try again, they know it will not achieve any new results.
On Friday, Donald Trump said he is considering ‘A new little “Epic Fury”,’ referring to the American-Israeli campaign against Iran that began earlier this year.”
https://omni.se/iran-avfardar-trumps-hot-om-fornyade-strider/a/1oaVqQ
The government and the population do not seem to be united regarding the risks of a new American offensive..
“Iran’s government says it does not fear a renewed offensive from the US and Israel, but among the Iranian population, the concern is greater. This is reported by the New York Times.
People the newspaper has spoken to are stockpiling food, gasoline, and cash after Donald Trump on Friday once again threatened new attacks.
– I just asked my wife not to wake our son tomorrow and to keep him home from school, says 42-year-old Majid.
According to the Iranian Red Crescent, 1,900 civilians have been killed in the American bombings.”
https://omni.se/iranier-bunkrar-mat-och-bensin-i-oro-for-nya-attacker/a/WgPovQ
If you have possibly missed it, you can now guess how it will go in the midterm election.
Let’s see if we can manage to get it right together!
Hmm, maybe I should have only allowed logged-in users to vote and then randomly drawn a prize among those who guessed correctly?
A dinner date with Johan next time he is in Sweden?
I have voted.
An old Republican who both believes in and hopes for a Democratic win in both chambers.
Dinner with Johan? Does that mean Ranch chips and Mariestads on the menu, i.e.?
😂
I believe the Democrats will take both.
And this, surprisingly enough with Krasnov’s good memory, can be added. The instruction he received from his handler is to create maximum chaos in the USA (and that he is allowed to enrich himself as much as possible in the process). What we see in France is a breeze compared to what we will see in the USA after the election. Krasnov will, of course, contest the election results, declare the election rigged, etc. And push it so far, with violent unrest on the streets, etc., that civil war is not far off.
If one asks the question, what future for the USA would be best for Putin? A USA in total chaos and civil war? Maybe?
Alternatively, of course, a USA that is completely allied and favorably disposed, but it feels like that is harder to achieve, due to many internal opponents making it unlikely to happen very quickly, even if the president and his closest idiots would work hard for it.
Who knows, but I still see this as a fully possible outcome at this point.
Certain risk of an upset post on Tuesday.
Yes, thanks for asking, the Spanish steakhouse was good.
Are you upset, or will we readers become upset?
The military expert points out the oddity in Trump’s peace agreement
Melania Trump has secured a local ceasefire in the occupied Ukrainian city of Olesky, according to the White House, which portrays her as the savior of distressed civilians. Russia’s responsibility for the situation is not mentioned at all.
Published: October 24, 2026, 12:41
Martin Rex – Text
Residents without enough food and medicine, mined roads, and Russian forces who, according to eyewitnesses, prevent people from leaving the city. This is how the EU described the situation in Russian-occupied Olesky in southern Ukraine in a statement at the security organization OSCE on October 1.
Now a local ceasefire is said to have been negotiated.
In a press release from the White House, it is described that President Donald Trump’s wife Melania Trump has “secured” such an agreement between Russia and Ukraine, and that it is to take effect on October 29.
“Residents who want to be evacuated will receive coordinated support and transport to the destination of their choice. I expect some will want to go to Russia and others to Ukraine,” Melania Trump says in the press release.
Besides the fact that the residents of Olesky are already in Ukraine, the White House press release does not mention why the severe humanitarian situation has arisen, that is, that Russia has invaded Ukraine and occupied, among other places, Olesky.
Military expert Joakim Paasikivi, geopolitical advisor at Mannheimer Swartling and lieutenant colonel, formerly at the Swedish Defence University, sees a clear pattern.
“It is difficult to find criticism of Russia from the American administration recently,” he says.
According to him, it is clear that the responsibility for the severe humanitarian situation lies with Russia, which as an occupying power has a responsibility.
“The occupying power is, according to international humanitarian law, obliged to ensure a reasonable humanitarian situation. Of course, it is war and it is tough, but the Russians have, according to fairly credible reports, basically refrained from making any attempts to help the population at least in recent months.”
Joakim Paasikivi sees the recent developments as an attempt by Russia to shift the blame for the war onto Ukraine.
“It has succeeded insofar as Trump says that Putin wants peace but not Zelensky.”
https://www.di.se/mobil/nyheter/militarexperten-pekar-ut-det-markliga-i-trumps-fredsavtal/
Highly topical from SVD.
In the 1950s, the Soviet Union built up the East German security service Stasi. It was made a copy of the KGB. But when the GDR collapsed in 1989, Stasi did not manage to destroy all its files. Now these provide a unique insight into today’s Russian methods.
under-the-line
Published 20:15
This is an “understreckare,” a deepening essay, daily in SvD since 1918. Opinions expressed are those of the author.
Angelikastrasse in Dresden, December 5, 1989. The 37-year-old KGB officer Vladimir Putin stands sweaty in front of an oven in the regional KGB headquarters. Ever since the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, he and a dozen KGB officers have been burning documents around the clock.
“We burned so much that the oven broke,” Putin recalls in his book “First Person – An Astonishingly Frank Self-Portrait” (2000).
The order to destroy the materials came from his boss, Lazar Matvejev. He had made an agreement with the regional Stasi chief, Major General Horst Böhm, to eliminate all details about the nearly 40-year cooperation between the KGB and Stasi. Including how the regional Stasi in Dresden, under KGB supervision, conducted espionage in Sweden with the help of inoffizielle Mitarbeiter, unofficial collaborators, abbreviated IM.
“We destroyed everything – all our communication, all our lists of contacts and our agent network,” Putin wrote.
In his eyes, everything was the fault of the Russian president Mikhail Gorbachev. Without his glasnost and perestroika in the Soviet Union, the collapse of the GDR would hardly have been possible. It also forced Böhm to mass destroy files in the local Stasi headquarters, located on Bautzener Strasse, a few minutes’ walk from Angelikastrasse.
Equally important as eliminating information about the operations and agents was to destroy everything about the working methods themselves, which the KGB had conveyed to the East German Ministry for State Security since the 1950s. Or as Böhm once expressed to Matvejev and Putin: “Dear Soviet Chekists, you have in the truest sense of the word taken us by the hand and taught us the Chekist craft!”
Both Stasi and KGB saw themselves as successors to the Soviet security police Cheka, founded in connection with the Russian Revolution in 1917. But unlike Putin and Matvejev, Böhm failed to destroy all his materials, a total of eight kilometers of files. Stasi simply did not manage.
In the late afternoon, Böhm’s headquarters was stormed by a few thousand Dresden residents. This not only saved files and documents for posterity but also revealed the methods behind Stasi’s espionage abroad. The most fundamental was that all foreign agents had to be above any suspicion, whether they were East Germans to be smuggled into Sweden or recruited Swedish citizens. Membership in Western communist parties, for example the Swedish VPK, was not desirable.
The best way to conduct espionage in Sweden was by pairing East German unofficial collaborators with Swedes through marriage. The couples were to work together, so the husband or wife also had to be recruited. But to recruit Swedish citizens, words like “spy” or “agent” were not to be mentioned. It was considered to create a moral dilemma for Swedes expected to betray their own country. In some cases, Stasi therefore used agents from, for example, the Balkans or the Middle East.
Regardless of background, everyone was convinced to see themselves as Kundschafter des Friedens, peace scouts. Thus, they were always on “the good” and “world peace’s side.”
The approach became particularly clear in the case of a young couple. He was East German, she Swedish. They had met during high school in the 1960s. More precisely through a letter exchange program organized by their respective schools in the GDR and Sweden. All correspondence was read by Stasi’s letter control, department M, resulting in Stasi noticing the East German and recruiting him under the cover name IM Klaus Scholz.
The letter exchange led to the young Swedish woman falling in love with him, so in the early 1970s she allowed herself to be recruited as an IM, with the cover name Tourist. The couple married in the GDR in 1976, resulting in IM Klaus being granted an exit permit. But for appearances, Stasi confiscated his GDR passport at the border crossing to West Berlin. It was a trick so that he would appear unwanted in the GDR, solely because of his love for a Swede.
The couple then presented that story to Swedish authorities, who uncritically granted the East German work and residence permits. Once in Sweden, he began mapping Swedish military facilities, but also people whom Stasi in Dresden considered “hostile-negative” toward the GDR and the Soviet Union.
In the early 1980s, Stasi transferred the couple to HVA, Hauptverwaltung Aufklärung, Stasi’s foreign espionage in East Berlin. However, it is unclear whether Klaus and Tourist were transferred from HVA to KGB during the GDR’s collapse, like more than 450 other Stasi agents in the West. Unlike Stasi in Dresden and other regions, HVA in East Berlin managed to destroy their materials, except for their regional archive in Leipzig and parts of their database SIRA.
Thanks to that mistake, yet another Swedish agent, IM König, The King, was exposed. He was also controlled via Stasi in Dresden. Behind the cover name was a Swedish foreign and freelance journalist, with a Social Democratic party membership card.
He was a contributor to the Social Democratic party organ Aktuellt i Politiken, AiP, and in the Social Democratic A-press. At times, he had difficulty selling his articles, which was exploited by Stasi, giving him various “research assignments.” Partly to report on secret deliberations within the Socialist International and the West German Social Democratic Party SPD, partly about the Swedish Social Democrats and the circle around Prime Minister Ingvar Carlsson. The King was kept in good spirits, among other things through gifts of beer crates, brand Radeberger, handed over by a Stasi IM at the GDR embassy in Stockholm.
In Stasi’s eyes, The King was a perfect agent – critical of VPK and an old Nazi sympathizer. During the war, he had carried out sabotage against an exhibition in Stockholm about Nazi German abuses in Denmark, organized by the Danish resistance movement. That gave him perfect camouflage. Who would believe that Stasi would recruit someone like him?
Agents in Sweden were also controlled from the Stasi headquarters in Rostock. Here the idea arose to recruit single East German mothers and encourage them to marry Swedish men visiting or working in the GDR. The women’s role as housewives in Sweden would give them perfect camouflage. By keeping their children in the GDR, the women would be kept on the right track.
In this way, IM Lisa Krüger came to Malmö, tasked with building a secret center for Stasi’s external counter-espionage – and to recruit her Swedish husband, a metalworker by profession. But the operation failed when the husband refused to work for Stasi.
In the case of another agent, IM Laila, Stasi used a personal ad in Göteborgs-Posten to get her married into Sweden. This led to her contacting a man in western Sweden, active in Amnesty. Suddenly, Stasi in Rostock saw a chance to let her infiltrate the organization, with the goal of sabotaging Amnesty’s work for political prisoners in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. In the end, however, IM Laila was considered more useful in the GDR and was never sent into Sweden.
Perhaps the most effective agent was a priest and theology professor, IM Thomas, controlled from Stasi in Frankfurt an der Oder. He also made sure to obtain Swedish citizenship by marrying a Swedish woman. That opened the door for an extensive influence campaign aimed at Swedish bishops. The goal was to prevent the Church of Sweden from supporting the opposition in the GDR. In Stasi’s eyes, the church in Sweden was a serious threat to the GDR regime.
In late autumn 1989, IM Thomas’s file was torn to pieces at Stasi in Frankfurt an der Oder but could still be reconstructed after German reunification in 1990.
Vladimir Putin embraces Lazar Matvejev, the former KGB chief in Dresden, on his 90th birthday.
Vladimir Putin embraces Lazar Matvejev, the former KGB chief in Dresden, on his 90th birthday. Photo: Alamy Stock Photo
All in all, Stasi had at least about 50 resident agents in Sweden, along with at least about 70 temporary ones, probably many more. Their work functioned on the same principle as a trawl: to fish up all conceivable information. But also to create networks that would lead to new contacts.
The ultimate goal was to work their way up in Swedish society and infiltrate the defense, media, and university world. Also in the church and political parties. IM Thomas stuck to instructions and stayed away from VPK, despite his conviction that Christianity and socialism belonged together. Instead, he became active with the Moderates, later the Christian Democrats, with associated positions of trust.
Neither he nor other Swedish Stasi agents have been prosecuted, except for a couple from Gothenburg, IM Sven I and IM Sven II. Their task was to establish a Stasi center in the city, similar to the one that was to be created in Malmö.
The others have not only escaped prosecution but have also had their files classified by Säpo. Our knowledge of Stasi’s and KGB’s methods instead comes from the German authority BStU (now Bundesarchiv), which opened Stasi’s archives after German reunification in 1990.
Originally, it was intended as a historical review after the GDR dictatorship. But today it is much more than that – a warning about methods still in use by the KGB’s Russian successors FSB, GRU, and SVG.
This is shown by the case of the Iranian-born and spy-convicted Peyman Kia, who for the Russian account infiltrated Säpo itself, with his brother as aide. Also the case of two SVG agents at a secret meeting in Sundbyberg, photographed at a pub by Säpo. A Systembolaget bag also appeared in the picture. Alcohol still plays an important role in keeping agents in good spirits.
Recently, there have been reports about the Sweden Democrats’ highest official Gustav Gellerbrant and his Russian-born partner, who with the party’s help managed to get a position as political secretary at SD’s parliamentary office. For those who delve into Stasi’s and KGB’s methods, it leads the thought to Russian operations, following a well-known pattern. Namely, the kind that a certain Vladimir Putin, now Russian president, and Horst Böhm tried to hide by burning files in Dresden in 1989.
https://www.svd.se/a/434nzg/stasis-gamla-akter-avslojar-dagens-ryska-metoder
Interesting reading! 👍
Good morning!
1990 KWIA
1 Tank
4 AFVs
18 Artillery systems
2 MLRS
1 Air defense system
1656 UAVs
1 UGVs
322 Vehicles and Fuel tanks
2 Special equipment
Glory to Ukraine!