Jack Williams

Director of External Affairs, Alabama Public Television. Opinions are mine. I tweet about sports, jokes & my devotions. Instagram -repjack47

[Jack Williams @205JackWilliams]

82 years ago today the U.S., UK & Canadian armed forces stormed the northern beaches of France to begin the liberation of Europe from Nazi occupation.

Three years ago Russia was committing war crimes and eco terrorism destroying the Kakhovak Dam murdering Ukrainian civilians.

[UAVoyager🇺🇦 @NAFOvoyager]

Three years ago, on June 6, 2023, russians destroyed the Kakhovka Dam — one of the worst ecological disasters of the century.

Hundreds of villages flooded, dozens of lives lost, ecosystems wiped out for generations.

Not an accident — state terror.

We remember.

[Anton Gerashchenko @Gerashchenko_en]

"We've been waiting for this for so long! Every day, every exchange..."

Ukrainian Defender Yevhen was taken captive by Russia in 2023. Today, he has finally returned home.

"My heart breaks for the guys who are still in Russian captivity. They're being held in such horrific conditions..." Yevhen shared.

📹: TSN

[Olga Patlyuk 🇺🇦 @OlgaPatl]

Every time I read that sanctions against Russia should not be made tougher because they might affect “оrdinary Russians,” I have one question.

Why is the world so concerned that Russians might have a less comfortable life, yet speaks far less about Ukrainians who are being kіІIеd every day by Russian mіssiles and drones?

Sanctions may cause economic hardship for Russians. But that hardship does not thrеаten their lives. It does not dеstroy their homes in the middle of the night. It does not burу their children under the rubble. It does not force them to wake up to еxplosions and live with the fеar of losing their loved ones every single day.

So what is the logic?

Why does the comfort of citizens of the аggressor state matter more to some people than the lives of those their state is kіIІіng?

For years, we Ukrainians have been paying the highest price -with our lives, our health, our homes, and our future. And when someone argues that Russians must be protected from the consequences of sanctions while remaining silent about protecting Ukrainians from Russian mіssiles, it looks like moral blіndness.

I am not concerned about the comfort of people whose state brings dеаth to my nation every day.

I am concerned about the lives of Ukrainians.

[D.Radka, #NAFO 🇨🇿🤝🇺🇦 @DakdaR22]

“Russia can stop this war at any time by withdrawing from Ukraine. Ukraine cannot stop defending itself.”

- Radoslaw Sikorski

...It should be clear enough..!🤷‍♀️

[Maria Drutska 🇺🇦 @maria_drutska]

Videos appear to show the entire oil depot in Ust-Labinsk, Krasnodar Krai, burning down at once.

Remember: every strike like this is more than just an awesome fire. It's Russia's ability to kill Ukrainians being taken away from them.

The road to victory is lit with oil lamps.🔥

[Marco Fattorini @MarcoFattorini]

La presidente del Senato russo Valentina Matvienko attacca i leader europei «e la loro politica aggressiva». Intanto però suo figlio continua a usare la lussuosa villa di famiglia a Pesaro, nonostante Matvienko sia sotto sanzioni. Tutto normale?

[Dan the “Shadow Tanker Bonker” @realLangerDan]

‼️This is incredibly damning. All of it.

#Alumina21

[Anna @AnnaDeMilanese]

Schwedens Migrationsminister Forssell: „Es ist wahnsinnig dass fast 500.000 russische Touristen 2025 nach Europa kamen während Ukrainer auf dem Schlachtfeld sterben."
Elf Länder haben einen gemeinsamen Brief an Kallas und Kommissar Brunner geschickt: Polen, Schweden, Tschechien, Dänemark, Estland, Finnland, Lettland, Litauen, Niederlande, Norwegen und Island.
Forderung: Verbindliche Verschärfungen im EU-Visakodex. Bessere Kontrollen. Blockierung ehemaliger russischer Kombattanten.

Das Problem: Frankreich, Italien, Spanien und Griechenland stellen die meisten Visa aus – und wollen das Touristengeld nicht verlieren. Russische Touristen geben im Schnitt 1.600 bis 2.000 Dollar pro Reise aus. Europa ist gespalten.

Forssell ist konsequent –
und kein Newcomer in dieser Sache.
Bereits im Mai 2025 drohte er russischen Staatsangehörigen in Schweden den Aufenthaltsstatus zu entziehen wenn sie am 9. Mai mit russischen oder sowjetischen Flaggen demonstrieren.
Wörtlich: „Verbindungen zu extremistischen Bewegungen können unter die neuen Verhaltensanforderungen für eine Aufenthaltserlaubnis fallen.
Wir sind nicht verpflichtet Gastfreundschaft gegenüber Personen zu zeigen die unsere öffentliche Ordnung bedrohen."
Jetzt führt er die Koalition von 11 Ländern an die EU-weite Visaverschärfungen für russische Touristen fordern.
477.000 russische Touristen kamen 2025 nach Europa. Forssell nennt das „wahnsinnig."
🇸🇪🇵🇱🇪🇪🇱🇻🇱🇹🇪🇺🇺🇦

[Tymofiy Mylovanov @Mylovanov]

Even some of Russia’s most prominent hawks are starting to say publicly that Russia cannot win this war.

The debate inside Russia is no longer how to achieve victory in Ukraine. It is whether victory is still possible at all, WSJ. 1/

[toomas hendrik ilves @IlvesToomas]

Irish government under pressure over alumina exports to Russia https://t.co/bBuFAfYim0 via @ft

[Jürgen Nauditt 🇩🇪🇺🇦 @jurgen_nauditt]

Three African countries have begun construction of a gas pipeline to Europe that bypasses Russia – Business Insider.

Algeria, Niger, and Nigeria are carrying out the Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline project, which, once completed, will be capable of supplying the EU with up to 30 billion cubic meters of gas annually.

Construction work has already started in Algeria. The total length of the gas pipeline will exceed 4,000 km.

The project is considered one of the key routes for replacing Russian gas on the European market.

[Yasmina @yasminalombaert]

French President Macron openly called out Moscow’s massive interference in the Armenian elections and confirmed that French intelligence has the receipts. It’s a blunt acknowledgment that while Paris is stepping up to back Armenian sovereignty, the Kremlin’s dirty tricks department is working overtime to choke out yet another budding democracy.

Here is what he had to say:

Journalist:
“What is your reaction to the pressures put on Armenia? You know, the president...”

Emmanuel Macron:
“I think there is interference that has been... that is established. As you know, we are cooperating with Armenia to fight against these interferences, this meddling, these manipulations. It is established, including by our services, that there has been massive interference coming from Russia against the elections in Armenia.
But I know that it is a great people that values its sovereignty, its independence.
We will help expose all this interference, and I wish the best for Armenian democracy, and I was by the Prime Minister's side yesterday.”

[Johanna Nyman @JohannaNyman5]

A Swedish court has ruled that the seizure of a cargo ship in the Baltic Sea was lawful and that it can be handed over to Ukraine on suspicion of illegally transporting grain from Russian-occupied territory.

Bravo, Sweden!

[Visegrád 24 @visegrad24]

A major fire has broken out at the oil refinery in Tyumen

Local authorities claim the blaze was caused by a “technological process violation” rather than a drone strike.

The Tyumen refinery is one of the largest in Russia.

[Tymofiy Mylovanov @Mylovanov]

Keane: Ukraine is on offense and retaking territory.

There's been a major turnaround in the war. Russia started its spring and summer offensive and it has failed miserably. They're losing more territory than they can take.

[Afshin Ismaeli @Afshin_Ismaeli]

Student Protests Across Iran
Students protested today in several cities across Iran, including Tehran, Shiraz, Khorramabad, Kermanshah, Tabriz, Mashhad, Karaj, and cities across Gilan Province.
The protests were sparked by concerns over the role of school grades in university admissions and worries about students' educational futures.

Students chanted slogans including:
"We have seen no justice, only empty promises."
and
"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, we are all together."

[Dr Helen Fry | WWII Historian @DrHelenFry]

Did you know that the first women to land on the Normandy beachhead in June 1944 were nurses of Queen Alexandra’s Imperial Nursing Service?

Their task was to establish a field hospital for 600 wounded soldiers.

They succeeded.

Please remember these heroines who saved lives:

[Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський @ZelenskyyUa]

Today is the 82nd anniversary of D-Day – the Allied landings in Normandy, which significantly hastened the countdown to the Nazis' collapse in World War II. It is one of the most important moments of unity among the defenders of life in human history, and it was less than a year until the peoples’ aspiration for freedom and the hope of peace prevailed in May 1945. It happened then. We are working to make it happen again today.

And although yesterday in Petersburg another cynical order to continue killing was issued for the army trying to destroy our freedom, history has seen this before. The Nazis also had their own hopes after D-Day. But freedom still wins. And even in the darkest circumstances, people find ways to come together to protect life.

I thank all those who are now helping to protect the values that prevailed in World War II. I thank everyone who is defending life. Glory to Ukraine!

[Kyrylo Shevchenko @KShevchenkoReal]

❗ 🇷🇺 Oleg Deripaska - Putin’s favourite oligarch under #EUSanctions - still secretly controls #Rusal & Ireland’s Aughinish Alumina plant. In 2019 he formally cut his stake to 44% to escape sanctions. Then Putin issued a decree allowing 🇷🇺 companies to cancel voting rights of shareholders from “hostile” (Western) countries. This instantly restored Deripaska’s effective control to 53.7%, acc. to @IrishTimes. The Limerick factory continues shipping over half its alumina to Russia. Ireland tolerates it for the 600 jobs. Notably, it wasn’t 🇮🇪 authorities who exposed this - it was Swedish tax investigators who uncovered the loophole. One Russian decree quietly neuters years of #WesternSanctions. #MakeRussiaPay
Photo: @IrishTimes

[L’Atlantista 🇮🇹🇺🇦 @Latlantista]

Non ho mai scritto a riguardo della raffineria di alluminio ad Aughinish in Irlanda; pensavo erroneamente: quanto alluminio può mai produrre l’Irlanda per la Russia?

Mi sbagliavo. La raffineria di Aughinsh, posseduta dal colosso russo “Rusal” (posseduto dall’oligarca Deripaska) produce un terzo di tutto il (poco) alluminio ancora prodotto in Europa. Tutto questo alluminio è trasportato in Russia dove viene usato per nutrire lo stesso complesso militare industriale che rade al suolo le città ucraine facendo stragi di civili.

Ma lo scandalo è ancora maggiore di quello che potrebbe sembrare: che le sanzioni europee non siano affatto complete e permettano ancora tali follie non era una novità. Quello che personalmente mi ha scandalizzato è il modo in cui i politici irlandesi, incalzati dal bravissimo reporter Caolan, neghino che la raffineria abbia una qualche connessione con il complesso militare russo, nonostante tutto, a partire dalle insegne fuori dalla struttura, porti a tale conclusione.

Questa roba deve finire all’istante. La raffineria va sanzionata, chiusa e basta.