Svitlana Rudenko🇺🇦

[Олег Володарський @volodarskijo]

Він лежав у траві без ніг, без зброї, без рації - і саме тоді почув голос побратимів: "Геродот! Де ти?"

Він думав поскручувати турнікети й стекти кров'ю, щоб не мучитися. А потім згадав, що обіцяв мамі повернутися.

Романа з позивним "Геродот", який вже півтора року в штурмовому підрозділі, - важко чимось здивувати. Його найдовший бойовий вихід тривав чотири місяці на "нулі".

Одного разу він вискочив у траншею як був - у шортах, футболці й кроксах на бо��у ногу. Схопив автомат і почав стріляти.

А коли бій закінчився, Геродот подивився на хлопців: усі в броні й касках, заряджені. А він у шортах і кроксах. Смішно. Хоча було смертельно небезпечно.

А через два з половиною тижні він пішов уночі по посилку й наступив на міну. Його підкинуло. Ліва стопа - на шмаття.

Він узяв ножиці й обрізав усе зайве по колу. Наклав два турнікети, закрутив так туго, що кістки хрустіли.

Через добу за ним прислали наземний робот. Разом із пораненим мали вивозити й загиблого розвідника.

Геродот просто ліг на нього - і вони рушили.

Але на світанку робота помітив ��орожий дрон. Удар. Геродот і загиблий вилетіли на землю.

Права нога - теж на шмаття, броня горить, зброя в хлам. Цілий лише шолом. Він надів його й поповз.

До посадки було 30 метрів. Ліва нога без стопи, праву він переставляв руками.

Добрався до дерева, впав і зрозумів: без ніг, без зброї, без рації він у повній с*аці.

А потім він почув голос ротного з гучномовця: "Вставай і рухайся за мною!" Він повз, біг на колінах, ховався під кущами.

Ще один удар. Оглушило. Батарейка від дрона заплуталася в капюшоні й загорілася. Він повз і відчував, що горить. Потім вже дістав її й викинув.

Свої ніяк не могли його знайти. Ротний крикнув: "Геродот, покажи себе, якщо ти ще живий!"

Він виповз на видне місце й жестами попросив води. Скинули воду та знеболювальне.

А потім скинули ковбасу, хліб і цілу пачку сигарет. До того він їв тільки батончики, щоб глюкоза в крові була.

Він сів, з'їв ковбасу, перекурив і навіть трохи забув про ноги. Думав: хоч поїм і покурю перед смертю.

Гарантії, що його витягнуть, не було жодної. У нього з'явилася думка поскручувати турнікети й стекти кров'ю, щоб не мучитися.

Але він згадав, що обіцяв мамі повернутися.

І поповз.

Пощастило - знявся вітер, і ворожі дрони більше не могли вилетіти. А за кілька десятків метрів раптом пролунали голоси: "Геродот! Геродот, де ти?"

Це були троє побратимів. Вони подивилися на нього, і один не витримав: "Як ти ще живий?"

Геродот пожартував: "Ви ж не доконтролити прийшли?" Вони відповіли: "Ми тебе винесемо звідси".

І понесли - на плечах, змінюючи один одного, два з половиною кілометри. А потім повернулися за загиблим. І теж винесли його.

Обидві ноги довелося ампутувати: ліву нижче коліна, праву - ви��е.

Найдивовижніше, що сам він сприймає це спокійно, навіть із гумором. Показує культі й жартує: "А що мені тепер - плакати? Я живий, значить, усе нормально має бути".

Коли його евакуювали, він подзвонив дівчині. Сказав, що двох ніг немає. Вона відповіла: "Ти що - дурень? Приїду й поб'ю тебе". А потім почала плакати. І йому довелося втішати її, а не навпаки.

Він каже, що зробить протези. І якщо вони будуть хороші - повернеться й далі навалювати.

Усе буде добре. Бо його ніхто не кинув.

[Olena Rohoza @OlenaRohoza]

“Please, don’t. Don’t beat us. Don’t kill us.”

Military medic Serhii heard these screams every evening through the metal fence of a Russian penal colony. “And afterward, I was the one who had to deal with the consequences of those beatings.”

Serhii is 53 years old. He has spent nearly 30 years serving as a military paramedic and is currently with Ukraine’s National Guard. He was captured during the defense of Mariupol and spent four years in captivity. In occupied Horlivka and Torez, between 3,500 and 4,000 Ukrainian prisoners of war passed through his hands. His story was told by Ukrainska Pravda. Life.

In December 2021, Serhii went on what was supposed to be a three-month rotation near Mariupol. On February 24, his group was stationed near Staryi Krym, home to a cemetery covering almost 200 hectares.

Serhii recalls: “The occupiers didn’t care. They shelled the cemetery — graves and crosses were blown into the air.”

In mid-March, the group received orders to break through to Azovstal in small units. They never made it. They were captured.

For the first 24 hours, 30 Ukrainian servicemen were crammed into a cell designed for four to eight people — together with the body of a dead man, which the guards refused to remove. At the Starobilsk detention center, they were given two slices of bread a day and a bowl of what Serhii describes as slop. In Olenivka, 11 men were packed into a cell intended for two.

In Horlivka, the occupiers ordered Serhii to work in the prison medical unit. Over the next two years, the number of prisoners held there grew from 600 to 1,800. Men in the cells would write down who was sick and what they were suffering from, then bring those lists to Serhii. Whatever medicine he managed to obtain, he sorted into boxes for different prisoner groups and carried throughout the camp.

Serhii: “I was walking on a razor’s edge. One tiny, misunderstood step to the left or right — and that was it. They could kill me.”

After the evening “inspections,” men were brought to him covered in hematomas, with broken bones and other injuries. No one was taken for X-rays. No one was taken for surgery.

Serhii recalls the guards’ response: “Will it heal? Fine. If it doesn’t — well, then f*** you.”

In June 2024, Serhii was transferred to Torez. Men who had just been captured on the front lines were brought there, along with severely wounded Ukrainian soldiers transferred from local hospitals. Serhii removed shrapnel and bullets from their bodies — some wounds fresh, others old. As many as 50 prisoners could be brought to him at once. He would work for two or three hours, step outside for half an hour just to recover, and then go back in. Back to the wounded. Back to the blood. Back to doing whatever he could with whatever little he had.

Serhii: “I’m grateful to fate that, in that hell, I was able to put myself to use — not for myself, but for our guys.”

In the summer of 2023, a guard told him that he had supposedly “refused an exchange.” His name was crossed off the list. Another prisoner, Vitia from Mariupol, had already been put into the vehicle for an exchange — only to be taken out and sent back.

So when Serhii’s name appeared on an exchange list again, he did not celebrate. He had learned what hope could cost in captivity.

At first, there were 11 names on the list. Then there were 10. That evening, a guard told him only three remained. Serhii leaned against the door. There was a pause. Then the guard added: “You’re still on the list.”

The prisoners were taken to Rostov. Their hands were tied. Their eyes were taped shut. They were flown to the Moscow region, then transported to Belarus. There, finally, the restraints and blindfolds were removed.

And then came Ukraine.

After four years of captivity.After thousands of wounded men. After screams heard through a metal fence night after night.After years of never knowing whether the next door to open would bring another wounded Ukrainian — or death for Serhii himself.

[Defense of Ukraine @DefenceU]

«Never explain - your friends do not need it and your enemies will not believe you anyway.»
Elbert Hubbard

The combat losses of the enemy from February 24, 2022 to September 18, 2026.

[Anton Gerashchenko @Gerashchenko_en]

‼️ A humanitarian evacuation is urgently needed for Ukrainian civilians in the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky.

People are starving, have no access to medical care, and are unable to leave the city.

[Maria Drutska 🇺🇦 @maria_drutska]

‼️ NYT: Trump wants to sign business deals with Putin before the war ends.

How exactly this bribery would lead to a just and lasting peace for Ukraine and not just a brief pause for rearming before a restart is unclear.

Somehow, I doubt Trump cares so long as he gets his deals.

[MAKS 26 🇺🇦👀 @Maks_NAFO_FELLA]

🇩🇪🇺🇦 Merz: Anyone who today believes we should give up Ukraine in its fight for freedom has given up freedom throughout Europe tomorrow, ladies and gentlemen.

And this path I will not take under any circumstances. Whoever wants to take it may do so, but I will not.

[MFA of Ukraine 🇺🇦 @MFA_Ukraine]

The Nazi book burnings of the 1930s, a nationwide campaign “against the un-German spirit”, remain among the darkest symbols of totalitarian and genocidal evil.

Today, under the absurd and cynical guise of “denazification”, Russia is deliberately destroying Ukrainian books and Ukraine’s entire publishing infrastructure.

Russia is systematically destroying an entire sector of Ukraine’s creative economy. In just one month this summer, Russian attacks destroyed around 10 million Ukrainian books – roughly a third of Ukraine’s annual book production. Among them were around 600,000 school textbooks on Ukrainian history, languages, science and other subjects, ready for delivery to Ukrainian schools.

The attempt to erase the Ukrainian written word is part of the genocidal pattern of Russia’s war. It is an attack on Ukraine’s identity, driven by fear of what these books represent. In the temporarily occupied territories, the destruction of Ukrainian books paves the way for indoctrination through Russian propaganda.

The best way to support Ukraine’s publishing industry is to provide Ukraine with more air defence.

Today, on Berlin’s Bebelplatz, where one of the largest Nazi book burnings took place in May 1933, a memorial bears a quotation from Heinrich Heine:

“That was but a prelude; where they burn books, they will ultimately burn people as well.”

[Christian Borys @ItsBorys]

Ovechkin says "I'm not in politics. I can't say who's right and who's wrong."

Think about this boy, Hordii Udovychenko and his Mom, who were murdered by the Russian military just this spring.

And the @NHL is silent, waiting it out, because they expect this will blow over.

[🪖MilitaryNewsUA🇺🇦 @front_ukrainian]

❗️Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said that Moscow’s provocations against Europe are multiplying because Putin wants to divert attention from the situation on the battlefield in Ukraine, which is not unfolding as he promised his people, and to provoke an escalation with Europe. In her view, Europe should not respond to these provocations, since that would benefit Moscow more than Europe.

[Euromaidan Press @EuromaidanPress]

A Ukrainian F-16 takes off to hunt Russian drones, sometimes relying on its cannon amid missile shortages.

In its new aid package, Poland plans to provide, among other things, F-16 missiles Ukraine critically needs, plus aviation equipment. The package may be worth around €50 million.

🔗https://t.co/HO9VAnHRqd

[24 ОМБр імені короля Данила @24th_brigade]

Архівні кадри виходу піхотинців 24-ї бригади з Часового Яру — перші емоції наших воїнів після місяців на позиціях.

Дивіться повне відео на нашому YouTube.

[Defense of Ukraine @DefenceU]

Russia has no safe rear, not even at operational depth.

Whatever the enemy moves far from the line of contact becomes a target too.

A HIMARS crew with the callsign Hunter works artillery systems, drone launch positions, staging areas, and logistics hubs.

The hunt continues.

📷: 148th Artillery Brigade

[Mimi 🇫🇷🇪🇺 @FacciniMyriam]

Ukraine has already endured the Holodomor—a crime in which starvation was used as a weapon against Ukrainians. Today, we have no right to remain silent while people once again face conditions of starvation and blockade.

#Oleshky is Ukraine. Do not let them disappear in silence.

[Prof. Bonk 🇺🇦 Perverse & Unintended Consequences @actfast]

RUSSIANS REPORT UKRAINIAN FORCES HAVE CROSSED THE ZHEREBETS RIVER BEHIND LYMAN AS RUSSIAN FORCES CONTINUE TO COLLAPSE.

The most famous Russian Milblogger admitted a complete collapse of the Russian Army around Lyman as panicked troops retreat across the river. ⬇️⬇️⬇️

[Joni Askola @joni_askola]

Europe must scale up support for Ukraine's deep strikes.

Crippling Russia's economy is the fastest path to ending this insane war. Putin shows zero regard for Russian lives, but he will be forced to stop once his war economy collapses.

Let’s transfer Russia’s frozen assets!

[Олег Володарський @volodarskijo]

"У ту вирішальну мить вже ��оранений Сашко закрив собою вхід до укриття, прийнявши на себе близько десяти гранат, якими вороги закидали позицію і тим самим врятував життя своїм побратимам"

Його тіло до цього часу залишилось на полі бою…

Олександр Хомʼяк. Герой України. На жаль, посмертно.

Про його ��иття нам відомо небагато. Та подвиг, який він здійснив в останні хвилини свого життя, назавжди залишиться свідченням справжньої мужності.

Олександр був одним із восьми Титанів, які 67 діб тримали оборону опорного пункту «Пінчер» поблизу села Спірне на Донеччині, перебуваючи у ворожому оточенні.

16 вересня 2024 року ворог кинув проти них цілий штурмовий загін. Наші воїни прийняли бій.

Коли позицію почали закидувати їх гранатами, поранений Олександр закрив собою вхід до укриття. Близько десяти вибухів прийняв на себе, врятувавши побратимів ціною власно��о життя.

Найвищу державну нагороду за свого сина отримувала мама — Людмила Павлівна.

Олександр Хомʼяк — воїн батальйону «Свобода» 4-ї бригади «Рубіж».

Шана і честь Герою!

Сьогодні — друга річниця його загибелі. Друга річниця від дня, коли він віддав життя, щоб жили інші. Його немає серед нас, але його подвиг досі говорить голосніше за будь-які слова.

[NOELREPORTS 🇪🇺 🇺🇦 @NOELreports]

❗️Bingo: Russia’s Yaroslavl refinery halted crude processing after a Ukrainian drone strike damaged its AVT-3 unit, four industry sources told Reuters. AVT-3 accounts for about 40% of the plant’s capacity, while another key unit was already under repair from an August strike. #Ukraine

[Institute for the Study of War @TheStudyofWar]

NEW: Ukraine’s Operation Vivaldi in the Lyman direction demonstrates Ukraine’s recent progress in restoring elements of tactical maneuver on the battlefield, enabled in part by Ukraine’s shaping operations and intermediate-range strike campaign that degrades Russian electronic warfare (EW) capabilities. (1/2)

Other Key Takeaways:

Ukrainian forces achieved operational surprise by leveraging rigorous operational security (OPSEC) and counter-drone operations to degrade Russian forces’ operational awareness.

Russian forces are transferring armor and drone support assets to the Dobropillya direction for future mechanized assaults in Fall 2026.

Ukrainian forces are intensifying their long-range strike campaign against Russian military assets, including by conducting a suppression and destruction of enemy air defenses (SEAD/DEAD) campaign in Rostov Oblast.

Russia continues to rely on North Korea to wage war against Ukraine and alleviate Russian labor shortages.

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda publicly acknowledged on September 16 that Russia may be deliberately allowing Russian drones to deviate from their intended course and enter NATO airspace in order to punish countries supporting Ukraine.

The US House of Representatives passed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 on September 16, which authorizes the US to impose tariffs of up to 100 percent on the five largest importers of Russian oil and natural gas.

Ukrainian forces recently advanced near Kupyansk.

Russia launched 157 drones, 10 Banderol/Dan-T loitering munitions, and an unspecified number of missiles at Ukraine overnight.

[UAVoyager🇺🇦 @CrimeanVoyager]

His hands once created sculptures.

On the battlefield, they held a weapon.

Mykhailo Mukha was a sculptor, artist and master prop-maker. His work was even featured in a Hollywood museum.

But when Ukraine needed him, he became a soldier.

A volunteer. A sergeant with Ukraine’s 56th Brigade. A combat vehicle commander.

On February 12, 2024, near Bohdanivka, Donetsk region, Mykhailo was mortally wounded while trying to evacuate a wounded comrade.

He left behind his wife, whom he had loved since he was 16, his mother, four children and his brother.

Today, his eldest son is defending Ukraine too.

Mykhailo received 10 state awards — nine during his lifetime and one posthumously.

He created with his hands.
He fought with his heart.
He died saving another man.

Eternal glory to the Hero.
Never forgotten.

[Генеральний штаб ЗСУ @GeneralStaffUA]

The estimated total combat losses of the enemy from 24.02.22 to 18.09.26