"It's not just a security issue - it's also a moral issue. While Ukrainians are dying, Russians are spending their holidays in Europe. " - Estonian Interior Minister Igor Taro called on EU countries to tighten their visa policy toward Russian citizens.
"A very troubling sign is that the number of visas issued to Russians in Europe is growing, which is ridiculous. Because it's not just a security issue - it's also a moral issue.
While Ukrainians are dying, Russians are spending their holidays in Europe. It's just not logical at all. The non-binding measures have produced non-binding results, and it just can't continue like this.
I think there should be a ban on tourist visas for Russians, at least for as long as this war continues, because Russians are traveling as if nothing has happened.
And that's exactly what the Kremlin wants Russians to believe: 'It's okay, it's just a small special operation, it's not a big deal, and we can carry on with business as usual.'
So we have to squeeze Russia really hard."
On 9 March 1944.
Hundreds of Soviet bombers are returning from a night raid over Tallinn.
Hidden among them are 19 Finnish bombers.
The Soviets have no idea they're flying alongside the enemy. 🧵
It has been a great honor to serve the Ukrainian people as the Minister of Defense.
Here is what our team managed to achieve:
1. Disabled Starlink access for Russian forces.
2. Took over a Ministry of Defense with zero budget, took a risk, reallocated funds from payroll from the end of the year, and effectively invested them in mid-strike capabilities, fiber-optic FPVs, low-cost reconnaissance, ground robotic platforms, interceptor drones, and deep-strike drones.
3. Launched "Logistical Lockdown", this cut off enemy logistics and initiated the isolation of Crimea.
4. Continued the funding program for the Drone Line.
5. Launched a support program for modern drone-assault units that rely primarily on advanced technologies in combat.
6. Introduced a 70% advance payment policy for procurements made via e-Points on the Brave1 Market portal.
7. Fundamentally overhauled the procurement system.
8. Procured thousands of pickup trucks, buggies, and ATVs for the military for the first time—and did so through open tenders.
9. The drone interception rate rose from 83% to 91%, and the cruise missile interception rate soared from 47% to 87%.
10. Contracted Patriot PAC-2 GEM-T missiles for the first time, and submitted an application through an EU loan to purchase PAC-3 missiles.
11. Launched a baseline drone supply system for brigades and corps.
12. Launched a massive grant program for manufacturers of explosives and missiles.
13. Initiated an unpopular but vital transformation of the military.
14. Conducted three UDCG meetings, where we successfully broke through the Russian information trap claiming our defeat, restoring partners' faith in Ukraine. This secured $40 billion in support announced for this year (excluding the EU loan).
15. Launched the mechanism to utilize the EU loan for our military priorities.
16. Found a way to scale cheap missiles against jet-powered Shaheds and signed a record-breaking contract.
17. Our domestic ballistics. We radically revised the technical specifications, maximized accuracy, and reduced the cost by 30%.
18. Signed a contract to procure Gripen fighter jets.
19. Collaborated with the military to plan and execute Operation Auchan, which halted the enemy's mechanized offensive for six months.
20. Opened up exports under the Drone Deal program to attract investment and scale up domestic defense-industrial complex (OPK) production.
21. Launched the Trophy Lab, providing partners with the opportunity to study captured Russian military technologies.
22. Launched the Defense AI Center A1 to accelerate the integration of artificial intelligence on the battlefield.
Thank you to my entire team for their relentless 24/7 service. A special thank you to my family for their patience.
Thank you all for your support!
I will continue to work toward the mission I originally brought to the Ministry of Defense: defeating the enemy through asymmetry, the speed of innovation, and the power of organization.
To be continued.
Bonjour à tous . 64 550 signatures ce 15 juillet à 11 heures . C'est effrayant de lenteur mais impossible n'est pas français alors .... On continue ! 🇫🇷🫡
Why hasn't Ukraine destroyed the Kerch Bridge yet, despite completely neutralizing its air defense shield? The answer is masterclass psychological warfare.
You don't destroy the bridge. You leave it open.
By keeping Putin's prize bridge intact but visibly defenseless, Kyiv is applying Sun Tzu’s ancient rule: build your opponent a golden bridge to retreat across. If you trap millions of occupiers, collaborators, and Russian settlers on Crimea, they will fight to the death out of sheer desperation.
Instead, you leave the escape hatch open and let panic do the work. The message is loud and clear: "Get out while you still can." The massive, self-inflicted exodus of Russians fleeing back to their homeland does more to demilitarize Crimea than a thousand missile strikes ever could. Why waste ammo when the enemy is evacuating themselves? #KerchBridge #Crimea #PsychologicalWarfare #SunTzu #MilitaryStrategy #UkraineWar
🇺🇦 Big step for Ukraine.
FirePoint has introduced the FP-7.x - a Ukrainian-made missile designed as a more affordable alternative to the Patriot interceptor.
It can fly at up to 2,000 m/s, hit targets as far as 200 km away, and uses advanced guidance technology to track and destroy incoming aerial threats.
More Ukrainian air defense. More lives protected.
Operation "Peklo" ("Hell"): Ukrainian Defenders destroyed a major Russian fuel storage and distribution base in occupied Novoamvrosiivske, Donetsk region.
Russians built a large logistics hub on the territory of a cement plant. Fuel was delivered by rail, stored in tanks, and distributed by disguised trucks to Russian units along a wide section of the front.
After reconnaissance, Azov’s 1st Corps of the National Guard of Ukraine struck key nodes: destroyed the railway crane, blocked the railroad with a disabled locomotive, disabled the main electrical substation, and destroyed the fuel tanks.
Glory!
The situation of the Novopavlivka-Ivanivka front is currently the most difficult for Russian 🇷🇺 forces
🔹After months of infiltrations, often covered by OPSEC, the Ukrainians 🇺🇦 liberated a bunch of villages and cleared both Ivanivka and Novopavlivka from previous infiltrations. In this area, around 55 km2 of grey zone are most likely under Ukrainian control, as per high FAB strikes number.
🔹The main Russian problem is logistical. All roads leading to the area are exposed and under fire. The only places used for accumulation are Bahatyr (completly destroyed) and Komar (partially destroyed, hit by Ukrainian airstrikes). After these villages, Russian infantry still need to walk on foot, on open roads from 5 to 10 km to reach "frontline" villages and positions before assaults.
🔹Recent videos showed multiple casualties after Russian infantry were sent across the Vovcha (Bahatyr-Ivanivka), Solena (Novopavlivka) and Mokri Yali (Komar) river. Despite these losses, Russian infantry is still tasked to attack the New Donbas Line section between Novopavlivka and Ivanivka (they need to cross 2 rivers and 3 ditches), which is suicidal, knowing they have been attacking here for 10 months !)
🔹Russian "flaggers" continue to be sighted in Iskra, further west, in an attempt from the 90th tank division to show they control the situation to their command. Regularly on Telegram, Russian bloggers complain about the risk of Ukrainian entrance in Komar, since fighting have been happening in Piddubne for weeks. The situation is not very good for the 29th CAA in this sector, but the danger of further explotation is limited due to rivers.
🔹Ukraine deployed 3 air assault brigades (79th, 80th, 95th) in the direction to push back russian forces behind the Mokri Yali river and further reinforce their lines in the sector. This also gives more losses for Russia forces. The main challenge is the large number of airstrikes falling on their positions. If airstrikes decreased in Hulialpole, they slightly increased here recently, including more than 50 in the large yellow perimeter on the map, inside the grey zone between Komar and Ivanivka.
🔹With Novopavlivka under Ukrainian control and Ivanivka secured, the UAF can move south to pressure and trap russians attempting to attack the New Donbas Line fortified section. But it is probably much more interesting to keep the situation as it is currently, since this is an open kill zone for tens or hundreds of Russians every month. For further exploitation, the Komar/Velika Novosilka directions are much more interesting in order to further slow down or postpone Russian offensive momentum in Hulialpole.
For this situation review, I used @AndrewPerpetua base map and @WarUnitObserver observations about unit deployment.
This week Kyiv was hit by missiles & Irish politicians are STILL defending the refinery supplying Russia’s war machine.
Today, another ship sailed from Ireland to Russia.
For years, the government tried to cover this up. Now the truth is coming out
Watch my full investigation:
If you thought nothing could surprise you anymore, I'm about to prove you wrong—and in a good way.
Do you know how many Russian ships and tankers were reportedly hit today in the Sea of Azov during what was described as a decisive attempt to break the fuel blockade of Crimea?
According to the author, 18 vessels were hit yesterday. Today, they claim that the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the "Madyar" unit surpassed anything imaginable by striking not just another convoy, but what amounted to an entire fleet. The author says they cannot recall any war in history, even World War II, in which so many ships were hit simultaneously.
According to the post, 31 ships were struck today in the Sea of Azov by Ukraine's unmanned systems.
Thirty-one ships!
The author jokes that if Prigozhin were still alive, he would probably be shouting: "Shoigu, Gerasimov, where is the Azov Fleet?"
The post goes on to describe the operation as extraordinary, claiming it has stunned the world and that international media are covering what it calls a remarkable phenomenon. According to the author, 61 ships have been hit in the Sea of Azov since July 6.
The author further claims that there are only 150–200 vessels of this class operating in the Sea of Azov, and that they are responsible for supplying the Russian military.
The post concludes by praising the operation, imagining Putin furiously ordering the blockade to be broken while sailors, terrified of drone attacks, are forced onto their ships.
The author finishes by stating that hitting 31 ships in a single night is an achievement unmatched anywhere in the world except by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and ends with the appeal:
Support our army!
Glory to Ukraine! 🇺🇦