Ratcliffe taking over shuttle diplomacy from Witkoff and Kushner is the first sign this administration might finally understand the assignment.
Witkoff treated Moscow like a real estate negotiation where you just need the right golf course anecdote. Kushner treated it like a networking event.
The Kremlin only respects power.
Ratcliffe at least operates from an intelligence baseline. He knows what the FSB and SVR actually are.
He sat with Bortnikov and Naryshkin and didn't come back parroting Kremlin talking points about "legitimate security concerns. That alone puts him ahead of half the people who have worked on this file.
The infighting is real though. Witkoff won't surrender influence quietly because his entire relevance depends on being the guy who talks to Putin.
But the White House leaking this to the Financial Times means the shift is already being tested publicly. This administration signals its internal losers this way.
For Ukraine the practical question is simple: does the channel produce pressure on Moscow or just more process?
Ratcliffe's previous trip reportedly included a blunt warning that Russia's position deteriorates the longer this drags on. That's the correct frame.
Now he needs the authority to act on it.
One interceptor out of 57 Ballistic missiles represent a defense failure. a supply failure.
The Economist finally put a number on what was already obvious. Ukraine’s PAC-3 stockpile is effectively gone, while moscovia pushes Iskander-M and RM-48U production toward a hundred units a month.
The issue lies outside the battlefield. The political decision made in Western capitals is dressed up as logistics.
The proposed alternatives tell you everything. SAMP/T NG with Aster is less effective.
So is PAC-2. Freyja is still a project.
Meanwhile, the only system that reliably kills Russian ballistics is being rationed because Washington and Berlin still treat Ukraine’s airspace as a secondary concern. The calculation is straightforward.
Moscovia builds cheap terror. The West debates expensive interceptors.
Ukrainian cities absorb the difference.
The two real options are correct. Disperse critical infrastructure.
Hit launchers and production before launch. That means deep strikes on Russian missile plants, component factories, and storage.
Not someday. Not after another escalation review.
Now. Every week of delay is a week where moscovia converts Western hesitation into dead Ukrainians.
Yemeni government forces have now reportedly broken through Houthi defensive works in Al Jawf and Marib, following the announcement of new offensive action earlier today. Houthi forces continue to conduct counteroffensive actions to the south of their controlled territory, but government forces continue to make modest gains elsewhere.
Former Attorney General Eric Holder slams AG Todd Blanche for speaking at the Republican midterm convention in Dallas this week:
“It’s unprecedented and it’s disgraceful. He shouldn’t be there!”
2014 conversations.
Ukraine, "we're being invaded by russia. Russia is at war with us."
Media, "so... Separatists?"
Ukraine, "no. Fucking russia. The russian fucking state."
Media, "so, russian-backed separatists?"
Ukraine, "FFS. Fucking russia."
Media, "russia denies..."
⚡️ Ukraine’s stockpile of Patriot missiles is almost depleted — The Economist
It is still unclear who can help Kyiv defend its skies from Russian missiles: allies are reluctant to part with interceptors because their own stockpiles are also running low.
For five days leading up to September 1, Kyiv was attacked almost hourly by waves of jet-powered drones followed by ballistic missiles.
Russia uses drones to overwhelm Ukrainian radar networks before launching missiles.
In July alone, 437 civilians were killed across Ukraine, and August is expected to be no less deadly.
Here are some fun facts about Hasan Piker.
1. He was born in the US but grew up in Turkey
2. He grew up wealthy, his father was VP of Sabancı Holding for over 20 years
3. His first job was given to him by his uncle, Cenk Uygur
4. His mother was a land lord - charging and collecting rents
5. The Piker family profited off of the Armenian Genocide
6. He has claimed that he, "Hates America" on several occasions - always in context
7. He supports Hamas (the terrorist organization)
8. He supports Hezbollah (the terrorist organization)
9. He supports the Houthi's (the terrorist organization)
10. He openly supports authoritarian regimes across the world (Cuba, China, Qatar)
11. He receives money from hostile foreign actors (Cuba, China, Qatar)
12. He used a shock collar on his dog Kaya in order to keep her in frame for his Twitch stream
13. He lied about using a shock collar on Kaya
14. He has praised the manifesto of a terrorist who killed innocent Jewish people in the US
15. He promostes terrorist propoganda from groups like Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthi's on his Twitch channel
16. He receives special provides at Twitch (to the determent of other Partnered Streamers on Twitch)
17. He and his allies recieve special treatment at Twitch (uneven application of the rules)
18. He personally intervenes in the moderation decisions at Twitch
19. He claims that he was the first to mix gaming with politics (paved it on his own) when in fact his career was only possible due to the kindness and generosity of the streamer Destiny
20. He constantly complains about being targeted by harassment campaigns while actively harassing people on his own stream and encouraging his audience to do the same
21. He claimed that a Republican was no longer seeking re-election after his wife's life was threatened - and that that was a good thing
22. His audience includes domestic terrorists who shot at police officers
23. His audience includes domestic terrorists who call in multiple bomb/death threats against US politicians
24. Hasan has tweeted vague death threats against sitting US politians
25. Claimed US deseved 9/11 and hung up a photo of the Twin Towers ablaze in his Twitch stream backgrond
26. He's a soft ass pussy bitch
27. He is unable and/or afraid to defend his ideas against people he views as more intelligent (Destiny, Hutch, anyone lol)
28. He hoards his wealth/spends it on the most hyper capitalistic items imaginable while claiming to preach for the working man and advocate for their beliefs
29. He calls democrats fascists, evil, demonic, etc and still expects them to defend him when he's in hot water
30. He claimed to have been studying the Israel/Palestine issue for decades yet didn't know what the Western Wall was (in 2025!!)
31. He literally couldn't find Israel or Gaza on a map
32. He's going bald
33. He was a frat boy making rape jokes in his early 20's
34. He was a tankie making rape jokes in his early 30's
35. He believes that Russia deserves to have Crimea
36. He ignores Russian war crimes and their genocide
37. He barely views Eastern Europeans as human
38. He views Stalin, a murderous dictator, in a positive light
39. He views Mao, a murderous dictartor, in a positive light
40. He cheers for the enemies of America against America
41. He refers of Bashar Al-Assad, the former President of Syria, a man accused of shelling, gassing, torturing, starving, and subjugating hundreds of thousands of his own people, as the Lion of Syria
42. He willingly associates with known sexual criminals
that's a good start for now. i got sources for all of these so ask and yee shall receive.
Pro-kremlische Quellen bestätigen einen vollständigen russischen Rückzug nördlich von Lyman.
Die Ukraine hat mehr als 6 Schlüsselorte befreit, darunter Drobysheve und Zelena Dolyna, und damit effektiv die Offensivgewinne Russlands aus dem Jahr 2025 ausgelöscht.
An absolute masterpiece from Ukraine’s military intelligence.
They hacked russia’s Moscow Institute of Thermal Technology and identified 2,648 people involved in developing the weapons used to kill Ukrainians.
Yars. Iskander-M. Bulava. Oreshnik.
Now their names are known.
No hiding. No impunity.
💀 Successfully eliminated: Colonel Andrey Krestyansky!
Senior Lecturer-Inspector of the Inspectorate of the Command Training Center for the Russian Ministry of Defense.
Overnight, Ukrainian attack drones conducted the deepest OWA strike of the war, hitting Russia's Novy Urengoy and Purovsky gas processing plants in Yamalo-Nenets, almost 3,000 km behind the frontline.
The strikes open up Russia's key western Siberian gas fields to attack.
Putin wants a deal that gives Ukrainian land to Russia, caps Ukrainian military strength & keeps Ukraine out of NATO. He wants capitulation not a deal. President Trump should make clear the only deal is that Russia stops its invasion and withdraws from Ukraine territory.
In August, Russia 🇷🇺 launched 8 673 air-guided bombs against Ukraine 🇺🇦, of which I managed to map 63%
The highest concentration was, for the 1st time since April in the Pokrovsk, Dobropilla, Drujkivka direction, while the Hulialpole direction was 2nd. The Vovcha river direction is third, followed by Sloviansk, Izium and Kupiansk.
This airstrike campaign continues to have devastating effects for frontline positions and cities, with their very good accuracy.
23:30 | 09/09
Approximate flight routes of our UAVs:
🔴 Red arrows — directions of strike UAV movement;
🟣 Purple arrows — directions of USV movement;
According to Russian sources, around 410 drones were reported, though these estimates and the displayed routes remain highly approximate.
People heavily underestimate the civilian death toll caused by Russia in Ukraine.
The real total, including Mariupol, is several times higher than official estimates
At least three Russian lieutenant colonels are now known by name among those killed in the August 26 Ukrainian missile strikes on Russian command posts in occupied Donetsk:
• Lieutenant Colonel Andrey Viktorovich Moiseenko, senior officer of the Operations Directorate of the 41st Guards Combined Arms Army HQ
• Lieutenant Colonel Artyom Leonidovich Akimov, deputy head of the 41st Army’s air defense department
• Lieutenant Colonel Denis Petrovich Pavlov
Unofficial claims from Ukrainian side put Russian losses from the strikes at 27 killed and 58 wounded
PAC-3 MSE production is ramping and the near-term ramp is funded. 800 +/- this year, and likely 1,000+ next year. The current administration wants to ramp to 2,000 a year for the MSE and Lockheed Martin is working with its European customers on the PAC-3 ACE on top of that. And PAC-2 GEM/T production in the US and soon in Europe. Second and third source suppliers are being stood up to accommodate that ramp rate and planned new variants. Missiles are being actively developed or fielded that sit above and below it in capability to relieve the stress on its fire units. It is a program in active funded growth. The alternative being proposed below is not and lacks the installed base to plan a significant ramp ahead of need.