Sophia

All men desire peace; few men desire the things that make for peace.

[Sophia @paperwings573]

https://t.co/B99J6GFfSj

[Robin Brooks @robin_j_brooks]

There's only one question for Germany: what policies will stop the inexorable rise of the AfD, which is heading for 30% in the polls. This will literally tip Europe if it continues. Germany with AfD in government won't stand up to Russia. And it also won't stick with the Euro...

[Gabrielius Landsbergis🇱🇹 @GLandsbergis]

Europe's refusal to confiscate Russian assets sends a clear message to the dictators of the world: "Your blood money will be safe in Europe".
Hard to comprehend why some people are happy to approve this message and insert themselves into the darker pages of future history books.

[Kate from Kharkiv @BohuslavskaKate]

I spent the entire day trying to make someone care about Russia’s murder of 24 people, most of them elderly, who were simply standing in line to collect their pensions.

Russia dropped an aerial bomb on them as if they were a military command or strategic object. They were simple people trying to survive the russian war.

But I suppose in today’s world, being murdered on a day crowded with headlines means being murdered in silence, without even the dignity of being seen in death.

[Anton Gerashchenko @Gerashchenko_en]

I've decided to translate for you a post from the Russian Telegram channel "Nezygar" about the current state of Russian refineries and fuel market:

"Tensions in Russia's fuel market are rising: in Primorye, there are kilometer-long queues at gas stations, and wholesale prices for gasoline and diesel have hit record highs. Officially, the reasons are no longer hidden - refineries are shutting down after Ukrainian strikes. During peak summer days, up to 14% of processing capacity was idle.

In 2025, the tactics of Ukrainian strikes have changed. Previously, they were one-time: a unit would be damaged, the plant would reduce output, but recover within a few weeks. Now, attacks are carried out in series and repeated on the same facilities - Ryazan, Novokuibyshevsk, Syzran, Volgograd, Afipsky refineries. This prevents the restoration of primary processing and hydrocracking and catalytic cracking units. For example, after a series of attacks, Ryazan Refinery (5% of Russia's capacity) has half its processing halted, while Novokuibyshevsk Refinery (3%) has its primary processing damaged. The largest refinery in southern Russia, Volgograd's Lukoil, as well as the Samara and Syzran refineries, have stopped receiving crude.

Ukraine is widely using drones with a range of 1,000-1,500 km (such as the AQ-400 produced by FirePoint), capable of reaching the Volga region. Simultaneously, drones and maritime drones are targeting export terminals - attacks on Ust-Luga and Novorossiysk have temporarily halted oil product shipments. 'Madyar' reported hitting the Druzhba pipeline, which supplies oil from Russia to its historical homeland.

...

The choice of refineries as targets is explained by their technological vulnerability. Modern Russian refineries were built using equipment from Shell, Axens, UOP, and Haldor Topsoe - hydrocracking, catalytic reforming, isomerization, and Euro-5 component production. After 2022, deliveries of equipment, software, and catalysts ceased. Catalysts are consumables, replaced every 1-3 years; without Western supplies, Russia relies on old stock or Chinese analogs with inferior performance. Hydroprocessing reactors and compressors are manufactured in only a few countries, with delivery times up to a year.

China can cover only part of the deficit: pumps, heat exchangers, and simple catalysts. However, for complex processes, its technology lags, and replacing Western components with Chinese ones requires restructuring the entire refinery unit. As a result, every Ukrainian strike on a hydrocracking or reforming unit leads to months of downtime.

The map of Russian refineries reveals a key strategic problem: the main processing capacities are concentrated in the European part of the country, while fuel consumption is rising in the Far East. Fuel logistics chains to eastern regions span thousands of kilometers, creating additional costs and risks. Kilometer-long queues in Primorye are a direct consequence of this imbalance between western production and eastern consumption. Large refineries - from Kirishi to Volgograd - are within reach of Ukrainian drones. The Flamingo missile, if its specifications are confirmed, can reach Russia's largest refinery in Omsk.

As the range increases, facilities previously considered out of reach are now threatened, creating a scale problem for air defense - protecting all refineries across the territory, from Kaliningrad to the Far East, is practically impossible.

Consequently, Russia's oil and gas industry, once a source of economic strength, has become a vulnerable spot."

[AnatolijUkraine @AnatoliUkraine]

@Gerashchenko_en Conclusion: Ukraine has exposed Russia’s greatest myth — its “energy superpower” status. The oil giant is vulnerable, fragile, and collapsing under drone warfare.

[PEN Ukraine @PenUkraine]

The library of Sumy State University was hit by Russian drones on August 18.

15,000 books burned.

According to the library director, another 45,000 books — the newest acquisitions from the past 5–6 years — were lost in the April 2025 strike on the university’s Congress Center.

[Andrew Chakhoyan 🇺🇦 @ChakhoyanAndrew]

POO-tihn doesn’t want to end the war, that much is clear.

But here’s a question, rarely asked: can he?

I came across an open letter by Soviet-born writer & filmmaker Eduard Topol to Trump that digs into this, and it’s worth sharing.

Here it is, as a thread ⤵️
1/n

[Andrew Chakhoyan 🇺🇦 @ChakhoyanAndrew]

If you want to stop Putin and the imperial ambitions of at least half of Russia’s population, you need to do the same—bring oil prices down to at least $25 per barrel and give Ukraine the weapons that will help it crush the aggressor.

11/n

https://t.co/O15VVW6Daj

[Andrew Chakhoyan 🇺🇦 @ChakhoyanAndrew]

As for your desire to establish 🇺🇸-🇷🇺 business partnerships, not in words but in reality, this could happen in a 100 years—or never at all

If you are interested in why, call me and I will explain

Respectfully, EDUARD TOPOL, citizen of 🇺🇸 & 🇮🇱

12/n
End.
https://t.co/Qa2FKdpuJy

[sarah @sahouraxo]

Israel killed Maria and her entire family today in Gaza.

Israel dropped a bomb on the tent where they had taken refuge.

[Lincoln Square @LincolnSquareHQ]

THIS is how you handle federal agents who show up at your door to violate your constitutional rights. Bravo to this man.

[Philip Obaji Jr. @PhilipObaji]

Russian mercenaries are not only profiting from human trafficking but also using migration as a geopolitical weapon, funneling people through routes in Africa & Belarus to pressure Europe. The result? A trail of devastation that threatens the lives & futures of countless Africans

[Andrei V Kozyrev @andreivkozyrev]

@ChristopherJM @maxseddon https://t.co/8JFJ3ZUJ9b

[Christopher Miller @ChristopherJM]

Russia has said it will only agree to security guarantees for Ukraine that give Moscow an effective veto over any future effort to defend Kyiv, pouring cold water on US efforts to broker a peace deal. via @maxseddon
https://t.co/D3MUVxjeIo

[Kim Lane Scheppele @KimLaneLaw]

Trump's Big Picture so far: Cruelty and Loyalty https://t.co/1uS77aHb9S

[Abier @abierkhatib]

Holocaust survivor Dr. Gabor Mate on Gaza:

“It’s like we’re watching Auschwitz on TikTok”

[Garry Kasparov @Kasparov63]

At long last, have Western leaders no shame? The world's most brutal regimes have united to destroy Ukraine, which is still fighting alone, and is the front line of the authoritarians' assault on the democratic world order. Yet still the Allies dither and watch.

[sarah @sahouraxo]

“More children have been killed in Gaza in 6 months than the total number of children killed in all other war zones worldwide over 3 years, multiplied by 4.”

“Do you hear what I’m saying?”

—Norman Finkelstein

[Neil Stone @DrNeilStone]

Most of you will never have had

Measles
Mumps
Rubella
Tetanus
Diphtheria
Polio

And none of you will ever have had
Smallpox

Why?

Because vaccines work

[Neal Taparia @nealtaparia]

In 1945, Finland was poor and war-torn.

They owed 6% of their GDP to the Soviets—annually.

Today, it consistently ranks as the world's happiest country.

Meanwhile, America isn't even in the top 20.

Here's how Finland rebuilt from nothing: