‘Off the Rails’ Trump Could Hand Putin Alaska | Rick Wilson

Aug 12, 2025

Ukraine Will Not Give Land to ‘Occupiers’, Says Zelenskyy, as Trump and Putin Prepare to Meet

THE GUARDIAN: US president said end to war will involve ‘some swapping of territories’ before announcing meeting

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said early on Saturday that “Ukrainians will not give their land to occupiers” after Donald Trump said he would meet Vladimir Putin next week and that an end to the war must involve “some swapping of territories”.

The Ukrainian president said Kyiv was ready for real solutions that could bring peace but that any solutions without Ukraine would be against peace. “Any decisions against us, any decisions without Ukraine, are also decisions against peace. They will achieve nothing,” he said, adding that the war “cannot be ended without us, without Ukraine”.

Trump said he planned to meet the Russian president next Friday in Alaska. He announced the location in a brief post on his Truth Social site.

Russian state media agency Tass confirmed the date and location of the meeting, citing Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov. » | Andrew Roth in Washington | Saturday, August 9, 2025

LE FIGARO : Guerre en Ukraine : Trump évoque un «échange de territoires», Zelensky promet que les Ukrainiens «n’abandonneront pas leur terre» : «Toute décision qui serait prise contre nous, toute décision qui serait prise sans l’Ukraine, ce serait des décisions contre la paix», estime le président Ukrainien ce samedi, moins d’une semaine avant une rencontre entre Vladimir Poutine et Donald Trump. »

Rise of Russia’s Oligarchs: How They Seized Power and Built Empires | PARTS 1 & 2 | SLICE WHO

Nov 14, 2024 | At the turn of the century, Russia's oligarchs had amassed unimaginable fortunes, building financial empires in the chaos following the Soviet Union’s collapse. These powerful men controlled Russia’s key industries, wielding influence that rivaled the state. They built their wealth by seizing state assets through savvy, often ruthless deals, becoming billionaires in just a few years.

Among them was Boris Berezovsky, once a kingmaker in Russian politics and a symbol of the new elite. Berezovsky helped launch Putin to power, only to later become his fiercest enemy. As Russia’s government began reclaiming these oligarchs’ assets and dismantling their empires, Berezovsky led a high-stakes battle from exile.

This documentary dives into the fortunes built, the backroom deals, and the conflicts that arose between Russia’s billionaire class and a state determined to regain control, revealing the untold drama of wealth, betrayal, and power at the heart of modern Russia.

Trump Said He Would Double Tariffs on India as Punishment for Buying Russian Oil.

THE NEW YORK TIMES: President Trump announced on Wednesday that he would double tariffs on India, to 50 percent, beginning this month as punishment for the country’s continued purchase of Russian oil.

Mr. Trump coupled the new, punishing tariff level with a threat to impose similar penalties on other countries that buy Russian energy as he sought to use trade policies to pressure the Kremlin into resolving the war in Ukraine.

Under a new executive order, India would face a 25 percent tariff starting on Aug. 27 if it continues to buy oil from Russia. That would be in addition to a 25 percent duty that Mr. Trump announced last week, citing unfair trade barriers, which he plans to implement beginning Thursday. » | Tony Romm | Reporting from Washington | Wednesday, August 6, 2025

Vladimir Putin Meets Trump's US Envoy Steve Witkoff at Kremlin | BBC News

Aug 6, 2025 | A meeting between US envoy Steve Witkoff and Russia's Vladimir Putin is under way at the Kremlin, Russian media has said.

Witkoff arrived in Moscow on Wednesday as President Donald Trump's deadline for Russia to agree a ceasefire in Ukraine looms.

The US president has said Russia could face hefty sanctions or see secondary sanctions imposed against all those who trade with it if it doesn't take steps to end the "horrible war" with Ukraine.


More EMPTY words from Trump. Trump will do precisely NOTHING! Remember when Trump said that he was going to stop the Russo-Ukrainian War within 24 hours? And what became of that promise? Precisely NOTHING! And so it will be with this promise. It's all just hot air. — © Mark Alexander

Do You Hate LGBT? 100 Russians

May 23, 2022

Jeffrey Sachs' Speech Goes Viral Amid Trump's Tariff Tantrums | US | Europe | Russia| Ukraine

Aug 3, 2025 | U.S. economist Jeffrey Sachs’ fiery February 2025 speech at the European Parliament is going viral amid President Trump’s escalating tariff war. Sachs called on Europe to stop relying on the United States and develop its own independent foreign policy, warning that American influence and Trump’s sweeping reciprocal tariffs threaten global economic stability. As new trade barriers and U.S. policy moves rattle financial markets, his warning “Don’t trust America” resonates across Europe.

If You’re Gay, Russia Says You’re Not Human | Exclusive Interview by the Insider

Dragged from a university exam straight into a Siberian interrogation room, 23-year-old August Dobrovolsky was ordered to betray every queer person he knew — or be caged, raped, or sent to die in Ukraine. For two days, police beat, humiliated, and threatened him with a fabricated 15-year sentence as an informant behind bars. Fined under Russia’s “LGBT propaganda” law 🏳️‍🌈 and handed a draft notice on the way out, August chose a clandestine escape over suicide.

🎙️ This interview lays bare the machinery of state-sponsored homophobia: torture rooms, extortion rings, and forced conscription that silence Russia’s LGBTQ+ community. Watch August’s full story — and see why being gay in Russia means being stripped of your humanity.


Man's cruelty to man knows no bounds. What the hell is wrong with these people? And what has it got to do with others how an adult person is sexually oriented? It seems to me that we are sliding back into the Dark Ages. People believe all sorts of nonsense, myths, and fairy stories—no pun intended—and naturally always think they are right. Well, I have news for them: they aren't. By the way, I blame Trump for a lot of this shit. Trump's election and re-election has emboldened the extremists and the benighted. And for that, we can all thank the naïveté of the American electorate. – © Mark Alexander

Autocrat Trump Threatens Russia with Nuclear Submarines over Stalled Ukraine Ceasefire Negotiations

Aug 3, 2025 | Trump said on his social media feed on Friday that he had “ordered two nuclear submarines” to be repositioned in response to online threats from Russia’s former president, Dmitri Medvedev, a rare case of potential nuclear escalation between the superpowers, as the US president grows frustrated over stalling peace talks aimed at bringing an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine.

ANTHONY DAVIS can be supported on Patreon here.

I seem to remember that Trump was going to be able to stop this Russo-Ukraine War within 24 hours. Whatever happened to that promise? – © Mark Alexander

Trump Redeploys Nuclear Submarines after Ex-Russia Leader’s Menacing Tweet

THE GUARDIAN: Order suggests president might be ready to launch nuclear strike against Russia as tensions rise over Ukraine war

Donald Trump has said that he has deployed nuclear-capable submarines to the “appropriate regions” in response to a threatening tweet by Russia’s former president Dmitry Medvedev, suggesting that he would be ready to launch a nuclear strike as tensions rise over the war in Ukraine.

In a post on Truth Social on Friday, Trump wrote that he had decided to reposition the nuclear submarines because of “highly provocative statements” by Medvedev, noting he was now the deputy chairman of Russia’s security council.

Medvedev had earlier said that Trump’s threats to sanction Russia and a recent ultimatum were “a threat and a step towards war”.

“I have ordered two Nuclear Submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions, just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that,” Trump responded. “Words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences, I hope this will not be one of those instances.” » | Andrew Roth in Washington | Friday, August 1, 2025

Russian Missile and Drone Attack Pummels Kyiv, Killing at Least 6

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The assault came soon after President Trump threatened new sanctions against Moscow if the bloodshed didn’t let up.

Russia bombarded the Ukrainian capital with a furious missile and drone attack before dawn on Thursday, killing at least six civilians in an assault that came soon after President Trump had warned Moscow of new sanctions if such violence persisted.

Rescuers raced to more than two dozen locations around the capital, Kyiv, to put out fires and search for survivors in the rubble of blasted apartment buildings.

“We have 52 injured, nearly 30 hospitalized,” Tymur Tkachenko, the head of the city’s military administration, said in a statement at 7 a.m. local time. “Among them, nine children were injured.” One child was among the deceased.

The number of dead and wounded was likely to grow, Mr. Tkachenko warned.

The assault came shortly after President Trump threatened new sanctions on Moscow if President Vladimir V. Putin did not put a halt to the bloodshed in 10 days. Russian officials dismissed the warning, and many in Kyiv saw the bombardment as Mr. Putin’s way of thumbing his nose at the United States. » | Marc Santora | Reporting from Kyiv | Thursday, July 31, 2025

John Mearsheimer: The Palestinian Genocide and How the West Has Been Deceived into Supporting It

July 30, 2025

Nb: The mere fact that I have posted this controversial video should not be construed as an endorsement of all the ideas expressed therein. – Mark

Widespread Tsunami Warnings after Magnitude 8.8 Quake Off Russia's East Coast | BBC News

Jul 30, 2025 | Japan and the US have issued tsunami warnings after a powerful magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck Russia on Wednesday.

Official evacuation orders have been issued to people on the Pacific coast of Japan and in Hawaii.

The first tsunami waves, at 30cm high, arrived at the northern coast of Japan's Hokkaido prefecture before 10.40 local time (02.40 BST), Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported. Waves at 40cm high have been observed in Tokachi, in Hokkaido.

US authorities have issued tsunami warnings for Hawaii and Alaska. Hawaii warns it could face "destructive" 3-meter high waves.

Anne Applebaum on Trump’s Interest in Russia

She believes that his interests are financial.

Zelenskyy Accuses Russia of ‘Assault on Humanity’ after Latest Drone Barrage

THE GUARDIAN: Germany vows to expedite delivery of Patriot systems after one drone hits Kyiv metro station sheltering civilians

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Russia of “an assault on humanity” after a barrage of drones and missiles hit Ukraine, as Germany promised to supply five Patriot air-defence systems to help an under-pressure Kyiv.

Ukraine’s president said Moscow had launched more than 420 drones and more than 20 missiles in its latest overnight attack, killing at least two people and targeting a metro station in the capital where people were sheltering for the first time.

Germany’s defence minister, Boris Pistorius, said Berlin was prepared to pay the US for the fastest possible delivery of five Patriot air-defence systems to Ukraine, though it remains unclear how soon this could be achieved. » | Luke Harding in Kyiv and Dan Sabbagh | Monday, July 21, 2025

North Korea Sends Troops, Ammunition to Russia: What It Means for NATO | DW News

Jul 21, 2025 | As Russia steps up its attacks on Ukraine, the Kremlin is once again seeking help from North Korea. South Korean intelligence reports that the country has already sent Russia weapons and North Korean troops could soon be sent to the front.

Prepare for War with Russia by 2030' Says Ex-Army Chief Gen Sir Patrick Sanders

Jul 14, 2025 | General Sir Patrick Sanders has a stark warning: Britain must prepare for war with Russia within five years and start building bunkers and better air defences.

Speaking exclusively to our Defence Editor Danielle Sheridan, the former head of the British army points to the Nordic countries and says we need to start taking a leaf out of their book.

He also discusses why an Iron Dome couldn’t work in the UK, his thoughts on the recent Israel-Iran war, and why he didn’t encourage his son to join the army.

General Sanders stood down as head of the British army last summer. The former rifleman had been tipped to be the next Chief of the Defence Staff but fell out of favour with the Government for being too outspoken about the extent of troop cuts.

The Telegraph’s defence editor Danielle interviewed him in his garden at his home in rural Wiltshire, with his blonde Labrador Fargo by his side.

‘Russia Is Focusing on the UK as the Next Target’ | Former Head of MI6 Russia Desk

Jul 19, 2025 | “Russia is focusing on the UK as the next target.” Through arson in a London warehouse and tracking journalists, Russia is using proxies to monitor, survey, and target those in the UK and Bulgaria, says Chris Steele, former head of the MI6 Russia desk.

Want to Understand Russia? Visit Dubai.

THE NEW YORK TIMES: It’s a key refuge for Moscow’s wealthy, including the record producer Iosif Prigozhin. He insists he still loves President Vladimir V. Putin, no matter what you’ve heard.

Iosif Prigozhin, a Russian music producer, scrolled to the bottom of the contacts app on one of his iPhones and showed me the tally of entries: 11,801.

He and his wife, the pop star known as Valeriya, “know everyone,” he told me. That includes the “generals and criminals” who once harmoniously shared a table at a concert of hers in Crimea.

“That’s Russia, my friend,” Mr. Prighozin said.

We were tucking into chicken and sea bass on the 25th floor of the skyscraper-resort in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, where Mr. Prighozin and Valeriya own two apartments. There was a three-story “longevity hub” somewhere above us and a “global street food” spot through a tunnel of faux graffiti somewhere below us. Later, on the pool deck, suspended between two skyscrapers and 300 feet above vast roads and malls and building sites, Valeriya lip-synced for Instagram. » | Anton Troianovski | Photographs by Katarina Premfors | Reporting from Dubai, United Arab Emirates | Friday, July 11, 2025

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'Killings, Arrests & Confiscations' Plague Moscow as Putin Tries to Tighten Grip over Wartime Russia

Jul 9, 2025 | "They are really sitting in this golden cage in Moscow. This is a cage for them."

Russia's former elites face exile, arrest or assassination as the Kremlin seeks to renationalise key industries to feed it's war economy, says Dr Yuri Felshtinsky author of the book From Red Terror to Terrorist State.