Well that didn’t take long:
I guess it’s a Taco Tuesday?
— Tatarigami (@tatarigami.bsky.social) July 15, 2025 at 3:57 PM
REPORTER: On you on Ukraine’s side now?
TRUMP: No. I’m on nobody’s side. You know the side I’m on? Humanity’s side.
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) July 15, 2025 at 1:42 PM
The shift in tactics and approach from the White House comes as Trump says he is losing patience with Putin and looks for more ways to pressure the Kremlin into peace talks
— Henry Foy (@henryjfoy.ft.com) July 15, 2025 at 5:13 AM
Trump’s stance on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has veered repeatedly. Praising Putin & criticizing Zelensky one day, then voicing support for Ukraine & issuing warnings to Russia the next. And then reversing course again. This is why few in Kyiv believe his pivot in their slight favor will last.
— Christopher Miller (@christopherjm.ft.com) July 15, 2025 at 5:04 PM
Clear as mud.
Trump on the Russia-Ukraine war: “I think that whole thing is gonna go away eventually.”
(Reminds me of Trump’s comments during the early days of the pandemic … )
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) July 15, 2025 at 6:55 PM
🇺🇦 Today is Statehood Day. Ukrainians have not been gifted with statehood today!
The war has taught us the most important lesson: anything that is not protected by weapons will be taken away or destroyed.
Today, statehood means the soldiers who are holding the line. Happy holiday, Ukrainians!— Vitalis Viva (@vitalisviva.bsky.social) July 15, 2025 at 12:30 PM
Today is the Day of Ukrainian statehood, which is the focus of President Zelenskyy’s address today. Video below, English transcript after the jump.
Address by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the Occasion of the Day of Ukrainian Statehood
15 July 2025 – 09:01
Dear Ukrainians!
On July 15, we mark an important day. The Day of our Statehood.
The Day of the Baptism of Kyivan Rus–Ukraine. This day is about connection. About every stage of our statehood and about the bond that unites dozens of generations: those who lived in this land a thousand years ago and those who live here today.
A bridge through time, standing on three unshakable pillars: Ukrainians were here, Ukrainians are here, Ukrainians will be here.
And on this land, life always triumphs. Values and our character prevail – the best in our people, who, despite war, tears, and pain, have preserved their humanity, and who protect one another, which means they protect their state.
And this is proven by thousands of our fates, thousands of our stories of what we have lived through, of what each heart carries, whoever you are: a warrior, a teacher, a musician, a drone engineer, or the President.
These are stories of our days, nights, and mornings. Of the night on the contact line, described by a serviceman: “They’re pressing. Swarming from all directions. We’re holding. And you – hold on too. We are reading the news about the shelling of peaceful cities. What can I say… This is a war that affects every one of us. And may God grant peace to us all.”
And this post, late at night in the subway, is being read by a young mother holding her little daughter. And the little girl looks around so attentively, as if trying to remember it all, to one day tell her children about these nights in the subway, about this peak of the human spirit.
When a grandfather inflates a mattress for his three grandchildren, gently tucks them in with a blanket, and hears: “Grandpa, and a cartoon?” And as he pulls out the tablet, he says: “Of course, Cossacks, how could we skip the cartoon?”
And not far away, people are settling close together in sleeping bags on a hard floor, but with just as hard a resolve within: the resolve to overcome this night. And on nights like this – on platforms, in parking lots, shelters, corridors, and bathrooms – phone screens flicker with dozens of alerts: “Incoming.” “Air defense is at work.” “Stay in shelters.”
And we stay – so that we can remain Ukrainians, in our own state, on our own land. So that we can see the sun rise and, despite everything, say to each other: “Good morning!”
And we always have faith that this moment will come. Just as it always has – through the centuries, in Rus, at the Sich, in every era. No matter who the enemy was or where they came from, no hostile force has ever survived on this land or taken root here. And Ukraine endures. It remains itself.
And the morning always comes.
And though you might want to sleep a little longer, you find the strength to rise. You text your loved ones, and you are happy to know everything’s fine. You read another post from that same warrior: “Attack repelled! Got a couple of hours to catch our breath.” And someone else writes: “We urgently need a few things…” You chip in for the fundraiser and step outside.
And on that morning, walking through the city, your city, you see your people all around. You see faces and eyes that, despite everything, still hold life.
You see cafés opening despite everything, transport running despite everything.
And you understand: the state is its people – their strength, resilience, sincerity, their light.
At bus stops, in traffic jams, in the morning coffee queue, when everyone is slowing down a bit because they had only a few hours of sleep. But everyone knows this and treats those around them with such understanding and warmth. Their fellow Ukrainians, who have held on for 1,238 days.
And each of those days, we overcome together. United – through action, through help, through support, by lifting each other up – and, of course, by sharing a laugh. Sometimes, because we can’t do without it.
And when the ladies from municipal services are planting flowers in the park, you hear them say: “Let that ‘rusnia’ choke — it’s summer here, and everything’s got to be beautiful!”
And every such night is the night of resilience, every such morning is the morning of unity, when life triumphs nonetheless; they reveal who we truly are.
We often hear from partners, “How do your people pull it off? Such fortitude, such endurance, such inner steel…” They say, “It’s a phenomenon of the Ukrainian people.”
Yes, those are kind words to hear. However, today, Ukrainians are holding on not for that, not for the loud accolades directed at us. We are simply people defending our home. And we cannot do otherwise – because we do not want otherwise. We do not want Russia here. That is the whole truth.
And everything Ukraine lives through each day is not routine. It is a great cause, carried by you. The heroes at the front. Those holding the line. Those intercepting missiles and “shaheds” every night. Those extinguishing fires, those clearing rubble. And every citizen who has endured throughout this difficult time.
I thank you. Millions of Ukrainians. Millions of characters, who together form our state. Our nation, our history, and our path from the Baptism of Rus–Ukraine to this very day. To the Day of our Statehood – and to the wisdom of every generation that helps us hold on, believe in ourselves, believe in Ukraine, and believe that we will succeed.
Because Ukrainians were here, Ukrainians are here, Ukrainians will be here.
Happy Statehood Day, fellow citizens!
Happy Day of the Baptism of Rus–Ukraine!
Glory to Ukraine!
Georgia:
Day 230 of uninterrupted #GeorgiaProtests
New, free and fair Parliamentary elections are the only peaceful solution to this ever-deepening crisis.
📷 MOSE
— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) July 15, 2025 at 4:20 PM
For the 230th consecutive day, Rustaveli avenue is blocked in Tbilisi. Protests continue in 8+ cities across Georgia. 🇬🇪
Our goal: the dissolution of the corrupt, illegitimate, pro-Russian, repressive Georgian Dream government.
— Rusudan Djakeli (@rusudandjakeli.bsky.social) July 15, 2025 at 2:02 PM
1/ On July 15, the EU Foreign Affairs Council will be held. Ahead of the meeting, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas spoke to the media and stated that Georgia is also on the agenda.
— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) July 15, 2025 at 5:10 AM
2/ According to the High Representative, she will present to the foreign ministers a sanctions list of Georgian officials, which includes two judges.
— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) July 15, 2025 at 5:10 AM
3/ “We see some serious backsliding in Georgia, and we will discuss what we can do. All options are on the table, including suspension of the visa-free regime and other elements that can make the Georgian government change its calculus”.
— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) July 15, 2025 at 5:10 AM
4/ “We have proposed a list, and because we see these sentences, also of young protesters, as really out of proportion, it is clear the judiciary system is also part of the apparatus. There are two judges on the sanctions list”.
— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) July 15, 2025 at 5:10 AM
5/ “We will have today a letter sent to Georgia also regarding the visa-free regime. They have certain conditions that they have to comply with, and if these conditions are not met within that deadline, we will have to suspend the visa-free regime” said EU high representative.
— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) July 15, 2025 at 5:10 AM
I’m sure that once we get rid of this chokehold that is the Georgian Dream regime, we’ll again be exemplary reformers and democratizers, just like we were in the 2000s.
The Russian regime does not reflect the Georgian public, they are a most successful Trojan horse operation.
— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) July 15, 2025 at 9:18 AM
In today’s episode of the Georgian Dream rushedly extracting money from everyone, including their own:
The financial police has just raided regime-enabler businessman Lasha Papashvili’s business.
— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) July 15, 2025 at 9:23 AM
📢Following the July 14 hearing of jailed journalist Mzia Amaglobeli, international press freedom organizations –
@pressfreedom.bsky.social, @globalfreemedia.bsky.social , and @rsf-interfr.bsky.social – issued a joint statement calling for her release.🧷 cpj.org/2025/07/pres…
#FreeMzia
— Batumelebi&Netgazeti (@netgazeti.org) July 15, 2025 at 7:32 AM
🚨 You can donate and support Mzia Amaglobeli’s fight for #PressFreedom here:
www.gofundme.com/f/help-free-…
— Batumelebi&Netgazeti (@netgazeti.org) July 15, 2025 at 7:32 AM
Back to Ukraine.
Russian/Iranian Shahed attack drones expected to reach targets in Ukraine in the next few hours.
Western air defense systems expected to reach Ukraine in the next few months.
— Euan MacDonald (@euanmacdonald.bsky.social) July 15, 2025 at 3:58 PM
🔴 Russia has used chemical weapons 9,000 times in Ukraine and is escalating attacks, EU’s Kaja Kallas confirmed, citing Dutch and German intelligence.
— UNITED24 Media (@united24media.com) July 15, 2025 at 2:08 PM
Birds of Magyar say “Hello there” to Russian invaders👋
— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) July 15, 2025 at 3:51 AM
Operators of the 8th Special Operations Forces Regiment used strike drones to destroy a modern and rare Russian remote mine-laying engineering system known as “Zemledelie,” which is designed to create minefields in especially critical areas.
— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) July 15, 2025 at 1:29 PM
Ukraine’s HUR reportedly hacked Gaskar Integration, a top drone supplier to Russia, accessing 47TB of drone production data and deleting 10TB of backups in the cyberattack.
www.rbc.ua/rus/news/gur…— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) July 15, 2025 at 1:54 PM
Kharkiv:
At least 17 explosions were heard in Kharkiv in 20 minutes.
49 days left until… yet another nothing.
— Iryna Voichuk (@irynavoichuk.bsky.social) July 15, 2025 at 5:21 PM
Putin sends Trump 16 “Fuck You”s from Kharkiv.
— Euan MacDonald (@euanmacdonald.bsky.social) July 15, 2025 at 4:37 PM
Kharkiv just now ‼️
— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) July 15, 2025 at 4:56 PM
Kupyansk, Kharkiv Oblast:
Russian attacks killed two and injured two more in the Kupiansk district of Kharkiv Oblast today.
A russian FPV drone hit homes in Prykolotne, killing a 67-year-old man; two others suffered acute shock.
Later, a 69-year-old man was killed in a separate strike on Kupiansk.— Iryna Voichuk (@irynavoichuk.bsky.social) July 15, 2025 at 3:41 PM
Donetsk Oblast:
Over the past 24 hours, russian forces hit eight towns in Donetsk Oblast, killing two and injuring ten civilians. A KAB-250 bomb struck Myrnohrad, and three more hit Kostiantynivka, where drones and artillery were also used. 24 civilian sites damaged — 19 of them homes.
— Iryna Voichuk (@irynavoichuk.bsky.social) July 15, 2025 at 4:46 AM
Prykolotne, Kharkiv Oblast:
Prykolotne village in the Kharkiv region. Russian drone attack destroyed homes and injured a 68-years old woman.
— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) July 15, 2025 at 12:37 PM
Kyiv:
Air raid sirens sound in Kyiv – Russian-Iranian Shahed attack drones approaching. View from the balcony. Trump pronouncements have changed nothing so far, and I don’t expect they will in future.
— Euan MacDonald (@euanmacdonald.bsky.social) July 15, 2025 at 4:16 PM
Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast:
Here’s what Bakhmut in the Donetsk region looks like now. A Russian soldier drives through the destroyed city, showing what the occupying army has done to it.
— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) July 15, 2025 at 12:56 PM
Russia:
Russian media say unidentified drones hit Lipetsk, Rostov, and Voronezh. Yelets saw major activity, reportedly targeting the “Energia” facility, which produces batteries and accumulators, including for missiles.
— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) July 15, 2025 at 12:48 PM
That’s enough for tonight.
Your daily Patron!
🇺🇦 Serving together in the Armed Forces of Ukraine!
— Vitalis Viva (@vitalisviva.bsky.social) July 15, 2025 at 7:06 AM
Open thread!
Adam L Silverman
I’m going to get cleaned up and rack out.
mrmoshpotato
Smiling Happy Guy (aka boatboy_srq)
Leave it to FFOTUS to say he is on “humanity’s side” after trashing USAID, demanding the elimination of PEPFAR, random deportations, and every other mean-spirited and shortsighted action this maladministration is taking.
Harrison Wesley
@Smiling Happy Guy (aka boatboy_srq): Are you saying,.are you implying,,, Our Favorite President lied? Oh my stars and garters!
TS
People are of no concern to trump – at home or abroad; cups and medals and awards and self wealth are of extreme concern.
Harrison Wesley
I know Humanity. Big guy,strong guy. Beautiful guy. Came up to me at the White House and said,”Sir”- he had tears in his eyes – “sir.”. Etc.
Gin & Tonic
“No matter who the enemy was or where they came from, no hostile force has ever survived on this land or taken root here. And Ukraine endures.”
Just wanted to see that again.
mrmoshpotato
@Smiling Happy Guy (aka boatboy_srq): Don’t forget hundreds of thousands of American deaths from a “hoax.”
Nettoyeur
I think it has just started to dawn on Trump (or at least his advisors) that Ukraine might just win and that Putin really is dangerous …to Trump. Kinda in parallel to the Epstein files flip flop.
Jay
Thank you, Adam.
Excellent address from President Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy.
wjca
Of course they are a concern!
First, they’re a critical source of adulation. Second, they are a source of funds — can’t fleece the marks if there aren’t enough marks.
AlaskaReader
Thanks Adam
Sister Golden Bear
Thanks again, Adam.
And in tonight’s edition of poetic karma…
American Who Moved Family To Russia To Escape The Evil LGBTQs Has Been Assigned To The Ukraine Front
Westyny
Thanks, Adam.
hotshoe
@mrmoshpotato:
How on Earth did Dumpster open his mouth and have “on humanity’s side” spill out?
I mean, it’s not as if he actually feels that way, not as if he’s been dying to become king all his life so he could rule on behalf of “humanity”, not as if he ever thinks about “humanity” from one day to the next.
And he might not be as demented as some people say he is, but he clearly is not capable or willing to learn new things from his minions, so I know it wasn’t one of them decided they should (somehow) coach Dumpster with a statement that was more altruistic-sounding than his true thoughts of Me Me Mine Mine.
Unless, maybe Dumpster did decide he needs to change his ways to get that Nobel Peace Prize?
Or maybe he’s been taken over by a demon who is using his mouthpiece to spread discord between hate-Russia and Russia-bootlicker factions in DC.
What a godawful fake human he is.
matt
‘You know what side I’m on? Humanity’s side’ – sounding a lot like Connor Roy there.
Sister Inspired Revolver of Freedom
Thank you Adam.
mrmoshpotato
@hotshoe: “Excuse me! Excuse me! I’m the tremendous bigliest at humanity all of you losses and haters!”
-Donald J Dump, sucker of Kremlin ass
Bill Arnold
@mrmoshpotato:
He believes that he is preventing thermonuclear war, probably encouraged by threatening talk from Putin (subtlety calibrated so that mob-Trump understands it). This doesn’t fully cover “Humanity’s side”, but does cover much of it.
There were similar Trump claims/apparent-beliefs about the recent India-Pakistan armed conflict.
Also, covers bunker-busting in Iran to temporarily disrupt (“obliterate”) Iran’s nuclear program.
Also from Mr. Musk, earlier in Russia’s current invasion of Ukraine, mostly related to StarLink.
(Trump, Musk are gormless, easily manipulated twits in these interactions.)