(Image by NEIVANMADE)
The cost:
The mother of this baby, Tetyana, was killed in a russian strike on Kyiv on Sept 7 — she suffered burns to 90% of her body.
Her premature baby, Nazar, miraculously survived emergency delivery and brain surgery. The father Vadym meets his son for the first time on Oct 7.
❤️🩹
Source: United24.
— Olena Halushka (@halushka.bsky.social) October 8, 2025 at 10:31 AM
Here is President Zelenskyy’s address from earlier today. Video below, English transcript after the jump.
Since the Dobropillia Counteroffensive Began and to This Day, the Russians Have Already Suffered Over 12,000 Losses – Address by the President
8 October 2025 – 20:30
Dear Ukrainians!
Today, there was a good report from Vasyl Maliuk, Head of the Security Service of Ukraine. And on our operations: I approved some plans for the Service, our asymmetric responses to Russia’s war. We also discussed the results of our SSU warriors – the Center of Special Operations “A” of the Security Service of Ukraine. They fight on the frontlines alongside other branches of our Defense Forces. Including the Pokrovsk direction and other sectors of the front.
There was also a long report from Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi – we spent nearly an hour with him going through all frontline directions, our brigade preparations, and supplies. Right now, the focus is naturally on the Dobropillia operation, our counteroffensive. Since it began and to this day, the Russians have already suffered over 12,000 losses – and that’s just in the Pokrovsk and Dobropillia areas, specifically since August 21. Of those 12,000, more than 7,200 are irrecoverable losses. Our defense continues across all other areas as well. Kupyansk – I want to thank every warrior fighting in the city and its outskirts. The Novopavlivka direction is also challenging, with our active defense efforts continuing and some positive results achieved.
Overall, based on these weeks’ performance, it’s worth highlighting the efforts of the 93rd Separate Mechanized Brigade, the 79th and 82nd Airborne Assault Brigades, and the 425th Separate Assault Regiment. Also, Tactical Group No. 84 of the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. I also want to thank all Special Operations Forces warriors who, together with the Security Service of Ukraine and the 138th Special Purpose Center of the Military Law Enforcement Service, are clearing Kupyansk of the occupiers. The 15th Brigade of National Guard, the 114th Separate Territorial Defense Brigade, and the 144th Separate Mechanized Brigade are also operating in the Kupyansk direction… The Lyman direction is very important: the 60th Separate Mechanized Brigade. The Prydniprovskyi direction: the 40th Coastal Defense Brigade of the Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the 426th Separate Unmanned Systems Battalion of the Marine Corps of the Naval Forces, and the 140th Separate Reconnaissance Battalion of the Marine Corps – thank you! Special recognition goes to the 148th Separate Artillery Brigade of the Airborne Assault Forces – well done! And the 414th Separate Unmanned Systems Brigade – thank you! Specifically, regarding Dobropillia, I want to highlight the recent successes of the warriors of the 1st Separate Assault Regiment, the battalions of the 92nd Separate Assault Brigade, and the 33rd Separate Assault Regiment. I thank every soldier, sergeant, and officer who are performing their tasks with true bravery and exceptional skill.
Also today, following our Third Defense Industries Forum, we met with representatives of companies and businesses – and not just our Ukrainian businesses – who work on developing our weapons production and our joint projects with partners. We highly value every tangible outcome in our defense collaboration. Ukraine is achieving truly significant results, as demonstrated, in particular, by our long-range sanctions against Russia. According to our data, the fuel shortage in Russia is already approaching 20% – this specifically concerns their gasoline. They’ve now begun tapping into diesel reserves, which they’ve been saving for a rainy day. Putin has been offered many times to end the war or at least cease fire. He spurned all proposals – ours, America’s. So, it’s only fair that Russia bears the war’s full cost. The weapons producers are ensuring that. Our long-range strikes have become more precise. Partners are preparing new sanctions decisions, and we are working on those sanctions directions that previously received less attention. We are preparing new meetings with the United States and meetings in Europe. What‘s important – we don’t reject any real path to peace. But we believe that only pressure on Russia will work, and I thank everyone around the world who is helping us, Ukraine, in exactly this way – strongly, decisively, and with tools and decisions that impact Russia. I thank our people!
Glory to Ukraine!
Georgia:
Despite mass arrests and threats from the illegitimate gov’t, Georgian protesters are getting ready for Day 315 of uninterrupted protests in 8+ cities. This is Tbilisi. 🇬🇪✊
“The river of people will keep on flowing!”
— Rusudan Djakeli (@rusudandjakeli.bsky.social) October 8, 2025 at 11:34 AM
Georgia continues to protest.
Day 315#GeorgiaProtests
— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) October 8, 2025 at 1:43 PM
Day 315 of uninterrupted, nationwide #GeorgiaProtests. ✊🇬🇪
— Rusudan Djakeli (@rusudandjakeli.bsky.social) October 8, 2025 at 12:02 PM
Rustaveli Avenue is packed on Day 315 of uninterrupted, nationwide protests in Georgia.
Yesterday, GD threatened the protest with provocations and threats, so even more people showed up today. #GeorgiaProtests
— Rusudan Djakeli (@rusudandjakeli.bsky.social) October 8, 2025 at 12:14 PM
1/ Georgian Dream`s Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze responded to Western criticism regarding the October 4 elections.
— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) October 8, 2025 at 7:10 AM
2/ “Europe, as such, is not a panacea, Europe was Mr. Goebbels as well, who was known for this kind of propaganda. What we heard from the European bureaucracy, those shameful lies and disgraceful statements, was truly a continuation of Goebbels-style propaganda,” Kobakhidze said.
— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) October 8, 2025 at 7:10 AM
3/ For the 2025 local elections, the Central Election Commission registered international observers from 28 organisations. There was no OSCE/ODIHR mission in Georgia, as the Georgian Dream government sent the invitation less than a month before the elections.
— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) October 8, 2025 at 7:10 AM
4/ According to OSCE/ODIHR, they could not deploy a mission because “an invitation sent less than one month before election day does not leave sufficient time for credible and meaningful observation.”
— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) October 8, 2025 at 7:10 AM
5/ Additionally, 27 local monitoring groups were accredited, with more than 7,000 observers, most of whom were affiliated with Georgian Dream.
— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) October 8, 2025 at 7:10 AM
PM said: “The State Department should act responsibly and demonstrate that it is not acting under outside influence, but rather in accordance with the objective interests of the American people. The simplest proof of this would be to condemn the attempt to overthrow the government”.
— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) October 8, 2025 at 7:21 AM
🚨 12 more people arrested over October 4 rally
Deputy Interior Minister Alekander Darakhvelidze announced at a special briefing that so far, 35 people have been detained as part of the ongoing investigation into the October 4 case.
#GeorgiaProtests #RepressionInGeorgia
— Batumelebi&Netgazeti (@netgazeti.org) October 8, 2025 at 2:33 PM
In the past few days, GD has arrested at least 26 people—and counting. The self-proclaimed PM keeps threatening protesters who gather daily on Rustaveli Ave. Yesterday, they even sent provocateurs to stir conflict.
Despite it all, even more people showed up today. Day 315. 🇬🇪✊
— Rusudan Djakeli (@rusudandjakeli.bsky.social) October 8, 2025 at 11:52 AM
Just in: According to the GD Deputy Interior Minister, 12 more people were arrested today in connection with the October 4 protests — bringing the total number of detainees to 35.
The total number of political prisoners in Georgia has now surpassed 100.
— Rusudan Djakeli (@rusudandjakeli.bsky.social) October 8, 2025 at 2:18 PM
Zurab Chavchanidze is one of those arrested under the criminal code by GD in Georgia today.
#TerrorinGeorgia
— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) October 8, 2025 at 4:57 PM
🚨 Zurab Chavchanidze, the flagbearer of the #Batumi protests, arrested and transferred to #Tbilisi.
💢The 58yo IDP from #Abkhazia is known for carrying the EU&Georgian flags, together with an old tricolor flag he brought from Russian-occupied Sokhumi.💢 batumelebi.ge/articles-in-…
#GeorgiaProtests— Batumelebi&Netgazeti (@netgazeti.org) October 8, 2025 at 11:45 AM
He’s the same prison chief who summoned Giorgi Bachiashvili to Gldani Prison, brought him into his office, and told him he had to transfer all his assets to Ivanishvili.
— Rusudan Djakeli (@rusudandjakeli.bsky.social) October 8, 2025 at 2:48 AM
1/ Giorgi Kinoyan, who was detained in Armenia on September 8, has been released. The information was reported by his lawyer, Ani Chatinyan. Today, after 36 days of imprisonment, Giorgi Kinoyan was freed following the application of the principle of non-repatriation.
— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) October 8, 2025 at 3:49 PM
2/ Russia accuses the Georgian citizen of fighting on the side of Ukraine. On October 25, 2024, Kinoyan was sentenced to 77 years in prison by the so-called court of occupied Donetsk. He was arrested in Armenia based on a wanted notice issued by the Russian Federation.
— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) October 8, 2025 at 3:49 PM
The EU:
russia escalates by the day.
Belgian government must stop blocking EU reparation loan, part of which will go for procuring European weapons for Ukraine.
Defeating russia in Ukraine is the best security guarantee for Belgium and the entire Europe. For that, long-term predictable funding is crucial.
— Olena Halushka (@halushka.bsky.social) October 8, 2025 at 8:29 AM
[Belgium] has spent three years saying Euroclear is Belgian and so are the benefits,” said one senior EU diplomat involved in talks on the matter. “Now, when it wants to share the risks, it claims Euroclear is European.”
🇧🇪🇪🇺🇺🇸
on.ft.com/4nGTIEj— Iikka Korhonen (@iikkakorhonen.bsky.social) October 8, 2025 at 12:25 AM
From The Financial Times:
Belgium is under growing pressure to allow the use of frozen Russian assets for a “reparations loan” to Ukraine after Berlin and other western capitals shifted their stance.
About €190bn in Russian sovereign assets held at Euroclear, the Brussels-based central securities depository, were frozen in response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. But many western nations, including the US, Germany and Belgium, were reluctant to access the funds for fear of legal and financial repercussions.
Europe’s position has changed in recent weeks, particularly after the Trump administration called on G7 allies to seize “or otherwise use” Russia’s underlying assets “to fund Ukraine’s defence”, according to a US position paper seen by the Financial Times.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz wrote in a recent FT op-ed that €140bn of those funds should be used as a loan to arm Ukraine. The European Commission has since laid out how such a “reparations loan” could be structured, arguing that Moscow should bear the costs of President Vladimir Putin’s illegal war.
But Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever has asked the other 26 EU countries to cover the legal and financial risks associated with this loan, and to guarantee the full amount to avoid Belgium having to pay it back.
His stance has drawn condemnation from other capitals, particularly since Euroclear’s profits have been subject to Belgian corporate tax.
“[Belgium] has spent three years saying Euroclear is Belgian and so are the benefits,” said one senior EU diplomat involved in talks on the matter. “Now, when it wants to share the risks, it claims Euroclear is European.”
Patience with the Belgian officials was running thin, said three diplomats involved in the preparations for another round of EU talks on Wednesday.
Other capitals argue that Ukraine’s predicament requires solidarity, and point out that Poland agreed to host the main supply hub for arms to Ukraine, and Denmark to send F-16 fighter jets to Kyiv without asking for risks to be shared by others.
“There is no more low-hanging fruit,” said another EU diplomat. “Everyone has to do what they can.”
More at the link.
Get it together EU!
Germany:
Well…. You have to start somewhere, I guess.
— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) October 8, 2025 at 8:59 AM
The Czech Republic:
If a government is formed in the Czech Republic led by the election-winning ANO party, no budget funds will be allocated for weapons for Ukraine. This was reported by Ceske Noviny, citing the party’s leader, Andrej Babiš.
www.ceskenoviny.cz/zpravy/babis…
— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) October 8, 2025 at 12:53 PM
Back to Ukraine.
Russia has struck the factory of Ukraine’s largest hummus producer, forcing the company to suspend deliveries to stores, according to an official statement.
Don’t ask me what the logic behind it was. It’s just as stupid as everything else they do.
— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) October 8, 2025 at 6:32 AM
russians bombed my favorite hummus factory
— Mira of Kyiv 🇺🇦 (@reshetz.bsky.social) October 8, 2025 at 12:48 PM
A really dangerous strategic facility
— Mira of Kyiv 🇺🇦 (@reshetz.bsky.social) October 8, 2025 at 12:55 PM
As a vegetarian this is, in fact, personal
— Mira of Kyiv 🇺🇦 (@reshetz.bsky.social) October 8, 2025 at 12:58 PM
A Russian drone operator catches a Ukrainian drone while launching his own.
— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) October 8, 2025 at 5:08 AM
Ouch!
Stinger vs. Shahed! 🔥
Combat operation of the mobile fire group of the 114th Tactical Aviation Brigade of the Air Command “West.”
Right on target! 🎯 Glory to our AFU soldiers! 🇺🇦— Vitalis Viva (@vitalisviva.bsky.social) October 8, 2025 at 7:35 AM
Russia’s Defense Ministry shared footage of a Ukrainian locomotive being tracked and hit. Attacks on rail infrastructure have surged, prompting expert “Flesh” to warn that locomotives may become prime targets, as their loss halts train movement and strains equipment and personnel supply.
— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) October 8, 2025 at 9:44 AM
Sumy Oblast:
❗️Russian drone struck a house in the village of Krasnopillya hromada, Sumy Oblast
A family was injured — a 4-year-old girl, her mother, and her grandmother were hospitalized
The child has severe burns. Doctors are fighting for her life and considering transferring her to Kyiv
— Iryna Voichuk (@irynavoichuk.bsky.social) October 8, 2025 at 4:19 AM
A Russian drone struck the roof of a high-rise apartment building in Sumy. 🤬
— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) October 8, 2025 at 10:00 AM
Pokrovsk:
This is what russia did to Pokrovsk.
📹libkos
— Iryna Voichuk (@irynavoichuk.bsky.social) October 8, 2025 at 11:01 AM
Donetsk Oblast:
Russia has attacked a DTEK facility in Donetsk region for the second time in 24 hours.
The strike targeted a coal enrichment plant that supplies thermal power stations. During the attack, on-duty workers were sheltering, no injuries were reported.
— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) October 8, 2025 at 11:22 AM
This marks the third large-scale attack on the plant in the past six weeks.
— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) October 8, 2025 at 11:22 AM
The Zaporizhzhia front:
Russian TOS-1A being chased and destroyed by a heavy bomber drone on the Zaporizhzhia front. t.me/Klymenko_MVS…
— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) October 8, 2025 at 5:11 PM
Chernihiv Oblast:
The State Emergency Service of Ukraine has released footage showing the aftermath of a Russian strike on an oil depot in Pryluky.
— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) October 8, 2025 at 11:55 AM
Russian occupied Mariupol:
In occupied Mariupol, there’s also a fuel crisis. There seems to be gasoline, but not everywhere and not all types. At the gas stations themselves, fuel disappears before your eyes as the price rises, and there’s also a limit of 30 liters per fill-up.
— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) October 8, 2025 at 5:27 AM
Volgograd Oblast, Russia:
Something is on fire in the Volgograd region of russia. Allegedly, the Kotovo Gas Distribution Station.
— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) October 8, 2025 at 7:47 PM
Novosibirsk Oblast, Russia:
More from russian Novosibirsk
— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) October 8, 2025 at 7:10 AM
– supporting the defense industry (soldering components for weapons, communications systems, and radio electronics)
— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) October 8, 2025 at 7:07 AM
In Novosibirsk, Russia, a fire broke out at the premises of ZAO “Zavod Pripoyev,” a plant specializing in electronics and microchip production, repair and assembly of electrical devices, and work for the defense industry (soldering components for weapons, communications, and radio electronics).
— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) October 8, 2025 at 1:56 PM
That’s enough for tonight.
Your daily Patron!
A new Patron video:
@patron__dsns :) #песпатрон
Open thread!
Carlo Graziani
Good update, Adam. Thanks.
Adam L Silverman
@Carlo Graziani: You’re welcome.
Jay
Thank you, Adam.
Westyny
Thank you, Adam.
Carlo Graziani
Good, balanced perspective on the effect on Russian revenues of the Ukrainian Oil Plan at the Moscow Times.
Adam L Silverman
@Jay: @Westyny: You’re welcome.
AlaskaReader
Thanks Adam
Adam L Silverman
@AlaskaReader: You’re welcome.
Sister Inspired Revolver of Freedom
Thank you Adam.
Sister Inspired Revolver of Freedom
PS I really, really like the illustration you chose. That’s so perfect.