We Are Working to Bring All Our People Home From Russian Captivity; We Hope for Good News – Address by the President

4 March 2026 – 21:12

I wish you good health, fellow Ukrainians!

A brief update on today. I held a Staff meeting on matters related to the front, ensuring Ukraine’s active operations and our defense. I thank every Ukrainian warrior who is truly securing strong positions for Ukraine. Our positions at the front, our defense production, our ability to thwart Russian plans – these are our strengths in relations with key partners, and our diplomacy is what gives our partners more faith in Ukraine. At the Staff meeting, relevant instructions were issued to both the Minister of Defense and the military command. Today, I also spoke with Rustem Umerov regarding his communications with the American side. We continue to engage with the United States practically on a daily basis. For now, because of the situation with Iran, the necessary signals for a trilateral meeting haven’t come yet. But as soon as the security situation and the broader political context allow us to resume the trilateral diplomatic work, it will be done. Ukraine is ready for it.

I am grateful to the intelligence services, the Office, and all involved agencies for the steps taken to make further prisoner exchanges possible. We are working to bring all our people home from Russian captivity. We hope for good news. In recent days, we have been communicating very actively with representatives of countries in the Middle East and the Gulf region – and it is clear what their main request to Ukraine is. Everyone facing attacks from Iran confronts an extraordinary challenge: “shaheds,” which are difficult to shoot down without the proper expertise and adequate weaponry. In just a few days of active strikes, Iranians launched more than 800 missiles and over 1,400 drones against neighboring countries. Attacks from Iran continue constantly. Although the intensity of missile strikes from Iran has partially decreased now, a new threat has emerged – the Iranian regime’s intent to block the Strait of Hormuz. This is a globally significant route for transporting oil and gas. This very threat has destabilized energy prices across many markets. We recently discussed this with Ursula von der Leyen. It is crucial to protect people’s lives. It is crucial to restore stability and prevent the war from expanding. The Iranian regime must not benefit in any way, and even more importantly, must not destroy lives – neither there, in the region, nor globally – and this affects us as well. And this is our shared interest: to help people defend themselves and also to assist in rapidly restoring stability in critically important supply chains. Partners are turning to us, to Ukraine, for help with protection against “shaheds” – for expertise and for practical support. Requests on this matter have also come from the American side. In recent days, I have spoken with the leaders of the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan, and Kuwait. Further talks with other regional leaders are planned. We are coordinating with our European partners as well. Of course, any assistance we provide is only on the condition that it does not weaken our own defense in Ukraine and that it serves as an investment in our diplomatic capabilities: we help protect against war those who help us – Ukraine – bring the war to a dignified conclusion. We work for peace and for real security. I want to thank everyone who is helping us.

Glory to Ukraine!

President Zelenskyy also presented awards and honors to Ukrainians for their contributions in fighting against Russian aggression.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy Presented State Honors and the Golden Heart Awards to Ukrainian Volunteers, Doctors, Educators, Scientists, Cultural Figures, Athletes, and Journalists for Their Contribution to the Fight Against Russian Aggression

4 March 2026 – 18:03

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with volunteers, doctors, educators, scientists, cultural figures, athletes, and journalists to present state awards on the occasion of the fourth anniversary of the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed his gratitude for their work in strengthening the Ukrainian army and society, and for promoting Ukrainian culture.

“Ukraine has a long history of defending its identity and its right to be a nation that determines for itself how to live and with whom to share its life. There were times when Ukraine could not withstand this struggle and, sadly, lost its freedom. And now is the time when Ukraine has reached its greatest significance and the greatest potential it has ever had,” said the Head of State.

The President emphasized that issues of fundamental importance to our country cannot be resolved without Ukraine.

“But this does not mean that our work is done or that Ukrainians can simply take pride in what has already been achieved. Russia has still not accepted our existence. The defense of Ukraine and respect for Ukraine demand our daily strength, action, and the daily courage of all Ukrainians,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy added.

He stressed that Ukraine remembers all its people who have given their lives to ensure the country remains independent and free. Attendees ob

The Head of State handed over Orders of Merit, III class, to the relatives and friends of volunteer Veronika Sokol and athletes Oleksii Khabarov and Mykhailo Tsap, who were awarded posthumously.

Volunteer and servicewoman, Veronika Sokol, chaired the working group for the Wall of Remembrance memorial, collecting photos and information on the fallen and building an archive. She initiated the Day of Remembrance of the Defenders of Ukraine on August 29 and contributed to the creation of the Museum of the Russo-Ukrainian War. She signed a military service contract in 2024 and passed away on November 12, 2025, due to illness.

A shooter on Ukraine’s national team, Oleksii Khabarov, was an International-Class Master of Sport in Ukraine, European champion, and World Cup medalist. He was killed on August 19, 2025, in an exchange of fire near Shakhove in the Pokrovsk direction.

Coach of Ukraine’s national beach handball and handball teams, Mykhailo Tsap, was a multiple-time Ukrainian champion. He was killed on February 24, 2024, during a combat mission near Luhanske village in the Donetsk region.

Awards presented by the President personally included:

Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, V class, to Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Professor, President of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Anatoliy Zahorodniy. Despite the full-scale war, he ensures NASU functions effectively and aligns its work with Ukraine’s defense and security needs. Research institutes of the NASU are analyzing materials from fragments of enemy munitions.

Order of Merit, II class, to General Director and Artistic Director of the Kharkiv National Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre named after M. V. Lysenko, Igor Tuluzov. He adapted the theatre’s underground spaces for rehearsals and performances. Under his leadership, the theatre runs rehabilitation and patriotic projects supporting volunteers, veterans, and the local community.

Order of Merit, III class, has been awarded to:

Head of the Recovery and Returning projects, Svitlana Hrytsenko. Since the start of the war, her coordination with international organizations has resulted in the delivery of medicines, food, and heating supplies to over 3 million Ukrainians. She manages the development of Recovery and Returning centers for military rehabilitation.

Director of the Odessa Museum of Contemporary Art, Semen Kantor. Under his leadership, the museum has hosted numerous events, including international biennales of modern art, which established a platform for artistic cooperation among cultural institutions and artists from over 30 countries.

Senior Advisor at a Department Unit of the Come Back Alive Foundation, Andrii Moruha. A veteran of combat operations, he trained around 600 warriors in concealed-position shooting. He initiated the development of a sight for infantry and artillery fire from concealed positions and its provision to units. He is working on implementing the Armor ballistic calculator for firing from concealed firing positions.

Musician from the band Kurgan & Agregat and volunteer, Ramil Elman Ogly Nasirov. The band donates vehicles, drones, and other equipment to Ukrainian defenders. During their European tour, the musicians raised over UAH 14 million, which was directed to the needs of Defense Intelligence, and more than UAH 9 million raised at a single concert in Kyiv’s Palace of Sports went to Ukraine’s Defense Forces.

Theatre and film actress, Anastasiia Pustovit. After the full-scale Russian invasion began, she spent two weeks in the temporarily occupied Nemishaieve village of the Bucha district.  On February 26, 2022, together with like-minded colleagues, she organized a volunteer headquarters to assist the community. Since then, she has been actively engaged in volunteer work, supporting the Armed Forces of Ukraine and internally displaced persons.

Director of the Heart of Azovstal NGO, Kseniia Sukhova. Since the start of the full-scale war, she has organized aid for residents of Mariupol in Zaporizhzhia. Since 2023, she has headed Heart of Azovstal. The organization has provided assistance to over 8,000 defenders of Mariupol and their families.

Volunteer of the Ukrainian Vector charity fund, Oleksii Tykhonovych. He helped secure UAH 23 million in donor funds for military needs, enabling the purchase of cargo trucks, minibuses, 100 attack FPV drones and copters, counter-drone systems, Valkyrie UAVs, Starlink satellite systems, a specialized medical vehicle, and buggies for evacuating the wounded.

Journalist and editor of the Japanese-language news service at the Ukrinform agency, Takashi Hirano. A Japanese journalist, diplomat, writer, and photographer who has lived and worked in Ukraine since 2008. He is professionally fluent in Ukrainian and brings the truth about the war and Ukraine’s situation to the Japanese audience, countering Russian propaganda. He has published several books in Japanese about Ukraine and studies and promotes the Crimean Tatar language.

Recipients of the Order of Princess Olga, III class, are:

Literary scholar and writer, Vira Ageyeva. Co-founder of the Kyiv Institute of Gender Studies, Doctor of Philology, and Shevchenko Prize laureate. Author of numerous publications on Ukrainian modernist literature, biographical studies, and gender aspects of art. Created a series of scholarly portraits of Ukrainian writers, highlighting lesser-known aspects of their lives.

Document specialist at the Come Back Alive foundation, Anastasiia Shvedska. She effectively supports the foundation’s work by ensuring an uninterrupted supply of essential equipment to the military, and manages documents from over 2,500 military units, educational institutions, and medical facilities.

Recipients of the President of Ukraine’s Golden Heart award are:

Stand-up comedian and volunteer, Vasyl Baidak. One of the pioneers of creative fundraising for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, he developed the stand-up volunteering format, organizing numerous charity concerts and tours, with 100% of proceeds going to the army. He purchases and delivers critically needed equipment to Ukrainian defenders.

Volunteer and director of the Mercy and Health Rehabilitation Center, Kateryna Bohadelnikova. Her center provides physical and psychological rehabilitation for warriors, veterans, and civilians. She initiated the opening of five rehabilitation centers across Ukraine and delivered 95 fully equipped ICU ambulances to military and medical units. She also organizes support events for wives of fallen defenders and their children.

Volunteer and director of the IT for Victory charitable foundation, Viktor Ivankov. He has been active in volunteer work since 2014. He united employees of several IT companies in Vinnytsia. Since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion, his total support amounts to UAH 167 million. He assisted over 80 units, provided 200 pieces of equipment, and around 400 drones. He also funded the development of new medium- and long-range attack UAVs.

Head of the department at the Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundation, Anton Pyzhykov. He has been actively involved in volunteering since 2014. During the full-scale war, he initiated a project to acquire 1,000 night-vision devices for the Defense Forces. He obtained a U.S. export license to purchase third-generation PVS-14 night-vision devices. He organizes direct delivery of foreign-made military equipment and gear to Ukraine.

Volunteer and founder of the Sternenko Community Charitable Foundation, Serhii Sternenko. He raised around UAH 6 billion for the Armed Forces during the war. He organizes systematic fundraising through his media channels. He also provided over 244,000 drones to the military, including “shahed” interceptors.

Volunteer and tactical medicine manager at the Together for Ukraine Charitable Foundation, Matvii Suslov. Under his leadership, over 200,000 tactical medical supplies were delivered to Ukrainian units. He organized training for more than 1,000 Special Operations Forces and Defense Intelligence personnel and around 200 tactical medicine instructors. He also initiated and coordinated the first international Tourniquet Forum 2025.

Volunteer, singer, and director of the Iryna Fedyshyn Charitable Foundation, Iryna Chovnyk (Fedyshyn). She organized and held over 240 charity concerts in Ukraine and abroad, directing all proceeds to the Armed Forces and humanitarian causes. She also facilitated the acquisition and delivery of over 400 units of military equipment and hundreds of critical supplies to defenders.

Coordinator of the military community of the Victory Drones project of the NGO Aerial Reconnaissance Support Center, Hanna Shkarupa. Since 2022, she has been strengthening the technological capacity of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. She organizes and moderates online lectures for defenders involved with UAVs and other modern warfare technologies.

The title Merited Doctor of Ukraine was conferred on neurosurgeon at Okhmatdyt, Andrii Harkusha; transfusiologist and head of the transfusiology department at the Heart Institute, Victoria Horobets; and head of the orthopaedic-traumatology department at the Kyiv Clinical Hospital of Railway Transport No. 1, Oleh Lehenkyi.

The title Merited Education Worker of Ukraine was awarded to the rector of the National University “Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic,” Viktor Hreshta; director of the Human Potential Development Center at Mariupol State University, Lidiia Korobchenko; and senior lecturer of the Department of Food Technology and Restaurant Business Organization at the Professional College of Technology, Business and Law of Lesia Ukrainka Volyn National University, Ihor Makaruk.

Georgia:

hundreds of scholars from around world expressed their solidarity with Ilia State University #Georgia. I have often been critical of a residual few who collaborate w perpetrators, but real story is how many colleagues are *entirely* clear in their values. More than open.substack.com/pub/ganatleb…

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— Hans Gutbrod (@hansgutbrod.bsky.social) March 4, 2026 at 2:58 AM

100 signatories from Germany, more than 80 from US and UK, and representation all across, to Bulgaria, Estonia, and many others more. This really means a lot.

Find more in our latest for Ganatleba, also with a link to join in.

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— Hans Gutbrod (@hansgutbrod.bsky.social) March 4, 2026 at 2:58 AM

Publicly questioning the Georgian Dream’s legitimacy is now 3 years jail.

Russian term of “extremism” has also appeared in law in Georgia: “extremism against constitutional order” is also 3 years jail.

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— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) March 4, 2026 at 6:21 AM

Nothing screams lack of legitimacy to govern as criminalizing the public statements on your lack of legitimacy to govern.

Georgia, 2026.

— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) March 4, 2026 at 6:33 AM

France:

Ukraine expecting additional Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets – Defense Ministry #Ukraine

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— AmplifyUkraine 🔱🇺🇦 (@amplifyukraine.eu) March 4, 2026 at 8:47 AM

From the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine:

Ukraine expects an additional delivery of Mirage 2000-5 aircraft from France. This will significantly strengthen Ukraine’s air capabilities, as the aircraft can effectively destroy cruise missiles and drones used for attacks, including Shahed.

The Ministry of Defence of Ukraine outlines what is known about these aircraft.

Mirage 2000 is a multirole fighter aircraft equipped with digital avionics. It features modern radar systems and electronic warfare equipment that significantly enhance its combat capabilities.

The Dassault Mirage aircraft Ukraine will receive are close to the 4++ class, exceeding the MiG-29 fighters currently in service with the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The Mirage aircraft are extensively modernised fourth-generation fighters whose combat capabilities, radar equipment, and manoeuvrability approach those of fifth-generation fighter aircraft. They have improved avionics and are lighter and more manoeuvrable than most similar aircraft. They can conduct combat missions at altitudes of up to 18 km.

Mirage 2000 aircraft are equipped with powerful radar systems and weapons, including high-precision Magic-2 missiles. This enables them to effectively detect and intercept low-observable cruise missiles and drones used for attacks, such as Shahed, Geran, and Gerbera. They can also neutralise enemy operational-tactical reconnaissance drones. Therefore, Mirage 2000 aircraft are important for countering russia’s aerial terror, one of the key priorities addressed in Ukraine’s War Plan.

In addition, the Mirage 2000’s weapon stations are compatible with a full range of NATO-standard air-launched weapons, allowing the aircraft to employ Storm Shadow/SCALP missiles, AASM Hammer aerial guided bombs, and other types of armament.

Having such aircraft in service significantly strengthens Ukraine’s air defence, which is particularly important during large-scale missile and drone attacks by the aggressor.

To recap, the transfer of Mirage 2000 aircraft was discussed during a February meeting between Ukraine’s Minister of Defence, Mykhailo Fedorov, and France’s Minister of the Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs, Catherine Vautrin.

The first Mirage 2000 aircraft were delivered to Ukraine by France in early 2025. Ukrainian pilots underwent several months of training in France to ensure effective use of the aircraft.

Hungary:

Bunker midget meets outgoing Hungarian Foreign Minister.

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— Maria Drutska (@mariadrutska.bsky.social) March 4, 2026 at 1:15 PM

The Mediterranean Sea:

Photos have emerged of the Russian shadow fleet gas tanker Arctic Metagaz, which exploded and caught fire yesterday in the Mediterranean Sea 🔥

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 4, 2026 at 5:16 AM

Rough calcs…

The vessel plus cargo was likely valued at as much as $300,000,000

China unlikely to have paids for the cargo, so total loss to Russia.

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— H I Sutton (@covertshores.bsky.social) March 3, 2026 at 4:24 PM

🚢Russia’s official version of events states that the LNG tanker Arctic Metagaz was attacked in the Mediterranean Sea by Ukrainian unmanned surface vessels.

According to Russian Ministry of Transport, incident occurred on March 3 near Malta, while the tanker was sailing from the port of Murmansk.

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— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) March 4, 2026 at 4:04 AM

/2. The ministry claims the attack was launched from the Libyan coast using Ukrainian unmanned boats.

All 30 crew members, who are Russian citizens, were reportedly rescued.

— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) March 4, 2026 at 4:04 AM

Chechnya:

Apti Alaudinov, commander of the special unit “Akhmat”, said he is ready to “go and help Iran even now”, but so far all Russia does with its allies is abandon them.

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) March 4, 2026 at 12:04 PM

Ireland:

Chris, an Irishman, comes to the Russian Embassy in Dublin every day to perform the Ukrainian National Anthem.

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) March 4, 2026 at 12:42 PM

The United States:

“For four years, the White House was led by an extremely inexperienced leader who generously transferred much of our advanced weaponry to another country – Ukraine.” – a spokesperson for the White House.

— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) March 4, 2026 at 2:36 PM

American aid has helped save countless Ukrainian lives from brutal and unprovoked invaders, who execute civilians in the streets if not stopped, as we saw in Bucha.

I can only thank those Americans who do not believe it was “stupid” and “for nothing.”

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 4, 2026 at 2:20 PM

Karoline Leavitt is both an unqualified ignoramus and an embarrassment.

The BBC reports that 200,000 Ukrainians in the United States are at risk of deportation. Even people with valid documents are reportedly being held by ICE for months.
www.bbc.com/ukrainian/ar…

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) March 4, 2026 at 2:28 PM

From BBC Ukraine (machine translated):

On the evening of November 19, 2025, Andriy (name changed) was returning from work. He was driving a truck when police and ICE (US Federal Immigration Service) approached him. His documents were checked and, according to Andrii, handcuffed almost immediately. It happened in the city of Charles Town, in the east of the United States.

ICE representatives announced to Andrii that he was in the country illegally.

The man came to the USA under the U4U (Uniting for Ukraine) program in 2024. This migration humanitarian program for Ukrainians was launched by President Joe Biden’s administration in April 2022 in response to Russia’s full-scale invasion.

It gives Ukrainians the right to legally stay in the States for two years with the possibility of extension, as well as work, study, and have a driver’s license.

The program, despite a certain delay at the beginning of 2025, was continued under President Donald Trump. Although, new applications for it are no longer accepted.

The Trump administration has been trying to limit immigration to the US for over a year and says it is fighting illegal flows of migrants. ISEs organize raids in cities accompanied by clashes and violence.

ISE officials say they only detain illegal immigrants and criminals. For the year of ISE, for messages, made about 400,000 arrests.

Critics of Trump’s migration policy claim human rights violations when people who have not broken the law and have the right to be in the United States are detained, beaten and deported.

It seems that Ukrainians also came under the crosshairs of this migration struggle. Although, back in July 2025, Trump declaredthat Ukrainians can stay in the US until the end of the war.

According to experts’ estimates, about 200,000 Ukrainian refugees in the United States are currently in a vulnerable position, when they can be expelled from the country at any moment.

There is information about at least several dozen Ukrainian refugees detained by ISE and death one citizen of Ukraine in the ISE prison in Miami.

Ukrainians interviewed by BBC News Ukraine say that they are being detained and deported in America despite the fact that they have a humanitarian status.

There are also complaints about delays in the preparation of documents. People have been waiting months for a decision on their status without the right to work.

More at the link.

Back to Ukraine.

Ukrainian law enforcement identified russian war criminal, major general in the lead of the terrorist strike against Kyiv children’s hospital Okhmatdyt on July 8, 2024. That is Sergey Kuvaldin who now holds the post of the head of russia’s long-range aviation.

Never forgive.
Never forget.

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— Olena Halushka (@halushka.bsky.social) March 4, 2026 at 1:21 PM

OTD in 2014 i denied the masked, armed men in Crimea were Russian soldiers. I lied.

But you can believe me over a peace deal now

— Darth Putin (@darthputinkgb.bsky.social) March 4, 2026 at 2:07 AM

It would’ve been cheaper to do something that mattered then. You didn’t. You are paying a higher price now.

Ukrainians are paying a much higher one.

— Darth Putin (@darthputinkgb.bsky.social) March 4, 2026 at 2:07 AM

OTD in 2014 we denied we were going to annex Ukraine.

Then we denied we wanted more of Ukraine

Then we denied we wanted all of Ukraine

And now we deny we want more of Ukraine we denied we wanted.

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— Darth Putin (@darthputinkgb.bsky.social) March 4, 2026 at 2:13 AM

The Birds of Magyar unit struck Russian Tor air defence system on the move while Russian servicemen were riding on top of it

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— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) March 4, 2026 at 8:23 AM

Mykolaiv:

In case anyone forgot: Russia is a terrorist state.

A Russian Shahed drone attacked a passenger train in Mykolaiv.

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— Maria Drutska (@mariadrutska.bsky.social) March 4, 2026 at 9:07 AM

Russia struck a passenger train in Mykolaiv this morning with a drone 🤬 By now, firefighters have already brought the blaze under control.

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 4, 2026 at 5:11 AM

Druzhkivka, Donetsk Oblast:

Three people were killed and 16 injured in a russian airstrike on a residential building in Druzhkivka, Donetsk Oblast, on 2 March.

The last victim was recovered from the rubble on the third day of search efforts.

Thirteen more residential buildings were damaged.

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— Iryna Voichuk (@irynavoichuk.bsky.social) March 4, 2026 at 11:32 AM

Kostiantynivka, Donetsk Oblast:

Kostiantynivka. Russians are erasing another Donbas city off the map and ‘liberating’ its residents from their homes, apartments, jobs, and lives.

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 4, 2026 at 12:32 PM

Kupyansk, Kharkiv Oblast:

Kupyansk in the Kharkiv region, a city russia could not forgive for breaking free from its occupation, so they consequently razed it to ruins and dust.

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 4, 2026 at 12:39 PM

Poltava:

Russian drone flies over the city of Poltava today❗️
Just some meters above apartment buildings rooftops.

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 4, 2026 at 1:54 PM

Russia:

Putin has issued a decree setting the size of his army, including civilian personnel, at nearly two and a half million people, of whom one and a half million are military personnel.

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) March 4, 2026 at 12:20 PM

Saratov Oblast, Russia:

Saratov in fascist Russia under heavy attack by Ukrainian drones. Air defenses active, at least 15 explosions, possible hit on oil refinery. Governor says three injured, power outages in some areas of city.

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— Euan MacDonald (@euanmacdonald.bsky.social) March 4, 2026 at 5:31 PM

Kirov Oblast, Russia:

A chemical plant in Kirovo-Chepetsk, Kirov region, has been struck in a Ukrainian drone attack, 1,300 kilometers from Ukraine. #Ukraine

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— NOELREPORTS (@noelreports.com) March 4, 2026 at 4:47 AM

Belgorod Oblast, Russia:

Lasar’s Group of the National Guard of Ukraine carried out an operation to locate and neutralize a S-400 “Triumph” air defense system in Belgorod region, in coordination with the 429th Separate Unmanned Systems Brigade “Achilles” and the Joint Forces Grouping.
t.me/c/3533402781…

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) March 4, 2026 at 9:13 AM

That’s enough for tonight.

Your daily Patron!

There are no new Patron skeets or videos today.

Here is some adjacent material.

The Ukrainian military helped us deliver to frontline towns in Kharkiv region too dangerous for the Hachiko team to visit. This woman sent us a video—the cats didn’t wait to eat, but look at how patient the dogs are! 🐕🇺🇦

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— Nate Mook (@natemook.bsky.social) March 1, 2026 at 10:36 AM

Open thread!

We Will Work as Constructively as Possible with All Partners to Ensure That Peace Is Achieved and That It Is a Dignified Peace – Address by the President

4 December 2025 – 21:30

I wish you health!

Today, Ukrainian representatives will continue their discussions in the United States with President Trump’s team. Our task now is to obtain full information about what was said in Russia and what other pretexts Putin has come up with to drag out the war and to pressure Ukraine – to pressure us, our independence. Ukraine is prepared for any possible developments, and of course we will work as constructively as possible with all our partners to ensure that peace is achieved – and that it is, after all, a dignified peace. Only a dignified peace provides real security, and we fully understand that this requires – and will continue to require – the support of our partners.

Today, I spoke with President of the European Council António Costa – I am grateful for his willingness to continue helping Ukraine. We exchanged assessments regarding diplomatic prospects and contacts with partners. António informed me about his conversations with leaders, and I shared the information our intelligence has obtained. We agreed to remain in constant contact.

Today, the President of Cyprus paid his first visit to Kyiv. And next year, starting in January, Cyprus will hold the Presidency of the European Union. For us, it is important that Cyprus’s Presidency becomes productive in terms of movement toward the European Union and in terms of all our relations. We believe – and we build our communication with everyone in Europe, and also with the United States, on this basis – that Ukraine’s accession to the European Union is part of the security guarantees for our state and for our people. Overall, detailed work continues on the entire architecture of the security guarantees we need. These include military, economic, and political components. And next week, there will also be meetings and contacts on this matter. There is a great deal of internal work under way.

I have scheduled a Staff meeting for tomorrow – and among the issues will be a new, more rational distribution of personnel among the units, so that the brigades can feel more confident. This is being discussed in every combat brigade – we are preparing a decision. Today, I also held additional meetings with the candidates for the position of the new Head of the Office of the President – we discussed the formats of the Office’s work and the interaction with other state institutions that is necessary for Ukraine’s interests. A decision regarding the new Head of the Office will be made in the near future.

Glory to Ukraine!

President Zelenskyy also met with and congratulated Ukrainian missile and artillery forces today.

The President Congratulated the Warriors of Missile and Artillery Forces on Their Professional Holiday

4 December 2025 – 12:49

On the occasion of the Day of Missile and Artillery Forces, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with servicemembers, congratulated them on their professional holiday, and presented them with state awards – the Orders of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, I–III class, and the Orders “For Courage,” II and III class.

The Head of State noted that today is the day to honor one of the strongest branches of our defense forces. Ukrainian howitzers, rocket artillery, artillery reconnaissance, anti-tank units, mortar personnel, and all missile units have proven their skill and exemplary heroism over the years of full-scale war. According to the President, Ukrainian warriors find ways to be at least on par with the enemy, even when the adversary holds a firepower advantage.

“Ukrainian artillery and our missiles haven’t had unreachable targets on the battlefield for a long time now, and increasingly hit the occupier deep in his rear – on his own territory. And the range of our operations continues to grow. Russian logistics, Russian bases, Russian oil terminals – all of these have felt what Ukrainian missiles are, what your strength is. And if Russia continues the war, our missiles will inevitably reach even more distant Russian targets,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized.

The President expressed particular gratitude to commanders and warriors from all units who strive to properly integrate the use of drones and artillery, long-range drones, and missiles.

“It is precisely the integration of these weapons into a single fire system that often delivers the results we need. And although, of course, drones will continue to develop as quickly and on as large a scale as now, this does not mean the time of missiles and artillery has passed. We must use everything that helps our warriors, everything that achieves combat results. This is exactly how we act and will continue to act,” the Head of State said.

The President stressed that we must always remember the Ukrainian warriors who gave their lives defending Ukraine. Their memory was honored with a minute of silence.

Finally, he held a joint presser with the President of Cyprus. Here’s the English transcript of his prepared statement followed by the video.

Statement by the President of Ukraine During a Joint Press Conference with the President of Cyprus

4 December 2025 – 15:42

Dear Mr. President, dear Nikos!

Ladies and gentlemen, our teams, and all present!

Dear journalists!

Today, I am glad to welcome the President of Cyprus to Ukraine on his first visit. And it is significant that this visit comes shortly before Cyprus assumes the EU Presidency, beginning in January. We see today’s visit both as a sign of support for Ukraine and as a signal of our shared readiness to continue working together – for the benefit of both our states and all of Europe. Today, I briefed the President on the situation in Ukraine – the situation on the frontline, our priorities, and our team’s work in negotiations with our partners. We held a very detailed discussion of our shared European agenda. Europe is now shaping a new global role for itself – all the events that have been taking place for almost four years now show that Europe’s role must be truly strong. This depends on every nation and every leader. Ukraine has given Europe a significant unifying momentum, and this energy works to strengthen Europe. This will continue. We also expect the European community to stand with Ukraine as needed to achieve peace and guarantee reliable security.

I want to thank Cyprus for its support at the political level, including with regard to the negotiations on Ukraine’s EU membership. We expect the coming months to bring more progress in Ukraine’s path toward the European Union, and Cyprus’s Presidency can become historical in terms of opening clusters for Ukraine and enabling other necessary decisions. I also want to thank Cyprus for supporting the sanction policy against Russia, against its aggression, for this war, and for all the destruction caused by it.

Leaders of the European Union are currently preparing a new sanctions package, and we want to make it truly effective. And this means continued pressure on Russia’s energy sector, first and foremost, and on everything else that provides Russia with budget revenues, and therefore the means to prolong this war. We will be grateful to Cyprus for its continued cooperation with us and all Europeans on issues concerning the Russian tanker fleet and Russian schemes to circumvent sanctions. We count on Cyprus’s support for joint European decisions regarding Russian assets. It is an absolutely just principle that Russia must pay for the war it started itself and continues. The funds needed for defense and recovery after Russian strikes should absolutely rightly come from the amounts the aggressor has left itself in the hands of the free world.

One more point: yesterday at the UN General Assembly, a resolution was supported regarding Ukrainian children abducted by Russia. Cyprus was among the countries whose voice advocated for the need to return all our abducted Ukrainian children. I want to thank Cyprus for this. We thank the people of Cyprus for their support and expect that Cyprus will continue to participate in such work of ours – in resolving humanitarian issues. Russia has been holding Ukrainians in captivity since 2014 – holding both military personnel and civilians, including many political prisoners who lived in occupied Crimea. Thousands of Ukrainian children are now scattered across Russia, where they are being indoctrinated, unfortunately, with hatred toward us – toward their homeland, toward their native home. Ukraine needs global support to address this. I want to thank Cyprus for standing with Ukraine.

Glory to Ukraine!

Georgia:

Day 372 of uninterrupted protests in Georgia. ✅

In the next two days, we have two rallies addressing GD’s use of toxic chemical agents during last year’s crackdown, following BBC’s new investigation.

🎥 Netgazeti

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— Rusudan Djakeli (@rusudandjakeli.bsky.social) December 4, 2025 at 3:03 PM

Thank you, @BBCWorld, for playing such a crucial role in uncovering the very likely chemical attack against peaceful protesters in Georgia. 🇬🇧

📷 Publika

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— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) December 4, 2025 at 7:50 AM

“Fighting until the end.”
A drawing by Georgian political prisoner Lasha Ivanadze. He was arrested for participating in the October 4 rally. According to his lawyer, the only ‘evidence’ in his case is a TV broadcast of him peacefully standing there.

📷 Via Batumelebi

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— Rusudan Djakeli (@rusudandjakeli.bsky.social) December 4, 2025 at 12:11 AM

Israel:

The first memorial to the victims of the Holodomor in Ukraine has been unveiled in Israel, — Embassy of Ukraine in Israel.

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) December 4, 2025 at 10:50 AM

The Czech Republic:

Prague’s message is solid tonight: #makerussiapay! Kudos to Volt Česko, Občanský rozcestník and partners. Other cities will follow soon. @icuv.bsky.social
Photo: Tomáš Kozel.

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— Olena Halushka (@halushka.bsky.social) December 4, 2025 at 3:10 PM

Belgium:

In his alleged crusade to ‘defend the rule of law,’ Belgian PM Bart De Wever fully slipped into pro-russia mode:

“It is not even desirable for [russia] to lose and for instability to take hold in a country w/ nuclear weapons.”

Full impunity for any state that has nukes!

FFS.

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— Olena Halushka (@halushka.bsky.social) December 4, 2025 at 9:28 AM

This was the position of Biden’s senior natsec team. Which is why they did just enough to ensure that Ukraine wouldn’t lose, but could not win!

Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR):

⚔️ NATO military commander, US Air Force General Alexus Grynkewich, said the alliance must be ready to respond to growing hybrid threats aimed at destabilising member states, – Reuters

Grynkewich said some recent incidents were reckless, others deliberate, and that Russia was behind several of them.

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— Savchenko Volodymyr (@savchenkoua.bsky.social) December 4, 2025 at 12:53 PM

These tactics — including cyberattacks, disinformation, infrastructure sabotage, drones and irregular forces — are increasing across Europe, he warned during a briefing at NATO’s military headquarters in Belgium.

— Savchenko Volodymyr (@savchenkoua.bsky.social) December 4, 2025 at 12:53 PM

The Grynch speaks!!!!

The US:

Basically, yep 👇

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) December 4, 2025 at 10:24 AM

From The Times: (emphasis mine)

Weeks of negotiations and diplomacy, rewritten peace deals and a visit by President Trump’s negotiating team to the Kremlin have failed to bring closer the end of the war in Ukraine.

As a private jet carrying Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy, flew out of Vnukovo airport in Moscow in the early hours of Wednesday, it became clear that Washington had again overestimated President Putin’s willingness to back down from his goal of entirely subjugating Ukraine.

With no further talks scheduled, the war is likely to grind on towards the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February. Indeed, the only tangible result of the latest US-led peace efforts has been to deepen the rift between Europe and Washington, a development that will have been observed with glee in Moscow.

“Putin is communicating that he’s offering Ukraine and the West a choice, not between different versions of peace, but between achieving the goals of the special military operation through military means or by complementing military action with talks that will mean fewer people will die,” Alexander Baunov, a Russian political analyst, wrote on social media.

“Putin is happy with the progress of the war. He changes into his military uniform three times a month and personally issues commands to generals … While the war was less successful, he didn’t visually associate himself with it so intensely.”

When a 28-point peace plan emerged last month after talks in Florida between Witkoff and Kirill Dmitriev, a senior Russian negotiator, there was alarm in Kyiv and among its European allies that Washington was attempting to strongarm Ukraine into a deal that would require it to surrender land it still controlled, agree to a ban on joining Nato and allow Moscow to place limits on the size of its armed forces.

After frantic diplomacy involving British, French and German officials, the deal was reworked to make it more acceptable to Kyiv. However, any deal that is palatable to Ukraine will automatically be rejected by Russia, as was proved in Moscow on Tuesday.

“The contradiction between Ukraine’s goal of surviving as a sovereign democracy and Russia’s goal of imperial domination will never be resolved,” Michael Carpenter, the senior director for Europe at the US national security council under President Biden, told the Kyiv Post. “The only factor that will change this situation is if one side or the other suffers economic or military collapse.”

Despite military casualties that are unprecedented since the Second World War and growing economic problems, Putin is confident that “Russia still has the financial, human and psychological resources” to keep fighting, wrote Andrei Kolesnikov, a columnist at Novaya Gazeta, a Russian opposition website.

He added: “From the Kremlin’s point of view, the nation’s ability to adapt … is limitless. People will endure, tighten their belts and pay higher taxes for the sake of ‘achieving the goals of the special military operation’. And when, or if, those goals are achieved, they will go on surviving for years amid an ‘existential’ hybrid Cold War with the West.”

Even though Putin had said only that the original US-endorsed proposal could serve as the foundation for an agreement to end the war, he was clearly furious at European leaders after they helped to rewrite it.

“We are not planning to go to war with Europe,” he said. “But if Europe wants to and starts, we are ready right now.” He also issued another thinly veiled threat of nuclear war. “If Europe suddenly decides to start a war, a situation could very quickly arise in which we’ll have no one to negotiate with,” he said.

“[Putin’s] fear of Trump and the United States has almost evaporated,” said Alexander Nevzorov, a journalist and former Russian MP who fled to Ukraine in 2022.

“The Russians’ main and only bet is on the West’s softness and indecisiveness. Now they’ve discovered that all of Trump’s bombast is as much of a sham as [President] Macron’s posturing.”

As if to underline Moscow’s stance, Dmitriev chose to wear a coat decorated with a quote from Putin when he showed Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, around Moscow before Tuesday’s talks at the Kremlin. It read: “Russia is the kind of country that isn’t afraid of anything.”

More at the link.

I want to focus on this bit:

Indeed, the only tangible result of the latest US-led peace efforts has been to deepen the rift between Europe and Washington, a development that will have been observed with glee in Moscow.

This was Putin’s strategic objective and with the help of Trump, Witkoff, Vance, and Jared he has achieved it.

Back to Ukraine.

Every night Russian drones kill Ukrainians and they keep flying only because over 5,000 Western and Asian parts power them.
x.com/United24medi…

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) December 4, 2025 at 12:40 PM

👀 A warhead from Shahed was installed on a Ukrainian ground drone, which will now be sent back to the Russians.

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— MAKS 25 👀🇺🇦 (@maks23.bsky.social) December 4, 2025 at 4:46 PM

🔥 During November, operators of the 1st Operational Center of the SBS carried out 108 combat missions to destroy 88 enemy targets — SBS

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— MAKS 25 👀🇺🇦 (@maks23.bsky.social) December 4, 2025 at 4:40 PM

Kherson:

❗️For days, russian troops have been pounding the Kherson CHP plant with drones, artillery, and various weapons — a purely civilian facility that kept the city warm.

The plant has stopped operating.

Over 40,000 people — 470 buildings — are now without heat.

— Iryna Voichuk (@irynavoichuk.bsky.social) December 4, 2025 at 4:35 AM

A perinatal center in Kherson was attacked, local authorities report.

According to the regional military administration, no casualties were recorded among newborns, mothers, or medical staff.

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) December 4, 2025 at 3:36 PM

Russians killed a 6‑year‑old child in Kherson, regional governor Prokudin reported.

The child was wounded during enemy shelling of the city’s Dnipro district.

Doctors fought desperately to save her life, but the injuries were far too severe.

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) December 4, 2025 at 8:44 AM

Myrnohrad:

Russian forces have nearly encircled Myrnohrad. The town itself is a skeleton of its former self. Charred and ruined, it is now another ghost town in Ukraine.

All because of russian imperial ambitions.

Video by AP News

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) December 4, 2025 at 10:14 AM

Russian occupied Crimea:

Ukrainian military intelligence drones struck a Russian MiG‑29 at the Kacha airfield in Crimea, as well as the Irtysh airfield radar complex near Simferopol 👀🔥

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) December 4, 2025 at 8:58 AM

Chernihiv:

Russian military bloggers claim that an offensive in the Chernihiv region is allegedly being prepared.

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) December 4, 2025 at 11:17 AM

Pokrovsk:

Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Syrskyi reported that Ukrainian units continue to hold the northern part of Pokrovsk and block Russian attempts to bypass Myrnohrad and Pokrovsk.
www.facebook.com/CinCAFofUkra…

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) December 4, 2025 at 6:50 AM

Here’s the translation of Colonel-General Syrskyi’s statement on Facebook:

We are continuing the extremely difficult stage of the defense of the Pokrovsko-Myrnograd agglomeration. That is why I worked again with the commanders of the groupings of troops, commanders of corps, brigades, regiments and individual battalions. The battle continues. Ukrainian units continue to hold the northern part of Pokrovsko. In the area of ​​Pokrovsko and Myrnograd, we are actively blocking the enemy’s attempts to accumulate assault infantry groups and advance around these settlements. Our soldiers continue to hold certain areas directly in the cities. At a time when the occupiers do not pay attention to the loss of manpower, Ukrainian commanders have a clear understanding of the importance of preserving the lives and health of subordinate personnel. To this end, during a meeting with our commanders, we clarified the issues of coordinated use, ensuring the advancement and timely replacement of units conducting search and assault operations to detect and eliminate the enemy. To ensure the stability of defense, a number of decisions have been made regarding combat management, interaction, and comprehensive support of the forces and assets involved. In this context, the issues of organizing additional logistical routes, timely medical evacuation, as well as conducting counter-battery combat and countering enemy UAVs play a special role. We are holding the line. The fight continues. Glory to Ukraine!

Russia:

📉 Russian budget revenues from oil and gas fell by 34% in November 2025 compared to November 2024, — The Moscow Times.

In 11 months, Russia received 8 trillion rubles in energy revenues — 2.3 trillion less than in the same period last year. In late May it was 14%, in August — 20%, December – 22%.

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— The Ukrainian Review (@theukrainianreview.bsky.social) December 4, 2025 at 2:05 PM

Samara Oblast, Russia:

Syzran oil refinery in russia is on fire 🔥

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) December 4, 2025 at 7:04 PM

Syzran, oil refinery on fire 🔥

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— MAKS 25 👀🇺🇦 (@maks23.bsky.social) December 4, 2025 at 7:06 PM

Krasnodar Krai, Russia:

Something is getting sanctioned in Krasnodar Krai, Russia

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) December 4, 2025 at 5:26 PM

Temryuk … the gas terminal is on fire .. the boys are thrilled
#russianLosses
#UkraineNews

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— Baba Yaga Fèlla (@babayagafella.bsky.social) December 4, 2025 at 8:07 PM

Russian Temruk sea port area is burning as a result of the tonight’s attack.

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— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) December 4, 2025 at 5:43 PM

Stavropol Krai, Russia:

Drones attacked the chemical plant “Nevinnomyssk Azot” in Russia’s Stavropol Krai. Local residents heard sirens and saw air-defense activity and flashes in the sky. The plant is considered one of the largest producers of nitrogen fertilizers and ammonia in Russia.

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) December 4, 2025 at 5:17 AM

That’s enough for tonight.

Your daily Patron!

There are no new Patron skeets or videos today. Here is some adjacent material.

🇺🇦😺 He settled down on his throne and thought: “Sara Abramovna hung up the laundry, which means dinner will be ready soon. The window on the second floor is open—Izya is cleaning fish. And there’s that aunt walking by—I should meow politely, she might be carrying cutlets!”

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— Vitalis Viva (@vitalisviva.bsky.social) December 2, 2025 at 2:41 PM

Open thread!

The War Was Brought from Russia, and It Is to Russia That the War Must Be Pushed Back. They Must Be the Ones Forced Into Peace – Address by the President

24 March 2025 – 20:49

Dear Ukrainians!

The key takeaways from this day. Right now in Sumy, a rescue operation is still ongoing. All services are involved – Ukraine’s State Emergency Service, National Police, our medical and municipal services. There are many injured – as of now, reports confirm nearly 90 people injured, including 17 children. At the epicenter of the attack were a school and residential buildings. Fortunately, the children at the school were in shelter. I am grateful to everyone helping the people and to all those saving the lives of Ukrainians. Each day like this, every night under Russian missiles and drones, every single day of this war brings loss, pain, and destruction that Ukraine never wanted. The war was brought from Russia, and it is to Russia that the war must be pushed back. They must be the ones forced into peace. They are the ones who must be pressured to ensure security. Thank you to everyone who is helping us in this. Thank you to all who are working for the security of Ukraine, for the protection of our people, and for the defense of our cities.

I held a Staff meeting today – various issues were discussed. In particular, the training of our warriors and the modernization of that training. There was a report from General Oleh Apostol, Deputy Commander-in-Chief, on the changes in training – including the implementation of modern methodologies. We also reviewed training programs, psychological support, information support, and cooperation with partners. There are certain issues that need to be addressed. There was also a report on the 18-24 contract program, including the first results. We will be expanding it – I was at the front on Saturday, there is a demand from specific brigades. We will respond positively to that demand – more brigades will be able to take in young volunteers. This experience should also be extended to the National Guard of Ukraine and Border Guard units. All effective units within the Defense Forces must be given every opportunity to develop and enhance the potential of our country and our resilience.Today, we also held meetings focused on diplomatic efforts. I recently spoke with Defense Minister Rustem Umerov. Yesterday, there was a meeting with the U.S. team. Today, U.S. representatives spoke with the war team – that is, with representatives of Russia. After that, another meeting took place between the Ukrainian and American teams. I’m expecting a new report. What we need is movement toward real peace – toward guaranteed security. And this is something we all need – in Ukraine, in Europe, in America, and across the world – everyone who wants stability in international relations. Russia remains the only actor dragging this war out, jeering at both our people and the global community. To push Russia toward peace, we need strong moves and strong actions. We are ready to support every strong initiative that can make diplomacy more effective – and that means applying pressure to force Russia to want to end this war. That means sanctions. That means support for Ukraine. That means international coordination. This week, we are also preparing substantive work with our European partners on concrete security steps – joint security steps. A significant part of Europe is ready for concrete security work – and that’s a good thing. I thank everyone who stands with Ukraine!

Glory to Ukraine!

Georgia:

Protests continue in Georgia.

Day 117.

#GeorgiaProtests

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— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) March 24, 2025 at 1:28 PM

Day 117. You can help us avoid whatever costs can be avoided by targeted sanctions and calls for new, free and fair Parliamentary elections, because things won’t just “stabilize” in Georgia, we won’t stop – and because Georgia is what Russia plans for Ukraine. #GeorgiaProtests

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— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) March 24, 2025 at 1:29 PM

“For nearly 3 months, the people of Georgia have been protesting in favour of a future in the EU & against the course of the Georgian leadership. They continue to face intimidation, arrests & violence” – stated in a statement released by the German Foreign Ministry.

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— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) March 24, 2025 at 2:45 PM

Jonathan is amazing! It was my pleasure!

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— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) March 24, 2025 at 5:02 PM

The so-called Supreme Court of the Russian-occupied Donetsk region has sentenced Georgian fighter in Ukraine, Nadim Khmaladze, in absentia to 14 years in prison in a strict regime colony.

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— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) March 24, 2025 at 8:28 AM

Moscow on the Potomac with a detour through Brasil:

Glenn Greenwald, Tucker Carlson & Alexander Dugin. “This is not just eccentric provocation by MAGA attention-seekers; it is a window into a serious, philosophical concordance that is emerging between parts of the American and Russian right.” www.economist.com/united-state…

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— Shashank Joshi (@shashj.bsky.social) March 24, 2025 at 6:52 AM

‘Mr Bannon “has been arguing that the United States and Russia are both Christian and nationalist in their essence,” says Mr Teitelbaum. He argues this is a prelude to a new Republican conception of American identity based on rootedness and peoplehood’ www.economist.com/united-state…

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— Shashank Joshi (@shashj.bsky.social) March 24, 2025 at 6:54 AM

From The Economist:

Russophilia was once an affliction of the American left, of socialists who made excuses for Stalinism or Soviet totalitarianism. No longer. One month ago, Glenn Greenwald, a heterodox American journalist once lionised by the left and now admired by the conspiratorial right, dropped by Moscow to absorb the wisdom of Alexander Dugin, a prominent, anti-liberal Russian thinker sometimes likened to “Putin’s Rasputin”.

During his trip to Moscow a year ago to film a sympathetic interview with Vladimir Putin, Tucker Carlson, an influential MAGA media personality, visited Mr Dugin, too, and found him irresistible. “We were having a conversation that we were not going to film…but what you said was so interesting that we got a couple of cameras and put this together,” he gushed at the start of their interview, and nodded enthusiastically as Mr Dugin lambasted the failures of liberalism and the excesses of wokeness. This is not just eccentric provocation by MAGA attention-seekers; it is a window into a serious, philosophical concordance that is emerging between parts of the American and Russian right.

The most obvious alignment is over geopolitics, especially the position of Ukraine. The hardline MAGA right objected to Joe Biden’s military aid not just out of partisan instinct but also because they believe Ukraine ought to have been more accommodating of its regional superpower. Just as America gets to dictate terms within its sphere of influence, to Canada over trade or to Panama over its canal, Russia has rights over Ukraine, this thinking goes. Adherents of America First are realists, not idealists like their neoconservative predecessors. They see foreign interventionism as futile adventurism. Their view of the world is multipolar, as is Mr Dugin’s.

But Mr Dugin’s contempt for Ukraine runs deeper. His most famous work published in 1997, “The Foundations of Geopolitics”, advocates for “Eurasianism”—the idea of a restored, great new Russia that straddles both Asia and Europe. He argued that Ukraine was a “huge danger” to this project. He elaborated: “Ukraine as a state has no geopolitical meaning. It has neither a special cultural message of universal significance, nor geographic uniqueness, nor ethnic exclusivity.” During Mr Putin’s invasion of Crimea in 2014, Mr Dugin’s enthusiasm for conquering Ukraine reached such excessive heights that he lost his appointment at the prestigious Moscow State University. His Rasputin-like reputation therefore seems overblown, though he still works as a kind of international ambassador to illiberal right-wing movements. An assassination attempt in 2022—via car bomb, believed to be planted by agents of Ukraine, which killed his daughter—has amplified Mr Dugin’s prominence.

The alignment with MAGA involves more than geopolitics. The ideas that have emerged to justify the governance of Mr Trump and Mr Putin—neither of whom are renowned philosophers—bear striking resemblances. Within the West, the international coalition of nationalist conservatives, stretching from Trumpism in America to bolsonarismo in Brazil to Orbanism in Hungary, rejects the basic precepts of enlightenment liberalism, like individualism and the universality of human rights.

The alignment with MAGA involves more than geopolitics. The ideas that have emerged to justify the governance of Mr Trump and Mr Putin—neither of whom are renowned philosophers—bear striking resemblances. Within the West, the international coalition of nationalist conservatives, stretching from Trumpism in America to bolsonarismo in Brazil to Orbanism in Hungary, rejects the basic precepts of enlightenment liberalism, like individualism and the universality of human rights.

This critique is shared by Russian justifiers of Mr Putin, who see an alliance against the decadence and depravity of liberalism. They disdain globalism and wokeness, which they see as the logical endpoint of Western liberalism. To prevent global hegemony of any kind, national conservatives in America, France, Hungary and Italy argue that the sovereignty of the nation-state must be supreme. Whereas Mr Dugin once argued that Russia ought to create an axis with Germany and Japan (“dismembering” China in the process) to stand up to American hegemony, he now recognises that such efforts are unnecessary. “Each day it becomes more and more evident that USA and Russia are on the same wave, but EU-globalists are on the opposite one,” he wrote recently on X.

You might think there would be irreconcilable differences between the MAGA and Russian right, since Mr Dugin is straightforward in his advocacy for an authoritarian state unified with the Orthodox Church, even suggesting the restoration of the oprichniki, the tsarist secret police established by Ivan the Terrible. “Should we not recognise autocracy, patriarchy and the authoritarian system not only de facto, but also de jure? Shouldn’t the Church and the institutions of traditional society regain their dominant position in society?” he wrote in 2022. The nationalist conservative movement in America and Europe, however, is couched in majoritarian populism—expressing the democratic will of people while imposing ever-fewer limits on the authority of their elected representatives. In America the goal is to smash the liberal state.

“In the Russian case, the state is the embodiment of the nation. It’s not the case in the us. Trump is dismantling the federal state; Putin’s goal is to reinforce the state,” says Marlene Laruelle, a professor at George Washington University.

In this respect, the Russian political right does not represent the mainstream of the Trumpist intellectual right. Yet some of its ideas resonate with fringier figures. One strain of right-wing, post-liberal thought in America is integralism. Its adherents argue for the unification of the Catholic church with the state. Some, like Patrick Deneen, a critic of liberalism and professor at Notre Dame University, argue for “aristopopulism”—replacement of rule of the current, decadent elite with a different elite with the right politics.

American thinkers affiliated with the so-called “Dark Enlightenment” or “neo-reactionary movement” are more straightforward in arguing against egalitarianism and democracy. Curtis Yarvin, one such thinker, has called for an American monarchy that would be run by a dictator-president, a figure sometimes referred to more politely as a “national CEO”. Vice-President J.D. Vance has approvingly cited Mr Yarvin’s work, though not the monarchic aspects of his outlook. Recently Mr Vance greeted him at a party by saying, in jest, “Yarvin, you reactionary fascist!”

There are other discordances, too. Western national conservatives aim to defend the nation-state from globalism, whereas the sacred object for Mr Dugin (and Mr Putin) is the Russian civilisation-state, which transcends Westphalian borders. “They describe me as ultranationalist, but I am not nationalist at all!” Mr Dugin told Mr Greenwald in his interview.

More at the link.

Oleksandr Merezhko, head of Ukraine’s Foreign Policy Committee, called for U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff’s recall, labeling his remarks on referendums in Russian-occupied areas “disgraceful.” Merezhko accused Witkoff of echoing Russian propaganda, questioning if he represents Trump or Putin.

— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) March 24, 2025 at 8:44 AM

Back to Ukraine.

The cost:

Russian captivity kills! Red Cross neglects their duty before Ukrainian prisoners held in russian captivity, failing to provide protection, any help whatsoever, or even visit them.

On the picture is Ivan Petrovsky. He spent 1037 days in russian captivity and lost 40 kg.

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 24, 2025 at 8:31 AM

Marusya is 7 years old and from Dnipro

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— Sofia (@sofiaukraini.bsky.social) March 20, 2025 at 9:34 AM

Despite their own intelligence, American officials began to take Putin at his word. Russia was able to influence some people from Trump’s team: they told them that Ukrainians do not want the war to end and we must be forced to- Volodymyr Zelenskyy for TIME.

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— Vitalis Viva (@vitalisviva.bsky.social) March 24, 2025 at 9:23 AM

From Time:

early six years have passed since Volodymyr Zelensky was elected president of Ukraine, yet he still cringes at all the polished brass and chandeliers that crowd his office. The place does seem rather gaudy, like a room plucked straight from Mar-a-Lago, and Zelensky can’t seem to stop apologizing for it as he shows me around one evening in March. He would rather scrap the furniture, he says, rip down the pilasters, and use white paint to hide the gold leaf on the ceiling.

“But, you know, we haven’t had much time for renovations, especially these last few years,” he says, referring to the war. Only in the back of his chambers, behind Ukraine’s version of the Resolute Desk, is there a space that feels like home to Zelensky—a small room with a single bed and a set of paintings that he chose himself. They are not museum pieces. At the local bazaar, similar ones might fetch a few hundred dollars at most. But they matter to the president because of what they represent.

The one that hangs above his bed shows a Russian warship sinking into the Black Sea. Another shows Ukrainian troops fighting recently on Russian territory. The third, Zelensky’s favorite, shows the Kremlin engulfed in flames. “Each one’s about victory,” he says as we cram into the space for a look at the pictures. “That’s where I live.”

But he did not invite me over for a tour. His basic aim, as far as I could tell, was to clear the air after his recent visit to the Oval Office, the one that became a viral sensation for the world and a source of trepidation for his country. For several interminable minutes on the morning of Feb. 28, President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance had berated Zelensky, calling him ungrateful, weak and dangerous while talking over his attempts to argue back. “You don’t hold the cards,” Trump told Zelensky. “You’re gambling with World War III!”

On the advice of people he trusts, Zelensky has mostly avoided talking about the episode, not wanting to deepen a diplomatic crisis that had threatened to cost him nothing less than his country’s existence. His standard answer to questions about it has been, “Let’s leave that to history.” Even now, he hopes to turn the page and move on. But his instincts rarely allow him to keep quiet for long about the things that bother him, which is partly what got him into trouble with Trump.

Going into that meeting, Zelensky says, he had it all planned out. He had been to the White House a handful of times during the war. But this would be his first sit-down with Trump in the Oval Office, and it would mark a critical point in Trump’s effort to force a peace deal in Ukraine. To make an impression, Zelensky decided to bring a set of gifts. Their aim was to break through any ill will the U.S. President felt toward Ukraine, and to dispel what Zelensky believed was the influence of Russian propaganda on the White House.

One of the gifts fit with an emerging tradition of the Trump era, in which guests bring shiny tokens of their respect and fealty. In a recent example, Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, gave Trump a golden pager, commemorating the explosive devices Israel used to kill or injure thousands of its enemies last year in Lebanon. Vladimir Putin went further than that, commissioning an oil painting of Trump and sending it this month to the White House. In Zelensky’s case, the gift was even glitzier: the championship belt of his friend Oleksandr Usyk, who holds the world heavyweight boxing title.

As he took his seat in the Oval Office, Zelensky placed the belt on a side table near his right elbow, planning to reach over and hand it to Trump in front of the assembled journalists. Instead, as the televised briefing began, Zelensky reached for another one of his gifts. It was a folder containing a series of gruesome photographs, showing Ukrainian prisoners of war after their time in Russian captivity. Some of their bodies were grotesquely emaciated. Others showed signs of torture. “That’s tough stuff,” Trump said, his face leaden, as he took the photos from Zelensky and began leafing through them.

Those pictures, according to some U.S. officials, marked the point when the meeting went wrong. Had Zelensky offered the championship belt, the gesture might have lightened the mood. The photos had the opposite effect. They seemed to get Trump’s guard up, as though he were being blamed for the suffering of those soldiers. Still, even today, Zelensky does not regret his decision to present these images. He had been trying to reach beyond Trump’s transactional instincts, beyond his need for flattery, and appeal to Trump as a human being. “He has family, loved ones, children. He has to feel the things that every person feels,” Zelensky says. “What I wanted to show were my values. But then, well, the conversation went in another direction.”

Among the most painful exchanges in the Oval Office meeting took place near the end, when Zelensky asked whether J.D. Vance had visited Ukraine during the war. They both knew he had not, and Vance shot back that he had no interest in Zelensky’s “propaganda tours.”

The insult must have stung. Throughout the invasion, it has been the policy of Ukraine to encourage guests to see its destruction up close. Zelensky often brings visitors to hospitals full of wounded soldiers, ruins caused by missile strikes, or mass graves that Russian forces leave behind. Envoys from the White House have made a point of avoiding such excursions since Trump took office in January. But Zelensky remains committed to their value in diplomacy, and his team invited me to take such a trip on the day of our interview.

Much more at the link.

Ukrainian tennis star Marta Kostyuk wraps up her victory over russian Anna Blinkova at the Miami Open today with an underarm ace serve💥

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— Sofia (@sofiaukraini.bsky.social) March 24, 2025 at 7:28 AM

A drone operator from the Czech Republic is destroying Russians.

“We all enjoy it when we eliminate Russians – one arm goes one way, everything else goes the other.” – says Karolína, a UAV operator from the 59th Assault Brigade.
youtu.be/Op3noVfgnY8?…

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) March 24, 2025 at 11:58 AM

Kharkiv:

In Kharkiv, russian drone just landed on the children’s playground.

Thankfully, it didn’t detonate.

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 24, 2025 at 3:22 PM

Kyiv:

Kyiv Patrol Police showed the first moments after drone debris hit a high-rise building on March 23.

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) March 24, 2025 at 7:48 AM

Nadia, Russian occupied Luhansk Oblast:

Democratic Ukraine could defeat fascist Russia if the West gave it full military support and imposed (and enforced) more damaging sanctions on the Kremlin.

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— Euan MacDonald (@euanmacdonald.bsky.social) March 24, 2025 at 5:28 AM

Somewhere in Russia:

Several Ukrainian drones successfully reached the Russian ammunition depot.

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) March 24, 2025 at 2:39 PM

Primorsky Krai:

Russians report a crash of a Su-25: “A Su-25 crashed in Primorsky Krai (Russia). Preliminary cause: engine failure. The pilot ejected. He is alive and well.”

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— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) March 24, 2025 at 7:20 AM

Belgorod Oblast, Russia:

🚀HIMARS missiles with 180,000 tungsten carbide balls strike on the Russian military helicopters in the Belgorod region of Russia.

🚁Two Russian Ka-52 and two Mi-8 helicopters were targeted. t.me/ukr_sof/1518

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— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) March 24, 2025 at 1:37 AM

Obligatory:

That’s enough for tonight.

Your daily Patron!

There are no new Patron skeets or videos today. Here is some adjacent material.

When we see these eyes, we have no choice but to help. #DogsOfUkraine 🇺🇦

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— Nate Mook (@natemook.bsky.social) March 16, 2025 at 10:14 PM

Open thread!