Iskanders to Kharkov with arrivals reported. Explosions in Khemelnytskyi. Strikes on AFU postions in Rivne.

Third launch over Caspian.

This may be the night indeed...

Kalibrs flying all over per usual.

More ballistic from the north.

💥 Kharkov 2.0 - more strikes.

🇸🇻 Moody’s upgrades El Salvador’s sovereign debt rating to B3 with a stable outlook 🙌

🌍 Join @MoneroRevolution

Lvov and Lutsk not to be left out.

The Armed Forces of Ukraine will have to leave the Kursk region if Kiev does not lower the age of mobilization - AP

▪️ "European allies" said that "the lack of depth (of layered defence) means that it may soon become impossible for Ukraine to continue operating in Russia's border region near Kursk," the agency writes.

▪️“The situation in the Kursk region has been further complicated by the arrival of thousands of North Korean soldiers who have come to help Moscow reclaim its land,” officials explained.

▪️Earlier it was reported that the Biden administration is calling on Kiev to lower the mobilization age from 25 to 18 years.

@Slavyangrad

💥 The Fragility of Modern Deterrence: Are We Sleepwalking into Nuclear Armageddon?

(As of writing we are in the midst of a powerful Russian response across Ukraine). Fyodor Lukyanov, in his incisive analysis, points out that the ongoing standoff over Ukraine has effectively become a direct confrontation between Russia and NATO (US), two nuclear-armed entities now operating without the safeguards of Cold War diplomacy. The breakdown of private, backchannel communication, once the cornerstone of managing nuclear deterrence, has given way to comms via public posturing playing out in a media war. This dangerous shift has dramatically increased the likelihood of catastrophic miscalculation.

During the Cold War, an imperfect yet functional system of discreet diplomacy allowed for signals to be sent and received with clarity. Mutual understanding, even between enemies, helped prevent misunderstandings that could have spiraled into nuclear conflict. Today, this critical buffer has evaporated. From the West, contradictory leaks and media noise create confusion (what’s actual signal vs mere noise?). Meanwhile, Russia has adopted a direct and unambiguous approach, publicly marking its red lines in the absence of trustworthy backchannel diplomacy. However, deterrence is about credibility and when credibility plays out in the public eye, the risks of leaders being forced to act to “prove their threats” become exponentially higher.

The West’s decision to abandon private diplomacy in favor of megaphone posturing reveals a dangerous mix of hubris and short-sightedness. Western leaders are not merely playing to Moscow; they’re playing to their domestic audiences, their NATO partners, and the MIC that demands perpetual conflict to feed its coffers.
Russia, by contrast, has been forced into a position where clarity is its only shield. Its red lines are laid bare for the world to see, not because it seeks escalation, but because ambiguity has proven fatal in the face of Western doublespeak.

What makes this moment uniquely dangerous is the psychological trap that leaders on both sides now face. Public commitments to “credibility” mean that retreat or compromise is no longer seen as strength but painted as weakness.

The absence of private diplomacy not only erodes trust but also removes the critical mechanisms needed to diffuse crises. A single misstep, a missile strike misinterpreted, an overzealous military commander, or a politician cornered by his own rhetoric could ignite an uncontrollable chain reaction. NATO’s increasingly reckless posture, from Biden’s authorization of ATACMS strikes deep inside Russia’s internationally recognized borders to France and the UK greenlighting Storm Shadow and SCALP missiles, is a case in point. Each move nudges us closer to the brink, daring Russia to respond while naively assuming it won’t.

But Russia has responded. The deployment of the hypersonic-ballistic Oreshnik missile, capable of carrying nuclear warheads, was no mere “combat test.” It was a calculated signal, a demonstration of Moscow’s resolve to defend its red lines with decisive force. The West’s strategy, built on the illusion of Russian hesitance, is a catastrophic miscalculation. Moscow has no illusions about what’s at stake, and its actions reflect a sobering acknowledgment of the existential threat posed by NATO’s provocations.

Unlike the Cold War, this is no longer a game of chess where careful strategy and mutual respect for red lines dictate moves. This is poker, played with nuclear chips, where bluffing and brinkmanship replace logic and restraint. The U.S. and NATO, emboldened by their own propaganda, are gambling that Russia won’t escalate. But Russia, rooted in a historical memory of existential defense, isn’t playing the West’s game, it’s prepared for survival.

History will not be kind to those who gamble with humanity’s future for the sake of their own political vanity. It’s time for the West to step back, not as an act of weakness, but as an acknowledgment of reality.

- Gerry Nolan

🎙 Subscribe @TheIslanderNews

⚡❌ Ukrainian Energy Minister Galushchenko confirms massive attack on energy system:

According to Galushchenko, attacks on energy facilities are occurring throughout Ukraine (captain obvious).

Ukrenergo urgently introduces emergency shutdowns. Power outages have been recorded in Volyn

Meanwhile, X-101 cruise missiles fly into Ukrainian territory, the majority of the missiles flew through the Chernihiv region, some flew to the Poltava region and the Kiev region. Geranium drones continue circling the sky to draw out what remains of Ukrainian A/D.

Strikes were carried out on targets in Ivano-Frankivs, and a second wave to Lvov. Sumy infrastructure also having a bad night.

9-12 cruise missles still pending “delivery”.

🎙 Subscribe @TheIslanderNews

◾Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has made headlines with his controversial statement suggesting that conquering Gaza is not a taboo.

He emphasised that if the cost of maintaining security control is 5 billion shekels, he would pay it willingly. Smotrich also proposed reducing Gaza's population by half through voluntary emigration within two years.

◾Follow:
https://t.iss.one/European_dissident

🇷🇺🇺🇦Ukrainian energy facilities have been subjected to a massive attack, Energy Minister German Galushchenko reported.

Emergency power outages have been introduced across the country, and Ukrenergo is trying to stabilize the power grid.

Video from Odessa.

🎙 Subscribe @TheIslanderNews

❗️🇷🇺 The situation in Donbas is critical: Russia can make a significant frontal breakthrough at any moment - CNN

- The AFU military said that the catastrophic shortage of infantry in the AFU was one of the reasons for the loss of Selidovo - it was defended by only 60 soldiers, who were quickly surrounded by Russian fighters and retreated with heavy losses.

- The situation is also exacerbated by the fact that new recruits arrive with little or no training, and commanders continue to make gross mistakes.

- One commander reported that troops around Pokrovsk were ordered to shoot unidentified people on the spot for fear of an advance by Russian reconnaissance groups.

- "Now the Russians are pulling their troops to the front line as much as possible. And then at one point they will all go in for an assault. They can go very far. In one day," says a sniper of the 15th Brigade of the National Guard.

@Slavyangrad

🇷🇺🇺🇦 It looks like everybody decided to ride the metro in Kiev tonight?

🎙 Subscribe @TheIslanderNews

Ukrainian military expert Krivolap complains on local TV about the treachery of Russian drone operators:

"They constantly change tactics: they launch drones in groups, alone, they unite them into "flocks", they change the altitude and direction of flight"

Source: Ukraine Leaks

@Slavyangrad