Day 1572 War in Ukraine

 Lavrov is convinced, CONVINCED I tell you!, that Russia is NOT losing!!!

Mourning First Responders.

Last night, Ukraine was attacked with 681 drones and missiles and shot down 632 of them.

Georgia has established the authoritarian playbook on how to quickly turn a society into a dictatorship.

KALLAS: “This direct assault on Ukraine’s 1,000-year-old heritage also exposed absurdity of Russia’s claims to be the defender of Christianity.” Referring to the Pechersk Lavra Cathedral.

Ukraine receives mine countermeasure ship from Holland.

Fiona Hill: War is a contrast of a strong society vs a strong state.

Trump has yet to pressure Russia and Ukraine has broken free of dependence on US military aid, so Trump is really pretty useless at the moment.

As a result of Russian drones “The largest costume collection of Ukraine was destroyed at the Dovzhenko film studio.”

The Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra was struck by a Russian drone, not by a Patriot anti-aircraft missile. The Lavra started construction in 1051. For context, the Norman conquest of England was in 1066. In addition, St. Nicholas Cathedral in Dnipro (1650) and a zoo in Kharkiv were also attacked.

UNESCO acknowledged the attack on the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, but was vague on just WHO was responsible!

More cutting off of Crimea.

Fuel crisis spreading across Russia.

“St. Petersburg will not hold the Russian Navy Day parade this year”

https://balloon-juice.com/2026/06/15/war-for-ukraine-day-1572-the-cost/

Day 1571 War in Ukraine

 Assumption Cathedral in Kyiv’s Pecherska Lavra bombed. It was founded in 1051. Moscow was mud huts at the time.

Massive, combined missile and drone attack underway.

For his birthday, Trump speaks with both Putin and Zelenskyy.

Russia reports 270 Ukrainian drones.

Soviet occupation of Georgia (including World War II) probably cost around 880k lives. There were only 4 million Georgians at the time.

How would NATO deal with a new member that was at war? Perhaps the same way East and West Germany were dealt with. Article 5 (we'll come to your wartime assistance) applied only to West Germany and would apply to only Ukrainian land that Ukrainians occupied.

Trump very clearly wants to start doing business in Russia again. He wants Ukraine to hurry up and surrender.

Ukrainian supply line interdiction is so successful that Russia is disguising military fuel trucks as civilian lumber trucks.

Ukrainian civilians using two-person tents in shelters for changing, light reduction and general privacy.

Russia strikes apartment buildings and markets. Also, the Kharkiv Art Museum and a film studio.

More First Responders killed by double-tap strikes.

Ukraine hits strategic fuel stocks. Flaming result looks like a volcano.

A Russian colonel falls out of a window and to his death.

https://balloon-juice.com/2026/06/14/war-for-ukraine-day-1571-the-small-hours-are-once-again-the-deadliest-hours-for-ukraine/

Day 1569 war in Ukraine

Trump meets Usyk, a Ukrainian boxer, who promptly lobbies Trump to send Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine. Thing is, Trump likes to be seen as a winner who backs winners. But Secretary of State Rubio just send Russia a message that made it sound as though Russia was NOT committing scores of atrocities in Ukraine against civilians! At this rate, will Trump be invited to Ukraine's victory party? Sure, but he'll arrive as someone who ALSO helped Ukraine to win!

Ukraine asks allies to chip in another $20 billion so they can exploit their successful push to victory!

The Georgian Dream Party came to power on a platform against police violence. Now the Georgian Dream police are committing acts of violence.

“And let me remind you that the Ministry of Internal Affairs has officially set up a “human rights” unit that prosecutes people over social media posts.”

EU opens up accession talks with Ukraine & Moldova. Georgians are bitterly disappointed because the Georgian Dream Party vetoed Georgia's membership application.

Hungary insists that if Ukraine becomes an EU member, hungarians within Ukraine will be respected. Ukraine agrees.

Swedish intelligence reports that Russia is preparing to strike within a few years. “At the same time, the Kremlin's position indicates that an attack on NATO could take place even 'even if the military balance of power does not meet the traditional criteria necessary to launch an attack.'"

Representative McCaul and Senator Kelly both note that Ukraine is winning.

DNI Gabbard is STILL pushing the long-debunked idea that Ukraine had bio-labs? Wasn't that dis-proven back in early 2022?

Lots of Russian stuff getting blown up, including especially crossings from the mainland into Crimea. All three main routes into Crimea are blocked or seriously throttled. Russia is trying to disguise military fuel trucks as civilian cargo trucks.

Brave, brave Russians! “Russians struck a farm in the Sumy region just as workers were herding livestock.” They've also been striking trains.

Russia's “economic nosedive just went supersonic.”

Putin rambles in delusions.

Ukrainian drones and cruise missiles can fly undetected for 100s of kilometers.

https://balloon-juice.com/2026/06/12/war-for-ukraine-day-1569-a-brief-friday-night-update/

 

Day 1568 War in Ukraine

Any Russia who has a summer place in Crimea may as well just write it off as a total loss. This Russian woman claims that she has to spend what used to be her leisure time frantically searching for gasoline. Seriously, if you're a Russian who has property in Crimea, Ukraine is cutting it off from the mainland. Get home quickly!

Georgian woman put on trial for Facebook posts.

“At least 19 Ukrainian citizens have spent around a year in a basement at the Georgian border crossing point of Dariali”

If Russia commits aggression against a Baltic State, Europe is ready to unleash all of NATO's fury upon it!

Germany is thinking of producing the Ukrainian Flamingo cruise missile in Germany.

Italian Prime Minister Meloni recommends that Europe have a single negotiator to Russia.

Talinn, Estonia, installs a modular shelter in a public, urban space.

France and Ukraine discuss strengthening Ukraine's air defenses.

Looking at Unmanned Systems, both ground and aerial.

Bridges to Crimea getting hammered.

Fuel shortages are hitting Russia just as peak driving season starts.

“In Moscow, for the first time in 23 years, the concert on Red Square for Russia Day has been canceled.”

Lots of Russian stuff blowing up and already blown up.

https://balloon-juice.com/2026/06/11/war-for-ukraine-day-1568-crimean-bridges-falling-down-falling-down/

Day 1562 War in Ukraine

 

Crimean Tatar activist Lia Gazi describes “how russia is changing the population of occupied Crimea.“

Woo hoo! 185 Ukrainian POWs return home!

Putin rejects Zelenskyy's offer of direct talks. “Zelensky says Putin's response was weak and he simply doesn't want to end the war.”

Parents of children with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy end their 45-day protest as government agrees to try and obtain medicine.

Denmark feels that Ukraine has a great deal to teach Europe.

Thanks to Viktor Orban being voted out in Hungary, a €6.6 billion fund for Ukraine has been unblocked.

A Ukrainian naval drone apparently was misdirected by Russian electronic interference and explodes in the Romanian port of Constanta.

Russia is supplying Iran with air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles.

Senator Blumenthal describes his trip to Ukraine and how Russia is clearly losing.

US commercial satellite proving timely targeting intelligence.

132 strikes on Russian logistics vehicles on land bridge to Crimea.

Russia strikes baby food factory.

Occupied Crimea is desperately short of gasoline, they're even buying gasoline in canisters.

Tremendous damage to Russian ships in the Sea of Azov.

Russians struck a clearly-marked Red Cross vehicle.

Putin makes the case to invest in Russia, doesn't mention the war.

Putin's main goal at the moment is to seize all of the Donbas. As this is an extremely heavily-fortified section, that'll never happen.

https://balloon-juice.com/2026/06/05/war-for-ukraine-day-1562-the-cost/

Day 1561 War in Ukraine

 

Guided anti-drone missile. Warhead is filled with thousands of steel balls so that it acts like a shotgun.

Zelenskyy writes a very lengthy open letter to Putin. This suggests to me that Zelenskyy feels that the tide of war is turning in Ukraine's favor.*

Iranian activists have been joining protesting Georgians.

Over a span of 688 days, the Georgia legislature adopted 304 laws. It's been a fast rush towards dictatorship. US government, likely because of Georgia's ties to Iran and China, is hostile towards Georgia (doubt that Georgia's lean towards Russia is a problem).

SecState Rubio doubts Russians will ever achieve some objectives.

Sigh! We've seen this movie over and over again! Pentagon feels Russia might consider giving Ukraine Tomahawk cruise missiles might constitute an escalation. Every time we've engaged in an “escalation,” Russia shrugs and changes the goalposts again.

“Trump calls Putin and Zelenskyy 'two very good people"' Trump equates a war criminal with a fellow who's defending his countries against an unjustified war of aggression. .

June 4^th is Remembrance Day for Children Victims of War.

Would Ukraine send troops to defend small countries against Russia? Absolutely! Larger countries? Ehh, not so much.

D'oh! Putin undermines Russian propaganda by admitting true purpose of Oreshnik missile launch.

Agree! “There is something deeply wrong about watching an ambulance become a target.”

Ukraine hammers away at Russian combat logistics vehicles.

https://balloon-juice.com/2026/06/04/war-for-ukraine-day-1561-vlad-i-hope-that-receipt-of-this-finds-you-well/

*Putin refuses to meet with Zelenskyy. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/putin-says-there-is-no-point-meeting-zelensky-over-ending-ukraine-war/ar-AA24WzwR?ocid=BingNewsSerp

Day 1556 War in Ukraine

High school graduates remember their departed fathers.

Saw a piece on Xitter saying that Ukrainians were panicking because they knew they had lost the war and were frantic. Hmm. Problem with this idea is that Ukraine has been very systematic. In the early days of the war, they focused on hitting tanks and other armored vehicles. HIMARS rockets were used to hit ammo dumps and other supplies. Anti-aircraft systems have been the focus for a while. Now the focus is to hit supply trucks and trains. They've also been hammering the rear areas, especially hitting oil refineries and industrial targets. Ukraine's organized and systematic strikes have meant Russian forces are now a great deal weaker than before.

Zelenskyy declares Ukraine's solidarity with all the other countries that surround Russia.

Interesting look at the win-win situation in the Ukraine-Russia war. Foreign countries give Ukraine weapons, Ukraine uses them and reports in great technical detail on how the weapons worked. This makes for rapid technical progress.

Will Russia escalate the war to include NATO? Europe must take the prospect seriously.

Viktor Orban is planning comeback just as Netanyahu returned, just as Trump returned. Current Hungarian leadership should take strong measures to prevent this.

Ukraine needs more Patriot missiles. Will the US provide them?

Very interesting remarks by Senator Kelly on Russian vs all other astronauts.

A prediction: Nah, Putin will never launch nuclear weapons.

Crimea suffering very badly from lack of supplies.

Russia rattles the nuclear saber as battlefield losses mount.

General Syrskyi (equivalent to our Chairman of the Joint Chiefs) tours coastal defense forces.

Blasting of oil refineries and oil tanks.

https://balloon-juice.com/2026/05/30/war-for-ukraine-day-1556-the-cost/

Day 1540 War in Ukraine

 Ukraine has been using a system that integrates all of their weapons into one computer platform since 2022. US has just started to apply the same concept.

“In the latest combined attack (May 13), russia fired 1,567 drones & 56 missiles against Ukraine.” 95% were shot down.

This is of course AFTER Trump's “three-day ceasefire” that Putin more or less completely ignored. Trump's reaction? Nothing.

The war between Russia and Georgia was “frozen” twenty years ago. Russia still occupies 20% of Georgia and has established a puppet regime in Tbilisi.

Germany secretly allocated €300 million to the Czech ammunition initiative over past two years.

New Hungarian Prime Minister ends “wartime state of emergency” and decree-based government.

A look at China and Ukraine. Putin and Xi both see Trump as an easy mark.

SecState Rubio's view of Ukraine-Russia explained: “these pesky Ukrainians refuse to let Russia conquer them and be done with it.“

Ukraine producing own nuclear fuel.

Over 300 UAVs were downed by STING.

Ukraine increasingly destroying Russian air defense systems.

“Russia today attacked both a UN vehicle and WCK vehicle with drones in Ukraine.”

Damage caused by last night's air strikes.

UN vehicles delivered humanitarian aid attacked by Russian drones.

Russian generals continue to make very optimistic promises to Putin.

Russians selling oil at almost $95 a barrel.

https://balloon-juice.com/2026/05/14/war-for-ukraine-day-1540-the-aftermath/