Day 1642 War in Ukraine

Coalition of the Willing gathers in Kyiv. European heads of state pose together. Where are Trump, Secretary of State Rubio, heck, where are America's two envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner? The blogger describes the absence of the last two as owing to they're being “chickenshit cowards.” Mmm, I dunno. I suspect it's because Russia (The two envoys have been to Moscow at least five times, to Kyiv: never) offers better parties, high-end vodka, really pretty hookers, psychedelic drugs, etc.

24 August is Ukraine's Independence Day. Zelenskyy gives lengthy dpeech. Nation puts out a 1½ hour video,

Video of Coalition of the Willing meeting runs almost 40 minutes.

Georgians march with extreme,y large Ukrainian flag.

Prime Minister of Georgia wishes Ukraine a happy Independence Day. Marika Mikiashvili interprets this as meaning Ukraine is winning!

Britain will share assembly information on their Storm Shadow cruise missile with Ukraine and France.

Finland's President reports that Russians were 65% opposed to the war in Ukraine, the destruction of Wildberries raises that the 75%.

The Coalition of the Willing will hold joint military exercises in Poland in October and November of this year.

Pictures of Ukraine's Independence Day! It's their 35^th anniversary.

10 POWs heading home!

Parade done with unmanned equipment.

Fedorov wants elections. A good idea, but wouldn't all that time and attention be better spent winning the war?

Ukrainians civilians and emergency First Responder vehicles being attacked.

Russian Ozon logistics hub comes under Ukrainian fire.

https://balloon-juice.com/2026/08/24/war-for-ukraine-day-1642-ukrainian-independence-day/

 

Piece from World Beyond War

  

Hmm. Yeah. I have a bit of problem with this. Why would Europe wish to be “heavily militarized?” Well, Putin has been supporting nostalgia for the Soviet Union since at least 2000 and declared in 2006 that the demise of the Soviet Union was “the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the [20th] century.” How does one reverse that “catastrophe?” That's easy, expand Russia to include all of the Soviet Union's old territories! Please keep in mind that the three Baltic States used to be part of the Soviet Union and are now part of NATO. So sure, in a vacuum, demilitarizing Europe would be a great idea. But the intelligence agencies of countries close to Russia tell us that they feel they have very strong reasons to believe that Russia wishes to expand. It doesn't help, of course, that the US President appears to be on Russia's side. 

Day 1633 War in Ukraine

 Any place in Georgia is a good place to denounce the regime!

“The Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, an almost 1,000-year-old UNESCO World Heritage site, was founded long before Moscow existed.”

According to Ukraine, they have a very low rate for UAVs that don't make it to their targets. Only 123 shot down out of 1,743.

Fuel is being supplied to Russia via Georgia and Abkhazia.

“Rescuers of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine returned from France, where they helped contain large-scale forest fires for almost two weeks”

Lithuania will build a Ukrainian ammunition factory.

Ben Hodges, the former Commanding General of US Army Europe, comments on Russians trying to make us lose trust in each other.

Ukrainians complaining about the dismissal of Federov for 31 days now.

Russia making more and more jet drones (3k) as opposed to regular propeller ones (2,800).

3-month-old by killed in Russian drone attack.

“On the afternoon of August 15, russian drone targeted farming equipment during harvest in Zaporizhzhia region.”

Ukraine putting vital electrical infrastructure equipment underground to protect it from aerial attack.

Russian-occupied Crimea getting more and more cut off.

“Russia's main state bank warned that Russia is going to lose the economic war, and compared the situation to the 1917 revolution and 1991 collapse of the USSR.”

According to the Levada Center, ordinary Russians are very concerned about the war and their political situation.

Russian Rocket an Space Center struck by Ukrainian Flamingo cruise missiles. Plenty of other damage to Russian targets.

https://balloon-juice.com/2026/08/15/war-for-ukraine-day-1633-will-there-be-cake/

Day 1619 War in Ukraine

 Ukraine's post office does quite a bit. It “deliver pensions, medicines, parcels and essential goods, accept utility payments, and provide basic services to people in remote villages.” It is, of course, a favorite target for Russians.

Blogger reproduces lyrics from “The Green Fields of France” to commemorate some heroic deaths.

Very few ballistic missile intercepted owing to lack of Patriot missiles.

Authorities in Georgia who work on “hate speech” have to do a lot of “scrolling and screen-shotting” of Facebook to get convictions.

Ukraine battles wildfires in European countries, proving that it is a European country.

Poland found the fellow who hit the Ukrainian woman with a stick.

Trump spoke with Putin, then walked back the offer to supply Ukraine with Patriot missiles.

US is stepping down from leading a pro-Ukraine effort.

Ukraine causing massive losses to Russian ground forces.

Ukrainian citizens still protesting Federov's firing.

Cleaning up after a missile attack.

Aaugh! A book warehouse is burned!

Russian container ship sunk. Shipping containers are water-resistant, but if you submerge them, the contents will be soaked.

Russians in Crimea are going nuts due to the lack of food, money and gasoline. “Russian tourists are leaving the peninsula.”

An assassination attempt is made on a Russian general. Blogger doesn't think it was arranged by Ukraine. Not their style.

Russian refineries and warehouses being blown up.

https://balloon-juice.com/2026/08/01/war-for-ukraine-day-1619-the-cost/

Day 1617 War in Ukraine

 March to reinstate Federov as Minister of Defence.

Up to 30 missiles launched at Kyiv last night.

Georgian protesters continue to ask the question “Is Bidzina a d*ck?” But now, a protester is simply using “d.” He was detained.

Abkhazian volunteers died fighting on Russia's side. The Abkhazian wants to delay a memorial to them until the war is concluded.

Port of Poti in Georgia is major transshipment point for getting Russian goods from occupied Ukraine to trade.

Another attack on a Ukrainian in Poland.

A Russian Kh-101 missile landed in Poland. Poland is concerned and suspects it was deliberate, but no telling what they'll do about it.

US oil company Greenland Energy used a Danish tugboat to move “an excavator and at least 15 containers” to the port of Nerlerit They did not have permission to move ANYTHING to anywhere! The tugboat left Denmark back in late March. Trump confirm that he wants Greenland to be under American control.

“An 'abrasive' State Department goon who 'has the ear of Donald Trump' is being investigated for allegedly assaulting a colleague.”

Yes, Ukraine has a lot of rare Earth minerals, but they're in the middle of an active combat zone, so it's difficult to see how Trump accesses them until the war's end.

Trump is not going to deliver Zelenskyy's requested 300 Patriot missiles. No license so they can produce their own, either.

Musk won't meet with Zelenskyy to discuss expanding Starlink.

Ukraine hit an average of 6,600 targets a day with drones in June.

Ukrainians march to reinstate Fderov.

After two years of holding a position, the forests are full of fiber-optic wires.

Russian agriculture “plunging into crisis.”

Lots of Russian stuff blowing up and burning.

https://balloon-juice.com/2026/07/31/war-for-ukraine-day-1617-another-no-deal-deal/

Day 1616a War in Ukraine

 Elvira Bary, a Russia expert, explains that the Ukrainian attacks on the Wildberrie's warehouses to the Russian ability to make war.

Russia launched a massive drone and missile attack on Ukraine last night. Strike included more than 70 missiles.

Family of 10 was killed in their home.

Russia trying to expand into Georgia.

Ukraine initiates buying Swedish fighter jets.

Russian cruise missile enters Poland's territory. Gets about 93 km in before crashing on its own. Polish authorities assure us they would have shot it down.

Unfortunately, AfD, a far-right German party, is gaining ground.

Kazakhstan's oil exports have been reduced by 2/3rds thanks to Ukraine's war on Russian oil.

“More than 100 Americans, many of them military veterans, have died fighting for Ukraine.”

15^th day of Ukrainians protesting to return Mykhailo Fedorov to Defense Minister.

Zelenskyy asked if Ukraine was winning. His answer was “not losing”

Lots of Ukrainian stuff destroyed and civilians killed, including a US factory producing drones for Ukraine.

56k Ukrainian civilians took cover in the Metro overnight.

Wildberries warehouses suffer 15% loss or 860k m2 warehouses.

For Russians, warehouses and oil refining facilities burning are just background noise.

Lots of Russian warehouses burning.

https://balloon-juice.com/2026/07/30/war-for-ukraine-day-1616-the-cost/

Day 1616 War in Ukraine

Tunnels dug from Belarus into Lithuania.

Kyiv residents pile into shelters, anticipating a long night of Russian bombardment.

If Georgia goes for full dictatorship, freedom and democracy will lose and Russia, China and Iran will benefit. “The apparent goal is the creation of a one-party regime, devoid of checks and balances, with only a subservient 'opposition' to lend the government a veneer of pluralism.” The oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili is driving the move to dictatorship.

The French Caesar anti-drone gun is really popular with troops.

Former VP Mike Pence thinks Trump is doing a good job supporting Ukraine. When Trump releases the $400 million that Congress has allocated to Ukraine, I'll believe him.

Trump thinks Zelenskyy can “end the war” with a snap of his fingers. Putin could, but Zelenskyy can't.

Ukraine attacking critical components in oil refineries. Makes it harder to get them back on line.

Ukrainian F-16 fighter is lost. Pilot is okay.

Details on former Defense Minister Federov who's trying to get his old position back.

Russia strikes a dairy plant. City of Kherson bombarding Europe's

Putin insists Russian economy is outpacing Europe's (Russia's economy is flat-lining).

More Wildberrie's warehouses destroyed.

https://balloon-juice.com/2026/07/29/war-for-ukraine-day-1616-russia-launches-their-next-mass-missile-attack-as-zelenskyy-makes-an-unexpected-visit-to-lublin/