Matt Ball

Love this. Superbly done. Please send this far and wide. @donwinslow.bsky.social

Zviad Ratiani, Georgia’s greatest living poet, says he’s being denied a notebook and pen in his prison cell. He was arrested after slapping a police officer in solidarity with detained journalist Mzia Amaglobeli.

And really, what worse punishment could there be for a poet?

I think it's true the US's time as a superpower is over - for now. It's a tragedy, as the democratic, free world needs a strong friend. Sadly the Republican US is worse than useless.
Let us hope the remaining democratic countries can step up to fill the void.

One week of intense conversations in Kyiv convinced me that Ukraine has no need for Trump any longer.
Ukraine can produce all the arms it needs, but it needs financing, which Europe can and must deliver.
Trump has swiftly ended the time of US superpower.

A Ukrainian FPV interceptor fails to catch up with a Russian "Molniya" UAV, which strikes a civilian car and kills people.

Good take. NB: “IOW, what the Indian government has done… was not to come crawling and dance to America’s tunes, but to recalibrate away from the USA. That means better relations with (and more money going to) Russia and China from India.” Yup.

Day 1301 of Ukraine fighting for its survival. The right to be free, speak their own language, worship in their own churches, to learn their own history.

A history of long suppression by Russia.
As war crimes grow daily, the words "never again" don't seem to apply.
Here's the🧵

3 months ago, today, Melissa Hortman and her husband were murdered by a Trump supporter.

They had kids, too.

Violence only begets violence. Enduring change comes from building solutions, transforming minds, and cultivating what is good, in the human heart and in the world.

Hi

ICE killed a single dad at a traffic stop here on Friday

Today they are disappearing people again in broad daylight, they are everywhere

If you have any national platform at all

Chicago is fucking begging you, please help us

…and the US unilaterally ending some sanctions that hurt Putin, while putting impossible conditions on starting new sanctions on Russia.

Weekend Update #150: Range, Range, Range Also: Russia Attacks Poland; The USA Unilaterally Ends Some Sanctions

Just released my free weekend update. Big stories of the week include the continuation and sophistication of the Ukrainian ranged attacks, the utter failure of NATO, which ended the week escorting Russian drones so they could attack Ukraine… open.substack.com/pub/phillips...

Yeah but he didn’t say that. Stop spreading disinformation.

What to do if you hear a Shahed drone? 12 step guide from a Ukrainian

This week’s events in Poland show the chances uou could meet a Shahed drone is much higher than any of us think - so here is what you can do when you meet one:

margogontar.substack.com/p/what-to-do...

💯

Trump continues to give Russia break after break and benefit of the doubt. This will encourage Russia to further escalate, knowing the US won’t step up and respond. “I’m not happy about anything having to do with that whole situation. But hopefully it’s going to come to an end.”

Soviet mosaic in peaceful city in Ukraine.

Kudos to those who can geolocate this :)

And this is the young mother who was killed instantly when Russia attacked Kyiv.

Viktoriia Hrebeniuk, who worked for a charity, and her 2-month-old son were murdered in their own home by Russia.
It's terrorism, it's intended, it's murder.
#RussiaIsATerroristState

💔Viktoriia Grebeniuk, 32, and her 3-months-old son Roman were killed by the Russian attack on #Kyiv last night.

They were thrown out of the window by a drone strike. Viktoriia's husband, Roman's dad, was badly injured.

Deepest condolences...

In Russian social media, there’s ecstasy again — in Kyiv, drone strikes killed a woman and a two-month-old infant, and at night they set fire to empty government offices.

Oh, what happiness! What joy!

The greatness of Russia, risen from its knees!

They showed those khokhols!
That’s how we’ll win!

graph shows business lending by purpose. July sees a sudden uptich in lending for 'other business' - i.e. not property.

Some major shifts in credit flows into the NZ economy in July 2025. The centrepiece was a remarkable uptick in business lending for things *other than property*. Yes, we can invest in other things! Looks like impact of recent tax changes to me. Now, this is important... I'll try and explain. [🧵 1/n]

Natural selection in action 🤦🏼‍♂️

No notes

❗️The plane Ursula von der Leyen @vonderleyen.ec.europa.eu was on was forced to land in Bulgaria due to suspected Russian GPS interference -FT

There are reports that the pilots even had to use paper maps due to GPS jamming as they made the emergency landing.

🕯️ Kyiv bids farewell to two-year-old Angelina and her mother, whose lives were cut short by a Russian missile on August 28.

I’m broken into pieces…

Russia is facing a growing gasoline shortage. The hardest hit by fuel disruptions in Russia are the Far East and Zabaykalsky Krai. Russian-occupied Ukrainian Crimea faces shortages, as well.

A diplomat from Russia buried her face in her phone to avoid seeing the crimes of her country while Ukraine's Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko addressed the UN Security Council. Svyrydenko was showing a photo of a child's body killed in a Russian attack.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated that Russia is attempting to destabilize Germany, including targeting its infrastructure, and therefore Berlin is in direct conflict with Moscow.

So maybe you need to fight back?