Tootfinder

Putin must see his drone tests over Western European airports and other infrastructure as rather successful. Lots of disruption, doubt and confusion. Hardly a drone shot down. Talk about a 'drone wall', then disagreement on it. And the familiar "but we can't know if Russia is behind them".
The latter reminds me of the 2014 Russian invasion of Crimea, Ukraine. "Their uniforms and tanks don't have markings, so we can't tell if they're Russian."

Trump signals Ukrainians who fled invasion may stay in US until war ends: https://benborges.xyz/2025/07/30/trump-signals-ukrainians-who-fled.html

While Venezuela is not a democratic example like Ukraine, the echoes of Russia's invasion of Ukraine as Trump moves US military assets toward the Venezuelan coast are certainly there.
"Maduro spoke to the Venezuelan people on Monday, asking them to prepare for an invasion.
"In the face of this maximum military pressure, we have declared maximum preparedness for the defence of Venezuela," Maduro said of the deployment, which he characterized as "an extravagant, unjustifiable, immoral and absolutely criminal and bloody threat."
He deployed troops along the coast and at the border with Colombia. He also urged Venezuelans to enlist in a civilian militia.”
#Trump #Venezuela #Russia #Empire #War
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/venezuela-us-attack-military-drug-cartels-1.7624235

Good summary of the background:
"But a number of cultural and geopolitical factors – an openly rightward turn among the tech elite; the growing perception of a Chinese threat to US global hegemony; Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, along with Trump’s withdrawal from established defence arrangements, putting the fear of God into EU leaders – have made it clear that there is money, fast and deep money, to be made in defence tech."

Mark O'Connell: If you didn’t have qualms about Spotify before, wait until you hear what its founder has done
Over the past couple of years, tech investors have pivoted toward a collective embrace of the military-industrial complex

Momentum is building on both sides of the Atlantic to give Ukraine the approximately $300 billion in Russian state assets frozen by Western countries after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion in 2022.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has now endorsed the idea, removing a long-standing obstacle.
But another one remains:
Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened to retaliate by confiscating the remaining Western investment in Russia.

Western countries are no…

Putin is eyeing Western business assets. Here’s how to stop him.
When Fidel Castro tried the same thing in the 1990s, Congress answered with the Libertad Act.

Ukrainian Wartime Astronomy and its Prospects
Danilo Albergaria, Kateryna Frantseva, Pedro Russo, Svitlana Babiichuk, Oksana Berezhna, Sofiia Denyshchenko, Daria Dobrycheva, Vadym Kaydash, Olena Kompaniiets, Oleksander Konovalenko, Yurii Kulinich, Igor Lukyanyk, Vladyslava Marsakova, Bohdan Novosyadlyj, Elena Panko, Volodymyr Reshetnyk, Ivan Slyusarev, Iurii Sushch, Ganna Tolstanova, Iryna Vavilova, Liubov Yankiv-Vitkovska, Yaroslav Yatskiv, Vyacheslav Zakharenko

Ukrainian Wartime Astronomy and its Prospects
The Russian invasion of Ukraine damaged or compromised astronomical facilities and has prompted the displacement of researchers. A plan to restore Ukrainian astronomy, rooted in a deeper integration with the international community, is now being developed.

From high above Eastern Europe, NATO's airborne surveillance crews
operating the alliance's E-3 Sentry planes
have tracked Russia's evolving air war since the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
In the early days, aircrews watched Russian warplanes fly bombing runs toward the front lines.
Now, aircraft are rarely crossing into Ukrainian airspace, having largely been replaced by standoff missile strikes and drone attacks
as both sides rely m…

How NATO surveillance jet saw Russian air war against Ukraine change
As the front lines froze, and air defenses got better, Russia and Ukraine pivoted away from close bombing runs to standoff attacks.

18,500 soldiers convicted in Russia of desertion or unauthorized absence since 2022, analysis finds: https://benborges.xyz/2025/08/19/soldiers-convicted-in-russia-of.html

Germany charges man over cyberattack on Rosneft subsidiary https://therecord.media/germany-charges-cyberattack-rosneft

Analysis: Why JD Vance is very wrong about Russian 'concessions' in Ukraine peace talks: https://benborges.xyz/2025/08/25/analysis-why-jd-vance-is.html

It feels bad, seeing Putin being offered a red carpet and warm welcome by Trump in the USA while Putin's missiles hit civilian targets and he continues his invasion of Ukraine. Aggression is rewarded.
#putin #trump #ukraine

The origins and meaning of the tryzub, the Ukrainian coat of arms: https://benborges.xyz/2025/07/13/the-origins-and-meaning-of.html

Putin took Trump for granted.
Trump will make him pay for it.
Trump’s announcement on Monday about aid to Ukraine proves once again that he is nothing if not thin- skinned.

If Trump has been consistent about one thing throughout his tumultuous, decade-long political career,
it is support for Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and skepticism of Ukraine.
In 2014, Trump praised Putin’s illegal seizure of Crimea
— a prelude to Russia’s full-blown invasion of Ukr…

Putin took Trump for granted. He’s going to pay for his mistake.
After the president’s startling, welcome shift on Ukraine, there’s more to do.

General Staff: Russia has lost 1,040,950 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022: https://benborges.xyz/2025/07/19/general-staff-russia-has-lost.html

Imagine spending years as an intelligence officer, working diligently to subvert the Kremlin,
only to watch the US stand with Russia, Iran and North Korea,
as it did in February when it voted against a UN resolution condemning the invasion of Ukraine.
In that moment, Tim Weiner said: “You come to the realization, if you hadn’t already:
‘My God, the president of the United States has gone over to the other side. He has joined the authoritarian axis.’”

Multi-polarization during the 9th European Parliament
Sebastiao Rosalino, Ant\'onio Curado, Fl\'avio L. Pinheiro
https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.03214 h…

Multi-polarization during the 9th European Parliament
Brexit, a global pandemic, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and record inflation - few legislative bodies have faced such a cascade of shocks as the European Parliament did during its 9th term (2019-2024). Using the Bipartite Configuration Model and a set of network statistics, this research explores how multi-polarization was characterized during this term by constructing and analyzing co-voting networks across all legislative subjects and within specific legislative subjects. The results cont…

Robotics company Tencore raises $3.7 million in one of the largest known investments in Ukraine defense tech: https://benborges.xyz/2025/07/11/robotics-company-tencore-raises-million.html

The Pentagon has for months been blocking Ukraine’s use of long-range missiles to strike inside Russia, U.S. officials said,
limiting Kyiv from employing a powerful weapon in its fight against Moscow’s invasion.
A high-level Defense Department approval procedure, which hasn’t been announced, has prevented Ukraine from firing any U.S.-made long-range Army Tactical Missile Systems, deep into Russia

General Staff: Russia has lost 1,029,660 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022: https://benborges.xyz/2025/07/09/general-staff-russia-has-lost.html

General Staff: Russia has lost 1,028,610 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022: https://benborges.xyz/2025/07/08/general-staff-russia-has-lost.html

A Short Drop or a Sudden Stop? Sanctions, Trade Shocks, and Firms’ Adjustment Margins: https://benborges.xyz/2025/07/16/a-short-drop-or-a.html

General Staff: Russia has lost 1,027,540 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022: https://benborges.xyz/2025/07/07/general-staff-russia-has-lost.html

How Ukrainian teens are training for war: https://benborges.xyz/2025/07/11/how-ukrainian-teens-are-training.html

Georgian-Ukrainian electronic music festival ICKPA returns to Kyiv amid shared resistance to Russian imperialism: https://benborges.xyz/2025/07/24/georgianukrainian-electronic-music-festival-ickpa.html

At least 5 killed, 39 injured in Russian attacks against Ukraine over past day: https://benborges.xyz/2025/07/09/at-least-killed-injured-in.html

Marjorie Taylor Greene is spreading lies about Ukraine’s protests. Russia is taking note.: https://benborges.xyz/2025/07/23/marjorie-taylor-greene-is-spreading.html