Day: August 3, 2026

BREAKING:

The death toll from this morning’s drone explosion on a beach in Gelendzhik, Russia has increased to 7, including 3 children. 40+ are wounded.

Russian mobile fire teams shot down the Ukrainian drone as it was on its way to strike the Rassvet recreation base, which belongs to NPO Mashinostroeniya, a major Russian defense contractor building cruise missiles and other weapons for the Russian military.

The drone fell 300 meters short of its target and hit a crowded public beach instead, killing 7 civilians.

Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine continues to claim Russian lives.
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By Any Other Name is a rA captivating new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Wish You Were Here and co-author of Mad Honey.

Ukraine’s position, our opinion, our perspective, our narratives, and our needs must be present and clearly communicated in podcasts, on social media, and through bloggers and influencers. At the same time, they must also be present in every traditional media outlet that still has influence, continues to be cited, carries political weight, and has a real ability to keep the spotlight on Ukraine – and thus strengthen support for Ukraine and respect for our community within the country.

To ensure that Ukraine always gets results, you and your key embassy staff must speak the same language – in every sense – as those who make decisions and can help. Our diplomatic service has a traditional, longstanding weakness: when it comes to every language other than English, we face a shortage of proficiency. Please develop systemic solutions capable of changing this. You must have a deep understanding of the values, holidays, and pain of the people in every country where you serve, understand their culture – and know their language.

Ambassadors also need to know more about what is happening in Ukraine and how. You need to visit Ukraine regularly, share in Ukraine’s life, and feel what Ukrainians are going through. Every Ukrainian ambassador must know what the front is like, what life is like in a frontline or border community, and what it is like to rebuild after attacks. Every ambassador must feel what it is like when air defense launchers are empty and the Russians are launching ballistic missile attacks.

With all of this in mind, replacements within the embassies must be selected and prepared more carefully. Those returning to Ukraine must be offered positions at a level that truly reflects their contribution to Ukraine’s shared result, the experience our people have here, and the experience an embassy staff member has gained in the country where they served. Otherwise, we risk losing experienced professionals from the diplomatic service – something we cannot afford.

From an address at the meeting of heads of Ukraine’s foreign diplomatic missions. (7/7)
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Our FREYJA can become a shared European system providing integrated protection. FREYJA will be quick to produce and battle-tested. Ukraine is capable of manufacturing both the missile itself and the launcher. The decisive factor is cooperation with those European countries and companies that have the radars, sensors, and everything else required for an effective anti-ballistic system. And we already have agreements in place with all of these companies and all the necessary countries. —  @ZelenskyyUaVolodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa)Everyone can see the ballistic missile threat posed by Russia – and this threat is growing. At the same time, Russian enterprises that manufacture ballistic missiles are still not subject to strict global sanctions.

Some key Russian enterprises involved in ballistic missile production are not under sanctions imposed by the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, Switzerland, and other jurisdictions. Of the seventeen key Russian enterprises involved in producing ballistic missiles, most, unfortunately, can exploit sanctions loops in the jurisdictions of various partners. We need greater coordination, daily engagement with partners on sanctions, and greater synchronization of sanctions.

Unfortunately, one of the worst consequences of Russia’s war against Ukraine – and of Iran’s tactics as well – is that potential aggressors around the world can see how much harm ballistic missiles can inflict on human life. The global ballistic missile threat will therefore continue to grow, and all anti-ballistic defense capabilities must grow as well.

Our FREYJA can become a shared European system providing integrated protection. FREYJA will be quick to produce and battle-tested. Ukraine is capable of manufacturing both the missile itself and the launcher. The decisive factor is cooperation with those European countries and companies that have the radars, sensors, and everything else required for an effective anti-ballistic system. And we already have agreements in place with all of these companies and all the necessary countries.

These are the ten countries participating in the Anti-Ballistic Coalition: Ukraine, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom – as well as twelve manufacturers that have already joined. The Anti-Ballistic Coalition and the FREYJA project are open to other participants capable of making a genuine contribution to security across Europe.

From an address at the meeting of heads of Ukraine’s foreign diplomatic missions. (4/7)
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  —  https://x.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/2084285924381241729