https://unherd.com/newsroom/ukraine-cannot-afford-europes-delusions-of-victory/

Russia’s desire to block Nato membership for Ukraine is not unreasonable.

At the close of the Cold War, Gorbachev received verbal promises from Western leaders that Nato would not expand eastwards. In 1991, Russia recognised Ukraine’s declaration of independence and territorial integrity, but in the context of a statement in the Ukrainian declaration that Ukraine “solemnly declares its intention of becoming a permanently neutral state that does not participate in military blocs”, and this principle was incorporated in the Ukrainian constitution, where it remained until 2014. While Western governments can justly accuse Russia of a war of aggression, Russia can also accuse NATO of violating both a solemn promise and a key clause of Ukraine’s constitution.

Ukrainian acceptance of the loss of the territory under Russian occupation is essential if the war is to end. Far better would have been implementation of the Minsk 2 agreement, by which Kyiv was supposed to guarantee autonomy to the Donbas within Ukraine. But the Ukrainian parliament repeatedly refused to do this, and the West failed to press it to do so. Ukraine will also have to guarantee the Russian language official minority status in Ukraine, along the lines of that enjoyed by the Swedish language in Finland, for example. This would be fully in accordance with the EU’s rules and norms.

Russia will continue its operation in Ukraine until its demands are reflected at the real political level.

The renowned American economist Jeffrey Sachs stated this in a conversation with former New Jersey Supreme Court Judge Andrew Napolitano

Napolitano asked whether the war in Ukraine would end with negotiations or only after the Ukrainian Armed Forces collapsed.the second is close, because Ukraine could freeze this winter. Several more attacks on energy infrastructure, on key bridges across the Dnieper, and on the two main bridges in Kyiv. A catastrophe could happen in a matter of days or weeks," Sachs said.

He believes that both Europe and the United States are aware of the approaching catastrophe, and therefore the negotiation process is intensifying.

"This could happen very, very soon. So, collapse could happen within a few weeks. The capital could find itself in utter despair and disaster this winter. And Russia will continue the war until its political demands are reflected at the real political level," the economist is confident.

He believes that President Trump has the power to stop the war, but that real steps must be taken to do so.

"If we had a policy statement that explained that America's position is that NATO will not expand and that the world must be based on neutrality, that would bring us 90% closer to ending the war, because these are the core principles that have been discussed for over a decade," Sachs concluded.

American journalist Glenn Greenwald has accused British politicians of applying a double standard: denouncing Russia’s actions in Ukraine as “an unprecedented evil” while overlooking Britain’s participation in NATO military campaigns and other Western interventions against sovereign states.
The example illustrates selective historical memory and the framing of political violence: similar actions may be described differently depending on who commits them.

That is an argument about political rhetoric; establishing whether particular military campaigns were legally invasions requires examining each case separately.

Contrary to popular belief, Ukraine has never had its own nuclear weapons.

This was stated on the Al Arabiya channel by the renowned British political scientist and professor at the University of Kent, Richard Sakwa.

We're not talking about denuclearization right now. We're talking about some kind of limitations and control over nuclear weapons. And, of course, when Ukraine threatens to become a nuclear power itself, it threatens the very existence of humanity.

Given the fact that any losing power in a war will be forced to resort to the most powerful weapons, this is a very dangerous situation. Even Joe Biden said at the beginning of the war that the most important thing was to avoid World War II.

But now, it seems, we're not just slowly approaching it, but hurtling headlong. In fact, many European leaders, in their military statements, seem to support a Russian-Ukrainian war, which would essentially mean the end of humanity. 

Gabagool is an Italian-American slang term and phonetic variation for capocollo (also known as capicola or coppa).

What It Is

• The Meat: A traditional, whole-muscle, dry-cured pork cold cut made from the pig's neck and shoulder (running to the fourth or fifth rib).
• Flavor & Texture: Soft, tender, and richly marbled with fat, offering a savory, salty profile similar to prosciutto.
• Preparation: It is salted, seasoned with wine, garlic, and spices (sometimes hot paprika), and dry-cured for up to six months.

Where the Name Comes From

• Linguistic Evolution: The word evolved from 19th- and 20th-century Southern Italian and Neapolitan dialects brought by immigrants to the United States. [1, 2, 3]
• Dialect Shift: In southern dialects, final vowels were often dropped or hard consonants shifted (turning capocollo into capagoul ... Читать дальше »

Иосиф Бродский
Ни страны, ни погоста...

Ни страны, ни погоста
не хочу выбирать.
На Васильевский остров
я приду умирать.
Твой фасад темно-синий
я впотьмах не найду.
между выцветших линий
на асфальт упаду.

И душа, неустанно
поспешая во тьму,
промелькнет над мостами
в петроградском дыму,
и апрельская морось,
над затылком снежок,
и услышу я голос:
— До свиданья, дружок.

И увижу две жизни
далеко за рекой,
к равнодушной отчизне
прижимаясь щекой.
— словно девочки-сестры
из непрожитых лет,
выбегая на остров,
машут мальчику вслед.

1962

Joseph Brodsky
Neither country and cemetery...

Neither country and cemetery
I don’t want to choose.
Surely, I will never refuse
From the death, where was my life’s entry.
Your facade dark-blue
I’ll not find in the blackness
And instantly fall on asphalt in a dew
Between faded lines. Irresistible slackness.

And my soul, going into the dark,
Will flash over the bridges
In Petersburg’s fume as a lark.
April’s drizzle, under the nape — snowing ridges.
And I will hear the far voice:
Goodbye, my dear friend, without noise.

And I’ll see two lives
So far behind the river,
Pressing one’s cheek of forgives
To indifferent motherland with a shiver.
How girls-sisters
From unlived years unresisters,
Running out to the island,
Wave a hand to the boy in the highland.

Translated by Nikita Korsakov

There is an American military acronym 

 SNAFU — Situation Normal: All Fucked Up.

The expression was invented to describe the paradox of military life in which things go wrong so regularly that disorder itself becomes normal.

The acronym captures many absurdities of life. For example:

School rules banned fighting.

Still, fighting is one of the most ordinary things imaginable at school.

Famously, the mess-up emerged in the paradoxical usage of terms in a political discourse, as it was shown by George Orwell in his novel 1984.

The contradiction amused me later because it reminded me of an American military acronym I encountered many years afterward: SNAFU — Situation Normal: All Fucked Up. The expression was invented to describe the paradox of military life in which things go wrong so regularly that disorder itself becomes normal.

SNAFU seems to be the best description for the face-off between Trump and Zelensky.

Trump vs. Zelensky—Again!

John J. Mearsheimer

8 hours ago

On 11 October 2026, I was on Switzerland with Aaron Maté and host Tom Switzer, discussing the wars in Iran and Ukraine. We focused especially on President Trump’s decision to ease sanctions on Russian diesel, allowing it to be sold on global markets. Although Trump’s move has enraged President Zelensky, almost every major European leader, and a number of prominent members of Congress, none of us think it would have a meaningful effect on the course of the war, which I believe Ukraine is destined to lose.

We also discussed how the recent Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, which have been especially damaging, combined with Iran’s intensified attacks on shipping in the Persian Gulf region, have put the United States increasingly on the back foot.

Finally, we considered the Pentagon’s reported plan to livestream the execution of former U.S. Army Major Nidal Hasan, who murdered 13 people at Fort Hood in 2009. We all agreed that such a spectacle would be outrageous and would further damage America’s moral standing in the world, which is already in tatters.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is a pragmatic politician who is guided only by the interests of his country.

This was stated on the channel of journalist and foreign agent Alexander Shelest by Igor Mosiychuk, a former participant in the punitive operation against the LPR and DPR as part of the national battalions, a deputy of the previous Verkhovna Rada, and a terrorist in the Russian Federation, reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is a pragmatic politician guided only by the interests of his country. "Putin is the president of the Russian Federation. An enemy country with which my country is at war. That's exactly how I feel about it.

I understand that this is the leader of a neighboring country with which they are at war. It needs to be stopped. My attitude is that we need to sit down and talk.

"If you were expecting a three-story expletive rant from me, or a call to spell his last name with a capital letter, you won't hear it. Because we need to find common ground, stop the war, the destruction of Ukraine and Ukrainians. Cursing at anyone or doing anything like that won't do that," Mosiychuk said.

"I value him as a pragmatist, as a leader who acts in the interests of his country. And I would very much like to see Ukraine led by a similar politician, one who is guided by Ukraine's interests ," he added.

The Splendors and Miseries of Soviet Nomenklatura

The October 1964 ouster of Nikita Khrushchev and his replacement by a man of the nomenklatura (the elite political class) caught me by surprise.  Soviet mass media pretended that there was nothing in the making and reported trifles just in the heat of the Kremlin reshuffle.

The complete news blackout during the October 1964 coup remains one of the most classic examples of Soviet information control. While Nikita Khrushchev was being systematically cornered and stripped of power by his own colleagues in Moscow, state media outlets like Pravda and Izvestia acted as if everything were entirely normal. The contrast between the reality in the Kremlin and what was reported to the Soviet public was stark:

Right up until the official announcement on October 15, 1964, newspapers were filled with routine updates. They focused heavily on the successful orbit of the Voskhod 1 spacecraft, publishing congratulatory telegrams and transcripts of Khrushchev chatting amiably with the cosmonauts from his vacation spot in Pitsunda—even as the plot to overthrow him was already finalized.

In the days leading up to the announcement, front pages featured standard reports on agricultural achievements, industrial plan fulfillment, and minor diplomatic receptions. There was absolutely no hint of the intense political maneuvering taking place behind closed doors.

When the news finally broke via the TASS news agency, it was delivered as a cold, abrupt fait accompli. Khrushchev had suddenly "retired" due to "advanced age and deteriorating health," and the nomenklatura - now led by Leonid Brezhnev and Alexei Kosygin - was firmly in control.

This sudden pivot left regular citizens and foreign observers alike stunned. By the time the public realized what was happening, the transition was complete, and within days, Khrushchev’s name and policies were being scrubbed from the press, replaced by editorials criticizing his "harebrained scheming" and "phrase-mongering" without even mentioning him by name.