Russian Drone Strikes Romanian Apartment Building During Attack On Ukrainian Port City Of Izmail Across Danube River

A Russian drone struck an apartment building in Galați, Romania, injuring two people. The drone hit the roof of a residential building near the Ukrainian border. At the same time, Russia was attacking the nearby Ukrainian port city of Izmail across the Danube River.

The Romanian Ministry of Defense says the Russian drone was not shot down because doing so could have posed a greater risk to civilians and infrastructure.

Officials said it was initially unclear whether the drone carried explosives or was a decoy, and concluded after reviewing the incident that there was no safe opportunity to intercept it. The Romanian Ministry of Defense said the Russian drone was tracked for only four minutes, leaving insufficient time for a safe interception, reported Clash Report.

The European Union seemed to relish the incident.

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Zelensky sends letter to Trump, Congress pleading for Patriot interceptor missiles

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky sent a letter to President Donald Trump and the United States Congress requesting more Patriot interceptor missiles.

In the multi-page letter sent on Tuesday, provided by CBS News, Zelensky said it had already been “proposed that Ukraine is ready to purchase the number of Patriot systems and interceptor missiles” needed.

The Ukrainian president recognized and expressed gratitude for U.S. support but emphasized the country’s reliance on the United States for ballistic missile defenses.

“And when it comes to defending against ballistic missiles, we rely almost exclusively on the United States,” Zelensky said. “Patriot systems remain the most effective defense against every type of Russian ballistic missile.”

While asking for the product, he recognized the high demand for “Patriot antiballistic missiles” in many regions, including in the Middle East.

“For us–for a nation fighting for its survival–there is hardly anything more painful to see than Patriot batteries with no missiles loaded. I ask for your help in protecting Ukraine’s skies from Russian missiles,” the leader said.

He claimed that ballistic missiles remain Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “last major advantage on the battlefield.”

“The one challenge that remains extremely difficult for us–and the one that Europe cannot solve alone at this stage–is Russian ballistic missile threat,” he said.

“They can be intercepted. With Patriots. With your help. And you have the power to help,” Zelensky added.

Zelensky’s letter comes in the wake of one of the largest Russian attacks on Kyiv since the war broke out, involving nearly 700 air attack assets.

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Inside The Effort To Build Ukraine’s Ground Robot Arsenal

With ground maneuver a huge risk thanks to the ubiquity of deadly aerial drones, Ukraine is increasingly relying on uncrewed ground vehicles (UGVs) to move supplies, rescue the wounded, shoot down drones, lay mines and even fight battles. As a result, the head of the country’s defense technology incubator has been tasked with ensuring that there are enough of these systems to meet the voracious demand.

These efforts are being closely watched. Five years into an existential fight, Ukraine has become a global leader in ground drone technology. Kyiv is deploying these systems at a scale and pace that even the most advanced militaries can’t come close to keeping up with.

In an exclusive hour-long interview earlier this month, Brave1 CEO Andrii Hrytseniuk spoke with us about how Ukraine is set to produce tens of thousands of UGVs this year, how they are being used, and the importance of artificial intelligence in increasing the efficiency of these robots in combat.

This is the second of a two part interview. The first part focused on Ukraine’s interceptor drones, which you can read here.

Some of the questions and answers have been edited for clarity.

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Ukraine Could Be Granted Associate EU Membership

The same European Union that cannot control its own borders, cannot stop economic contraction, cannot keep factories from fleeing, cannot keep farmers from revolting, and cannot even keep the lights on without deindustrializing itself is now discussing some absurd “associate membership” for Ukraine while the country is still actively at war. This is what happens when unelected bureaucrats and failed politicians start treating geopolitics like some university fantasy project instead of reality.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is now proposing that Ukraine receive an “associate member” status within the EU, allowing participation in summits, ministerial meetings, portions of the EU budget, and even coverage under the bloc’s mutual defense clause, all without formal full membership. In plain English, they want to drag Europe deeper into the conflict while pretending they are not technically doing so.

This is the same Europe that spent years screaming about “democracy” and “rules-based order” while openly bypassing the actual populations of Europe on issue after issue. Nobody voted for this. Nobody in Germany was asked if they wanted endless liabilities attached to Ukraine. Nobody in France was asked if they wanted another open-ended financial commitment while their own economy stagnates. Nobody in Europe voted to transform the EU from an economic bloc into a military and geopolitical machine permanently tied to war.

What makes this even more outrageous is that the EU has spent decades humiliating countries in the Balkans with endless accession requirements, delays, lectures, and bureaucratic torture. Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Albania, all sat there jumping through hoops for years while Brussels moved the goalposts repeatedly. Now suddenly the rules no longer matter because Ukraine has become the emotional and political obsession of the European establishment.

Merz openly admitted full accession is not realistically possible anytime soon because of the “countless hurdles” and ratification problems. Yet instead of admitting reality, they invent another fake middle category to force integration through the back door. Europe has become addicted to political gimmicks where every failed policy creates another layer of bureaucracy to cover the previous failure.

The proposal reportedly includes access to parts of the EU budget and application of the mutual assistance clause. That means European taxpayers become increasingly financially and strategically tied to a nation still in an active territorial war with Russia. These people are playing with the possibility of continental escalation while ordinary Europeans cannot even afford energy bills and groceries anymore.

Germany itself is collapsing economically under the weight of these policies. Industrial production has suffered. Manufacturing confidence has deteriorated. Companies continue relocating abroad because energy costs became suicidal after Europe destroyed its own energy security. Yet the political class behaves as though Europe has infinite money, infinite patience, and infinite stability.

The Economic Confidence Model has warned repeatedly that Europe was entering a period of fragmentation, sovereign debt stress, and civil unrest into 2028. Instead of stabilizing the continent, Brussels continues pouring fuel onto every fire simultaneously. Mass migration destabilized the social structure. Climate fanaticism destabilized energy. Endless sanctions destabilized industry. Now they want permanent geopolitical integration with a war zone.

The EU elite genuinely cannot understand why nationalist parties continue surging across Europe. Every single crisis becomes an excuse for more centralization, more spending, more integration, more censorship, and less accountability. The populations are increasingly treated as obstacles rather than citizens.

What Merz is proposing is effectively EU membership without calling it membership because they know many Europeans would reject the real thing outright. That is why they invent phrases like “associate membership,” “special partnership,” and “interim integration.” Politicians always rename things when they know the public would oppose the truth.

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Russia Vows ‘Systematic Strikes’ on Kiev – Foreigners Warned To Leave Ukrainian Capital, Residents Urged To Stay Away From Military, Industrial and Government Sites

Kiev is in Russia’s crosshairs.

After Ukraine killed 21 students in a college dorm in Luhansk oblast, Russia retaliated yesterday (24) with a massive combined drone-missile attack on Kiev.

The strikes on Ukraine’s capital were one of the heaviest in the war, and even the new hypersonic Oreshnik (‘Hazel’) missile was used.

But that was not the full extent of Moscow’s retribution, as it warned of ‘systematic strikes’ on military targets in Kiev.

RT reported:

“The [Foreign] ministry made the statement on Monday, a day after a large-scale retaliatory strike on Kiev, prompted by the drone attack on the college in the Lugansk People’s Republic. The Ukrainian strike killed at least 21 people in their dormitory, mainly teenage girls.

The Starobelsk attack has become yet another testament to ‘the Nazi and terrorist nature of the Kiev regime, which deliberately targets civilians and does not hesitate to murder children in cold blood’, the ministry said, warning that Moscow is shifting its approach to the Ukraine conflict.

‘This was the last straw. Under these circumstances, the Russian Armed Forces will be launching systematic strikes against the Ukrainian military-industrial complex in Kiev, including locations where UAVs are designed, manufactured, programmed, and prepared for use’, the ministry said, adding that the campaign will also affect ‘decision-making centers and command posts.”

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ENOUGH IS ENOUGH: UK, France, Spain, Italy and Canada Reportedly Reject NATO Plans for Extra Funding for Ukraine

NATO’s Rutte knows the proposal is dead.

We’ve come to a point where even the most ardent supporters of the Kiev regime are starting to wonder just how much more money they will have to sink into their unwinnable war effort.

Yesterday, a report arose that Britain, France and other countries have sunk the chances for a proposal that would have NATO allies spend 0.25 percent of GDP on military aid for Ukraine.

The Telegraph reported:

“Mark Rutte, the alliance’s secretary-general, this week conceded his plan wouldn’t be taken forward because it didn’t have sufficient support. ‘I don’t think this one will be proposed’, he told reporters, without naming the opponents.

But now The Telegraph can reveal that the UK, France, Spain, Italy and Canada blocked the idea when it was floated in discussions for how to boost support for Kyiv.”

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Massive Russian Missile Strike Rocks Kiev – Hypersonic Oreshniks Used for the Third Time in the War 

‘Hazel’ targeted Kiev.

After over a dozen Ukrainian drones destroyed a college dorm killing 21 people (mostly students) in Russian-conquered Luhansk, President Vladimir Putin vowed retaliation.

Overnight, a massive combined drone-missile strike targeted Kiev, reportedly culminating in the third attack with hypersonic Oreshnik (Hazel) missiles.

Reuters reported:

“Explosions reverberated through the city just after 1 a.m. (2200 GMT Saturday), following a warning by Ukraine’s air force on its Telegram ‌channel that Russia might launch a hypersonic Oreshnik ballistic missile.

[…] Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram that one person was believed to have been killed after a nine-story residential building in ​the capital’s central district of Shevchenko was hit. Emergency services were at the site extinguishing a blaze, the mayor said.

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US Approves “Homing All The Way Killer” Missile Support Sale To Ukraine

The US State Department has officially cleared a $108.1 million hardware and sustainment package to keep Ukraine’s frontline air defenses online, after there’s not been much in the way of big dollar headlines concerning Washington’s longtime military support to Kiev of late.

The cash injection targets the maintenance and optimization of the US-designed HAWK system – which is short for the “Homing All the Way Killer” surface-to-air missile system.

Depending on the exact missile variant deployed, the platform handles tactical interceptions of enemy aircraft, drones, and cruise missiles at operational ranges spanning 25 to 30 miles.

The newly approved sale reportedly does not provide new systems, which would bring a much higher price tag, but is instead focused on keeping existing legacy systems operational.

The State Department’s Thursday news release detailed a transaction which featured long-term systems support, including erectable mast trailers, major technical modifications, spare parts, consumables, software support, and contractor engineering services – per a media redout.

The statement sought to provide ongoing justification from the Trump admin’s Ukraine policy:

“This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a partner country that is a force for political and economic stability in Europe,” it said.

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency has formally notified Congress of the package, and is expected to sail through, after which the contract will be mostly fulfilled by Colorado-based defense contractor Sierra Nevada Corp.  

Ukraine originally integrated the HAWK into its arsenal at the tail end of 2022 via a $400 million security assistance package. And last year Washington authorized a foreign military sale dedicated to a HAWK Phase III upgrade and related sustainment.

Ukraine could see a new rush by Western partners to supply and update air defense systems across the war-ravaged country, given the air war is steadily escalating.

Russia earlier this month sent a record 1,500+ drones and missiles against Ukrainian cities in only a 48-hour period. This was immediately on the heels of a successful 3-day ‘Victory Day’ ceasefire having held, which was backed by President Trump.

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Lukashenko Offers To Meet With Zelensky ‘Anywhere’ After Russia Sent Belarus More Tactical Nukes

We reported earlier this week that for the first time Russia’s ‘Union State’ ally Belarus hosted multi-day drills involving a “rehearsal” of Russia’s use of tactical and strategic nuclear weapons.

The exercise ran from Tuesday to Thursday and was presided over by Presidents Lukashenko and Putin, and saw hundreds of Russian missile launchers, warships, nuclear submarines, and jets deploy and engage in military maneuvers. As part of it, Russia reportedly sent more tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus.

On the occasion, and amid angry denunciations from European leaders, the 71-year-old Lukashenko – who has ruled the former Soviet nation since 1994 – asserted that “We threaten absolutely no one.”

He followed with: “But we have such weapons, and we’re ready in every possible way to defend our common fatherland from [the western Belarusian city of] Brest to [Russia’s Pacific port of] Vladivostok.”

In Ukraine, President Zelensky warned Belarus of “consequences” over potential deepened involvement in Russia’s ‘special military operation’ – though Belarus did act as a staging ground for the initial attack waves in early 2022.

“The de facto leadership of Belarus” must “stay on its toes – that is, clearly understand that there will be consequences if aggressive actions against Ukraine, against our people, are taken,” Zelensky said while making a visit this week to a Ukrainian city which is just dozens of miles from the Belarusian border.

Interestingly, and in what appears another first, Lukashenko actually offered to meet with Zelensky, and that this meeting could take place “anywhere” in Belarus or Ukraine.

“If (Zelensky) wants to discuss something, seek advice, or anything else, please do. We are open to it,” Lukashenka said on Friday, according to state media.

“I am ready to meet with him anywhere – in Ukraine, in Belarus – and discuss the problems of Belarusian-Ukrainian relations,” the Belarusian leader emphasized. 

He also addressed Zelensky’s latest accusations, rejecting the premise, and explained that his armed forces won’t join the conflict unless “aggression is committed against (Belarusian) territory.”

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Ukraine Regained Territory After Cutting Russia’s Black Market Starlink Terminals

According to a newly declassified U.S. defense intelligence assessment first reported by Bloomberg, Moscow’s frontline command-and-control structures suffered a catastrophic blackout earlier this year due largely to coordinated crackdown that disabled thousands of black market Russian Starlink terminals.

The Pentagon document highlights just how deeply Russian forces had come to rely on Elon Musk’s commercial satellite terminals to patch over their own spotty military communication systems. For months, Russian units bypassed international sanctions via shadow supply networks to source the hardware.

The Friday Bloomberg report claims that a “Ukrainian offensive against Russia earlier this year retook about 400 square kilometers after thousands of portable Starlink internet terminals operated by Russian forces were deactivated,” citing analysis from the US Defense Intelligence Agency. 

The document, authored jointly by the DIA and US European Command, states that “Russian military capabilities in Ukraine were temporarily yet significantly degraded following Ukrainian officials’ efforts in February to deactivate thousands of Starlink terminals that were illicitly used by Russian forces to coordinate movements and unmanned aircraft strikes in areas where communications were unreliable or easily jammed.”

Ukrainian forces then made their first territorial gains since 2023, after years of steady Russian gains, with Russia military comms now said to be “temporarily yet significantly degraded” due to the loss of the terminals.

The report further describes that Kiev forces working in tandem with SpaceX were able to deploy sweeping geographic restrictions that target-locked and deactivated unauthorized terminals operating inside the combat zone. This resulted in “instant” results.

What also didn’t help is the Kremlin’s own tightening restrictions on the use of Telegram by Russian forces, and so also the recent lack of this favored encrypted messaging platform among military units left frontline commanders totally isolated.

While US intelligence noted that Russia still maintains an overall structural advantage in raw combat functions, and of course manpower and firepower remains on Moscow’s side, the incident demonstrates that communications are still a vital backbone to any modern warfare and command system.

SpaceX has long sought to officially bar Russian consumers from using Starlink, due to long-running sanctions, and to prevent military use against Ukraine.

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