7 Jun, 2025 20:24

Mission: Regrettable – Ukraine’s drone strike blows up in its face

Why Kiev’s biggest covert strike came back to bite it1/2

Vitaly Ryumshin, journalist and political analyst

For most people, June 1st is a cheerful date – the start of summer, a celebration of children. But from 2025 onward, it may also be remembered as the day Ukraine launched its largest covert operation in Russia since the start of the conflict.

While the full impact of the operation is still unclear,estimates suggest anywherefrom a handful to several dozen Russian aircraft were damaged or destroyed. The precise details will likely remain shrouded in speculation.

What is certain, however, is that the Russian military must rethink how it defends strategic facilities. The traditional approach – based on intercepting missiles and deploying advanced air-defense systems – has proven inadequate against cheap drones that can be assembled from off-the-shelf parts and launched from almost anywhere. That lesson is now painfully clear. But the military will draw its own conclusions. Our focus should be on the political meaning of what happened.

Make no mistake – this was not just a military act. Like much of what Ukraine does, this was political theater, staged for a very specific audience: Donald Trump.

Kiev’s objective was simple. Derail the Istanbul negotiations and paint Russia as the intransigent party. How? By provoking a furious response – one that would make headlines, stir outrage inside Russia, and force Moscow to walk away from the table. The idea was to provoke a reaction that Ukraine could then parade before Washington. The message? “See? We told you they don’t want peace. Arm us more!”

It’s not the first time they’ve tried this tactic. From the attack on the Kursk Bridge to the shelling of Donbass civilians,Ukraine has repeatedly used provocation as a diplomatic weapon– seeking to engineer Russia’s diplomatic isolation by sabotaging any steps toward negotiation.

And yet, once again, it didn’t work.

Despite outrage from parts of Russian society,Moscow did not take the bait. Our delegation flew to Istanbul as planned. There, negotiators presented Ukraine with a memorandum reiterating the same terms previously offered. Not a step back. At the same time, humanitarian agreements were reached – including a new exchange of prisoners and the return of fallen fighters’ remains.

So did Russia “turn the other cheek”? Hardly. Moscow hasadopted a strategy one might call an “Italian strike” – doing the bare minimum to deny our enemies a propaganda victory, while withholding the kind of breakthroughs that would reward bad-faith behavior.

Yes, the humanitarian measures agreed upon in Istanbul are important.But let’s not kid ourselves– they are not steps toward a peace settlement. Politically, the situation is unchanged. However,there is a deeper issue now at play – one with far more serious implications.

On June 1st, Ukrainian forces didn’t just target military bases.They targeted components of Russia’s nuclear deterrent.

Under our official doctrine, an attack on the strategic nuclear infrastructure is grounds for the use of nuclear weapons.

Now,no one is suggesting we nuke Kiev over a few aircraft, no matter how advanced or expensive. That would be disproportionate.But here lies the paradox:lf Russia does nothing, it risks undermining the credibility of its own deterrence posture, and that sends a dangerous message.

In theWestern capitalsand among Ukrainian hawks,there are already whispers: “If they didn’t respond to this, maybe they’ll tolerate even more.” That may sound absurd – but that’s how these people think. Their fantasies become policy more often than one would like.

So what is the answer?

Let’s be honest: repeating slogans like “our response will be success on the battlefield” won’t cut it here. Ukraine’s leadership isn’t acting out of military logic, but emotional desperation. Their calculation is political. So Russia’s response must be political, too – emotionally resonant, unmistakably firm, and, above all, creative.

https://www.rt.com/russia/618787-mission-regrettable-ukraines-drone-strike/

>>23137399

2/2

This doesn’t mean rash escalation, but we can’t rely on the old playbook. Hitting the same military targets again and again achieves little. Striking Ukraine’s energy infrastructure? Done. Launching another missile as a ‘demonstration’? Predictable. Escalating to mass casualties? Unnecessary and, frankly, counterproductive.

So what’s left?

Innovation.

Russia must now think asymmetrically. That might mean a covert action so unexpected that it catches Ukraine completely off guard. Or it could involvestriking symbolic targetsthat shift the psychological balance.

The key is to remind Kiev – and its patrons – that nothing they do goes unanswered, and that the cost of provocation will always outweigh the benefit.

In truth, Russia has spent too long responding conventionally to a conflict that is anything but conventional.Our adversaries deal in optics, symbols, and theater. To counter that effectively, we must speak the same language– without abandoning our principles or resorting to theatrics of our own.

The June 1st attack was not a turning point.But it was a warning. Not just about drones or airfields,but about perception and power.

The next move, as always, is Russia’s to make.

And this time, it must be something they don’t expect.

(This is exactly why Russia and Putin along with the U.S. and Trump were so quiet on June 1st.)

https://www.rt.com/russia/618787-mission-regrettable-ukraines-drone-strike/

7 Jun, 2025 16:17

Russia accuses Ukraine of self-genocide in feud over troop remains

The Kiev authorities do not need their people dead or alive, Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman has said

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has branded Ukraine’s failure to receive the bodies of its fallen soldiers an act of self-genocide, accusing Kiev of turning its back on its own people in both life and death.

During talks between the two sides in Istanbul on Monday, Moscow decided to return the bodies of over 6,000 Ukrainian soldiers in a unilateral humanitarian gesture. However, Russia’s top negotiator, VladimirMedinsky, said on Saturday that the Ukrainian team failed to show up when the first batch of remains was deliveredto the exchange point on the border between Belarus and Ukraine.

Zakharova took to Telegram later on Saturday to slam the deliberate inaction of Vladimir Zelensky’s government, saying that it “does not need its people; neither dead nor alive.”

“There is no nation or ethnic group in the world that would refuse to bury its soldiers. But there is the Kiev regime, which professes a misanthropic ideologyand is committing genocide against its own people,” Zakharova wrote.

Russian MP Dmitry Belik, who is a member of the State Duma’s International Affairs Committee, told RT that one of thereasons for Ukraine failing to accept the bodies of its soldiers could be its unwillingness to pay compensation to their families.

“This is how – thinking of how to stuff their own wallets and not give a penny to their citizens – the Kiev regime, led by Zelensky, pursues its bloody policy and destroys its own people,” Belik argued.

Former Pentagon analyst Michael Maloof also suggested that Ukraine’s decision could be rooted in financial concerns.“I think they are embarrassed by the numbers,” he told RT. “I’ve heard sums up around more than a billion dollars that they would have to repay to families – and they don’t have the money,” he added.

The chairman of the Russian parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Leonid Slutsky, told RT that the move by the Ukrainian authorities is an example of “rare cynicism and a disregard for the memory of their own fallen servicemen.”

“In a war to the last Ukrainian, they are exclusively focused on preserving their own power, even at the cost of actual sacrilege,”Slutsky said.

Kiev explained its refusal to collect the remains of its troops byclaiming the date of the transfer had not yet been agreed upon.

https://www.rt.com/news/618775-ukraine-remains-zakharova-slutsky/

(If they truly have 500,000 to a million dead or casualties, how many have they left behind in the fields. Their families will never know.)

7 Jun, 2025 12:53

NATO to limit Ukraine discussions to avoid provoking Trump – Reuters

The final statement at the bloc’supcoming summit is expected to be “unusually short” in order to minimize discord, according to the news outlet

NATO is going to keep discussions of Ukraine “short” at its upcoming annual summit in the Netherlands in order to avoid provoking US President Donald Trump, Reuters has reported, citing the organizers of the event.

The summit is scheduled to take place in The Hague on June 24 and 25.Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky, who had once been a regular guest of honor at NATOevents following the escalation of the conflict between Moscow and Kiev in February 2022,has not been officially invited to attend yet.

The European NATO members are “desperate to avoid upsetting a volatile Trump” during the summit, Reuters said in an article on Friday.

According to the sources, the written statement summarizing the results of the event is expected to be “unusually short” in order to reduce the chance of disagreements.Whether the document “will even identify Russia as a threat or express support for Ukraine is still up in the air,” they said.

Unlike the two previous years, the leaders of the bloc’s member states do not plan to hold a formal meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council as part of the summit, the officials said. According to a diplomat from the bloc, it could be replaced by a working dinner with either foreign or defense ministers.

Another senior NATO diplomat told Reuters that itwould be “at least a PR disaster” if Zelenskiy does not attend the summit in some form.

According to the sources,the Ukrainian leader would have to settle for an invitation to a pre-summit dinner, hosted by Dutch King Willem-Alexander. This way, he could travel to The Hague without angering Trump, they explained.

The US president, who is trying to broker an end to the fighting between Moscow and Kiev,had previously ruled out the possibility of Ukraine joining NATO. Russia has repeatedly stated that moves towards admitting the country into the bloc would be crossing a red line and have been one of the key reasons for the conflict, insisting that Ukraine should adopt a neutral status as a key condition for a lasting peace.

The New York Times reported earlier this week that Trump, who had a public spat with Zelensky at the Oval Office in February,“reserves special animosity” for the Ukrainian leader and considers him “a bad guy.

https://www.rt.com/news/618765-nato-trump-ukraine-zelensky/

(PDJT told NATO he didn’t want Zelensky there, and 5 days ago Zelensky said he got a personal invitation from Rutte to attend. Hegseth as Defense Secretary has declined to attend, the first time in the history of NATO the US Defense Secretary would not attend. I think Trump and Hegseth had some influence on the decision. Rutte is bound and determined to get Ukraine in NATO even though the U.S. President said it will never happen.NATO is going to miss the US when it withdraws completely and we no longer fund the majority of it. NATO will collapse.)

Lutnick, Bessent and Greer Head to London to Talk with Chinese Trade Team

June 7, 2025 | Sundance |

After President Trump had a direct telephone call with Chinese Chairman Xi Jinping, President Trump announced from the Oval Office that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer would meet with their counterparts from China again, only this time Bessent and Greer will be accompanied by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.

President Trump repeated the same announcement via Truth Social: “I am pleased to announce that Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, and United States Trade Representative, Ambassador Jamieson Greer, will be meeting in London on Monday, June 9, 2025, with Representatives of China, with reference to the Trade Deal. The meeting should go very well. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

While each of the trade Wolverines have teeth, Howard Lutnick is the enforcer. The issue surrounds prior promises made in Geneva to Bessent and Greer on the continuation of mined and refined rare earth minerals from China needed in batteries.

The addition of Lutnick is akin to President Trump saying, go ahead and make the promise again –only this time Lutnick will be there to spell out the consequences of inaction.

President Trump cannot send Navarro, yet, because Beijing hates him too much. It would be impolite to expose the Pandas to their arch nemesis.

However, if things don’t go well, we might just see Navarro on the upcoming trip to China with President Trump. lolol

https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2025/06/07/lutnick-bessent-and-greer-head-to-london-to-talk-with-chinese-trade-team/#more-272759

Trump Will Head to Camp David Sunday After UFC 316 on Saturday Night

Nick Gilbertson7 Jun 2025

BEDMINSTER, New Jersey–President Donald Trump will head to Camp David for a “retreat of principals” on Sunday, where they will discuss a number of topics, according to a White House official.

Trump jetted off for New Jersey on Friday, as he is set to attend the UFC 316 in Newark on Saturday night. While the president was initially scheduled to return to the White House on Sunday evening,he will now travel to Camp David instead, where he and Vice President JD Vance will have meetings to discuss various topics. These retreats will become a regular occurrence, per the official.

“The White House has organized what will become a regular off-campus retreat of principals attended by the President and Vice President. They will meet on a number of issues and topics,” the official said.

Trump will return to Washington, DC, on Monday.

Saturday night the Prudential Center is sure to be electric, with the president set to attend the UFC fights, headlined by the Bantamweight main event between Merab “the Machine” Dvalishvili and “Suga” Sean O’Malley.

Trump has become a regular attendee at UFC fights, and always sends the crowd into a tizzy during his walkouts into the arena, as fans are serenaded to the sounds of Kid Rock’s “American Badass.”

The president typically walks out with an entourage of UFC President Dana White, celebrities, cabinet members, or family members, and makes the rounds with stars ringside. At the last fight Trump attended, UFC 314 in Miami, Florida, he walked out with House Speaker Mike Johnson, Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL)–who is running for governor in the Sunshine State–and some of his grandchildren.

He has also made a habit of greeting UFC announcers Joe Rogan, John Anik, and former Heavyweight Champion and U.S. Olympian Daniel Cormier during his entries.

“It’s always loud when he comes in, but now that he’s won, now that he’s the president again, oh my God,” Rogan had to shout into his microphone when Trump attended UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden in November on the heels of his historic election win.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2025/06/07/trump-will-head-camp-david-sunday-after-ufc-saturday-night/

This is interesting, just after Ukraine bombing Russia related???