USS Constitution Sets Sail in Boston Harbor to Celebrate America’s 250th Birthday

Elizabeth Weibel4 Jul 2026

The USS Constitution, which is the “world’s oldest commissioned warship afloat,” shared that it set sail in the Boston Harbor to celebrate Independence Day and the United States’s 250th anniversary.

“Happy Independence Day from USS Constitution!” the ship wrote in a post on X. “USS Constitution, the world’s oldest commissioned warship afloat, got underway in Boston Harbor today to celebrate America’s 250th birthday.”

The ship, which was “first launched in 1797,” previously took a “special sail” in June in honor of the Battle of Bunker Hill, according to WCVB 5ABC News.

While the ship “sails out into Boston Harbor several times each summer,” during the special sailthe crew conducted a “21-gun salute off Fort Independence on Castle Island,” along with a “17-gun salute as she passes U.S. Coast Guard Base Boston,” according to the outlet.

Several people took to social media to state that the “highlight” of their visit to Boston “was going on the Constitution in the harbor.”

“The highlight of my first Boston visit was going on the Constitution in the harbor with my sister,” one person said. “Do it if you get the chance.”

“So cool,” another person wrote in a poston X. “We’ve been on the USS Constitution before (while it was docked.)”

“Get to know the story of this ship, Patriot,” another person wrote.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2026/07/04/uss-constitution-sets-sail-in-boston-harbor-to-celebrate-americas-250th-birthday/

I remember a field trip in school to see the ship many years ago.

150 people from 50 countries become US citizens at Mount Vernon on America’s 250th birthday

AP4 Jul 2026

A group of 150 people from 50 countries hasbecome U.S. citizens at George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate.

MOUNT VERNON, Va. (AP) — The people who were about to become United States citizenssat in folding chairs on George Washington’s lawn at Mount Vernon on Saturday, 250 years after the Declaration of Independence.

The sun beat down and the well-dressed crowd was a flutter of paddle fans stamped with American flags. Their families clung to the shade of the trees on either side,where one woman had two American flags stuck through her ponytail.

“Well, good morning, everybody,” said Anne Neal Petri, the regent of the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association.

“Good morning!” an excited crowd returned.

“And Happy Birthday, United States of America!” exclaimed Petri.

There were 150 people from 50 globe-spanning countries sitting in front of the small stage as they prepared to be sworn in as U.S. citizens on the July Fourth holiday and America’s 250th birthday.Among them was U.S. Marine Sgt. Diakaria Sangare from Guinea, who attended in his pressed Dress Blue uniform with three medals pinned to his left breast.

Sangare had served two deployments, and, like all assembled,had gone through the long citizenship process: The test, interviews, green cards and biometrics. Others in the crowd, it was said, came from countries bathed in violence. Some fled persecution.

After a speech about Washington, the crowd was asked to rise for the national anthem.

They did. Their hats came off and their hands covered their hearts. The paddle fans calmed.

The singer belted the words: “And the rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air, gave proof through the nightthat our flag was still there” as Sangare held his right hand in a rigid salute, his face sober.

As the song concluded, the soon-to-be citizens clapped and returned to their seats, while another speaker asked them to stand andremain standing when their country was called.

“Albania.”

A woman in the front row with long black hair rose with a broad grin, a small U.S. flag in her hand.

“Bangladesh.”

A man in a black shirt stood. The Albanian woman, looking back, beamed at him.

It went on for 50 countries, through China and El Salvador and Iraq and Mongolia, as people stood, sometimes smiling, sometimes sedate.

At “Morocco,” a man in the back thrusts his fists in the air in support. A young boy looked up at him and then did the same, a little flag in his fist.

Then the crowd, with hands raised, recited an Oath of Allegiance, not so different from the oath Washington signed in 1778.

“Congratulations,” they were told. “You just became U.S. citizens.”

There was applause and laughter,then the Pledge of Allegiance. Sangare, his hand now over his heart, closed his eyes for a moment.

Nearby stood a tulip poplar tree, planted at Washington’s direction 250 years ago, that had lived through America’s history.

The next speaker,historian Douglas Bradburn,pointed it out in his speech before the day’s special guest.

“All the stories that are part of you, now become American stories,” said Bradburn. “When people ask me what are American people like, I now can talk about you, and your stories.”

“The second side of that is that, now, all America’s stories, andour history, are your stories. The father of your country is George Washington.”

Thefirst president, it turned out, was the next speaker.

As he was introduced, the re-enactor stood by a massive draped American flag, a sword scabbard on his hip. Then he donned the stage, doffed his cap to the audience, and began to speak.

“Today the name of ‘American’ belongs to you every bit as much as it does to me,“ he said. He spoke to their arduous journeys to this point and their histories, now merged with America.

“So, my fellow Americans, to you, I say simply: ‘Welcome home’.”

Afterward, Sangare, the U.S. Marine, posed for a portrait, hands clasped in front of him, holding the American flag paddle fan, his Marine cap slightly askew.

“I just became a United States citizen,” he said, his emotions pushing out in an earnest smile.

https://www.breitbart.com/news/people-from-50-countries-become-us-citizens-on-george-washingtons-lawn-on-americas-250th-birthday/

That must have been cool to become citizens on July 4th, 2026

Thousands Brave Texas Heat for San Antonio’s Stars & Stripes Independence Day Parade

Randy Clark4 July

SAN ANTONIO, Texas —Thousands of patriotic San Antonians lined the downtown streets near the historic Alamo to witness the Stars & Stripes Independence Day Paradedespite temperatures expected to near triple digits on Saturday. The parade featured traditional Fourth of July floats, Military Bands, and some Tex-Mex performances, adding to the patriotic displays.

Breitbart Texas attended the event promoted by the city as the Stars & Stripes on Houston Street Independence Day Parade aimed atcelebrating America’s 250th birthday. The parade was launched in 2024 as a major Fourth of July Parade after an absence of more than a century.

Rear Admiral A.B. Cruz III, USN (Retired) was the Official Grand Marshal of the parade. A San Antonio native, Cruz began his military careerafter graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1980. Cruz retired from the Navy in 2013. The selection of Cruz as Grand Marshal added ameaningful touch to America’s 250thbirthday celebration in a city also known as “Military City USA”. San Antoniois home to several military bases and a large concentration of active- and retired-duty military personnel.

Fort Sam Houston’s 323rd Army band led the parade through downtown, playing patriotic marches as other floats and performance groups trailed behind.Known as “Fort Sam’s Own, ” it traces its lineage to military bands at the historic fort that date back to 1893.

On one corner along the route, atrio of female singers entertained the crowdsawaiting the arrival of the parade floats by singing patriotic songs, including some 1940s wartime victory songs in the style of the Andrews Sisters.

Adding a touch of Southwest flair, acrew of Mexican folkloric dancers dressed in traditional garbwith touches ofred, white, and blue performed traditional dancesduring the parade, representing local Tex-Mex culture in San Antonio.

The attending crowds appeared to be coping well with the high temperatures on Saturday. San Antonio is currently experiencing very hot weather typical of most mid-summers. The heat index routinely hovers between 99 and 106 degrees Fahrenheit on most days. Residents are acclimated to the conditions, but tourists visiting the city may find it quite challenging to adjust to the heat.

Fortunately, the Stars & Stripes parade concluded without any significant medical emergencies. High temperatures in Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia forced the cancellation of parades. Many smaller parades and events across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic were also canceled due to heat-related concerns.

Saturday’s celebration of America’s 250thbirthday will continue throughout the day in San Antonio with numerous family-friendly events and will culminate with a music and fireworks show at the city’s Woodlawn Lake Park later in the evening.

https://www.breitbart.com/border/2026/07/04/thousands-brave-texas-heat-for-san-antonios-stars-stripes-independence-day-parade/

Amy Furr4 Jul 2026

VIDEO: NYC’s Times Square Ball Drops Eight Times to Celebrate America’s 250th: ‘More Than a Countdown’

In a historic event, New York City’s Times Square Ball dropped eight times in the lead-up to America’s 250th birthday celebrations.

The ball usually drops on New Year’s Eve, when massive crowds gather in Times Square to ring in the New Year, Fox 43 noted Friday.

Starting on Friday,the ball dropped eight times, marking midnight across every U.S. time zone and territory, the outlet explained.

“The event is part of the inaugural Giving 4th Broadcast Benefit Show,organized by America250 to launch a nationwide charitable giving initiative tied to the country’s semiquincentennial,”the outlet said,noting the event was not open to the public.

America 250 shared a timeline of the ball drops:

Times Square hosted a patriotic ball drop on January 1, just minutes after midnight to celebrate America’s 250th, according to Breitbart News:

In a press release from America250, a ‘nonpartisan organization charged by Congress with leading the celebration and commemoration’ of when the Declaration of Independence was signed,it was revealed that there would be a ‘surprise second post-midnight’ ball drop at 12:04 a.m. on January 1, 2026.

Meanwhile,several countries across the world also joined in the nation’s birthday celebrations overnightand into Saturday.

Romania’s Minister of Foreign AffairsToiu Oana said, “On this special day, I extend my warmest wishes to the American people and to our friends and partners across the United States.”

Breitbart News noted that citizens and visitors will celebrate on Saturday in Washington, DC, with what has been described asthe “largest” fireworks display in American history.

Rosie Rios, chair of America250, said of the Times Square ball drop:

This is more than a countdown. It’s a moment that brings the entire country together, one time zone at a time. From Guam to New York to Alaska to American Samoawe are creating a shared experience where every American can see themselves in this celebration and be part of something bigger than any one city or moment.

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https://www.breitbart.com/local/2026/07/04/video-nycs-times-square-ball-drops-eight-times-celebrate-americas-250th-more-than-countdown/

💥 Most Fireworks Ever in USA… 850,000 Munitions!. July 4, 2026

Gorka: What I’m Celebrating on America’s 250th Birthday

Dr. Sebastian Gorka4 Jul 2026

It’s the Secret Service officerwho bumps my fist through the window of my Mustang as I pull onto the White House campus, and as he wishes me “a Blessed Day.”

==It’s the gaggle of National Guardsmen we thank for keeping us safe as my wife•• and I walk along the Great American State Fair in anticipation of America’s biggest birthday.

It’s the superhuman special operatorsI watched live from the Situation Room, a month ago, execute a perfect counterterrorism operation against ISIS Jihadis in Nigeria, the biggest operation since 9/11, with 199 Enemy Killed in Action, 199 men who will never ever again persecute Christians or kill Americans.

It’s the J6-er who saw me in the UFC “Claw” on the White House South Lawn, as we were waiting for President Trump to celebrate his birthday – in a way only he could – who just wanted to say thank you to the President.

It’s every American who has ever come up to me in the last nine years with exactly the same request: “Please tell President Trump we love him and we’re praying for him!”

It’s the beaming construction workers I snuck out to meetas they were installing the President’s two gargantuan flag poles on either side of the White House before we went public and raised the Stars and Stripes.

It’s the brave Conservative highschoolers from Northern Virginia we invited to the White House to hear from Press Secretary Karoline Leavittwhat her incredible job is like just as President Trump called her cell and told her to arrange a Press Conference in fifteen minutes to celebrate the latest Supreme Court win for sanity.

It’s the wounded veterans President Trump received in the Oval Office, one of whom removed his prosthetic leg to have the Commander-in-Chief sign itfor him before he gave them all one each of his massive presidential challenge coins, both the gold one and the “subdued” gun mental version. (‘The Military Guys love the black one!”)

It’s the American hostage my friend, Presidential Special Envoy Adam Boehler, and I flew to Kabul to release from the clutches of the Taliban, who, when he arrived back to US soil at Dulles, looked at Adam and me, finally a free man, and said: “There’s only God and Trump!”

It’s my NSC team of exceptional patriots from across the Intelligence Community, the military and federal law enforcement, most of whom didn’t know me personally back in January 2025, but who put their shoulder to wheel and turned the disastrous Jihadi-, Cartel-, and Antifa-facilitating policies of the Biden years into the record-breaking successes of the second Trump administration, with 1,051 Jihadis killed and 106 American hostages rescued in just seventeen months.

It’s all the apolitical Americans who had had enough with career politicians and decided to give the business mogul from New York a shot at saving America.

It’s my wife, Katie, who stepped into the arena nine years ago as a presidential appointee, standing tall and resolute in the face of all the lies and attacks, and who now is helping to re-instill truth and a love of country into our nation’s schools.

And it’s the indefatigable man behind the Resolute Desk who braved assassins’ bullets, political perverted prosecutions, and a rabid media for a decade in order to save our Republic. Thank you Mr. President.

It’s all of the above and so much more.

The war to save our nation’s soul isn’t over.

Today we celebrate.

We recharge.

Then we move out and vouchsafe the jewel our Founders bequeathed to us.

https://www.breitbart.com/america250/2026/07/04/gorka-what-im-celebrating-on-americas-250th-birthday/

Previously Unidentified Original Declaration of Independence Discovered in UK Royal Navy Archives

July 4, 2026

Arare Declaration of Independencecaptured from an American Privateer by a Royal Navy warship on Christmas Eve 1776 has beendiscoveredin a British archive, andis now one of only 11 of its type known to survive.

A volunteer at Britain’s National Archivesin Kew Gardens, London, discovered apreviously unknown copy of the Declaration of Independencewhile cataloguing long-sealed bundles of documents. The Brit was workingon an America-250 projectto sort and catalogue large volumes of documents relating to British naval captains and admirals who served around 1776.

The NationalArchives states that the volunteer, Michael Scurr, was going through letters sent by Thomas Fitzherbert, captain of HMS Raisonable. in May 2026, andthat the document, until then, was listed only as an anonymous “another paper”.

The Declaration is one of those printed in Exeter, New Hampshire, between July 16 and 19, 1776 and is now one of only 11 known to survive, and the only Exeter Declaration held outside of the United States.

It is now known thatthe Declaration was passed into the British archivesbecause it was amongpapers taken from Captain Eleazar Johnson of the American privateer Dalton.

A 20-gun brig out of New England carryinga hand-signed commission from Continental Congress President John Hancock, authorising the. ship to “attack, seize, and take the Ships and other Veffels belonging to the Inhabitants of Great-Britain”.

The Dalton had sailed to the coast of Portugal — an important British ally — to harry British trade,but surrenderedafter a seven-hour chase with Captain Fitzherbert’s HMS Raisonnable, a 64-gun third rate,on New Year’s Eve 1776.

Captain Fitzherbert evidentlydidn’t appreciate the significance of the Declaration, and it was filed away and forgotten, the papers eventually passing into the National Archiveshundreds of years later.

The officers and crew of the Dalton were imprisoned in England, and its captain led several attempts to escape, including digging a significant tunnel.

The National Archives records that one of the crew who kept a diary in captivitywrote of their time trying to dig out of the prison:

A great quantity of dirt has already come out of this hole, and we havemuch trouble in concealing it.We have filled every hole and corner in the prison where we can with safety hide it, and a great many large stones are laid fore and aft the prison, in piles, under our hammocks, with old garments laid over them.

The bid was unsuccessful, and the crew were later released in a prisoner exchange.

The Dalton Declaration is now the fourth held by the British National Archives, and the rarest. The other three are so-called Dunlap Broadsides, the first printing of the Declaration of Independence printed overnight on July 4th 1776.

The British Archive’s third Dunlap was only discovered in 2009and is presently on loan to the Museum of the American Revolution in Pennsylvania.

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2026/07/04/previously-unidentified-original-declaration-of-independence-discovered-in-uk-royal-navy-archives/

Nolte: So Much for Blaming Trump — President Joe Biden’s FBI Wired Gavin Newsom Associate

John Nolte3 Jul 2026

Failed Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) came out firing away at President Trump for launching a Department of Justice investigation against him.

Turns out it was the Biden Administration.

Hoping to turn a scandal that could cripple his 2028 presidential ambitions into a weapon to destroy all of America like he has California,Newsom attempted to lay the legal probe at the Bad Orange Man’s feet last month.

“Federal agents have knocked on the doors of family, friends, and former employees, not because they found a crime, but because they’re simply trying to find one. They’re demanding records. They’re abusing the grand jury process, digging through years and years of random documents,” Newsom whined. “Donald Trump isn’t just coming after me because of my mean tweets. He’s coming after me because I’m considering running for president, because he hates that I’ve consistently called him out over and over again for his lies and deceit.”

But, uhm…

“Democrat insider Alexis Podesta, 45, secretly recorded conversations during the criminal probe into Newsom’s then-chief of staff, Dana Williamson, 53, who pleaded guilty to federal fraud and tax charges in May, according to Williamson’s attorney,” reports the New York Post.

Now comes the good part…

“The revelation she was wearing a wire as far back as June 2024explains why a swath of Sacramento political insiders and lobbyists were stunned to receive FBI letters last fall informing them that their phone calls had been intercepted during the investigation,” adds the report.

June of 2024.

Did you get that?

June.

Of.

2024.

All together now… Who was president in June of 2024?

An autopen!

You know what I mean… Joe Biden was president in June of 2024.

So, unless you want to believe a former president (at the time) named Donald Trump called the Biden Department of Justicefrom Mar-a-Lago and said, “I want Newscum’s associates bugged,” Newscum has been caught lying again.

And if Trump did call the Department of Justice and convince them to wire Newscum associates, I could not care less. Democrats released the Lawfare Kraken.Wake me when Democrats have their homes raided, are indicted over invented crimes, and spend months in court over loans that were paid back in full.

Now we will back up a second…

Does it not make political sensefor the same Biden Administration that aggressively sought to bankrupt and imprison Donald Trump and the Trump family to go after Gavin Newsom?

It’s all about political power, duh, and Newsom made no secret of the fact that he was ready, willing, and able to run for president in 2024 if Biden chose not to seek reelection. His real goal, however, was to undermine Biden, to see if his willingness to run could turn into a movement to edge the old man out. What’s more, Newsom was and remains a political threat to former Vice President Kamala Harris.

My opinion, and I am allowed to have one, is that this investigation is a legitimate one into legitimate wrongdoing by Newsom and his insufferable wife. But…

Even if it is all political, I’m all for it.

They started it.. KEK

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2026/07/03/nolte-so-much-for-blaming-trump-president-joe-bidens-fbi-wired-gavin-newsom-associate/

Appeals Court: Trump Administration Can Reinstall Slavery Exhibit Panels at Philadelphia Historic Site

Amy Furr4 Jul 2026

President Donald Trump’s administration is allowed to reinstallupdated interpretive panels at a historic site in Philadelphia that have been the subject of criticism, an appeals court ruled on Friday.

Critics have claimedthose panels that were at the site of GeorgeWashington’s home did not give a full picture of slavery at the time, the Associated Press (AP) reported.

“The new educational panels were designed toreplace ones put up in 2010that told the story of how nine slaves lived in the home along with George and Martha Washington in the 1790s, when Philadelphia was briefly the nation’s capital,” the AP article read.

However, the older panels were removed afterTrump signed an executive order regarding federally owned or operated historic sites across the nation.

In his order titled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” the president highlighted the fact that “Over the past decade, Americans have witnessed a concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our Nation’s history, replacing objective facts with adistorted narrative driven by ideology rather than truth.”

He continued:

This revisionist movement seeks to undermine the remarkable achievements of the United Statesby casting its founding principles and historical milestonesin a negative light. Under this historical revision, our Nation’s unparalleled legacy of advancing liberty, individual rights, and human happinessis reconstructed as inherently racist, sexist, oppressive, or otherwise irredeemably flawed. Rather than fostering unity and a deeper understanding of our shared past,the widespread effort to rewrite history deepens societal divides and fosters a sense of national shame, disregarding the progress America has made and the ideals that continue to inspire millions around the globe.

The order said officials would take action “as appropriate and consistent with applicable law, to ensure that all public monuments, memorials, statues, markers, or similar properties within the Department of the Interior’s jurisdictiondo not contain descriptions, depictions, or other content that inappropriately disparage Americans past or living(including persons living in colonial times), andinstead focus on the greatness of the achievements and progressof the American people or, with respect to natural features, the beauty, abundance, and grandeur of the American landscape.”

The National Park Service (NPS) removed the older slavery exhibit panelsat the Philadelphia site in January following Trump’s directive, according to Breitbart News.

Video footage showed menremoving one that featured the words, “The Dirty Business of Slavery”:

“Friday’s ruling from a three-judge panel of the U.S. 3rd Circuit of Appeals, which is based in a courthouse across an intersection from the President’s House site, was a technical one to allow implementation of a ruling made last month,” the AP article said. “That ruling — by one judge Trump nominated, one nominated by former President George W. Bush, and one chosen by former President Barack Obama —said a lower court was wrong to force the federal government to take down its new panels.”

The outlet also linked to the NPS websitefeaturing the updated panels. One of them is titled,“Fighting for Freedom” and gives detailed information about the Underground Railroad, the Emancipation Proclamation, Abolitionist Frederick Douglass, and enslaved members of Washington’s household.

Another of the panels called,“The Constitution and Slavery” said: “The Declaration of Independence has guided every American freedom movement and inspired many others around the world.”

The court’s ruling comes as America celebrates its 250th birthday on Saturday.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2026/07/04/court-trump-administration-can-reinstall-slavery-exhibit-at-philadelphia-historic-site/

Exclusive — President Trump: Vice President JD Vance ‘Doing a Great Job,’ ‘I Picked Him Because He’s Smart’5 Jul 2026

President Donald Trump told Breitbart News in the Oval Office last week he is proud of the job Vice President JD Vance is doing in the role, and the reason he picked Vance for the job is Vance’s intelligence.

“I did,” Trump said when asked if he has been watching Vance on his book tour lately where the Vice President has appeared on shows like The View and Bill Maher’s show.

“I think he’s doing a great job,”Trump said of Vance. “He’s a smart guy. I picked him because he’s smart, very simple.I didn’t pick him for his views so much. I picked him because he’s smart. He wasalways a smart, very smart person—great student, fantastic student. Went to Yale without the benefit of a family that gets him in. I think that he’s doing a very good job.”

Vance has been in the spotlight in recent weeks as the face of both the negotiations with Iran to end the war there, and as the head of Trump’s anti-fraud task force. He also rolled out a new book on faith, called Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith—which came out right as the memorandum of understanding with Iran ending hostilities was signed.

Vance also this weekend captured the nation’s attention with an address to the parade of tall ships in New York City, speaking with the Statue of Liberty in the background and encouraging Americans to reject the view many leftists promote of hating the United States.

Many expect Vance to likely run for president in 2028, and he currently leads GOP presidential primary polling going into the next election. Some more establishment-minded folks want the GOP to instead pick Secretary of State Marco Rubio for the 2028 nomination, but Rubio has already made clear that if Vance runs he will not run and that he will back Vance on day one of a Vance campaign.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2026/07/05/exclusive-president-trump-vice-president-jd-vance-doing-a-great-job-i-picked-him-because-hes-smart/

(Suggestion to the VP: Stop using the word “fundamentally” in every speech or comments etc.He uses it way too much, he can insert something like, basically or strategically or other terms that will suffice! IMO)

Kiev refuses to take back bodies of soldiers killed in Donbass stronghold – MoD

The Russian Defense Ministry has offered a humanitarian pause after capturing Konstantinovka, Ukraine’s “most fortified” stronghold in Donbass

Published 5 Jul, 2026 14:51 | Updated

Kiev has refused to accept the bodies of Ukrainian soldiers who died in the fighting over Konstantinovka – a key Donbass stronghold liberated earlier this week – the Russian Defense Ministry has said.

Moscow has offered a humanitarian pause to ensure the remains of the dead could be handed over to relatives and buried properly, it added.

The Defense Ministry made its proposal on Saturday through the existing security service channels, it said in a statement on Telegram.The Ukrainian military was asked to halt the shelling of Konstantinova between 12:00 noon and 6:00 PM (Mocow time) on Monday to make the handover possible and inform the Russian command about their decision in advance.

“The Ukrainian side has rejected this proposal,” the Russian ministry said on Sunday.

“The Kiev regime has done absolutely nothing so that the bodies of dead Ukrainian servicemen could be buried properly by their relatives,” the statement added, calling it “yet another” demonstration of the Ukrainian authorities treating soldiers as “cannon fodder.”

Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky “does not need Ukrainians; neither dead, nor alive,”Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Zvezda TV, commenting on the development.

Kiev has been accused of deliberately obstructing the return of the bodies of Ukrainian soldiers in the past. Last year, the governor of Russia’s Zaporozhye Region, Evgeny Balitsky, published nearly 100 names of dead Ukrainian soldiers he said had been disowned by Kiev. The documents published by the official also contained their ID and places of death.

The soldiers were among the more than 6,000 Moscow offered to return to Kiev in a unilateral humanitarian gesture during the direct talks in Istanbul in 2025. According to Lieutenant General Alexander Zorin, a member of the Russian negotiating team, the Ukrainian officials “unexpectedly”postponed the acceptance of the bodies and failed to appear at the agreed location.

Balitsky also accused Kiev of trying to conceal the scale of the Ukrainian losses andavoid paying compensation to the fallen soldiers’ families at the time.

The latest development comes days after the Russian military reported the full liberation of Konstantinovka. The strategic Donbass city was taken after weeks of intense fighting. According to Russian Colonel General Sergey Rudskoy,the Ukrainian military lost around 13,500 troops in the battle.

https://www.rt.com/russia/642601-kiev-refuses-take-bodies-soldiers/

>>24793255

Kiev refuses to take back bodies of soldiers killed in Donbass stronghold – MoD

The Russian Defense Ministry has offered a humanitarian pause after capturing Konstantinovka, Ukraine’s “most fortified” stronghold in Donbass

Published 5 Jul, 2026 14:51 | Updated

Kiev has refused to accept the bodies of Ukrainian soldiers who died in the fighting over Konstantinovka – a key Donbass stronghold liberated earlier this week – the Russian Defense Ministry has said.

Moscow has offered a humanitarian pause to ensure the remains of the dead could be handed over to relatives and buried properly, it added.

The Defense Ministry made its proposal on Saturday through the existing security service channels, it said in a statement on Telegram. The Ukrainian military was asked to halt the shelling of Konstantinova between 12:00 noon and 6:00 PM (Mocow time) on Monday to make the handover possible and inform the Russian command about their decision in advance.

“The Ukrainian side has rejected this proposal,” the Russian ministry said on Sunday.

“The Kiev regime has done absolutely nothing so that the bodies of dead Ukrainian servicemen could be buried properly by their relatives,” the statement added, calling it “yet another” demonstration of the Ukrainian authorities treating soldiers as “cannon fodder.”

Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky “does not need Ukrainians; neither dead, nor alive,”Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Zvezda TV, commenting on the development.

Kiev has been accused of deliberately obstructing the return of the bodies of Ukrainian soldiers in the past. Last year, the governor of Russia’s Zaporozhye Region, Evgeny Balitsky, published nearly 100 names of dead Ukrainian soldiers he said had been disowned by Kiev. The documents published by the official also contained their ID and places of death.

The soldiers were among the more than 6,000 Moscow offeredto return to Kiev in a unilateral humanitarian gesture during the direct talks in Istanbul in 2025. According to Lieutenant General Alexander Zorin, a member of the Russian negotiating team, the Ukrainian officials “unexpectedly”postponed the acceptance of the bodies and failed to appear at the agreed location.

Balitsky also accused Kiev of trying to conceal the scale of the Ukrainian losses andavoid paying compensation to the fallen soldiers’ families at the time.

The latest development comes days after the Russian military reported the full liberation of Konstantinovka. The strategic Donbass city was taken after weeks of intense fighting. According to Russian Colonel General Sergey Rudskoy, the Ukrainian military lost around 13,500 troops in the battle.

https://www.rt.com/russia/642601-kiev-refuses-take-bodies-soldiers/

Another drone washes ashore in Türkiye – media (VIDEO)

The military-grade UAV was discovered on the Black Sea coast by local residents

Published 5 Jul, 2026 10:32

A military-grade aerial drone has been discovered washed ashore on a beach on the Black Sea Coast of Türkiye, Ihlas News Agency (IHA) has reported.

The UAV was spotted by local residents in the Filyos district of Zonguldak province, who called emergency services, the agency said in an article on Sunday.

The area was swiftly cordoned off by police, and bomb disposal experts were deployed over concerns that the drone could be carrying explosives, it added.

The initial assessment suggested that it was a military UAV, but a more thorough technical examination will be required to determine its country of origin, according to IHA.

The Turkish authorities haven’t yet commented on the discovery of the UAV, which is the second in less than a week.

Tapınakçı

@Mr_Tapinakci

Zonguldak'ın Çaycuma ilçesine bağlı Filyos beldesinde, askeri amaçlı olduğu değerlendirilen bir insansız hava aracı (İHA) sahile vurdu.

(https://x.com/Mr_Tapinakci/status/2073669252763025707

On Wednesday, a drone carrying 5kg of explosives went down in northeastern Trabzon province, IHA reported. Investigators determined that the aircraft was of Ukrainian origin, the agency said, adding that local residents experienced a brief panic before the crash site was secured.

There were at least three UAV incidents in the country last month. In late June, a fixed-wing drone hit the ground in Türkiye’s Kastamonu province, while another one was found in Samsun province. Just over a week before that, a drone crash-landed on a beach in Bartin province.

In late March,the Turkish government said that they are closely monitoring the risks posed by drones in the Black Sea. According to Ankara, it maintains “contact with the relevant parties to prevent the war from spreading… and to prevent further escalation.”

Kiev has ramped up its long-range UAV attacks on energy infrastructure and civilian targets inside Russia amid continued setbacks on the battlefield in recent months.

There have been a number of incidents of explosive-laden drones, flying towards Russia’s northwestern Leningrad Region,crashing in NATO member states – Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Finland.

Russian Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu haswarned previously that if it turns out that the Baltic states and Finland “deliberately provide their airspace” to Ukrainian UAVs, Moscow has the right to self-defensein response to an “armed attack” under Article 51 of the UN Charter.

https://www.rt.com/news/642593-turkiye-done-filyos-ukraine/

Scandal erupts in Poland over ‘secret’ weapons shipment to Ukraine

Warsaw must introduce a law banning foreign arms supplies without consent from MPs, the deputy speaker of parliament has insisted

Published 5 Jul, 2026 09:27

The parliamentary opposition in Poland has demanded answers from the government of Polish Prime Minister Donald Tuskafter reports of a secret delivery of in-demand Patriot air defense missiles to Ukraine.

On Saturday, several Polish social media accounts, including prominent blogger Pawel Sokala, claimed that the authorities inWarsaw had handed over a batch of US-made PAC3 interceptors to Kievin March without announcing it publicly or consulting with parliament.

The critical shortage of Patriot missiles due to their heavy use in the Ukraine conflict and the American-Israeli war against Iran had forced Washington to delay the contracted shipments of theinterceptors to some of its alliesin Europe and Asia in recent months. According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), the Pentagon hasexhausted almost 50% of its stockpile of Patriots since the attack on Tehran in late February.

The deputy speaker of the Polish parliament, Krzysztof Bosak, who leads the right-wing Confederation of Freedom and Independence party, described reports of the government keeping thelawmakers in the dark about the handover of the US-made missiles to Ukraine as “very disturbing information.”

“We desperately need them for our air defense system,” he said, claiming that the Patriots are the only type of munitions capable of shooting down the Russian Iskander missiles stationed in the Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad.

“We must pass a lawprohibitingthe transfer of any Polish weapons abroad without parliamentary consent,” Bosak insisted.

Moscow has repeatedly called speculations that it is planning to attack Western European countries “nonsense,” aimed at scaring domestic audiences and justifying increased defense spending. The Iskanders have beendeployed in Kaliningrad for defensive purposes in response to NATO’s expansion, according to the Russian authorities.

Former Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak from the Law and Justice party said in a post on X on Saturday thealleged shipment of Patriots to Kiev “sounds like an action completely contrary to the basic duty of the authorities, namely ensuring the safety of their own citizens.”

Blaszczak insisted that Tusk’s government must answer if the delivery did happenand if Poland’s overall position in the queue for receiving the interceptors from the US has somehow been affected by it.

Warsaw has been one of the staunchest supporters of Kiev during its conflict with Moscow, but relations between the neighboring countries soured in recent weeks after Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky named a special-forces unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), which was responsible for ethnic cleansing of Poles during the Second World War.

Earlier this week, Poland announced that it will not transfer its remaining Soviet-era MiG-29 jets to Ukraine, while also warning that Kiev will have problems with joining the EU if it continues to honor nationalists involved in crimes against the Polish people.

https://www.rt.com/news/642592-poland-ukraine-patriot-us/

When is any country going to audit how much money and arms that Ukraine has sold on the black market? It should be done soon, before Zelensky and the criminals run to countries they can’t be seized from. The end is near.

Only way for Ukrainian frontline troops to stay alive is surrender – former US Army officer

The capture of Konstantinovka allows Russia to envelop the last major Ukrainian stronghold in Donbass, Stanislav Krapivnik has said

Published 4 Jul, 2026 23:37

(No one is paying attention to the victories Russia has had, and what it means to Ukraine and the EU!)

The liberation of the city of Konstantinovka gives Russia an opportunity to envelop the last heavily fortified area under Ukrainian control in Donbass, former US Army officer and military commentator Stanislav Krapivnik has said.

Moscow announced the liberation of the city on Friday after weeks of intensive combat in the area. Konstantinovka is located at the southernmost tip of the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk agglomeration, a string of cities in the northwest of Russia’s Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR),which Ukrainian troops have turned into a single, heavily fortified fortress, riddled with a vast system of reinforced trenches, tunnels, and bunkers. The city lies some 15km southeast of Kramatorsk, with the small town of Druzhkovka located in between.

Gaining control of Konstantinovka opens new opportunities for Moscow to advance on the last Ukrainian stronghold in Donbass, Krapivnik told RT on Saturday.

“The last portion of the Ukrainian fortifications, real hard fortifications that have been prepared since 2014, is between Druzhkovka and Slavyansk…with Konstantinovka being the linchpin at the bottom of this wall,” he said.

“This isvery important because this also allows Russian forces to go around Druzhkovka and Kramatorsk and start to hit them in a double envelopment,” he added.

The situation for Ukrainian frontline troops in the area appears to be dire, with both attempts to hold their positions and efforts to retreat likely to result in heavy losses due to “Russian drone dominance, Russian artillery, and Russian aviation,” Krapivnik believes.

“At this point, the only way they’re coming out of this alive is to surrender. Once they’re spotted,they either stay in place and get destroyed or they run and get destroyed,”he said.

https://www.rt.com/russia/642573-ukrainian-troops-konstantinovka-surrender/

(It’s almost over, watch the rats run with the money they stole.)