UA-RU War | NATO Crisis | REPORTS

[Sentry]

Russia has run into serious problems with its offensive in Donbas, where its forces have become bogged down.

One of the main reasons was that Russian logistics had been crippled by Ukrainian drone strikes. This campaign depended heavily on Starlink terminals operating on high-speed Ukrainian drones.

Russian military command identified this as a critical problem and approached the American side, asking it to restrict the speeds at which Starlink terminals could operate.

The argument was simple: there would be little public backlash because the US could still claim that Starlink was operational and that the service was still being provided.

The Trump administration agreed to the restrictions, effectively solving a critical battlefield problem for Russia.

As a result, russian logistics in Donbas are now safer, and Ukraine has lost an important advantage on the battlefield.

https://twitter.com/x/status/2112247411871732091

 

[DEFCON Warning System]

Russian military command identified this as a critical problem and approached the American side, asking it to restrict the speeds at which Starlink terminals could operate.

The Trump administration agreed to the restrictions, effectively solving a critical battlefield problem for Russia.

How does the person posting that know this?

 

[Sentry]

How does the person posting that know this?

The only part of theirs that is likely speculation is that Russian military command approached the American side. The other two facts, which are that:

a) Ukraine's medium-range strike capabilities that depend on Starlink & Starshield severely damaged Russian logistics
b) After the diesel deal with Putin & quite overt public pressure campaign on Ukraine & Zelensky, either Musk or Trump have for days now imposed crippling restrictions on terminal speeds with no answer given to Zelensky.

Personally, I don't like how it looks.

 

[DEFCON Warning System]

The only part of theirs that is likely speculation is that Russian military command approached the American side.

We have to be careful to separate fact from speculation.

a) Ukraine's medium-range strike capabilities that depend on Starlink & Starshield severely damaged Russian logistics
b) After the diesel deal with Putin & quite overt public pressure campaign on Ukraine & Zelensky, either Musk or Trump have for days now imposed crippling restrictions on terminal speeds with no answer given to Zelensky.

Personally, I don't like how it looks.

The US is saying they have nothing to do with that.

Musk has in the past expressed that he didn't want Starlink used for war, but then also made Starlink available to Ukraine once Russia invaded.

Could the US have intervened? Sure. Could Must have done that unilaterally? Sure. Could there be a third reason involved? Sure.

 

[GBS61]

Could there be a third reason involved? Sure.

What is this third reason?

 

[Torch]

I think it is quite possible that we have throttle UA and Russia drops mid course updates, ect for the Persians.

Just a thought. Wholly unsubstantiated.

 

[Sentry]

Could the US have intervened? Sure. Could Must have done that unilaterally? Sure. Could there be a third reason involved? Sure.

With the nature of the shutdown, it is either the Pentagon or Musk. Nobody else is capable of the sort of disruption that happened, & you also have Ukraine directly accusing the U.S. government of this cutoff.

 

[Sentry]

Musk Ordered Starlink Slowdown That Blindsided Ukraine​

Elon Musk ordered the slowdown of a military-grade version of Starlink relied on by Ukraine, a decision that sparked panic in Kyiv and confusion inside the Trump administration, U.S. officials and people familiar with the matter said.
Musk and Trump discussed the Starlink decision in a call soon after the slowdown became public.
One of the people also claimed Musk and Trump discussed the matter prior to the decision to throttle Starlink.
During the uproar, SpaceX representatives called White House counterparts seeking a unified understanding and subsequent message that the company and Trump administration coordinated ahead of Musk’s directive.
Some U.S. officials say that Musk acted unilaterally and that Trump didn’t specifically order any retribution against Ukraine. But a person familiar with the situation said Musk talked to multiple senior administration officials, including with Trump, before imposing the new speed cap.

https://www.wsj.com/world/ukraine-starlink-elon-musk-trump-dbc49193?mod=hp_lead_pos1

 

[NuclearID]

Trump's envoy Witkoff telling Putin he's a humanitarian.

Video:

https://twitter.com/x/status/2112865734762082754

 

[Sentry]

BERLIN—A massive cargo plane, used to carry military assistance to Ukraine and parked at an airfield in eastern Germany, was attacked by explosive-packed drones in early August. German officials say they were piloted by Russian military-intelligence agents.

One drone slammed into the Antonov freighter but failed to explode. Another collided with a different plane, and a third detonated near the airport perimeter, authorities say. Had the assault worked as planned, investigators say, the result would have been mayhem and casualties at one of Europe’s most important air-cargo airports.

Aides to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz say that if the Leipzig attack had resulted in large numbers of casualties, they would have considered invoking Article 5, which would oblige the rest of the alliance to rally to protect Germany.

After the failed attack, a Kremlin official serving as a back channel to the German government contacted his counterpart in Berlin, according to officials familiar with the exchange. Leipzig, he warned, wouldn’t be the last attack.

https://www.wsj.com/world/europe/airfield-attack-marked-opening-shot-in-putins-sabotage-campaign-against-europe-115dedd4?st=jLEJnF

 

[DEFCON Warning System]

I think we need to compile list of Russian attacks on NATO territory. Though the fact that nothing has come of anything so far is positive.

 

[NuclearID]

BERLIN—A massive cargo plane, used to carry military assistance to Ukraine and parked at an airfield in eastern Germany, was attacked by explosive-packed drones in early August. German officials say they were piloted by Russian military-intelligence agents.

One drone slammed into the Antonov freighter but failed to explode. Another collided with a different plane, and a third detonated near the airport perimeter, authorities say. Had the assault worked as planned, investigators say, the result would have been mayhem and casualties at one of Europe’s most important air-cargo airports.

Aides to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz say that if the Leipzig attack had resulted in large numbers of casualties, they would have considered invoking Article 5, which would oblige the rest of the alliance to rally to protect Germany.

After the failed attack, a Kremlin official serving as a back channel to the German government contacted his counterpart in Berlin, according to officials familiar with the exchange. Leipzig, he warned, wouldn’t be the last attack.

https://www.wsj.com/world/europe/airfield-attack-marked-opening-shot-in-putins-sabotage-campaign-against-europe-115dedd4?st=jLEJnF

Reaktionen auf hybriden Angriff am Flughafen Leipzig/Halle | Bundesregierung

Die Bundesregierung schreibt den versuchten Anschlag auf den Flughafen Leipzig/Halle Russland zu. Lesen Sie hier mehr zu Hintergründen und Maßnahmen.

www.bundesregierung.de

 

[william]

Trump's envoy Witkoff telling Putin he's a humanitarian.

Video:

https://twitter.com/x/status/2112865734762082754

President Trump just announced that Russia has FREED American Stephen Hubbard, with NO prisoner swap.

"Stephen Hubbard, taken four years ago by Russia during the Biden Administration, was just released from prison, at the request of President Donald J. Trump, made directly to President Vladimir Putin in a telephone conversation last week. Stephen is on his way back home and will soon be with his family.”

https://twitter.com/x/status/2112869986158911863

"Stephen Hubbard, taken four years ago by Russia during the Biden Administration, was just released from prison, at the request of President

• The X post by @EricLDaugh accurately reports President Trump's announcement that Russia released 74-year-old American Stephen Hubbard, a retired Michigan teacher detained in eastern Ukraine in April 2022, without any prisoner swap or US concessions.
• Hubbard was convicted in Russia in 2024 on mercenary charges for allegedly fighting with Ukrainian forces in Izyum; he and his family maintain he was a civilian English teacher seized from his home, and the US had designated him as wrongfully detained.
• The release occurred during US envoy Steve Witkoff's meeting with Putin in St. Petersburg and follows Trump's recent direct phone request, with Trump contrasting it to unsuccessful Biden-era negotiations.

Russia has FREED American Stephen Hubbard, with NO prisoner swap - Bing

Intelligent search from Bing makes it easier to quickly find what you’re looking for and rewards you.

www.bing.com

 

[william]

Vladimir Putin proposed to Steve Witkoff discussing a possible meeting with Donald Trump in ChinaHe also asked to convey thanks to both Trump and First Lady Melania Trump for her contribution to resolving humanitarian issues.

https://twitter.com/x/status/2112843930244874315

• The post reports on today's Putin-Witkoff meeting in St. Petersburg, where Putin proposed a potential in-person meeting with Trump in China, thanked Trump and Melania for humanitarian efforts, and confirmed imminent Russian diesel tanker shipments to the US starting in 1-3 days.
• This aligns with recent US-Russia energy deals for over 2 million barrels of diesel to ease global fuel prices, facilitated by Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff as part of broader talks potentially including trilateral discussions with Xi at the upcoming APEC summit.
• Visegrád 24 highlights these developments amid ongoing diplomatic maneuvers to address the Ukraine conflict, with Russian officials framing the diesel supply as reciprocal goodwill following US actions on export controls. Grok

Vladimir Putin, Steve Witkoff meeting in Russia - Bing

Intelligent search from Bing makes it easier to quickly find what you’re looking for and rewards you.

www.bing.com

 

[Sentry]

@william This is misleading.

Here, Trump makes the assertion that the US "was not required to give anything in return".

His own next post contradicts this:


So, given that:

a) Sanctioned signed into law by both POTUS & both chambers of the House were to go into effect, and
b) The decision to not impose these sanctions lead to this swap

We can directly conclude that Russia traded this person in exchange for sanctions relief. Which contradicts the assertion that "the United States was not required to give anything in return".

The lesson to be learned from this is that if the US imposes sanctions on you, you should detain as many US nationals as possible on bogus charges, then gradually release them in exchange for sanctions relief or other concessions. Rinse and repeat.

 

[Peter Griffin]

@william This is misleading.
View attachment 9335
Here, Trump makes the assertion that the US "was not required to give anything in return".

His own next post contradicts this:
View attachment 9336

So, given that:

a) Sanctioned signed into law by both POTUS & both chambers of the House were to go into effect, and
b) The decision to not impose these sanctions lead to this swap

We can directly conclude that Russia traded this person in exchange for sanctions relief. Which contradicts the assertion that "the United States was not required to give anything in return".

The lesson to be learned from this is that if the US imposes sanctions on you, you should detain as many US nationals as possible on bogus charges, then gradually release them in exchange for sanctions relief or other concessions. Rinse and repeat.

Well, that was easy. Thanks Mr president for making it so easy to factcheck your statements...

 

[GBS61]

I think we need to compile list of Russian attacks on NATO territory. Though the fact that nothing has come of anything so far is positive.

What? Is the fact that NATO isn't responding to Russia a positive thing?

 

[DEFCON Warning System]

a) Sanctioned signed into law by both POTUS & both chambers of the House were to go into effect, and
b) The decision to not impose these sanctions lead to this swap

We can directly conclude that Russia traded this person in exchange for sanctions relief. Which contradicts the assertion that "the United States was not required to give anything in return".

Sort of.

I don't think there was any quid pro quo for the swap based on statements we have.

Not imposing sanctions was a decision solely made by the US. There is no indication that Russia asked for that in exchange for the swap.

So Trump's statement is accurate, but nuanced.

 

[william]

In a high-stakes moment that could rewrite history, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy went live on Fox & Friends and drew a clear line in the sand:“We are on one side with Americans and Europeans.”

https://twitter.com/x/status/2112872175892049991

 

[william]

ZELENSKYY said he would accept a cease fire along the lines that stand right now

He was asked flat out. Would he take a deal that locks the lines where they are now, with Ukraine keeping 75% or more of the country? His answer started with one word. Yes. He called a freeze a real way to end this war.

https://twitter.com/x/status/2112872866953752756

• Thomas JonesX accurately summarizes Zelenskyy's Fox News interview today, where he affirmed willingness to freeze the war along current front lines, keeping 75%+ of Ukraine's territory as a "real way to end this war" via ceasefire.
• Zelenskyy described the freeze as the minimum from Russia, after which Ukraine would seek security guarantees from President Trump and European partners to ensure lasting peace and deter future aggression.
• The statement aligns with ongoing US-mediated diplomacy, including Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff's meetings with Ukrainian and Russian officials this week. Grok

ZELENSKYY JUST SAID YES TO FREEZING THE WAR RIGHT WHERE IT STANDS. - Bing

Intelligent search from Bing makes it easier to quickly find what you’re looking for and rewards you.

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