46 Accused War Criminal, Ukraine Invasion Commanders Take Up Seats in Russian Duma

In the empire of Putin the Terrible! That is about 10% of the 450 member Duma!

Analysis: Big Contingent of Former Soldiers Who Invaded Ukraine in Russia Legislature "In brief: War-crimes suspect Nursultan Mussagaleev and 45 other Russia-Ukraine war veterans, including Golovin, Borodai, Brovko, Kuular, Kukensova and Golovchenko, now sit in the State Duma as United Russia deputies after the September 2026 election."

Ukraine Reveals Russia Helped Iran Target US Forces With Satellite Intelligence

What else to expect from Putin the Terrible!

"... Zelensky offered a striking example. In a 48-hour window between July 19 and 20 alone, four air bases fell squarely within the lens of active Russian satellite surveillance – two in Bahrain, one in Jordan and one in Kuwait.

The intelligence described by Kyiv points to a potentially sophisticated reconnaissance cycle: pre-attack satellite collection, tactical tracking imagery that could assist operational planning, and post-strike battle damage assessment.  ..."

Analysis: Ukraine Reveals Russia Helped Iran Target US Forces With Satellite Intelligence "In brief: Ukrainian intelligence reveals that Russia supplied satellite surveillance supporting Iranian targeting of US and Gulf military facilities.

Moscow also reportedly offered to halt its intelligence-sharing and targeting-data pipeline to Iran in exchange for the US severing its vital intelligence support to Ukraine."

Putin’s Reported Granddaughter Named Tikhonova, Despite Father’s Zelensky Surname

What an odd story!

"In brief: Investigative journalists say Vladimir Putin’s reported granddaughter is named Elsa Igorevna Tikhonova. Leaked Russian border records allegedly show that the child was given the assumed surname used by her mother, Katerina Tikhonova, rather than the surname of her father, ballet director Igor Zelensky."

Putin’s Reported Granddaughter Named Tikhonova, Despite Father’s Zelensky Surname

Why Russia’s Election Results Were More Revealing than You Think

How much did Putin the Terrible rig the latest elections? By a lot!

(247) Why Russia’s Election Results Were More Revealing than You Think - YouTube

Why Putin’s Allies Are Turning Against Him

Very recommendable!

(273) Why Putin’s Allies Are Turning Against Him - YouTube

Russia’s First Duma Election Since the Full-Scale Invasion of Ukraine in 2022: What’s the Significance?

Elections in the land of Putin the Terrible!

"In brief: Russia’s first parliamentary election since the full-scale invasion will renew the legislature that approves wartime spending, conscription measures, and repressive laws. With Yabloko [sole officially registered party to openly oppose the Russian war] excluded from the national ballot, opposition figures imprisoned, and independent monitoring dismantled, the result cannot credibly measure freely expressed support for the war. ...

Voting opened Sept. 18 in Russia’s first State Duma election since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has explicitly framed the ballot as a national demonstration of unity and unwavering support for his war effort. Yet the country’s sole registered party openly campaigning against that war has been banned from the nationwide party-list ballot. ...

Russians are electing 450 State Duma members for five-year terms, split equally between party lists and single-member constituencies.

Putin’s United Russia party needs 300 seats to hold its constitutional supermajority, the exact threshold required to rewrite the constitution without minority votes. Moscow flatly declined to invite election observers from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). ..."

Analysis: Russia’s First Duma Election Since the Full-Scale Invasion: What’s the Significance?

Russia-NATO Tensions: Poland Warns Russia Could Launch Strikes On European Countries

Very concerning!

(242) Russia-NATO Tensions: Poland Warns Russia Could Launch Strikes On European Countries | WION - YouTube

Russia is racing to bring its own satellite internet to the battlefield – and beyond

Recommendable!

(235) Russia is racing to bring its own satellite internet to the battlefield – and beyond | DW News - YouTube

Kremlin Favored Russian General just Awarded Medal for Fake City Capture Dies in Action

Another Russian general bites the dust!

Kremlin Favored Russian General Awarded Medal for Fake City Capture Dies in Action "In brief: Russian Maj. Gen. Anton Grunis, 46, profiled by Kremlin media as a tactically brilliant Ukraine battle winner, died in a reported Sept. 12 drone strike by Ukraine’s 427th Brigade “Rarog” near Kindrativka. He had claimed (and reported to Putin) the false capture of Kostyantynivka. Other senior Russian generals also died recently."

Defense Minister Andrei Belousov awards General Anton Grunis on August 28 Russia’s highest medal for bravery “Hero of the Russian Federation”

The Life and Art of Wassily Kandinsky

Very recommendable!

The Life and Art of Wassily Kandinsky: Art History Explained - YouTube

Putin the Terrible Burns Through $29 Million Every Hour to Fund Its War Against Ukraine

When will the lethargic, apathetic Russian Slav(e)s/Serfs finally get rid of their last tsar, the megalomaniac, warmonger and war criminal Putin the Terrible! He is an ugly remnant of the Cold War and a former KGB agent. He is a wannabe Stalin. Please Russian people make the world a better, more peaceful place again! How many more young Russian men will be killed or maimed before you act!

In addition, Russia reportedly suffers over 30,000 war casualties every month!

"... But Russia’s economic elites have plenty of reasons to be worried: The fiscal situation is deteriorating quickly as the costs of the war continue to soar.

Newly released data on Russian spending in the first half of 2026 shows that military spending rose by 30 per cent compared with the same period last year, reaching 10.7 trillion rubles, or 4.7 per cent of projected GDP for 2026. Russia had originally planned to cut military spending this year. So far, the opposite is happening: If military spending continues at this pace, it will exceed 9 per cent of GDP by December, marking a new record in Russia’s post-Soviet history. ..."

Russia Burns Through $29 Million Every Hour to Fund Its War Against Ukraine "In brief: Russia’s war spending reached a record 10.687 trillion rubles in the first half of 2026, according to German researcher Janis Kluge. Military expenditures increased by 30% year over year, while two-thirds of the spending remained classified."

Russian military spending soars, upending the Kremlin’s budget plans (original news release) "At the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Putin tried to dispel concerns about the state of Russia’s public finances. But the numbers tell a more troubling story for the Kremlin, adding to doubts about how long Russia can sustain the war, says Janis Kluge."

The leaders of India and Kazakhstan recently made unusually direct remarks to the Russian president about ending the war with the Ukraine

Good news! However, will this have an impact on Putin the Terrible?

Will the Russian oligarchs be impressed?

Hopefully, the domestic and international pressure on the megalomaniac and war criminal Putin the Terrible is mounting!

"At a heavily scripted [SCO] summit in Central Asia recently [end of August], Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi appeared to break from the choreography momentarily to chastise President Vladimir Putin of Russia, a country that has been a close partner of New Delhi since the Soviet era.

It was time “to move on from an endless war to an end of war,” he told an expressionless Putin, seated next to him in an ornate reception room at the summit in Kyrgyzstan. ..."

"In a face-to-face meeting, Kazakh President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev told Vladimir Putin that it was time to freeze Russia's war in Ukraine. The appeal to the Russian leader came at a summit in Omsk on July 25. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov later said "a freeze as such is impossible," adding, "The main condition is that we must achieve our goals." Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha welcomed the Kazakh leader's efforts calling it "a realistic, timely, and wise message." ..."

Why Putin’s Friends Are Now Confronting Him Over the War - WSJ

During Talks With Putin, Kazakh Leader Urges Freeze in Ukraine War

Russian General Tied to Kyiv Children’s Hospital Attack Reportedly Shot outside a home in Russia

This is not the first high ranking Russian military reported being assassinated inside Russia related to the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War.

"A Russian general accused by Ukraine of ordering the 2024 missile strike on Kyiv’s Okhmatdyt children’s hospital was critically wounded in a shooting in Russia’s Saratov Oblast on Thursday, Sept. 3, according to an unverified report.

The Russian Telegram channel Dosye Shpiona claimed that Maj. Gen. Nikolai Varpakhovich was attacked at around 7 a.m. outside a private home in the settlement of Probuzhdenie.

“Two shots were fired from a pistol, targeting the head and abdomen,” the channel said. ..."

"... Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky later alluded to the attack in his daily address, saying “we will also carry out our own asymmetric operations in response” to Russia.

“The Russian criminals did not hide - they will be found. And today brings another confirmation of this fact, a confirmation in the Saratov region,” he added. ...

The Security Service of Ukraine and the country’s Prosecutor General formally charged him with war crimes three days ago ..."

Kremlin General Tied to Kyiv Children’s Hospital Attack Reportedly Shot "In brief: A Russian Telegram channel claimed Maj. Gen. Nikolai Varpakhovich was shot twice outside a home in Saratov Oblast and remained in critical condition. The report has not been independently confirmed. Ukraine’s SBU alleges that Varpakhovich ordered and coordinated the July 2024 missile strike on Kyiv’s Okhmatdyt children’s hospital, which killed two people and injured dozens."

Russian general accused of masterminding the attack against Kyiv’s children’s hospital injured in assassination attempt

Nikolai Varpakhovich (Telegram)

Putin the Terrible Says Russia is Planning to Build AI Data Centers and new power generation facilities in the Arctic

Good news! One way to deal with the not in my backyard protests against data centers (NIMBY)! 😊

Why not in Siberia?

Out of sight out of mind comes to mind!

"New power generation facilities are set to appear in the Arctic, including small nuclear power plants, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the plenary session of the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF), adding that there are also plans to establish data processing centers in the Arctic and the Far East. ..."

Putin Says Russia Planning to Build AI Data Centers in the Arctic "Russian strongman Vladimir Putin described a plan on Thursday to build networks of data storage and processing centers in the country’s Arctic, alongside “small nuclear power plants” developed to feed the data centers energy. ..."

New energy facilities to be built in Arctic — Putin (original news release by TASS)

Despite EU sanctions, Western AI agents serve Russian propaganda on demand

Bad news! How Putin the Terrible wins over naive Westerners!

"... The goal was to determine whether the bots could circumvent the EU sanctions imposed on these Russian state outlets. All the outlets listed in the prompt were sanctioned by the EU in 2022 and 2024, following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. They have been banned from broadcasting in the EU because of their role in the Kremlin’s propaganda apparatus.

The answer is clear: yes, public chatbots can access these websites and redistribute their content to users in France. They provide ready-made answers and will even produce press reviews when asked. ...

ChatGPT and Grok emerged as the leading bots for circumventing EU sanctions. They produced comprehensive summaries of articles on international news, retrieving headlines and sharing links and verbatim excerpts without consistently mentioning that the media outlets in question were under EU sanctions. ...

When given the same instructions as its competitors, Google’s chatbot Gemini proved much more reluctant to comply. During an initial test, Gemini refused to share links because of the EU sanctions. It nevertheless provided a summary of the requested information accompanied by links to the original sources, including RT posts on VK. ..."

Despite EU sanctions, AI agents serve Russian propaganda on demand | RSF "When prompted, the chatbots Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini and Vibe retrieve content produced by Russian state media outlets sanctioned by the European Union (EU) and, therefore, banned from broadcasting in Europe. This Reporters Without Borders (RSF) investigation reveals the extent to which generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools facilitate the circumvention of these restrictions."

US & France Driven Out: Putin Links 5 Nations In New Russia-Sahel military alliance

Very recommendable, but also very concerning!

(232) 'US & France Driven Out!': Putin Links 5 Nations In New Russia-Sahel NATO Axis | Firstpost Africa - YouTube

Russia's Zircon May Not Be A Hypersonic Cruise Missile After All and it contains US made electronics

Putin the Terrible is a paper Russian bear? 😊

"Anew Ukrainian intelligence report details the complex production chain behind Russia’s shadowy 3M22 Zircon missile and identifies U.S.-origin electronics inside one of Russia’s most advanced weapons. New details also add weight to the theory that the weapon is a maneuverable quasi-ballistic missile rather than a true hypersonic cruise missile.

The unusually detailed new breakdown of the Zircon missile identifies 70 enterprises and 84 individuals involved in its development and production while providing a component-by-component look at one of Moscow’s most closely watched — and least-understood — weapons. ..."

Russia's Zircon May Not Be A Hypersonic Cruise Missile After All "Ukraine’s intelligence report maps Zircon’s production chain and claims to identify U.S.-origin electronics inside the missile."

Credits: Defense News

‘They Will Hang Me’: Putin Fears Defeat in Ukraine, Plans to Send 400,000 More Russians to War

Does the megalomaniac and war criminal Putin the Terrible really fear for his life?

"... Russian President Vladimir Putin is preparing to escalate his war against Ukraine by sending up to 400,000 additional Russians to the battlefield, sources close to the Kremlin told The Economist. ...

One source said Putin believes ending the war without capturing at least all of the Donbas could threaten his survival. “They will hang me,” he reportedly told people close to him. ...

The planned recruitment could be delegated to Russia’s regional authorities, which would use pressure tactics to meet quotas while trying to prevent anger from spreading beyond the local level.

The system is reportedly already being tested in Russia’s Penza region, where men have allegedly been detained on the streets and forcibly sent to fight in Ukraine. ..."

‘They Will Hang Me’: Putin Fears Defeat in Ukraine, Plans to Send 400,000 More Russians to War "In brief: Russian President Vladimir Putin fears defeat in Ukraine could cost him his life and is preparing to send up to 400,000 more Russians to the battlefield, The Economist reported, citing Kremlin-linked sources. The escalation could include intensified recruitment, repression at home and expanded hybrid attacks against Ukraine’s allies."

Cornered, Vladimir Putin plans to escalate his war (behind paywall) "His refusal to back down is rooted in Russia’s gangster politics"

Russia Saves Niger's Military Rulers From Mutiny with Palki Sharma

Recommendable!

(225) Russia Saves Niger's Military Rulers From Mutiny | The Palki Sharma Show | IGR | India Global Review - YouTube

750,000 Russians voted against a move of the Alexander Pushkin monument away from the Kremlin in Moscow

Is this all the apathetic and lethargic Russian Slav(e)s can accomplish given the four years of the Russo-Ukrainian War committed by the megalomaniac and war criminal Putin the Terrible!

"Nearly 750,000 people voted on whether to move a nearly 40-foot-tall bronze statue of Alexander Pushkin—considered one of the country’s greatest poets. Critics viewed the trivial vote as a stark reminder of how public debate under President Vladimir Putin has been reduced to low-stakes urban planning. Ultimately, residents voted to keep the monument in place, just a short walk from the Kremlin."

"The Moscow mayor’s office website said Moscow will hold a vote on August 28, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., on whether to move the Alexander Pushkin monument to the other side of Tverskaya Street. Residents can take part either online or at one of 132 polling stations opening specifically for the vote. ..."

The Wall Street Journal What's news

What’s Left of Russian Democracy? Some Say a Debate Over a Statue "Residents in Moscow got a rare taste of direct democracy when they were asked to a weigh in on a monument to Alexander Pushkin"

As Moscow puts a Pushkin statue up for a vote, officials will also use it to test key software ahead of next month’s parliamentary elections

40-foot-tall bronze statue of Alexander Pushkin