Rumors on the street will have it that, due to sanctions, Russia can no longer maintain/produce Beriev A-50/A-100.

, no dogfigts, but close call nonetheless.

They (or some) say Rafale is the better plane overall, yet PL-15E is the better missile. China won the skirmish, if you will.

I can't help but wonder what the chance is of real escalation between the two nations, how volatile the situation is. The Chinese (allegedly) and Americans both moved to de-escalate, successfully. :sweat:

How to stop rolling the dice on the destruction of human civilization (archived)
^{— Kelsey Piper · Vox · Sep 22, 2022}

Kind of amusing :D

Trump finally meets his match
^{— The Daily Show · May 16, 2025 · 1m}

Unprincipled? Hypocrisy? Unreliable?

Seems to me that these...people, Trumpers, continue eroding the US.

Pam Bondi makes another claim on the Epstein files. Even Republicans are skeptical
^{— David Catanese · Miami Herald via Yahoo News · May 7, 2025}

Any time any political official cites "Deep State" (especially capitalized) as the cause for something, we all know they are spewing nonsense. We also all know that the people involved with Epstein weren't limited to on particularly political party. Perverts transcend politics. People on "both sides" of the political aisle are involved. — StevenF · May 8, 2025

What did they accomplish anyway?

New Social Security Data Reveals Musk, DOGE Lied in Claims of Social Security Fraud
^{— Natalie Alms (Elizabeth Warren) · US Senate · May 15, 2025}
DOGE’s Fraud Tracker at Social Security Turns Into a Massive Self-Own
^{— Josh Fiallo · The Daily Beast · May 16, 2025}

Shouldn't they hit the White House next?

Why is there something? — Fire Ologist

Well, not anything isn't something that can be, right? :)

Reports of youth militarization (like above) and ...

A glimpse inside Putin’s secret arms empire
^{— The Economist · May 8, 2025}

... indicate that Putin doesn't have peace in mind.
No one has suggested marching on Moscow (which seems like madness in any case); the Kremlin has something else in mind.
More European adventures?

Bosnia: Moscow’s Second Front in Europe
^{— Stephen Blank · CEPA · May 7, 2025}

Some European countries have reacted, ramping up capabilities.
I'm guessing that some concerted efforts are required to avoid (minimize) further instability.

, and ...

White House for Sale: How Princes, Prime Ministers, and Premiers Paid Off President Trump
^{— Jamie Raskin · Oversight Committee · Jan 4, 2024}

Matviichuk is on a mission. Maybe something will come of it.

Beyond rhetoric: Interrogating the Eurocentric critique of international criminal law’s selectivity in the wake of the 2022 Ukraine invasion
^{— Patryk I Labuda · Leiden Journal of International Law · Jun 6, 2023}
Evidence - SDIR (44-1) - No. 52 - House of Commons of Canada
^{— SDIR · House of Commons, Canada · Jun 4, 2024}
Foundations laid for tribunal to try Putin for Ukraine invasion, EU says
^{— Jennifer Rankin · Guardian · Feb 4, 2025}
Create 'aggression' tribunal for Ukraine now: Nobel Peace winner
^{— Anthony Deutsch · Reuters · Feb 23, 2025}
There is no peace without justice: High-level event on holding Russia accountable for its crimes in Ukraine
^{— Council of the European Union · Mar 27, 2025}
Today, representatives of about 40 countries publicly announced the creation of a special tribunal on the crime of aggression within the Council of Europe. [...]
^{— Oleksandra Matviichuk · May 9, 2025}

Watch out for polonium, though. And Novichok. And balconies.

And has ever corruption been so evident? With the Qatari gift of a luxury jet for Trump, never. And this was the person the Trumpists believed to root out corruption and "drain the swamp"! :lol:

After the presidency, the 400 million or so luxury jet goes to the Trump Presidential Library Association... not to be part of the US Presidential fleet. — ssu

:D I can picture him retiring to Sochi with a chuckle going "Fooled ya' all dumbasses".

, I don't think duration is all there's to it.
Don't forget simultaneity.
It takes a while to get to the pub (duration), where we meet to solve the world's problems (simultaneity).
Duration and simultaneity together suggest dimensionality.

On another note, asking "What is Time?" is present tense, like "What was Time?" is past tense.
I'm unsure if examining time requires untensed language to avoid presupposition; it's a potential pitfall.

Ukraine arrests two over alleged Hungarian spy plot
^{— Frank Gardner, Jessica Rawnsley · BBC · May 9, 2025}
Ukraine expels 2 Hungarian diplomats over alleged espionage. Budapest responds in a tit-for-tat move
^{— Justin Spike, Illia Novikov · AP · May 9, 2025}

What's the deal anyway? Well, the EU and NATO, of which Hungary is a member, are Ukraine's allies. Despite being bombed daily, Ukraine is reforming towards EU membership. Say, you may have Spanish and Swedish intelligence folks in Ukraine, that the Ukrainians know, who talk now and then, with no particular reason for dis/mistrust, all part of a network. But not Orbán's Hungary. They have more or less befriended the invaders of Ukraine, Putin's Russia, instead, and can now be suspected informants, feeding the Kremlin intelligence. Consequences could extend throughout EU- and NATO-related intelligence networks, but perhaps more will come out about what happened.

Moved here.

Another Kristi Noem hearing, this one with Chris Murphy:

Murphy To Secretary Of Homeland Security Kristi Noem: Your Department Is Out Of Control
^{— US Senate · May 8, 2025 · 6m:54s}

Yep, liable.


:) No hangings please

Noem and a couple of others have now made uncompromising comments in public indicating their liability/intent, and that should have consequences, especially when the indications are that they'll just continue if they don't get attention.

The people in congress is only interested in maintaining their individual power — Christoffer

At least some bring up problems with the Trump administration for all to see:

Underwood: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. This weekend, the president made the remarkable statement that he doesn't know whether he has to uphold the Constitution. You, however, have taken a different position both in your confirmation hearing and when you took the oath of office. You said that you were committed to complying with the Constitution. Do you still stand by that statement?

Noem: Absolutely. I believe President Trump ...

Underwood: Excellent. Let's start with Article 1, which gives Congress and only Congress the power of the purse. No money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in consequence of appropriations made by law. But this administration is freezing, terminating, and even clawing back federal grants and awards that were already signed into law. These are taxpayer dollars that were appropriated by Congress for the specific purposes that we laid out. So Secretary, let me ask you, do you believe the administration has the authority to subvert appropriations law to freeze and terminate congressional funding?

Noem: The administration and the Department of Homeland Security used our authorities that we have to evaluate every grant that was in front of us and made statutory requirements but also to make sure that they were being spent appropriate ...

Underwood: So of course the president is within his authority ...

Noem: ... to make sure ...

Underwood: Ma'am this is my time. Thank you so much. Of course, President, the president is within his authorities to drive policy decisions within the bounds of federal law and the Constitution, but that's not what you've been doing. What I'm asking is whether you believe you have the authority to ignore appropriations law. Do you believe that the Constitution gives the executive branch unilateral authority to withhold funds appropriated by the legislative branch?

Noem: We have evaluated grants to make sure if they're being spent appropriately, and work that is underway and was authorized has continued. Other grants that have not been started and have not been authorized or obligated, we have re-evaluated and I think you're talking specifically about grants potentially within FEMA that were non-disaster related grants ...

Underwood: I'm talking broadly, ma'am, and Article 2 does not give the executive the authority to withhold funds, period. And multiple courts have weighed in to agree. Multiple courts have ruled in agreement. Congress controls the power of the purse.

Noem: ... We're ...

Underwood: That is a fact. That's not a question. That is a fact. And so if the president disagrees with certain spending, Congress passed the Empowerment Act to create a legal process to seek rescission, and we expect him to follow the law. This administration is not just ignoring the constitutional power of the people's elected representatives. It is also violating the fundamental right of individuals. Do you believe that the Constitution grants everyone in our country the right to due process, including noncitizens?

Noem: The administration has the authority to ...

Underwood: Ma'am, I'm looking for a yes or no question. Yes or no. Do you believe the ... Ma'am?

Noem: ...

Underwood: Claiming my time. Mr. Chairman?

Noem: ...

Underwood: OK, Secretary Noam, I'm just looking for a yes or no here. Do you believe the Constitution guarantees due process to everyone in America?

Noem: Due process is exactly what this Congress ...

Underwood: Yes or no. OK, ma'am, I'll take that as a "No".

Noem: ... due process ...

Underwood: Excuse me, I'm trying, ma'am, I'm trying to ascertain your understanding of the law as it applies to your department, and you as this leader should be able to give us a yes or no answer because judge after judge has ruled that the law is not being followed. Do you believe that the US government has the authority to deport American citizens?

Noem: No, and we are not deporting US citizens.

Underwood: OK, great. I'm so happy to hear that you do not believe that the law gives you that authority because the federal government has no authority under US laws to deport any American citizen, and as I know, everyone during this hearing today knows that several American citizens have been deported to date.

Noem: ... That's not true ...

Underwood: Secretary Noem, that was not a question. Secretary Noem, that oath that we both swore before taking office was to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, not the president, not a political party, the Constitution. And that's what we're going to keep doing here at the Appropriations Committee. Thank you, Ayo back.
— Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem Testifies at Oversight Hearing · C-SPAN · May 6, 2025

They're liable. So the question is: what next? Is someone building a case or something? What to expect?

Daily White House press meetings:

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt Briefs Members of the New Media, Apr. 28, 2025 (The White House · 27m:52s)
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt Briefs Members of the New Media, Apr. 29, 2025 (The White House · 20m:55s)
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt Briefs Members of the New Media, Apr. 30, 2025 (The White House · 25m:19s)

Participants are Trump'ers.
Gross.
One commentator notes: "This is scripted, state-run media. How far we've fallen."
Eerie.

End of the war speculation ...

When the war ends, Putin has a problem (archived)
^{— Philip Piatov, Paul Ronzheimer · Bild · May 5, 2025}
Putin’s endgame in Ukraine – and why it won’t finish there
^{— Sam Kiley · Independent · May 5, 2025}

For what it's worth, end of war seems a good pretext to ease up on sanctions.

Hristoulas argues that Putin's plans can be traced back to 2005 ...

Empire and Revenge: Outlining Vladimir Putin’s Motivations for War (html)
^{— Athanasios Hristoulas · ITAM · May 2023}

Ferraro argues that Putin primarily had domestic motives ...

Why Russia invaded Ukraine and how wars benefit autocrats: The domestic sources of the Russo-Ukrainian War (alternate)
^{— Vicente Ferraro · University of São Paulo · Dec 28, 2023}

Germany just gave its spy agency new powers to surveil the opposition. That’s not democracy—it’s tyranny in disguise. What is truly extremist is not the popular AfD—which took second in the recent election—but rather the establishment’s deadly open border immigration policies that the AfD opposes. Germany should reverse course. (— Secretary Marco Rubio (verified) · May 2, 2025)

Some time ago, I wouldn't have thought Rubio would go down this path.

Marco Rubio’s language in his X post mirrors rhetoric that could have been applied to the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in 1932-1933 by framing the AfD as a legitimate opposition unfairly targeted by the state, a tactic the NSDAP used to gain sympathy before Hitler’s rise to power via the Enabling Act on March 23, 1933.

The NSDAP, like the AfD today, positioned itself as a populist alternative to the establishment, criticizing Weimar Republic policies such as reparations and liberal governance, much as Rubio critiques Germany’s “open border immigration policies” as the true extremism.

Rubio’s claim that Germany’s surveillance of AfD is “tyranny in disguise” echoes how the NSDAP decried Weimar government actions—like banning Nazi paramilitary groups—as undemocratic overreach, a narrative that helped them gain broader support among Germans feeling disenfranchised.

In 1932, the NSDAP was the second-largest party in the Reichstag elections with 37.3% of the vote, similar to AfD’s recent second-place finish in German elections, a parallel Rubio uses to legitimize AfD’s popularity while ignoring its extremist rhetoric.

The NSDAP capitalized on economic despair and anti-immigrant sentiment, scapegoating Jews and other minorities, much like AfD’s platform focuses on anti-Muslim immigration policies, which Rubio indirectly endorses by attacking the German establishment’s stance.

Rubio’s defense of AfD overlooks its documented Holocaust relativization, a stance that aligns with NSDAP’s early efforts to rewrite history—by 1933, the Nazis were already suppressing Jewish narratives and promoting revisionist history to downplay their crimes.

Historical context: The NSDAP gained traction by exploiting fears of communism, often falsely equating their enemies with communists, a tactic AfD mirrors by comparing modern German leaders to East German secret police, as noted in Wikipedia’s AfD entry [web ID: 1].

Rubio’s rhetoric fits a pattern of U.S. conservative figures like Elon Musk and JD Vance supporting AfD, despite its extremist ties, reflecting a broader Trump-era shift toward aligning with far-right European movements that echo historical fascist strategies. — Grok AI

Don't see much false here.
There are other concerning observations, both regarding AfD and the US.
The party hasn't been banned, but is under observation.

Marco Rubio decries Vladimir Putin as tyrant, calls on White House to push human rights
^{— Scott Powers · Florida Politics · Mar 30, 2017}
Marco Rubio criticized Germany. The foreign ministry hit back
^{— Stefanie Dazio · AP · May 3, 2025}
Germany hits back at Rubio's defense of far-right AfD party
^{— Mithil Aggarwal · NBC · May 3, 2025}

Predictable.

Russian networks flood the Internet with propaganda, aiming to corrupt AI chatbots
^{— Annie Newport, Nina Jankowicz · Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists · Mar 26, 2025}

A glimpse into some of Trump's priorities for next year:

Trump Proposes $1 Trillion Defense Budget for 2026
^{— Greg Hadley · Air and Space Forces Magazine · May 2, 2025}
Trump's budget proposal would cut some discretionary spending, increase defense spending
^{— Kathryn Watson · CBS · May 2, 2025}
Trump budget proposes $1 trillion for defense, slashes education, foreign aid, environment, health and public assistance
^{— Tami Luhby, Ella Nilsen, Andrew Freedman, Samantha Delouya, Sarah Owermohle, Jennifer Hansler, Gabe Cohen · CNN · May 2, 2025}

"Attacks on education" (my wording) have been in multiple forms.


Populism Map (European Center for Populism Studies)

In this assessment, these share a score at the edge of "Full Democracy": the US, France, Croatia, Mongolia, South Korea.

, you skipped the q. :shrug:

Because it’s an excuse to continue the war, to continue spending billions more lining the pockets of Lockheed Martin et al., and because it increases the chances of direct confrontation with Russia. — Mikie

I'm wondering... Will defunding Lockheed Martin entail less need for defense?

We typically use

• XX for female
• XY for male

and then

• you can be born appearing female but have low 5-alpha reductase and grow a penis at age 12
• you can be born XY male but your body is less sensitive to androgens and you appear female
• you can be born XY male and have a penis and testes and a uterus and fallopian tubes
• you can be born XY male but your Y chromosome is without the SRY gene which gives you a female body
• you can be born XX female but one of your Xs has an SRY gene which gives you a male body
• you can be born XX female and also have a Y chromosome which gives you a male body
• you can be born XX female but your adrenal gland produces less cortisol and your body develops as male
• you can be born XX female and XY chromosomes which is called chimerism
• hermaphrodites are common in some species and rare in others
• ...

Also

• Sex-determination system (Wikipedia)

Russia's next move? The countries trying to Putin-proof themselves
^{— Katya Adler · BBC · Mar 20, 2025}

Theiner speculates away, yet, the Baltic folks have understandably become a bit nervous:

Russia will not attack unless Putin could occupy all the Baltic countries in two or three days. Today he might be able to do this. If the Germans, French, Italians, British, Spanish, Canadians moved their army to the Baltic countries, he will not be able to do it. If Putin sees that Europeans are too weak, he will attack. — Thomas Theiner

Living things are architects: sometimes profoundly altering the earth to meet their needs. This has been going practically since life first appeared. People who think climate change is a moral issue because it's evil to transform the world are just misinformed about the nature of life. — frank

Beer drinkers exploit that yeast commit suicide by drowning in their excrements. ;)
Reminds me a bit of the commons.

Experts On Russia Say Donald Trump Is Wrong About The War In Ukraine
^{— Stuart Anderson · Forbes · Apr 27, 2025}

From the article ...

Russia’s threats to take over the Crimea and Eastern Ukraine go back to the times of Boris Yeltsin. Putin acted on those threats in 2003 trying to take over Ukraine’s Tuzla Island off the shores of the Crimea. The annexation of the Crimea in 2014 was explained by the threat from NATO, which allegedly planned to establish naval bases on the peninsula. In reality, it was a response to the Ukraine’s Revolution of Dignity and determination to sign an association agreement with the European Union. By launching a war on Ukraine, Russia was not stopping NATO, which had refused to admit the country back in 2008, but was precluding the ‘escape’ of a former imperial subject from Russia’s sphere of influence. — Serhii Plokhy

Trump’s contention that Ukraine’s hope of joining NATO ‘caused the war to start’ is a claim that is often made, but one that doesn’t stand up to scrutiny. Given that there was no serious prospect of Ukraine joining NATO between 2008 and 2022, it’s hard to see how Ukraine’s hope of joining NATO at some point in the future caused the full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022. Nothing had happened in the previous 14 years to make it likely that Ukraine could join NATO anytime soon. I think most specialists on Russia and Ukraine agree that Putin’s key motive for the full-scale invasion was his desire to restore Russian political control over Ukraine—it wasn’t about this or that piece of territory. This reflects Putin’s oft-stated belief that Ukraine is not a separate nation and that it is an artificial state. Putin was motivated by imperial ideas about Ukraine, not by any fears of a security threat to Russia from NATO. It’s worth noting that Russia has literally thousands of nuclear weapons to deter an attack on Russian territory. It’s also worth noting that Putin seems untroubled by Finland joining NATO in 2023, even though they share a lengthy land border. In fact, Russia has moved troops away from the Finnish border to fight in Ukraine. — Brian Taylor

Putin hasn’t taken Ukraine because he can’t. To suggest ‘not taking all of Ukraine’ is a Russian concession is ludicrous. — Mick Ryan

The front line is not about to collapse. Despite AFU [Armed Forces of Ukraine] being largely pressed out of Kursk, the overall situation from Pokrovsk to Kupyansk improved. The implication being that Ukraine is not in a desperate situation requiring a rushed ceasefire under unfavorable terms. — Michael Kofman

Drones have indeed transformed the battlefield in Ukraine by providing accessible and affordable capabilities at a scale that did not previously exist. They are making it difficult to concentrate forces, achieve surprise and conduct offensive operations. — Stacie Pettyjohn

Following last night’s brutal assault on Kyiv, it’s clear Putin has no interest in peace. Time to answer Russia’s ongoing invasion in Ukraine with renewed American strength and give our ally the military support they need to win a victory for freedom.USUA https://abcnews.go.com/International/russia-launches-massive-deadly-strike-kyiv-ukrainian-authorities/story?id=121113739 — Mike Pence · Apr 24, 2025

, they've been trying to demonize (and divide) Europe for a while, all part of the playbook.

Incidentally, it goes well with Vance's Munich tirade. :chin:

Maybe someone should round up comparisons.


<sup>Soviet/Russian World War 2 poster


Soviet/Russian World War 2 drawing</sup>

Directed youth militarization in Russia isn't new.

▸ Russia's youngest cadets (— CBS · Apr 23, 2014)

They've stepped up these efforts.

▸ How Russia Prepares Children In Occupied Ukraine For War Against Their Own Country (— RFE/RL · Dec 3, 2024)
▸ Extraction (— Jade McGlynn, Illia Riepin · Feb 11, 2025)
▸ Is Putin’s brainwashing of Ukrainians into Russians even a crime? (— The Economist · Feb 21, 2025)
▸ Russia’s forcible deportation and indoctrination of Ukrainian children (— Bergen Global CMI/UiB · Feb 21, 2025 · 1h:55m:2s)
▸ The children of Severomorsk are told that neighbouring Nordic countries support Nazism (— The Barents Observer · Apr 15, 2025)
▸ Teaching children to march and shoot: Russians prepare children in Mariupol for war with Ukraine (— Mariupol City Council / UNN · Apr 18, 2025)

Insidious.

The issue of Crimea's ownership has been resolved, Russia is not negotiating the integrity of its territory, Trump understands this, said Sergey Lavrov
^{— Zvezda via ZOV Mariupol News Feed · Apr 27, 2025 · 1m:11s}

So said Lavrov. (Or will Trump reconsider?)

Chinese coast guard says it seized sandbank in the South China Sea amid land tussle with the Philippines
^{— AFP/Reuters via ABC (Australia) · Apr 27, 2025}

Well, why not? Why couldn't China grab the island, when Putin seems to have gotten away with grabbing Crimea (in Trump and Lavrov's eyes at least)?

I kind of dismissed this at first, but it seems to hold up, though it's unclear to what extent.

Russia is ‘recycling’ wounded troops, sending some to the frontline on crutches
^{— Nick Paton Walsh, Darya Tarasova, Kosta Gak · CNN · Feb 22, 2025}

Aren't there laws or something against that?

North Korean Deployment in Kursk: A Window into the DPRK Military
^{— Lorenzo Fedrigo · Geopolitical Monitor · Mar 21, 2025}
Vladimir Putin signs decree calling up 160,000 Russians for military service
^{— Euronews · Mar 31, 2025}

Trump issues rare rebuke for Putin after Kyiv attacks
^{— Karl Sexton, Timothy Jones · DW et al · Apr 24, 2025}
'He's just tapping me along' — Trump admits Putin may not be interested in ending war on Ukraine
^{— Martin Fornusek · The Kyiv Independent · Apr 26, 2025}

Is Trump finally growing a spine? One might hope, though I wouldn't hold my breath.

Europe’s Defense Spending Puzzle Can Pay Huge Dividends
^{— Nathan Decety · Res Publica · Apr 23, 2025}

Europe is behind, except perhaps in some hybrid warfare.^† Ukraine is ahead in some areas (e.g. above). The Baltics and Poland are a bit nervous.

^{† caveat: it's easier for Russian operatives/propagandists to go to Europe and do something, than for operatives/propagandists to do much in Russia}

There's something vaguely eerie about these parallels ...

Furthermore, I expect the [country's] legal profession to understand that the nation is not here for them but that they are here for the nation, that is, the world, which includes [our country], must not decline in order that formal law may live, but [our country] must live irrespective of the contradictions of formal justice. From now on, I shall intervene in these cases and remove from office those judges who evidently do not understand the demand of the hour. — source

... unless I'm just seeing faces in the clouds. I'll go back to watching Disney now.

What's going on here?

1. Trump tariffs China and ups them to 34%
2. China doesn't do anything
3. Trump hikes tariffs to 84%
4. China responds with matching tariffs
5. Trump hikes to 145%
6. China responds with matching tariffs
7. Trump says he wants Xi to call him
8. China doesn't do anything
9. Trump says he's ready to "make a deal"
10. China doesn't do anything
11. Trump rolls back tariffs

Doesn't Trump have anything better to do?
On the other hand, maybe he should leave everything else alone.

Zaluzhnyi writes:

How drones, data, and AI transformed our military—and why the US must follow suit
^{— Valerii Zaluzhnyi · Defense One · Apr 10, 2025}

War gear is for anyone to own.
And, in the US, head over to Walmart, pick up ammo, and you have what you need to make your own drone attack force.

NATO has missed the drone revolution
^{— Anders Puck Nielsen · Logic of War · Apr 18, 2025}

Harvard is an Anti-Semitic, Far Left Institution, as are numerous others, with students being accepted from all over the World that want to rip our Country apart. The place is a Liberal mess, allowing a certain group of crazed lunatics to enter and exit the classroom and spew fake ANGER AND HATE. It is truly horrific! Now, since our filings began, they act like they are all “American Apple Pie.” Harvard is a threat to Democracy, with a lawyer, who represents me, who should therefore be forced to resign, immediately, or be fired. He’s not that good, anyway, and I hope that my very big and beautiful company, now run by my sons, gets rid of him ASAP! — Trump (verified) · Apr 24, 2025

Good grief. Someone will still try to justify that clown though. (I can't help but wonder if someone is whispering things in his ears.)

Continuing from Mar 10, 2025 ...

As shown by our victims’ stories today, Biden’s Department of Justice abused and targeted peaceful Christians while ignoring violent, anti-Christian offenses. Thanks to President Trump, we have ended those abuses, and we will continue to work closely with every member of this Task Force to protect every American’s right to speak and worship freely. — Pamela Bondi · Apr 22, 2025

By the way, Biden is Catholic, Trump is not exactly Christian.
The mentioned cases pale in comparison to Team Trump's goings and doings.
It's been argued that these efforts are attempts at a (forced) cultural revolution.

Apparently, the ceasefire/peace talks have been postponed.

Word on the street is that Team Trump was going to present the following in London:

• de jure recognition by the US of Russia's control over Crimea
• de facto recognition of Russia's occupation of most of Luhansk, parts of Donetsk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia
• guarantee that Ukraine will not join NATO
• lifting of sanctions imposed on Russia since 2014

• a (vague) security guarantee from a handful of European countries, no US involvement
• return to Ukraine of a small portion of the Kharkiv region currently under Russian occupation
• ambiguous promises of reconstruction aid

Won't fly. And then Team Trump would likely blame it all on Ukraine (is my guess), still without standing up to Putin. Maybe that's why it was postponed.

Will be a very difficult late summer and fall — ssu

Also, there seems to be more focus on defensive weaponry, like detecting and shooting down incoming bombs and drones. With less (effective) weaponry to strike back, it's a precarious situation. Sufficient aid to put the invaders on the defense would help.

Inside North Korea’s vast operation to help Russia’s war on Ukraine
^{— Tom Balmforth, Mariano Zafra et al · Reuters · Apr 15, 2025}

Recently, Kryvyi Rih (Republic World, AP, Reuters) and Sumy (AP, Oneindia News, Al Jazeera) were the "sitting ducks".