🔥Ukraine: Words Don’t Stop Missiles The Way Patriot Missiles Do
Kyiv reels from Russia’s heaviest barrage in weeks — 21 dead, dozens injured, and homes reduced to rubble. Western leaders voice outrage, but Ukrainians ask: where are the Patriots and real defenses?
Watch my interview with TRT World, broadcast live this evening. I argue that with Europe standing by as a man-made famine unfolds on its doorstep in Gaza, how can Ukrainians take seriously EU leaders’ words of “outrage” over Russia’s latest deadly strike on Kyiv?
Russia fired hundreds of drones and missile at targets across Ukraine, destroying apartment blocks and homes in the capital and elsewhere. At least 21 people were reported killed (updated as of 1928 BST), and dozens injured. The August 28 barrage was the largest to hit Kyiv in weeks, the latest sign that Russia does not intend to pull back from its attacks, either on the battlefield or on civilian targets. The assault also comes nearly two weeks after a major summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump aimed at finding a halt to Moscow's 42-month-old invasion of Ukraine. At least 16 people were confirmed dead as of midday, with more than three dozen wounded, Kyiv prosecutors said. Rescuers picked through piles of smoking rubble looking for survivors, and officials warned the casualty toll was likely to rise. One of the worst-hit sites was in Kyiv's Darnytsya district, where a section of a five-story residential building was directly hit. In Kyiv and Kyiv region, August 29 was declared a day of mourning to honor the airstrikes' victims. Ukraine's air force said the overnight attack included nearly 600 kamikaze and decoy drones, along with 31 missiles, including ballistic and cruise missiles. Some of the missiles were launched by aircraft. At least 13 locations across the country were hit, with debris falling on 26 more locations - RFE/RL
At the White House briefing today, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt quoted President Trump as saying he was "not happy, but also not surprised". She also notes that Ukrainian forces have struck Russian oil facilities. "Perhaps both sides of this war are not ready to end it," she says. Leavitt said Trump may make a further statement on the conflict later today
The British Foreign Office has issued a new statement after the summons of Russian Ambassador Andrey Kelin earlier this afternoon. A spokesperson describes the overnight Russian strikes in Kyiv as "outrageous attacks" as they condemn the damage done to British Council and EU mission buildings in the Ukrainian capital. They add that they have "made clear" to the Russian ambassador that such action "will only harden UK and Western resolve to support Ukraine…Russia must stop this senseless killing and destruction immediately," says the Foreign Office.
A German manufacturer opened Europe’s largest ammunition factory, underlining the continent’s push to ramp up defense spending in the face of threats from Russia and wavering US support. Rheinmetall’s facility will be able to produce 350,000 artillery shells annually by 2027, part of efforts by the continent to ultimately manufacture 2 million a year by itself. European nations have sharply increased their budget allocations for defense in recent months, helping boost share prices for defense firms like Rheinmetall, but analysts have voiced worry over the pressure the additional cash places on the continent’s welfare spending, as well as concerns that the sudden fiscal focus on defense could lead to widespread waste - Semafor
Investigators were examining writings and YouTube videos left behind by a heavily armed assailant who shot through the windows of a Catholic church in Minneapolis on Wednesday, killing an 8-year-old and a 10-year-old in the pews and injuring 17 others, the police said. The suspect’s social media accounts contain videos of diary entries that describe the killing of children and a drawing of the sanctuary of the Annunciation Catholic Church, where the shooting took place during Mass at about 8:30 a.m. The videos also show weapons, bullets and what appear to be explosive devices. The Minneapolis police chief, Brian O’Hara, said the attacker, who was carrying a rifle, a shotgun and a pistol, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He identified the assailant as Robin Westman, 23. “We don’t have a motive at this time,” Chief O’Hara said on Wednesday afternoon. Of the 17 people injured, 14 were children ranging in age from 6 to 15, Chief O’Hara said. The three adults were parishioners in their 80s, he said. All were expected to survive, he said. Investigators believe the attacker was a former student at the school, according to a law enforcement official with knowledge of the investigation. The suspect’s mother is a retired school employee, the official said. The guns used in the attack had been lawfully purchased, Chief O’Hara said. At least two doors of the church had been barricaded from the outside, he said - NYT
Dr. Susan Monarez, who was sworn in as director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on July 31, has been removed from the position, the White House said Wednesday. Several high-level veteran agency officials resigned after word spread about her departure, leaving the CDC leaderless at a perilous time. HHS has not named an acting director to lead the CDC. Morale, which was already low after deep staff cuts this spring, plummeted after a gunman opened fire on the CDC’s main campus in Atlanta on August 8, pocking the buildings with hundreds of bullet holes and killing DeKalb County Police Officer David Rose. Shortly afterward, a further 600 employees got official termination notices. The exiting agency leaders described censorship, communication failures and the weaponization of public health by the US Department of Health and Human Services in resignation letters, social media posts and statements from attorneys. Monarez’s ouster, first reported by The Washington Post, burst into public view over several tumultuous hours Wednesday. Just weeks into her tenure as director, she had clashed with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy over vaccine policy and her refusal to fire several veteran CDC leaders, according to people familiar with the situation - CNN
France, Germany and the United Kingdom started the process on Thursday to reimpose United Nations sanctions on Iran over its nuclear programme, after a 12-day conflict with Israel in June saw its atomic sites repeatedly bombed. The mechanism, termed snapback by the diplomats who negotiated it into the 2015 nuclear deal (JCPOA) with world powers, was designed to be veto-proof at the UN and is likely to go into effect. It would again freeze Iranian assets abroad, halt arms deals with Tehran and penalise any development of its ballistic missile program, among other measures, further squeezing the country's reeling economy. The European move starts a 30-day clock for the sanctions to return, a period that could see intensified diplomacy from Iran, whose refusal to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) inspectors started the crisis - Euronews
President Donald Trump has just added Beverly Hills to the his long list of U.S. cities being plagued by crime. During an Oval Office discussion, Trump claimed that his friends in Beverly Hills leave their vehicles unlocked to prevent damage from vandalism and theft. He also mentioned a friend who leaves his garage door open for the same reason. However, Beverly Hills officials and residents have expressed surprise at these statements. According to the Los Angeles Times, a city spokesperson stated that they are not aware of residents intentionally leaving their vehicles unlocked. Data from the Beverly Hills Police Department shows an increase in theft reports from vehicles over recent years, with 324 reports in 2022, 386 in 2023, and 472 in 2024. Despite this, overall crime in the city decreased in 2024. Residents like Ian Campbell, a frequent visitor to Rodeo Drive, and Jason Trucco, a former resident, have voiced their disagreement with Trump's characterization of Beverly Hills as unsafe. Campbell mentioned, "I’m here all the time, and it’s always been safe and mostly calm." Meanwhile, Noah Margo, president of the West Hollywood-Beverly Hills Democratic Club, suggested that Trump's remarks might be publicity stunts and emphasized that Beverly Hills is one of the least crime-affected areas in Los Angeles County. Roxanne Hoge, chair of the Republican Party of Los Angeles County, defended Trump's comments, highlighting the importance of public safety. However, Margo questioned the need for involving the National Guard in addressing car break-ins, suggesting that such actions are outside the military's jurisdiction - KFI AM Radio
In recent years, Beverly Hills police have been most focused on retail crime in the luxury-good corridor of Rodeo Drive, not car thefts. After a series of high-profile incidents — including the armed robbery of a diner’s $500,000 watch at a local restaurant — the city beefed up patrols and security details. Officials also started a drone surveillance program. The department has also faced allegations — which it denies — of targeting Black shoppers. - Los Angeles Times
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