World Briefing Plus: No Warnings. No Interceptors. No Illusions in Ukraine
Filming under an air raid alert in Odesa: Ukraine's missile shield hits zero, Turkey's S-400 shuffle, and Trump's new assault on press freedom.
Welcome to this edition of World Briefing Plus!
All of Ukraine is now a frontline - and this week, I take you onto it.
I filmed this week’s video briefing outside in Odesa, under an active air raid siren warning of an imminent threat from Russian drones and missiles. Hours earlier, a Russian missile struck infrastructure here without any warning at all - no siren, nothing - close enough to my location that I could hear the car alarms triggered by the blast wave.
The situation is now as dire as I’ve seen it. Sources in Kyiv tell me there is often no longer any advance warning of incoming missiles - the only way to stay safe at night is to sleep in a bomb shelter. And President Volodymyr Zelensky has now confirmed what many feared: Ukraine currently has nothing left to bring down Russian ballistic missiles. Overnight, zero of six were intercepted over the capital. These weapons are fast, powerful, and built to inflict maximum damage. Ukraine is totally exposed - and that should concern the entire world.
Also in this week’s video:
Ankara’s real winners. My read on the Trump-Erdoğan bromance, how Turkey walked away the summit’s biggest winner - including what I’m hearing about where those Russian S-400 systems are quietly headed, and the sanctions relief that came with it. Plus a preview of tomorrow’s edition: Ukraine’s overlooked wins from the summit, which deserve far more attention than they’ve received.
Federal agents at reporters’ doors. A new Trump assault on press freedom — this time targeting the New York Times over its reporting on the Qatari-gifted jet whose shortcomings were laid bare in Ankara. The sight of federal agents on the doorsteps of American journalists should alarm everyone who values Western democratic principles.
GRATIS FEATURE — FOR ALL SUBSCRIBERS
📊 This week’s infographic: The world’s most livable cities, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit’s latest rankings. I break down the top five - free for all World Briefing subscribers. To our Canadian readers, it is worth pointing out that Vancouver made it into the Top Ten, ranking 9th with a score of 95.8. However, we dispute this ranking based on its homeless and drug addiction problem, very high costs (and lack of corresponding value), crime (including gang violence), traffic, and lack of cultural or intellectual activities and events.
The full analysis - including my on-the-ground reporting from Odesa, my insight into the S-400 deal, and my thoughts on the Trump Administration's renewed assault on press freedom - is available now in this week's World Briefing Plus video below.
If you value independent journalism reported from the ground in wartime Ukraine and elsewhere - connecting the dots so you don’t have to - this is the moment to upgrade. Paid subscribers get the full Saturday video briefing every week, plus everything else behind the paywall.
