Notes and Essays -- John Brown

[summary] Russian air defences intercepted around 600 Ukrainian drones in a massive overnight attack that killed four people. The interceptions took place across Russia's 14 regions, as well as the annexed Crimean peninsula. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday said the attack was a "justified" response to Russia's prolongation of the ‌war. Issued on: 17/05/2026 - 08:01 Modified: 17/05/2026 - 11:47 2 min Reading time; see also By: FRANCE 24 A soldier of Ukraine's 127th Separate Territorial Brigade launches a drone on the front line in the Kharkiv region on March 14, 2026.  © Nikoletta Stoyanova, AP A huge wave of around 600 Ukrainian  drones  attacked  Russia overnight, killing four people, authorities said on Sunday. Air defences shot down drones in more than a dozen regions, including Moscow, Russia's defence ministry said, in one of the largest Ukrainian barrages of the ongoing conflict so far. These interceptions – far above the few dozen mor...

11 HR ago By   Jennifer Hansler , CNN Politics Rescue workers search through the rubble of a residential building in Tehran, following US-Israeli airstrikes on March 27.   Majid Saeedi/Getty Images Amid ongoing foreign policy crises around the globe and as the Trump administration struggles to reach a deal to end the war with Iran, the State Department last week finalized the firings of nearly 250 foreign service officers in a brief, impersonal email. “Your reduction in force separation will be effective today,” part of it read. “Thank you again for your service to the Department.” Those reductions in force (RIFs), which were initiated last July, also impacted more than 1,000 civil service officers, and saw the firings of entire staffs in offices that former officials say would have been able to provide guidance on the war in Iran, which is having severe consequences for the US and global economy. The State Department has consistently maintained that the RIFs were meant ...

Putin image from article 2:12 PM · May 13, 2026 · 132.4K Views @nexta_tv ; see also, and  also Putin’s inner circle is pushing him to end the war The British outlet The i Paper reports that pressure is growing within Russia’s leadership to bring the war against Ukraine to an end. According to analyst Mark Galeotti, part of the Kremlin elite believes the war has reached a dead end. Russia continues to make slow advances, but the cost is rising — both economically and politically. Journalists refer to a February report prepared for the Russian presidential administration that later leaked online. It warned that continuing the war could turn into a “pyrrhic victory” for the Kremlin — with massive losses for the sake of devastated and depopulated cities. According to the report, officials are discussing the option of freezing the front line and trying to present it to the public as a “victory over the West.” *** Original article contains comments by its readers.

AI Overview ; see also Yes, U.S. President Donald Trump brokered a three-day ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine to span from May 9 to May 11, 2026, coinciding with the Russian Victory Day holiday .   ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos  +4 While the truce was intended to halt kinetic activity and facilitate a prisoner exchange, it faced immediate complications and accusations of violations from both sides: Agreement Details:  The temporary truce was negotiated to pause hostilities during the World War II commemorations and included terms for a major prisoner swap of up to 2,000 individuals.   Facebook · Fox News  +1 Reported Violations:  Shortly after the ceasefire began on May 9, both nations traded accusations of breaking the agreement. Ukraine reported fatal drone strikes in the Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk regions, while Russia accused Kyiv of launching localized attacks.   Facebook · LEX 18  +2 Outcomes:  While it provided ...