Russia Watch

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New details have emerged surrounding the investigation into former National Security Advisor John Bolton, who may have allowed a foreign government to gain access to classified intelligence when publishing a memoir in 2020, according to a bombshell report from the New York Times.

Despite constant allegations from Democrats and mainstream media pundits of political targeting on the part of the Trump Administration, The Times reported that the current investigation into Bolton “began to pick up steam” during the Biden presidency. Intelligence officials began to investigate after obtaining evidence that he may have mishandled classified information, according to unnamed sources familiar with the inquiry.

Credible accusations against Bolton first surfaced in 2020, when the Trump Administration filed a lawsuit attempting to block the release of his book, “The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir.” The government argued that Bolton did not go through the proper vetting process with the National Security Council when drafting the book, a mandatory process for government officials seeking to publish works that may contain classified information.

U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth refused to block the publication, but only because it was too late. He did conclude, however, that Bolton “likely published classified materials” and had “exposed his country to harm.” He later allowed the wider lawsuit to go forward, which was ultimately dismissed by the Biden Administration in 2021.

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DIFFERENT NIGHT, SAME TARGETS: As President Donald Trump considers tightening the economic screws on Moscow sometime in the near but indeterminate future, the air war in Ukraine has settled into almost Groundhog Day-like predictability, with both sides working to gain an advantage as peace prospects fade.

Russia launched another massive attack on Kyiv overnight, hitting familiar civilian targets, a five-story apartment building, a kindergarten, a shopping mall in the center of the city, and an office building housing the European Union delegation to Ukraine. The strikes, which employed almost 600 drones, 20 cruise missiles, nine ballistic missiles, and two Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, hit more than 20 sites and are being described as “the fiercest Russian attack since the Trump-Putin summit.”

“Right now in Kyiv, first responders are clearing the rubble of an ordinary residential building after a Russian strike,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky posted on X this morning. “Tragically, at least 8 people have already been confirmed dead. One of them is a child. People may still be trapped under the rubble. Dozens are wounded.” The death toll has since grown to at least 14 civilians killed, including three children, with 38 injured.

“Russia chooses ballistics instead of the negotiating table. It chooses to continue killing instead of ending the war. And this means that Russia still does not fear the consequences. Russia still takes advantage of the fact that at least part of the world turns a blind eye to murdered children and seeks excuses for Putin,” Zelensky said. “All deadlines have already been broken, dozens of opportunities for diplomacy ruined,” he said. “It is definitely time for new, tough sanctions against Russia for everything it is doing.”

UKRAINE’S ‘REFINED’ STRATEGY CRIPPLING RUSSIA’S GAS PRODUCTION: Meanwhile, Ukraine has continued to use its increasingly effective home-grown, long-range drone to chip away at Russia’s oil refineries and pipelines, wreaking havoc on domestic gas supplies and causing average Russians pain at the pump. Overnight posts on X showed two more refineries — the Kuibyshev refinery in the Samara region and the Afipsky refinery in the Krasnodar region — ablaze after Ukraine drone strikes.

Gas stations have run dry in some parts of Russia and Crimea, with social media posts showing desperate motorists waiting in long lines of cars waiting for the next delivery of scarce fuel.

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Kyiv, Ukraine — A massive Russian drone and missile attack hit Ukraine’s capital early Thursday, including a rare strike in the center of the city, killing at least 14 people including three children, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. It was the first major Russian combined attack on Kyiv in weeks, and it comes as U.S.-led peace efforts to end the three-year war struggle to gain traction.

“Already 14 people are known to have been killed as a result of the Russian attack, including 3 children. A horrific and deliberate killing of civilians,” Zelenskyy said in a social media post. “The Russians are not choosing to end the war, only new strikes… It is crucial now that the world responds firmly. Russia must stop this war it started and continues. For the spurning of ceasefire and for the constant Russian attempts to weasel out of negotiations, new strong sanctions are needed. Only this can work. The Russians understand only strength and pressure.”

In addition to the deaths, officials said at least 38 people were wounded in the attack.

Russia launched 598 strike drones and decoys and 31 missiles of different types across the country, according to Ukraine’s Air Force, making it one of the largest attacks since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022.  Ukraine’s forces shot down and neutralized all but 41 of the weapons, its Air Force said.

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Something happened to John Bolton. He turned…. hard. It was such a hard pivot, I imagined someone or some entity was blackmailing him with it, maybe something to do with all his extracurriculars  in Qatar.

This raid does not surprise me. Bolton has lost the plot. Utterly. And with it, his mind, it seems.

Forced to resign under Bush, Bolton stood by the RINO President. Despite their policy disagreements, Bolton would describe his loyalty to the spineless, gutless Bush, saying, “I serve at the pleasure of the President.” And yet he afforded no such pleasure to the President who gave him his most senior position. And how badly, how desperately, he wanted to be part of the Trump administration. What a rat.

I thought I knew him. I was wrong. He’s a small, narcissistic thirst monster. His betrayal is nothing short of shocking.

“Bolton may be in hot water as FBI investigation expands beyond controversial book,” by Ashley Oliver, Fox News, August 26, 2025:

Th

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Zelensky says that the Druzhba (friendship) between Kiev and Budapest ‘will depend on Hungary’s actions’.

Orbán made it clear that Zelensky’s threats will not be forgiven or forgotten.

We have been reported how the repeated Ukrainian missile attacks on the Druzhba (meaning ‘friendship’) pipeline cut the flow of crude oil from Russia to both Hungary and Slovakia.

And what became an internet spat between the Hungarian and Ukrainian foreign ministers escalated now to a controversy between Kiev regime leader Volodymyr Zelensky and Hungarian President Viktor Orbán.

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‘IT’S VERY, VERY SERIOUS WHAT I HAVE IN MIND’: Despite being rebuffed at every turn, President Donald Trump is still holding out hope that Russia will come to the table to negotiate an end to the more than three-and-a-half-year war in Ukraine.

At a marathon broadcast Cabinet meeting that ran more than three hours, Trump indicated that despite his frustration, he’s ready to wage economic warfare against Russia to increase the pressure on Vladimir Putin. “It’s very, very serious what I have in mind, if I have to do it. But I want to see it end,” Trump said. “We have economic sanctions. I’m talking about economic. Because we’re not going to get into a world war.”

“Over the last couple of weeks, over 12,000 people died in, like, in two weeks,” Trump said. “They were Russian, they were Ukrainian, they weren’t American. So, a lot of people would say, ‘What do you care? They’re not American.’ I care. They’re 12,000.”

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Prime Minister Mark Carney has announced that Canada will keep troops in Latvia through to 2029, as part of a mission to deter Russian aggression in Europe that has given Ottawa an outsized role in the transatlantic alliance.

“We must deter and fortify. And that is the way that we can provide true reassurance,” Carney said at a Tuesday news conference in Riga, flanked by Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina.

Carney’s office says there are now 2,000 Canadian Armed Forces troops in Latvia as part of Operation Reassurance, which is Canada’s largest overseas mission. Canadian troops have been there since 2017 to strengthen the defence of Europe’s eastern flank and to deter Russian from invading Baltic countries, through what many call a “trip wire.”

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If recent reports are true, Sen. Adam Schiff could have some explaining to do. According to newly-released documents, a Democratic whistleblower told the FBI that Schiff approved leaking classified information regarding the alleged Russiagate scandal to smear President Donald Trump. According to the report:

“When working in this capacity, [redacted staffer’s name] was called to an all-staff meeting by SCHIFF. In this meeting, SCHIFF stated the group would leak classified information which was derogatory to President of the United States DONALD J. TRUMP. SCHIFF stated the information would be used to indict President TRUMP.”