Russian Diesel

From the AP:

“Trump strikes deal with Putin for Russian diesel in sharp reversal of US policy ahead of midterms”

President Donald Trump said he has struck a deal to obtain diesel from Russia, a stunning reversal of years of U.S. pressure on Moscow over its war with Ukraine and an attempt to address high fuel prices ahead of the U.S. midterm elections.

Trump said on social media on Friday that he struck the deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin in a phone call in which he was expected to discuss a suspected case of plague in Russia. Instead, Trump announced that Russia will immediately supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel, followed by an additional 500,000 tons in November and 1 million tons "immediately thereafter." Russia will deliver an additional 3 million tons "within a short period of time" after that, he wrote. Trump's shocking announcement comes after he signed a sweeping Russia sanctions law last month that aimed at clamping down on Russia's energy revenues, among other areas, that fuel its war against Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called it, "a weak decision, unfortunately, a weak decision by strong partners," according to a statement released by the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington. Trump's announced the deal as his envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner were meeting with Ukrainian officials to discuss a proposal to try to end the Russia-Ukraine war. "I believe our team is simply being used as a smokescreen. And that is certainly not fair. It is certainly not how partners should treat each other," Zelenskyy said.

Trump's move casts doubt on the likelihood of the White House imposing sanctions on Russia this month, given that a bipartisan law passed by Congress directs the administration to target the top importers of Russian oil and gas. Trump, in his announcement, did not address the sanctions or Russia's war but said, "Lower prices for Americans, especially our Great Farmers, Ranchers, and Truckers, is my Greatest Priority."

Washington and Moscow offer few details on deal The White House did not immediately respond to questions about who was paying for the diesel from Russia and when the fuel being supplied under the agreement would become available. It also did not clarify whether subsequent supplies of Russian diesel set to come next month would be supplied prior to Election Day on Nov. 3.

Gas prices globally have surged as the war in Iran upends the energy sector. While diesel future prices dipped on the news on Friday, the national average for a gallon of diesel in the U.S. remained high at $6.28, according to AAA, after hitting a record $6.52 on Sept. 22. A statement from Putin, released by the Kremlin on Friday, said that during their call he and Trump dedicated "significant attention to the prospects of resolving the Ukrainian crisis" and also discussed "the situation around Iran and various aspects of bilateral relations."

Russia "confirmed its readiness to supply oil and oil products to the American and global markets," Putin said. "I am confident that this will have a positive impact on the entire global economy." The two leaders agreed to continue contacts, Putin said in the statement.

Trump and Putin's deal draws immediate backlash Zelenskyy, in a lengthy post online reacting to the deal, said Russia would repay it "with further terror and perfidy." He cast it as an investment in the war, allowing it to be prolonged.

"It plays into Russia's hands — allowing it to kill more, wage war for longer, have even less respect for America, and inflict even greater losses and damage on the world," he said. Rep. Don Beyer, the senior House Democrat on the Joint Economic Committee, called Trump's announcement

"This is what we warned anyone who would listen: Trump isn't the slightest bit trustworthy when it comes to Russia," Beyer said in a statement on X. "Giving him expanded tariff powers in hopes he would use them to help Ukraine was a mistake. Now he's lifting sanctions on Russian fossil fuels." The law Trump signed last month envisions sanctions on Russian officials, banks and a shadow fleet of tankers and bans all new U.S. investment in Russia and the handling of sovereign debt.

It also directed Trump to impose tariffs of up to 100% on the top five importers of Russian oil or natural gas, with an exception for countries that import less than 15% of Russia's natural gas exports and have taken significant steps to reduce those imports. The U.S. has not imported Russian oil or gas since 2022, when the Biden administration banned them because of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Treasury Department moves to ease diesel sanctions for six months Shortly after Trump made the announcement, the Treasury Department said it was immediately issuing a temporary license allowing Russian diesel to be supplied to the global market. This is the latest in several licenses the U.S. Treasury has issued regarding Russian fuel shipments since the start of the Iran war earlier this year. But it is the first such license to ease sanctions on diesel for a period lasting longer than the standard 30-day window since the start of the Ukraine war.

The new so-called general license means U.S. sanctions will not apply until April 2027 on deliveries of Russian diesel that has been loaded onto tankers as of Friday. The department extended similar easing of sanctions in March and April even though Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had ruled out such a move earlier in the year.

The extensions continue to underscore how the fallout from the Iran war has boosted Moscow's ability to profit from its energy exports, which had been restrained by the U.S. and other allies since the invasion of Ukraine. It's unclear what kind of impact the move will have on oil prices, given overall global supply shortages. "It's kind of shuffling deck chairs on the Titanic," said Michael Lynch of the Energy Policy Research Foundation, a non-partisan research institution focused on energy and economics. "If we get diesel from Russia, basically it means that their existing customers are not going to get it and they'll have to go somewhere else, and that will keep the price basically where it is now," Lynch said.

Russia, once a major exporter of diesel, has banned exports since July as it has struggled to meet demand inside the country because of Ukraine's repeated attacks on Russian oil refineries. The International Energy Agency says Russian diesel output has fallen by about 30%. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak told state news agency Tass that Russia is "immediately starting to lift restrictions on diesel exports ahead of schedule." He said that Moscow could start supplies to the U.S. already in October, and that Russia's domestic market will be "fully supplied" with diesel, as well.

^ I hope Ukraine bombs the Russian Diesel Pipelines and Ships.

DON"T BUY RUSSIAN DIESEL!!!!!!

If you do you are helping commit Mass Murder of innocent Men, Women and Children. ^

https://www.yahoo.com/finance/economy/policy/articles/trump-signs-historic-tax-free-114500969.html

Oleshky

 

Oleshky is in Russian-Occupied Ukraine (since 2022) and Russia refuses to feed the People living there – letting them starve.

Ukraine used drones to deliver 4 tons of Food to the Civilians there across 100 locations around the City – all while Russia tried to shoot the Drones down despite knowing there was only food in them.

This shows why Ukraine MUST Win the War and why it WILL win this War.

The Best

 (Konoba Vinica Monkovic Tavern outside of Dubrovnik. Croatia.)

The best Pizza I’ve ever had wasn’t when I was in Venice, Italy (it was actually the worst Pizza I’ve ever had) or even in New York City.

It was when I was at a place off the main road in a very small town near Urquhart Castle on Loch Ness in Scotland.

The best Cuban Sandwich I’ve ever had wasn’t when I was in Tampa or in Little Havana in Miami, Florida.

It was when I was at Boston’s Logan Airport waiting to fly to Iceland.

The best Shish-Kabab I’ve ever had wasn’t made by Turks when I was in Germany.

It was at a small Dacha outside of Yaroslavl, Russia in the dead of Winter.

The best Hamburger I’ve ever had wasn’t at a McDonald’s.

It was at a small Family-run Tavern outside of Dubrovnik, Croatia.

Sometimes, you have to go off-the-beaten-path to find the good things in life (food or otherwise.)

Moscow Burns

 

(Moscow on fire today.)

Moscow, Russia is on fire today after Ukraine attacked the Russian Capital last night in the largest Air Raid on the City.

It also happened on the 3^rd day of Russia’s Parliamentary Elections (the first Elections since Russia’s War in Ukraine started in February 2022.)

While Ukraine targeted legitimate Military Targets (the  Gazprom-MNPZ Oil Refinery which produces 11 Million tons of Oil a year) the Russians continue to target Civilians in Ukraine (using Drones to “stalk” Teenagers and the Elderly before they are blown up and killed – the videos are then uploaded on Russian Websites.)

Russia Losing

 

4 years and 6 months of War in Ukraine with little to no advances since 2024 mean that Russia has not only lost in Ukraine, but is losing at home too.

Beginning in January 2026 Russia switched from having 2 Annual Military Draft Call-Ups (one in the Spring and one in the Fall) to a Year-Round Military Draft Call-Up.

Russia currently Drafts 40,000 new Soldiers (aged 18-30 years old) every Month so in 1 year that means Russia Drafts 480,000 new Soldiers.

With 26,000 Russian Soldiers killed or wounded in Ukraine every single day that means in 1 year Russia loses 780,000 Soldiers – which is more than they replace with Drafted Soldiers in a year and more than they have in their Regular Military.

Those are only the new Conscripts and doesn’t include Former Conscripts 31-72 years old who are now forced to fight and die in Ukraine.

Russia will literally run out of Men to send to die in Ukraine soon and will be plagued with an imbalance between Women and Men for Decades to come.

Since September 2022 Russia has sent both Volunteers and Conscripted Soldiers to fight in Ukraine.

Putin has forced Boys as young as 16 and Men as old as 72 to fight inside Ukraine after 20 days of Military Training.

Not only that, but Russia is bombed and burning.

An Average of 1,000 Drones regularly strike Russian Cities (Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Krasnodar, Yaroslavl, Perm, etc.) destroying Factories, Oil Processing Plants, etc.

Russia has been bombed 41,000 times since February 2022.

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy has said that soon Ukraine will attack Russia with at least 1,000 Drones every single day.

56 of Russia’s 83 Regions have imposed Gas Rationing with People in Moscow being forced to wait in lines of 12-36 hours just to get the allowed 7 Gallons of Gas with a Gallow of Gas now costing $17 US Dollars.

Russia has lost $13 Billion US Dollars Revenue from its Gas and Oil in 2026 alone and has to import Gas from India.

The United States imports 86% of its Diesel from Canada (not Russia) so the high Diesel prices are caused by the Trade War between the US and Canada and not Russia’s War in Ukraine.

It costs Russia $40,000 US Dollars to kill a Ukrainian Soldier or Civilian with 1 of its Drones.

It costs Ukraine $848 US Dollars to kill a Russian Soldier with 1 of its Drones.

Today, Putin’s Government has created Potemkin Businesses where there are no empty shelves, but the Average Russian can’t afford even the Basics (because everything is imported from China, India, and Central Asia.)

The Average Russian only makes ₽83,500 ($1,000 US Dollars) a month after Taxes.

(₽104,000 or $1,412 US Dollars before Taxes.)

Rent for a 1 Bedroom Apartment in the City Center costs $624 US Dollars a month.

Buying Groceries for 1 Person costs on average $407 US Dollars a month.

That means that the Average Russia earning the Average Monthly Wage will owe $31 US Dollars after Paying their Rent and Buying their Groceries every month and that doesn’t include things like the cost of Internet, Cell Phones, Public Transportation, Medicines, Cars, Gas, etc.

Russia stopped being a Super Power years ago even though they try and act like they are still one.

They threatened to wipe Warsaw, Poland off the map in 2 to 3 days, but they couldn’t even take Kyiv, Ukraine in 3 days like they said they would.

Russia's War in Ukraine has surpassed Nazi Germany's War in the Soviet Union.

The Eastern Front of the Second World 2 was from June 22, 1941 until May 9, 1945 (or 1,419 days.)

Russia's War in Ukraine has been going on since February 22, 2022 (or 1,667 days and counting.)

The Nazi Germans occupied 700,000 Square Miles of Soviet Territory at the height of the Eastern Front.

The Russians only occupy 44,600 Square Miles of Ukrainian Territory.

Putin’s Russia is currently at the point that Hitler’s Germany was in April 1945.

Soon Russia will run out of Money and Manpower and will lose their War in Ukraine.

Putin will eventually be out of power and the Ordinary Russians will have to start answering for the Crimes they supported in the same way the Germans did after 1945.

Ukraine will win the War and will continue to enjoy the International Achievements they currently do.

Most Countries, including the United States, are now looking at how effective Ukraine is fighting and using Modern Technology on the Frontline.

Capitivity

 

96% of Ukrainian Soldiers and 92% of Ukrainian Civilians (Men, Women and Children) who have been released from Russian Captivity report experiencing Torture and Abuse every day.

Skies Shutting

 

Major Moscow Airports faced severe disruptions, with dozens of flight cancellations and delays, following Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's warning on September 1st that Russian Airspace will be closed by swarms of Ukrainian drones.

For two consecutive nights, Vnukovo and Sheremetyevo Airports suspended all Arrivals and Departures after Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency, Rosaviatsia, imposed temporary restrictions.

Data showed 21 flights cancelled and 235 delayed at Sheremetyevo and 22 cancelled and 94 delayed at Vnukovo, leaving Passengers stranded on terminal floors.

Kyiv has formally asked the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to advise Airlines to avoid Russia, citing unsafe conditions.

The War is finally coming home to the Russians.

Russia Bombed

In August 2026 Ukraine attacked Russia with 18,000 Dones.

(Ukrainian Drone attack on Moscow, Russia)

Targets hit include: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yaroslavl, Perm, Krasnodar, and many other Cities Thousands of Miles away from the Ukrainian Border.

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy says that started this month (September) he hopes to fire 1,000 Drones a day on Russia.

Russia and the Russian People have been enjoying their War Crimes inside of Ukraine since February 2022 and now the War is coming to every Russian’s doorstep.

Russia has already been bombed and attacked 41,000 times since February 2022.

It costs Russia $40,000 US Dollars to kill a Ukrainian Soldier or Civilian with 1 of its Drones (mainly because it has to get the parts from Iran, North Korea or China.)

It costs Ukraine $848 US Dollars to kill a Russian Soldier with 1 of its Drones.

Ukraine has also warned Civilian Aircraft from flying into, through or out of Russia.

Some Foreign Airlines have already cancelled many flights to, from and within Russia.

No Russian Airline has cancelled any flights because they are owned by the Russian Government and it doesn’t matter to Putin or his Government if Russian Men, Women and Children are killed.

Travel Bubble

From the BBC:

“Zelensky says airlines should avoid Russian airspace as Ukraine escalates drone operations”

Ukraine's president has told airlines that Russian airspace will be "effectively closing" as his country escalates its drone strikes. "We want to warn every airline that uses Russian airspace, every insurer, everyone who still uses key Russian airports: the Russian sky is becoming completely dangerous," Volodymyr Zelensky said. Ukraine has since formally notified the UN of the risks to civilian aviation. Russian President Vladimir Putin said the comments amounted to a "declaration of state terrorism".

Most Western commercial airlines do not fly over Russia because of the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, but carriers in countries like Turkey and China do. Explaining the elevated airspace risk in his nightly video address on Tuesday, Zelensky said that "Ukraine does not threaten civilian aviation as such - not a single civilian aircraft" and did not want the loss of innocent lives.

"There will simply be drones in Russia's skies on a scale that has to be taken into account," he said. Zelensky directed the warning to airlines continuing to operate flights to Russian airports, especially in major cities like St Petersburg and Moscow. In a statement on X, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said that Ukraine had officially notified the International Civil Aviation Organization that Russian airspace was not safe for civilian aviation. "We want to prevent unintended incidents," he said, adding: "The war is returning home to Russia."

On Wednesday afternoon, flight tracking website FlightRadar24 showed many planes flying over Russia, including arriving and departing from the two main airports, which had some delays, but few cancellations.

Several airlines that fly through Russia told the BBC that they were carefully monitoring the situation. Qatar Airways, which flies into Moscow and travels through Russian airspace to get to the US west coast, said its flight planning was "guided by rigorous and continuous monitoring of airspace security, safety assessments, and geopolitical developments". Turkish low-cost airline Pegasus cancelled its flights to Russia on Tuesday and Wednesday, citing "technical and operational reasons", but said future flights "are operating as scheduled". FlyDubai, an Emirati government-owned carrier, told the BBC that it would "closely monitor the evolving situation in the region and adjust our flight schedules and routings as necessary".

Ukraine has targeted energy facilities deep inside Russian territory and there have been repeated attacks on depots belonging to Russia's two biggest online retailers, Wildberries and Ozon.

Its drone attacks have for months led to disruption at some of Russia's biggest airports, especially in Moscow where at times all four major airports have been forced to halt arrivals and departures.

Several cancellations were reported on Wednesday. Ukraine does not have to target airports to cause disruption. Under Russia's air defence "Kovyor" (carpet) plan, flights are suspended if a drone is detected in the relevant area. Aviation risk advisory firm Osprey Flight Solutions said in an alert to clients that while the majority of Ukraine's drone and missile strikes were likely to occur within 300km (186 miles) of the border, daily attacks deeper inside Russia were almost certain to continue this year.

 "There is also a realistic possibility that the frequency of Ukrainian strikes will continue to increase in the short term deep inside Russian territory," the alert added. "It is assessed that miscalculation and/or misidentification is likely in areas related to the Ukraine conflict." Speaking to reporters at the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation summit in Kyrgyzstan, Putin said: "They are asking us to resume negotiations... but you don't negotiate with terrorists." His comments come as Russia's attacks on Ukraine continue, with heavy strikes killing 12 people on Tuesday and further attacks on Odesa, Sumy and Kyiv on Wednesday. Russia's military has said it is preparing to carry out "massive" strikes on Ukrainian power stations.

The Ukrainian capital and its surrounding region have come under attack for seven days in a row. A few weeks ago, Zelensky said Russia was attacking Ukraine every day, and Ukraine's military had "begun the process of bringing the war back to Russia". At the weekend he said the same, that Russia had to feel the war was "returning to where it came from". Putin acknowledged that Ukrainian strikes had damaged infrastructure inside Russia, while insisting that "only 10%" of oil refineries were left to repair.

Chinese, Turkish and Gulf state airlines are among those using Russian airspace, with savings in time and fuel on routes between Asia and Europe. Other carriers have largely avoided the eastern European region since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion in February, 2022. Ukraine has closed its airspace to civilian aircraft throughout that period. The risks of civil aviation during a war are clear. A few months after war broke out in eastern Ukraine in 2014 between Russian-backed separatists and the Ukrainian military, a Russian-made missile brought down a passenger plane, killing all 298 people on board. Last year, the UN aviation agency ruled that Russia was responsible for the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine in July 2014. The Kremlin has always denied any responsibility for the air disaster. In 2024, Putin apologised to the president of neighbouring Azerbaijan over the downing of a commercial airliner in Russian airspace, in which 38 people were killed.He said the "tragic incident" had occurred when Russian air defence systems were repelling Ukrainian drones. A thin, grey banner promoting the News Daily newsletter. On the right, there is a graphic of an orange sphere with two concentric crescent shapes around it in a red-orange gradient, like a sound wave. The banner reads: “The latest news in your inbox first thing.”

^Anyone (Russian or Foreigner) flying into, through or out of Russia should be very worried that their plane will be hit by a Ukrainian Drone.

Ukrainian Airspace has been closed since Russia started its War in February 2022.

Now it's time for those in Russia to feel the effects of their War not through Russian Government Controlled Media, but by bombings of Military Targets disruptions in Air Travel, Fuel Rationing and Shortages throughout Russia.

Russians don't care how many of their Boys and Men are being killed and wounded in Ukraine (over a Million and counting) but they do care about not being able to live in the safety bubble they created for themselves.

It's time for Ukraine to burst that bubble. ^

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9v9yydy2wvo

Kaliningrad

 

Kaliningrad City, Russia has been separated from the rest of Russia since the Soviet Union collapsed in December 1991 (35 years ago.)

Kaliningrad, Russia was known as Königsberg, East Prussia, Germany until 1945.

1,029,966 People live in Kaliningrad Oblast (489,359 in the City of Kaliningrad.)

 

Now Kaliningrad is surrounded by:

Poland (a NATO and European Union Member Country)

Lithuania (a NATO and European Union Member Country)

 

The Airspace needed to go from Kaliningrad, Russia to Minsk, Belarus (an ally of Russia) is blocked by:

Poland (a NATO and European Union Member Country)

Lithuania (a NATO and European Union Member Country)

Latvia (a NATO and European Union Member Country)

Estonia (a NATO and European Union Member Country)

Finland (a NATO and European Union Member Country)

Sweden (a NATO and European Union Member Country)

Not only is the Airspace closed to Kaliningrad, but also the Land and Rail Borders through Poland and Lithuania because of Russia’s War in Ukraine and Belarus’ frequent Violation of NATO and EU Airspace and Land Borders since 2021.

 

Kaliningrad City is only 290 miles from Minsk by car (2 hours by plane), but now it takes several more hours to go by plane only.

So all People, Food, etc. have to be flown in from Belarus or Russia via Russia.

 

Belarus has been ruled by the Dictator, Alexander Lukashenko since 1994 (32 years.)

Russia has been ruled by the Dictator, Vladimir Putin, since 2000 (26 years.)

Note 1: The United States closed its Embassy in Minsk, Belarus in 2022 because Belarus allowed Russia to invade Ukraine from Belarussian Territory.

There has not been an American Ambassador to Belarus since June 2022.

American Citizens are told not to travel to Belarus and Belarussian Citizens can no longer get American Visas.

Note 2: The United States closed its Consulate in Saint Petersburg, Russia in 2018, its Consulate in Vladivostok, Russia in 2020 and its Consulate in Yekaterinburg in 2021.

The US Embassy in Moscow, Russia is open, but only to help American Citizens inside Russia.

There has been no American Ambassador to Russia since June 2025.

American Citizens are told to not travel to Russia.

The US Embassy no longer gives Russian Citizens American Visas.

 

43,000

 

Russia had 43,000 Soldiers dead or wounded in Ukraine in July 2026 alone.

True State

The True State of Russia

( A Screenshot taken of the Nova Gazeta’s Map of Russia showing the area of Russia bombed at 3:30 pm EST on August 22, 2026. The Map updates every 15 minutes.)

Russia is crumbling from the inside out.

4 ½ years of War in Ukraine with little to no advances since 2024 mean that Russia has not only lost in Ukraine, but is losing at home too.

Beginning in January 2026 Russia switched from having 2 Annual Military Draft Call-Ups (one in the Spring and one in the Fall) to a Year-Round Military Draft Call-Up.

Russia currently Drafts 40,000 new Soldiers (aged 18-30 years old) every Month so in 1 year that means Russia Drafts 480,000 new Soldiers.

With 26,000 Russian Soldiers killed or wounded in Ukraine every single day that means in 1 year Russia loses 780,000 Soldiers – which is more than they replace with Drafted Soldiers in a year and more than they have in their Regular Military.

Those are only the new Conscripts and doesn’t include Former Conscripts 31-72 years old who are now forced to fight and die in Ukraine.

Russia will literally run out of Men to send to die in Ukraine soon and will be plagued with an imbalance between Women and Men for Decades to come.

Since September 2022 Russia has sent both Volunteers and Conscripted Soldiers to fight in Ukraine.

Putin has forced Boys as young as 16 and Men as old as 72 to fight inside Ukraine after 20 days of Military Training.

58,000 Russian Men and Boys (from aged 16 to 72) have fled Russia in the last week because of more Forced Mobilizations.

Not only that, but Russia is bombed and burning.

An Average of 1,000 Drones regularly strike Russian Cities (Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Krasnodar, Yaroslavl, Perm, etc.) destroying Factories, Oil Processing Plants, etc.

Russia has been bombed 41,000 times since February 2022.

56 of Russia’s 83 Regions have imposed Gas Rationing with People in Moscow being forced to wait in lines of 12-36 hours just to get the allowed 7 Gallons of Gas with a Gallow of Gas now costing $17 US Dollars.

Russia has lost $13 Billion US Dollars Revenue from its Gas and Oil in 2026 alone and has to import Gas from India.

It costs Russia $40,000 US Dollars to kill a Ukrainian Soldier or Civilian with 1 of its Drones.

It costs Ukraine $848 US Dollars to kill a Russian Soldier with 1 of its Drones.

Today, Putin’s Government has created Potemkin Businesses where there are no empty shelves, but the Average Russian can’t afford even the Basics (because everything is imported from China, India, and Central Asia.)

 

The Average Russian only makes ₽83,500 ($1,000 US Dollars) a month after Taxes.

(₽104,000 or $1,412 US Dollars before Taxes.)

Rent for a 1 Bedroom Apartment in the City Center costs $624 US Dollars a month.

Buying Groceries for 1 Person costs on average $407 US Dollars a month.

That means that the Average Russia earning the Average Monthly Wage will owe $31 US Dollars after Paying their Rent and Buying their Groceries every month and that doesn’t include things like the cost of Internet, Cell Phones, Public Transportation, Medicines, Cars, Gas, etc.

Russia's War in Ukraine has surpassed Nazi Germany's War in the Soviet Union.

The Eastern Front of the Second World 2 was from June 22, 1941 until May 9, 1945 (or 1,419 days.)

Russia's War in Ukraine has been going on since February 22, 2022 (or 1,642 days and counting.)

The Nazi Germans occupied 700,000 Square Miles of Soviet Territory at the height of the Eastern Front.

The Russians only occupy 44,600 Square Miles of Ukrainian Territory.

Putin’s Russia is currently at the point that Hitler’s Germany was in March 1945.

Soon Russia will run out of Money and Manpower and will lose their War in Ukraine.

https://novayagazeta.eu/en/articles/2026/06/18/interactive-map-attacks-on-russian-territory-updated-in-real-time-en

Russian Rape

Thousands of Russian Men returning from committing War Crimes in Ukraine are now committing Crimes across Russia.

(Roman and Olga Bykovskay)

All 46 Oblasts (Provinces), 21 Republics, 9 Krais (Regions), 4 Autonomous Okrugs (Autonomous Areas) and the 2 Federal Cities of Moscow and Saint Petersburg have reported at least a 87% of Violent Crime committed by Soldiers and Returning Soldiers since Russia started its War in Ukraine in 2022.

There are 23 Independently-Verified Accounts of Russian Military Wives who gave their Soldier Husbands permission to rape Ukrainians (Boys, Girls, Women and Men.)

One such Military Wife is Olga Bykovskaya whose phone call with her Husband, Roman, was intercepted.

In the Phone Call Olga tells her Husband;  “Rape them, yeah, ... Don't tell me anything, understand? Yeah, I allow you—just use protection."

Roman replies: “Uh-Huh. 'So I should rape and not tell you anything?”

Olga: “'Yes, so that I wouldn't know anything. Why do you ask?”

Roman: “Can I really?”

Olga replies, with a giggle: “Yeah, I allow you. Just use protection.”

Roman: “Ok.”

Roman and Olga Bykovskay are Russians from Oryol Oblast in Russia who moved to Russian-Occupied Crimea in 2018.

Roman, a Paratrooper, was part of Russia’s Full-Scale Invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Olga has been tried in Absentia, found guilty of violating Article 27.2 of the Convention on the Protection of the Civilian Population in Time of War and the Geneva Conventions and sentenced to at least 5 years in Prison.

Of course she is living in Russian-Occupied Crimea and Putin and the Russian Military allow (and encourage) Russian Soldiers fighting in Ukraine to rape, torture and murder Ukrainians to “Get it out of your system before you return to Mother Russia.”

Men like Roman, who commit War Crimes in Ukraine, are returning to Russia and continuing their Rape, Violence and even Murder against Russian Citizens.

Any Russian Victim who complains or files a Police Report is sent either to a Mental Hospital against their will  or to a Forced Labor Penal Colony for 5 years for “spreading misinformation against the Great Russian Military.”

These attacks inside Russia will only get worse as more Soldiers return from Ukraine.

Giving the Soldiers Official Permission to rape Ukrainian Boys, Girls, Women and Men is not new to the Russians.

Soviet Soldiers during World War 2 – with Official Permission from Stalin Moscow – raped at least 100,000 Polish Girls and Women as they “liberated” Poland in 1944-1945.

The Soviets saw the Poles as Anti-Communist and wanted to “put them in their place in the New World Order (Ie. Communism.)”

Soviet Soldiers also raped “liberated” Russian, Ukrainians and Belarussian Forced Laborers inside Germany.

The Official Soviet Stance on these Soviet  Forced Laborers (who were arrested or kidnapped by the Germans and forced to work inside Germany or be killed) was that the Soviet Citizens were Traitors who “allowed themselves to be captured by the enemy.”

Soviet Soldiers raped many German Girls and Women.

2 Million German Girls and Women (the youngest known was 4 years old and the oldest known was 89) were raped by Soviet Soldiers.

100,000 German Girls and Women and were raped in Berlin along from April 1945-June 1945.

The rest were raped in the German Areas of: East Prussia, Pomerania and Silesia.

It is estimated that 23% of those who were raped by the Soviet Soldiers were either raped over and over again by the same Soldier or were Gangraped by Soviet Soldiers.

An 11 year old German Girl was taken from her Parents in their Bomb Shelter in May 1945, brought to an abandoned Factory where she was raped by 40-50 Soviet Soldiers for 3 days until she bled to death.

When her Father tried to find his Daughter he was shot and killed by the Soviets.

When her Mother reported the rape/murder of her Daughter to the Soviet Commanders she was put on a train and shipped to any unknown destination inside the Soviet Union where her trail ended.

The Soviets even forbade the Americans, British and French Occupation Forces to enter Belin until July 4, 1945 (despite Berlin having surrendered to the Soviets on May 2, 1945) because the Soviets needed to remove the traces of their War Crimes (including rape) in Berlin first.

It was illegal in the Soviet Union (from 1944-1991), in Poland (from 1945-1990) and in East Germany (from 1945-1990) to mention the fact that Soviet Soldiers raped anyone.

Helmut Kohl (who was Chancellor of West Germany from 1982-1990 and then Chancellor of Germany until 1998) first Wife, Hannelore Kohl (née Renner) was Gang-raped by Soviet Soldiers when she was 12 years old and thrown out of a window when the Soviets were done with her.

She suffered a fractured vertebra and back pain for the rest of her life. She committed Suicide in 2001.

Soviet Soldiers who returned to the USSR from Germany continued to commit rapes and crimes on Soviet Citizens for decades  - although the Communists forbade any mention of these crimes just like the Russians do today.

Berlin Wall

The Berlin Wall

(Berlin Wall in 1986)

The Berlin Wall (German: Berliner Mauer and Russian: Берлинская стена) was created 65 years ago today (August 13, 1961.)

After the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945 Germany was split into 4 Occupation Zones: the British, the French, the American and the Soviet.

Berlin, laying 100 miles inside the Soviet Occupation Zone, was also split between the British, the French, the Americans and the Soviets.

(East Berlin and West Berlin and East Germany and West Germany)

In 1948 the British, the French and the American Occupation Zones of Germany became the Federal Republic of Germany (German: Bundesrepublik Deutschland) also called West Germany (German: West Deutschland.)

In 1948 the British, the French and the American of Berlin became West Berlin (German: West Berlin.)

In 1949 the Soviet Occupation Zone of Germany became the German Democratic Republic (German: Deutsche Demokratische Republik) also called East Germany (German: Ost Deutschland.)

In 1949 the Soviet Occupation Zone of Berlin became East Berlin (German: Ost Berlin.)

In 1949 the Inner-German Border (German: innerdeutsche Grenze) separating West Germany with East Germany was closed.

858 Miles of Border Fortifications were built by the East German and Soviet Communists to stop East Germans from fleeing to the West and Freedom.

The Inner-German Border was a continuous line of high metal fences and walls, barbed wire, alarms, anti-vehicle ditches, watchtowers, automatic booby traps and minefields.

The Communists moved People away from the Border Zone and even destroyed whole Villages to make a Buffer Zone (it was 6% of East Germany’s total area.)

50,000 East German Border Guards along with hundreds of Soviet Troops guarded the Inner-German Border and had orders to shoot and kill any person fleeing East Germany (German: Republikflucht or Republic Flight.)

20,000 West German Border Guards and hundreds of British and American Troops guarded the Inner-German Border to make sure the East Germans and the Soviets didn’t try to invade.

40,000 Men, Women and Children successfully fled East Germany into West Germany through the Inner-German Border from 1949-1989.

371 Men and Women were murdered by the Communists trying to flee East Germany into West Germany through the Inner-German Border from 1949-1989.

Thousands more were arrested and imprisoned by the Communists.

From 1949-1961 Berlin was a Loop-Hole between Communism/Dictatorship and Capitalism/Freedom.

East Germans could go to East Berlin and then just walk across into West Berlin.

3.5 Million East Germans did just that from 1945-1961.

From August 1-11, 1961 16,000 East Germans fled into West Berlin.

On August 12, 1961 2,400 East Germans fled into West Berlin.

These Men, Women and Children were: Doctors, Teachers, Engineers, etc. and caused a major Brain Drain and costing East Germany $9 Billion US Dollars.

(Building the Berlin Wall in 1961)

On August 13, 1961 the East German and Soviet Communists decided to close the Berlin Loop-Hole and built the Berlin Wall.

Without any warning and done overnight on a Sunday the Communists closed the Border between East Berlin and West Berlin.

The initial Barbed Wire Barrier was built up into the Wall proper, the first concrete elements and large blocks being put in place on August 17, 1961.

Immediate effects of the Wall included the separation of Families (some never seeing their Relatives ever again) and the loss of jobs by East Berliners who worked in West Berlin.

While publicly the British, the French and the Americans acted surprised by the building of the Berlin Wall in private they were glad that there would no longer be any more Military Confrontations with the Soviets.

US President John F. Kennedy replied: "A wall is damn better than a War."

British Prime Minister Harold Macmillian said: "The East Germans are holding up the flow of refugees and entrenching themselves behind an even tighter Iron Curtain. There is nothing illegal about this in itself."

On August 19, 1961, the Kennedy sent1,500 American Troops from the 8^th US Infantry Division in Mannheim through the Transit Route in East Germany and to West Berlin to show America’s commitment to protect the West Berliners (but not to help the East Berliners.)

The Communists officially called the Berlin Wall the Anti-Fascist Protection Rampart (German: Antifaschistischer Schutzwall.)

The Berlin Wall was 96 miles long and included guard towers placed along large concrete walls, accompanied by a wide area (later known as the "Death Strip") that contained anti-vehicle trenches, beds of nails and other defenses.

From 1961-1989 100,000 Men, Women and Children tried to flee over, through or under the Berlin Wall.

5,000 succeeded in fleeing to West Berlin.

239 were murdered by the Communists while trying to flee.

Ida Siekmann, 58 was the first person who died trying to flee her apartment in East Berlin on August 22, 1961  when she jumped out of her window and died on the way to the Hospital in West Berlin.

(Peter Fechter)

On August 17, 1962 Peter Fechter, 18, was shot by the East German Border Guards while trying to flee into West Berlin.

His murder was witnessed by hundreds of West Berliners who saw him shot, fall back to the East German Death Strip where he cried out for help for an hour before he bled to death.

Winfried Freudenberg, 32, was the last person who died while trying to fly a Hot Air Balloon over the Berlin Wall on March 8, 1989.

94,761 People were arrested by the Communists and sent to Prison for trying to flee.

(Checkpoints between East Berlin and West Berlin)

From 1961 until 1964 no West German or West Berliner was allowed to visit East Germany or East Berlin.

From 1961 until 1964 no East German or East Berliner was allowed to leave East Berling or East Germany to go to West Berlin or West Germany.

In November 1964 the East German Government allowed East German Pensioners to visit West Berlin and West Germany.

Starting in 1972 the East German Government officially allowed the rest of the East Germans to apply for permission to leave East Germany to visit West Berlin and West Germany.

Very few East Germans were given official permission to travel to West Berlin and West Germany from 1972-1989.

Those who were allowed were Members of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (German: Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands) the Communist Party that ran East Germany and they had to have an Immediate Member of their Family stay behind as a Hostage.

An average of 100,000 applications to temporary leave East Germany to visit West Berlin and West Germany were submitted every year from 1972-1989 with 1% of the applications being approved by the Communists.

Those East Germans who were allowed by the East German Government to visit West Germany or West Berlin could not bring out any Non-East German Marks so the West German Government created the Begrüßungsgeld (Welcome Money) Program  in which from 1970 until December 1989.

Initially every East German was given 30 West German Marks twice a year.

In 1988 it was changed to 100 West German Marks a year.

From 1970-1988 260 Million West German Marks were paid to visiting East Germans.

From November to December 1989 4 Billion West German Marks were paid to visiting East Germans.

West Germans entering East Germany had to exchange a Minimum of 25 West German Marks into the worthless East German Marks per day they stayed.

They weren’t allowed to exchange the East German Marks back into West German Marks when they left East Germany.

There were 9 Border Crossings between East and West Berlin.

These allowed visits by West Berliners, other West Germans, Western Foreigners and Allied Personnel into East Berlin, as well as visits by East German Citizens and Citizens of other Communist Countries into West Berlin, provided that they held the necessary permits.

(Checkpoint Charlie in 1963)

The most famous was Checkpoint Charlie), which was restricted to Allied Personnel and Foreigners.

Another way to officially leave East Germany was to be “bought” by the West German Government.

This was called the Freikauf (literally the Buying of Freedom.)

Between 1964 and 1989, 33,755 East German Political Prisoners were ransomed.

 A further 2,087 East German Prisoners were released to the West under an amnesty in 1972.

Another 215,000 East Germans including 2,000 Children cut off from their Parents, were allowed to leave East Germany to rejoin their Families.

 In exchange, West Germany paid over 3.4 Billion DM – nearly $2.3 billion at 1990 prices – in goods and Hard Currency to the broke East German Communist Government.

West Germany paid 1,875 DM for an East German Worker and  11,250 DM for an East German Doctor.

(November 1989)

On November 9, 1989 an unplanned announcement at an East Berlin Conference live on East German Television said that East Germans could immediately travel freely into West Berlin with no restrictions.

Thousands of East Berliners went to the Border Checkpoints where the East German Border Guards had not received any orders (except to shot to kill.)

Eventually, the East German Border Guards opened the Borders and the East Berliners fled into West Berlin.

East Germans started going into West Germany through the Inner-German Border in November 1989 too.

1 Million East Germans went into West Berlin or West Germany in the first few days after November 9, 1989

On December 24, 1989 West Berliners and West Germans were officially allowed, by the East German Government, to visit East Germany without needing a Visa first.

On July 1, 1990 East Germany officially stopped using the East German Mark and started using the West German Mark.

(Memorial of where the Berlin Wall used to be)

All Border Controls between East Berlin and West Berlin and East Germany and West Germany ended that day too.

East Berlin and East Germany ceased to exist on October 3, 1990 when they became part of West Germany (the Federal Republic of Germany.)

Off The Path

Off The Path

I have always been one who likes to travel off the beaten path.

I don’t go on Group Tours (unless they are 1 Day ones) and I don’t like travelling by myself.

I have used all sorts of different traveling methods: an Old Soviet Train with Uncomfortable Wooden Benches in Russia; Over-Crowded Ferries; a Plane that was held together with Duct Tape; High Speed Trains; a 3 Seater Arctic Hydro-Plane; Limousines; First Class Planes; Private Taxis; Public Taxis; a Private Jet; a Hired Car with a Private Driver; a Snowmobile; a Gondola in Venice; a Monorail; a Speed Boat; in a Hot Air Balloon; an Over-Crowded Plane with no Class Sections and random Animals on it (Not Service Animals); a Paddle Boat; a Helicopter;  a Bike; a Funicular in Ukraine; a Canoe and a Dog Sled.

I have stayed in all sorts of different places: in a Hostel that was a Former Jail in Canada; in the back of a Pick-Up Truck; at a 6 Star Resort; at a Haunted Motel; at a Soviet Khrushchevka in Ukraine;  at All-Inclusive Resorts; at a Hotel that was constantly bombed during the 30 years of The Troubles; in the Back Seat of my Car;  at a French Castle; at a Closed Rest Area with no Visitor’s Center during a snowstorm; in an Ice Fishing Hut; in a Wilderness Emergency Cabin; on the Beach; in a Tent; on the Bare Ground; on a Bench during the Russian Winter; in a Cave; on a Houseboat; on a Barn; in a Tree House and at an Irish Castle.

I have done many fun and exciting things: gone Sky-Diving; gone Bungee Jumping; gone Para-Gliding; jumped out of a Helicopter into the Mediterranean Sea; gone Skinny Dipping; went to the Blue Grotto in Malta; swam in the Blue Lagoon in Iceland; went to German, Croatian, French, Dutch, British and Austrian Christmas Markets; went Rock Climbing off a Scottish Castle on Loch Lomond; skied in the Austrian and German Alps; swam with Dolphins in the Bahamas; spent the night at Frankenstein’s Castle in Darmstadt, Germany; went to Raves; went to Euro Disney in Paris; went to Disney World in Florida; went to Lego Land;  went to the Cliffs of Mohr in Ireland; walked on an Alaskan Glacier; went to the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland; went to the Munich Oktoberfest; went to the Gullfoss in Iceland (where the European and Atlantic Tectonic Plates meet); went to the Gaeltacht (Irish-Speaking Area of Ireland); sat on the Throne at the Winter Palace/The Hermitage in Saint Petersburg; saw the Honours of Scotland (the Scottish Crown Jewels); saw the Crown Jewels of England; went into the World Trade Center many times over the years when my Mom worked there; went to the Pentagon several times when my Dad worked there, went to the Rosh Hanikra Caves in Israel; saw the Canadian Maple Crown; went inside Lenin’s Mausoleum on Moscow; went to Stonehenge; went to the Masada Fortress in Israel; went to Sherwood Forrest;  went to Peterhof Castle in Saint Petersburg; flew a small plane from West Germany to England; fed Shamu at Sea World in San Antonio; reenacted in a Revolutionary War Battle at Saratoga; went to the Prime Minister’s Question Time in Canada; went to the Arenal Volcano in Costa Rica; went up Magnetic Hill in Canada; took a tour of the White House; had a Colonial-Themed Meal at Colonial Williamsburg; swam in the Dead Sea; went to the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem; visited the Oldest City in the World – Jericho and rode a Horse in the Rain Forrest in Costa Rica.

 I have travelled to many places most Americans haven’t: Several Hours North of the Arctic Circle in Alaska, Russia (living there 2 times and visiting there 3 times); Montenegro; Croatia; Bosnia & Herzegovina; Prince Edward Island, Canada; Cyprus; the West Bank Palestinian Territories; Iceland; West Germany; Campobello Island, Canada; Poland; the Isle of Skye, Scotland; the United Arab Emirates; Northern Ireland; Malta; Kuwait; Greece; Israel and Ukraine.

I have been very lucky and have gotten to do so many fun and interesting things in so many fun and interesting places.

I don't take any of that lightly.

For the past 17 years I have lived off-the-beaten path on my Mountain here in New England where the Arctic Circle gets more Visitors every year then we do