Vaidotas Zemlys-Balevičius

In 2009, Obama changed our missile defense architecture in Europe to better address missile threats from Iran. It was called EPAA Putin insisted that EPAA was aimed at Russia because Iran had no long-range missiles. Putin was lying. He was helping Iran develop those missiles.

Grigory Shikula and his three little kids were killed when Russian terrorists bombed their house in the Kharkiv region. RIP innocent souls. Never forget. Never forgive.

My 3 quick points on the European reaction to the US call for help in the Strait of Hormuz: 1. Western militaries are not ready to deal with the low-cost autonomous war fighting revolution that accelerated after 2022. Iran, having helped Russia for those four years, had a chance to develop, upgrade and adapt its knowledge and technology to the latest standards. The US, even with the strongest fleet in the world, is not using it to unblock the Strait. Why? Because it might be vulnerable to drone, speedboat, underwater attacks. What do Europeans have to offer to defend against this? Very little. 2. Trust erosion. Europeans were not involved in the preparatory stage of the war. They are kept in the dark about the goals of the war as it stands currently. Therefore many in Europe ask themselves a question—is it possible that the US might suddenly withdraw, leaving Europeans and Gulf countries to deal with the aftermath? Given recent experience, that scenario is not as far-fetched as Washington might like us to think. 3. And lastly - the confusion of the US global strategy. The National Security Strategy, as well as a number of US official statements, stresses that European focus now should be devoted towards deterring Russia in the East, while the US deals with threats elsewhere. Three weeks into this new conflict—and the discussion now revolves around the question of European willingness to help the US in Iran, which is... elsewhere. With the US clearly distracted and their ammunition reserves shrinking, Russia’s ambition to test NATO could have only grown.European involvement in Iran, before a rebuilding of at least some of the lost trust, and without stronger US security guarantees for Europe and Ukraine, might be a very dangerous endeavour.

You cannot negotiate with this.

Reading the news about the teenagers from Melitopol, I cannot shake the feeling that this isn't a "trial", but a demonstrative punishment of children. Three boys were sentenced to between 7 and 8.5 years in a penal colony. Two others did not live to see their verdict; they were tortured to death in a Russian prison. When looking at the bigger picture, it becomes clear that this is not an isolated incident, but the result of a deliberate policy. Russia has systematically built a mechanism for dealing with Ukrainian children under occupation. It begins in schools and through "prevention" programs. For instance, the occupiers developed a manual specifically instructing "educators" on how to identify so-called "disloyal" youth. Children are effectively categorized, and any pro-Ukrainian stance is automatically labeled as "extremism." The next step was changing the legislation to allow criminal prosecution from the age of 14 — specifically under these "extremist" statutes. And here is the result of that system. Ukrainian teenagers who ended up under Russian occupation and were not rescued in time have received actual prison sentences. These are more lives effectively shattered. In reality, children in the temporarily occupied territories are left with only two scenarios: either you are militarized and sent to fight against your own country, or, if you disagree, you are thrown into prison. I want us all to realize this clearly: this is not about fighting terrorism. This is about the systematic breaking of an entire generation — a generation that should be living, developing, and building Ukraine. Instead, these children are abducted, isolated, tortured, and deprived of basic rights, with all of it "legalized" through court verdicts. Most cynically, they are tried as Russian citizens to erase the very fact of the war crime. As someone who has worked in child protection for over 20 years, I see several clear truths here: 🔹First: This is a direct attack on Ukrainian identity through its children. 🔹Second: It is a tool of intimidation intended to silence others. 🔹Third: This is a war crime with specific perpetrators and no statute of limitations. That is why silence is dangerous. Every such verdict is a signal: if the world does not react, this will happen again and again. We must speak about these children, tell their stories, and pressure international institutions. We must demand their inclusion in exchange lists and ensure accountability for those responsible. Otherwise, other Ukrainian children will be in their place tomorrow. And then, it won't just be about individual tragedies — it will be about the loss of an entire country’s future. Source: t.me/riamelitopolua…

“Objectively Russia wages the most humane war ever…” Average Donbas city at line of contact

This damn war… these damn times… That’s exactly how I want to start, looking at all of this from the courtyard of my own home. I don’t really like posting videos or messages like this, but this is the other side of heroism in my country, in Ukraine. The sounds of the national anthem are echoing through our courtyards more and more often. You’ve known someone for a part of your life, and then, suddenly, they are on their final journey. Beside them are relatives, friends, loved ones, and neighbors, seeing them off to a place where, as each of us hopes, things are finally better than they are here. This is the silent pain of the Ukrainian people. It doesn’t seek the spotlight because it is deeply personal. But the world must see not only the brave soldiers who continue to defense of one's own country country, but also those who did everything humanly possible to give the future a chance to live on-without a russian boot on our land.

Never forget Russian genocide in Mariupol. More than 100,000 new graves, including mass graves, popped up around the city after the invasion. Only in drama theater, orcs killed 600 people, including kids. Russia must pay.

💔💔💔 I still can’t fathom what russians did to this family.

@AltoTrek @washingtonpost If she didn’t hold the phone with one hand maybe they could have made it stop much sooner.

@washingtonpost I know it seems funny, but that thing is operating in public, where children, babies, and elderly could be nearby. It hit a table, something it wasn't supposed to hit. It took them a very long time to make it stop. Some see funny, I see terrifying.

A robot couldn't stop dancing at a HaiDiLao Hotpot restaurant in Cupertino, California, sending food and chopsticks flying despite the best efforts of three staff members.

Oh, hello. Russia's Kamov Ka-52 downed by Ukraine's 59th Assault Brigade with an FPV drone! Fantastic kill.

Heartbreaking. Little Ukrainian boy lost his father who was protecting him and his country from the murderous Russian invaders. Kids shouldn't experience such horrors. Never forget. Never forgive.

We have allowed russia to wage war for far too long. Give Ukraine whatever it takes to win.

Kherson “human safari” — first-person view. A russian drone hunts a target down an empty street, spots a volunteer vehicle — and strikes. Civilians, medics, police, volunteers — all treated as targets by ruthless russians.

russian “human safari” in Kherson. On March 16, 2026, a russian FPV drone deliberately targeted a civilian car. Again. In the passenger seat was 38-year-old Olha Kondretska. She never stood a chance. Her injuries were fatal. russians are murderers. Period.

Remembering the victims of the russian genocide in Mariupol. "Mum, This letter is your present for March 8! If you think raising me was in vain, you are mistaken. Thank you for the best 9 years of my life! Thank you so much for my childhood!!! You're the best mum in the world! I will never forget you! I wish you happiness in the sky! I hope you make it to heaven! See you in heaven! I'll try to behave well so I can get there too. Kisses, Halia." 💔 Photo @Fomin_Bohdan

This child is part of the price Europe keeps paying for Russian oil.

Settler colonialism!

“When they found my son, his heart was still beating, but he died on the way to the ambulance,” said Stepan’s father, Oleh. Stepan Shpak was only 2 years old. Two days before his death, he had started asking to sleep in his own crib. His mother, Iryna, and three-month-old sister were in another room during the strike. A door, blown onto them by the explosion, shielded them from debris, saving their lives. Stepan’s grandmother was seriously injured. Stepan was killed on March 17, 2022, in Novi Petrivtsi, Kyiv region, when a russian missile hit a multi-story building. Part of the second floor collapsed onto the first, burying the apartment where he was sleeping in his crib.