Peter Rough

A «lonely» Ukrainian housewife traded WhatsApp messages with a Chechen commander for months. "Send me a picture," she asked. He photographed himself and a map of his unit's position pinned on the wall behind him. The housewife did not exist — The Atlantic. 1/

Joseph McGrail-Bateup, an honorary town crier in Australia's Canberra, has been recognized as the world’s loudest person. Guinness World Records acknowledged the 58-year-old recorded the loudest ever shout by an individual. He yelled ‘now’ at 122.4 decibels.

From someone super plugged in on Capitol Hill. 👇

Michigan? Ohio? Pennsylvania? What is this, a 2028 presidential campaign? 😂

Ukraine launches TrophyLab: we are opening access to captured Russian weapon technologies for our global partners. Every missile, drone, and vehicle seized on the battlefield is now a source of knowledge for the free world. Through this secure platform, allied governments, labs, and defense tech manufacturers gain access to deep technical data, reports, and vulnerabilities. Users can also request physical equipment for testing, significantly shortening the development cycle for countermeasures. What was meant to be the enemy's secret advantage is being dismantled to defend democracy. Join the platform: 🔗 trophylab.mod.gov.ua/en/

The war in Ukraine is pushing Russia's economy toward crisis. Now is the time for the US and its allies to launch a pressure campaign that exhausts the Russian economy and forces Putin into a meaningful peace, Tom Duesterberg and @peterrough argue in @WSJopinion. A thread 🧵

The Russian economy looks more vulnerable each day. A pressure campaign using sanctions and enforcement could compel Putin to reach a meaningful peace, write Thomas J. Duesterberg and @peterrough on.wsj.com/44ezERm

Internationaler politischer Austausch im Lavanttal 🇦🇹 & 🇺🇸 👍🏻☺️ @peterrough

Learning alongside @peterrough in Odessa, Ukraine

The most surreal thing of our trip so far. Currently driving towards Louisiana and the radio station we were listening to started talking about our trip and played Ella Langley especially for us😭😭😭

Barcelona, you win. Sagrada Família. Just incredible. Watch the whole thing with the sound on

Enough is enough. President Trump and our Armed Forces decimated Iran militarily, but the Iranian regime has been trying to rebuild and now they've taken down an American Apache. Thank God the two American servicemembers are safe. President Trump is absolutely right. There is a pressing necessity for the U.S. to respond to this attack.

Within hours of being announced as the nominee to be the U.S. Director of the CIA, I received a hand-delivered message on MI6 stationery congratulating me on my nomination. It was signed simply "C" in green ink. Legendary. I shared it with my son and even he thought I was now cool! More than that, this note, from Sir Alex Younger, Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service of the United Kingdom, confirmed what I already believed: the work that the CIA and MI6 did together mattered, that the partnership was critical, and that two leaders focused on the mission could save lives and provide tools for our nations to deter our adversaries. Alex's passing this week brought back so many memories of our time in service together. He flew to Langley to see me the day I was confirmed. We brought our two senior teams together in the UK to plan and coordinate and build in the first several weeks of my time on duty: making clear to them all that this relationship was more than special - it was critical for the security of our two countries. Alex was a remarkable intelligence partner. When we needed help, it wasn't "let me see;" it was "this matters to you and America we'll get it done." And he and his team always did. I think he knew we would do the same for him and his team and his nation. Many Americans are alive today because of his leadership of MI6, I never knew how to thank him enough. Alex became a friend as well. In the years since we both left office we would see each other from time to time. He was always so kind, so thoughtful, so smart. His deep love of his country was surpassed only by his deep commitment and love of his family. Decent and proper - and funny as hell - Alex was "C." As espionage requires, he was quiet, not attention seeking. He knew what evil was and he was ruthless in his efforts to crush it with every legal tool at his command. And he knew who his friends were and committed himself to supporting them. I miss Sir Alex Younger. He was a role model for me and a man with whom every minute I spent was valued and savored. Blessings to you Alex. Praying for you and for your family. Well done and may you rest in peace in His hands.

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Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz are set to meet with Volodymyr Zelenskyy this weekend to discuss a path to engage Russia in negotiations to end the war, sources tell Bloomberg Meeting scheduled for Sunday in London bloomberg.com/news/articles/…

În drum spre Muntenegru, am fost informat despre explozia unei drone marine în Portul Constanța. Forțele de ordine și structurile de securitate au acționat prompt și au evacuat preventiv zona înainte de explozie, iar până în prezent nu sunt indicii că ar fi existat victime. Prioritatea a fost și rămâne protejarea vieților omenești și securitatea infrastructurii portuare. Sunt în curs de analiză circumstanțele în care drona a ajuns în port și eventualele riscuri suplimentare, iar autoritățile direct responsabile vor comunica pe măsură ce ancheta avansează. Acesta este al doilea incident de securitate semnificativ din această săptămână pe litoralul românesc, după descoperirea unei mine marine între Vama Veche și 2 Mai, care se adaugă incidentului de la Galați. Cu un conflict militar la graniță, este evident că mediul de securitate în care ne aflăm este unul sensibil, motiv pentru care ne vom menține un nivel ridicat de vigilență. Astfel de situații deosebit de grave sunt consecințele directe ale războiului de agresiune declanșat de Rusia împotriva Ucrainei. Ca stat membru NATO, cu ieșire la Marea Neagră, vom continua să cooperăm strâns cu aliații noștri și vom lua toate măsurile necesare pentru a proteja cetățenii și interesele naționale.

A Hudson delegation traveled to Ukraine to assess the state of the war and learn firsthand how the US can help Kyiv secure a just and lasting peace. 🧵 A thread featuring photos from the trip and key takeaways from @wrmead, @peterrough, and @RLHeinrichs.

I asked a local councillor if the russian refinery here in Ireland should be sanctioned. He said yes, if it was supplying Israel. But Russia? No. This is Ireland’s sanctions hypocrisy in 90 seconds.

Bonkers video from earlier today in St. Petersburg, where Russian police try to shoot down a Ukrainian drone, while bystanders casually video the effort (and the burning oil terminal in the background).

Appreciated the opportunity to discuss key takeaways from a recent delegation visit to Ukraine at @HudsonInstitute. Firsthand visits matter. Seeing Russia’s war up close and engaging directly with people living through it every day provides invaluable insights into the real situation and path to the end of the war. @RLHeinrichs @wrmead @john_walters_ @peterrough