WHY I WRITE ABOUT THIS WAR 🇺🇦

I'm Mykhailo, a former sergeant of Ukraine's 54th Separate Mechanized Brigade. In 2015–2016 I served in artillery reconnaissance, defending my country from Russia.

In 2016 a drunk driver hit me. More than 20 fractures, almost five years in bed. a, Canada, with my wife and three kids, and I use a wheelchair.

I can't do a regular job anymore. But I can still do what I did in the army: watch the front, read the maps, and tell people what is really happening.

That's what this account is for. Daily news from Ukraine, Russia and Washington, with sources, in plain words.

If you'd like to help my family directly, especially with groceries, heating bills and the needs of our three children, please consider donating:

❤️ gofund.me/2f2775bff

If my work helps you understand this war, another important way to support me is to subscribe to my Substack. Free or paid, every subscriber counts. Paid subscriptions also help me provide for my family:

📰 mykhailorohoza.substack.com

Thank you for reading, supporting my family, and standing with Ukraine. 🇺🇦🇨🇦

🇺🇸 Pete Hegseth just got absolutely humiliated by Senator Tammy Duckworth!

Senator Tammy Duckworth, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel who lost both legs while serving in Iraq, challenged Hegseth:

"I'm glad you brought that up. Can you name a single country that belongs to agreement we have with it? And, by the way, how many countries are in ASEAN? Frankly, I'm not sure you even know who our allies are."

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth:

"Well, I can't give you the exact number, but I certainly know our allies in South Korea, Japan, and Australia..."

Senator Duckworth:

"None of the countries you just mentioned are members of ASEAN. I suggest you do your homework before engaging in these discussions."

And this is the kind of clueless bullshit running the Pentagon. Absolutely unbelievable.

If you want the full picture behind posts like this, I write it on Substack.

Ukraine's real situation, Washington's games, what the headlines leave out, from someone who served on the front line.

Free to read. Paid subscribers keep this voice independent and help my family of six.

👉 mykhailorohoza.substack.com

Ukraine is running out of people. Putin knows it. Does Trump understand what is at stake?

Millions have fled. Soldiers are exhausted. Washington is making concessions to Moscow.

I'm a Ukrainian war veteran. I explain why Putin may achieve a strategic victory without conquering rticle. 🇺🇦
👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇 mykhailorohoza.substack.com/p/ukraine-is-r…

🔴 NEW DEEPSTATE FRONTLINE MAP UPDATE — UKRAINE

October 26, 2026 | 2:20 AM Kyiv time

DeepState reports Russian advances in two sectors:

🇺🇦 Donetsk Oblast: Russian forces advanced near Kostiantynivka.

🇺🇦 Zaporizhzhia Oblast: Russian forces advanced near Vozdvyzhivka, on the Huliaipole axis.

The map update was published on October 25 at approximately 11:50 PM Kyiv time.

The extent of the territorial changes has not yet been specified.

🗺️ Updated map: deepstatemap.live

Original DeepState report: t.me/DeepStateUA/23…

WHY I WRITE ABOUT THIS WAR 🇺🇦

I'm Mykhailo, a former sergeant of Ukraine's 54th Separate Mechanized Brigade. In 2015–2016 I served in artillery reconnaissance, defending my country from Russia.

In 2016 a drunk driver hit me. More than 20 fractures, almost five years in bed. a, Canada, with my wife and three kids, and I use a wheelchair.

I can't do a regular job anymore. But I can still do what I did in the army: watch the front, read the maps, and tell people what is really happening.

That's what this account is for. Daily news from Ukraine, Russia and Washington, with sources, in plain words.

If you'd like to help my family directly, especially with groceries, heating bills and the needs of our three children, please consider donating:

❤️ gofund.me/2f2775bff

If my work helps you understand this war, another important way to support me is to subscribe to my Substack. Free or paid, every subscriber counts. Paid subscriptions also help me provide for my family:

📰 mykhailorohoza.substack.com

Thank you for reading, supporting my family, and standing with Ukraine. 🇺🇦🇨🇦

Trump: “The poverty rate just reached the best level, the highest, the best. Poverty is bad, really bad. But this is the highest level in American history. This is a big thing.”

I'm not surprised people are applauding this. Trump cultists will always be Trump cultists.

What I'm r he actually hears what he's saying.

Trump: “A lot of people say I'm a colossal asshole.”

Journalist: “Yes. That's true.”

Trump: “It's true that people say that?”

Journalist: “No. That you're an asshole.”

🇺🇸🧐🌹“Vladimir Putin is a great guy!” — Donald Trump sings.

🇺🇸🧐Nicki Minaj as the Next White House Press Secretary? Trump's Administration Is Becoming a Reality Show.

On October 25, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung, 44, suggested that American rapper Nicki Minaj could become President Donald Trump's next press gentlemen, I think we've found our new White House press secretary!” Cheung wrote on X, sharing a video of his conversation with the 43-year-old singer aboard Air Force One.

Minaj was traveling with Trump, 80, to Michigan, where the president was scheduled to speak at a campaign rally supporting Republican candidates.

During their nearly three-minute conversation, Cheung asked Minaj what she thought about Trump's economic policies.

“First of all, we have a president who understands the economy. He's a businessman. He's had to work his way out of situations where he didn't have a dollar left in his bank account. If he could fix his own finances, he surely knows how to fix the country,” Minaj replied.

She also praised Trump's approach to international affairs, describing him as a tough negotiator who tells other countries what America needs rather than accepting their demands.

Cheung then asked whether she knew anyone who worked harder than the president.

“Of course not! This man won three elections! He wakes up at four in the morning. He works harder than people half his age,” Minaj declared.

There was just one problem: Trump won two presidential elections, in 2016 and 2024. He lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden.

But apparently, historical accuracy isn't a requirement for becoming Trump's biggest celebrity cheerleader.

In recent months, Minaj has emerged as one of Trump's most prominent supporters in the entertainment industry.

In January, she appeared alongside him at a Treasury Department event promoting investment accounts for children.

“I'm probably the president's number one fan. And that's not going to change,” she said, adding that criticism only strengthened her support.

Last week, Trump reportedly welcomed Minaj to the Oval Office during filming for the television project Million Dollar Pitch, calling her one of his favorites.

Minaj later posted on X: “I'm not going anywhere. I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be.”

Cheung's suggestion comes amid reported turmoil in the White House press operation.

On October 16, press secretary Katie Zacharia reportedly left her position after just five days.

Her only briefing lasted approximately 14 minutes and ended after just three questions from journalists. Questions subsequently emerged about her legal credentials, including reports that she had not passed the bar examination.

On October 19, comedian Jimmy Fallon had already mocked the situation with an edited video portraying Trump announcing Minaj as his new press secretary.

Now the White House communications director himself has publicly floated essentially the same idea.

To be clear, Cheung's comment appears to have been a joke, not an official appointment announcement.

But the symbolism is difficult to ignore.

America once expected White House press secretaries to explain government policy, answer difficult questions and defend presidential decisions.

Now the administration's communications chief is joking about handing the microphone to a rapper who believes Trump won three presidential elections.

At this rate, the next White House briefing might need a DJ instead of a podium.

And the most remarkable part?

In Trump's Washington, it's becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish political satire from reality.

HITLER'S BOMBS DIDN'T FINISH GERMAN INDUSTRY. COULD BERLIN'S OWN POLICIES DO WHAT WORLD WAR II COULDN'T?

Germany rebuilt its factories from the ruins of 1945. Eight decades later, Europe's industrial giant is struggling again — this time without enemy bombers.

Nuclear power dependence exposed. Energy-intensive factories under pressure. BASF investing billions in China. Volkswagen cutting jobs. German steelmakers reducing production.

The country that once powered Europe's economic miracle is fighting to preserve its industrial competitiveness.

How did Europe's economic powerhouse become so vulnerable?

And could Germany's energy decisions become one of the greatest economic miscalculations of modern European history?

Read my full analysis below. 👇

Subscribe to support independent analysis and my family. 👇
substack.com/@mykhailorohoz…

THE KUSHNER FILES: DID RUSSIAN INTELLIGENCE HAVE ACCESS TO TRUMP'S FAMILY SECRETS?

$2 BILLION. A HACKED PHONE. RUSSIAN MILITARY INTELLIGENCE.

And the president's son-in-law at the center of explosive new allegations.

On October 22, Vanity Fair published an excerpt from t Matthew Cole's new book, Princes and Thieves.

According to Cole, in late 2017 Dutch military intelligence (MIVD) turned a Russian GRU hacker: work for us, or face arrest in Britain.

The Russian gave them access to a GRU server in Rostov.

What was on it, according to the book?

Screenshots of Jared Kushner's iPhone.

In other words, Cole writes that Russian military intelligence had already penetrated the phone of one of Trump's closest advisers. By early 2018, the book says, the Dutch found their own way in and could watch Kushner's screen as he used it.

What they reportedly saw: a UAE bank account receiving hundreds of millions of dollars from a bank in Azerbaijan.

Cole alleges that Emirati and Saudi leaders put at least $2 billion into accounts for Kushner during Trump's first term:

• roughly $750 million into an account at First Abu Dhabi Bank, sent via Azerbaijan, on which, the book says, Kushner was a signatory
• roughly $1 billion moved by the UAE to Israel, again via Azerbaijan, by spring 2018

Kushner calls the allegations "completely insane" and says they "never happened." His counsel says "there are no accounts and never were," and his lawyer is threatening legal action. The central claims have not been independently verified.

But if even part of this account holds up, the national security questions are enormous.

If the GRU really had screenshots from Kushner's phone, what did Moscow see?

Confidential diplomatic messages? Negotiations with Israel, Saudi Arabia and the UAE? Anything that could give the Kremlin leverage over someone at the president's side?

How long did it last? And did anyone in Washington know?

And the money: if these accounts existed, who controlled them, who was paid, and what policy decisions were connected?

Americans deserve verifiable answers, not dueling statements.

Bank records. Transaction histories. Intelligence assessments. Congressional oversight.

The real scandal would not simply be that Russia allegedly hacked Jared Kushner's phone.

It would be discovering how much the Kremlin knew about the people shaping American foreign policy.

And whether anyone in Washington ever understood the danger.

THE $4 MILLION ATTACK AD: HOW LOW CAN AMERICAN POLITICS GO?

Twelve years old.

That was Amy Acton's age when her stepfather was charged with raping her. Court records show he pleaded not guilty and left Ohio while out on bond. The case never went to trial. He died in 2004 t.

Decades later, Acton is running for governor of Ohio. And her childhood nightmare has become part of one of America's ugliest election controversies.

Her Republican opponent, Vivek Ramaswamy, released an advertisement featuring Acton's estranged mother, Donna Arthur, calling her daughter a liar about her past.

The same mother who remained married to the man accused of sexually abusing her daughter.

Acton hasn't spoken to her mother since 1978. Her brother has publicly defended her, calling the ad a "despicable low," and court records support crucial details of what happened.

Yet Ramaswamy's campaign decided this family tragedy belonged in a political advertisement.

And it isn't some obscure online video. His campaign announced plans to spend $4 MILLION promoting it.

Even Ohio's Republican governor, Mike DeWine, said: "It's wrong to run this ad," and urged Ramaswamy's campaign to take it down.

But Vice President JD Vance defended his longtime ally. He told fellow Republicans to "stop whining about an advertisement and go win the race."

Then Donald Trump entered the controversy. He called it a "very powerful Ad" and said he had suggested Ramaswamy keep it up.

Consider the extraordinary contrast.

A Republican governor says the ad crosses a line. The Republican vice president dismisses the objections. The Republican president praises the tactic.

Ramaswamy's campaign insists the ad is about Acton's credibility, not abuse, and that voters deserve to hear from people who know her.

But here's the question that argument cannot escape:

What does the estranged mother, who stayed married to the man accused of raping her daughter, actually tell voters about that daughter's ability to govern Ohio?

Americans can disagree about taxes, immigration, and healthcare.

But when a childhood sexual abuse case becomes material for a multimillion-dollar attack ad, and the president and vice president defend it, what boundaries are left in American politics?

🚨 FRONTLINE UPDATE — POKROVSK, DONETSK REGION

October 25, 2026, 12:30 PM Kyiv time — publication time.

Ukrainian forces report establishing fire control over a key Russian supply route connecting occupied Selydove with Pokrovsk.

According to an officer from Ukraine’s 25th Airborne Brigade, Russian forces use this road to transport equipment and reinforcements.

Ukrainian drone units are targeting Russian vehicles and attempting to disrupt these movements.

This is a Ukrainian military claim, not independently verified. It does not establish a territorial advance.

🗺️ No new DeepState territorial update confirmed.

Source: [Suspilne Donbas](suspilne.media/donbas/1436353…).

One of the most insulting statements of the past 24 hours came when the ignorant American president attributed one of the most brilliant episodes in the defense of Kyiv — the destruction of the dam near Kozarovychi, which flooded the area and stopped a Russian tank column — to a nt Russian general.

It wasn't a Russian general who “made a mistake.” Ukrainian military commanders developed and executed the plan to destroy the dam. Western analysts later described it as a brilliant operation and an example of “smart warfare.”

Somewhere, General Syrskyi must have been furious. He was the one who implemented the operation and took responsibility for that decision.

Even the cows in the surrounding villages, standing knee-deep in water, must have shaken their heads in disbelief. But the locals understood one thing perfectly well: better water in the barn than Russian invaders in their homes.

This is what happens when an American president learns the history of Ukraine's war from another bloody dictator sitting across the negotiating table.

I had two university degrees, a career, a home, and dreams for my children.

Then Russia's war destroyed our home. I joined the Ukrainian army. Later, a drunk driver shattered my body, leaving me with more than 20 fractures and almost five years bedridden.

Today, I'm 50, Canada. My wife is struggling to support our family of six.

I have written my full story. Please read it and consider becoming a paid subscriber. Your support helps me feed my children and keep our home warm.

❤️🇺🇦🇨🇦

mykhailorohoza.substack.com/p/mykhailo-roh…

Trump, Putin and Xi: Is the Kremlin Preparing to Declare Victory?

The Kremlin appears remarkably confident, as though history is finally turning in its favor. Moscow seems convinced that Ukraine can be pressured into accepting worse peace terms, that Trump may lift sanctions, an business cooperation could expand dramatically.

The message is familiar: Russia offered Ukraine favorable conditions, warned that rejecting them would make future offers worse, and now expects greater concessions. But is Putin approaching a historic geopolitical victory, or mistaking a diplomatic opportunity for lasting success?

According to The Telegraph, European leaders reportedly discussed as possible negotiators with Moscow include Giorgia Meloni, Alexander Stubb, Petr Pavel, Mette Frederiksen and Jonas Gahr Støre. Their involvement would not necessarily mean Europe accepts Washington's proposals. European governments fear being excluded from negotiations whose consequences they would ultimately have to manage.

Speculation about a possible Trump-Xi-Putin meeting in Shenzhen raises another question: could three powerful leaders attempt to reshape international security while Ukraine and Europe struggle to defend their interests? Such a meeting remains unconfirmed.

Europe has no unified position on the reported American proposals. Yet European countries would likely bear much of the financial and security burden of any settlement. Meanwhile, Moscow may hope to secure sanctions relief, American investment, cooperation on Alaska's energy projects, Arctic development and territorial concessions in Donbas. These possibilities are not a confirmed negotiating package.

But one fundamental question remains: would Putin actually accept peace?

For years, the Kremlin has portrayed this war as an existential struggle. Ending it would require explaining what Russia achieved after enormous military losses, economic damage and international isolation. Could lifting sanctions that did not exist before the invasion genuinely constitute a historic victory? Could devastated territories requiring decades of reconstruction justify the human and economic costs?

And what happens to Russia's political system when the war ends?

The Kremlin has built much of its domestic narrative around confrontation, military mobilization and the image of a country surrounded by enemies. Peace could challenge that model.

Genuine economic normalization would require shifting resources from military production toward civilian development, rebuilding commercial relationships and creating conditions for long-term investment. Permanent nuclear threats, aggressive propaganda and intimidation of neighboring countries would remain obstacles to restoring international trust.

But changing course could threaten powerful groups that have benefited politically and economically from the war.

This is the Kremlin's central contradiction. Moscow wants the economic benefits of peace without necessarily abandoning the political system built around conflict. It wants sanctions lifted, investment restored and international recognition renewed while retaining the ability to threaten its neighbors.

That may prove considerably harder than obtaining a photograph with Trump and Xi.

A diplomatic summit can provide recognition, but it cannot automatically rebuild trust. Economic agreements cannot erase years of destruction. And no settlement imposed without Ukraine's genuine consent can guarantee lasting stability.

Winter is approaching. Ukraine faces serious challenges protecting its energy infrastructure, while uncertainty surrounding Western military assistance creates additional pressure on Kyiv.

November 2026 could bring new diplomatic initiatives. It is unlikely to mean an immediate end to the war. The Kremlin may eventually declare victory. But declaring victory and achieving lasting peace are very different things.

The Chinese have a funny way of joking about themselves:

When we have no money, we raise a pig. When we have money, we keep a dog.

When we're poor, we eat wild herbs gathered in the mountains. When we're rich, we order those same wild herbs as delicacies in expensive ave no money, we ride bicycles. When we have money, we pedal exercise bikes in our living rooms.

When we're poor, we dream of getting married. When we're rich, we dream of getting divorced.

When we have no money, our wives take second jobs as secretaries. When we have money, our secretaries take second jobs as our "wives."

When we're poor, we pretend to be rich. When we're rich, we pretend to be poor.

The leadership of a $25 billion gas project in Alaska has resigned amid allegations that the project is secretly controlled by Russia.

The CEO of Polar Train LNG claims that the export terminal is actually financed and controlled by Russian gas giant Novatek.

He initially me from an investor connected to Trump's family, but later discovered that the money allegedly originated from Novatek.

Novatek has been subject to U.S. sanctions since 2014, while its Arctic LNG 2 project was sanctioned in 2023.

According to the Financial Times, discussions with Moscow reportedly include a possible deal: Novatek helps develop the Alaska project, while Washington lifts sanctions on Arctic LNG 2.

So much for the so-called “spirit of Anchorage.”

Musk says SpaceX "closed a loophole" on Starlink and blames Ukraine. Reuters and the WSJ disagree on who ordered the slowdown.

Nine days before the U.S. vote, I break down what we actually know:
mykhailorohoza.substack.com/p/9-days-until…