Anyone who follows the daily news could have come to the same conclusion that I did, less than 24 hours ago, when I wrote (again) that Vladimir Putin no more wants peace in Ukraine than he would want a hot poker shoved up his . . . well, you know.

After proclaiming that he was ready for another negotiation, and that he would soon be cutting Russia’s military budget, he launched the biggest air strike on Ukraine since the beginning of the war more than three years ago.

Casualties and damage were reported from at least six regions across the country, including Lviv and Ivano-Frankivsk in the west, Mykolayiv in the south, Zaporizhzhya in the southeast, and Poltava in central Ukraine.

President Volodymyr Zelensky posted on social media:

“Almost all night long, air raid alerts sounded across Ukraine — 477 drones were in our skies, most of them Russian-Iranian Shaheds, along with 60 missiles of various types. A residential building in Smila was also hit, and a child was injured.” [RFE/RL, June 29, 2025.]

Zelensky accused Russia of “targeting everything that sustains life,” and reiterated his thanks and pleas to the West for continuing support:

“Ukraine needs to strengthen its air defense — the thing that best protects lives. These are American systems, which we are ready to buy. We count on leadership, political will, and the support of the United States, Europe, and all our partners.” [Id.]

The massive attack prompted Poland and allied countries to scramble aircraft to protect Polish airspace.

But Putin says he wants peace.

*. *. *

Meanwhile, in the Dnipropetrovsk region — close to the Russian-occupied areas of Donetsk, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia — families who had already been displaced once are being forced to flee again as Russian forces push closer.

Six-year-old Damir’s family left Pokrovsk a year ago, seeking shelter in Dnipropetrovsk. Now his grandmother says, “I don’t even know if my apartment is still intact. I know that the ones nearby are completely burned out. The neighborhood where my children lived has been razed to the ground.” [Oleksiy Prodayvoda and Mykyta Peretiatko, RFE/RL’s Current Time, June 30, 2025.]

As Damir begins to cry, his grandfather tries to console him: “Why are you crying? Your mom is going with you, your sisters are going, your brother is going … You’ll keep them all on their toes over there.” [Id.]

It doesn’t appear to work.

Damir’s teenage sister Amelia says, “The war is getting closer and closer. You can already hear gunfire and explosions. We want to be far away from all that.” [Id.]

So the women and children are being evacuated. But grandfather Mykola is staying. “I feel sorry for my grandkids and children, not for myself. I’ll just grab my pitchfork and guard this place,” he jokes. [Id.]

But Putin says he wants peace.

And he expects the world to believe him.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
6/30/25