GASTINEL

🇺🇦🇷🇺 RUSSIA’S FRONTLINE IS CRACKING NEAR BOROVA AS UKRAINE PUSHES FORWARD Ukrainian forces have achieved a significant breakthrough in the Borova direction, threatening Russian positions along the Oskil River. Zelenyi Hai has been liberated, Vyshneve is being cleared, and Russian troops have been pushed back from areas around Bohuslavka and Novoplatonivka. What makes this advance particularly important is its potential impact beyond the liberated settlements. By forcing Russian units out of several positions, Ukraine is increasing pressure on the wider defensive line and complicating Moscow’s ability to hold its ground along the Oskil. Russia now faces a difficult choice: reinforce threatened positions or risk further Ukrainian advances. And after months of Moscow presenting territorial gains as inevitable, Ukrainian forces are demonstrating that the battlefield can still move in the opposite direction.

🇺🇸🇷🇺🇺🇦 PUTIN'S AMERICAN FREE PASS MAY BE COMING TO AN END Retired US General Ben Hodges believes the Kremlin has just suffered a major political setback in Washington. For two years, he argues, Moscow watched the Trump administration make decisions that aligned remarkably well with Russian interests. Now, with the political balance shifting in Congress, that comfortable arrangement could unravel. And Hodges expects consequences far beyond tougher rhetoric. Speaking to DW News, he predicted congressional investigations into the administration's dealings with Russia and Ukraine, potentially involving subpoenas, criminal referrals and scrutiny of figures such as Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. He also expects renewed pressure to enforce sanctions against Moscow and maintain American support for Ukraine. Trump remains commander in chief, but Congress controls federal spending. Hodges questioned whether lawmakers would approve a proposed $1.5 trillion defense budget without examining the $47 billion spent on the Iran war. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth could also face impeachment pressure. His assessment of Trump's political standing is equally striking: Republicans who once feared confronting the president may no longer feel obliged to protect him. Hodges also praised European leaders, including Germany's Friedrich Merz, who maintained their independence rather than accommodating every demand from Washington. But he offered Europe a warning of its own. American democracy may be resilient, and Trump's presidency has an expiration date. Europe's dependence on American political decisions should not. For Putin, the prospect of a more assertive Congress is bad news. For Ukraine, it could mean that Washington's next two years look very different from its last two.