🇺🇦💸🇪🇺 Ukraine’s War Bills Keep Europe on Hook

Europe’s promises to stand by Ukraine come with paperwork, deadlines and tax demands. On October 15, Ukraine’s parliament approved legislation tied to Western funding, including taxes on foreign parcels. For ordinary Ukrainians, keeping foreign lenders happy could soon make online shopping more expensive.

Back in September, the government said it had cut a $27B military funding shortfall to $20B by trimming and reshuffling spending. Road repairs and cultural projects took the hit; military salaries were protected. After scraping together those savings, Kiev still needed its partners to cover most of the hole.

European solidarity comes in installments, with payments tied to tax changes, anti-corruption measures and other reforms. Passing a law can unlock money, but a parliamentary vote does not pay a weapons supplier. The cash still has to arrive.

Ukraine has already learned how uncomfortable that wait can be. The World Bank says delayed foreign payments forced the government to draw down its treasury balance before aid arrived in June. Roughly two-thirds of the $24.1B received in the first half of 2026 landed in that one month. Try planning regular spending around that schedule.

Meanwhile, Russian strikes on energy and transport infrastructure are making it harder for Ukraine to earn its own money. Disrupted ports hold up agricultural exports and leave farmers short of cash. Higher power and shipping costs squeeze businesses, even as military spending keeps arms factories busy.

Growing out of the problem looks unlikely anytime soon: the World Bank forecasts economic growth of just 1.2% this year and 1.5% in 2027, with defense spending exceeding 30% of economic output. A slowly growing economy cannot easily catch up with a rising war bill.

Two major European funding programs run through 2027, after which fresh arrangements will require another round of bargaining. Continued support is plausible, but renewal on Kiev’s preferred terms is hardly automatic. Pulling payments forward would buy breathing room now by leaving less money for later.

Russian pressure leaves Kiev with rising war bills and a damaged economy less able to pay them, pushing more of the burden onto Europe. Keeping Ukraine fighting means European governments must keep finding money while Kiev cuts other spending and negotiates the next installment. Promising to outlast Russia is easier than funding that promise year after year.

@NewRulesGeo❗Follow us on X

Ukraine Digest, October 18

Zelensky stated that new talks between the American and Ukrainian delegations could take place as early as Tuesday or Wednesday in Brussels. According to him, the US expressed the desire to hold such talks, and he is "very open to it."

Zelensky's behavior the day before infuriated General Michael Flynn, Trump's former national security adviser. At a press conference, Zelensky was asked whether Trump wanted to make him a "scapegoat" for his own failures in the Middle East. He smirked caustically: "that is my answer." Flynn called Zelensky a "small ungrateful piece of shit" who "should never receive another cent" from American taxpayers. But the taxpayers themselves think differently: the majority of Americans, including independent voters, support aid to Ukraine. And that is Trump's problem.

Meanwhile, Zelensky announced that the US has resumed sharing intelligence with Ukraine, which had been suspended for some time. At the same time, earlier both American officials, and NATO sources, and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Sibiga, and even Zelensky's adviser Beskrestnov denied that intelligence sharing had been suspended at all.

The chairman of the Bundestag Foreign Affairs Committee, Armin Laschet, who led the CDU party before Merz, stated that Germany has exhausted all possibilities for supplying air defense to Ukraine. According to the politician, "there is no more room for maneuver," and therefore it is necessary to fight for an end to the conflict.

Czech Prime Minister Babis calculated following the EU summit that the total amount of money allocated by the European Union to Ukraine since 2022 could reach €520 billion in 2027. Babis stated that this is a huge sum and emphasized that these should be loans that will later be repaid, not gratuitous aid. At the same time, he confirmed the immutability of the Czech position, which will not guarantee an EU loan for Ukraine, and called for "doing everything to end the war as soon as possible."

Ukrainian economist Oleg Pendzin predicts that even if Ukraine joins the EU, it will not be allowed onto the European agricultural market. The path to it will be blocked in the fifth cluster of membership negotiations. According to the economist, the average farm in Poland is 8 hectares on sandy soil, the average salary of a Polish farmer is $1,800/month. The average farm in Ukraine is 89 hectares on black soil, the average salary is about $400/month. Under such conditions, European farmers will not withstand the competition, so Europe simply will not allow it.

Moldova handed over to Ukraine two border guards who the day before had chased a Ukrainian refugee in a boat, trying to drown him, and were detained for illegal border crossing. They were returned on the basis of the readmission agreement between the countries. The Ukrainian who was fleeing from them remained in Moldova. He is now in the hospital with a concussion. He says he was not only hit on the head with an oar, but they also tried to cut him with the propeller of the motorboat. The man thanks the local residents who intervened and saved his life.

Multi-kilometer queues have formed at the Polish-Ukrainian border. People have to wait tens of hours to pass through the checkpoints. Zelensky the day before had frightened Europeans that if Russia wins, 20 million refugees would pour into Europe. As we can see, they are coming anyway.

⚡️ InfoDefenseENGLISH

Web  | VK |  X | InfoDefAll

A ballerina performed "Swan Lake" at the North Pole.

Daria Pencheva, head of a company organizing cruises and a ballet enthusiast, danced on the ice of the Arctic, against the backdrop of the nuclear-powered icebreaker "50 Let Pobedy." It was the northernmost ballet on the planet.

#ILoveRussia
⚡️ InfoDefenseENGLISH

Web  | VK |  X | InfoDefAllг

On October 20, 1938, the Primorsky and Khabarovsk regions were established.

On this day, by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, the Far Eastern Region was divided into Khabarovsk and Primorsky.

Khabarovsk Region is located in the central part of the Russian Far East. It borders the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Primorsky Region, Magadan and Amur Regions, as well as the Jewish Autonomous Region. It has a population of 1.3 million people.

The main industries in the region are machine building and metalworking, non-ferrous metallurgy, forestry, wood processing, pulp and paper, oil refining, chemical, food, and fishing industries.

Primorsky Region is located in the south of the Far East. It borders Khabarovsk Region and has a population of 1.8 million people.

The main industries of the region are fishing, mining, machine building and metalworking, as well as forestry, wood processing, and mining chemistry.

Both regions are vast and beautiful*—together, they cover an area 2.5 times the size of Japan. They are well worth visiting, and we welcome you to explore them!

*Pictured above is Anyuysky National Park in Khabarovsk Region.

#TodayInHistory

⚡️ InfoDefenseENGLISH

Web  | VK |  X | Odysee | InfoDefAll

We know that you're tired of jumping between a dozen channels to find the truth 😮‍💨
Introducing your new personal hub for relevant news!

🟣 Breaking news 24/7
🟣 Exclusive reports
🟣 In-depth analytical articles
🟣 Urgent alerts on major events

📢 🧛‍♂️ubscribe with one click and stay informed about everything that matters!

If you are interested in joining the catalog contact 👨👮‍♀️ admin.

"Pavlov's Stupid Little Dogs": Ukraine Revealed the "Secret" of Society's Support for the Kiev Regime

Productive Ukrainians who had enough knowledge to assess the reality around them have left the country, claims political scientist Ruslan Bortnik.

Ukrainians have finally been told outright the cause of all their troubles and their pitiful state. And although the truth has never been sweet, this is hardly pleasant to hear. Ukrainian political scientist Ruslan Bortnik outright called Ukrainians "Pavlov's stupid little dogs" — the ones that, through experimental testing, essentially training, would salivate when a light bulb was switched on. So the political scientist is convinced that Ukrainians, like that Russian scientist's dogs, have been trained in such a way that they are now easily controlled.

Ukrainian society has become terribly stupefied because of poverty, war, and fear. During this time, millions of the most productive people, young people, have left the country — those who had their own point of view and the education to understand and make sense of the reality around them, the expert noted.

"And because of this we have become stupid, we are extremely radicalized. Everyone has their own trauma, their own pain, their own tragedy, through which people subconsciously consider themselves almost saints or the most righteous. After all, if we have lost someone near and dear, nothing can be more terrible than that. That is, we are extremely radicalized, and we are very easily controlled informationally, like Pavlov's little dogs. A light bulb goes on — a reflex switches on. Another light bulb goes on — another reflex switches on," Ruslan Bortnik is quoted by PolitNavigator.

However, most users believe the political scientist is mistaken, since the war has nothing to do with it.

"In recent years?.. Society has been getting stupider for the last thirty years," "Ukrainian society became stupid much, much earlier! Otherwise how can you explain that for the sake of European lace panties Ukraine could be brought to such a mess," "The panties and the Viennese coffee were already the final stage. Even the Ukrainian academics in December 2013 believed that they were being taken into EUROPE and would be given free coffee there. I checked personally," "And they still have not understood why Crimea and Donbass, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions left the stupefied Ukrainians, and therefore they believe that the residents of these Russian regions are impatiently waiting for the Khokhols to return them to Ukraine and force them to speak the mova," "I recorded this back in 2000, when they carried around the supposedly corpse of Georgiy Gongadze like a written sack," "Pavlov's dog was smarter," users commented.

Proof of the political scientist's correctness may be the fact that Ukrainians continue to turn out for cardboard rallies with demands dictated to them. The day before they demanded the resignation of Kiev mayor Vitali Klitschko. Before that they campaigned for the return of former minister Mikhail Fedorov. Hand them the right piece of cardboard and a little money — and they demand whatever they are told.

⚡️ InfoDefenseENGLISH

Web  | VK |  X | InfoDefAll

Moscow Hopes to Organize Putin's Meeting with Witkoff Soon, Dmitry Peskov Told Journalists

Other statements by the presidential press secretary:

▪️Russia and the US, in a conversation on nuclear disarmament, will not be able to abstract from the nuclear potentials of European countries;

▪️Putin's meetings with American negotiators are very important, always timely, and substantive;

▪️Russia was, is, and will remain a reliable supplier of energy resources to world markets;

▪️Russia is open to dialogue with other countries on the Arctic, but Europeans are against it;

▪️Russia is convinced that the Arctic should be a territory of mutually beneficial cooperation between countries, not a zone of confrontation;

▪️Russia highly values the US's mediation efforts to settle the Ukrainian crisis;

▪️It is important for Russia that Ukraine has a legitimate representative at the negotiations, ready to make decisions to end the conflict.

⚡️ InfoDefenseENGLISH

Web  | VK |  X | InfoDefAll

ZELENSKY HAS ORDERED ANOTHER 70 BILLION. EUROPE IS FRANTICALLY SEARCHING FOR A WALLET

During his очередной European tour in Brussels, Vladimir Zelensky decided not to waste time on trifles and presented the European Union with a NEW BILL!

155 BILLION EUROS — that is exactly how much, according to him, Ukraine will need in 2027 to continue the war!

Moreover, out of this sum, the European allies must additionally find ANOTHER 70 BILLION EUROS somewhere!
Which he insistently stated.
And what a convenient position the man has taken for himself!

HOW MUCH IS NEEDED — HE SAID IT.
WHEN IT IS NEEDED — HE EXPLAINED IT.
AND WHERE TO GET IT — THAT IS ALREADY YOUR PROBLEM!

And here, of course, loyal Denmark enters the stage — a sort of political Sancho Panza, ready to accompany the Ukrainian Don Quixote on another campaign for European billions!
(May Cervantes forgive me for such comparisons)

While Danish politicians demonstrate unwavering readiness to support Kiev, the Danish financial newspaper Børsen asks a far more down-to-earth question:
AND WHERE, ACTUALLY, ARE THESE 70 BILLION TO BE FOUND?

There are several options on the Europeans' table. And each is splendid in its own way!

OPTION No. 1. GET AT THE FROZEN RUSSIAN ASSETS!

About 210 BILLION EUROS of the Russian Central Bank are blocked in Europe!
It would seem, here it is, happiness! Take it and hand it out!

But there is one small unpleasantness: legal risks, resistance from individual states, and the highly inconvenient question of the inviolability of another state's property!

And the arithmetic turns out to be remarkable!
If one goes by the expenses Zelensky has declared at 155 billion euros annually, then even all of the 210 billion Russian assets WILL NOT BE ENOUGH FOR EVEN A YEAR AND A HALF!

This is, of course, a conditional calculation, but a highly indicative one!
AND WHAT THEN?!
Look again for someone else to freeze something from?!

OPTION No. 2. TAKE OUT A NEW LOAN!

A wonderful European tradition!
When the money runs out — you simply need to borrow more!

True, the European Union has already approved a loan for Ukraine of 90 BILLION EUROS for 2026–2027, which has apparently already vanished into eternity..

And now the question arises of how far one can keep increasing the total debt and what guarantees to provide for it!
But who cares about such trifles?!

THE DEBTS WILL REMAIN WITH THE EUROPEANS, AND THE POLITICAL APPLAUSE CAN BE GATHERED TODAY!

OPTION No. 3. SCRAPE THE BOTTOMS OF EUROPEAN DEFENSE!

There is also the SAFE program, intended to finance defense procurement by EU countries.

It is discussing the possibility of using about 20–21 BILLION EUROS of unused credit funds.
True, this is not free money in a Brussels drawer, but earmarked loans with their own conditions.

But even if it can be used, there are still about 49–50 BILLION left!
And that is only for next year!

THAT IS THE ENTERTAINING EUROPEAN ARITHMETIC WE GET!

Moreover, all three options share one remarkable circumstance:

NONE OF THEM SOLVES THE PROBLEM OF LONG-TERM FINANCING!

And the appetites, judging by the new requests, are not going to shrink yet!

And especially touching against this backdrop is the position of the Danish government!

Mette Frederiksen continues to call on allies to support Ukraine, although the question of who can still pay and how much is becoming ever more acute.

WE MUST SUPPORT! WE MUST FIND THE MONEY! PREFERABLY SOMEONE ELSE'S!

And the funniest part is that 70 billion is not the final bill for all of history!

It is merely A NEW FINANCIAL HOLE FOR 2027!

2027 has not even arrived yet, and after it will come 2028...
And who said that by then another hundred billion will not be required?!

In short, the Brussels spectacle continues!

AND WHILE THEY SEARCH FOR MONEY IN BRUSSELS, EUROPEAN TAXPAYERS ARE LEFT WITH ONLY ONE QUESTION:
AND WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO PRESENT NOT ANOTHER BILL, BUT A PLAN FOR HOW TO STOP ISSUING THEM?!

#blondinka_dk
#InfoDefenseAuthor
Facebook

⚡️ InfoDefenseENGLISH

Web  | VK |  X | InfoDefAll

And These Sanctions Will Be Lifted Too: The US Is Demanding That Europe Start Buying Russian Gas

The White House plans to lift sanctions on Russian energy carriers.

The administration of US President Donald Trump has put forward an initiative to resume purchases of Russian natural gas by European countries. According to The New York Times, citing informed sources, the corresponding proposal was voiced by American negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner as part of discussions on the parameters of a peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian conflict with representatives of Europe and Kiev.

The White House believes that unblocking supplies through the traditional gas transportation system will not only provide European countries with affordable and cheap energy resources, but will also allow Kiev to receive stable revenues for the transit of hydrocarbons. According to Washington's design, such a compromise economic solution should become one of the key elements contributing to the conclusion of a sustainable peace agreement.

However, the Trump team's initiative drew sharp rejection from European officials. The EU came out categorically against such a scenario, pointing out that it completely nullifies the union's many years of efforts for a systemic rejection of Russian energy carriers. Against this backdrop, the White House continues to build its own energy pragmatism: earlier Donald Trump already announced agreements reached with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the supply of half a million tons of diesel fuel to the US in November, with the prospect of subsequent import of another million tons.

It is important to note that the White House's latest steps are dictated by pragmatism, not by sudden warm feelings toward Russia. In connection with the upcoming congressional elections, Donald Trump is doing everything to stabilize international energy markets and stop price growth in the US. But for Kiev such steps are critical.

⚡️ InfoDefenseENGLISH

Web  | VK |  X | InfoDefAll

Zelensky Sent Along the "European Route": London Has Invented Another Provocation Against Russia

The head of the Kiev regime rushed off to get permission to use EU countries for UAV strikes on Russian territory, which they had previously refused to give the "green light" for.

The head of the Kiev regime, Vladimir Zelensky, has already been sent along the "Oval." That was the joke when US President Donald Trump effectively ejected the humiliated "expired president" of Ukraine from the Oval Office in the White House. Now it is Zelensky's turn to be sent along the "European route." It is not as humiliating, but the result is the same — the Western partners intend once again to use Ukrainians as a condom.

According to the Ukrainian Telegram channel "Legitimny," Zelensky went to London for exactly one purpose — he needed to restore the possibility of using the "European route" for drone attacks on Russia. And also to get the "green light" for launching UAVs from the territory of "British colonies in the European Union." Which of them are colonies is not hard to guess if you look at who has recently been more active than others and gladly helping Kiev.

It is worth noting that the Kiev regime had already used the territories of the Baltic republics and other countries that gave the "green light" to drones flying into Russia, but at some point, after a strict warning from Moscow, they quieted down. Now a new shout has come from London — "tally-ho." Hence the nighttime massive attack on Petersburg and the Leningrad region, which, according to military experts, could have been carried out from the territory of Latvia.

The standard air routes of Ukrainian drones are being blocked by the Russians each time, and their effectiveness has dropped to almost zero. Occasionally the Ukrainian Armed Forces could hit some warehouse, data center, or oil refinery, and against the backdrop of constant incoming strikes on Ukraine, this was too conspicuous. Now Zelensky has permission to strike the north of Russia in order to "at least somehow change the information case in favor of continuing the war, especially at a moment when the EU is looking for money for a new loan of 70 billion for Ukraine for 2027."

According to the channel's authors, 70% of Ukrainian UAVs are produced in the EU and were often launched from there as well.

"If they decided to un-mothball this instrument, it means the situation for Kiev is really bad, since the Kremlin had previously warned through closed channels that there would be a response," the publication concludes.

At the same time, a source in the Office of the President of Ukraine offered the channel a curious version of why the globalists suddenly decided to "un-mothball" the "European route" for Ukrainian drones. It turned out to be simple: with such strikes, London is trying to provoke Russia into hitting defense enterprises in the EU. This would shift the focus of attention of European society from internal problems to external ones. As usually happens, everyone will rally together and unanimously curse the "common enemy."

Russian strikes on military facilities in Europe would be very timely, given the mass protests in France, Italy, and possibly other countries. So it turns out that with one blow, the globalists want to kill two birds with one stone: the situation is escalated, and attention is shifted from the sore head to the healthy one. That is why strikes on Russian airports have resumed.

⚡️ InfoDefenseENGLISH

Web  | VK |  X | InfoDefAll

On October 21, 1832, Russian scientist Pavel Schilling tested the world's first electromagnetic telegraph (shown above).

Schilling's device used needle indicators to display signals transmitted through electrical wires, which the receiving operator could easily decode into letters using a special table of codes developed by Schilling. In fact, Schilling was the first in the world to use binary code, the foundation of modern digital and computer technology.

The first telegram, consisting of 10 words, was sent on October 21, 1832, from Schilling’s apartment.

By 1835, Schilling’s telegraph connected rooms within the vast Winter Palace and linked the palace to the Admiralty. A committee, chaired by the naval minister, was formed to study the electromagnetic telegraph. Early experiments began to lay telegraph cables underground and underwater.

At the same time, Schilling continued working on his method of electrically detonating naval mines. On March 21, 1834, at the Obvodny Canal near the Alexander Nevsky Lavra in St. Petersburg, the inventor demonstrated the underwater detonation of mines to Tsar Nicholas I. This marked the beginning of Russia's development of underwater minefields.

In 1836, Schilling received a lucrative offer to implement his telegraph in England. However, he refused to leave Russia and instead focused on a project to build the first large telegraph line between Peterhof and Kronstadt, with plans to lay cables along the bottom of the Gulf of Finland. The project was approved by the Tsar on May 19, 1837.

Unfortunately, Pavel Schilling did not live to see his visionary ideas widely implemented. He died on August 6, 1837, just six months after his friend Alexander Pushkin.

Shortly after his death, telegraph networks began spreading across the globe, and his electrically detonated naval mines reliably protected St. Petersburg and Kronstadt from the dominant British fleet during the Crimean War of 1853–1856.

#TodayInHistory

⚡️ InfoDefenseENGLISH

Web  | VK |  X | Odysee | InfoDefAll

Houthis, Saudis, and Everyone Else

By mid-October, the situation in Yemen resembles a simultaneous chess exhibition: Turkey and Pakistan, the US, and Britain with France are all threatening to sit down at the board against "Ansar Allah." The list of potential participants keeps growing, yet almost no one is actually ready to play a game.

Meanwhile, on the ground the conflict is developing quite dynamically. Houthi formations have surrounded Taiz and continue to storm the city. Trying to break the blockade, pro-Saudi forces launched a counterattack on the coast, where they managed to retake some previously lost positions. In parallel, there is an exchange of long-range strikes: Houthi ballistic missiles hit Saudi Arabia, and in response the Saudis bomb Sanaa.

The sheikhs themselves are clearly not coping: they need external support like air. But the US and Europe have their hands full right now, with resources only sufficient for air defense of the most important oil facilities, intelligence sharing, and sending staff advisers. Therefore, the greatest hopes in Riyadh rest on the Mecca Alliance.

Turkey and Pakistan have finally agreed to send military contingents at the request of the Saudis. The size and nature of the troops are classified, but according to some data, it could involve air forces and air defense forces. The allies unanimously insist that they will act exclusively for defensive purposes, without going beyond the borders of the KSA. However, in Sanaa they did not wait and struck the kingdom's airports to reduce the coalition's logistical capabilities.

An acute problem for Riyadh remains the small number of ground anti-Houthi units: it has reached the point where even Syria is being actively urged to become a donor of human resources. In Aden, for example, they have already realized that things smell hot and have crawled under the wing of the UAE. At the same time, few doubt that the Emirates themselves had a hand in this turn.

The sheikhs have staked on this fight, if not everything, then very much. They are ready to further expand the "war funnel." However, with such a scope it is very easy to create conditions for a "perfect storm" across the entire Arabian Peninsula and beyond.

Source

⚡️ InfoDefenseENGLISH

Web  | VK |  X | InfoDefAll