Victoria Schwab... VE Schwab... V... the author's name depends on her audience, which, like the dark worlds she builds, is a well-thought out design. Ms. Schwab, we'll say, burst onto the scene in 2011 with The Near Witch. A dozen books later, adult, young adult and middle grade readers have followed her into supernatural worlds, sinister scenarios and richly formed fantasy worlds. A self-described pagan, Victoria managed to survive a happy, independent childhood, with a morbid streak. "I definitely hung my teddy bears from the stair railing, execution-style,” she told Book Page. That slightly twisted imagination has served her well, and she continues to build speculative worlds and cutthroat characters that probe the human capacity to be monstrous to each other - and to the natural world. Her newest novel, A Conjuring of Light, is part three and the culmination of the Shades of Magic fantasy series. We reached her at her home in Nashville via Skype. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Lindy West, columnist for The Guardian, and author of How to be a Person and Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman. Lindy writes about feminism, social justice, body image, pop culture and, lately, politics. She's a funny and original thinker, and brave. She's been a contributor on several memorable episodes of This American Life - one on "coming out" as fat, another about confronting an internet troll, one of hundreds who'd harassed her online. She's got a bunch of balls in the air - TV and movie projects, an idea for a podcast - but we honed in on the demands of being a columnist. Episode music by Ari de Niro Ad music by Uncanny Valleys Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

John Scalzi, the Hugo Award-winning author of science fiction both serious and less-so and an internet star from way, way back. He is former president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, perhaps best known for his Old Man's War series, his blog “Whatever,” and his novel Redshirts, which is currently being developed for television. He joined us in the NHPR studios while on tour for The Collapsing Empire, the first novel of a new space-opera sequence set in an all-new universe. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ohio State women's basketball team is having a great season. The Buckeyes are ranked seventh in the country ,, they just routed Big Ten power Purdue, and they take on rival Michigan Thursday night. For WOSU's sports show After the Score , Steve Brown and Thomas Bradley spoke with head coach Kevin McGuff.

Ohio State's Women's Basketball team has played one of the toughest schedules in the country and still hold a top 10 spot. Will the success continue to grow with the new year?

University of Coimbra Failure by immune cells worsens Alzheimer's disease, reveals study by the University of Coimbra A team from the Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology (CNC), University of Coimbra (UC) in Portugal discovered how some cells of the immune system lose the ability to fight Alzheimer's disease. This new knowledge can help to find a definitive diagnosis. Ana Luísa Cardoso, the coordinator of the research group, explains that "We found that monocytes (the innate immune system cells) of Alzheimer's patients are unable to move when stimulated by substances produced in the brain, which may lead to reduction of cells that can be recruited to the nervous tissue and participate in fighting the disease."

McDonald's new Bandera burger, which was introduced at restaurants of the chain in Oslo, Norway, sparked criticism on social media in Norway itself, in Ukraine, and in Russia. McDonald's sells Bandera burgers in Europe Many assumed that the fast food chain that suspended its businesses in Russia has thus expressed its support for Ukraine, where Stepan Bandera* is considered a national hero. However, it turned out that the Bandera Burger has nothing to do with the Ukrainian Nazi collaborator.

On October 5, SpaceX Crew Dargon blasted off to the International Space Station. Anna Kikina, a woman cosmonaut from Russia, was on board the SpaceX spacecraft. "A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket propelled the Dragon Endurance spacecraft into orbit carrying NASA astronauts Nicole Mann as mission commander, and Josh Cassada, pilot. JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Koichi Wakata and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina, also aboard the Dragon, will serve as mission specialists for their science expedition in microgravity aboard the space station," NASA wrote. The participation of a Russian cosmonaut in the launch launch was made possible owing to the cross-flight programme: a Russian cosmonaut boarded SpaceX, and an American astronaut flew to the ISS on board a Soyuz spacecraft.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of private military company Wagner, was killed in a plane crash on August 23. His Embraer ERJ-135BJ Legacy 600 plane crashed in the Tver region. Prigozhin was 62. Prigozhin was born in 1961 in Leningrad. He lost his father in his early childhood, and was raised by his mother and stepfather. Yevgeny Prigozhin received his first criminal record when he was 18, the second and third one followed soon afterwards. After he was released from prison, Prigozhin decided to open his own business. He and his stepfather started selling hotdogs in Leningrad.

The Kemerovo regional court ruled to send Alexander Spesivtsev, a resident of Novokuznetsk, to compulsory treatment, the regional Office of the Public Prosecutor said. The defendant, Alexander Spesivtsev, is a serial killer, who killed at least 34 victims and ate them during the 1990s. Spesivtsev will undergo treatment at a special psychiatric hospital.

During the late 1950s, the Soviet administration decided to design a helicopter with the world's largest carrying capacity. The tests of the new helicopter began ten years later. However, it just so happened that no one wanted to replicate the potential pride of Soviet engineers.The helicopter is known as B-12, and it is unofficially known as Mi-12. Its unsuccessful story has proved that world records may at times be reductive. During the 1960s, the production of helicopters was thriving, and military requirements were getting increasingly demanding. It was during those times when engineers designed the first intercontinental missile. First-generation intercontinental missiles were too heavy to be transported on any means other than trains. A R-7 warhead could only be delivered by plane or train because the warhead without fuel weighed 26 tons. First Lockheed U-2, then B-12 Needless to say that railway transportations could be easily tracked. The USSR found that out after a story with the American reconnaissance aircraft.After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor during World War II, the United States took every effort to prevent such attacks in the future. Thus, the Lockheed U-2 appeared in 1955. The aircraft was carrying various modules, including those using ray tracing and ultra-precise lenses.The camera of the US reconnaissance aircraft was so powerful that it was possible to count cows in a photograph of a field, taken from an altitude of 18 km.The aircraft was flying quietly over the USSR for more than five years, until one of them was shot down and its pilot was taken hostage in 1960. However, 24 previous flights helped the Americans find out the whereabouts of Soviet military facilities, including missile ranges.It was easy to track down those facilities on the ground with the help of conspicuous railway tracks. The USSR was convinced that it was about time to develop aerial means of transportation for missiles. By 1963, the largest Mi-6 helicopter could lift 12 tons, but it was not good to carry a 26-ton cargo.  This prompted Soviet engineers to start working on the B-12 helicopter. At first they simply wanted to upscale the Mi-6, but it then became clear that one huge rotor could not be adapted to the laws of physics. Soviet designers decided that it would take them too long to stabilise the new technology. They opted for a different variant, in which they took 35-meter rotors with a total capacity of 26,000 horsepower from the Mi-6 helicopter and arranged them to the sides of the hull.The rotors moved in the opposite direction to balance each other, while the rear wing was stabilizing the swing.We can now see this solution in the design of modern-day drones, but there were no helicopter models with this type of rotors in the past. In terms of the size of the hull, it was larger than the Boeing 737, which can house up to 189 people. The B-12 could carry a record 192 passengers. As for equipment, the new helicopter could fit a nuclear intercontinental missile.

June 30, 1971, was the day when the largest tragedy in the history of Soviet cosmonautics took place. It was the day, when the entire crew of the Soyuz-11 spacecraft was killed during the return mission: Georgy Dobrovolsky, Vladislav Volkov and Viktor Patsaev. When returning to Earth, the crew of the Soyuz-11 spacecraft - Vladislav Volkov, Georgy Dobrovolsky and Viktor Patsaev - were killed as a result of the depressurization of the descent vehicle. The cosmonauts were buried underneath the Kremlin wall. This was the second and the last disaster in the history of manned space flight for both the USSR and Russia. Soyuz comes to replace Gagarin's Vostok Soyuz is a family of disposable manned transport spacecraft, which was designed and built by Design Bureau OKB-1 (currently known as Energia Rocket and Space Corporation named after Korolev). 

The Russians love to win. Unfortunately, other countries often take advantage of our victories, whereas we easily forget about our military prowess. Today, during the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, few people in Russia may remember that it was the Soviet army that put an end to the worst war in the history of mankind - World War II, or the Great Patriotic War, as it is known in Russia. It was on September 3rd, when it happened.  September 3rd is the official date of the end of World War II in the Soviet Union. It used to be celebrated as a non-working day and had been officially called the National Day of Victory over Imperialist Japan until 1947. One can still find posters at history museums in the Far East of Russia that say: Victory Day over Japan - September 3rd. The day of September 3rd was officially approved as the red date of the calendar by the decree from the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of September 2, 1945. USSR's first and, unfortunately, the only parade of victory over Japan took place on September 16, on the territory of Harbin, where the Chinese still take care of Soviet burials.

At the beginning of the last century, the news about the death of Afghan Emir Abdur-Rahman made headlines all over the world. It was reported that his death could lead to most unpleasant consequences for both Russia and England, and, consequently, for the whole world politics. Kabul - Russia - Kabul Everything flows, but nothing changes. The topic of the Afghanistan crisis has become important again, especially for Russia. England is no longer the same, and the successor - the United States - is a far cry from the current rulers of Afghanistan. After Shir Ali Khan's accession to the throne in 1864, Abdur-Rahman participated in the troops of his father, Afzul Khan, and uncle Azim Khan in the fight against his other uncle, the powerful Emir Shir Ali. He conquered Kabul in 1866, where his father established himself.

Thirty years ago, on December 8, 1991, the Belovezha Accords, signed in Belarus, led to the collapse of the USSR. Yuri Voronin, Chairman of the Commission of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR on Budget, Plans, Taxes and Prices, First Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Council of the Russian Federation (in 1991) recalls the events of 30 years ago. According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the collapse of the USSR was the biggest geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century. After the collapse of the USSR, as many as 25 million Russian people found themselves abroad overnight.

According to international experts, the world has returned to the Cold War, but this time, the state of affairs is even more dramatic than it used to be. Airplanes with nuclear warheads on board are on duty again, like 30 years ago. The danger of such flights lies not only in the possible use of nuclear weapons. Nuclear bombs may go missing, as it had repeatedly happened in the past. Atomic bombs for Spain Several years ago, a Canadian diver, while diving into the sea near the Haida Gwaii archipelago, was horrified to find something that looked like an air nuclear bomb. The diver was right. In 1950, an American B-36 bomber was forced to jettison an atomic bomb into the Pacific Ocean due to a fire on board.

A major crisis broke out in Russia in the beginning of October 1993. It was the most serious crisis in post-Soviet history. Disagreements between President Boris Yeltsin and parliamentary leaders led to bloody massacre on the streets of Moscow.  The number of victims of the Black October crisis remains unknown even 30 years after. According to various departments and commissions, the number of victims varies from 124 to 158 people. Witnesses say, however, that hundreds were killed and thousands of others were injured.  After the collapse of the USSR in 1991, the 1978 Constitution of the RSFSR was still in force vesting supreme powers on the Supreme Council and the Congress of People's Deputies.

Guided hypersonic weapons have given Russia absolute leadership in the field of the development of strategic weapons. No other country in the world, save for, possibly, China, has hypersonic missiles in service. Military analysts do not have any reliable data about China's new weapons. Russia has at least three types of missiles capable of causing irreparable damage to any potential aggressor.Reference: Avangard hypersonic system is capable of developing the speed of up to Mach 28. The system currently uses the Stilett silo-based intercontinental ballistic missile as a carrier. In the future, the new prospective intercontinental ballistic missile Sarmat is to be used for the purpose. For the time being, Russia has four such systems on alert. A missile like that is capable of flying from Saratov to New York in 18 minutes. The H-47M2 missile of the Kinzhal (Dagger) complex develops a speed of 12,250 km/h, has a combat range of 3,000 kilometers. Its carrier is the MiG 31K high-altitude fighter-interceptor aircraft. To date, Russia has made several hundreds of Kinzhal missiles. The Zircon is the anti-ship missile. It accelerates to Mach 8. Currently, one Russian warship can carry up to 20 Zircon missiles. At the same time, according to open data, at least several hundred units of these missiles have been produced. During naval exercises held in the White Sea this year, the Admiral Gorshkov frigate launched the Zircon missile that successfully struck the target at a distance of over 350 km. As one can see, all types of Russian hypersonic missiles have already proven their combat effectiveness. At the same time, Russia does not stop here: Russian engineers already work on an air defense system to neutralize hypersonic weapons. Russia's Supreme Commander-in-Chief — President Putin that is — intrigued the world with his words that he said in 2020:

Colonel-General Vladimir Zarudnitsky, the head of the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, published an article in August of this year, in which he casually referred to Russia's state-of-the-art development in the field of hypersonic weapons — the X-95 aircraft missile (also can be spelled as Kh-95). Why would Russia need yet another hypersonic missile given that the country already has Zircon and Kinzhal missiles? According to Vladimir Zarudnitsky, Russia needs to strive to achieve the dominant role of the Russian aviation in the field of aerospace, and it would be impossible to achieve the goal without the effective use of fighter and strike aircraft. Needless to say that the successful destruction of anti-aircraft, aviation and nuclear missile groups of a potential enemy is crucial for victory in any military operation. To achieve military superiority, it is vital for Russia to always be prepared to:

Reconnaissance and strike-reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicles pose one of the biggest problems for fighters in the 21st century is. There were more than 12 million of them on the planet in 2020. Drones can be dangerous in civilian life as well. They can be used for massive attacks on government facilities and infrastructure. Traditional air defense systems are unable to handle this challenge. A large number of flying mechanisms may overload computers of any air defense system, making it easier for attack drones to break through to the target.

The Americans are using the experience they are currently gaining in Ukraine to be able to go to war with China in the future. The knowledge they have gained will be used to defend Taiwan, The NYT said. "The U. S. Army transforms itself, and its hundreds of thousands of young men and women, for yet another war, this one a potential conflict with China," the newspaper wrote. The upcoming conflict between such major nuclear powers as China and the US will be many times more dangerous. It may therefore lead to huge losses for both sides.

Volodymyr Zelensky's demand to transfer American Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine gave Washington the jitters, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on the sidelines of the Minsk International Conference on Eurasian Security. "We know that his demand for Tomahawks caused bewilderment in Washington," Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said. The Americans will "slap Zelensky on his hands" to ensure their security if he continues to try to drag them into the war against Russia, Lavrov noted.

Putin's Annual Address to the Federal Assembly is scheduled for September 30. Kremlin sources say it will become even more historic and globally important than the 2014 address for the return of Crimea. Mass media and experts make their own suggestions about the content of Putin's speech that he is going to deliver to the Federal Assembly on September 30. There are a number of versions:

On October 19, Putin signed a decree to implement martial law in four regions of Russia. He explained this by the fact that Ukrainian forces continue shelling the new Russian regions and committing acts of sabotage. According to the Russian authorities, the terrorist attack on the Crimean Bridge was carried out by the special services of Ukraine, he also said. "In this regard, let me remind you that in the Donetsk People's Republic, the Luhansk People's Republic, as well as in the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions, before they joined Russia, martial law regime was already in effect. Now we need to formalize this regime within the framework of Russian legislation,” Putin said. Martial law shall be introduced starting from October 20 midnight. The government, as well as the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the Federal Security Service and the National Guard, must submit proposals on measures that are planned to be applied in the territories where martial law has been declared within three days.

On January 11, 2023, Army General Valery Gerasimov was appointed Commander of the Russian grouping of troops in the zone of the special military operation in Ukraine. Gerasimov thus replaced General Sergei Surovikin, who became his deputy. Gerasimov has an extensive experience of army service. He fought Chechen militants at the head of the army, organised Russia's special operation in Syria, and chaired the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces in November 2012. Valery Gerasimov was born on September 8, 1955 in Kazan, into a working class family. In 1977 he graduated from the Kazan Higher Tank Command School named after the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the Tatar Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (currently the Kazan Higher Tank Command Red Banner School). In 1987, he graduated with honours from the Military Academy of Armoured Forces named after Marshal of the Soviet Union Malinovsky. In 1997 — from the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.

On Thursday, February 29, Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered his annual Address to the Federal Assembly. In the beginning of the speech, he touched on the topics of the special military operation in Ukraine, relations with the West, strategic stability, and later proceeded to announce a number of new national projects, changes in economic and social sphere. About special military operation Putin recalled that 2024 marks the tenth anniversary of the "legendary Russian Spring.” "The love that the people living in Crimea and new regions share for their homeland evokes pride," Vladimir Putin said.

Russia's gold reserves have become the "magic wand” with the help of which Russia easily survived the "hellish” sanctions of the West and achieved economic growth. The West admires Russia's policy of pegging the ruble to gold The Russian economy showed unprecedented growth of 3.6 percent in 2023 against the backdrop of more than 16,000 sanctions, as well as huge expenses for carrying out the special military operation in Ukraine. Russia's GDP is to grow by another 2.6 percent in 2024, the IMF said. Russia has been able to achieve that with the help of its "gold strategy,” The Conversation. com website said. The strategy is about pegging the ruble to gold and liberalising gold trade.

Andrei Belousov, who held the position of First Deputy Head of the Cabinet of Ministers, will now become Russia's new Defence Minister. The Federation Council will discuss his candidacy on May 13 and 14. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that it was important to integrate the economy of the power bloc into the country's economy so that it meets the dynamics of the current moment. "The one who is more open to innovation wins on the battlefield," Peskov said. "The Ministry of Defence must be absolutely open to innovation, to all advanced ideas the purpose of economic competitiveness. Apparently, this is why the president picked the candidacy of Andrei Removich Belousov," he noted.

By nominating a civilian such as Andrei Belousov for the post of the Defence Minister, Vladimir Putin continued the tradition that had developed during his service. General Sergei Ivanov was the first minister appointed by Putin. Ivanov came from intelligence (he headed the military department from 2001 to 2007), and was replaced (under President Dmitry Medvedev) by the former chief tax officer Anatoly Serdyukov. Serdyukov served at the post for five years. Sergei Shoigu, a civil engineer by training and the founder of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, chaired the Defence Ministry in 2012 (he left the post of the Moscow region governor). Andrei Belousov is 65 years old. He has been associated with economics all his life. After graduating from the Department of Economics of the Moscow State University, he took up scientific activities — first at the Central Institute of Economics and Mathematics of the USSR Academy of Sciences, then at the Institute of Economics and Forecasting of Scientific and Technological Progress of the USSR Academy of Sciences. In 1990-2006, he served as a senior researcher and head of a laboratory at the Institute of Economic Forecasting of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

El Departamento de Seguros de Texas (TDI, por su nombre y siglas en inglés) anunció a Dan Paschal como el Comisionado Adjunto de la recién creada división de Relaciones Externas. Esta división incluirá Comunicaciones (actualmente Asuntos Públicos) y Relaciones Gubernamentales (actualmente Asuntos de la Agencia).

El caso fue dirigido por los investigadores del Departamento de Seguros de Texas (TDI por su nombre y siglas en inglés) y los fiscales trabajando con la Oficina del Fiscal del condado Harris.

This week, a Travis County district court judge convicted Sehgal & Sons Enterprises (Ultra Business Services Inc.) of first-degree felony in a scheme to defraud Texas Mutual Insurance Company (Texas Mutual).

Registration is open for DWC’s free and updated lunchtime webinar series, including our eight-part boot camp training for those new to workers’ compensation.

El Departamento de Seguros de Texas (Texas Department of Insurance - TDI, por su nombre y siglas en inglés) anuncia el nuevo comisionado jefe adjunto y nuevos líderes para las divisiones de Operaciones Administrativas, Seguros de Vida y de Salud, y las Divisiones del Concejo General.

El exjugador de la NFL Corey Bradford se declaró culpable por presentar reclamaciones fraudulentas para reembolso de salud después de una investigación realizada por la Unidad de Fraude del Departamento de Seguros de Texas (TDI por su nombre y siglas en inglés).

Un ajustador de seguros público de Texas acusado de robar más de $268,000 en reclamaciones de seguros a múltiples víctimas ha sido acusado por un gran jurado del condado Kimble.

Tras una investigación de la Oficina del jefe estatal de bomberos (State Fire Marshal’s Office, SFMO, por su nombre y siglas en inglés), un gran jurado del condado Jasper acusó a un instalador de equipos de seguridad contra incendios de dos cargos de manipulación de un documento gubernamental.

Former NFL player James Adkisson pleaded guilty to submitting more than $33,000 in fraudulent health reimbursement claims after an investigation by the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) Fraud Unit.

James Adkisson, el exjugador de la NFL se declaró culpable por presentar reclamaciones fraudulentas de más de $33,000 para reembolso de salud después de una investigación realizada por la Unidad de Fraude del Departamento de Seguros de Texas (Texas Department of Insurance, TDI, por su nombre y siglas en inglés).

Texas Workers' Compensation Commissioner Jeff Nelson has announced the appointment of Dan LaBruyere as DWC's new Deputy Commissioner for Compliance and Investigations, which includes Audits and Investigations, Enforcement, the Fraud Unit, and the Fraud Prosecution Unit.

Texas Workers' Compensation Commissioner Jeff Nelson has announced the appointment of Matthew Posey as DWC's new Deputy Commissioner of Operations and External Relations.

Barry Jay Glenn, fundador y director ejecutivo de Salvasen Health, radicada en Houston, se entregó el martes a las autoridades del condado Harris. Glenn se enfrenta a cargos de seguro no autorizado por cobrar primas y vender planes de salud sin licencia, ni la autorización del Departamento de Seguros de Texas (Texas Department of Insurance, TDI, por su nombre y siglas en inglés).

El Departamento de Seguros de Texas (Texas Department of Insurance, TDI, por su nombre y siglas en inglés) les recuerda a las víctimas de las inundaciones que deben documentar los daños y presentar las reclamaciones al seguro de inmediato.

Si sufrió daños por causa del huracán Beryl, llame a su compañía de seguros para comenzar una reclamación.

El Departamento de Seguros de Texas (Texas Department of Insurance, TDI, por su nombre y siglas en inglés) tiene consejos para ayudarle a reconocer y evitar las estafas comunes de contratistas.

Un individuo de Luling se enfrenta a tres cargos de delito grave después de que una investigación de la Oficina del Jefe Estatal de Bomberos (State Fire Marshal’s Office, SFMO, por su nombre y siglas en inglés) sobre un incendio en un negocio local llevó al descubrimiento de contrabando.

Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov said that unmanned aerial vehicles attacked the territory of the Russian University of Special Forces named after V. V. Putin (RUS) in the city of Gudermes. The attack took place on the morning of Tuesday, October 29. Kadyrov did not specify the number of drones involved. According to the Chechen President, the roof of the empty building caught fire as a result of the attack. No casualties were reported, the fire was quickly extinguished. The activities of the university have not been suspended, all services are operating as usual, Kadyrov said.

Russia's fibre optic controlled Knyaz Vandal (Prince Vandal) drone struck a column of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) in the Kursk region of Russia. The attack was captured on video. The recording shows the drone flying at high speed over an asphalt road. It slows down and descends slightly when approaching an intersection. Several Ukrainian vehicles with ammunition can be seen driving in its direction. Knyaz Vandal flies up to one of the vehicles and crashes into it to explode.  Fiber optic controlled UAVs are a revolutionary weapon. According to military analyst and co-founder of Vatfor information and analytical project, Sergey Poletayev, drones controlled via fibre optic appeared as part of the scientific and technological revolution. The invention of such drones can be compared to the advent of artillery.

Russia struck one of the key supply routes for the Armed Forces of Ukraine — the bridge across the Dnieper estuary near Odessa. The strike on the bridge came as a warning to Ukraine's allies — Romania and Moldova. "This is a warning not even to Ukraine, but to Moldova and Romania that service all these port destinations. This is a very serious violation of logistics for the AFU," military expert, retired colonel Anatoly Matviychuk said. The bridge was used as the main supply route for Western weapons. The weapons would be delivered to the Odessa region before being distributed throughout Ukraine.

The Russian Army is conducting the most powerful offensive since the beginning of the military conflict in Ukraine, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi said in his Telegram channel following a meeting with the Chief of the General Staff of the Czech Republic Karel Řehka. "I informed my Czech colleagues about the situation on the front line, which remains difficult. Active military actions, which continue in certain areas, require constant replenishment of resources of Ukrainian units,” he wrote. Syrskyi also said that he considers the Czech Republic a loyal ally of Ukraine. According to him, the republic initiated, among other things, the creation of a coalition to develop the capabilities of Ukrainian military equipment.