Kyiv Free Press

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  • Ahead of Hungary’s Elections, Former NY Gov. George Pataki wants to Meet with Ukrainian Commander Robert “Madyar” Brovdi 

    Hungarian Ukrainian Robert Brovdi as well as Hungarian American George Pataki both have strong ties to Transcarpathia

    Ahead of Hungary’s Elections, Former NY Gov. George Pataki wants to Meet with Ukrainian Commander Robert “Madyar” Brovdi 

    Recently I reported on an event in DC called the Ground Truth Symposium where Ukrainian Command was present. Commander Robert “Madyar” Brovdi who heads Ukraine’s Unmanned System Forces was planned to release a statement but apparently due to the intensity in Povkrosk direction he has been a little too busy for politics….

    Ahead of this event I surveyed stakeholders from our international community on what questions they would like me to ask, (for which I am continuing to process for public sharing so please continue to stay posted for military intel updates)……….

    Well, one of these individuals I asked for input is my former Governor George Pataki. The Governor was head of NY during the 9/11 attacks. He is also a prominent Hungarian American who has  been highly devoted to Ukraine’s military and runs a charity which offers many levels of support to soldiers, from medical care to humanitarian aid. Governor and I have kept in touch since the very beginning of the Full-scale invasion, and his work is a very big inspiration for me.

    Pataki’s familial roots stem from the Karpathian Mountains, where he has strong family ties, where Commander Robert Brovdi is also from. 

     I wrote to Governor Pataki about Commander Madyar and how he has been unfairly targeted by Orban’s Hungarian regime who has sanctioned him by banning Schengen Access (for which, some Schengen nations such as Poland and Germany have since opposed). 

    Governor Pataki wrote to me yesterday and he expressed to me that he wants to meet with Commander Madyar, and that he believes Ukraine’s fight is our (America’s) fight. . Ahead of the Hungarian Elections it is critical to know where key figures stand in our community, such as Governor Pataki, who has been a great ally to Ukraine. 

    Madyar people, alongside the American people, stand with the Ukrainians.

    To learn more about Gov. Pataki’s Ukrainian support, please navigate here: https://www.georgepatakicenter.com/ukraine

    Alexandra Zakhvatayev

    10. April , 2026

    USA

  • Help Ukraine fight on

    This article originally appeared in Cape Coral Daily Breeze:

    Mar. 20, 2026

    Alexandra Zakhvatayev

    To the editor:

    As we contemplate our actions moving forward into five years of Russia’s fullscale invasion and our onward journey to Ukraine’s victory, it’s important to look back at the work we’ve done and how far we’ve come. 

    From tutoring refugee children and adults, to taking in Ukraine’s war refugees in my own home, from the highs and lows of standing side by side with war veterans including the severely wounded, to being undermined and attacked by political opposition and Russian propagandists, to surviving peril under Russian bombs myself… I decided to live my life by showing up for our community again and again, and to continue my commitment, alongside many of my friends, to fight for the U.S.-Ukraine defense alliance, to forge pathways forward, all the way until the end until the job is done. I didn’t need to be in the military to learn from our American and Ukrainian brothers and sisters who simultaneously fight tyrannical regions of Iran and Russia on multiple active fronts.

    That being said,  I am making myself available for public discussion about our people’s war effort on Tuesday, March 24, at 5:40 p.m. at the Iranian restaurant “Rumi’s Kitchen” in downtown D.C. Those who can are invited to join me at the U.S. Capitol this spring to discuss the future path toward victory. 

    On the next day, Wednesday, March 25, I will be reporting live from the U.S. capitol and will connect with my community on my publicly available channels questions for the Ukrainian military command who will be present alongside the Department of War. 

    I will return to Southwest Florida on Thursday, March 26, where I hope to meet in Naples with Ukrainian Archbishop Borys Gudziak and our Ukrainian Catholic University, for which I briefly taught a course in Lviv during Russia’s active invasion.  If you would like to link up with me at any point during my tour for our public mission, or send me questions to inquire to Ukraine’s military Command, please write to me at alexzpublicrelations@gmail.com. 

    As always, I welcome you to follow my work on my social media pages, as well as reporting on my website http://www.kyivfreepress.com which was launched this past summer in Kyiv during Ukraine’s summer counteroffensive. Likewise, you can always stay posted in our local Breeze network as I will always update my community on our progress toward a just peace.

    Lastly, please consider donating to Peace Through Strength Institute, to help my friends and I cover the fees it takes to bring Ukrainian Command to the states next week: ptsinstitute.us/contribute 

    Many thanks for your support!

    Alexandra Zakhvatayev

    Cape Coral

  • New Report Reveals Ukrainian Military Dominated NATO in recent Naval Exercise

    They Did Not See the Drones Coming

    19 Mar 2026 – The REP(MUS)/Dynamic Messenger 2025 naval exercise has been public knowledge since at least Sept 2025, but this latest (and timely) report on Ukraine’s multi-tiered system and operational dominance in the NATO exercise has recently come out. Curiously, it is from a news source Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung which has the results of Ukraine’s success firewalled and in German language only…

    The new report on Dynamic Messenger is one of a series of surfacing intel out of military communities such as “operation hedgehog” which demonstrates Ukraine is now outpowering NATO in critical modern warfare skills:

    Here is the actual text in English and Ukrainian on Naval Exercise.

    Source: https://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/ukraine/nato-manoever-vor-portugal-ukraine-versenkt-alliierte-fregatte-accg-200633625.html

    ““They did not see the drones coming”

    NATO naval exercise

    By Konrad Schuller, Kyiv
    March 16, 2026, 11:44 — Reading time: 3 minutes
    A multinational naval team under Ukrainian leadership, acting as the “enemy” in the NATO exercise “REP(MUS)/Dynamic Messenger 2025,” exposed the vulnerability of NATO naval forces and “sank” at least one allied frigate.
    A person directly involved from Ukraine told FAZ that in five exercise scenarios off the coast of Portugal, both the protection of ports and escort ships, as well as attacks on escort vessels, were practiced. In all five scenarios, the “reds” defeated the “blue” NATO naval forces. Ukrainian sea drones of the Magura V7 type were also used—small unmanned speedboats that either ram enemy ships or attack them with mounted weapons.
    Using such sea drones, as well as guided missiles and other weapons, the Ukrainian navy has pushed occupying forces out of the western Black Sea since the beginning of Russia’s large-scale invasion in 2022, even though it does not possess large ships itself. Among other things, in April 2022 it “sank” the missile cruiser Moskva, the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.
    The fleet then had to relocate its main base from Sevastopol in occupied Crimea to Novorossiysk, which lies further east. But even in this harbor, a Ukrainian underwater drone managed to carry out an attack on a Russian submarine as recently as last December.
    According to a source from Ukraine, the “red” team at “REP(MUS)/Dynamic Messenger 2025” consisted of American, British, Spanish, and other units, with overall command held by Ukraine. The goal was to test new technologies under realistic conditions—that is, in an environment where jamming, acoustic reconnaissance, and military countermeasures were simulated as realistically as possible.
    The Ukrainians brought their Magura V7 sea drone in several versions. One carried reconnaissance equipment and an explosive charge, another a machine gun on board. Other participating countries also deployed unmanned boats.
    According to the rules of the exercise, “enemy” ships were not actually attacked. It was enough for a “victory” to get the opponent into one’s sights first. This was documented with videos. If, for example, a sea drone attacked a ship to destroy its radar, it was considered the winner if it targeted the radar before being detected itself. Conversely, it was considered intercepted if the ship’s crew managed to photograph it beforehand.
    NATO spokesperson calls it a “milestone”
    Dozens of units took part in the five exercise scenarios. In addition to sea drones, aircraft and larger warships were also deployed on both sides. At the end of the fourth week, according to Kyiv, the “red” team had won. The exercise showed clearly that unmanned systems, in combination with operational experience and tested planning, pose a “real threat” to NATO naval forces—above all because NATO is not yet sufficiently prepared for attacks using such weapons.
    For example, during a simulated attack on a convoy, the “Reds” reportedly achieved so many “hits” on a frigate that it would have sunk in a real battle. Just five minutes later, the “Blues” asked in a joint chat: “Should we attack now or not?” The Ukrainian source says: “The problem was not that they couldn’t stop us—they hadn’t even seen our weapons yet.””

    – Alexandra Zakhvatayev

  • Publisher of Kyiv Free Press to host Talk in DC

    Friends:

    I am making myself available for public discussion about our people’s war effort on Tues Mar. 24, 2026 at 5:40 PM at Iranian restaurant “Rumi’s Kitchen” in downtown DC. Please join me at the US Capitol this spring to discuss the future path toward victory. RSVP: alexzpublicrelations@gmail.com

    Hope to see you!
    -Alexandra Zakhvatayev

  • Commander Madyar on volunteerism, violence, and political future

    March 16, 2026 – Commander Robert “Madyar” Brovdi of Ukraine’s Unmanned System Forces, sometimes referred to as the “Drone Boss” responded to reactions over his March 12, 2026 statement calling for enforcement against violence toward service-members. His statement is as follows:

    “Interpretations by attention-seekers and provocateurs claiming that “Magyar is threatening the people” have nothing to do with my position.

    From my address containing critically important information about the enemy scaling its drone operator force to one hundred thousand personnel by April 2026 – along with my proposal for volunteers to join the USF (Unmanned Systems Forces) directly, bypassing the TCC, with guaranteed service in the specialization they choose – hype-chasers and habitual draft dodgers pulled out and spread across every possible network only the final line of my post.

    That line was, of course, an emotional reaction from a soldier to repeated cases of civilians using violence against servicemen, including TCC personnel – specifically referencing the latest incident in Zakarpattia. In that reaction I called on “punks with sticks to come to their senses and not cross the line, otherwise they will be identified and will get a slap on the neck and the backside.”

    From this, they spun the narrative: “Magyar threatens the people.”

    Not funny. A manipulative attempt to equate the righteous with the guilty – the price of primitive social media hype. Spin me if you want – but don’t spin the already exhausted psyche of a vulnerable nation.

    Let me clarify my position in black and white:

    1. Volunteers who consciously chose to defend our Motherland – whether on the first day of the invasion or just yesterday – were and remain the strongest component of the Ukrainian army, its backbone.

    Why is this stated here? As the starting point for who exactly we need in the USF: those who come voluntarily, without coercion or force. Among the remaining conscious and capable people not engaged in defense-critical sectors of the economy, not schemers and not those trying to choose “the lesser of two evils.”
    Yes. We need you.

    1. Emigration (evacuation) from the country during war is a personal choice. I do not condemn it (do not confuse this with illegal border crossing). I do not automatically label it cowardice – people have different circumstances.
      Running away illegally, however, is a crime.
    2. Deliberate draft evasion is a criminal offense. I strongly condemn it. It must entail legal responsibility. My civic position: I support strengthening that responsibility, even though I personally have no advisory vote or influence over such decisions.
    3. The use of force by TCC personnel to detain conscripts (the so-called “busification”) and to capture people on the run is unacceptable. I strongly condemn it. I have never supported violence and never will justify it.

    If you cross the line of the law and exceed your authority – you commit a crime. If you commit a crime – you must answer for it. I support stronger accountability, but more importantly, I support changing the overall approach to mobilization. Relevant institutions are already working on it.

    1. At the same time, the use of physical violence against servicemen under slogans like “we’re sick of you war guys playing war” or “all TCC officers are criminals” does not justify mob violence, whether a crowd against one person, or a crowd against a crowd. Even such rhetoric is unacceptable, though it will take time to eliminate. I support stronger responsibility for beatings and violence, including incitement and provocation.

    However, ask yourselves how many TCC employees are combat veterans, including those who returned after being wounded. And how many of them would prefer to return to their units? No need for pointless arguments – just for understanding. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s already more than half the institution’s personnel.

    Beyond that: the USF is not among the primary clients of the TCC and does not enjoy any priority in recruitment.

    On the contrary – I am clearly and directly presenting an alternative: joining the USF voluntarily, bypassing the TCC process, with guaranteed service in the specialization you choose.

    Draft dodgers are rot and poison that destroy the country from within and divide it.
    The same kind of poison as those who hunt people.

    Finally: I’m not “Kyivska Perepichka” – I’m not here to be liked by everyone.
    I’m not a public official and never will be.
    I have no plans to enter politics. I haven’t run fundraising campaigns for over a year. I’m not living off the people.
    I despise businesses built on blood.

    I never held on to the position of commander. A major doesn’t build a career in the military this way. But I will continue building the USF for as long as time allows – understanding how it works, from a crew to an entire branch of service.

    The results are on the scoreboard. Every third enemy “worm,” every third enemy target – ours. Annual personnel losses – less than one percent.

    Keep chasing your hype, liars. The train is already picking up speed.

    USF results live here:
    USF online scoreboard “PІDRAKHUYKA”
    https://sbs-group.army

    MAGYAR 🇺🇦
    16.03.26″

    Source: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1L98nnaRme/

    -Alexandra Zakhvatayev

  • US Veteran Preston Stewart is Ukraine’s ride or die

    Amidst Kremlin’s destructive disinformation-war in American politics, Preston Stewart has become a key figure in bringing truthful analysis to the US-Ukraine defense alliance

    The teller of war stories is a war story in and of itself, about how one of our nation’s top independent military journalists plays a critical role in our international community in a really magnanimous yet down to earth way.

    I’ve long been passionate about journalism and politics, but now since the war in Ukraine, I have become deeply interested in military, as I believe military power is the intrepid edge which possesses the only foreseeable solution that can stop russia’s inhumane war machine. 

    Now, ahead of my next trip to the US Capitol to cover a major event where there will be active service members within Ukrainian Military Command,  Dept. of War staff and Congressional legislators, I wanted to write about how I met one of the most trusted American journalists in the Ukraine war, US Captain Preston Stewart in DC this past fall (October 2025), and his influence in my independent journalism practice.

    Here’s a little of what we talked about but first a precursor….

    Preston’s work has influenced my work from staying informed on latest intel and insider military knowledge to telling the stories of our war, and I am certain some very powerful (and in some cases, very likely soon to be powerless) people are paying attention to him…..

    Preston Stewart is a driver of the people’s war effort here in America. He uses journalism to raise awareness and funds… and it is much needed, because here on the American homefront we are deep in the thick of russia’s info-war, which has caused colossal damage on effective US policy-making with regard to Ukraine.

    For those following US-Ukraine politics, the history is thus….

    In absence of much needed heavy artillery kept locked up by the Pentagon and our “allies”, it just so happens that the Ukrainian people and their real friends took defense into their own hands through grassroots innovation. 

    Preston is one of those real friends….. an independent military journalist, self-made, on top of privately funding the military.

    To that regard, he is extremely well-versed in hitting the nerve of those particularly painful mistakes of our administration that, through the arrogance of US leadership toward Ukraine, ultimately toy with the lives of American soldiers…

    And this is but a notch in the long list of of coercion, blackmail, and extortion toward Ukraine for a long string of US administrations.

    In a twisted turn of the tables, however, the US government’s failure has now become Ukraine’s success story of how the war torn nation propelled itself to dominate in Drone warfare…. which is the future of warfare….

    After NATO’s failure during operation hedgehog military training and daily killboard (“FUCKING“) reports coming out of Ukraine’s defense ministry, at this point there should be no lingering uncertainty that the Ukrainian military is indispensable to us. 

    The tables are now turned and I believe the US should now really consider revising their approach to Ukraine’s defense alliance, as it Ukraine is definitely holding the cards the Americans want…. Especially now as our nation is at war with Iran, a key state in the terrorist war monger russian axis.

    I first learned about Preston during his coverage of the NYT War Crimes allegations against Chosen Company in July 2024. Long and drawn out story short…. these allegations caused a traumatic disruption in my community, as I had been good friends with Jeremy Michael Mueller, aka, Tennessee, an American soldier who fought for Chosen. (Note: like this soldier, Preston is also from Tennessee).

    I was worried sick for Tennessee and his brothers for three days straight and could not eat anything…. this is not the first time the war has caused such episodes in my life…. especially Chosen Company. But after watching Preston Stewart’s interview, (I watched the moment it was published) I was no longer worried… but i was deeply inspired by the impact that independent journalism can have over people’s lives, especially in the face of the behemoth mainstream bought by Lord knows who….

    Ever since then I have followed Preston and his coverage of the war, which has raked in nearly $1 million in charitable funding for the Ukrainian military in 2025. And still, he remains one ofof the most objective and trusted journalists in the field, reporting on the raw realities of the frontlines on both Ukrainian and russian sides, and giving voice to the guys working toward real solutions. He even told me in person, he never mocks someone’s death… even if it were a russian soldier. “That’s somebody’s child, parent, brother…”

    At the same time, he understands Ukrainian hatred toward russians… “Innocent children are dying. If my daughter died in a war… I cannot comprehend how I would feel about that…”

    I would not be surprised if Preston was a source of intel for some of the defense decisions being made in our country, and I can’t help but imagine if more guys running the Pentagon were that devoted to the US-Ukraine defense alliance….The war might’ve been over by now……

    Flash forward to now I have launched my own independent media outlet, Kyiv Free Press, after spending a very intense summer under russian bombardment in the Kyiv and Odesa regions as well as conducing a variety of interesting interviews in civilian and military sectors, some of which has gone unpublished til this day due to natural causes……….

    It has been no bed of roses as an independent journalist, I am an unpaid foreign volunteer, I personally fund most of my work, I don’t have a team supporting me, and i have traveled alone as a foreign woman to live in a country under bombs…but i’d do it again in a heartbeat, and in time, I will……soon my friends…………..

    For now there is plenty of work to do here.

    The last time I traveled to DC for the war effort was in October 2025… I was at a low point, and I needed to be around people fighting this……….. Then I found out Preston was going… and my morale trip evolved into something else….….imagine how you would feel if you were about to meet a journalist you had followed for a whole year including under bombings………

    When I met Preston Stewart in DC, I broke down in tears when talking to him…and i cannot blame it soley on the trauma i’ve suffered from being under russian bombings during the summer counteroffensive… I never wanna be numb to it, but I put my pain aside…. it is incomparable to my Ukrainian brothers and sisters and those who’ve joined them, who have fought and suffered and died for four years on end……

    Preston is a chill guy and at the capitol we spoke briefly about several political items………..

    He told me he believes that the US should help Ukraine so long as Ukrainians want to fight. I told him my view that the US must shift its policy to empower and equip the Ukrainians, and questioned how much longer we can fight without it. We also talked about media, how there may be lack of pro-Ukrainian media in the russian language, as many folks in Ukraine speak russian, and prefer russian language media. I asked Preston what he thought of the US / NATO getting involved in combat operations in Ukraine, and he told me in more or less words, “Once you start…it’s very hard to stop.”

    We can learn a lot from the actions of people such as Preston. Like most of us, I think he wants the war to end, but he’s taking a more pragmatic approach by fully backing Ukraine through providing direct military aid………. unlike the US admin who apparently likes to play monkey in the middle and dawdle on both ends.

    He knows war, because he’s fought it during GWOT where he manned heavy artillery, and he shared with me the story of “Love Protests” in Iraq, in which a youthful resistance aimed to quell hatred of conflict.

    I am not certain that we are there yet with Ukraine… but I know myself and the Ukrainians I interviewed while in Kyiv would like to see a much stronger russian resistance to Kremlin’s war. I have found these russians in America, whether it be an anti-war math professor… or a russian-born immigrant who has devoted her life to helping Ukrainian refugees…

    Sadly, some American Politics and Mediaites such as Congresswoman Ana Paulina Luna and journalist Tucker Carlson (both who reside in Florida where I also live) have taken the absolute contradictory approach to standing with russian people affected by war… and actually have sided with the Kremlin regime, who is sending it’s own people into the meatgrinder.

    I told Preston that I think there should be more pro-Ukrainian media in the russian language. Our community has chosen to switch the Ukrainian to support Ukraine, but only a few prominent pro-Ukrainian voices continue to speak in russian, such as Michael Naki. There is still a high population of russian language speakers in Eastern and Southern Ukraine, which highlights the importance of non-official journalists who are pro-Ukraine. Indeed, responsible media is an important tool in protecting national interests, as I have found as I’ve traveled across Ukraine, that people’s attitudes are altered by their regular media consumption.

    However, people are against the war, they definitely want it to end, which I shared with Preston. How we end it is the question…

    Which is why I asked Preston one very specific request as he reports more on the military side and I speak to more civilians…

    I told him that civilians need a bridge to the military. Not just in Ukraine, but all over the world. We need to hear from our soldiers, because it gives us morale, just as civilian support gives the military Morale.

    Morale is sacred to our community right now, so I am happy that when Preston came back from Ukraine this past winter, he reported that Ukrainian military’s morale is high.

    We need this to reverberate in our civil society, because we not only need reassurance that the Ukrainians will to fight is stronger now more than ever in order for our democracies to support them… but we are also fighting an information war… a psychological operation designed to break our people’s will toward freedom from every angle.

    It is important to remember this, especially ahead of critical decision-making, which I am certain will take place soon….

    You can donate to Preston’s frequent fundraisers, they are always find them posted on his public channels, and here is one of his latest……… a collaboration with Rachel Jamison, an American woman from the Midwest who’s humanitarian work has been a rare asset to the Ukrainian military….

    Likewise, please consider your support of the next subject of my journalism in contributing to the Peace Through Strength institute… These guys are run by some of my friends, once again a grassroots initiative driven by the people’s effort…. They are on the cutting edge of US-Ukraine military affairs, and nobody is doing what they are doing as far as American policy work with regard to Ukraine. Your donation will help offset the costs it takes us to fly in and host active service members of Ukrainian  command  to share their experiences of FP-dronewarfare on Wed. March 25, 2026 at noon at the US Capitol, to enlighten our nation’s legislators as we move forward on key Defense alliance decisions to achieve and end to the war on Ukraine’s maximum terms. 

    Donate Now: https://ptsinstitute.us/contribute

    Many thanks for your support over the years !

    Alexandra Zakhvatayev

    March 13, 2026

    USA

  • Ukraine’s War Effort (in America)

    Note from publisher – want to thank the Naples Daily News, the News-Press, and the entire USA TODAY network for publishing my March 1, 2026 letter here locally in Southwest Florida and having our voice heard. – Alexandra Zakhvatayev


    This letter was published in the Naples Daily News on March 1, 2026:

    “Ukraine’s War Effort”

    At the dawn four years of terrorist russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine, I wanted to take an opportunity address our community on my activities within Ukraine’s war effort. 

    My work continues on international, national, and local levels. Since being back from Ukraine and taking footage and interviews in both civilian and military sectors, I went to DC in October and met with key figures in the war effort, I volunteer with Ukrainian soldiers recovering from severe injuries in the US, I publicly addressed to our world affairs community in Naples Florida alongside a former US Ambassador to Ukraine, and my journalism work continues on various channels. The people’s war effort presses on in spite of the inaction of policymakers. We want freedom for the Ukrainian people and to prevent a larger war in Europe. However, we need military capability to achieve this in order for Ukraine to counter russian aggression. We’ll never give up until we end this war the right way, swiftly, with russia completely ceasing its occupation of Ukrainian lands, never to invade Ukraine again. The US can still help our Ukrainian brothers and sisters achieve this before it’s too late.

    Thank you to all of our American friends who have stood by the Ukrainian people during this important fight for humanity and freedom. We will remember you forever in our shared history…

    Together, we will prevail.

    -Alexandra Zakhvatayev,

    Southwest Florida

  • Wild Field of Zaporizhizhia, Ukraine – Protectors of life, liberty and culture

    March 4 2026

    per Belsat media –

    “Ukrainian soldiers saved 12th-century monuments from Russian shelling.

    Soldiers of the 128th Independent Motorized Rifle Brigade “Wild Field” evacuated stone statues from a museum in Novomykolayivka, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, which were threatened with destruction due to constant Russian attacks.

    They also managed to remove the most valuable paintings and artifacts displayed at the museum.”

    МОСКВА ПАДЕ

    -Alexandra Zakhvatayev

  • Support of Ukraine benefits the U.S. as well

    Amid the four year mark of war, Ukrainian American activists fight russian propaganda to raise light on the truth on the constricted provision of US weapons to Ukraine

    Feb. 27, 2026 – This article originally appeared in the Cape Coral Breeze

    To the editor:

    At the dawn four years of terrorist Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine, and the largest U.S. military buildup in the Middle East since the onramp of the Global War on Terror in what is potentially our next deadly war with Iran, I wanted to take an opportunity address our community on my activities and where I stand with regard to the current U.S. admin.

    During President Trump’s first year of office this second time around, military aid to Ukraine decreased by 99%. And do not let Trump’s mouthpieces fool you into thinking that this drop in aid droplets is in anyway compensated by the new PURL program where weapons would be “sold” to NATO to then sell to Ukraine. I was under heavy Russian bombings when this “aid package” was passed and my skepticisms unfortunately proved true, as the deliveries are no longer announced, undoubtedly a strategic move on the admin’s part to pull the wool over the public’s eyes over the minuscule $1.6B military aid that CSIS reported was planned to be delivered by summer 2026. Let’s face it, that was never going to be enough to stop Russia’s invasion, nor was the PDA disbursements or the dud Lend Lease while USAI contracts drag along for another 3-5 years before we see deliverables. 

    When it comes to critical defense partnership, the Trump admin has been more lethargic than the Biden admin. The failure of the Trump admin to revise Biden’s refusal to localize PATRIOT Fire Units and missiles production in Ukraine paired with the fact that Ukraine did not receive at least one of the Patriots that NATO nations were supposedly going to send Ukraine, would have been nice to receive before the winter while Russia systemically destroyed Ukraine’s energy systems and folks were freezing to death.  Instead of strengthening U.S.-Ukraine defense partnership against the Russia-Iran axis, the Trump admin was passed out in the backseat, while Russia had passed $589M anti missile systems to Iran in December. Get ready for round two on GWOT, guys…….

    This is the backdrop that should be taken into consideration against the current D.C. elites’ attempts to pawn onto us the facade for a Demilitarized Zone along the frontlines, which is unlikely war criminal Putin would even agree to… and why should we play along, after all, don’t they realize by now that the Ukrainian military is already demilitarizing its territories of Russian occupiers, and in some sectors, with a 1000:1 kill rate? Haven’t they ever heard of Commander Magyar? 

    Ukrainian Commander Magyar – The Drone Boss

    But you wouldn’t know this with the Trojan horse in your ear like Tucker Carlson, who resides in Southwest Florida by the way, and other far-right wing channels who seem to have got lazy while Russia writes the blanks….  We know who the sell-outs and traitors are in the media and in Congress and I would like you to know, the end to their rule in our nation nigh. 

    We need military capability to achieve an end to Russian invasion, and any future countenance in order for Ukraine to counter Russian aggression. We’ll never give up until we end this war the right way, swiftly, with Russia completely ceasing its occupation of Ukrainian lands, never to invade Ukraine again. The U.S. can still help our Ukrainian brothers and sisters achieve this before it’s too late, not only for Ukraine… but for us.

    If you would like to support our movement in the U.S.-Ukraine defense alliance you can donate to the Peace Through Strength Institute whom has invited me to report live from the U.S. Capitol on March 25, 2026 at the Ground Truth Symposium on the demands of Ukraine’s military as we hear from Ukraine’s top Drone Commanders. As always, if you are interested in U.S.-Ukraine defense alliance, you can send me questions to field, especially while I am there…. alexzpublicrelations@gmail.com. 

    Alexandra Zakhvatayev

    Southwest Florida

  • Ukraine’s Magyar Birds on Four Years of Full Scale Invasion 

    Commander Magyar funded his own drone unit and became one of the most efficient units on the front, known to have a 1000:1 kill ratio.

    Magyar has been on my periphery for a little while. Ive seen his photo here and there in military OSINT circles.  Funny enough, when I was under russian bombings in Kyiv, Ukraine in June 2025 during my unreleased interview with soldier Ryan O’Leary amid the shutdown of his notorious foreign unit Chosen Company (some of whose soldiers I am friends with), I asked him the question of who the best drone team was……

    “Davinci wolves”? (I had heard of them through fundraisers in our international community…)

    “No. Magyar birds is the top drone Unit.” O’Leary told me.

    But I didn’t need him to tell me that… the killboard says so, consistently. And do you know what more targets mean? More drones….and less russian invaders……….

    (queue Birds’ “Yoblak of the Day”). 

    Up until recently I did not know much about Commander Magyar until he released a response correcting Ryan O’Leary’s January statements during his “depth of control” interview with US Cpt. Preston Stewart.

    Since then I’ve realized Robert Brovdi is probably one of the most pivotal military political figures in Ukraine’s imminent victory, and the US-Ukraine Defense alliance. 

    It’s a very important statement, because it evidences what Ukraine needs in order to gain operational advantage … so please read it in full, every single word……..

    Commander’s philosophy is to preserve the lives of his soldiers while defending their homeland by scaling deep strike capability along the front which enables personnel to move further from the zero line. That’s why the USF has 15,000 vacancies to fill. That’s a lot of drones.

    Now the Birds is on my radar hard. I’m actually really kicking myself for not having followed them much closer until now, especially given the fact that I’ve been working in my community to send drone jammers and other life-saving equipment to Ukraine’s military on the front as well as having facilitated conversations with the Office of the US Secretary of State and key drone industry leaders to discuss the fiscal need to enhance drone warfare. 

    The Commander, Robert Brovdi, aka “Magyar” was originally a businessman in Ukraine’s agrisector before he alongside his Ukrainian brothers – ordinary civilians just months earlier— volunteered to join the Ukrainian military in the historical resistance when terrorist state russia invaded Ukraine exactly four years to this day.

    Four years into the war, Commander Magyar heads the Unmanned Systems Forces (USF) comprised of 12 units: SVAROG, Flying Skull, Steppe Predators, K-2, Magyarʼs Birds, Achilles, RAROG, THE HAWKS, 9th brigade of unmanned systems, and 1st separate center of unmanned systems. 

    The USF is the first military branch dedicated solely to drone warfare out of any country in the world. And for those of us who follow critical international security matters, we understand that the US wants this capability. 

    US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has recently pushed for US drone dominance.

    However, As the details of Operation Hedgehog prove, and which Ukraine’s USF headed by Commander Robert Brovdi proves every single day………….

    Ukraine is the dominator of drone warfare and drones are the future of modern warfare,

    This past weekend, one of USF’s drone’s eliminated a $75M cmerch (tornadoe), a russian missile that has 300 mm range. As Commander Magyar stated, “These tornadoes nightmare Kharkiv, Zaporizhia Sumy, Kherson, Nikopol and other peaceful cities of Ukraine.”

    That’s a Godly ROI.

    And today on Feb. 24, 2026, Birds of SBS hunted on the night of February 24 Hurricane, beech, Pancir and Malachite. https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1DeNsmF4HW/

    The story of Magyar Birds is one of the many iconic stories which represent how Ukrainians have thrown their all into defending their nation against russian invasion. The Birds truly capture the heart and pride of Ukraine. That’s why I wanted to share with you the unit’s statement on the four year mark, showcasing the nation’s enduring will and strength to continue their defense, directly from the military itself:

    “Four years since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. Twelve years of the modern phase of the war. Hundreds of years of Russia’s attempts to destroy Ukraine.

    That morning, they wanted to erase us.
    The state — from the map.
    The people — from history.

    They failed.

    But over these years, we have paid.
    With names. With lives. With those who will never return.
    With cities that became the front line.
    With fields that became the site of the final battle.

    This day is about remembrance.

    About those who took the first strike.
    And about those who are holding it today.

    About those who will never again stand in formation.
    And about those who continue to stand.

    They do not allow the enemy to advance.
    And they will not allow what was paid for so dearly to be erased.

    Eternal honor and remembrance to the fallen.
    You are forever in our hearts.

    Strength and endurance to all who continue the fight.

    GLORY TO UKRAINE! GLORY TO THE HEROES!”

    -414 Magyar Birds

    **********Please support our movement in the US-Ukraine defense alliance by supporting the Peace Through Strength Institute with whom has invited me to report live from the US capitol on March 25, 2025 at the Ground Truth Symposium on the demands of Ukraine’s military as we hear from Ukraine’s top Drone Commanders. As always, if you are interested in US-Ukraine defense alliance, you can send me questions to field, especially while I am there…. alexzpublicrelations@gmail.com

    Очі та Жало — хробачий жах!

    -Alexandra Zakhvatayev

  • Bowing Down to russia may be a Fatal Mistake

    Originally posted in the Cape Coral Breeze on Sept 11, 2025

    Sept. 11, 2025

    Ukraine’s front

    To the editor:

    When I was a little girl, I remember seeing the smoke on the horizon from the World Trade Center going down on Sept 11, 2001. The events of that day are central to the global upheaval now underway.  Twenty-four years ago, before the attacks on our Twin Towers, Russia was prioritized as the U.S. top national security threat. After 9/11, the Bush administration removed Russia from the threats list. At the time, the U.S. wanted to topple Al Quaeda in Afghanistan, and we pinpointed Uzbekistan as a good military launch point to enter. Being a Eurasian country within Russia’s sphere of influence, the U.S. cowered to Russia in order to operate out of Uzbekistan. At that point, practically eating out of the palm of Russia’s hand, the U.S. got right to work on GWOT. But that was only after the often forgotten Pankisi Gorge Conflict, wherein the U.S. fought side-by-side Russian military in Georgia as one of our first foreign interventions post 9/11 in search for “Weapons of Mass Destruction” — which were never found.

    What are the precedents we suffer today from bending to Russia during GWOT?

    About 1,300 days ago, on Putin’s Feb 23, 2022 declaration of war against Ukraine, Putin stuck his finger in the healing wounds of our recent past, mocking the U.S. for false pretext of war and blaming the Iraq War on so-called “U.S. imperialism,” a pretext which he himself used as a basis to invade Ukraine, one of the most destroyed countries on Earth now thanks to Russian invasion.

    Flash forward to this very week, article 4 of NATO has been enacted after Russian drone attacks on Poland. We are more close to Article 5 than ever before, which could mean the beginning of NATO-based U.S .troops in direct combat with Russia’s military.  If we do go to war with Russia, the U.S. can suffer massive casualties. Rolling out the red carpet for Vladimir Putin at the U.S. military base in Alaska  was a very very big mistake by President Trump and his cabinet, and it will have serious consequences in the coming time…….we just may not see it just yet. Ukraine has already taken many willing American volunteer soldiers away from us. In the wake of World War III, let us pray for our American troops over there, and our American troops back home and around the world, that our leaders may bring us closer to a lasting peace through strong defense policy, so we do not repeat the same mistakes by bending to the Russian terrorist state.

    Alexandra Zakhvatayev

    Florida, USA

  • A Kyivan Fashion Designer on war, America, and russians…

    Publish Date: 9/1/25

    The following is part 1 of an interview I conducted with a lifelong Kyivan who runs her own Fashion Design company in the heart of Ukraine’s political capitol. Her name is Tanya Kochur, and she runs a Ukrainian fashion design brand out of her shop filled with natural and colorful, fun, and feminine handmade clothes from a variety of brands, including her own.

    Tanya Kochur is the Founder / CEO of Logic Clothing in Downtown Kyiv, Ukraine

    I met Tanya when I briefly resided in Kyiv this past summer. I don’t think many Americans realize this, but Ukrainians have a very high sense of fashion. Whenever I travel to Ukraine, one of the first things I do is go shopping to update my fashion to Ukrainian standards so I can blend in, and plus because it’s fun to dress up. All of the women look so pretty and fashionable in Ukraine.

    Since I am really turned on to Ukrainian brands, I was so excited to find Tanya’s shop named Logic Clothes off Sofiivs’ka St. Her clothing store features artsy pieces and unique layers that you can add on, and she likes to work with breathable materials which tie comfort to style, depending on the weather. Nothing is mass made, and there are usually never more than a few makes for every peice of clothing she designs, which adds to the rarity of the outfits she designs. She pointed out an embroidered apron that had a subtle touch of Ukrainian folklore.

    “It’s famous, everyone knows it.” she said of Ukrainian embroidery. She pointed to the design, “But it’s a light embroidery – with a small touch, not too costume.”

    I stopped in her shop a few times and ultimately bought a few really unique dresses she handmade. My favorite was offwhite with these straps that kind of reminded me of a straight jacket, and the other was a green dress and green is my color plus it’s a nice patriotic color now because of the military. The woman at her store even gifted me with this soft black braided rope that I can add to my outfit – truly thoughtful in every single way. And this is apart of Tanya’s philosophy, to make clothing an experience. If you need something fitted or stitched, she will do it for you. 

    When we first met, Tanya and I began talking politics and it was clear to me she had a heavy conscience about how foreigners viewed Ukrainians during war. “It’s good for people to see how Ukrainians live, many people think that Ukrainians are stuck living like it was centuries ago. but its not the case.”  

    Tanya explained to me how in her generation growing up, Ukrainians thought America was so great, there were so many opportunities, and there were so many work opportunities being created in America. Similar to my husband, her husband Oleksander went to work in Ukraine when he was 18, he went through a school program. Back then he wanted to move to the US, he had this vision. But now, with Trump in office, he thinks it would be terrible… knowing that half of America elected somebody who sides with Russia… he would probably leave. 

    As a fellow politically minded person, for even me as an American, I actually have less anxiety living in Kyiv “under bombs” because i dont have to convince anyone to be on my side when it comes to being super pro-Ukrainian. Everybody in Kyiv pretty much already is.

    When I asked Tanya for an interview, I wanted to know what she wanted to share with others – if she wanted to talk about the fashion industry. “Designing is not what’s most important right now.”

    “When you ask me what to talk about, I don’t understand for people why war isn’t #1.”

    For the first two years of Russia’s fullscale invasion, she dropped all of her work in the fashion industry. People weren’t interested in clothes anyways…they were walking around wearing grey hoodies, everything was closed and on lock down…But for Tanya, her focus completely shifted anyway. She consumed herself in war and news.

    “But not just to learn about the bombing, but from my desire to know what’s going on.” 

    Tanya said she also follows russian journalists, and is surprised at their lack of coverage of the war.

    “I ask myself, why is war not #1 for them? It seems like it should be, if you’re a journalist, it would be the only thing that’s interesting to you.”

    The war changed things. Designers began to produce socks with messages. Sometimes, such as “Kill Russians”. Ukrainian brands started raise funds to buy FPV drones with the proceeds earned from their clothing sales. They collect funds to help the army, to give medicine. 

    “It’s not so much about design so much as it is about living it through.” 

    The war transformed the Kyiv-based fashion designer’s world, and it became expressed through her work.

    The Kyivan fashion designer half jokingly noted an interesting interaction when a russian contacted her on social media from Moscow to buy some of her clothes. She responded, she will deliver clothes on FPV drone only.

    “When I think of Ukraine fashion week, I don’t know–I don’t want to say if it’s good or bad. A lot of people are gathering and having a good time, beautifully dressed on the runway, while someone is dying. To me, small brands buying drones is more interesting than fashion week.”

    Tanya stated there is this survivors guilt during war, and she doesn’t want to look around at the people enjoying themselves and hold it against them. “You never know who did what or if they did more. Maybe they donated a lot that day, maybe they volunteered, and they feel a free conscience to enjoy themselves.”

    And there are so many fundraisers now for Ukraine’s war effort, and it makes people feel better to give.

    In the first 1 1/2 years in war, Tanya was volunteering as much as she could. “There were some people who were volunteering 24 hours per day. they are good examples for me.”

    Now almost four years into russia’s savage fullscale invasion Tanya now needs to work and has other things going on, but she wants the opportunity to hire people so she can volunteer.

    She said of the war volunteers, “I admire this kind of people. For me, these people are the best and we should be like them more.” 

    Volunteering and fundraising to support Ukraine’s military is empowering for Ukrainian society.

    “Have you ever heard of Sputnik?” Tanya asked me.

    “No, I haven’t.”

    She explained the famous fundraiser where Ukraine needed photos from space, so they had a huge gathering and the idea was everybody can give a little as no amount was too small. 

    “You can give 6 hryvnias. Do you know how much that is? It’s nothing. And so everyone gave, and we bought Sputnik. And then we were like, what’s next, nuclear?”

    “What are your feelings that the people of Ukraine are giving to the Military, do you feel like it should be the government’s job?”, I asked her.

    “Even Israel with their wars going on right now is donating to Ukraine’s war. The government cannot do everything. Any changes that you want to make begins with yourself. It starts with you. I think that’s a really Russian way of thinking… that someone should do it for you… that some guy will come and just do it for you. There is even a difference in Ukrainian and Russian language. Linguistically, Russians have the phrase ‘it happened’– not ‘you did it’. In Ukrainian, we only have the form ‘I did it’.”

    Tanya believes that being loyal to the Ukrainian government right now is more important than criticizing it. “It’s not the time to talk about mistakes–we will talk about it later Do what you do. It’s the Ukrainian President’s job to make diplomatic connections. He’s doing what he does. Guy’s in the Army have a right to talk about what the government did or didn’t do. but everyone should do what they can and not blame.”

    “Russians are the only guilty one, not the government… them and their government are like a population that fell out from the world and centuries we live in. There is this saying in Ukrainian, it’s called “na na chasu” or, “not the time”. 

    Tanya loves to follow economic blogs regarding war… she told me they say Russia will collapse, and that the economic situation is getting very bad in russia. “It could be one year, it could be 5 years…but doesn’t the world know it’s better for Russia to collapse sooner than later? Because over time Russians will keep leaving Russia, go to their countries, and then they will have problems there.”

    A student of war and a learner of the enemy russian state that has fueled this deadly invasion, Tanya has a message to Americans. “I want to say to everyone in the US, to watch a little bit of russian TV to see what they are talking about YOU. There are so many bad words about America on russian TV. When you first see it, you’re shocked, then you think it’s a joke, and then, you just become used to it. They say, Nuke DC, London, kill Americans, every day. For a long time the russians have been making the worst enemies to America.”

    And Ukrainians like Tanya believe that russian people are responsible for the war, not just state TV or politicians.

    “It’s not only on Putin who started the war. It’s the whole country, russia. Russians can actually vote, they can vote to change something. If you’re not good with something, go to the streets and do something about it.” But the russians don’t do much to stop the war.  

    “Ukrainians suffer a lot of pain because of russia. A lot of uncertainty. What will happen. Will it? Won’t it?  In the beginning we thought, even if Putin starts the war, many of us initially thought, the russians will stop it. We were sure they would. But they never did.”

    Back before the full scale invasion, maybe there was a possibility Ukrainians would try to understand russians. “I’m in Kyiv, here’s a man, here’s another man, listening in 2019, maybe he has smart ideas, maybe he can help people understand eachthier. But now, it’s not important anymore.” 

    Tanya has listened to a lot of the published phonecalls between captured russian prisoners and their family back home. “I was shocked, it’s systemic. I just kept listening to another and another, they don’t care about their sons who went to war. They are like ‘What can I do. What can I do.’ I don’t understand this. 

    She began to draw to the linguistic differences between russian and Ukrainain.
    “When Ukrainians say “What can I do”, it is to fix something. But when russians say “what can I do”, it doesn’t even make sense to Ukrainians. 

    But what happened to the Americans, she wonders. 

    Americans were known to bring food during the cold war era, dry milk. “I remember it. I was a kid, russians don’t remember it. 60-90% of the US biggest enemy is russia. Propaganda made them hate you. But they really hate you now. They set fire to the flag, dirty it. And American people do’t see it, they do’t listen to it.”

    And the lifelong Kyivan warned Americans. “For russia to invade the East, a lot of people felt it could happen because the regions are connected. But for russia to come to Kyiv, we thought it was impossible. After what they did to us, I don’t know, I’m not sure they wont go farther. He wont stop. And when there is not enough people, there will be drones.” 

    Tanya reminded that peacetime since the world wars was only 70-80 years ago. “That’s a very little time compared to history. We are fighting We do’t want to agree with it. We also fight for our freedom. And we knpow that the US wants our people to be strong, and we hope that if we show strength, our allies will stand up for us too.”

    To be continued………

    -Alexandra Zakhvatayev

    USA / Ukraine

  • Time for our leaders to step up

    This letter was originally published by the Cape Coral Breeze on Aug 14, 2025
    Image Credit: Ukrainian National Information Service

    To the editor:

    I’ve recently come back from Ukraine where I witnessed Russia’s destruction and strikes in the cities where I spent most of my time, in Kyiv and in the Odessa region. And now that I’m back, in light of the upcoming meeting between Trump and Putin, I have a few questions.

    Why has not one Southwest Florida CD-19 Congressional candidate taken any position on Ukraine or Russia? More importantly, why is Trump letting land invader Putin come to Alaska to negotiate territories of Ukraine this week at USAF-US Army base, Base Elmendorf-Richardson?

    Aside from the violation of international law and territorial integrity, and full blown genocide of Ukrainian AND Russian people, let’s quickly debrief a recent history on Putin’s false sense of entitlement to this American state….

    In 2022 Russia disrespected U.S. national borders, threatening to take back Alaska from the US.

    In 2024 Russia alongside China then proceeded to patrol America’s Alaskan island with nuclear warships, threatening our military power in the region.

    Alaska borders Russia, just as Ukraine borders Russia…. If Trump is willing to negotiate Ukraine’s borders, what is next?

    Putin, Trump, and all consenting American politicians should heavily reconsider allowing war criminal Vladimir Putin to step foot into the States. They should know, and the world should know, exactly how much America hates the Nazi Russian regime.

    If more American politicians took actions against terrorists, imagine how much peace in the world there would be. 

    The current Southwest Florida Congressional candidates who failed to denounce Russia the very week Putin came to the States are not serious about national security, democracy, nor the American public for that matter. All they care about is personal enrichment, popularity, attention, or whatever serves this seemingly malign interest to choke out the real American public who I’ve come to know, and who stands with me vehemently against the terrorist Russian state.

    Where are the leaders who’ve got the backbone to stand up when it counts? Where are the leaders who will think for themselves instead of let their puppet master think for them?

    I implore President Trump against making deals with terrorists…. what we need is force. And I implore him to refuse entry to war criminal Vladimir Putin to the US. Stay off our land. 

    To read about my experiences in wartime Ukraine, please follow my new publication at kyivfreepress.com. I look forward to sharing more directly with my community in the near future.

    Alexandra Zakhvatayev

    Fort Myers

  • Ukraine needs US-made artillery rounds & armored Vehicles

    Amid the Summer Counteroffensive, It’s the only way to stop us from getting further entrenched……

    Today, we commemorate the Welles Declaration— where on 23 July 1940, US diplomats signed this document stating the refusal of the U.S. to recognize the occupation and annexation of the Baltic States by the Soviet Union. More than 50 other countries followed the U.S.’s lead. As customary, it also greatly irked the Soviets. This policy of non-recognition endured till the collapse of the Soviet Union and the restoration of independence on part of the Baltic States.

    Now, we have the US secretary of State, Marco Rubio, who claims over and over that there is no military solution in Ukraine…. he is hellbent on his belief that papermaking negotiations and declarations can solve this war.

    HOwever I have been in the public square for years now, back when the Secretary was Senator Marco Rubio of Florida , where I am from, imploring him that we NEED military solutions:

    My answer to your question, Senator, is in my understanding war between enemies is a non-negotiable militant state, historically all war ends with military action which only then is punctuated by an agreement, so in order to bring an end to war there must be significant military action, therefore there should be no question on “if” there will be negotiations because there…will…be…no…negotiations until Russia is forced to withdraw. There is no other viable alternative other than Russia continuing to capture Ukrainian territory, which is what they are actively attempting.

    To expound why negotiations are unrealistic, on March 3 I spoke with Ukrainian Commander Yuri from the frontlines and he told me, “How you could negotiate with someone who came to your land, occupies territories, murders people, kills people, Ukrainian people, aggression. There’s nothing to talk with them really about without until they leave.”(Interview HERE) , – Cape Coral Breeze, Promises Made, Promises Kept? Mar 7, 2024, Zakhvatayev

    During WW2, the bandwagon of allies who gave global recognition to the baltic states’ independence and signed onto the principles of the welles declaration certainly helped keep the beating heart of their national independence alive during brutal invasion.

    However, the baltic states were not fully independent until 51 years later, in 1992….after the fall of the Soviet Union.

    Ukraine doesn’t have 51 years………. we have barely til summer until we run out of weapons…..According to Bild, the German defense analyst page, Ukraine’s US air defense stockpiles sufficient until end of summer, then “situation will become critical,” Source: https://censor.net/en/n3561148 .

    And today, Ukraine’s Commander in Cheif requested 155 mm artillery rounds as well as armored vehicles…

    And I have my friend , Ukrainian Captain Yuri Makhnovets of Presidential Brigade on the Luhansk front whos unit of 80 men needs those artillery rounds and armored vehicles in order to hold ground and recapture territory where people are suffering from russian invasion. Just look at one small recently reported example of what people go through in russian occupied territories of Luhansk………

    Here is a video of one of his guys loading some ammo in a trench…(they have since upgraded on weapons but i need to find the video…., i’ll pull it later.)

    That is not to mention the suffering the Ukrainian Soldiers go through, who are sacrificing their entire lives so others can have freedom. Captain Yuri barely ever gets off, he is texting me from the trenches, and the battle is very very hard and active right now during the summer offensive.

    So what can we learn from history? THe Soviet Union had to actually cease to exist in order for the baltic states to be fully liberated.

    It is my belief that the state of russia as we know it must also cease to exist in order for Ukraine to be fully free of russia’s brutal and savage war and occupation.

    What WW2 history and Welles Declaration teaches us is that Ukraine must defeat russia for the war to end, which means they must achieve total victory, because to stop the war, russia must cease to exist, as did the Soviet Union.

    If Sec. State Marco Rubio thinks he can achieve this Gorbachev style, then great. But I’m willing to bet we’re going to need to send the weapons to Ukraine so Ukraine can defeat them themselves.

    If not, we may also be looking at other repeats of history, such as the way the US got dragged into WW3.

    Already, the US is conducting joint training with Ukraine in Germany. I actually have family in the US army who is set to head to Germany this fall to train in infantry. And it’s not really a big secret, even though the US army actually deleted this tweet…..

    Other Ukrainian Commanders such as Commander Denys Prokopenko from Azov Battalian have also warned we are on the brink of WW3….

    “The question is not when World War III will start. The question is whether we are capable of recognising its course and structure before it reaches its decisive phase. Most think tanks beyond the theatres of war still believe that phase is in the future. For us, it has been the reality for more than three years – and to be frank, its outlines began to take shape long before that.” – Commander Denys Prokopenko, Azov Battalion, Ukraine, WW3 is on our doorstep, Ukraine is already inside

    Paper cannot hold us for much longer. We need to send the rounds before we actually are forced to send our own troops, something US Congress Speaker Mike Johnson alluded to today, when he said, “”We need peace, over there. It’s gone on too long. Too many innocent people are dying. And we don’t want further American involvement in this at all”.

    I cannot help but think if that’s part of the motive of why Army reserve Sgt. Preston Stewart is constantly fundraising and sending funds to the Ukrainian military. It’s almost like we know if somebody doesn’t do something, our own can be sent to die in Ukraine…..

    And I feel responsible too so I’m sending drone jammers to Commander Yuri like these, and I’m gonna keep fundraising and sending more especially now that our unit grew to 80 men….. I’m really now have a lot of work to do……….so i’m gonna catch up on that now that i’m back from Ukraine and in the states…………….here is a pic of the jammer I sent to Yuri last time………………………….

    Today, I wrote to US Sec. of State Marco Rubio who is also our National Security advisor.

    I always let my leaders know I am avaiblle for them, as I have been available and worked with them on Ukrainian military issues in the past, including Sec. of State Marco Rubio’s office, and when he was Senator. Because as an American, it’s jsut soemthing I feel I need to do ……… I feel we are responsible…………….and i want the war to end the only way i know it will end………….

    In my view, the most clear solution is to send Ukraine what it needs to defeat russia is…………….russia must fall, just like the soviet union did. however it may look, quick and painless, or slow and painful… but we can’t wait around for negotiations or paper anymore, and we don’t have time……………. the savage russian invader state needs to fall and fall fast.

    Instead of talking about Ukraine not having enough ammo, we need to be talking about how to give Ukraine what it needs to hand russia a decisive military defeat once and for all.

    -Alexandra Zakhvatayev, USA

  • mutiny at the lavra

    The Holy Faithful Clergy of the Pechersk Lavra in Kyiv, Ukraine openly holds the ancient Kyiv Rus Monestary adversely against it’s current legal status with the Moscow Patriarchate

    This week I visited the grounds of Kyiv Pechersk Lavra which has been the highest ranking monastery of holy orders in Europedating back to as early as 1051. Adjacent to the Holodomor Museum the Arsenalna district (where Ukraine’s weapons arsental was notoriously stored deep underground in distant past), it is no wonder that the warmonger russian state covets this special place. During russia’s brutal invasion into Ukraine they have sought to erase Kyiv Rus history by making it their own. That’s why they seek to subjugate this ancient, holy, and geopolitically significant temple of God.

    By going there and witnessing the architecture and speaking to the holy order, I have discovered that this 11th century monestary is not only significant to the origins of the early spread of Christianity throughout Europe, but has untold modern significance in the fight for religious freedom.

    In fact, this holy fortress is the beating heart of the modern fight of church versus state amid one of the most brutal invasions today. The simple truth I have uncovered dispels the lies of many of Kremlin’s propagandists who feed lies to the public by exploiting our deeply intimate faith and using it as a tool of the war.

    The confusion surrounding the politics of the modern schism of russia’s state-owned Orthodoxy in Ukraine has led to plenty of opportunity for disinformation war.

    But the fact of the matter is, the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra is carrying out a mutiny against it’s russian Patriarchate which is closely tied to russia’s Kremlin regime.

    This is one of the most rebellious mutinies in the world today in the political heart of Ukraine, surrounded by military and politicians who are fighting alongside this church for freedom from russia’s warmonger state.

    Doing a quick google search, I realize that the mutiny of the Pechersk Lavra has gone largely unreported.

    And, I am still learning the history of this ancient Monestary. However, Rome was not built in a day, so I figure I start writing about what I know now, instead of waiting…

    I believe everybody should go to a sacred holy place and experience the rituals and ornate imagery of our sacred tradition passed down to us from generation to generation. For me, the church helps ground me and reflect on the what I hold most dear, like family… and our fight against the evil that seeks to destroy our freedom loving people.

    I went to the Lavra with my mother-in-law to spend time and pray. I prayed for my family. And I prayed for the soldiers, everyone one of them that I’ve ever known ,either in person or through communicating on social media or reading about, and even the ones who have passed before I even met them.

    In fact, every time I go to church, I pray for the soldiers, even in America, and it has been like that for years. That’s because to me they are the living saints.

    I actually think the soldiers are the holiest people, in spite of being rough around the edges. They are martyrs and saviors and defenders. Sometimes I feel that their war-torn society placates their activities in order to cope with the killing they must undertake, and that actually downplays the fact that to accomplish the defense of mankind takes a certain higher awareness and consciousness that is extraordinarily trying. It is not an indiscriminate matter or normal thing. It’s a cross they must carry…. And even though I believe in what they do, I so deeply wish they didn’t have to do it. But Ukraine did not choose this war, and somebody has to defend society against corrupt greedy tyrants who only wish to enrich themselves through conquering and invasion.

    When I am in a sacred place like the Pechersk Lavra, I look around at the beautiful statues and icons, many of them warriors from their own time, centuries ago. They are depicted with the same sacred royalty that I feel we owe to the military for sacrificing their entire lives.

    A soldier recently told me he hates churches – and I think that’s very ironic since in Ukraine, russia is destroying churches. In fact, russia has destroyed over 700 churches in Ukraine. The soldiers’ work actually helps defend and salvage these sacred places of communal gathering which russia seeks to dismantle – places which hold holy relics and icons passed down by ancestors through the history which russia seeks destroy. To be honest, I don’t know how a soldier of Ukraine can truly despise the house of God deep in his heart, because even if they never make it to Mass because they are too busy at war, they closer to Judgement Dall than any of us, and they work on it all the time, not just one day of the week.

    I love the Pechersk Lavra and walking the grounds, praying quietly, attending masses, and seeing the people who come to pray, as well as the holy clergy, including the priests, brothers, sisters, and nuns. It is like a vibrant sacred village, a time-capsule of resilience, tradition, and rule.

    I spoke to a nun during a mass I happened to drop in on. There was a beautiful choir singing overhead, some of the most beautiful singing I have ever heard in my life. The nun was lighting candles and praying, frequently genuflecting the sign of the cross. She was dressed in long flowing black garb and a black knit cap, with a beautiful woven rope around her waist. She was praying and walking around with candles. We spoke outside of the building by the flower garden where other faithful were walking around and praying. I Just love the grounds and to see a little vibrant community of holy people….

    I asked for her name and where she is from. She said she is from Ukraine. I wanted to know if this church was under the Moscow patriarch. She told me, yes, but it is not connected with any state…. Their faith operates in Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia.” From my interpretion, it was clear to me she wanted to convey her church’s separation from the Moscow state. But it still confused me.

    I told her I would pray for her church…

    I needed to get to the bottom of this. But, if I am to be honest, at first I was a little bit nervous to speak to the clergy when I learned that the church was somehow linked to Moscow. Perhaps it’s because we are in a war, and Moscow is actively targeting and persecuting my people.

    When I taught summer courses at Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv last year, I heard a first-hand account from one of my students who told me how small village churches with priests connected to Moscow would deny pro-Ukrainians confessions.

    I have also heard reports of priests in collaboration with Moscow who were arrested in Ukraine, although these were isolated incidents.

    One such case quite relevant to the Pechersky Lavra is that of Metropolitan Pavel (Peter Swan) who is currently on house arrest and undergoing a court case after Ukraine’s SBU pressed charges for interreligious hatred amid russia’s fullscale invasion into Ukraine.

    And Kyrill Gundyaev, the Patriarchate of Moscow, is a corrupt politician and former KGB spy who openly supports Kremlin’s invasion. Before Kyrill became the Patriarchate, he was a russian oligarch who profiteered off a large tobacco company.

    It is important not to underestimate the politics of religion in this war, especially with regards to inter/national security as many faithful have been affected by russia’s religious persecution, and this has necessitated the Ukrainain state to make obviously difficult decisions during wartime to investigate churches who report to Moscow, while still honoring the nation’s rights to robust religious freedoms.

    Even though the Lavra gave me such a vibrant feeling while walking along the grounds, the prospect of speaking with its priestly order was all of a sudden intimidating for me, but then again, they seemed like such peaceful people, and  i was in the heart of Kyiv, where freedom is actively defended, so I trusted the situation. It is ironic how America’s russian propagandists such as Tucker Carlson can attempt to falsely lead people to believe that Ukraine persecutes the orthodox church, when in reality,  the fact that the Orthodox church is connected to Moscow is what really provokes fear.

    And here I was, in the heart of Kyiv surrounded by Ukraine’s military, at one of the oldest historical churches in All of Europe  —- trying to find out for myself whether it was connected to Moscow or not… And what I found was that I was standing in a place of direct opposition to sacrilegious evil….and it proves all of the lies about Ukraine persecuting the Orthodox church wrong, because here it was standing in the heart of Ukraine – .it was not only historical grounds from the 11th century…. It was history happening right before my eyes…. Amongst the people making it happen…. Good versus evil….

    After speaking to the nun, I then approached another faithful, a man. I asked him if he spoke English but he suggested I speak to his friend who was walking by. He was wearing all black and a black hat.

    I told him I am American and wanted to ask him a question.

    “What is the preistly order of the church?” I asked.

    “We are of the faithful of Christianity since…. “

    “Since all of christianity?” I quickly interrupted.

    “Our church dates back from before Ukraine, before Russia… Have you ever heard of Vlad or Olha?”, the priest responded.

    “Yes, i’ve been reading up on them, they were really Great…” I told him, referring to warrior and Saint Vladimir the Great who first spread Christianity around Europe, and his grandmother Olha, who was a vehemently shrewd military strategist who avenged her murdered husband in some of the most epic special operations documented in ancient history).

    “So are you under Moscow?” I asked for further clarification.

    “Yes but only for document purposes, not nominally. We are independent,” said the Priest.

    “When you say documents, do you mean legally?”

    “Yes,” he responded. “We are legally owned by Moscow, but not nominally. We are independent.

    “So when you say independent,  does it mean you are autocephalous? (Autocephalous means is a word in the Orthodox face to denote status of a hierarchical Christian church whose head bishop does not report to any higher-ranking bishop.)

    “We are under moscow legally, but we do not answer to moscow.” he reiterated. He did not confirm if he considered the church autocephalous.

    “Okay well, I am roman catholic and my church answers to the pope, so I wanted to know if you answer to Kyrill…. Do you know Kyrill the Moscow Patriarchate?”

    “Yes I know what you mean… but Kyrill Blesses the war… how can we answer to him?”

    Then, as quick as lightening, the priest told me he has to go, and he walked away. I told his friend, the other preist who was standing by, that I would pray for them, and I gave them my name and country of origin, Alexandra from America.

    The Moscow Patriarchate is owned by the Kremlin. Therefore what both the nun and the priest told me, with regard to their church’s relationship to the Moscow patriarchate, …. It is clear that the faithful of Perchersk Lavra do not see themselves governed by Moscow nor its Patriarchate Kirill, they view their church as people under God, and wish to be independent ….. in spite of legal documentation by russia which state otherwise. Kyiv clearly understands this, as the church is clearly thriving inside the Heart of Ukraine’s political capitol. Furthermore, the fact that the ancient church with papers connected to Moscow continues to operate is proof that Ukraine does not persecute the Orthodox church. Rather, Ukraine is allowing this church to thrive and its people to break free through a schism not based solely on politics – but of a moral and spiritual consciousness to break free from the russian leaders that prosecute war.

    Not only this, but with this philosophy of mutiny from Kremlin being the predominant policy of the faithful order of the Pechersky Lavra, it might require further investigation to confirm whether the Orthodox churches from which this church is linked to within Belarus, Ukraine, and Russia, as well as any other church legally boun to the Moscow Patriarchate, also expresses a mutiny and schism with its authorities.

    There is a mutiny in the Perchervsky Lavra…. a mutiny against Moscow…. Against tyrannical government and regime. And it thrives in the heart of Kyiv….

    The Pechersky Lavra is not only an ancient sacred place, it is symbolic of the most significant fight of good versus evil in modern times.

    What will happen in the future is uncertain. But the trajectory is visceral. The mutiny of the faithful order at the Pechersky Lavra in Kyiv, Ukraine against Kremlin’s Moscow’s Patriarchate could be the beginnings of one of the greatest Christian schism known to modern Christian history…

    – Alexandra Zakhvatayev

  • Mama’s Corridor

    During almost four years of russia’s savage invasion into Ukraine, my mother-in-law has been sheltering in her corridor in her Kyiv apartment during russian strikes on the nation’s political capitol.

    She goes there when the strikes are near because it is the only location in the house with no windows, providing a little more safety from blown out glass, shrapnel, and other debris which may projectile into the building.

    I always wondered what her corridor looks like..

    And now since I’ve been here we’ve endured strikes together, so now I know.

    To be honest, the corridor is more peaceful than I imagined…

    It really does feel like a safehaven…

    So I wanted to share it with others, so I snapped this shot of what it looks like. 

    I was invited to this secret place the other night when we were getting bombarded….

    It was pitch black, and she pulled up an extra chair for me.

    I sat there next to her during the loud sound of bombs…

    And I started nodding off.

    And she asked me in Ukrainian,

    хочеш відпочити?

    “Так”, i responded.   (I’m getting really good at Ukrainian)

    So I went back to bed, prayed the air raid would be over….

    Thanked God I have most of my affairs squared away….

    And fell asleep dreaming of my son.

    My Father-in-law just sleeps right through them. I always thought it’s because maybe he’s former military. But I’ve learned that people are just used to it here…

    Everybody in their own way.

    Some shelter, some sleep through it, some stay up and watch from their windows in anticipation.

    Since I have been here, however, I noticed that Mama only goes to the corridor when the strikes are really bad. We’ve had them every couple of days. You can tell when it’s closer because the sirens get really loud and the sirens as well. 

    You hear the loud ringing sound, sometimes a voice talking to you, and then other times it has this bell-ringing sound added to it. 

    A woman who works at the brand new cafe down the block went to the shelter with her family one night this week. I told her I hope she gets some rest.

    She asked me if I was scared to come here. 

    It’s a question I get a lot from Ukrainians. And, I am just as confused at them asking me as they are at me being here. It’s interesting, because as I travel through Ukraine, a lot of people ask me that. In Lviv several people who fled the Eastern region asked me if I was scared. And, now some people even in Kyiv. 

    “Are you scared?” I usually respond.

    Yes I’m scared. We’re all scared. It’s scary…

    Maybe not as scary for a military-trained personnel, but they are supposed to be conditioned that way in order to undertake operations to protect the civilian population.

    But civilians should not have to get used to this. 

    Yet they do. And their kids do. It is apart of the tragedy, as I learned from a young age growing up during GWOT and attacks on my own country, that no child should ever have to live with this.

    And I wonder if this is all part of a dark psychological plot by the enemy….

    Especially when we mostly expect them to strike at night during our subconsciousness.

    Do they want us to adapt to this? Or do they want us to cave in?

    Or do they not even care what we think and are just trying to keep up their pace of indiscriminate killing?

    I remember distinctly when a Ukrainian American woman from Naples, Florida told me back in 2022, “When war becomes normal, that’s a real problem.”

    But in Ukraine, it has become apart of every day life.

    Even in Kyiv, around 10 PM you see everybody rush to the metro, and the streets are empty by midnight, when most strikes happen. 

    But I believe it is alright to seek normalcy. You have to live your best life and try to be successful in other areas… even if you are a war volunteer, you have to have a life outside of war.

    Because why would you want your entire life to be consumed by a war manufactured by an enemy?

    Since I live most of the time in the US, I am not used to this. I ask myself the mental toll it takes to be woken up every night. 

    Personally, I am a little sleepy.

    And sometimes, the war completely slips my mind. 

    A Ukrainian woman recently told me that forgetfulness is apart of the trauma of war.

    I wonder if the cognitive overload from adapting to being in war-time Kyiv has caused me to completely block out the war when there are no strikes. 

    Even though I tend to think about war and politics a lot, it is only because for me, I have this compulsive desire to stop it.

    But in fact I despise politics. Just look at the world today…. Why would I like politics?

    We talk about war but why would we like war….

    Mama and I talk politics, however… and war.

    Due to the recent strikes here in Kyiv, we feel that Trump has loosened putin’s belt…. “розпоясавса“…. unbuttoned everything to unleash on Ukrainians….

    But we were relieved to hear this morning that Trump then promised to send more aid after the DOD needlessly halting weapons in Poland from being delivered to Ukraine…

    This morning I told her what Serhii Strnenko, a major military fundraiser in Ukraine wrote… “Today he is Trumpenko, our Cossack”

    We had a good laugh. Inspite of all of this needless tragedy they must endure, Ukrainians have a really good sense of humor.

    Mama showed me all of the apps to follow, and groups to follow. She knows about the strike locations, all the way down to the type of weapons which are being used in the strikes – in real time. 

    A retired schoolteacher who spent her career nurturing youthful minds of her nation, I can see why it is so important to her to follow so closely what is happening to her people. 

    She even taught me how to pull the blanket over my body, in case the glass from my window blows out, so I don’t get cut up all over my body.

    Since being here, I find information about war and weapons to be incredibly useful…and learning about it… somehow, comforting….knowing what we’re up against and all…

    In fact, it really puts into perspective that I’ve been hearing at night….

    No corridor for me though………………I want to watch my enemies fail. I want to see the defenders at work………

    I want to understand exactly what is going on around me….and why……..

    And  why wouldn’t I?

    the russian state is not just Ukraine’s enemy. As an American, it’s my enemy too…

    An American soldier who fought for Ukraine once told me, the key to being a good soldier is discipline.

    I don’t really know why he was trying to teach me how to be a good soldier…

    But I think it had something to do with not letting enemies win…

    That’s why it’s important to know about weapons.

    We need to know what our enemies are trying to kill our people with.

    Isn’t that like, basic survival?

    I’ve done a lot of volunteering during this war, from refugee work, to teaching. 

    But to me, weapons are the most important thing, because, weapons are what’s going to actually end the war. 

    Just think, if Ukraine focused on building it’s weapons arsenal decades ago, this war could have been prevented. 

    But Ukraine didn’t work on it’s arsenal, because the country had suffered from pro-russian infiltrators since the fall of the Soviet Union, who sought only to weaken it’s military. 

    It was only in 2015 when the US openly began helping Ukraine’s military.

    And now, Ukraine is working a lot on its weapons, to be independent from any other state. 

    There was a really great statement that reflects this sentiment released by Maksym Zhorin of the Ukrainian 3rd Assault Brigade:

    Weapons production is really good for Ukraine, and can help our defense alliance as well.

    Likewise, the destruction of russia’s weapons arsenal will also be very beneficial, as russia is using their weapons to indiscriminately kill civilians…

    And as far as America goes….

    Due to the fact that we are a global military power and international security is relative on our own weapons systems and the alliances and adversaries around us, my country’s weapons arsenal directly links us to this war. 

    And I know we can do more to stop it. 

    It’s important to understand how government works, because oftentimes politicians who are willing to work against the will of their people depend on a contingent of the population who blindly believe everything they say….

    That is why we must “trust, but verify”.

    Trump stated he will send defensive waepons ( I assume by defensive he means patriots, but really, any and all weapons sent to Ukraine are defense, even the long range artillery that strikes at russia, as, eliminating russian military stockpiles is a defensive action……)

    I demand the executive office to issue the order to release the weapons to Ukraine….

    And not sure if he got my message or not, but maybe just maybe they will listen…

    I feel I have a responsibility to people which drives me to hold my leaders accountable.

    Because I care about my guys on the front, like Commander Yuri Makhnovets and his guys with Presidential Brigade in Luhansk, Ukraine…

    And I don’t want our Ukrainian soldiers to run out of ammo by the end of this summer like they’re saying they will if allies don’t step it up with more military aid.

    I don’t want Mama to have to go to here corridor in the middle of the night anymore.

    I want my children to visit their grandparents without hearing sirens in the air or coming under fire.

    I want to stop this war the only real way it’s going to stop – with force.

    If we don’t want to pass this on to the next generation, we need to treat this with a sense of urgency….

    Not with just mere thoughts and prayers or deep concerns…

    But real actions…

    Whatever little part you do to fight……..

    Even if its hidden from public view….

    And behind closed doors…..

    Or in your corridor….

    Holding onto your home…

    Standing your ground….

    And resisting, until there’s nothing to resist no more……………..

    -Alexandra Zakhvatayev

  • this is a test

    Something really cosmic happened to me tonight. But first I need to talk about one of the most well known military leaders and politicians of all time. 

    Lately I have been studying Napoleon due to the recent shaming I received from my father-in-law who is prominently known in Ukraine for translating the Napoleon Code from the French to russian language. According to father, I am supposed to know a lot more about Napoleon, so I’ve been learning fun facts about Napoleon such as how he sold Louisiana to the US, etc. etc. 

    Indeed, Father and I are having a lot of good talks about Napoleon since I being in Kyiv.

    Napoleon believed in luck and numerology and superstitious stuff like that. And I think that’s really interesting because, even though I’m spiritual and believe in God, I wasn’t really big into luck or numerology,,,,,,,,,, until recently. 

    so before u call me crazy for what I am about to write…just remember that Napoleon was just as crazy…if not more.

    It all started right before I traveled from the states to Ukraine, and I didn’t really want to make anything of it, even though it’s kinda been in the back of my head. But then tonight happened and I realized that I might have received some sort of supernatural communication from the fallen soldiers of Ukraine.

    Exactly 40 days ago today was Memorial Day, and I spent that day writing to commemorate the fallen soldiers of my friends’ military unit, Chosen Company. I sent the letter to my friends… and  since I’ve been raising funds here and there to send miiltary equipment to the front, I made this goal of fundraising Chosen and my friends with Presidential Brigade in Luhansk, and I set a deadline for the fourth of July.. 

    To be honest this sounds silly but I was annoyed at the fact that Memorial Day was only 39 days from the fourth of July, and not 40. Because 40 is such a very symbolic number. 39 feels almost there. 40 feels complete. So, I just settled on ” about ” 40…

    In the bible, the number 40 (i.e. 40 days and 40 nights) is associated with a fulfilling of God’s promises (Israelites wandering for 40 years), but it also symbolizes judgement, tests, temptations and trial periods (Jesus fasting in the desert).

    40 is also my shoe size in Ukraine. I didn’t know this until recently since in Ukraine walking is a common form of travel, so I had to buy some shoes. And I keep mispronouncing the word as chotirnadtzet every time I try to buy shoes, and the store workers always try to politely cover up how hilarious i sound.

    Well, I had to finally beat into my head that the number 40 is the only multiple of ten that doesn’t end with the “nadzet” . 40 is actually a totally different word in Ukrainian, pronounced sorok or soroka.

    Soroka is also the name of a bird. It is also the callsign of my friend Roksalana’s fiancee who died from battle injuries in Ukraine. I first met Soroka’s fiancee at the Lviv military cemetary and she shared with me her and Soroka’s story and I shared it with many people in my country and around the world, and her and I have kept in touch ever since.

    click on photo to see link to full film


    Roskalana met Soroka during her practice as a military psychologist for combat veterans in Ukraine. Over the years they fell in love and got engaged. She now helps organize a growing group of military wives, daughters, mothers, fiancees, and mourning women, who lost their beloved sons, husbands, brothers to this war.

    Let me circle back now to Memorial day, 40 days ago. That same day, within one hour of me publishing the letter about Chosen’s fallen soldiers, the Company Commander Ryan O’Leary made a pivotal public statement that he was shutting down operations with Chosen Company after 39 months of war. 

    And at the time there was a huge mystery behind it and a lot of press. But we ultimately found out why.

    It was because he put the lives of his soldiers before anything.

    But at the time the thing that secretly hit me was that Chosen fought for 39 months straight……39……and I’d already been so irked by that number that day. Lol

    Well, I thought it was just a coincidence. ANd I went to Ukraine, and I went to Kyiv, and I went to the military memorial site there. ….

    ANd I was wandering around with my camera and out of the corner of my eye I saw the dragon’s wing and I actually caught on camera the very exact moment I found Chosen Company’s memorial , and that was a very emotional moment for me, as I have folloewd Chosen Company so closely, all the way through…..

    Flash forward to today, I was talking to my kids on the phone and I was walking along the military memorial at St. Michael’s Cathedral, and I was showing my son all of the faces of the soldiers, and I told him we wre going to look at every single face.

    But toward the very end of the wall, I kinda of trailed off and started leaving the site. 

    Then I immediately had a bad feeling, like I skipped out on some of the guys, and that wasn’t right. I had to look at all of their faces. So I turned right back around. And that’s when his face popped out at me. It was Soroka.

    I had not known him when he was living. But I had encountered him one year ago in Lviv at his gravesite and now, 40 days exactly from the day that I wrote the Memorial Day letter for the fallen soldiers. 

    The exact number of days that I wanted for my military goal: 40 days.

    And out of hundreds of thousands of faces, I found Soroka.

    I texted Roksalana and shared with her his photo, and it made her so happy to see his face. 

    I believe it is a sign being communicated to me by the fallen soldiers. I am not sure what they are trying to tell me, but I believe it has something to do with the completion of a period, of a test.

    Since Chosen Company officially ended its operations with land forces 40 days ago, the unit’s former Commander, Ryan O’Leary stated the following, (paraphrased, full quote here)

    “The army relies on supplies, but its will to fight, its ability to endure and destroy the enemy, lies in the hands of its leadership. There is a vast difference between a unit that merely survives and one that truly fights. . . . . .

    Such situations are part of the problem in Ukraine’s Ground Forces. The sergeant corps has not been properly formed since the start of the full-scale war in 2022, and the officer corps continues to operate under Soviet templates, where failures are covered up, and soldiers pay the price. We shed blood for Ukraine, we die for Ukraine, we fight for our children, wives, sons, and daughters—while officers who don’t care, who lack motivation, who have no right to lead, continue to make mistakes that lead to senseless deaths. . .

    . . . I cannot speak to levels above the battalion, but given the recent statements from officers who tried to change the system and were forced to resign—this should be a signal to those in power. Changes are needed if we want to preserve the freedom of the next generation, Ukrainian identity, and continue the path to democracy. At the current pace, these officers will continue to fill cemeteries with brave, courageous Ukrainians for no justified reason. That is why I will no longer lead brave men and women into the hell of battle unless I know there is an officer in the rear who cares about our lives and wants to accomplish the mission alongside us. The most valuable thing we have is our people, our minds, our ability to think. We must engrave the belief that people are more important than meters and medals—something that, sadly, is currently absent. Among us are butchers, among us are scoundrels, and these officers must be removed immediately if we want to win this war and preserve our state. . . “

    -Ryan O’Leary

    What would the great leaders of yesterday say of the leadership today?

    Napoleon was one of the most renoun military leaders of all time. But he also cared for civilian life and the nation outside of military operations, also wrote one of the most famous Civil Codes: the Napoleon code.

    A fatalist, he also believed in fate….

    But there is one fatal flaw about Napoleon. He was also known to have a complex view on the death of his soldiers. He was also known to execute prisoners of war. He prioritized victory over casualties.

    Today, although far and few between, we have far better military leaders. Leaders that put the lives of their soldiers over power.

    Leadership that will prioritize the lives of the military first over any other objective.,,,,,

    And if we listen to this leadership we can achieve our justified, attainable, and righteous military objectives.

    These are the guys who know how to end the war on the military front.

    As for the rest of civil society, what I must take responsibility, My government, the AMerican government must come together in alliance with Ukraine to decisively end this war with what I believe to be the only solution: aggressive military force.

    Not to kill, but to stop killing. The US can send weapons to Ukraine that will expel and deter the russian invasion once and for all. Every day America fails to do that, we are responsible for bloodshed.

    And that is something I refuse to be apart of, whcih is why i fight our weak politicians and continue call for strong defense alliance.

    If not, we will continue to have more and more mourning brothers, and sisters, such as Roskalana, who wrote the following several months ago:

    What does this 40 days really means I do not know. If it is a sign from the fallen soldiers, this will forever be a mystery…

    But what i know for sure is right now, we are undergoing a test of humanity like never before.

    -Alexandra Zakhvatayev

  • Patriots

    Call to action: Tell the US Congress that Ukraine needs air defense by navigating here.

    Patriots

    For about a month now I have been living in Ukraine. I left America to visit my family in Europe as well as work on a couple of projects. One of them was to launch this website as an outlet to connect with other writers to publish more personalized and relatable stories about wartime Ukraine.

    Since back home in the States I’m usually the person who throws a public event for Ukrainian independence day, I really was hoping to launch my first public article today, on July 4. But that’s where my celebration of my country’s Independence day ends, as it would be disgraceful for me to celebrate such an international disgrace.

    Dont get me wrong, I love my country. And I wont hide it, I felt a little pride when the skies above me were protected by the US-provided patriot missile in action during a russian strike in Kyiv  from the place I was staying at the time in downtown Kyiv….. 

    It’s just that I had bigger expectations for America than our leaders who’s distortion of “America First” values actually keeps us the leader of the free world. 

    Growing up nearby NYC, I saw the Twin Towers go down when I was a kid. I felt that Patriotism reverberate from the center of my state throughout my entire country, and the world. In the face of attacks, America became a symbol of global freedoms. Not only flags were everywhere but a certain national spirit to protect our people. 

    While those memories hold a special place in my heart, those days are long gone now in America, and with it went our nation’s pursuit for global freedoms. 

    But not for all of us. There are guys like Ryan O’Leary, who fought for America and in other foreign wars and now in Ukraine, and who yesterday just lost another American brother, Dan, who was fighting in Ukraine.

    Since being here, I strongly feel that Kyiv has become the global capitol of freedom. There is a certain spirit everywhere here that I have to search for back home to find. A spirit that is dead, sleeping, on autopilot or just…never existed in the first place.

    In Ukraine, after nearing four years of russia’s fullscale invasion, that spirit hasn’t died. When russia attacks us, people will go out into the public the next day, talk to eachother and do a check-in, “how was you’re night?”. 

    The day after I saw the Patriot missile go off, a man who works at a barista at a local coffee shop told me a story of how his girlfriend’s neighbor never shelters, but they sheltered that night and their apartment was obliterated by Iranian-provided Shaheds. 

    “That’s God”. I said.

    He told me, “Today is like their birthday”. 

    As a politically-minded individual, even between bombings, I am more comfortable in Kyiv than in my own city, in my own nation’s political capitol of DC, because of how infected with russian propaganda our American politics and media has become.

    But I know that it’s not what most American people really believe. I talk to most people, and most people support Ukraine and want to defeat russia. Just recently there was poll conducted by my friends with Peace Through Strength Institute (PTSI) which states an overwhelming three-quarters of Americans say the war in Ukraine should be a U.S. priority.

    Our people are being misrepresented , our allies being betrayed.

    It brings me such shame to be an American in the heart of Kyiv on this day, when just days ago we halted critical military aid for vague reasons that none of our administrators are even aligned upon?

    A move which today was revealed to be based on absolute mistruths and lies….

    To put into perspective… the US has provided only 8 patriots to Ukraine out of 1106 in stock.

    Yet only one week after Trump promised to send Ukraine more Patriot missiles, the US made the decision to hold up weapons at the Polish border: 92 AIM-7 Sparrow missiles, 30 PAC-3 MSEs, 8496 155mm rounds, 142 AGM-114 Hellfire missiles, 252 GMLRS, 25 Stinger missiles, and 125 AT-4 recoilless anti-tank guns sitting in Poland, collecting dust, waiting to get sent to Ukrainian soldiers. https://x.com/ColbyBadhwar/status/1940504770516791653

    The “free” country that for 200+ years our US veterans fought and died for in many foreign wars, no longer stands for global freedom on the world stage. This cold reality remains every day we do not ship additional patriots to Ukraine. 

    American Independence day used to be my favorite holiday. Honestly, I am that woman who throws a big party and has the fireworks, the beer, cookout, friends, and family. But since 2022, my family stopped celebrating like we used to. 

    And back in the states my young son who is only a little boy had made this adorable Patriotic hat. (My kids are such good patriotic Ukrainian Americans, they get excited at the sight of anything blue and yellow just as much as they love spotting the American flag).

    I am so proud of my Ukrainian American son……

    And I was so happy for him and praised him… and my oldest daughter was making plans to celebrate the fourth.

    But deep down I felt like I was holding a dark secret, like a lie. Like Santa Claus isn’t real, but far, far sicker and profoundly more demented.

    This is not just a question of my country’s politics. This is the question of the beginnings of the end of the free world as we know it.

    As we unravel the shrouds that cover the truth, who will be at the core of nation? Our own body politic? Or the incubus of our enemy?

    I cannot un-know what I know. And I know we could send Ukraine more weapons to defend it’s people against russia’s brutal attacks such as the one suffered by Kyiv last night….

    I have a responsibility to my sons and daughters and to the next generation to do all I can to stop this war today. Not just because I’m in a Ukrainian family. But because I am an American………………..

    -Alexandra Zakhvatayev