Journalist at foreign board of @NOS and @Nieuwsuur member of Ukraine desk. Often in Kyiv. Previous: Washington, Brussels, Budapest (and Mockba.)
Hilversum NL
Joined March 2009
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'Er is iets gaande' in het Kremlin, toch heeft Poetin 'touwtjes strak in handen' /via @NOS nos.nl/l/2614507
wessel de jong retweeted
Q: Can Ukraine win this war without the US?
Zelenskyy: "If it's without the US' support, it's very difficult. But if the US will support Putin, I mean, it's unbelievable. It's a historic mistake and big tragedy.
If the US officially will take the side of Russia, of course we will not prevail, and we will not be able to stand.
That's why we hope that President Trump and his team will be on our side, or at minimum in the middle."
Sadly, this is not unbelievable anymore...
wessel de jong retweeted
Another Russian ballistic missile attack came without early warning, President Zelenskyy says. This means people do not have time to get safely to bomb shelters. Moscow targeted energy facilities, no less.
“Another Russian ballistic missile attack came in several waves overnight, and once again, there was no early warning from our partners. They again targeted energy facilities and infrastructure, but a medical clinic, a school, a metro station, and ordinary residential buildings were also damaged. In total, the Russians launched 16 ballistic missiles in a deliberate attack on Kyiv and the Kyiv region. The Russians also launched more than 200 drones…”
Another Russian ballistic missile attack came in several waves overnight, and once again, there was no early warning from our partners. They again targeted energy facilities and infrastructure, but a medical clinic, a school, a metro station, and ordinary residential buildings were also damaged. In total, the Russians launched 16 ballistic missiles in a deliberate attack on Kyiv and the Kyiv region. The Russians also launched more than 200 drones of various types, including jet-powered “shaheds,” with attacks spanning from the Kharkiv and Dnipro regions to the Volyn, Rivne, and Odesa regions. Sadly, there are casualties. My condolences to their families and loved ones. Those who were injured are receiving assistance. Overnight and this morning, Russia attacked energy facilities in the Vinnytsia, Volyn, Kirovohrad, Kyiv, Mykolaiv, Zhytomyr, Khmelnytskyi, Kharkiv, Ternopil, Odesa, and Rivne regions. In this one night alone, more than 10 energy infrastructure facilities were damaged, and the lights went out for at least 550,000 families. Repair crews are working at the sites.
Ukraine never wanted this war, and we have welcomed literally EVERY attempt by our partners to bring this war to a dignified end. We have responded positively to EVERY ceasefire proposal. Russia's response, time and again, has been ballistic missiles, “shaheds,” and killings. Putin not only doesn't want to end this war – he doesn't even want to take any steps toward de-escalation. EVERY ONE of our partners has experienced this firsthand when they heard Russia's refusals. And it is crucial to call things what they are. To call the aggressor an aggressor and help Ukraine defend lives. When deliveries of missiles for Ukraine's air defense are blocked while Russia is granted relief or delays in sanctions, this is, unfortunately, a denial of reality on the part of our partners. The reality is that the war continues, and it continues solely because of Russian strikes and Russia's desire to drag this war out. I thank everyone who recognizes this reality and helps Ukraine!
Bad weather may cause interference with the Space-Based Infrared System satellites, a network U.S. forces use to monitor Russian launch sites. "This has never happened before ... but now we're seeing 'bad weather' three times in a row," the official said. @KyivIndependent
President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed on the morning of Oct. 19 that Russian forces had attacked Ukraine with ballistic missiles, adding that Kyiv had received no advance warning from its partners about the launches. @KyivIndependent
The United States is delaying the delivery of Patriot interceptor missiles already paid for under a NATO-coordinated weapons purchasing initiative, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with Bloomberg on Oct. 18. @KyivIndependent
wessel de jong retweeted
🇺🇦 Zelenskyy delivers a blunt message to the United States:
“Just give us Starlink back. If you refuse, Ukraine will survive. We will continue defending ourselves with or without it.
But why would you restrict a country fighting for its survival? Why make it harder for us to defend our people?
I simply cannot understand the reasoning behind this decision. It is a mistake.”
Ukraine isn’t asking America to fight its war. It’s asking America not to stand in the way of its defense.
wessel de jong retweeted
🇬🇧 A new source of life-saving anti-drone nets🕸: Great Britain!
A truck loaded with fishing nets from Great Britain has arrived in Ukraine. The nets are now being distributed to Ukrainian military units, which will install them as quickly as possible to protect roads and other vulnerable locations from drones.
The entire frontline area has become a kill zone. Drones monitor everything and everyone. Vehicles and people, civilians and military personnel alike, are under constant threat. Anti-drone nets provide protection, help preserve valuable equipment and, above all, save lives.
💙💛 So far, we have transported more than 8,650 tonnes of anti-drone nets🕸 to Ukraine. That is enough to stretch all the way around the Earth!
Behind every intercepted projectile is a story that did not end in tragedy. A vehicle that was not hit. A road that remained open. A soldier or civilian who made it home safely.
That is why we keep going. But transporting these enormous quantities of nets costs money.
Help us deliver more life-saving nets to Ukraine. Every donation helps make these deliveries possible and protects lives. 🙏
💙💛 Donate today and help us deliver more nets!
wessel de jong retweeted
Explosions in Kyiv as the city is hit by multiple ballistic missiles. The air raid alert was raised seconds before impacts.
wessel de jong retweeted
Heftige Explosionen am Sonntagabend in Kyjiw. Russland greift die ukrainische Hauptstadt mit ballistischen Raketen an.
wessel de jong retweeted
“Putin wants peace more than Zelenskyy does.” — Trump
Meanwhile, Ukraine yesterday.
wessel de jong retweeted
Latest: Zelenskyy tells reporters over WhatsApp that restrictions on Ukraine's Starlink systems remain. Interceptor drones can't function, logistics and operations hobbled. The maximum speed is 161 kph; "exceeding this limit causes the Starlink connection to cut out completely, resulting in the loss of the drone."
He says Ukraine has done tests to determine whether SpaceX is truly facing technical issues, as has been told Kyiv by the US side, or if this is a "deliberate operation... to restrict us, cut us off, and prevent us from defending ourselves and protecting our people, both at the front and among the civilian population."
He says Ukraine "sent a couple of vehicles equipped with Starlink terminals into European Union territory."
"They moved at speeds exceeding 180kph, and the Starlink systems worked perfectly. We have the relevant logs and evidence to prove this."
He adds: "The conclusion is clear: the restrictions are in effect within Ukraine but do not apply within the European Union. In other words, this is a planned operation."
wessel de jong retweeted
Here's the scene at Moscow airports yesterday as Ukraine steps up effort to close Russian air space. Almost 200 flights cancelled or delayed in one day.
As we reported yesterday @TheAtlantic, Ukraine spent months preparing this campaign. Now it's started
theatlantic.com/national-sec…
Обстановка в аэропортах Москвы и Петербурга. Задержаны или отменены почти 200 рейсов
С вечера 15 октября ограничения на прием и отправку рейсов вводились в московских аэропортах Шереметьево, Внуково, Домодедово и Жуковский, следует из сообщений Росавиации. Их сняли только рано утром 16 октября. Задержано или отменено почти 160 рейсов.
Закрывался также петербургский аэропорт Пулково. Ограничения в нем сняли только в 9 утра. Отменены или задержаны на вылет 37 рейсов, на посадку — девять, передает «Фонтанка».
Журналист The Atlantic Саймон Шустер со ссылкой на источники писал накануне, что кампания Украины, цель которой — парализовать работу аэропортов в РФ, «только начинается».
wessel de jong retweeted
'The US president has shown repeatedly that he cannot be relied upon to adequately support Kyiv’s war effort against Russia'
🔗 telegraph.co.uk/opinion/2026…
De diesel deal betekende al het einde van de sancties. Dit is geen trumpiaanse wispelturigheid meer maar beleid.
BREAKING: Trump suspends new sanctions targeting Russia’s economy a week after making a diesel deal with Putin. nbcnews.com/politics/trump-a…
Zou Churchill nog altijd gelijk hebben. Amerika doet altijd het juiste. digitalekrant.volkskrant.nl/…
Duister perspectief
digitalekrant.volkskrant.nl/…
Was al duidelijk
Exclusive: The order to limit a satellite system used by Ukraine for battlefield communications and drone operations came from inside the White House reut.rs/4i3T4iz
