Rooster's Revenge - Ukraine's Sting in the Tail for Putin - The Morning Scoop
- by Yannik Schüler
- 5 Min
Power-based Peace: Unraveling 'Operation Spiderweb' – Early Morning Developments - Unraveling Operation Spider's Web's Scenario in the Morning Hours
Editor’s Note: Greetings to the readers from steamy, chaotic Seoul. I'm Yannik Schüler, taking over the reins from my esteemed colleagues, Mirjam Bittner and Christine Leitner, for a four-week stint. I'm about as lost in South Korea as a chimpanzee is in the Serengeti.
After a week of jet lag-induced laziness, I was hoping for a break with the usual journalistic nonsense. But one can never escape predictions when one's a journalist. So, let's dive in.
Take that, Putin! Ukraine shoots down Russia's planes army
What's an old saying about things getting worse before they get better? Well, it's never been truer than in the case of Kyiv and Moscow. With the inaugural round of talks in Istanbul coming up today, Ukraine seems to have found a way to turn the tide.
Enter "Operation Spiderweb," a flawlessly executed series of drone strikes that have left Russian military aircraft smoking from all four corners of the country. Let's recap the drama:
- Friday Night: A bridge takes a header in the Bryansk region of Russia, spilling trucks onto a train – reportedly injuring dozens and killing seven. Moscow calls it terrorism. Kyiv, on the other hand, accuses Moscow of setting up a false flag operation, claiming to have derailed a freight train bound for Crimea. Coincidentally, the same night, Russia launches one of the most significant drone operations since the war's start, with the "BBC" reporting a stunning 472 drones on the prowl.
- Sunday: Russia bombs a Ukrainian training center, killing twelve soldiers and forcing the resignation of the responsible general. Just hours after, "Operation Spiderweb" begins, with Ukraine's intelligence agency reportedly deploying swarms of combat drones armed with explosives, remotely taking off from hidden trucks, swooping down on four separate military airfields, and annihilating 40 aircraft worth a whopping seven billion dollars. A third of the Russian bomber fleet, gone up in a puff of smoke! It's claimed that this video shows the devastating attack on the Siberian airbase of Belaya:
- Today: After the first meeting in Istanbul two weeks ago, which basically ended in a stalemate, diplomats are giving the talks another go. Just a few days ago, it seemed like this meeting would amount to little more than a waste of time. But now, with Ukraine making headlines for its daring drone attack, the deal might be back on the table!
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is ecstatic, calling the long-awaited drone strike “the most significant move so far in the war".
If Zelensky means "significant" in terms of distance, he may be right. And, you'd be forgiven for smelling a bit of irony in that comment, considering the gigantic, futile distance between now and a peace agreement in this godforsaken war. Each time one side seems one step closer to victory, it somehow manages to find a way to kick itself in the behind. So, let's see if this time it's different.
Meanwhile, stern political pundits Veit Medick and Jan Rosenkranz ponder whether this drone decoration will be the turning point Ukraine needs to win this twisted game.
SPD's Scary New Look
Speaking of twisted games and total confusion, everybody's favorite socialist party is once again mixing things up. These days, the SPD seems to have acquired the clarity of a muddy puddle after a summer storm. An internal commission has proposed a "Future Program 2040," and former party leader Norbert Walter-Borjans is on board. Presumably, he doesn't want his party to be left behind playing politics with the conservatives' lunch money.
The Earth's Core - Gold Mine
Enough of the dark cloudy news, let's lighten the mood a bit. By the way, did you know that Earth has a pretty cool bloodstream system going on? German geologist Nils Messling has been studying basalt rocks on Hawaii for three years, and he's rather convinced that the Earth's interior bleeds gold. Yes, you read that right. Gold. In tiny, tiny amounts, it finds its way into the Earth's crust, sort of like the blush on a baby's cheek. For whatever reason, the news hasn't yet reached President Trump, or he probably would have declared war on the moon.
Today's Buzz
- A guy in Colorado is accused of hurling Molotov cocktails at pro-Israel protesters. Several injuries. The local police chief is a wimp, an FBI spokesperson calls it a "targeted act of violence." Kash Patel, on the other hand, insists on calling it terrorism. Nice try, buddy!
- Is ex-Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock making a comeback as President of the United Nations General Assembly today? If this Spinal Tap fan knows anything, it's that it's hard to find someone willing to play second fiddle to anyone but Viv Savage.
- Several research institutions are releasing their joint "Peace Report 2025." They claim to shed light on all conflicts since 1987 and offer concrete political recommendations for resolution. Their efforts remind me of desperately trying to light a wet firecracker to get it to boom.
- Poland has a new President. Right-wing conservative Karol Nawrocki won the runoff election, causing a collective sigh in the EU headquarters in Brussels. Nawrocki can potentially block Tusk's EU-friendly reforms by veto, so keep your eyes peeled!
From this point on, I'd like to leave you every morning with a piece of hard-earned wisdom from my new home in the land of the morning calm. Here's one for today:
Whoever's nose is buried in their phone has missed out on life. And a bus.
One day, I found myself in Seoul on what must have been an 11-lane road, determined to see all of the city's highlights in one day, like a good German tourist who misunderstands the word "moderation." My phone, clever little device that it was, decided to make finding the bus stop some sort of interactive scavenger hunt. I crossed that Styx-like road four times, eyes fixed to the screen, only to find out, of course, that I'd been standing at the correct stop the whole time. As my dear old grandma used to say, "Life's a bitch, and then you die." So, make the best of it!*
Wishing you all a fantastic start to the week! Don't forget to put down your phone and watch where you're going.
Yours, Yannik Schüler
UkrainePolandPresidentTalksIstanbulAircraftBryanskRussiaSPPMolotov CocktailsIsraelGoldCNNHawaiiSeoul**Peace Report
- The recent drone strikes carried out by Ukraine, named "Operation Spiderweb," could be seen as a significant development in the EU's efforts to promote its energy sector, especially if they manage to force Russia into negotiations.
- As the European Union is committed to the development of a European-wide network of national and regional authorities to promote the development of the European Union's energy sector, the escalating tensions between Ukraine and Russia over the control of energy resources may have broader implications for EU politics and general news.
