I report on the war in Ukraine.

Brooklyn and Kyiv
Joined July 2009
Here in the town of Ovruch, just 23 miles from the border checkpoint with Belarus, anti-drone nets protect drivers from attacks. Imagine just wanting to go to lunch and needing nets to protect you from a drone trying to kill you.
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These nets are known to be in Donbas, in the east of Ukraine, primarily. But here in the north of the country, nets are needed as well. Russia launches drone attacks from Belarus on a regular basis, so these nets are very much needed to protect the locals.
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Terrell Jermaine Starr retweeted
A large turnout tonight in Tbilisi, Georgia. Day 697 of daily, uninterrupted protests. The week Georgia's Constitutional Court began hearings to ban the opposition.
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I had the honor of spending the day with Priest Oleksandr, who presides over St. Macarius Church in Ovruch. It’s the first and only church of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (ПЦУ) in the city. The other churches belong to Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Moscow Partriarchate (УПЦ).
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I’m here to investigate how Oleksandr is fighting Russian religious influence in Ukraine. Photo credit: @iryna_liakh of @CrystalHeartsCo.
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I’m on a bus to Ovruch. Gonna dig into some interesting stories there. What do you think I’ll be getting into? Story will publish on The Unofficial Diplomat Substack newsletter in two weeks!
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Good afternoon from Kyiv! Happy to report I have 5,000 subscribers on Substack! Thank you for believing in me. Looking forward to growing to 10,000 before the year ends. Please go subscribe to The Unofficial Diplomat for my reporting and analysis out of Ukraine and beyond.
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Dead Ukrainian kids and their moms aren’t white enough for Trump to extend help in his quest to preserve the white race. Check out this angle on why I think Trump is OK with letting Ukrainians die. terrellstarr.substack.com/p/…
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Terrell Jermaine Starr retweeted
Going to share some interesting information here. For now, out of courtesy, without naming names. There’s a group of politicians in Kyiv, including figures from the former pro-Russian bloc, former members of Zelensky’s political camp, and a few from Poroshenko’s, who have been actively communicating with Americans. They’re trying to present themselves as a pro-MAGA alternative to Zelensky, hoping to secure political and financial backing in exchange for pursuing a pro-Trump agenda. The good news is that, so far, these efforts haven’t gone anywhere, and they have relatively little support in Ukraine and even in the DC. So far, none appears to have received any meaningful backing. However, if tensions between Trump and Zelensky continue to grow, I wouldn’t be surprised if Washington eventually starts seeing them as useful. Yet, I don’t expect much to come of it, though. Why? Most likely, it would just be another waste of money, much like the support for Orban in Hungary. The difference is that, unlike Orban’s political movement, there’s no united MAGA-aligned force in Kyiv. Instead, it’s a scattered group of politicians who can barely stand each other but hope to improve their own political and financial fortunes by undermining Zelensky to win Trump’s favor. Why am I writing this? Because I have little tolerance for those who undermine my country’s security and its right to remain independent. Whether you’re Ukrainian or foreign, if you believe you can secure a privileged position by promoting Trump’s interests in Ukraine, you’re mistaken. You’re little more than pawns in a political game, and you shouldn’t confuse being useful to Trump with earning his respect. I want to put this on record so that when the political winds change and you try to distance yourselves from these decisions, I can remind you exactly what you supported and what you were willing to do at Ukraine’s expense.
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Putin the humanitarian is bombing us at 3 am in the morning.
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Shitkoff
I’m in Ukraine now. Here’s what Putin’s humanitarianism looks like. Notice I’m in the fuckin’ dark! Fuck Steve Witkoff!
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🙃
Jake Sullivan on Ukraine: I think Putin doesn't just want the four oblasts and I think he doesn't just want a neutral Ukraine, he wants a neutered Ukraine. He wants a peace outcome, peace in quotes, that will allow him ultimately to render Ukraine essentially a non-viable entity. I think he needs to be denied that goal because I do think it is in the American national interest ... to ensure that this kind of aggression cannot ultimately succeed.
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I’m in Ukraine now. Here’s what Putin’s humanitarianism looks like. Notice I’m in the fuckin’ dark! Fuck Steve Witkoff!
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BREAKING NEWS! Russia released unlawfully detained American prisoner Stephen Hubbard. Happy he’s going home, but this isn’t the good news story Trump pretends it is. What do y’all think?
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I’m on it!
A small request to foreign journalists working in Ukraine: ask the Lviv City Council and the Holos party why their former council member led a group of men in attacking a 24-year-old guy who just wanted to give a lecture Without pressure, this case will be swept under the rug
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Terrell Jermaine Starr retweeted
“Why doesn’t Ukraine just trade land for peace so we can pat ourselves on the back”
Nastia spent months under Russian occupation in her hometown of Kherson, where Russia’s security services threatened to sew her mouth shut for singing Ukrainian songs. She was found and rescued by Save Ukraine, a Ukrainian organization that has brought home more than 1,700 children from Russian occupation. CBS News’ @aidan_stretch spoke to her and her art therapist in Kyiv, which has come under increased Russian attacks.
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Terrell Jermaine Starr retweeted
Today is little Emilia Bazylevych's birthday. russia stole this beautiful, innocent life, along with the lives of her mom and two sisters, in 2024. Every victim of russia's unjust and savage war of aggression is a wound in Ukraine's heart that will never heal 💔
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Terrell Jermaine Starr retweeted
My question to Trump tonight -
Q: On the checks, we have $40 trillion in debt. If your economic policies are working, why do you need an incentive for people to turn out to vote? TRUMP: I'm doing it as a reward for people having to put up for five years and four years of a horrible situation caused by Biden Q: You also offered tariff refund checks-- TRUMP: Not you. Not you Q: And that didn't happen TRUMP: Not you. You're the worst
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Terrell Jermaine Starr retweeted
Thank you to everyone who has donated to help pay for my mom’s post-death arrangements and my own expenses as I deal with all of this.It’s pretty tough. I am still raising funds, so please donate at the links in this article. Thank you. terrellstarr.substack.com/p/…
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Terrell Jermaine Starr retweeted
I need to raise $4000 by the end of the week to pay for my mom’s post-death expenses and to keep me going for the next month or so. Please give to me at paypal.me/terrellstarr, venmo.com/u/Terrell-Starr or. buymeacoffee.com/terrellstar…. For Zelle ([email protected]).
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