The Daily Populous

Sunday August 24th, 2025 night edition

image for Ukraine’s Zelenskyy rules out China as security guarantor in any peace deal

The Ukrainian president said China has helped Russia, despite also calling for a peaceful resolution to the war.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has ruled out the chance that China could serve as a security guarantor in the event of a future peace deal with Russia to end the war in Ukraine.

First, China did not help us stop this war from the beginning,” Zelenskyy told reporters, according to a report by The Kyiv Post media outlet on Thursday.

“Secondly, China helped Russia by opening the drone market,” Zelenskyy said.

Despite Beijing’s ambitions of playing a greater role in mediating international conflicts, the Ukrainian leader’s remarks suggest that China will have no role in a Russia-Ukraine peace process.

In April, Zelenskyy accused China of supplying Russia with weapons and assisting in arms production, in the first direct accusation of its kind from the Ukrainian president.

China has said previously it only traded in “dual-use components” – those that can be used for both civilian and military purposes. »

Gabbard Slashing Intelligence Office Workforce and Cutting Budget by over $700 Million

Authored by military.com

WASHINGTON — The Office of the Director of National Intelligence will dramatically reduce its workforce and cut its budget by more than $700 million annually, the Trump administration announced Wednesday.

“Over the last 20 years, ODNI has become bloated and inefficient, and the intelligence community is rife with abuse of power, unauthorized leaks of classified intelligence, and politicized weaponization of intelligence," Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, said in a statement announcing a more than 40% workforce reduction.

Its role, ODNI said when it announced the center’s creation, was to coordinate and integrate intelligence pertaining to malign influence. »

Russian deserter confesses to killing 5 captured Ukrainian soldiers

Authored by kyivindependent.com
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A 31-year-old Russian serviceman claimed in an interview to have participated in the May 2024 killing of five captured Ukrainian soldiers in Donetsk Oblast, according to Polish-Belarusian media outlet Vot Tak.

The five Ukrainian soldiers were allegedly captured on May 5, 2024, in the village of Karlovka, near Avdiivka.

Multiple intelligence reports suggest that Russian soldiers have received explicit orders to kill prisoners of war. »

Ukrainian forces foil attempted Russian assault in Donetsk Oblast, pro-Ukraine Russian fighters take 16 prisoners

Authored by pravda.com.ua
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DIU’s Russian Volunteer Corps – Russian military volunteers fighting for Ukraine – was also involved in the operation.

Fighters from the Russian Volunteer Corps captured 16 Russian service personnel during the assault and mop-up operations.

Some of the prisoners were "flag-bearers" who were supposed to film fake news reports about the "capture" of Ukrainian settlements, particularly the village of Andriivka-Klevtsove. »