🇮🇱🇵🇸 - A close Israeli air strike on gaza.

It looks the war in the middle east expands as Israel intensifies air strikes on Lebanon and Syria also.

🇰🇪🇸🇴 - Six Kenyan police personnel killed in ambush near Somalia.

— BBC

🇦🇴🇨🇩🇷🇼 - Angola gives up on mediation between DRC and Rwanda.

— RFI

God forbid the boys have a funny lil harmless group chat ...

🇸🇩 - The SAF have begun their assault on Khartoum's international airport, making initial gains.

🇧🇾 March 25: Freedom Day in Belarus – A Celebration of Identity and Resistance

Today, March 25, marks Дзень Волі (Freedom Day) in Belarus—a date that carries deep historical and political significance. While the Lukashenko regime refuses to recognize it, for many Belarusians, this day represents something far more powerful than just a historical anniversary. It is a symbol of national identity, European heritage, and the ongoing fight for democracy.

A Forgotten Independence: The Belarusian People's Republic

On March 25, 1918, the Belarusian People's Republic (BPR) was proclaimed amid the collapse of the Russian Empire. It was the first modern attempt at Belarusian statehood, emphasizing independence, democracy, and European integration. Although short-lived—overtaken by Soviet forces in 1919—the BPR remains a crucial part of Belarusian history, proving that Belarus is not merely a "younger brother" of Russia but a nation with its own unique path.

Yet, under Alexander Lukashenko, this part of Belarusian history has been erased from official narratives. Instead, his government glorifies the Soviet era, portraying Belarus as an inseparable part of Russia's sphere of influence.

Two Competing Visions of Belarus

The contrast between Freedom Day (March 25) and Lukashenko’s official Independence Day (July 3) is more than just a disagreement over historical dates—it represents a fundamental battle for Belarus’s future.

The Opposition: Belarus as a European Nation

The opposition embraces Belarus’s Grand Duchy of Lithuania roots, seeing the BPR as a continuation of this European legacy.

They advocate for democracy, national identity, and integration with Europe.

The white-red-white flag, first used by the BPR, has become the symbol of resistance against Lukashenko.

Lukashenko: Belarus as a Soviet-Inspired State

The regime downplays the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and rejects the BPR as a historical anomaly.

Instead, Lukashenko promotes Belarus’s Soviet past, portraying the USSR as the country’s golden age.

His red-green flag, adapted from the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic, reflects this ideology.

This historical debate is not just about the past—it shapes the present. The opposition sees Belarus as a sovereign, European nation, while Lukashenko ties its future to Russia and Soviet nostalgia.

March 25: A Day of Resistance

Despite being an unofficial holiday, March 25 has become a day of defiance. Every year, pro-democracy activists attempt to mark the occasion, often facing arrests, censorship, and violence from the regime. In 2020, amid mass protests against election fraud, the significance of Freedom Day grew even stronger—uniting Belarusians against dictatorship.

Today, celebrating Дзень Волі is more than remembering history. It is a statement: Belarus is more than just a post-Soviet state. It is a nation that deserves freedom, democracy, and a future beyond authoritarian rule.

While Lukashenko may try to erase this day, for many Belarusians the spirit of March 25 cannot be silenced.

🇧🇦🇷🇸 - Despite an arrest warrant that should theoretically prevent him from leaving Bosnia, the leader of the Republic of Srpska, Milorad Dodik, flew to Belgrade by helicopter to commemorate the anniversary of the NATO bombings.

🇺🇸 - Waltz’s future in doubt following accidental war plan leak.

— POLITICO

🇸🇾🇮🇱 - Israeli warplanes over southern Syria again

PS - still waiting on the Syrian flag emoji to get changed. They've been recognized by several countries, unlike the Afghanistan situation. That's usually the condition for whomever has their own flag emojis.

🇸🇩🇹🇩🇦🇪 - A Sudanese general has threatened Chadian airports, saying they are "legitimate targets" due to their alleged use by the UAE to arm the Sudanese RSF rebels.
- BBC

I’ve been in politics, OSINT and commentary nearly full time since 7 years now.

I’ve had a lot of fun. Not sure if I performed as much as I’d hoped.

Now is the time to be transparent that while I’ll remain the main owner of the channel, I am announcing that me not being de facto full time on it is a permanent change as I decided to face new challenges in life and pursue new opportunities.

I understand this may be a tough decision to hear for some people, especially for my fellow admins who does a wonderful job, and who I will always respect their choices, no matter what they may be.

Same goes for all my political activites both here and behind the scenes: will continue, but way slower as I have new responsabilities, notably in my dear quest to give myself, my beloved GF and my mom a better future.

March 25, 1949: The Soviet War Against the Baltic Nations

On this day in 1949, the Soviet Union launched Operation Priboi—a mass deportation of over 90,000 people from Lithuania (~42,000), Latvia (~25,000), and Estonia (~22,000). In just a few days, families were torn from their homes and shipped in cattle cars to Siberia. Their only "crime"? Being farmers, teachers, or relatives of partisans—ordinary people who represented a threat to Soviet control.

This operation was just one of several brutal deportation waves. Earlier, in June 1941, another 60,000+ Baltic citizens were deported. From 1945 to 1952, over 200,000 people were exiled from the region. The goal was clear: crush resistance, eliminate national identity, and forcibly Sovietize the Baltics.

At the same time, the USSR brought in tens of thousands of ethnic Russians to replace the deported. By 1959, Russians made up over 25% of Latvia and Estonia's populations, turning them into tools of colonization and control.

Moscow’s strategy was deliberate: terrorize the local population, destroy its leadership, and replace it with loyal Russian settlers. It wasn’t just repression—it was demographic warfare.

Today, the danger hasn’t disappeared. Russia still sees the Baltics as part of its imperial "sphere," and it may once again use Russian-speaking populations in Latvia, Estonia, or elsewhere as a pretext for aggression—just as it did in Ukraine.

Number of Russians in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia today:

Latvia: ~24.5%
Estonia: ~23.7%
Lithuania: ~4.8%