Exclusive

A short guide to the linguicide of the Ukrainian language | Infographics (updated).

Full speed returned to Ukraine’s satellite links on Saturday morning. “We simply enforced our terms,” Musk claims after blaming Washington for 10 days. The SpaceX owner, who had earlier said the US government decides such limits, wrote that his company had closed a gap he says Ukrainian troops used for drone strikes.

This is the fancy new F-16 Ukraine could get. It’s not what its pilots need most.. Ukraine could buy newly built F-16 Block 70/72s from US firm Lockheed Martin. But that's not the greatest need.

Ukraine now fights two enemies. One is America. In two weeks, Washington sanctioned the court prosecuting Putin, waived its own sanctions on Russia, and called him a humanitarian.

Military

For the third time this year, Ukrainian drones hit Russia’s rocket-fuel rubber plant in Samara Oblast. This time they reach the raw-material shop feeding it. OSINT channels recorded fires at the same butyl-rubber shops in April and September.

Captured Russians say there is one place on Kupiansk front they will not go: “Orion” safety corridor. Ukrainian robot unit says it built that corridor, and runs supply and evacuation through it with almost no losses.

Russia apparently meant a tank division for Druzhkivka. A Ukrainian push in the south drew the bigger part of it away. A Ukrainian observer says the larger part of the division ended up defending near Velyka Novosilka rather than attacking toward the Donbas fortress cities.

Plane parts for Russia’s air force, rubber for its industry—Voronezh’s factories came under drone attack. The aircraft plant belongs to Russia's state aviation holding, and the rubber plant to the petrochemical giant Sibur.

Intelligence and technology

Ukraine plans to rebuild its air force on NATO’s model by 2035. Its Air Force already knows which fighter it wants next, and why. Ukraine’s F-16s face thousands of Russian targets a month, many of them worn jets bought secondhand.

Ukrainian intelligence: Russia can probably add 10–15 Su-34 bombers a year, but no new Tu-95s or Tu-22M3s. Ukraine’s military intelligence also listed Russian jets destroyed or critically damaged in 2026, including two Tu-95MS bombers hit at Engels.

Ukraine raises its stalled Patriot request with Washington again after almost a month without Hegseth’s signature. The order came after a meeting with Ukraine’s defense minister, foreign minister, and army chief on supplies of air defense interceptors.

International

Ukraine’s Zelenskyy welcomes Student List’s win in Serbia and says Kyiv is “ready to keep increasing cooperation”. The party itself plan to end the trade that brought Ukraine €800 million in ammunition.

17 public broadcasters mapped Russia’s hybrid war on Europe. Germany: four dots. One point on the map may stand for several incidents of the same type nearby or in quick succession.

Kazakhstan prepares a list for Moscow, Kenya appeals to Kyiv: three governments try to get citizens out of Russia’s war. Kyrgyzstan says some of its migrants are forced into contracts, and Russia told Kenya that unit commanders rule on requests to quit, case by case.

More than a US briefing: Brussels security talks on Ukraine planned for 27 or 28 October, Kyiv says. Zelenskyy also ruled out neutrality and limits on Ukraine’s army as the Kremlin says Putin is ready in principle for new three-way talks in mid-November.

Humanitarian and social impact

Sixteen Ukrainian doctors who work near fighting went through three Western trauma programs in one week. American surgeons led drills. On the front line, drones and shrapnel often tear through several parts of a soldier’s body at once.

Guided bombs on Izium, strikes on Zaporizhzhia: Russian overnight attacks wound six, later strikes kill three. It was the second night running that Russia sent at least 140 drones, and strikes hit 15 locations both times.

Drones keep sinking ships off Romania and Bulgaria—French and US patrol planes are watching. Days after NATO promised more planes and forensic teams, a drone sank a cargo ship near Constanța, killing a Ukrainian sailor.

Political and legal developments

Russia promises “favorable conditions” to European firms a month after seizing control of Nestlé and Auchan. In a state TV interview, the Kremlin’s leader claimed Russia’s friends in Europe nearly cried when European companies had to leave, while his own decrees handed the Russian businesses of firms that stayed to Kremlin-picked managers.

Ukraine is stalling EU-required reform of bureau that can raid any official, risking European money it badly needs. The version the government may pass would satisfy Brussels on paper but leave the State Bureau of Investigation under the President’s Office.

Read our earlier daily review here.

• I followed Bobby Flay's recipe for perfect eggs using crème fraîche.
• I also tried making the recipe with cheaper ingredients like sour cream and Greek yogurt.
• The eggs made with crème fraîche tasted the best, but I'd use sour cream next time.

Scrambled eggs can be a difficult breakfast staple to master, but according to celebrity chef Bobby Flay, you can avoid a rubbery or dry texture by using crème fraîche, a dairy product similar to sour cream.

Since I don't often buy crème fraîche, however, I tried Flay's recipe alongside two two cheaper, similar alternatives — sour cream and Greek yogurt — to see if they would yield similar results. Here's how it went.

First, I made eggs using sour cream

I began with testing out sour cream, which isn't as rich as crème fraîche but offers a similar tangy flavor and texture.

Following the basic steps of Flay's recipe, I put a pat of cold butter and sour cream in a pan. I was careful not to use too much since I wanted enough to moisten the eggs without making them too wet.

Then, I turned the burner to medium-low heat and added two whisked eggs. I constantly stirred the mixture with a rubber spatula, adding black pepper once the eggs began to hold their shape.

I turned the heat off shortly before the eggs looked done to keep the moisture and prevent overcooking, and added the salt. I let the eggs cook for about a minute in the hot pan with the gas burner turned off.

Using sour cream was cost-effective, but the texture wasn't even throughout

The eggs definitely looked smoother than they usually do when I make them, and they smelled buttery and even slightly cheesy.

When I took a bite, they tasted good, too — a little buttery and no tang from the sour cream.

However, despite my constant stirring, I thought they had an uneven texture, as a few bites were slightly rubbery and dry, or a little too wet for my taste.

This ingredient is the cheapest of the three options I tried so, even if the eggs weren't the best, I'd still add a little sour cream if I had it on hand and wanted scrambled eggs.

The Greek yogurt didn't add the same richness as the other ingredients I tested

Next, I followed the same recipe and steps using a similar amount of Greek yogurt, which blended into the eggs seamlessly while cooking.

I knew after the first bite that this ingredient was not a good alternative to Flay's recommended crème fraîche.

The dish looked creamier than the eggs made with sour cream, but the non-fat Greek yogurt created a uniform rubbery texture.

I think one issue is that I accidentally used a yogurt without fat. Because Greek yogurt is so tangy, even more so than sour cream, I think the flavor masked the taste of the butter, salt, and eggs, and resulted in an overall blandness.

The dish also was slightly watery and left a small pool of liquid on my plate.

Finally, I tested Flay's tried-and-true crème fraîche, which pleasantly surprised me

The crème fraîche had the thickest texture of the three, so I expected the eggs to be pretty rich.

I followed the same steps, noticing how effortlessly the crème fraîche melted into the whisked eggs.

This dish with crème fraîche took slightly longer to cook, but the eggs seemed moist and fluffy without looking underdone.

Out of the three recipes, this one resulted in the best flavor and definitely didn't feel undercooked.

When I took a bite, I thought the flavor was amazing. They tasted soft, rich, and buttery and nearly melted in my mouth.

The creamy eggs would work so well with salty, crispy hash browns, roasted veggies, or a really good crusty bread.

The eggs with crème fraîche tasted the best, but I'd use sour cream if I made the recipe again

Though I thought the eggs made with crème fraîche tasted the best, I would use the cheaper alternative, sour cream, if I tried Flay's recipe again.

I don't often have crème fraîche on hand, so it would also be easier to use the sour cream since I usually buy it anyway.

That said, if I wanted a more indulgent version of this breakfast staple, I'd totally add crème fraîche to my grocery list.

This story was originally published on March 5, 2022, and most recently updated on October 26, 2026.

Season 2 of Japanese drama Vivant Photo: Screenshot from CCTV News

Global Times | October 25, 2026

By portraying Chinese characters as perpetrators of ruthless violence while casting Japanese Self-Defense Forces (SDF) intelligence operatives as defenders, the season 2 of the Japanese drama Vivant has recently drawn criticism from Chinese netizens, who argue that its depiction turns historical reality on its head while ignoring Japan’s wartime atrocities.

The TBS drama series – a spy suspense story in which an alleged unofficial intelligence unit of the SDF operates across the globe — has attracted a passionate fanbase. Its currently airing season 2 opened with a household rating of 18.8 percent, the highest for a TV drama this year, according toa commentary article by Japanese media Toyo Keizai.

What draws attention is the portrayal of the enemies in the series, the article noted. Scenes in which the Chinese organization subjects kidnapped members of the SDF unit to brutal torture are repeated with unrelenting intensity.

It is rare for Japanese TV dramas to explicitly portray a real-life country as the enemy, the article noted.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi also made a reference to the drama, saying that she has been recording Vivant and hopes to binge-watch it over the year-end and New Year holidays, according to Japanese media outlets.

China’s CCTV News report on Sunday revealed that the drama features scenes in which Chinese personnel cut off the fingers of and stab Japanese intelligence operatives in the abdomen. Such acts bear striking similarities to the torture inflicted on Chinese nationals by invading Japanese troops during the World War II.

The drama distorts the truth by attributing these atrocities to modern Chinese characters. Beneath the surface, it subtly glorifies Japan’s cross-border overseas operations, blurs the functional boundaries of the SDF and implicitly promotes an expansionist narrative, per CCTV News.

Following the report, the topic “Japanese drama Vivant smears China” quickly became a trending topic on Chinese social media.

One Chinese netizen Luoxuchen noted that while previous content avoided sensitive topics by setting the story in a fictional country, this season directly names China, signaling that anti-China narratives in Japanese cultural entertainment have shed their disguise and become open.

Some netizens pointed out that Japan’s acts of distorting history are commonplace. “This is a familiar tactic of Japan, and vigilance must never be relaxed.”

The drama has even drawn criticism from some Japanese netizens. One netizen and history scholar @mas_yamazaki said that while the drama explicitly names “China,” it portrays Chinese people as “cruel,” “stupid” and “incompetent,” shows viewers weekly scenes of Japanese people being brutally tortured, and then coolly depicts SDF members slaughtering dozens of the “evil Chinese.”

“TBS broadcast this kind of drama in 2026, with major companies such as Japan Airlines as sponsors. The country is sick,” the netizen said.

“I’m quietly intrigued by the process of how content like this gets approved within the framework of commercial broadcasting,” another Japanese netizen @kyou_kore_mite wrote.

In the 2026 defense white paper released in August, Japan smeared and accused China, hyped up the “China threat,” while continuously accelerating its remilitarization.

China has already repeatedly urged Japan to reflect on its historical crimes, earnestly draw lessons from history, stop making excuses for its military buildup, and not go further down the wrong path, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian during a press conference.