A Grisly, Deadly Roster

As you may have heard, the Iranian dictatorship is sending ballistic missiles to Russia. For two years now, Putin’s guys have been killing Ukrainian civilians with Iranian drones (Shaheds). Now they will have other matériel.

I lead my column, my Impromptus, today with this subject. It is a grave one. I know many hard-liners on Iran who are — less than hard-line, shall we say, on Putin. But they are one club: Putin, Iran, China, North Korea, Venezuela, Cuba, Hamas, Hezbollah . . .

Call it an axis or a coalition or whatever you like. The Free World ought to stand up to it, for the sake of us all.

I note the following news story, too, in my column today: “China announces joint naval, air drills with Russia.”

“Pivot to China!” some Americans say. I say: Open your eyes to the whole adversarial club and get serious — about defense spending and preparedness, not least.

• Russia is a terror-state — killing good and noble people, day after day:

• A lot of Ukrainians feel just as Darya Zorka does:

The rule seems to be: Ukrainians are the only civilians who must die. That is their role. It is normal. It is dog-bites-man.

Ukrainians have to ask: “Who the hell decided this?”

• A news article, with pictures, to be aware of: “Video footage appears to show Russians killing surrendering Ukrainian soldiers.” (Here.)

• In late 2017, I went to Sweden, to report on that country’s defense posture, which was changing. The resulting piece was called “Sweden, Jolted Awake.” Sweden shares a border with Russia. Swedes are alive to the threat, and to the reality. Their country is, of course, a new NATO member.

Yesterday, the Ukrainian president circulated this:

• There must be something in the water in Indiana — water that Republicans drink. An ex-governor, Mike Pence, went to Ukraine (to express his solidarity). Senator Todd Young has declined to endorse Donald Trump, owing mainly to Ukraine. Now the governor, Eric Holcomb, has gone to Ukraine:

Bless them all.

• In the current era, there has been a lot of shape-shifting and body-snatching. But John Bolton? He remains John Bolton:

• Here is a poignant note from Konstantin Sonin — the Moscow-born, Moscow-educated big-deal professor at the University of Chicago:

• Vladimir Kara-Murza was a political prisoner from April 2022 to August 2024. He is a Russian democracy leader. He has resumed doing what he has always done: trying to help dissidents, unjustly imprisoned; fighting dictatorships; campaigning for freedom and democracy. He has not lost a step, this noble soul.