black cohosh blooming

This is my chocolate black cohosh, blooming. 

I had a lovely day but I am wiped out having woken up way too early again. 

Marina Ovsyannikova, the Russian journalist who protested the war on live TV,  continued to protest and continued to get light punishments like fines and house arrest. She has now escaped house arrest and fled with her 11-year-old daughter.


According to Russian military bloggers, Ukraine is making significant advances in the south. 



Shipment of Russian crude oil to Europe are down 60% from before the war and China, India, and Turkey are no longer picking up the slack. 


Turkey asked Russia to delay a portion of its payments due for natural gas to mitigate economic damage from higher energy prices.



Hundreds of people who arrived in Astana, the current name for the capital o Kazakhstan from Russian-occupied Crimea are in front of the Ukrainian embassy. Many of them plan to obtain foreign passports. "Many of us do not want to fight. We Muslims always preach peace. How can you preach peace if you kill someone? Peaceful people die there [in Ukraine], civilian infrastructure is destroyed. Why would Muslims do this? That is why many of us just refused it."


There was a big brawl in Moscow. Soldiers from one of the military units “wanted to confiscate some of the equipment and smart phones from the freshly mobilized troops,” and got beaten up as a result. They had to lock themselves up into a building to save themselves. 


The Ukrainian General Staff have reported that the Armed Forces of Ukraine destroyed 11 Russian UAVs, three tanks, one plane, and one helicopter yesterday. 



First lady Zelensky was in Turkey and launched a new anti-submarine ship for Turkey.


Turkey condemned Russia's annexation of four new parts of Ukraine. They stated they don't recognize it and called the referendums shams. Finally, Turkey said it will help with the reconstruction of Kharkiv.