The Missing Patriots

For the first time since 2023, Ukraine had regained more territory— almost 100 square miles— than it had lost over the last couple of months. Kyiv began March with new momentum, aided by Elon Musk’s decision to cut the Russian military’s access to Starlink. With relative protection against drones and ease of movement, Ukrainian forces launched a successful operation in Zaporizhzhia. This is key to checking Russia’s building spring offensive. But that momentum is in danger of being reversed as Russia pushes through elsewhere and bombards Ukraine with drones and missiles, as with the March 24 attack with 392 drones, 365 of which were intercepted along with 25 missiles.

The Iran war might cost Putin an important ally but it came as a windfall for his own war, with US attention and resources diverted. Ukraine, in fact, has an acute Patriot problem. Kyiv depends critically on the missile defence system. Russia’s latest barrage has left no doubt that every Patriot battery deployed in the Gulf is one Ukraine is deprived of. If the hot phase of the Iran war continues much longer, Kyiv may soon run out of interceptors whose consumption rate is unsustainable and which cannot be supplied in pace with demand.

That’s No Way to Say Goodbye

Mohamed Salah’s tragedy is that his time at Liverpool coincided with Pep Guardiola’s tenure as Manchester City coach. When Guardiola is around, his team tends to take most of the silverware. Salah can’t do much in World Cups even when Egypt qualifies. So, the Premier League and Anfield will remain his testament. His 255 goals in 435 appearances for Liverpool make him the third-highest scorer in the club’s history. He has won the Premier League Golden Boot four times, two Premier League titles with the Reds, as well as the Champions League, the FA Cup, and more. So, Salah’s sudden announcement that he is leaving Anfield at the end of the 2025-26 season is a sad end to the saga. He had signed a new contract last April and will now leave as a free agent because things didn’t quite work out with new coach Arne Slot. In hindsight, the bell had started tolling for Salah with Jürgen Klopp’s departure. A low point came last December when Salah claimed he was “thrown under the bus” for a 3-3 draw with Leeds. Financially struggling Liverpool will cut their wage bill by Salah’s £400,000 a week. But that’s no way to say goodbye to your best player in decades.

Vaping Squirrels

London’s grey squirrels are not known for their shyness but you shouldn’t toss your discarded vape pens and e-cigarettes around. A squirrel was caught on camera holding an e-cigarette in its paws in Brixton and chewing on it. Another recent social media post showed a squirrel in Wandle Valley near London climbing a tree with a vape pen in its mouth. Experts and conservationists lost no time in warning about the dangers to wildlife posed by littering. It’s likely the animals mistake the fruity smells of vapes and e-cigarettes for food—and nicotine is very toxic for small mammals.