The Counteroffensive with Tim Mak

The Counteroffensive with Tim Mak

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The Counteroffensive with Tim Mak
The Counteroffensive with Tim Mak
NEWFLASH: Kyiv ablaze on U.S. Independence Day

NEWFLASH: Kyiv ablaze on U.S. Independence Day

Trump and Putin spoke after the U.S. paused weapons shipments. Then Russia launched a massive barrage.

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Tim Mak
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Mariana Lastovyria
,
Anastasiia Kryvoruchenko
, and 2 others
Jul 04, 2025
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The Counteroffensive with Tim Mak
The Counteroffensive with Tim Mak
NEWFLASH: Kyiv ablaze on U.S. Independence Day
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Editor’s note: Every week, Russia launches massive attacks on Kyiv, forcing our team to sleep in hallways. We’re collecting sleeping bags, foldable cots, ear plugs, and eye masks to make their lives a little easier.

The Counteroffensive also covers the cost of therapy sessions, as just living in Ukraine is emotionally exhausting — let alone reporting on the war.

Help us support the continued work of our team.

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Kyiv on July 4, 2025. Source: @KaterynaLis on Twitter.

You know it’s bad when you wake up and can immediately taste the ash in the air.

People are being advised to stay inside with the windows closed, but the remnants of last night’s attacks – and subsequent mass fires – find their way in through cracks and crevices, an irritant that reminds of the desperate situation and American betrayal.

After all, Russia 'greeted' the U.S. with fireworks for Independence Day.

Though not in Washington, but in Kyiv.

The vibrations, the buildings shaking, the crack of air defense teams firing at incoming, the sneering buzz of Russian kamikaze drones in the dark – all remind you that there is a threat to your life.

The sudden flashes of light, followed seconds later by a lung-rattling sound wave – all send adrenaline and cortisol skyrocketing.

Residents descended into the metro for shelter during an air raid and a mass kamikaze drone attack on the center of the capital July 4, 2025 in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Photo by Kostiantyn Liberov/Libkos/Getty Images)

After the paywall:

  • Details of the Putin-Trump call, and what came next

  • How it felt on the ground on the receiving end of the attacks

  • The damage, for a generation, to America’s reputation in the world

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