"Canada and Italy have entered talks for Canada’s purchase of M-346 advanced jet trainer aircraft." Canada is looking for a new Fighter Lead-In Training aircraft. The M-346 is a slightly unorthodox choice because it's multi-engine, while Canada's fighter(s) will be single-engine. Still, it's well regarded and the aircraft Canadian fighter pilots are currently being trained on at the International Flight Training School in Sardinia. bnnbloomberg.ca/business/pol…

Looks like I was half right. I predicted that the M346 would be our new trainer AND our new Snow Birds demo team jet. It would have been great at both, but this is still a good decision for the RCAF. PS: See, I don't always pick the Saab option (T7).

Watching videos of the burning Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra after a Russian attack hurts. It feels awful, like somebody is twisting a knife in my guts. And you know why? Is it because of the Lavra's significance for Ukraine? Yes, but not only that. It’s because Russia is allowed to destroy our churches, our language, our museums, our artists. They are allowed to try and erase us in every way possible, and they've been doing it for years, decades, hell, for centuries! And all this time, the world just watches.

To understand the scale of today’s Russian crime against humanity’s historical heritage: it is the equivalent of bombing St. Peter’s Basilica in a war of conquest against Italy, or Notre-Dame de Paris against France, Westminster Abbey against Britain, or Aachen Cathedral.

And it all began nearly 1,000 years ago, when a monk named Anthony returned to ancient Kyiv from a monastery on Mount Athos in Greece. He was seeking solitude and the life of a hermit, and so he secluded himself in small caves among the green hills on the banks of the Dnipro, where centuries earlier Vikings sought shelter while traveling far to the south along the great river had stopped and sought shelter. People learned of the piety of the hermit Anthony, and disciples began coming to him in the caves. Over many years, they dug entire labyrinths in those caves, where they prayed and labored in the half-darkness -- and reverently noticed that after death the bodies of the monks remained incorrupt (of course, this was due to the unique microclimate deep inside the caves). Thus was born the famous Kyiv Pechersk Monastery (that is, the “Cave Monastery”), which would later become the magnificent Lavra -- the foremost and greatest holy site of Christian Rus'. A real city within a city, with magnificent ancient churches built by rulers of different eras, monastic caves, gigantic crowds of pilgrims, and, in later times, the famous 97-meter bell tower, one of Kyiv's calling cards, visible for many dozens of kilometers along the banks of the Dnipro. Over its 1,000 years, the Lavra survived the internecine wars of the princes of Rus', the Mongol invasion, long years of decline and rebirth. It was the foremost center of learning and printing, and it was in its caves that the legendary monk Nestor wrote the famous Primary Chronicle -- the principal book of historical memory of the East Slavic peoples. It survived the barbarity of the Bolsheviks. It survived destruction during World War II. It survived centuries during which Moscow priests, having seized it, lorded over it. It will survive Putin and his fascist Russia as well -- no matter how the monster pukes blood in powerless rage because it cannot defeat Ukraine, and no matter how hard it tries to wipe from the face of the earth everything it cannot seize.

Please Look, World, and please do not stay silent. This is what Kyiv looks like after another night of russian аttacks. Dеstroyed homes, shаttered lives, grіef, and pаin.

Canadian Fern Blodgett Sunde was the first woman to serve as a wireless radio operator at sea -- on a Norwegian merchant navy vessel during WW II. legionmagazine.com/the-wavem… I'm very proud of the Legion Magazine feature I wrote about her, so please consider reading and sharing!

I step into a cafe where I work some mornings. Hadn’t read the news yet. The barista is Ukrainian. My friendly ‘morning!’ is met with a weak smile. I know what it means. ‘What happened?’ ‘Pechersk Lavra is burning.’ Imagine waking every morning to the dread of finding out who Russia has killed, what Russia has destroyed in the night. Every day, for over four years. I’ll say here what I said to her: this is Russia losing. Blind rage and destruction because they have no viable strategy, no path to victory. It doesn’t make this any better, it doesn’t bring lost loved ones or national treasures back. But it is true. Fascist Russia will destroy itself. And Ukraine will survive, will win, will rebuild. You are not alone.

#DYK BC’s provincial flag was officially adopted on June 14, 1960? Celebrate this piece of our history—and show your pride—with desk flags, pins and more from the #BCLeg Gift Shop.

Canadian-Designed by Vard Marine! Another example of Canadian Industries strong ties to Chile.

This is the UNESCO World Heritage site i Kyiv that Russia has bombed tonight. Founded in 1051. A craddle of Eastern Christianity and one of the most important cultural sites in all of Eastern Europe. Right now the cathedral is burning because Russia has no moral, no values.

Future HMCS Fraser (DDGH) River-class destroyer at Irving Shipbuilding in Halifax with keel laying ceremony - June 13, 2026 SRC: FB- Nova Scotia Government

This is very distressing news. Russia has attacked the territory of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most significant spiritual and cultural landmarks of Ukraine and the world. Russian forces damaged Uspenskiy Cathedral. It’s on fire now.  The Kyiv Pechersk Lavra is listed under Enhanced Protection pursuant to the Second Protocol to the 1954 Hague Convention. An attack on it constitutes one of the gravest crimes against the world’s cultural heritage.

What an incredible Alberta story. Thank you to Minister Devin Dreeshen for helping ensure the remarkable people who helped build our province are remembered and honoured. Our history matters, and so do the Albertans who shaped it.

Russian milblogger Two Majors calls the Crimea isolation strikes an information operation by the west, saying that a blockade of the peninsula is physically impossible. That's a much more optimistic take than we're seeing on other Russian channels.

On June 12, 2026, Canada’s Ministry of Defence announced the ceremony for the keel-laying ceremony of the first River-class destroyer in Halifax 🇨🇦 navalnews.com/naval-news/202…

France and Canada. President Macron and PM Carney have announced a new general security of information agreement. This may not sound like much but it is incredibly important. open.substack.com/pub/johnra…

The Ukrainian 🇺🇦 blocus of Crimea is starting 🇷🇺 After they repeatedly hit bridges connecting Crimea and occupied Kherson oblast, the Ukrainians started implementing a blocus of the peninsula. Last night, trucks and a pontoon bridge were hit. 🧵THREAD🧵1/15 ⬇️

Madyar, Ukraine’s top drone commander: We will isolate Crimea. Striking vehicles on that highway is as easy as shooting partridges in an open field. Military personnel and defense workers will find it impossible to remain there or use access routes to it. 1/

Germany wants to produce Ukraine's Flamingo cruise missile on German soil. The reason: Trump cancelled the Tomahawks that were supposed to be there. Diehl Defence - maker of IRIS-T - is in talks with Fire Point. Meetings planned in coming weeks. The German firm brings an upgraded guidance system. Ukraine brings the missile and the combat experience. Fire Point produces 200 Flamingos a month at ~$500,000 each - a quarter of a Tomahawk's price. Ukrainian weapons are filling the gaps American politics left behind.