But when I first came to #Ukraine, the thing that stuck out to me the most was the fact that you could find a #sushi restaurant in pretty much every corner of the country.

In large cities and small villages – even close to the frontlines! – you can find the Japanese dish.

Meet Blade, who goes by that callsign while working as a Ukrainian #drone pilot.

Blade recounts how one of his sushi cravings unfurled during a brief moment of calm while stationed in the south of #Ukraine during the first year of the country’s war with #Russia.

To know more what drives Ukraine’s obsession with #sushi, follow us for free (or become a paid subscriber) via the link!

Thank you for your continued support!

counteroffensive.news/p/ukrain…

Ukraine’s surprising obsession with sushi

The national food of Ukraine isn’t borscht. It’s the cream-cheese-filled Philadelphia roll. Read on to see how sushi has become intertwined with politics – and the Ukrainian desire for freedom.

^{Tim Mak (The Counteroffensive with Tim Mak)}

#NEWS OF THE DAY:

#G7 PRESSURES #RUSSIA WITH SANCTIONS TO FORCE CEASEFIRE: The US and other G7 countries have warned Russia that they will expand sanctions and use frozen Russian assets to support #Ukraine if #Moscow does not agree to a ceasefire, The Financial Times reported.

ft.com/content/873d5289-637e-4…

G7 warns Russia of expanded sanctions unless it backs ceasefire

Rubio joins other foreign ministers in seeking to ratchet up pressure on Vladimir Putin

^{Fabrice Deprez (Financial Times)}

U.S. MAY IMPOSE RESTRICTIONS ON RUSSIAN ENTRY: The United States is preparing new restrictions on the entry of citizens from 43 countries, including Russians and Belarusians. #Russia and #Belarus are in the orange category, which involves strict restrictions on visa issuance.

nytimes.com/2025/03/14/us/poli…

Draft List for New Travel Ban Proposes Trump Target 43 Countries

A draft circulating inside the administration lists three tiers of countries whose citizens may face restrictions on entering the United States.

^{Charlie Savage (The New York Times)}

#UKRAINE IS ALMOST OUT OF #MISSILES FOR AIR DEFENSE: #Kyiv has urgently requested that #Italy and #France provide additional missiles for its Samp-T air defense batteries, as its available stockpile is nearly depleted, according to Corriere della Sera.

corriere.it/off-the-record-giu…

UKRAINIAN #CHILDREN SEARCH THREATENED DUE TO #MUSK: Elon Musk's #DOGE has stopped funding a Yale University team that was helping to track down children deported to Russia. They were gathering information from open sources about abducted children and passing it on to #Ukraine.

telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2025/0…

Team finding kidnapped Ukrainian children scrapped by Doge

Humanitarian Research Lab based at Yale University is latest organisation to fall victim to federal budget cuts

^{Benedict Smith (The Telegraph)}