Good Morning:
In case what was missing from your life was live butter sculpture carving, the Minnesota State Fair has you covered.
Pursuant to a vote of the Greek Chorus, the #GreekChorusFoundation has taken on #OperationSlava.
For those who missed my earlier posts on the subject, Slava Kurbanov was the deputy commander of an anti-aircraft battalion in Ukraine’s 159th Mechanized Brigade. He volunteered in February 2022, in the first wave, and served for four and a half years. He was also, though he never mentioned it to the estimable Jimmy Ruston, a friend who knew him mainly across a poker table, a prominent amateur tennis player.
Slava and his unit are part of the #GreekChorusFoundation’s story already. Last winter, Operation Battery put one of its batteries in their hands — the one favor asked of us by Jimmy, a friend of #DogShirtTV who carried those batteries around Kyiv when the power was out.
In the middle of August 2026, a Russian ballistic missile struck Slava’s command post. Everyone present was killed.
Here is the part a reader outside Ukraine may not know. When a soldier dies this way, there are often no remains to identify without DNA testing, and that testing takes two months at the least. Until it is done, the death is not official. Until the death is official, the family is not eligible for benefits, and the pay has already stopped. Slava’s salary, roughly $2,000 a month, supported his wife, his teenage son, and his elderly mother. Some of Ukraine’s best-known brigades run patronage services that look after families in this position. A regular mechanized brigade does not, and the family is left waiting on the state.
Jimmy joined #DogShirtTV on August 25, 2026 to remember his friend and ask the Greek Chorus for help:
On September 5, 2026, the Greek Chorus voted overwhelmingly to step in, and voted for temporary support: Operation Slava provides financial support to Slava’s dependents, for rent, groceries, and a proper funeral, until the death is confirmed and Ukrainian state benefits come through. Then we reassess. Slava’s eldest daughter is expecting twins this fall, and provision for them is part of the same fund.
This project has a specific goal meant to cover living expenses for a discrete period of time. Any reassessment of that judgment will be submitted to a vote of the foundation membership. Want to help?
In a happy piece of #GreekChorusFoundation news, I received a text from Taya of #OperationTaya last night. Taya, for those new to this, is the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense staffer we decided to send to graduate school for two years—first at the College of Europe in Belgium and then at the Fletcher School at Tufts. Taya informs me that she is now in Belgium. Classes are starting today. Thanks to everyone who contributed.
Just your periodic reminder that together, we can do cool things—a lesson not just about the foundation but about life, in general.
Today’s #BeastOfTheDay is the beaver, which we celebrate today for its hard work taking the fight to the Russians:
Russian media reports have cast beavers migrating into the Kaliningrad region from Poland and Lithuania as an “invasion” from NATO territory.
Residents have complained for about two months that dams built by the animals are causing waterways to overflow, flooding fields and forests and contributing to waterlogging.
According to Russian reports, around 100 volunteers have dismantled 43 dams, including some near Russia’s borders with Poland and Lithuania.
Veterinary scientist Alexander Muromtsev dismissed the geopolitical framing, saying the animals are simply migrating and that Russian beavers also move into neighboring countries.
In honor of today’s Beast, let’s cheer on our brave rodent soldiers!
Today, we mourn a great Sprite of Mischief, an inspiration to us all. Noël Godin, who died on August 23, has been attacking public figures with pies to the face since 1969. Like this:
Or like this:
You can find a compilation of all Godin’s greatest hits here, and I do encourage you to read his obituary. What an artist!
