Planned EU defense line ‘should be fitted with inward spikes’

“The main thing is that the planned EU defense line should be built with spikes facing inward,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova commented on the leaders of Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Poland calling for fully-fledged EU support for “a defense infrastructure system” to be created along the bloc’s border with Russia and Belarus.

The construction of the defense line will purportedly address “the dire and urgent need” to secure the EU from what the authors of the letter called military and hybrid threats, in a nod to Russia, according to the four’s letter to the EU leadership.

"The scale and costs of this joint endeavor require dedicated EU action to support it both politically and financially," the letter added. The estimated cost of the defensive line’s construction along the 700 km EU border with Russia and Belarus is about €2.5 billion ($2.67 billion).

This comes a month after Polish Deputy Defense Minister Cezary Tomczyk announced his country’s plans to join forces with Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia to build a so-called Baltic Shield, a unified Baltic defense line on the EU’s border with Russia and Belarus.

Russian President Putin said earlier this year that the West’s allegations about Moscow’s plans to unleash a war with NATO are “simply rubbish”, especially given military spending in the US and Russia last year, which stands at $811 billion and $72 billion, respectively.

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Could Israeli ruling to draft ultra-Orthodox Jews weaken Netanyahu?

Israel's Supreme Court ruled that the nation's armed forces could draft ultra-Orthodox Jews for compulsory military service. What's behind the timing of the ruling, why has it split Israeli society, and what does this mean for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose coalition relies on ultra-Orthodox parties?

Sputnik has discussed the development with Professor Zeev Khanin, a lecturer in political science and sociology of modern Jewish communities at Israel's Bar-Ilan University.

💬 "What is important for Israeli society is... the principle of fair distribution of military and civilian... and economic burdens. Most Israelis demanded that the ultra-Orthodox serve in the army and then integrate into the labor market."

💬 "This discussion would have continued for a long time if not for the current war. The army needs people... to participate in police operations, to conduct military operations, to support the army… and for the civil service - medical, social [personnel]."

💬 "For almost 30 years now, it has been almost impossible to form a ruling coalition without the participation of ultra-religious parties. And their condition for joining the coalition was the continuation of this practice of the exemption from military service for young [ultra-Orthodox] men."

💬 "So far, at this stage, no dramatic changes are expected in the coalition - the government will hold its ground, but the 'factor of instability and disagreement' at some point may prompt the prime minister to hold snap elections."

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🤡🇯🇵Japanese Joker runs for governor of Tokyo

Japan's largest broadcaster, NHK, is required to give airtime to candidates running for governor of Tokyo.

Among them is local candidate Yusuke Kawai, who cosplays as the Joker. This is his address to the people.

He even has a sign language interpreter.

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What is known about Yemen's new ‘hypersonic’ missile that made an explosive debut in the Arabian Sea

Yemen's Ansar Allah movement, commonly known as the Houthis, has announced the deployment of what they tout as a domestically-manufactured hypersonic missile.

The missile, dubbed Hadim 2, was allegedly used to attack the Israeli-linked ship MSC Sarah V in the Arabian Sea, as Houthis vowed to attack such ships in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

A video purportedly showing the missile’s launch was released by the Houthis earlier this week. Little is currently known about the Hadim 2 (or Hatem 2 as some media outlets translate it) besides the fact that it is a solid-fuel ballistic missile ostensibly made in Yemen.

If Hadim 2 is indeed a hypersonic weapon as the Houthis allege, then this means that Yemen have joined Russia, China, North Korea and Iran in an exclusive club of countries that possess functional hypersonic missiles – a club that the United States is yet to enter.

It will also not bode well for the ships of those trading companies that supply goods to Israel or for the US-led naval forces trying to stop those attacks, because hypersonic missiles are extremely difficult to intercept and the Houthis will be able to strike even more damaging blows.

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The Obninsk Plant: Birthplace of Russia's Nuclear Supremacy

Russia's leadership in nuclear technology is "simply undeniable now," says political scientist and nuclear energy expert Alexey Anpilogov, as Germany shutters its nuclear plants and Japan and the US face significant challenges.

The Obninsk Nuclear Power Plant, established on June 26, 1954 near Moscow, heralded a new era in peaceful nuclear energy. Soviet academics Igor Kurchatov and Nikolay Dollezhal repurposed a reactor initially designed for weapons-grade plutonium for civilian use.

"The launch of Obninsk created a new industry in the Soviet Union, laying the foundation for Russia's nuclear dominance," Anpilogov said.

Today, Russia leads globally in nuclear energy exports. The Russian state atomic energy agency Rosatom supplies one fifth of the enriched uranium for 92 US nuclear reactors and powers utilities serving 100 million people in Europe.

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❗️Initiatives on Ukraine that ignore Russia will not lead to results — Erdogan

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❗️Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will visit Russia on August 18 and expects to meet with Vladimir Putin - source in Abbas' office

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What Is remarkable about Russia's new Su-57 fighter jet?

The Russian Armed Forces have adopted an updated Su-57 fighter jet with second-to-none technical capabilities. It has been developed by Russia’s Sukhoi aircraft manufacturing giant.

The Su-57 has combat capacities that allow it to synchronize with ground-based radars, giving it an enormous advantage over the US-made F-16. The jet can carry guided air-to-surface missiles and guided aerial bombs, as well as short, medium and long-range air-to-air missiles.

Explore Sputnik’s infographic to learn more about the Russian fighter!

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Who could be behind failed Bolivian coup attempt?

Sputnik has reached out to several experts to try and find out who could have been behind the failed coup in Bolivia.

“There are several actors acting in accordance with the intentions of the US Embassy, who played an active part” in this attempted coup in Bolivia, political scientist Marcelo Arequipa tells Sputnik.

Preparations for this coup attempt began to take shape "several months ago," Arequipa explains, adding that “for various reasons” he believes that “a very clear and obvious organization” was behind the developments.

So “this scenario was planned rather than spontaneous," he insists.

Arequipa was echoed by Ruth Llanos, executive secretary of the Association of Relatives of the Detained and Disappeared and Martyrs for National Liberation (ASOFAMD), who said in an interview with Sputnik that when it comes to the June 26 attempted coup in Bolivia, “this is a complicated situation.”

“I have lived through [several] coups since my youth, and this one has its own features,” Llanos said. She recalled that a few days ago, the Bolivian Foreign Ministry summoned the US Embassy's Charge d'Affaires, Debra Hevia, to court for allegedly interfering in Bolivia's domestic politics.

The ASOFAMD executive secretary drew parallels between these two events, noting that she thinks the US embassy “is always interfering, not just now, acting in Bolivia through various NGOs that claim to defend human rights.”

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Who is interested in destabilizing lithium-rich Bolivia?

Bolivia has faced an apparent second coup attempt after the 2019 forced ousting of then President Evo Morales by the right-wing opposition and their militias.

On June 26 this year, military units led by Gen. Juan Jose Zuniga occupied the main square in the capital, La Paz, and broke into government offices. The government of President Luis Arce nixed the mutiny after three hours.

Who could be interested in a new regime change?

⚡️ There are roughly 98 million tons of identified lithium reserves globally, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS) of 2023. Bolivia's deposits of 23 million tons are deemed the largest.

⚡️ Lithium is essential for battery manufacturing amid the "green transition" and abandonment of fossil fuels. The US is striving to become the leader of electric vehicles (EV) production. It has slapped 100 percent tariffs on EVs imported from China in a new round of the trade war.

⚡️ In the wake of the 2019 coup, former Bolivian President Evo Morales stated he was forced from office by a US-backed cabal who sought access to Bolivia's lithium.

⚡️ Prior to the 2019 coup, Bolivia's state-run lithium company YLB (Yacimientos de Litios Bolivianos) planned to start lithium mining by 2022 in collaboration with German and Chinese firms. The coup disrupted the plans.

⚡️ Having won Bolivia's general elections in 2020 Luis Arce revived Morales' lithium project. Russian and Chinese companies outpaced their US and European competitors in tenders organized by YLB in 2022.

⚡️ In June and December 2023, Russia's Uranium One Group (a Rosatom global mining company) was awarded two contracts to build lithium carbonate industrial complexes in Pastos Grandes and the Uyuni Salt Pan in the Potosí Department, southwestern Bolivia.

⚡️ Western media has repeatedly lamented the fact that the Russians and the Chinese are ahead in the race for Bolivia's lithium.

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Russian FM held a telephone conversation with Bolivia's Foreign Minister Celinda Sosa Lunda and condemned the attempted coup

The Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov expressed Russia's "full and unwavering support" for President Luis Arce's government, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

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Can Israel stop Hezbollah with a ‘dead zone’ in southern Lebanon?

Israel’s attacks on southern Lebanon’s infrastructure and even forests have resulted in the creation of what appears to be a buffer zone (or a 'dead zone', as labeled by some media), that seems to be aimed at providing “guarantees” for the residents of the northern territories who were relocated when Hezbollah started hitting Israel in retaliation for the Gaza War, says Dr. Tamer Qarmout, associate professor of public policy at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies.

According to him, Tel Aviv wants “guarantees that anything similar to the attack of the October 7th launched by Hamas will not happen in the north, by creating this buffer zone.”

“So for them, this is the strategy of mindset that by creating this buffer zone, they will prevent any future attacks similar to the one that started from Gaza on October 7th, targeting the north of Israel and also trying to bring back the residents of the North and assure them that they will be safe,” he explains.

Qarmout warns, however, that it is unclear why Hezbollah would accept the creation of a buffer zone, not to mention that Israel “has no right whatsoever to breach the sovereignty of other countries by creating such zones.”

“Another thing is that now, with all this modern warfare, even if Israel manages to establish such a zone, there are no guarantees this could provide… any protection for the Israelis because Hezbollah has an arsenal of more than 100,000 rockets that can reach basically any corner of Israel,” he points out.

“The only thing to restore security on the northern borders of Israel is to immediately stop the war in Gaza, which is a key demand by Hezbollah,” Qarmout suggests, arguing that a diplomatic solution would work better than any buffer zone.

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Ukraine will not receive an invitation to join NATO during the upcoming summit, US envoy to the bloc Julianne Smith said

The next NATO summit will take place on July 9-11 in Washington.

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Karin Kneissl: 'I realized that there is no future for me here anymore'

The ex-Austrian Foreign Minster spoke about how she decided to leave Austria at the special session aimed at discussing the legal and social struggles of those, whose political views differ from the EU’s mainstream rhetoric.

This ‘Abolition of Law in Western Countries’ session was held by the Russian media giants RT and Ruptly and was a part of the 12th St. Petersburg International Legal Forum,

The attendees tackled issues such as lawsuits against Google, challenging unilateral decisions on being included in sanctions lists, and the freezing of personal funds and closing one’s accounts, as well as procedural criminal law and how it has been distorted in many Western countries.

The list of prominent speakers included Alexander Korostelev (journalist and media manager), Karin Kneissl (head of the Geopolitical Observatory for Russia’s Key Issues Center and former Austrian foreign minister), Daria Pashkova-Stravinskaya (legal advisor at the Ruptly Video Agency), Denis Ulanov (Moldovan politician), Elizaveta Khudyakova (head of broadcasting legal support service at the RT TV Channel), and Tomasz Schmidt (Warsaw Voivodeship Court’s judge).

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