Ukraine may default on its debts as early as August if authorities cannot agree with creditors on debt restructuring, according to sources quoted by The Economist.

But the British magazine considers such a deal unlikely, warning that a default would be a disaster for prospects for the country’s recovery.

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The Finnish Parliament unanimously approved a deal with Washington to open 15 of its military facilities for possible use by US troops.

The deal means US defense equipment and troops could be stationed in Finland.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, in an interview with Dmitry Kiselev, director-general of Sputnik's parent media group Rossiya Segodnya, has previously said Sweden and Finland’s accession to NATO was a meaningless step — since Russia would simply deploy troops and weapons systems near the Finnish border.

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⚔️ Double fire power against swarms of Ukrainian drones

Russian troops started using twin Kalashnikov PKT tank machine guns against Ukrainian drones near the Kakhovka Reservoir.

Ukrainian UAV attacks have intensified due to good weather, according to Russian soldiers. But the machine guns do an excellent job, shooting down several enemy drones every day.

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❗️Russian FM Sergey Lavrov to take part in UN Security Council work in New York on July 16-17, Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported.

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🎥 WATCH: Yemeni Houthis released a video of a local-made unmanned boat 'Flood the destroyer' targeting the Transworld Navigator ship in the Red Sea

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How Le Pen's party scoring a runoff victory might sting Macron

If a political party or alliance other than Macron's secures a majority in the parliamentary election runoff set for July 7, the president will be compelled to appoint a prime minister from that new majority. The result would be a power-sharing arrangement known as ‘cohabitation.’

Why does Macron fear such a scenario?

In France’s semi-presidential system of government, the president is:

🔸Commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces
🔸Wields influence in national security and foreign policy; is in charge of negotiating and ratifying international treaties; appoints the prime minister.
When a French president has a political majority in the National Assembly, reforms aligned with his political agenda are bound to pass through parliament without any obstacles.

The prime minister, via the government and Parliament:
🔸Oversees domestic affairs of the state
🔸Leads the government
🔸Introduces bills

In the event that cohabitation does arise, the French president is relegated to a more subdued role, while still maintaining authority over France's foreign and defense policies. In practice, however, it is the government that controls the armed forces, with the Prime Minister being responsible for national defense, and Parliament holding power over the budget.
Chief of the armed forces “is an honorary noscript for the president, since it’s the prime minister who actually pulls the strings”, Le Pen said in a recent interview.

Macron failed to secure an absolute majority in the National Assembly in June 2022, making it difficult for him to pass unpopular measures. In one instance, he resorted to using a constitutional loophole to enact controversial pension legislation without seeking a vote in the National Assembly last year.

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Israel may launch a military operation against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon in the second half of July, Bild reports, citing sources.

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What does the new ballistic missile alert system in Sevastopol, Crimea, sound like?

"Attention everyone! A ballistic missile! Proceed to the shelter immediately! Move away from the windows!"

A new warning is being used after the Ukrainian Armed Forces attacked a Sevastopol beach with US-supplied ATACMS missiles on June 23. Four civilians were killed and 153 were injured in the attack.

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Trump wins: The US Supreme Court says the former president is immune from prosecution for official acts

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Examination of ATACMS will help Russia destroy NATO weapons faster – retired colonel

Russian designers have got access to Lockheed Martin's Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) guidance block.

"Firstly, [Russian] designers will analyze the whole bulk of data and find out how the missile flies… how it is directed to the target, whether it is guided by the GPS system, or satellites, or heavy drones… They will find out its weaknesses and strengths," Viktor Litovkin, retired Russian Army colonel and military analyst, told Sputnik.

After examining the ATACMS missile, Russian specialists will issue recommendations to the military on how to intercept it more effectively with anti-aircraft missile systems and how to jam it with electronic warfare (EW) weapons, the retired officer said.

In particular, they could tell the Russian military what systems can be used to affect the ATACMS' communications with various aircraft systems or how to turn its GPS system off, Litovkin remarked.

"It is possible that after studying this missile [the Russian military] would be able to discover the launch areas and location of these missiles faster," said the military expert.

"The West should know that all its efforts have been in vain, that Russian weapons and Russian countermeasures are much more effective than its tanks, missiles and guns… This is a signal to the whole world, not just the West, that Western weapons are no match for Russian arms," the retired colonel concluded.

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🇷🇺 Never afraid to be Russian: NHL ice hockey goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky wore a Russian flag as a cape during the Florida Panthers' champions parade.

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🇮🇷 Canada ‘violated Iranians' rights’ by not allowing voting in Iranian presidential election

Canada’s authorities have violated the rights of Iranians by refusing permission for Iranian presidential election polling on its soil, Ali Bagheri Kani, acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, told Sputnik.

“Last Friday we held elections in all countries of the world, and the necessary preparations have already been made to facilitate voting in the second round of elections abroad next Friday,” he stated.

While multiple polling stations were opened for expatriates in countries such as Germany, Iraq, the US and UK, “only one country has acted in violation of the rights of Iranians,” Bagheri emphasized, adding that this is the same country that several days ago “announced its alliance with terrorists.”

The Iranian caretaker foreign minister was referring to the Canadian government's "provocative and irresponsible" decision on June 20 to designate Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a "terrorist entity."

The following day Bagheri Kani accused Canada, which severed diplomatic relations with Tehran in 2012, of “condoning the genocide of the Israeli regime and the actions of terrorists,” since the IRGC is a part of Iran’s armed forces.

A snap election was called in Iran following the death of President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and other officials in a helicopter crash on May 19. After none of the four candidates managed to secure more than 50% in the first round of voting on June 28, a run-off was slated between the top two candidates for July 5.

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Hamas-free ‘bubbles’: Israel preparing operational model for postwar Gaza 
 
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to replace the militant group Hamas (which has been running the Gaza enclave since 2007) with local self-governing bodies, the Financial Times, quoting six people familiar with the matter, reported.
 
According to Netanyahu’s plan, these “humanitarian enclaves” are expected to receive international aid under the condition of being “Hamas-free”, meaning no Hamas presence or influence are allowed inside these “humanitarian bubbles.”
 
Under the scheme, the Israeli military would provide food and other humanitarian assistance, through the northern passage, to “vetted” local Palestinians inside Gaza. These Palestinians would then distribute this aid and “gradually expand their responsibilities to take over civilian governance in the area.” 
 
The aid is expected to be sponsored by “a cluster of moderate Arab countries, along with the US, the EU and the UN,” according to Netanyahu’s adviser quoted by FT. The plan will soon be tested in the Gaza neighborhoods of Atatra, Beit Hanoun, and Beit Lahia.

❗️ Several experts interviewed by the paper called the plan a “fantasy” for the following reasons:

🔸 Netanyahu’s rejection of any role for the legitimate Palestinian Authority (PA) in the plan.

🔸 Some Arab states also reject the plans for disregarding the PA as an actor in Gaza. 

🔸 Similar attempts (to replace Hamas) made by Israel in the past have failed, sometimes with tragic consequences for Palestinians accused of double-dealing by the locals.

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📹 The most entertaining demining tool? Witness the Russian UR-77 Meteorit in action.

◼️ The UR-77 is armed with two line charges, each stretching a staggering 96 meters and packed with over a ton of explosives.

◼️ Its capabilities go beyond just clearing minefields – the Meteorit can also strike enemy strongholds with precision.

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LIVE NOW: The President of the UN Security Council for the month of July and Permanent Representative of Russia, Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia on the Council's programme for the month of July 2024

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Russian motorcycle ‘cavalry’ accelerate the speed of offensive

"[Motorcycles are used], for example, to penetrate behind enemy lines, to storm certain positions, if these positions were previously suppressed by artillery or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV)," Viktor Litovkin, retired Russian Army colonel and military analyst, told Sputnik.

The Russian military has employed a new tactic of motorcycle assaults to cross exposed fields, minimize the risk of attack by Ukrainian drones, and break through enemy defenses from the flanks, the Russian Defense Ministry's press service revealed on June 30.

"[The Russian forces] stun the enemy with artillery or missile strike, and then quickly approach the area. While the enemy is in panic, at a loss, [motorcycle brigades] crush them," Litovkin said, comparing the motorcycle assault with cavalry attacks of past centuries.

The New York Times claimed the tactic could be useful for crossing heavily mined fields: "On the fields, motorcycle riders have good visibility and can swerve to avoid mines," the newspaper speculated.

According to Litovkin, the newspaper's assumption is nonsensical, as it would amount to nothing short of a suicidal mission.

"Let the Americans tell you tales about the advantage of this type of transport in mined areas. This is great stupidity. Mined fields must be cleared first," Litovkin said.

Russian military personnel of the Vostok battlegroup actively used motorcycles and quad bikes during the liberation of the village of Staromayorskoye and other settlements on approach to Ugledar in the Donbass region, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense.

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Not on my watch: Russian policeman jumped into a moving car to stop a drunk driver

On a beach near Krasnoyarsk, a car drove onto the beach and almost ran over over holidaymakers.

To stop the driver, a policeman had to perform a heroic maneuver: he caught up with the car, opened the back door, jumped into the passenger compartment and forced the offender to stop.

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