📹The Russian Su-34 aircraft struck a cluster of Ukrainian militants and equipment with a FAB-3000 bomb in the Sumy region bordering Russia's Kursk region, the Russian Defense Ministry shared.

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❗️Russian air defense forces shot down three Ukrainian fighter jets and 72 HIMARS rockets, as well as Vampire and Olkha missiles and 668 drones.

🇷🇺🪖 More statements from the Russian Defense Ministry’s weekly briefing on the progress of the special military operation in Ukraine:

▪️On the front lines, 55 Ukrainian militants surrendered

▪️The Russian Yug Battlegroup hit formations from 13 Ukrainian brigades and repelled seven enemy counterattacks, with Ukrainian losses totaling up to 4,240 soldiers.

▪️The Vostok Battlegroup repelled four Ukrainian counterattacks, with enemy losses reaching up to 760 militants

▪️In the Russian Zapad Battlegroup's combat zone, Ukrainian forces lost up to 3,260 troops and two Leopard tanks

▪️Units of the Russian Zapad Battlegroup occupied more advantageous positions and struck formations from 11 Ukrainian brigades

▪️In the Russian Tsentr Battlegroup's combat zone in the Donetsk People’s Republic, Ukrainian losses reached up to 2,520 militants and 17 armored vehicles

▪️The Sever Battlegroup hit formations from eight Ukrainian brigades in the Volchansk and Liptsev directions, repelling seven enemy counterattacks

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Wife of Harris' VP pick slammed by netizens for her comments on 2020 BLM riots

"I could smell the burning tires, and that was a very real thing. And I kept the windows open as long as I could because I felt like that was such a touchstone of what was happening," said Gwen Walz, the wife of Tim Walz, Kamal Harris' running mate and Minnesota governor, in an interview to KSTP in 2020. 

Her words have caused a wave of discontent online, as Tim Walz is accused of being slow to call the National Guard to stop violent Black Lives Matter (BLM) riots in 2020 which left many businesses in Minneapolis in ruins and put the lives of police officials in jeopardy.

"Her [Walz's] daughter also coordinated with rioters to let them know that the National Guard would not be activated one night," said Dustin Grage, the president of a conservative Minnesota-based consulting firm.

Trump's running mate, JD Vance, has also criticized the Minnesota governor:  

"If we remember the rioting in the summer of 2020, Tim Walz was the guy who let rioters burn down Minneapolis... And then Kamala Harris was the one who bailed the rioters out of jail," he said.

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Gaza ceasefire talks: Why does Israel want to sit down despite looming Iran attack?

It’s unlikely that Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “basic guidelines have changed dramatically” when it comes to his decision to send an Israeli delegation to Cairo or Doha to attend next week’s talks on a Gaza ceasefire deal, Avi Melamed, a former Israeli intelligence official and regional analyst, tells Sputnik.

“I don't think that what we see here is a shift of 180 degrees. But I do think that Netanyahu also is aware of the fact that at the end of the day the maneuvering space is narrowing, and he needs to move forward, both for domestic as well as for regional and international reasons,” Melamed points out.

It seems Netanyahu is advancing to “some sort of a breakthrough in this whole situation,” the analyst says, warning at the same time that “the whole thing is obviously hanging by a thread.”

“If there was going to be a Hezbollah/Iranian attack [on Israel], it is going to result in severe outcomes,” the ex-Israeli intelligence official cautions, in a nod to the two’s possible retaliation against the Jewish state over the recent assassinations of Hezbollah and Hamas leaders.

On the other hand, Israel’s desire to take part in the Gaza talks amid growing regional tensions “may have to do with the fact that, at the end of the day, when you put aside the whole issue of the retaliation, the basic interest of major players in wars like Israel, Iran, Hezbollah is to avoid a wider escalation,” the pundit argues. In other words, “each side has in this point some interesting conjunction of interests,” Melamed concludes.

The US, Qatar and Egypt earlier urged Israel and Hamas to resume urgent discussions on August 15 "to close all remaining gaps" and start implementing a ceasefire agreement in Gaza without "further delay."

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Ukraine's incursion into Russia's Kursk region puts EU energy stability at risk – activist

The Kiev regime’s attack into Russia’s Kursk region, where the Sudzha gas transfer and measuring station is located, may have far-reaching repercussions for the EU, Endre Simo, the president of the Hungarian Community for Peace, tells Sputnik.

“The penetration of Ukrainian troops into the territory of Russia with American encouragement” and their potential occupation of the Sudzha station could “sensitively affect [EU members] Hungary and Slovakia,” Simo says.

The possible development could threaten “to cut both countries off from Russian gas coming through the pipeline, similar to the shutdown of Russian oil coming through the Druzhba pipeline from Ukraine, he warns.

Given Hungary and Slovakia’s dependence on Russian energy carriers, it is possible that in the aforementioned worst-case scenario, “the Ukrainians will force us [Budapest and Bratislava] to political and military concessions, which we cannot avoid without risking our energy supply, and our economic stability,” the activist stresses.

“This does not necessarily mean that Budapest and Bratislava would revise their peace policy and join the pro-war NATO and EU allies, but they could be forced to make concessions that they have been able to avoid so far,” Simo adds.

In the event of a potential seizure of the Sudzha station by the Kiev regime, “I do not think it is out of the question that the Hungarian government will give in and possibly withdraw from the veto it raised against the European Union's latest financial and military aid to Ukraine,” the activist concludes.

The Sudzha station remains the only entry point for Russian natural gas into the Ukrainian gas transmission system for onward transport to Europe. The Russian energy giant Gazprom has meanwhile confirmed it continues to supply gas for Europe via the facility.

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Ukraine’s inept military command plays part in Kiev’s devastating summer losses - reports

Ukrainian troops are now withdrawing up to 1 km a day amid Russia’s steady gains throughout the Donbass region, The Economist has reported.

The devastating figure partly relates to the inapt tactics of the Ukrainian military command, particularly, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky.

According to the publication, some Ukrainian battalions are left with merely 20 unqualified soldiers with no backup fighting old Soviet-era weapons around Chasov Yar, a crucial battlefield, thus suffering severe losses.

“It’s madness. We are fighting with cooks, electricians and mechanics,” an anonymous Ukrainian soldier shared, adding “call me Syrsky” in a jab against Ukraine’s top general.
Russia making successful strategic moves in silence in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) adds to Ukraine’s unsettling outcomes.

The recent developments on the front lines are in stark contrast to Zelensky’s failed summer counteroffensive a year ago. Another element that is fueling Ukraine's disappointing battle performance is the new draconian mobilization laws that are seemingly producing a completely opposite effect to what both Kiev and its Western sponsors were initially hoping for.

Among the factors that ensure Russia’s success are its superior weaponry, including advanced combat drones, glide bombs and artillery, as well as new recruits eager to fight. The same, however, cannot be said about Ukraine. The evident lack of supplies and low morale are among the factors contributing to Kiev’s devastating summer turnout.

“The command was weak,” a Ukrainian officer commented on the battlefield situation, adding that unless Ukraine regains the initiative, Russia “will continue to set the terms.”

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When the rich eat the poor: Who is behind eco-activists disrupting common people's life? Part 1 / Part 2

Radical climate activists of Futuro Vegetal (Vegetable Future), the Spain-based group that is reportedly acting under the umbrella of the Extinction Rebellion movement, have recently vandalized the Ibiza mansion of football star Lionel Messi, posting photos with the slogan "Help the planet, eat the rich, abolish the police."

Was this naivete, stupidity or brazen eco-terrorism? Let's examine some of the actions of some other radical eco-groups.

▪️Extinction Rebellion (XR) is a global movement originating from the UK which is aimed at reaching the net zero carbon emission goal by 2025. In April 2019, thousands of XR activists occupied several streets and landmarks in London, including Waterloo Bridge, Marble Arch, Parliament Square, Oxford Circus and Piccadilly Circus for 11 days in a bid to disrupt the city's business activities. They also smashed a revolving door at the headquarters of Shell Oil Company and vandalized the building with graffiti. The action resulted in severe traffic disruptions, prompting the government to dispatch 10,000 police officers and arrest 1,130 XR activists.

In June and July 2019, the group plotted to fly myriads of toy drones near Britain’s busiest Heathrow Airport, but suspended the plan after government threats and an outcry from airport officials who accused XR of trying to jeopardy the lives of passengers and airline employees. Nonetheless in September 2019, XR flew at least two dozen drones in the 5 km exclusion zone around Heathrow's major transport hub in a bid to close the airport "for the foreseeable future". Most of XR participants "were new to drone flying, with little or no experience of flying machines," as per court filings.

▪️Just Stop Oil is a UK-based coalition of groups fighting for ending the production of fossil fuels in the UK. The group's activists are infamous for throwing tomato soup over Vincent van Gogh's Sunflowers painting at the National Gallery in London in October 2022 to raise climate change awareness. While the painting remained unharmed thanks to a protective barrier, the action prompted public indignation, shock and anxiety since many were unaware the world's masterpiece was protected by glass.

In November 2022, Just Stop Oil blocked sections of London's ringroad motorway the M25, a major 188-km road encircling most of Greater London, in a "civil resistance campaign" for four consequent days over global warming. The action resulted in tens of thousands of British drivers suffering long delays and emergency services access being disrupted. In July 2024, the participants of the action were sentenced to lengthy jail terms with the judge lambasting them for "crossing the line from concerned campaigner to fanatic."

▪️Members of Futuro Vegetal are known for having glued themselves to two paintings by Francisco de Goya in Madrid's Prado museum in November 2022, as well as for acts of public disturbance and vandalism. In May 2024, they blocked the headquarters of asset management company Amundi which works with French oil giant Total, while in March they painted the residence of the Archbishop of Barcelona Juan José Omella purple over what they called "the violation of LGTBI*+ rights."

* banned as an extremist organization in Russia

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Who funds these actions? Part 2 / Part 1

While the aforementioned movements vocally blame the rich for the climate crisis, their biggest donors are themselves very rich and well-connected.

▪️US billionaire George Soros tops the list of XR donors, Breitbart claimed in 2019, citing documents reportedly obtained from the group.

▪️Hillary Clinton's Onward Together, a political action organization, provided a total of half a million dollars in 2021 and 2022 via the Climate Emergency Fund (CEF) to Just Stop Oil, as per the British press. Neither the CEF nor Just Stop Oil is mentioned as a "partner" on the Onward Together website.

▪️The CEF, which was co-founded in 2019 by Aileen Getty, the granddaughter of American petrol tycoon J Paul Getty, funds both the XR network, Just Stop Oil and many other climate groups. Other founders of the fund are US investor Trevor Neilson and film-maker Rory Kennedy – daughter of Robert F. Kennedy (RFK), and sister to US presidential candidate RFK Jr.

▪️British billionaire Chris Hohn, who leads the world’s top-performing hedge fund TCI, is also known as one of the biggest individual donors of XR.

▪️Other donors, funneling money for controversial climate change actions include the European Climate Foundation (ECF), which is in its turn is funded by the Bloomberg Family Foundation, ClimateWorks Foundation, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, the Growald Family Fund, and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.

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