❗️Turkiye tried to resume agreements on the protection of maritime food supplies in the spring - Russia was ready for this, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.

He added that during negotiations with Turkiye on the safety of commercial shipping, Ukraine proposed to include an item on the safety of nuclear power plants in the document.

Russia was ready to agree to this proposal, but Kiev refused it later, the minister stressed.

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Kamala Harris is the 'clear underdog': Democrats lowering expectations or offering reality check?

The Democrats enter the final phase of the election as "the clear underdogs”, Harris-Walz campaign chief, Jen O'Malley Dillon, wrote in a memo noscriptd "The State of the Race 65 Days Out."

Dillon, previously confident in Joe Biden's victory despite poor poll results, had never made such a statement before. The US mainstream media cites Harris' rising approval numbers, while questioning Dillon's newfound caution.

What’s troubling the Harris-Walz campaign chief?

🔸Despite record fundraising, increased volunteer interest, and a spike in voter enthusiasm, Dillon cautions that "Donald Trump has a motivated base of support, with more backing and higher favorability than he has had at any point since 2020."

🔸The upcoming debate between Vice President Harris and Trump, with the latter described in the memo as "a formidable opponent", is another note of concern.

🔸Dillon observes, "In 2020, the election came down to about 40,000 votes across the battleground states. This November, we anticipate similarly razor-thin margins."

🔸Additionally, Trump is "a heavily defined candidate", whereas American voters are less familiar with Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. Dillon urges "aggressive campaigning" to "introduce and define [the Harris-Walz] ticket to the voters."

🔸The New York Times suggests the memo is "an artful attempt to lower expectations" and "boost fundraising", while reinvigorating the base.

🔸Republicans argue that Harris is the underdog, claiming her poll lead results from deliberate oversampling of Democratic voters. They criticize her as economically "illiterate" and point to her controversial record as Joe Biden's vice president.

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❗️Russian Tsentr battlegroup liberated the settlement of Skuchnoye in the Donetsk People's Republic — Russian Defense Ministry

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Russian troops carried out strikes with precision weapons and drones at night on Ukraine's energy facilities and military-industrial plant used for repair of aircraft and missile weapons, Russia's Defense Ministry informed.

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📹 Vladimir Putin said that members of his family speak Chinese

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'They're completely killing women's sports': Vladimir Putin spoke about the situation with boxer Imane Khelif who failed the gender test at the Olympics

"Since any man can declare himself a woman, just declare and perform in any sport, leaving no chance for women to take prizes, much less first places," the Russian president said.

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❗️Turkiye reportedly applies to join BRICS

"Turkiye has formally asked to join the BRICS group of emerging-market nations as it seeks to bolster its global influence and forge new ties beyond its traditional Western allies, according to people familiar with the matter," Bloomberg writes.

BRICS was established in 2009 as a cooperation platform for the largest emerging economies, uniting Brazil, Russia, India and China. South Africa joined the group in 2010. Russia assumed the bloc's rotating presidency on January 1, 2024. On the same day, BRICS expanded its membership to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates. Saudi Arabia has not formalized its participation but has been taking part in BRICS meetings.

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❗️Ukrainian losses in the Russian Kursk region amounted to more than 350 militants and 14 armored vehicles during the day, the Russian Defense Ministry said, adding that Russian troops repelled six Ukrainian attacks.

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RIP Hvaldimir: Video tribute to ‘top-secret spy whale from classified Russian naval program’

A friendly beluga whale known as Hvaldimir - a portmanteau of “hval” (Norwegian for “whale” and Vladimir) who inadvertently managed to spark a spy craze in Norway a few years ago has passed away, its body found floating off the Norwegian coast this weekend.

When first spotted in the waters near Hammerfest in 2019, the whale was wearing a harness with a label reading "Equipment of St. Petersburg," which led some brilliant minds in Norwegian military and media circles to claim that the creature could have been some Russian intelligence asset.

Apparently, this is how a super-secret Russian Navy spy whale looked like (see the video for reference).

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📹In the Russian Republic of Tuva which borders Mongolia, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Tubten Shedrub Ling, the largest Buddhist monastery in Russia.

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Key statements by Russian Presidential Aide Yuri Ushakov:

💬Over 650 heads of Russian and 44 foreign companies have confirmed their participation in the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF)

💬Putin will hold a conversation with Chinese Deputy Chairman Han Zheng on the sidelines of the EEF

💬Vladimir Putin and the Prime Minister of Malaysia will hold talks in a narrow and expanded format at the EEF on September 4 to discuss the economy and the international agenda

💬Russian President, Malaysian Prime Minister, and the Deputy Chairman of China will take part in the EEF plenary session

The Eastern Economic Forum 2024 will take place in the city of Vladivostok on September 3-6 under the slogan: Far East 2030. Let’s join efforts and create opportunities. 

Participants will discuss global challenges facing Russia and the countries of the Asia-Pacific region. They will also focus on the role of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and BRICS groups in building a multipolar world, cooperation in investments, and climate change issues.

👉Stay tuned for Sputnik's updates from the EEF on 3-6 September.

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Russia’s Defense Ministry is laboring round-the-clock to assist people in Russia’s border regions. Check out more updates on the situation in the Kursk region:

🔸The regional authorities have extended altered train traffic routes until the end of September

🔸Russian forces carried out an airstrike against Ukrainian troops and armored vehicles in the border area of the Kursk region using a Su-34 strike aircraft.

🔸Overall, Ukraine has lost over 8,900 servicemen and 80 tanks during its campaign of aggression against Kursk.

🔸Ukrainian fighters wanted to kidnap local residents and forcefully move them to the territory of Ukraine, a Kursk civilian told military investigators of the Russian Investigative Committee.

🔸Zelensky believes that no one will notice Ukraine's failure in Donbass, so he is trying his best to hype up Kiev’s attack on the Kursk Region, which has also failed, said Viktor Medvedchuk, chairman of the council of the Other Ukraine political movement.

🔸Сaptured Ukrainian soldier Andrei Anisimov revealed that some Ukrainian commanders involved in the attempted incursion of Russian territory in the Kursk region intentionally withheld their locations from subordinates to prevent soldiers from deserting.

🔸Ukrainian losses in the Russian Kursk region amounted to more than 350 militants and 14 armored vehicles during the day, the Russian Defense Ministry said, adding that Russian troops repelled six Ukrainian attacks.

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🇷🇺🇲🇳 Russia-Mongolia strategic cooperation: A cornerstone for greater Eurasian prosperity

Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit Mongolia on September 3 to participate in ceremonial events marking the 85th anniversary of the joint victory of Soviet and Mongolian troops over the Japanese at the Khalkhin Gol River.

What’s known about Russo-Mongolian cooperation and its strategic importance for Moscow?

🔸Historical and diplomatic ties: Russia and Mongolia share a 3,485 km-long border and have historic ties dating back centuries. The Mongolian People's Republic and Soviet Russia established diplomatic relations on November 5, 1921, maintaining close cooperation ever since.

🔸Recent collaborations: The two nations have been working on several significant projects, including the Trans-Mongolian gas pipeline connecting Russia and China, modernization of the Ulaanbaatar Railway joint venture, fuel supplies to the new Chinggis Khaan International Airport, and the renovation of TPP-3 in Ulaanbaatar.

🔸Rich natural resources: Mongolia's rich natural resources, including rare earth minerals, are central to its economy and attract international competition. Total reserves of rare earths are estimated at approximately 3.1 million tons, although some agencies report up to 31 million tons. According to some estimates, the country's prospective reserves of uranium amount to 1.3 million tons.

🔸Nuclear power: On May 4, 2023, Mongolia announced plans to build a nuclear power plant. By the end of July, Russia's nuclear corporation Rosatom received confirmation from Mongolia's Mon-Atom of its readiness to implement the LSPP roadmap signed on March 24.

Great Power Competition

🔸Third neighbor policy: While Mongolia develops relations with overseas partners through its Third Neighbor approach, the US, EU, and their allies aim to reduce Mongolia's cooperation with Moscow and Beijing.

🔸Resource competition: The competition for Mongolia's rare earth elements, lithium, copper, and uranium is underway, with Germany, France, the US, the UK and South Korea vying for access to these resources.

🔸Diplomatic intensification: Diplomatic and business activities from the US, EU, and South Korea in Mongolia have increased since 2022, as Russia redirects its trade and energy projects from the West to the East.

🔸Strategic advantage: Russia’s strategic advantage over Western players is its view of Mongolia as an equal partner rather than merely a source of raw materials. Russia can meet Mongolia's needs in energy security and alternative energy development.

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Financial pain with no political gain: Montenegro sacrifices Russian profits for elusive EU membership

Blinded by the promise of EU membership sometime in the future, the leadership of Montenegro eagerly shot itself in the foot and jumped on the Western anti-Russian sanctions bandwagon.

Montenegro opted to follow Brussels’ lead and impose sanctions on Russia despite the fact that five years ago some 30% of Montenegro’s tourism revenue was generated by Russians, Montenegrin President Jakov Milatovic revealed at the GLOBSEC security forum in Prague last week.

Why did Montenegro do this? All for the sake of maybe, someday, becoming part of the EU “club”, according to Milatovic.
In November 2023, Montenegro also proudly announced that it had seized assets located on Montenegrin soil, which allegedly belonged to Russians.

Ironically, even as Milatovic expressed hope that his country, which already joined NATO back in 2017, might join the EU by 2028 as well, it remains unclear whether his wish will be granted by Brussels.

Essentially, Montenegro threw away tangible economic benefits that were the product of cordial relations with Russia, all for the sake of the promises the EU made but may or may not keep.

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📹 Vladimir Putin arrived in Mongolia on an official visit

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