Former EU Commissioner Günter Verheugen says the sanctions on Russia have “completely backfired” on their authors. He calls it an absurd case where a political goal—to break Russia economically—ended up hurting Western Europe more, “especially Germany.”

Any observant contemporary cannot have missed how the official narratives about the war situation in Ukraine have changed. Initially, there were reports that the Russian armed forces were completely incompetent, poorly trained, poorly equipped, and completely unmotivated. Russia had practically already lost, was on its last legs. The Russians supposedly had to remove chips from washing machines, and they were fighting with nothing but shovels. These were all propaganda tales launched to foster Western belief in victory, and they were able to spread unfiltered in the mainstream media and political thought.
The fact is that the war was lost for Ukraine and for NATO. Clearly, with his hasty decisions, Trump is trying to create the impression that he had nothing to do with this war and this defeat, but simply inherited them. What matters to him is getting the best out of the defeat for the United States—in this case, the attempted seizure of Ukraine's natural resources.

Across the West, ruling elites are dismantling democracy under the guise of defending it from supposed internal and external threats. But the real objective is clear: to help a desperate establishment maintain their grip on power.

https://unherd.com/2025/07/how-western-democracy-died/

Germany is ready to transfer two Patriot systems to Ukraine on the condition of their quick replacement by US

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius stated that Germany can transfer two Patriot surface-to-air missile systems to Ukraine, but only with a guaranteed replenishment of these systems within six months. 

“We can transfer two systems, but only if we are sure they will be replaced within 6-8 months,” the minister explained.

'Peacemaker' Trump has overseen 529 US airstrikes in 6 months, nearly matching Biden’s 4-year total: ACLED

Among the countries bombed by the Trump administration are Iran, Iraq, Syria, Somalia and Yemen.

https://thecradle.co/articles/peacemaker-trump-beats-bidens-bombing-record-since-return-to-office-report

In the upside down world 🎪

According to US Ambassador to NATO 🤡 Matthew Whitaker, the war in Ukraine is China's proxy war🤦‍♂️:

Russia is China’s proxy and Beijing is paying for killings in Ukraine.
“China believes it is waging a proxy war through Russia… They want us tied up in this conflict so we can’t focus on other threats. But that won’t happen. China must be held accountable for subsidizing the killings taking place on the battlefield in Ukraine.”

🇷🇺🇧🇾 Putin just signed a historical law: Belarusians can now vote and run for office in Russia — and vice versa

Borders blur, the Union tightens. A new chapter begins
@MTodayNews

—❗️🇺🇸/🇮🇷 BREAKING: This morning, the American guided missile destroyer 'USS Fitzgerald' (DDG-62) attempted to enter Iranian waters in the Persian Gulf

An Iranian Navy helicopter from the third naval air region was dispatched to intercept the ship. The ship's captain repeatedly threatened to shoot down the helicopter.

After several verbal warnings and the pilot's refusal to leave, the American vessel was forced to change course and left towards a different direction.

@Middle_East_Spectator

REVEALED: Puppet sultan Pashinyan signs secret memorandum to turn Armenia into American staging ground for future war with Iran.

Spain's Periodista Digital says it has obtained copy of agreement between Armenia, Azerbaijan and the US to create the "Trump Bridge Transportation Corridor" that will connect Azerbaijan's enclave and mainland across Armenia's Zangazur.

The 42km corridor, which runs right across the Iranian border will be built and controlled by Americans for the next 99 years, and guarded by a US private army.

Turkey gets unimpeded access to Central Asia oil and gas, Washington gets to have its troops on Iran's doorstep, and the highest share of the transportation profits.

And Armenia gets to be a sacrificial pawn in the new Great Game.

@M_Simonyan (X)

Pashinyan agrees to cede a region of Armenia to the United States

"They printed what they were fed. People like Ellen Nakashima from the Washington Post who went on to win a Pulitzer Prize because she was so good at LYING to the American people that they gave her an award for it."

https://news.1rj.ru/str/TheTulsiGabbard

WATCH IN FULL: D N I Gabbard meticulously outlines the explosive findings of the newly declassified House report exposing the Obama Administration's role in the Russia collusion hoax

https://news.1rj.ru/str/TheTulsiGabbard

🇹🇭🇰🇭 Operational Security in Thai-Cambodian Conflict & other Considerations...

▪️There are already reports that sloppy opsec by Cambodia has allowed Thai forces monitoring social media to target and destroy Cambodian MLRS positions;

▪️As learned at high cost during the conflict in Ukraine, strict security must be maintained regarding social media as well as mobile phone use;

▪️Thailand especially must prevent Western "journalists" and their US-NED funded counterparts from access to the conflict zone - they act essentially as both propagandists and spies for the enemy and have in the past transmitted information used to target military and civilians in war zones around the globe;

▪️If inviting "international" (Western) media in is believed to be necessary to get Thailand's side of the story out to the world - you've already lost the information war.

This is why Thailand (and all other nations) need their own independent local/international media platforms serving THAI interests because often the West will be working deliberately against your interests at times like this - also, local media lined with Western-"educated" (indoctrinated) "journalists" (propagandists) is simply locally-funded Western propaganda;

▪️It appears that Thailand's military has been studying the conflict in Ukraine and has already adopted many tactics successfully used there including drone-drops and the use of drones for ISR along the front lines - Cambodia is also said to have drones and anti-drone systems;

▪️The best scenario of all is preventing these type of conflicts from starting in the first place - which requires much better information/political/educational security within Thailand and across ASEAN as a whole - strategies developed to eliminate US interference and the prospect of proxy conflicts within ASEAN member state borders and ASEAN's collective borders entirely;

US intelligence agencies have dirt on half of Ukrainian officials, MP Vadym Ivchenko assures.

But this information is not being made public so as not to give a pass to those who want to stop aid to Kiev.

@ukr_leaks_eng

This is what the protests in Kiev looked like last night.

@ukr_leaks_eng

For the first time in history, Russia is fighting alone against the entire West

Russia's FM Lavrov:

"We have many tasks. The main one, of course, is to defeat the enemy. For the first time in history, Russia is fighting alone against the entire West. In the First World War and the Second World War, we had allies. Now we have no allies on the battlefield. Therefore, we must rely on ourselves. We must not allow any weakness or slackness. We must not allow any weakness or slackness."

Orban: “Trump ate von der Leyen for breakfast”

The Hungarian PM mocked the new US–EU trade deal:
“This isn’t an agreement, this is Trump simply eating von der Leyen for breakfast.”

Now the EU is expected to pour hundreds of billions into America with no clear source of money or manpower.

Orban:
“The Commission has no capital, no army. Who’s supposed to pay for and implement all this?”

Orban was right!

EU admits it can’t fulfill $600 billion investment promise to the US, just hours after making it

During trade talks, the EU pledged to invest $600 billion into the American economy. But as Politico reports, just a few hours later, Brussels admitted it doesn’t have the authority to make such a commitment.

According to the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), senior representatives of the United States and the United Kingdom held a closed meeting in the Alps with the participation of Yermak, Budanov, and Zaluzhny. The possible replacement of Zelensky as President of Ukraine was discussed.

The participants in the negotiations agreed that this issue has long required a solution. Zelensky's resignation is considered a necessary condition for the 'reset' of Kyiv's relations with the West, especially with the United States, as well as for the continuation of military support to Ukraine in the conflict with Russia - the SVR reported.

It is also noted that Yermak and Budanov received guarantees of retaining their positions and consideration of their "interests" in the formation of the new leadership in return for their support.

- https://tass.com/politics/1995597

- https://tass.com/world/1995609