This week has been dominated by US politics, especially the internal ‘coup’ that has prevented Sleepy Joe Biden from seeking a second term. Biden will remain President for now but many are asking who is actually running the US. His replacement, as the Democrat candidate is likely to be Kamala Harris, who has been ‘appointed’ rather than elected - which speaks volumes for the US’s claim to be democratic.
The fact that Biden’s likely successor will withdraw Ukraine funding is relevant to this Update because it will impact on decisions made in the here and now. Trump has called for Zelensky to negotiate because he has no chance of beating the Russian ‘war machine’.
In a shameful move, the US congress allowed Benjamin Netanyahu to address its members while his forces continue to murder civilians in Gaza. Hamas and Hezbollah are fighting back while the Houthis have joined them with their own strikes on Israel. I find it hard to read about this and to look at the man who is knee deep in the blood of innocents. No ceasefire has been agreed in Gaza and Netanyahu may wait until after the US elections before negotiating further on this.
The old narrative claiming that Ukraine can win is finally running out of steam to be replaced by a tentative narrative that ‘gives peace a chance’. This reflects the dire Ukrainian situation on the battlefields and in the country as a whole. Casualties are still in the region of 2,000 a day and the Russian army is advancing all along the front lines. Thus far, the Ukrainians are managing to prevent catastrophe but who knows how long they can last.
Russia Sends Military Delegation to DPRK
In welcoming the delegation, the official statement read:
Armed forces of two countries should unite more firmly and play important role in powerfully guiding DPRK-Russia relations in new era, safeguarding regional and world peace and international justice…We continue to support Russian army and people in their righteous fight to defend sovereign rights and security of their state with the Special Operation in Ukraine.
You can read more at Tass.
Russian Protests at Krasnador
On July 20th, people were out on the streets in Krasnador protesting against electricity cuts. Rolling blackouts are affecting this area also and the people are just as likely to protest as the Ukrainians - as you can see.
Russian Hackers Reveal 3,200 Mercenaries in Ukraine
Russian hacker group, ‘Evil Russian Hackers’, has revealed that 3,200 foreign mercenaries are currently fighting in Ukraine, according to Sputnik. The Russian MoD has reported that 13,000 foreign mercenaries have been deployed to Ukraine since the start of the SMO and of these, 6,000 have been ‘eliminated’.
Give Peace A Chance
Z Phones Trump
Zelensky phoned Trump on the 19th July to congratulate him on the nomination and to wish him well after the attempt on his life. Tass reported that Trump described the conversation as a ‘very good call’ on social media. Trump told Z, quite plainly, that neither Hitler nor Napoleon was able to defeat Russia and neither will he. Therefore, he should negotiate. You can watch Trump’s brief interview on X.
Z - We Can’t Win!
On the same day he spoke to Trump, Zelensky suffered a bout of realism: I’m sure he’ll be better soon. But in the meantime, he has admitted that Ukraine cannot win back territory through the battlefield. He told the BBC: "Not all territories can be won back by force. I think the power of diplomacy can help’’. But he believes that weakening Russia on the fronts will provide Ukraine with a stronger negotiating base. In this way he can justify asking for more money. The decline of Biden and the rise of Trump and Vance may have had something to do with this change in perspective. It is not clear whether he spoke to Trump before or after making this statement. Z has also said that he wants to end the war soon ‘so as not to lose human lives', or so he told Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State. You can read more at Sputnik.
Klitschko Agrees
Major of Kiev, Vitali Klitschko, believes that Zelensky may have to organise a general referendum on peace talks with Russia. He told an Italian newspaper that:
Zelensky will most likely have to resort to a referendum. I do not think that he will be able to independently reach such painful and important agreements without the approval of the population. A solution for him may be the creation of a government of national unity, similar to what was in Israel after October 7. However, I don’t think he is ready to give up the centralized power in his hands that martial law gives him.
It sounds as if ‘painful and important agreements’ will probably mean loss of territory. Klitschko is seen by some as a possible replacement for the once great Z.
Kuleba Wants Negotiations
During talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that Ukraine is ready for peace talks:
The Ukrainian side is willing and ready to conduct dialogue and negotiations with the Russian side.
As noted by Sputnik, Zelensky has no legitimacy to carry out negotiation, whereas the Verkhovna Rada, of which Kuleba is a member, is considered by the Russians to be legitimate.
But in another interview, Kuleba stressed that Ukraine will not be forced into negotiations by anyone.
Scholz Supports Negotiations
On July 24th, Scholz had this to say:
We support Ukraine as comprehensively as is now required and necessary. At the same time, all our decisions carefully balanced and made in such a way that there is no escalation of war between Russia and Ukraine to war between Russia and NATO.
Scholz also explained that Germany is not permitting Ukraine to attack territories deep inside Russia and that Germany’s soldiers will not be sent to fight.
Of course, German instructors and operators are already there.
If all these statements are taken into account, it appears that there has been a change of narrative, possibly in consequence of the power vacuum in the USA at this time. It is also possible that these changes in attitude reflect the dire situation on the fronts.
Fly In The Ointment
Zaluzhny - Give Up Freedoms For Survival
Speaking at a military conference in the UK as ambassador, Zaluzhny attempted to ramp up the fear porn by advising Britons that they must mobilise in order to meet the alleged threat from Russia and that they must be willing to give up their freedoms in order to survive. The speech did not go down well with European audiences.
Kill The Priests
At a Kiev rock festival a local artist called for Russian orthodox priests to be killed and for AZOV prisoners to be released by the Russians. Only 15% of the priests have been eliminated over the last two years, he said, suggesting this figure is too low. I noticed that not many of the audience were clapping when he uttered this garbage.
Sabotage
On July 22nd a military vehicle was set alight in Kiev. This is the only report I have seen regarding sabotage or protest this week in Ukraine.
Ukraine Terrorist Attacks (i.e. those that target civilians)
19th/20th July
Many villages in Belgorod came under attack overnight from drones and shelling which injured five civilians. In Kursk, a civilian was killed when a drone attacked a monastery - according to the Two Majors. In the DPR one civilian was injured by shelling and another two by drone attacks.
20th/21st July
Both Belgorod and Kursk were shelled overnight - as they are every night - but I have seen no reports of damage and/or casualties. The Two Majors lament that the Russian ‘buffer zones’ are not working. Five drones were shot down over Belgorod during the 21st July
21st/22nd July
According to the Two Majors, the Ukrainians have been targeting cars with drone drops in the Belgorod region injuring three drivers. Meanwhile, shelling injured a man in Shebekino. Many villages in Kursk region suffered shelling and drone attacks but I have seen no reports of damage or casualties. In the DPR, 4 civilians were killed and 10 wounded during the 21st July.
22nd/23rd July
Two fixed wing drones were destroyed over the Sevsk district of Bryansk, overnight. The Two gave this short report:
In Belgorod region, at night, near the village of Bogun-Gorodok, Borisov district, 2 vehicles were attacked by AFU UAVs. Both drivers were injured. In the morning, in the village of Shchetinovka, Belgorod district, an AFU drone attacked a passenger car, injuring 3 men. In the afternoon in the village of Nikolskoye, Shebekinsky urban district, 2 children were wounded.
In the DPR, one civilian was killed and another six injured due to shelling and drone attacks overnight.
23rd/24th July
Overnight, a drones drop in Belgorod damaged an apartment building while in Kursk a drone drop injured a civilian. In the DPR, two civilians were injured by shelling.
Moscow Terrorist Attack - 23rd July
An officer involved in the Russian intelligence service (GRU), Andrey Torgashov, was injured when an IED exploded underneath his car. Andrey had his feet blown off by the blast and his wife was also seriously injured. You can read more at Pravda. The attacker was later arrested by Turkish police and negotiations are underway for his extradition.
24th/25th July Overnight
According to the Two Majors, villages in Kursk region came under attack overnight when 17 ‘aircraft type’ drones were shot down. However, some damage was caused to electricity substations causing ‘outages’. A house was burned down by falling drone debris in the village of Yubileyny injuring a woman who tried to tackle the blaze. Elsewhere in Kursk a drone injured three agricultural workers engaged in harvesting. Several drones were also shot down over Belgorod. In the DPR, a man and a woman were injured by shelling.
25th/26th July
Many villages in Belgorod came under drone attacks and shelling overnight which wounded two civilians and killed another in Shebekino. In Kursk, drones and shelling caused damage to infrastructure, including power lines, dwellings and administrative buildings. More than 100 drones attacked the border regions according to the Two Majors. Bryansk was also shelled, causing damage to the power supply and outages. In the DPR, two people were killed and eight injured by shelling.
The Sea War
21st/22nd July
According to the Military Chronicle;
At night, UAVs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine attacked the Tuapse region. The attack was on tanks with oil products, from 03:17 to 04:20. The air defense system hit 8 drones of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In total, 75 UAVs were destroyed overnight, most of them over the Rostov region - 47. 17 over the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.
The Morozovsk airfield in Rostov region was hit damaging some infrastructure. In Krasnador region, the shopping centre at Apsheronsky was attacked leaving many people under the rubble. You can see some images here.
22nd July
On this day, the Ukrainians carried out another mass drone strike on Tuapse in Krasnodar Region and Rostov Region - according to Rybar.
22nd/23rd July Overnight
Overnight, 15 drones were destroyed by Sevastopol air defences. Fragments from one drone caused some damage but no casualties were reported. Ukrainian drones attacked the port city of Kavkas in Krasnador overnight. Only minimal damage was caused but one civilian was killed and another five injured in the attack.
23rd/24th July
Two waves of attacks involving numerous drones were directed at Sevastopol overnight but only two drones managed to get through to the port. One was disabled by EW while the other was shot down before it could cause serious damage. However, drone fragments caused some minor damage to a house.
25th/26th July
A missile attack was launched against Saki airfield in Crimea on the evening of the 25th July causing a fire. I have no reports of casualties.
The Air War (Map)
Russian Missile/Drone Attacks
19th/20th July Overnight
According to the Two Majors:
The RFAF, during the night, carried out strikes with ‘Geraniums’ against enemy facilities in Kiev, Mirgorod and Poltava. Enemy air defence operations were reported in the Sumy region. Over the day, separate missile strikes were carried out on Nikolayev and Chuguyev.
20th/21st July Overnight
Overnight, 30 Shaheeds attacked towards Sumy, Chernigov, Pavlograd, Kirovograd, Cherkasy and Kherson - according to Slavyangrad.
22nd July
According to the Rybar:
Russian forces struck enemy targets in Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi of Odesa Region and in Novopetrivka of Mykolaiv Region.
I’ve seen a report from Simplicius quoting the claims of a retired Spanish Colonel who told him that on the 22nd July a Russian strike on Odessa killed 18 British SAS soldiers and injured 25 more. An undisclosed number of French soldiers from the French regular army were also hit.
22nd/23rd July Overnight
Sumy and Odessa regions were attacked overnight and late on the 23rd July, the military airfield at Vosnesensk (Nikolaev) was attacked.
23rd/24th July Overnight
According to the Two Majors:
During the night, ‘Gerani’ groups struck enemy facilities in Kiev, Belaya Tserkva and KrivoyRog. The strikes on Izmail in Odessa region, located on the border with Romania, were also resumed. Such strikes had not been reported for a long time, and this time the enemy channels wrote about 10 of our UAVs at once. During the day, we should expect the enemy's information about the Gerani's approach to the target allegedly over the territory of Romania. Explosions were also reported from the Chernigov and Poltava regions.
24th/25th July Overnight
Geraniums were in the air for a second night, according to the Two Majors:
Explosions were heard in Izmail, Odessa region, with the enemy once again trying to create an information wave about our UAVs' alleged approach over the territory of Romania. Explosions were also reported in Vilkovo and Kiliya in Odessa region, Chernigov, Kiev, Zhitomir regions. Missile strikes and the use of FABs with UMPC were reported in Kharkov and Sumy regions.
According to the Russian MoD, on the 25th July:
The crew of the Iskander-M operational-tactical missile system carried out a missile strike on the temporary deployment site of foreign mercenaries in ... the industrial zone of the city of Kharkov. As a result of the strike, up to 100 militants were killed, of which 40 were foreign instructors, as well as about 60 servicemen of the 151st mechanized brigade of the Ukrainian armed forces.
25th/26th July Overnight
Geraniums attacked Zhitomir, Kiev, Kramatorsk and Zaporozhye, according to the Two Majors. According to the Russian MoD:
The Iskander operational-tactical missile system crews deliver strikes at a temporary deployment area of foreign mercenaries in the building of the Scorpion construction company in the industrial district of Kharkov and at the armoured vehicle plant based in Kharkov.
Ukrainian Missile/Drone Attacks
19th/20th July
30 drones were launched against the airport at Millervo (Rostov) overnight causing some limited damage and no casualties. 26 drones were disabled by various means.
The Ground War
Russian MoD Reports
w/e 5th July 13,525 Casualties killed and wounded: equipment losses 418.
w/e July 12th 14,070 Casualties killed and wounded: equipment losses 495.
w/e July 19th 13,075 Casualties killed and wounded: equipment losses 474.
w/e July 26th 13,125 casualties killed and wounded: equipment losses 460
The Fronts
Front Line Cats
Marat Zhairullin - An Overview
About a year ago Marat Zhairullin said that Russia will destroy Ukraine ‘with a thousand cuts’. Now he is saying that this is precisely what is happening to Ukraine’s forces. Many sections of the front are becoming isolated from each other and near collapse as it is becoming more difficult to fill gaps from other sections. While Russia was breaking through in only one area at a time, Ukraine was able to cope but breakthroughs have already been achieved in a number of places as I write. The Russians have reached the Konstantinovka-Uhledar highway, they have almost completed the capture of Konstaninovka, they have moved beyond ‘Progress’ and have reached the Seversky Donets-Donbass canal in the west of Chasiv Yar. Advances have also been made in Seversk and Kupyansk. So, much is happening all at once making it difficult for the Ukrainians to cope. Thanks for the maps Marat.
Kharkov - Volchansk
On July 23rd, The Military Chronicle reported that the village of Globokoye (to the west of the above map) has been completely captured by the Russians after more than a month of fighting. Ukrainian counter attacks towards Globokoye and from the side of Tykhoye have tapered off, according to the Chronicle. Fighting continues within Volchansk.
Kupyansk
In this Direction, the expansion of the Berestovoye - Peschanoye ledge continues, according to the Majors. The Russians continue to attack westwards towards the Oskol River.
Siversk
There has been a lack of movement on this front for some time but the village of Ivano Dariivka was captured/liberated on July 23rd.
Chasiv Yar
During the week, the Russians moved beyond the Kanal district to attack Chasov Yar itself having already secured Kalinovka.
Toretsk
According to the Two Majors:
In the Toretsk (Dzerzhinsk) agglomeration, they are advancing at NyuYork, pushing through the enemy defence in the areas of Yuzhnoye - Zheleznoye and Kirovo - Druzhba. The enemy is conducting an organised defence using many attack UAVs.
Krasnogorivka
According to the Military Summary, Krasnogorivka fell on the 25th July.
Uhledar - Konstantinovka
On the 25th July, the Russians entered the outskirts of Konstantinovka, according to this report. By the end of the week, the Russians were pushing towards the main Uhledar-Konstantinovka highway.
Progress - Ocheretyne
Fighting has been going on around Progress for some time, according to the Military Chronicle. But on the 19th July, when the Russians started to attack, the Brigade facing them simply fled. A new unit was brought in to replace them but suffered from lack infantry and began to retreat on the 21st July. By the end of the week, the Russians had taken the villages of Progress and Novoselivka Pervaya. Then, according to the Military Chronicle:
On the outskirts of the village of Progress, Russian forces divided into two parts, taking two battalions of the 31st mechanized brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in pincers.
The Russian forces then advanced west towards Ivanovka as the image below shows.
The Military Chronicle highlights problems with command and control, including a shortage of officers, which is hampering Ukrainian efforts to defend villages. It seems that when the Ukrainian forces need reinforcements in order to hold villages these are not arriving so the Ukrainians are giving way.
Zaporizhye
Russian artillery continues to work on the Ukrainian forces locate between Rabotino (which the Russians hold) and Orekhove - according to the Military Chronicle.
Kherson
Battles continue here in the island zone with artillery exchanges across the Dnieper.
The Economic War
Latvia Railways Going Under
Latvia stopped receiving Russian goods not long after the SMO started and in spite of an injection of 65 millions Euros from the country’s budget, full maintenance of the railway has not been possible.
Ortega Calls Sanctions on Russia ‘Criminal’
In a meeting with Vyacheslav Volodin, Daniel Ortega, President of Nicaragua, described sanctions on Russia as ‘criminal’. Volodin is on a working visit and will represent Russia as Nicaragua celebrate the 45th anniversary of the people’s revolution. ‘The NATO bloc must understand that it will not win’, he said. Volodin and his team traveled to Cuba after leaving Nicaragua - according to Tass.
Ukraine Short of Workers
The Ukrainian Economics Ministry has announced that Ukraine is short of 4.5 millions workers due to the mass exodus of Ukrainians and the mobilisation. Some will be wondering which will collapse first: the army or the administration.
World Politics
ICJ Ruling Welcome - But Not Binding
The ICJ has ruled that Israel’s occupation and settlements in the West Bank are illegal and that the occupiers should leave immediately. There are approximately 750,000 illegal settlers in the West Bank. You can read more at RT.
Biden Removed
Sleepy Joe Biden has dropped out of (or was forced out of) the Presidential race and has endorsed Kamala Harris. He will continue his duties as President for the rest of his term. According to Zero Hedge , most Democrats (including the Clintons) are backing Harris but Obama initially called for an ‘open convention’ to allow the new candidate to be elected. Mike Johnson, Speaker of the House of Representatives, has called for the President to stand down immediately. If Biden is not fit to run for President how is he fit to be President.
You can view Biden’s resignation letter here or on X. Some say that top Democrats threatened Biden with the 25th Amendment if he refused to stand down - according to Sputnik. But does anybody really know?
Kamala To Run
On July 23rd Harris announced that she has enough votes for her to secure her nomination as Presidential Candidate. You can read more at Sputnik.
In this short clip, Tulsi Gabbard warns about the dangers of selecting Kamala Harris who is totally unqualified to be President and Commander in Chief. Moreover, Harris’s strings are being pulled by none other than warmonger Hilary Clinton, according to Tulsi.
After his initial reluctance, Obama eventually endorsed Kamala in a piece of theatre which you can read about at Zero Hedge. In a statement which was probably prompted by Biden’s call for unity, but unhindered by reality, Obama claimed that he thought Kamala would make a ‘fantastic President’. He should have said that Kamala would make a great fantasy president, Hollywood style. She could play herself.
Across the water, Ukraine’s people, its government and its armed forces (especially its soldiers) will know that the funding that sustains them all and provides a glimmer of hope will end once Trump is elected - and it is becoming clear that if Trump stays alive, he will be elected.
It remains to be seen how this will impact on the morale of the soldiers, the Generals, and the administrators in Ukraine. Could it inspire the nascent peace movement or a military coup? Will the divide between factions within the government and military widen sufficiently to challenge the dictatorship of Ermak/Zelensky? Such concerns along with the worsening situation on the battlefronts could cause Ukraine to collapse in one way or another: sooner rather than later.
The New White House
On July 24th, Biden gave his much anticipated speech explaining why he is not running for President. He sacrificed himself, or so he claimed, in order to unify the Party and the country, to preserve democracy and to hand ‘the torch’ to a new generation. He also made reference to election issues such as ‘pro choice’ and gun violence and even promised to find a cure for cancer. He lied and deceived about many things including his claims that the Southern border is fine, that the economy is fine and that the US is not involved in any wars. But he made no mention of his own poor health.
Austrians Want Remigration - Protest
Young people marched in Vienna on July 21st calling for ‘remigration’ of migrants: i.e. mass deportation.
Frightened Estonians
The Estonians have become so scared of the Russians that they are building 600 concrete bunkers along its border with Russia. Tanks barriers and barbed wire are included. Now do you really think, little piggies, that this would stop the Russians if they wanted to attack you? Doh!
Giorgia Meloni is Short!
I wonder, can I be fined for saying that? Maybe not, but a journalist was fined for saying this: “You don’t scare me, Giorgia Meloni. After all, you’re only 1.2 meters (4 feet) tall. I can’t even see you.”. This may be a mildly insulting attempt at humour but does it deserve a $5,465 fine? The journalist had posted a mock up photo online of Meloni with Mussolini in the background which she complained about. The above quote is from a series of online messages between her and the journalist. The journalist’s remark was considered to be ‘inflammatory’ and amounted to ‘body shaming’ according to the court. So, ‘body shaming’ - or having a joke at someone’s else’s expense based on appearance is now a crime. Sorry, but this Woke World annoys me so, so much. You can read more at RT.
Elon Musk called Wokeness a ‘mind virus’ and that isn’t wide of the mark: many people have been infected. I think some have been caught unawares and they don’t really appreciate that they are infected. I have known some of these. They will say that such body shaming is ‘petty’ and ‘nasty’ but in Italy, and maybe Scotland, transgressors could also become criminals. Is that what Wokists want, I wonder.
European Disunion
In spite of all the BS talks about unity coming from the EU’s leaders, the countries of the EU are hardly united, as you probably know. EU's Foreign Policy Chief (Jungle) Josep Borrell, speaking after a ministerial meeting in Brussels, announced that foreign ministers will not be allowed to attend a forthcoming informal meeting in Hungary. In addition, the next event planned to be held in Budapest will also be moved to the Belgian capital. This is an obvious reprimand to Orban for his ‘Peace Mission’. But in responding to Orban’s ‘transgressions’ they are simply highlighting EU disunity - and they are too stupid to see that.
Melenchon Will Quit NATO
Jean-Luc Melenchon, leader of the France Unbowed Party, has said that if he becomes President, he will pull France out of NATO. Melenchon did well in the recent elections but does not have an overall majority. You can read more at Sputnik.
India Will Not Be Bullied by US
Dr. Sonu Saini, an assistant professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University, told RT that the Indian government has been “stern” in its response to efforts to wean it away from Moscow. With regard to the US he said:
The US is like a bully who tries one way, then another, and then a third way: the US will not stop in its attempts.
India, he said, has already taken a stand on the issue and will not back down.
Ukraine Cuts off Oil to Hungary and Slovakia
Ukraine has imposed a transit ban on oil through the Druzhba (i.e. ‘friendship’) pipeline, cutting off supplies to Hungary and Slovakia. Financial analyst, Paul Goncharoff, said the move would alienate those countries from whom Ukraine may need help come winter:
The real consequences should become very clear in 3-4 months as winter descends on Ukraine, and any energy goodwill there may still be in countries neighboring Ukraine will be scarce to nonexistent.
This is another case of a Western country shooting itself in the foot. You can read more at Sputnik.
It is reported elsewhere that due to shortages, Ukraine plans to request electricity from Hungary and Slovakia. What - you punch someone in the face and you expect them to give you a kiss!
The head of the Hungarian Foreign Ministry, Peter Szijjártó, said that Hungary will block the allocation of 6.5 billion euros to Ukraine from the EU until Kiev resolves the issue with the transit of Russian oil. The EU are ‘doubling down’ as always.
Ukraine Not Welcome in EU - Poland
Ukraine cannot be accepted into the EU until the issue of the Volyn massacre is resolved, according to The head of the Polish Ministry of Defense, Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysh. In 1943, at Volyn, the Ukrainians killed over 100,000 ethnic Poles. This article suggests that the Poles want the bodies of the victims exhumed but I am not sure what else they want.
The emerging Multi-Polar World Order
The Beijing Declaration
China has performed a diplomatic coup of sorts by facilitating a dialogue between Palestinian factions, including Fatah and Hamas, that has resulted in the signing of this declaration of unity that will strengthen the Palestinians. This is an example of BRICS countries ‘doing it for themselves’.
West on Verge of Collapse - Emmanuel Todd
Emmanuel Todd, the French historian who predicted the collapse of the Soviet Union, is predicting a similar collapse of the European Union and the West as a whole. Writing in the Berliner Zeitung, he argues that Germany, as the leading power in Europe should take responsibility for ending the conflict in Ukraine. The economic war initiated by the West has been a disaster for Europe which has suffered much more from the sanctions it has imposed than Russia itself. He also points out that the US has sought to alienate Germany from Russia and destroyed the Nord Stream pipeline as part of this objective. The inevitable defeat of NATO in Ukraine, he suggests, will be viewed by the RoW as a public admission of its weakness and will accelerate the collapse of the US led West generally.
This follows on from the gloomy predictions of Georges Martin and Alex Krainer from last week.
Putin Meets Assad
The two leaders discussed many things including cementing and improving trade and economic ties between the two countries. They also discussed the explosive situation in the Middle East and the normalisation of relations between Syria and other Arab countries - according to Tass.
Lavrov Attends ASEAN
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations met in Laos this week where Sergie Lavrov represented Russia. According to Tass:
The parties also agreed "to take further joint measures to strengthen ASEAN and Russia’s cooperation in all ASEAN Community pillars and with that aim to develop the Comprehensive Plan of Action to Implement ASEAN-Russia Strategic Partnership for 2026-2030 and its successor documents"
That’s it for another eventful week. Many thanks for your views, subscriptions, likes, shares and comments. We will be away camping next week somewhere in the Scottish Highlands and have no idea whether we will have access to the internet. Therefore, I can’t guarantee that I can produce anything. I could do with a little rest really; closely following the fall of an empire can be quite wearisome. I fancy getting into a good book for a wee while and let the rest of the world pass me by. Best wishes Rob
I always look forward to your friday updates. Thanks. I did a little bit research during the week about Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. I see one of the tabloids beat me to it. I think someone on MoA queried Kamala's roots. Turns out her great great grandfather was a white Scots Irish plantation owner. I suspect that isnt particularly uncommon. I remember Ainslie Harriot discovered something similar. Anyway, there is a strange conicident between Biden and Kamala. Biden who claims to be the most Irish president ever is actually English on his paternal line. The maternal line is Finnegan and Irish. Harris actually has maternal roots to Ireland through the Finegan line. Biden is also a Boyle which really irks me because thats my maternal roots. I read about the SAS on twitter. If that is true then it has to be the worst single day in the history of the regiment since WW2. I try to work out how the Russians much like the Israelis know what buildings or cars to target. You can't get all the intel from drones or satellites so im presuming they must have human resources on the ground? One thing that this war has left me intrigued about: how did the wehrmacht manage to overrun Ukraine in a few months? The natural barriers are one thing but the sheer scale of the urban centres must have been challenging for an invading force even in 1941. I can't help but think the Ukrainians must have been far more welcoming to the Germans than i realised.
Cheers Rob. Excellent review as usual. Here's wishing you a well earned rest and happy reading.