Iran to Supply Russians With Drones for Ukraine – White House

Iran is planning to supply hundreds of drones with combat weapon capabilities to Russia for use in Ukraine, a top U.S. official said Monday. Jake Sullivan, the White House national security adviser, said the information received by the United States supported views that the Russian military is facing challenges sustaining its weaponry after significant losses…

Effectiveness of Ukraine’s HIMARS Fuels Concern in Russia

Pro-Kremlin figures have expressed rare public concern after Western-supplied weapons allowed Ukraine to carry out a series of successful attacks on Russian targets far behind the frontlines. The M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), which the United States started sending to Ukraine last month, appear to have been most effective at damaging Russian military…

Moscow-Backed Authorities Say Foiled Attack in Southern Ukraine

Moscow-backed authorities of the southern Ukrainian region of Kherson said Monday they had foiled an attack against their local leader. In recent weeks, attacks against pro-Russian representatives have increased in the occupied southern Ukrainian regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. On Monday, the Moscow-backed administration claimed that its leader, Vladimir Saldo, narrowly escaped an attack. An…

Russia Expands Fast-Tracked Citizenship Scheme to All Ukrainians

Russia will extend its fast-tracked citizenship scheme to all Ukrainian citizens, not just those living in separatist or Russian-occupied areas, according to a decree signed by President Vladimir Putin on Monday.  Putin’s decree orders that “all citizens of Ukraine” be given “the right to apply for admission to the citizenship of the Russian Federation in…

Ufa’s ZAMAN Museum Explores Post-2/24 Reality (In a Whisper)

Carefully threading a path through state-enforced censorship, an art exhibition called (In a Whisper) in Ufa, the capital of Russia’s republic of Bashkortostan, presents an artistic exploration of life in the country following the start of the invasion of Ukraine in February.   “Speaking very carefully, this exhibition invites us to explore the situation that we…

Russian Court Overturns Ban on Kazakh Oil Exports

A Russian court on Monday overturned a ruling for a 30-day ban on the unloading of oil deliveries from Kazakhstan, a source of tensions between the two countries. Last week, Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev ordered officials to find oil export routes bypassing Russia in a move that risked deepening tensions that have emerged between the…

Russia Recruits Prisoners En Masse for Ukraine Deployment – NGO

Prisoners with combat experience across Russia are being recruited en masse to fight in Ukraine, the Gulagu.net prisoner’s rights group has reported. Representatives from the Kremlin-linked Wagner private military contractor and Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) are reportedly offering convicts deployment or work on restoring and demining occupied Ukrainian territories. According to Gulagu.net, the recruitment…

Russia Halts Nord Stream Gas Supplies to Europe

Russia’s Nord Stream gas pipeline suspended deliveries to Germany for maintenance Monday amid European worries of an extended shutdown over its response to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. “From 11 July to 21 July 2022, Nord Stream AG will temporarily shut down both lines of its gas pipeline system for annual routine maintenance works,” a notice…