Vladimir Putin made his first-ever visit to the disputed Kuril Islands on Thursday, touring military facilities on Iturup. Japan called the visit ‘absolutely unacceptable’ and summoned the Russian ambassador.
Ukraine has submitted a proposal through intermediaries to halt Black Sea strikes on civilian targets and commercial shipping — an implicit acknowledgment that Kyiv is losing the maritime dimension of the war. Grain export volumes have collapsed 76 percent year-on-year. Novorossiysk operations are suspended. The diplomatic architecture for an off-ramp is being quietly assembled.
Germany’s BfV has linked a live Russian bot campaign to the ‘Matryoshka’ network — running AI-generated fake news and #TimeToDivideGermany hashtag ops ahead of September state elections.
Ukraine’s intelligence chief briefed Zelensky that Moscow is using September’s staged parliamentary vote as political cover to mobilize up to half a million new troops — with another wave planned for 2027.
Ukraine launched a coordinated overnight strike on Novorossiysk using 15+ weapons systems, damaging two Kalibr-capable frigates, a missile ship, and a patrol vessel — while also hitting grain silos and oil export infrastructure at Russia’s primary Black Sea export hub.
Ukraine halted an intensive campaign of drone strikes against oil tankers at Russia’s Novorossiysk port after US Vice President JD Vance personally asked President Zelensky to stop, the Financial Times reported Wednesday. Washington feared the attacks were destabilizing global oil markets and damaging American corporate interests, including Chevron and ExxonMobil stakes in Kazakhstan’s main crude export route.
A fascinating story indeed!
More information becomes known on an almost daily basis which will be shared in subsequent articles.