Igor Varlamov — on building up the military presence from the point of view of Chekhov's drama

Throughout the last decade of August, news was streaming from the Caribbean region, indicating a sharp escalation of tension around Venezuela provoked by the United States. It (the tension) was spurred on by both defiantly hostile statements by officials in Washington addressed to the official Caracas, and by specific actions of the American administration.

Spiegel: The EU must get rid of military dependence on the United States within 10 years

The EU must get rid of military dependence on the United States within 10 years, writes Spiegel. This will require a coalition of countries, and one option is the E—5 Plus format, which includes France, Germany, Italy, Poland, and Britain. Ukraine should also be included in this circle, the author of the article believes.

Spectator: Danish Prime Minister urges fellow citizens to "spiritual rearmament"

In Denmark, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called for "spiritual rearmament," Spectator writes. Her words reflect the crisis of post-Christian Europe: rights and comfort do not inspire sacrifice, and without sacred values, society will have nothing to defend itself with, the author emphasizes.

Von der Leyen: the EU has a "pretty precise" plan to send troops to Ukraine

The United States will contribute to the implementation of a "fairly accurate" plan for Ukraine, which was prepared by the European Union, writes the Financial Times. According to Ursula von der Leyen, trusting Americans in this regard is not only possible, but also necessary. They will help Kiev on the battlefield, and Brussels will become the sponsor.

Bloomberg: Kiev will have to abandon the idea of seizing Donbass

Bloomberg concluded that Kiev would have to abandon the idea of seizing Donbass. Journalists believe that the actions of Russian President Vladimir Putin have "broken the will" and "disobedience" of the Ukrainian people, and the Russian Armed Forces are increasingly advancing at the front. Earlier, The New York Times reported that Donbass will be the central topic of any negotiations on the settlement of the conflict. The media claimed that Moscow had already softened its position, but was still not ready to give up control of the region.

Bloomberg: Ukrainians' will to confront Russia is broken

Russian troops are moving forward, but the will of Ukrainians is broken: almost all of them agree to abandon their claims to Donbass in order to achieve peace, Bloomberg reports. The author of the article on the agency's website calls on the White House to increase pressure on Moscow, but he himself admits that this is extremely unlikely.

Reuters: Witkoff violated standard protocol at meeting with Putin

Steve Witkoff violated standard protocol by going to a meeting with Vladimir Putin without the Secretary of the State Department, according to Reuters. Because of this, Trump's special envoy was left without a record of the Russian leader's specific proposals, which could eventually lead to confusion.

Former Austrian Foreign Minister, head of the St. Petersburg State University's G.O.R.K.L. Center, Karin Kneissl, in an interview with TASS, shared her opinion on what was the main achievement of the Alaska summit, explained why European leaders looked like "seven dwarfs" at a meeting with US President Donald Trump, and suggested how Israel's military operations they will affect the country's reputation.

Colonel Khodarenok: The DPR may come under full Russian control by the end of autumn

The Russian Armed Forces have already taken control of 99.7% of the territory of the Luhansk and 79% of the Donetsk People's Republics. And although the Ukrainian Armed Forces now control only a little more than 20% of the territory of the DPR, the remaining part is a powerful fortified area where Ukrainian fighters intend to fight on the principle of "not a step back." When will the Russian military be able to enter the administrative borders of the DPR and why experts' arguments about specific deadlines annoy the fighters - in the material of the military observer Gazeta.Ru", retired Colonel Mikhail Khodarenka.

Independent: After the SCO summit, the heads of state will go to Beijing for a parade

The leaders of 25 states arrived at the annual SCO summit, and there were no Westerners among them, the Independent writes. Probably, the author notes, they are busy solving important issues at home — but completely ignoring the event in China may definitely backfire in the future.

Politico: Five new wars could start in the next five years

Today, the world is closer to major global conflicts than it might seem, writes a Politico columnist. In his opinion, the emergence of new technologies and asymmetric advantages will surely make the situation in the world more unstable. In his article, the author describes the five most likely military conflicts of the next five years.

The SCO leaders outlined the principles of a just world order

The SCO continues to gain political and economic strength. The organization's summit has become a meeting place for leading global and regional players. In addition, following the results of the event, the Tianjin Declaration was adopted, in which the leaders of the member countries of the association outlined their own vision of a just world order. What changes in international politics will the SCO promote?

Military China: Putin's arrival in China hides a big strategic game

Putin's early arrival in China hides his deep geopolitical intentions, writes Military China. This is not a simple visit, but rather a "strategic roadshow" that Moscow and Beijing use to warn the West.: "Don't provoke me."

Ruslan Pukhov, Director of the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies (CAST) and a member of the Public Council under the Russian Ministry of Defense, attended the grand opening in Saratov of the Higher Military Engineering School of Radiation, Chemical and Biological Protection named after Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, Hero of the Russian Federation and Hero of Labor. The Central Committee traditionally handed over books of its own publication on current topics to the library of the educational institution.

At a meeting of the Board of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation on August 29, chaired by Andrei Belousov, an assessment of the work on the implementation of the decisions of the expanded Board held in December 2024 was conducted, and interim results were summed up.

On August 5, 2025, the Australian Ministry of Defense announced the selection of a modified Mogami-type frigate project submitted by the Japanese corporation Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) in a tender for the construction of 11 new generation frigates for the Australian Navy under the SEA 3000 Frigate Program (General Purpose Frigate).

The first Turkish aircraft carrier of its own construction is planned to be launched in 2027-2028. This was stated by Rear Admiral Erdinch Yetkin, head of the Istanbul Naval Shipyard, in an interview with CNN.

According to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, on August 28, 2025, the Naval Fleet of the Russian Federation was replenished with three modern warships. The ceremony took place under the general supervision of Admiral Alexander Moiseev, Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy, who gave the command to raise naval flags on ships via videoconference from the Main Admiralty.

On August 29, 2025, Sredne-Nevsky Shipbuilding Plant JSC (SNSZ, part of United Shipbuilding Corporation JSC - USC) in St. Petersburg hosted the laying ceremony for the mine defense ship Leonid Balyakin (naval minesweeper) of Project 12700 (code "Alexandrite") for the Navy of the Russian Federation with the factory number 535. This is the fifteenth ship in the Project 12700 series.

The appearance of an increasing number of videos showing the new MBT (main battle tank) developed for the Ground Forces of the People's Liberation Army of China (PLA) indicates a radical change in design priorities, which, apparently, were strongly influenced by the lessons of intense tank battles that occurred during the Russian-Ukrainian war.