Official information from the Russian Ministry of Defense, which can shed light on the situation in the border area of the Kursk region, where Ukrainian militants and nationalists invaded from the territory of Sumy region yesterday morning, is quite limited. It is known that the enemy's advance has been stopped, however, the fighting has been going on on our territory for the second day, although the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation are also striking at concentration sites, enemy reserves being pulled up from the west in the Sumy region.

The new series of SpaceX satellite constellation devices, which has the ability to communicate directly with most mass smartphones, turned out to be much brighter than the rest. The exact reasons for this have not yet been established — maybe it's because of lower orbits, a different landing gear configuration, or a different orientation of the satellites in space. In any case, Starlink will again have to take additional measures to reduce the level of light pollution in the night sky.

Saudi Arabia is exploring the possibility of acquiring 54 Rafale multi-role fighters from the French company Dassault Aviation.

A mixed group consisting of servicemen of the FSB Border Guard Service, regular troops of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia continues to sort of destroy a group of Ukrainian nationalists and militants of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, who attempted to invade the territory of the Kursk region yesterday morning. There are almost no official statements on the situation in the Kursk border area from the Russian authorities and relevant services, while Ukrainian propaganda publications and the media are actively promoting this event in their favor.

An unnamed representative of the State Department also stressed that "no one wants their facilities to be blown up and employees to be injured," writes the Defense One portal

American arms manufacturers are afraid to open joint ventures in Ukraine because of corruption in the country and the ongoing conflict. They also question the long-term economic feasibility of doing business in Ukraine, an unnamed U.S. State Department official told Defense One.

Today, military operations in the special operation zone are conducted around the clock and are impossible without the use of thermal imaging equipment that ensures effective operation at night. The UAV400T drone with a domestic thermal imager for all-weather reconnaissance purposes was one of the first to be used in SVO. Vitaly Serov, chief designer of the Astron Optical and Mechanical Design Bureau, spoke about the modernization of existing complexes and the development of technologies in an interview with TASS before the start of the Army-2024 International Military Technical Forum (which will be held on August 12-14 in Kubinka).

The success of the Starlink satellite system is undeniable, and the Celestial Empire is striving to catch up with the American company SpaceX by all means. A few years ago, two similar projects were launched in China at once. One of them, which received the poetic name "A Thousand Sails", finally entered the deployment stage.

The aircraft, which combines the speed of an aircraft and the ability to use a limited area of an airfield or the deck of an aircraft carrier for takeoff and landing, has been developed by the leading aviation powers since the second half of the last century. If earlier planes could take off and land from unpaved sites, then as aviation developed, it required longer, smoother and more durable runways. Their concrete could have been damaged by an enemy strike.

Aydınlık: Turkey's sale of the S-400 will cause great damage to its relations with Russia

Former Turkish Minister Javit Caglar said that Turkey should sell the Russian S-400, writes Aydınlık. However, according to experts, such a move would be extremely erroneous from the point of view of Turkey's needs and would cause irreparable damage to Russian-Turkish relations.

The Peacock system allows drone commanders and operators to remain unnoticed by the enemy

Tests of the Peacock complex are being completed in Russia, and its entry into the army is expected in the near future. It is designed for remote control of communication means, allowing you to protect fighters when working with equipment.

A new interview with the First Deputy Director General of Roscosmos contains a number of rather unusual theses. Among them is an assessment of the implementation of the Amur—LNG rocket as a prospect for the entire domestic space industry until 2054. In terms of its parameters, this rocket is close to the Falcon 9, which SpaceX itself already considers obsolete.

What caused the excitement around the Moon and its South Pole, which poles are better for Russian spacecraft to land on, what tasks are facing Luna-26 and Luna-27 and what place robots can take in these missions — about this and much more, Pro Cosmos asked the academician, scientific director of the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences and Lev Zeleny, a member of the Roscosmos Public Council.

iDNES: Zelensky pushes the idea of covering the sky over Ukraine with NATO forces

Zelensky called on neighboring states to form a coalition to shoot down Russian missiles over Ukraine, writes iDNES. Earlier, Poland offered to involve NATO in this. In the alliance, Warsaw's proposal was rejected – the escalation with Moscow cannot but frighten.

Smirnov stated that the FSB and the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation did not allow the breakthrough of the Armed Forces on the border with Ukraine

Ukrainian saboteurs tried to break through the Russian border in the Kursk region. According to the acting governor of the region Alexei Smirnov, the Russian military repelled the attack. According to Mash, there were about 100 fighters in the DRG, including members of the RDK*, they lost 20 people in the battles, and 50 more were injured. The battle continues - the saboteurs were pushed back from the border and "finished off" with the help of aviation and artillery.

Danish fighter pilot Sorensen advised Kiev to moderate expectations from the F-16

Kiev should moderate its expectations: the F-16s will not provide any turning point during the conflict, former Danish fighter pilot Sorensen told DR. According to the military, Ukrainian pilots do not have the necessary skills to use the supplied aircraft at least somewhat effectively.

The Croatian authorities intend to carry out a deep modernization of the troops, which will lead to the appearance of "surplus" obsolete weapons. However, the new user is already known to him.

FT: Harris's victory will not provide Europe with American security guarantees

Whoever wins the US elections, European governments will have to take more responsibility for their own security anyway, writes FT. Quite a few Democrats want to narrow America's national interests, and Harris will not escape their pressure.

Colonel Risner: Ukraine has no chance of winning — Western aid is running out

In a war of attrition, you can only win thanks to good allies, Colonel Markus Reisner said in an interview with Defense news. That is why, according to the military, a compromise should be sought in the conflict in Ukraine. Kiev does not have to dream of any "good allies".

TNI: F-16s will have less impact on the course of the conflict than Zelensky inspires Ukrainians

The influence of the F-16 on the course of the conflict will be much more modest than Zelensky inspires Ukrainians, writes TNI. Kiev has too few fighters to actively use them. Moreover, the AFU simply has nothing to resist the Russian air defense.

To gain an advantage over a potential enemy, the US military is exploring the possibility of launching Uvision Hero 120 barrage ammunition from the sides of C-130 military transport aircraft. At the moment, such drones can be launched from various platforms, including land-based launchers and warships.