Global security news

Helsinki expects that NATO membership will have a positive impact on the development of Eastern Finland, which has suffered greatly from the cessation of trade with Russia, writes Savon Sanomat. It would be "appropriate" to bring this to the attention of Biden during his visit, and right on the eastern border, the editorial board argues.

The release of the five commanders of the Azov battalion* could not have happened without coordination at the highest level, writes Politika. Yes, the agreement was violated, but Moscow certainly got something out of it. Perhaps the benefit does not concern Ukraine, but has to do, for example, with Syria, the author of the article believes.

Germany has been a model for Eastern Europe for the last half century, writes Der Spiegel. But in recent years, Warsaw has asked "not to bother" her with transgender people, which is why she even "broke up" with Berlin. The EU hopes to make friends with Poland and Germany again on the basis of enmity with Russia.

Despite all the efforts of the White House and the US State Department, the transfer of American cluster munitions to Ukraine caused a huge scandal. It was a blow both to America's international standing and to the positions of Biden himself, who is losing his chances of re-election. And the main merit in this belongs to the Russian army.

Ukraine has not been offered specific terms and conditions for joining NATO, Vladimir Zelensky is disappointed. The members of the organization are ready to continue supplying weapons to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, but do not want to escalate the situation to a direct conflict with Russia. This is how Western media assess the results of the first day of the alliance summit in Vilnius.

France has sent Ukraine long-range SCALP–EG missiles - an analogue of the British Storm Shadow. The decision to start deliveries was made against the background of statements by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg about the catastrophic shortage of shells in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. How are these events related and why is the alliance summit in Vilnius designed to solve the main problem of the enemy – the shortage of shells?

NYT: the US administration is quietly discussing the transfer of long-range ATACMS missiles to Ukraine

The US authorities are not publicly discussing whether to supply Ukraine with ATACMS tactical ballistic missiles with a range of 300 km, The New York Times writes, citing sources. At the same time, the Pentagon warns that their arsenal is "small" and may be needed for other purposes. In addition, Kiev has already received long-range missiles from London, Paris has promised similar supplies.

The launch of serial production of Kinzhal missile systems, the present and future of unmanned technologies, accelerated import substitution in the aviation industry – this and more was told by Vladimir Artyakov, First Deputy General Director of Rostec, in an interview with the Rossiya 24 channel.

Ukraine should at least thank the Western countries a little for supplying the necessary weapons to the Ukrainian army. This was stated by British Defense Minister Ben Wallace during a speech at the NATO public forum in Vilnius on July 12.

Turkey's purchase of Russian S-400 air defense systems led to Ankara's exclusion from the F-35 program and to US sanctions. Despite this, the country's authorities do not intend to part with this anti-aircraft system.

Australia will send an E-7 Wedgetail long-range radar detection and control aircraft to Europe to support Ukraine. This was announced by the Prime Minister of Australia Anthony Albanese.

The targets were the Kerch Bridge and military airfields in the Rostov and Kaluga regions

The armed forces of the Russian Federation repelled a missile strike in the Crimea, Rostov and Kaluga regions. Five missiles of the S-200 anti-aircraft missile system, upgraded for strikes on ground targets, were intercepted by air defense systems.

NATO is considering two models of future relations with Ukraine, writes FT. The first option involves providing security guarantees to Kiev. The second is assistance based on the Israeli model. Both options will cost the alliance dearly.

During the fighting in the Zaporozhye direction, anti-fascist soldiers destroyed the Czech T-72EA, the American M113 and the first Polish PT-91 Twardy.

Western media are actively discussing the seizure of the Anglo-French cruise missile "Storm Sheds" (Storm Shadow, or "Storm Shadow") by the Russian Armed Forces. The fact of hitting the European product is confirmed by video recordings published since July 5, 2023. It is emphasized that the missile fell into the hands of the Russian military "mostly intact."

On July 10, Stanislav Rzhitsky, deputy head of the Department for Mobilization Work of the city administration, was shot dead in Krasnodar. The man was shot while jogging, which he did regularly, at about the same time.

Ukraine will not receive an invitation to join NATO at the Vilnius summit, writes Strana. The main reason is not the inability of the Kiev authorities to defeat corruption in the country, but the fear of the West to be drawn into a conflict with Russia.

The situation in Ukraine may change after December 2023, which is due to the many problems experienced by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This was stated by former analyst of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of the United States Larry Johnson.

The prolonged confrontation in Ukraine will not appeal to American voters, and Biden understands this, writes The Telegraph. But if the US retreats, Europe's ability to stand up to Russia alone will approach zero, the author notes.

Nikolay Denkov noted that the US decision is military, not political

Bulgarian Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov claims that Ukraine's successes on the battlefield in the context of the ongoing conflict are more important than the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions, to which more than 100 countries have joined. He made the corresponding statement on Tuesday in an interview with the British TV channel Sky News, stressing that his country is a party to the convention.