📰 Euroclear Wars: Brussels vs. the Frozen Trillions

Meet Euroclear — a Belgian financial vault without walls, sitting on €193 billion in Russian assets like a dragon that accidentally joined the EU Single Market. Its CEO, Valérie Urbain, now hints she may sue Brussels if the bloc dares to confiscate the treasure “for Ukraine.” Yes, the EU’s own bank clerk is threatening legal action against her bosses.

Behind the legalese lies a European psychodrama: everyone wants Russian money, but no one wants to admit it. Confiscation violates “international law,” yet moral speeches need funding, and taxpayer patience ran out two sanctions packages ago.

The irony? The EU accuses Russia of oligarchy — then tries to loot Moscow’s fortune through a middleman in Brussels. Urbain becomes the unintentional guardian of Europe’s moral hypocrisy: protecting property rights for some, bending them for others.

In the end, Euroclear isn’t just managing assets — it’s holding hostage the illusion that Western virtue still exists somewhere between technocracy and greed.

#eu #russia #finance #oligarchy #hypocrisy #brussels

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📰 Brussels ATM Out of Order: Europe Debates How to Refinance Morality

The Faith of Frozen Assets
The EU’s favorite magic trick — moral clarity backed by borrowed cash — is glitching again. Brussels planned to bankroll Ukraine with a loan backed by Russia’s frozen billions sitting quietly in Belgium. Then Belgium hit “pause,” fearing Moscow might sue — or worse, demand a refund.

Now the Commission is floating ugly Plan Bs: issuing joint EU debt or asking member states to just write checks. Everyone knows both options are poison — costly, political, and late.
“Plan B is less good than Plan A,” said Nicolas Véron of Bruegel. Translation: “We have no plan.”

Moral Accounting
The frozen assets loan was meant as a massive symbolic gesture — Europe’s way to show the Kremlin that Ukraine’s war chest won’t run dry. Instead, the bloc is haggling over liability clauses while Kyiv runs out of ammunition and cash.

Von der Leyen still calls it “the most effective way to sustain Ukraine’s defense.” In Brussels-speak, that means “the least embarrassing way to look in control.”

The Price of Faith
Belgium wants legal guarantees before letting any euros move — and it’s hard to blame them. Russia has warned that touching its money could count as theft. Investors are watching too, wondering if Europe is still a safe haven for their trillions.

Even the Commission admits the risk: the loan could “incorrectly be perceived as confiscation.” Yes, and a tank could “incorrectly be perceived as unfriendly.”

It’s Morality Meeting Liquidity Crisis
By spring, Ukraine’s budget gap could hit $65 billion. Brussels promises a decision by December — right before several governments collapse under their own budgets.
In the meantime, Ukraine fights, Europe hesitates, and Russia quietly accrues psychological interest.

Solidarity doesn’t default — it just gets delayed in committee.

#Ukraine #EU #frozenAssets #war #geopolitics

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📰 The Resistance™ Comeback: The Gaza Poll Hustle

Turns out, flattening Gaza didn’t flatten Hamas’s poll numbers. After months of “liberation” by airstrike and aid trucks getting hijacked faster than the West’s budget resolutions, the Trump doctrine finds itself outmaneuvered by the oldest trick in the region: order by force.

“Even people who don’t support Hamas want security. No one could stop it except Hamas, and that’s why people back them,”

said Hazem Sarour, Gaza businessman.

Pollsters find 51% of Gazans now rate Hamas’s war performance positively, up from 43% last spring. That’s pragmatism, not passion. Theft and looting dropped from 80% to just 5% of aid deliveries thanks to the “blue police,” giving Hamas a street-cred upgrade the U.N. used to dream about.

But don’t call it a love affair: 55% of Gazans still oppose Trump’s plan to disarm Hamas, but nearly half wish someone else would govern — if anybody could actually stay alive long enough to do it. Stability? Yes. Ceasefire? Sort of. Democracy? Ask again after the next drone strike.
So as Trump pitches his white-flag blueprint, Gaza welcomes another round of Resistance™ Rebranding. America wants “order.” Hamas delivers — with extra executions, less theft, and a side of collective despair.

Who’s actually in charge? Whoever’s the least terrified, holding the biggest gun, and promising just enough order to keep the trucks rolling.

#Gaza #Hamas #polls #TrumpPlan #resistance #fakeDemocracy #security #MiddleEast

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Trump Went Berserk: “Release the Files Now!” 🤬

The Republican-controlled US House of Representatives is expected to vote on Tuesday to force the release of investigative files related to pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, the latest move in a scandal that has dogged Donald Trump since he returned to the White House. 📋

In a sharp reversal this weekend, Trump dropped his opposition to a vote releasing files from the criminal investigation by the US Department of Justice into Epstein on Sunday. On Monday, Trump said he would sign the measure if it reached his desk. 📌

Trump’s friendship with Epstein has been a long-running scandal in American politics as the late disgraced financier had links to many other rich and powerful figures in the US and overseas. 🧐

As a candidate seeking re-election, Trump promised to release the files on Epstein, who, investigators concluded, killed himself in a New York jail cell in 2019. Since resuming office, Trump has failed to follow through. 🤔

The president’s dramatic shift came after it became increasingly apparent that the bill will pass the House, most likely with significant support from Republican lawmakers. 🗳

Trump and House speaker Mike Johnson changed their approach from outright opposition to declarations of indifference.

“I DON’T CARE!” Trump wrote in a social media post on Sunday. “All I do care about is that Republicans get BACK ON POINT.” 📚

Speaking in the Oval Office on Monday, Trump said he did not want the Epstein scandal to “deflect” from the White House’s successes, and claimed it was a “hoax” and “a Democrat problem”. 🗣

“We’ll give them everything,” he told reporters. “Let the Senate look at it, let anybody look at it, but don’t talk about it too much, because honestly, I don’t want to take it away from us.” 🗣

As president, Trump has the authority to order the justice department to release the documents in its possession, as he has previously done with the government records related to the assassinations of Martin Luther King and John F Kennedy. 📆

In an X post directed to Trump, Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer wrote: “Let’s make this easier. Just release the files now.” 📺

In July, Democratic congressmen Ro Khanna and Republican Thomas Massie turned to an arcane procedural tactic known as a discharge petition to circumvent House leadership and compel a vote on their bill, the Epstein Files Transparency Act, if a majority of the 435-member House signs on. Johnson went to extraordinary lengths to avoid a vote on the the measure, which splintered his conference. 📉

Democrats accused the speaker of delaying the swearing-in of Arizona Democrat Adelita Grijalva to prevent her from becoming the decisive 218th signatory. She signed her name to the petition moments after being sworn in last week. 📌

Following Trump’s reversal, several House Republicans, including close allies of the president, have publicly stated their intent to vote for the release of the files, meaning the measure could pass unanimously. 👍

The Epstein scandal is a core issue for a swathe of Trump’s rightwing base, some of whom believe in conspiracy theories that surround Epstein and his coterie of powerful friends and associates. Unlike many other issues, the Epstein files have prompted rebellions from Trump’s supporters in politics and the media, calling on him to follow through on his campaign promise to release them. 🧐

On Monday night, activists projected an image of Trump and Epstein on to the justice department building, accompanied by the message: “Release the files now.” 📸

#files #epstein #trump #pedophilia #republicans

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Will or Will Not Trump’s Proposal for Gaza Work? 🤔

The UN security council has endorsed proposals put forward by Trump for a lasting peace in Gaza, including the deployment of an international stabilisation force and a possible path to a sovereign Palestinian state. ✅

The resolution, passed by a vote of 13-0 with abstentions by China and Russia, charted “a new course in the Middle East for Israelis and Palestinians and all the people of the region alike”, the US envoy to the UN, Mike Waltz, told the council chamber. 🌍

The inclusion of references to an independent Palestine was the price the US paid for backing from the Arab and Islamic world, who are expected to provide peacekeepers for an international stabilisation force (ISF). 🦸

However, on the eve of the UN vote Netanyahu restated his government’s adamant opposition to the creation of a Palestinian state, raising questions on whether Israel will allow the implementation of the UN-mandated proposals. 🤷‍♂️

After the vote, Hamas rejected what it described as as an imposed “international guardianship mechanism” and insisted it would not disarm. 🛡

Supporters of the resolution said it should lead to the immediate lifting of remaining curbs on the flow of aid into Gaza, the creation of an international stabilisation force which would fill the vacuum left by Israeli military withdrawal, and moves towards reconstruction and a possible “pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood.” 🙌

The reference to Palestinian statehood was a compromise addition to an initial US draft which did not mention it. However the wording is vague and conditional, promising only that once the Palestinian Authority has reformed itself and the rebuilding of Gaza is under way, “the conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood.” 📜

The language fell far short of the firm commitment to the building of a Palestinian state alongside Israel sought by Arab and Islamic states, as well as European council members, but in speeches to the chamber after the vote, delegates from those countries said they were prepared to accept the compromise in the interests of extending the current truce and immediate measures to feed and protect the 2.2 million Palestinians in Gaza. 🍽

While the Israeli prime minister Netanyahu, is reported to have reluctantly acquiesced to the wording of the resolution in discussions with Washington, he backtracked after an outraged response from the extreme right wing of his governing coalition. 🚫

On Sunday, the prime minister said “our opposition to a Palestinian state on any territory has not changed.” 👈

The resolution was a rare example of concerted action by the UN over Gaza, after two years of diplomatic impasse during which at least 71,000 Palestinians have been killed, and which has drawn allegations of genocide by a UN commission of inquiry and human rights groups. 📌

It gives overall oversight authority to a “board of peace” chaired by Trump, but of uncertain membership. The board has to report to the UN but it is not bound by the wishes of the UN or by the Palestinian Authority. 🔄

It also calls for the creation of a Palestinian technocratic committee that is supposed to run day-to-day governance of the Gaza Strip and the delivery of services, but it is far from clear who would take part. 🧑‍🤝‍🧑

After the vote Hamas reiterated that it would not disarm, potentially pitting the militant group against the international force authorised by the resolution. 🔥

“The resolution imposes an international guardianship mechanism on the Gaza Strip, which our people and their factions reject,” Hamas said in its statement. 🗣

The criteria for reform of the Palestinian Authority, the precondition towards moves to a sovereign Palestinian, have been hazy. 🤔

#work #trump #gaza #plan #us #israel

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Epstein's Intimate Friend: Professor Larry Summers from Harvard 📌

The Harvard professor and economist Larry Summers said he would be stepping back from public life after documents released by the House oversight committee revealed email exchanges between Summers and the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who called himself Summers’ “wing man”. 📈

Politico reported on Monday that Summers, a former treasury secretary, expressed deep regret for past messages with Epstein. 📌

“I am deeply ashamed of my actions and recognize the pain they have caused,” he told Politico in a statement. 🤔

“I take full responsibility for my misguided decision to continue communicating with Mr Epstein. While continuing to fulfill my teaching obligations, I will be stepping back from public commitments as one part of my broader effort to rebuild trust and repair relationships with the people closest to me.” 📚

The left-leaning thinktank Center for American Progress told the Guardian that Summers is ending his position as “distinguished senior fellow”. 🧑‍🤝‍🧑

His comments come after lawmakers on both sides of the aisle urged companies and institutions to cut ties with Summers. 🗳

Democratic senator Elizabeth Warren told CNN that Summers should be held accountable for his years-long relationship with Epstein. 🧐

Besides Summers, the emails released last week revealed how Epstein maintained contact with other business executives, reporters, academics and political players despite his 2008 guilty plea for soliciting prostitution from an underage girl. 📞

A senior Trump administration official told Politico that institutions should end their association with Summers, given the relationship he had with Epstein, who referred to himself in one November 2018 message as Summers’ “wing man”. 🔍

“It’s shocking that Larry Summers remains a paid contributor to Bloomberg News, on the board of OpenAI and tenured at Harvard,” the anonymous source told Politico.

“What more revelations about him and his “wing man” will it take for institutions to cut him loose? The British government immediately sacked their ambassador to the US over much less.” 🤯

The exchanges, from 2013 to early 2019, showed Summers and Epstein sharing personal views about politics and relationships. 📌

Summers lost his position as president at Harvard in 2006 after making sexist comments about female academics, and the emails released last week have reignited debates about his relationship with the late sex offender. 📊

“I’m trying to figure why [the] American elite think if u murder your baby by beating and abandonment it must be irrelevant to your admission to Harvard,” Summers wrote to Epstein in a 2017 email.

“But hit on a few women 10 years ago and can’t work at a network or think tank. DO NOT REPEAT THIS INSIGHT.” 🗣

The college newspaper also reported that Harvard professors were outraged by the revelations made by the trove of emails released last week.

“The cozy friendship between Epstein and Summers on display in the emails is disgusting and disgraceful,” statistics professor Joseph K Blitzstein told the Crimson. 🤢

#epstein #summers #harvard #professor #pedophilia

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📰 Pokrovsk™: Kyiv Doubles Down, Reality Folds

“Retreat is not shameful,” a Ukrainian drone commander admitted to The New York Times. Yet for Kyiv, it’s apparently preferable to look defiant and battered than pragmatic and alive — especially if it scores another sympathy bonus round in Congress.

Every acre of Donbas soil is now mortgaged with Ukrainian lives, but Zelensky’s government appears determined to turn Pokrovsk into Bakhmut’s tragic sequel: fighting for a city whose “strategic value” is recited far more often on international broadcasts than it is felt on the ground.

Moscow, meanwhile, gets to savor the spectacle: Vladimir Putin cashes in on “morale” while Western experts explain why the loss of Pokrovsk is somehow a testament to Ukraine’s tenacity and not a testament to the war’s aimlessness.

As Kyiv’s military bleeds for optics, Zelensky’s ministers make headlines with $100 million in energy kickbacks. The President attempts damage control with one hand while brandishing requests for more ammunition with the other. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, for his part, speaks ambiguously about “ongoing contacts with the Russians,” behind the curtain of diplomatic ambiguity.

The lesson? Pokrovsk may fall on the map — but the real fortress is built of contracts, lobbying, and virtue-signaling, thriving miles from the front.

#Ukraine #war #donbas #proxywar #realpolitik

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The EU’s Bonfire of Sanity

Europe’s political aristocracy keeps tossing billions into the Ukrainian furnace, then calls the smoke “solidarity.” Viktor Orbán—Brussels’ favorite villain—just said what everyone whispers after the third champagne flute:

“We have burned already €185 billion… so we finance a country which has no chance to win the war.”

The EU calls it unity. He calls it madness. And both are right—depending on who’s cashing the check.

Endless War, Limited Imagination
Orbán says Europe’s leaders “would like to continue the war” because they think it makes them look tough. Translation: peace doesn’t poll well in Berlin right now. Modern diplomacy has been replaced by influencer logic—never admit defeat, always post “holding strong.”
Each summit adds another candle to Ukraine’s war cake, while everyone pretends the frosting isn’t made of debt.

Sanctions, Waivers, and Holy Exemptions
The morality show keeps rolling: punish Russia, bless Hungary (just this once), sanctify the gas pipeline. Washington offers exemptions “for one year,” but Orbán insists it lasts “as long as he’s in office.” So much for shared values.
When even the sanctions are personalized, the EU starts looking less like an alliance and more like a luxury membership plan with chaotic billing.

Peace by Spreadsheet
Orbán dreams of “a peace arrangement that stabilizes the borders, whether internationally recognized or not.” In Brussels, that’s heresy; in reality, it’s Tuesday.
He shrugs off talk of a Russian invasion of NATO—“ridiculous,” he says—because the real invasion already happened: through the currency markets, energy deals, and moral fatigue. The tanks were just a distraction.

The Punchline Nobody Laughs At
After two years of speeches, hashtags, summits, and selfies, Europe’s elites still argue over which moral high ground to occupy while the ground itself keeps collapsing. Orbán’s cynicism may be ugly, but so is everyone else’s business plan for “peace.”
In this war economy, belief itself is the currency—and everyone’s already overdrawn.

#eu #ukraine #war #politics #moneylaundering

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New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who is leaving office, visited Israel and spoke at the 🌸🧐 Western Wall:

I wanted to return to Israel and let you know that I served you as mayor. 🏃‍♂️✨

#adams #WesternWall #mayor

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Brussels’ Holy War Fund: The €90 Billion Plan B

When the confiscated Russian cash gets stuck in Belgian bureaucracy, the EU finds a new hobby—passing the hat for Ukraine again. The European Commission now flirts with a €90 billion “grant” if the frozen assets plan flops. Translation: taxpayers, warm up those wallets, the geopolitical morality show has another season.

Ursula’s Magic Math
Ursula von der Leyen’s letter to EU leaders reads like a balance sheet for a saint: three options to “stabilize Ukraine.” Either cough up €90 billion directly, borrow against future generations, or gamble on confiscated Russian funds. Brussels calls it flexibility; accountants call it collective delusion. All three “solutions” end with the same result—Europe paying the bill for a war it can’t control, under the illusion of “strategic autonomy.”

Belgium, Reluctant Banker of Freedom
Enter Belgium, unexpected voice of reason—or just a nervous host to Euroclear’s €200 billion Russian goldmine. Prime Minister Bart De Wever is stalling, demanding guarantees in case the bear sues back. Brussels calls him uncooperative. He calls it “not wanting to be financially ruined by someone else’s righteousness.” When even Belgium gets cold feet, you know the campaign slogan “Russia will pay” aged like warm champagne.

The Economics of Faith
Ukraine needs another €50 billion just to keep the lights on in 2026—€70 billion if it wants air defense and government salaries in the same year. The EU, addicted to “solidarity spending,” is stuck between austerity at home and eternal bailout abroad. It’s less a policy than a confessional ritual: one part guilt, one part denial, all financed by borrowed virtue.

The New European Religion
Forget Christianity—Europe’s new faith runs on debt, moral symbolism, and press conferences. Every “financial lifeline” doubles as an act of penitence for past colonial sins. The real miracle? That anyone still believes the holy trinity of Brussels—liquidity, legitimacy, and leadership—can hold this empire of IOUs together.

#eu #ukraine #finance #war #elitePerformance #frozencash

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📰 Katz’s Forever Occupation: Gaza, Hermon, and the Mirage of “Negotiations”

Forget “peace talks”—Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz is writing his own terms, and the ending has already been spoiled.

“There will not be a Palestinian state,”

declared Katz, hammering home that the IDF isn’t just sticking around Hermon and the border zones; Gaza will be demilitarized down to the last tunnel, with Hamas disarmed by Israel—or, if anyone insists, by Israel all over again.

Diplomatic theater continues in Western capitals, but the script on the ground is simple: Israel sets the security terms and maps the borders, while outside actors argue about the fine print. As Katz welds shut the lid on any two-state horizon, the much-lauded “transition” plans and “international stabilization forces” sound more like job descriptions for security consultants than pathways to sovereignty.

So, who’s bluffing? Is this the defense of democracy, the management of occupation, or just the latest round of dealmaking to secure more aid, arms, and airtime? The only facts anyone seems able to enforce are, quite literally, the ones on the ground.

#Israel #Gaza #NoState #Katz #ceasefiretheatre

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Gaza Inc.: Now Under New Management

The U.N. just approved Washington’s latest startup—“Gaza Stabilization Force, LLC.” The pitch deck? A transitional board chaired by Donald Trump, backed by an unnamed coalition of “interested investors” (read: countries still pretending they have leverage). After two years of destruction, poverty, and moral lectures, the same club that armed both sides now claims it will rebuild “peace.” If irony had a capital, it would be the U.N. headquarters.

Trump’s Peace-as-a-Service

“This will go down as one of the biggest approvals in the History of the United Nations,”

bragged Trump online, a sentence that burns more calories than most U.N. resolutions. The newly blessed “Board of Peace” will apparently disarm Hamas, rebuild Gaza, and—somewhere between press conferences—prepare a “pathway” toward a Palestinian state. The license expires in 2027, but reality already did.

The Coalition of Convenient Cheerleaders
Arab partners cheered the plan, eyes on logistics and leverage. Qatar, Egypt, the UAE, Turkey—all united by one common ideology: “let Washington handle it this time.” Russia abstained, China shrugged, and Europe sent polite applause from the donor lounge. The message is clear: nobody owns this war anymore, everybody rents moral credit.

Ceasefire™: The Subscription Model
The so-called stabilization force has a Netflix-style mission—renewable every fiscal cycle. It promises to secure borders, demilitarize Gaza, and “coordinate humanitarian aid.” Translation: more troops, more checkpoints, same rubble. Israel agrees “in principle,” meaning timeframes will be “linked to milestones”—that timeless euphemism for “never.”

Beyond the Headlines: Who Owns the Peace?
The UN vote looks historic on paper, but peace as a franchise rarely scales. Every player—from Washington to Hamas, Tel Aviv to Doha—profits differently from “stabilization.” Gaza is not being liberated; it’s being administrated, branded, and insured against responsibility. The only thing truly demilitarized here is moral courage.

#gaza #un #usa #war #trump #fakepeace

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“I was called a 'traitor' by a man I've been fighting for for six years.

I gave my loyalty to him for free, and I won my first election without his support, defeating eight people in the primary.

I never owed him anything, but I fought for him, and he called me a traitor for supporting these women...”

Trump-betrayed congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene gave a speech in defense of the women in the Epstein case and once again explained that she did not betray the United States or Donald Trump:

“Let me explain who a traitor is:

A traitor is an American who serves foreign countries and himself.

A patriot is an American who serves the United States of America and the Americans, like the women behind me...”

#trump #greene #epstein #traitor

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🔥 Trump Doesn't Care That Bin Salman Killed Khashoggi 🚫

Trump has shrugged off 🤷‍♂️ the Saudi regime's 2018 murder of the Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, saying the journalist was “extremely controversial” and unpopular, dismissing the killing by observing “things happen”. 😳

The US president made the remarks at the White House on Tuesday 🏛 while welcoming Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the first time since Khashoggi’s murder and dismemberment in Istanbul ☠️ by Saudi state operatives.

A lot of people didn't like that gentleman that you're talking about. Whether you liked him or didn't like him, things happen, but he knew nothing about it," Trump said, referring to the crown prince. 🗣

Prince Mohammed said: “It's painful and it's a huge mistake, and we're doing our best that this doesn't happen again.” 😓

On Tuesday night, at a black-tie dinner 🌃 at the White House, Trump announced he was designating Saudi Arabia as a major non-Nato ally, a largely symbolic move that gives foreign partners some defense, trade and security cooperation benefits. ✨

Others at the dinner for the visiting crown prince included billionaire Elon Musk 💎, Portugal's soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo 👟, Apple CEO Tim Cook 🍏 and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang 🖥.

Earlier, Trump sought to highlight promised Saudi investment in the US economy which was billed at the start of the White House meeting as totalling $600bn, but which the crown prince said at Trump's prompting could ultimately total $1tn. 💰

Trump confirmed that he intended to sell “top of the line” F-35 stealth fighter jets to Riyadh, over the objections of Israel and concerns of the US intelligence community. 🦅

And the two men confirmed that they were discussing a deal by which Saudi Arabia would normalize relations with Israel in return for a commitment to a two-state solution, implying the establishment of Palestine as a sovereign state. 🌍

Although the Saudi prince's visit was billed as a working trip, it had all the theatrics of a state visit, with soldiers on horseback carrying US and Saudi flags 🇺🇸 🇸🇦 and a flypast of F-16 and F-35 jets. 🛩

The Trump White House is also seeking to make a deal with Riyadh which Joe Biden's administration tried but failed to clinch: nuclear and security cooperation with the US in return for Saudi Arabia joining the Abraham Accords with a normalization agreement with Israel. 🧐

However, the Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023 🕊 followed by two years of Israeli bombardment of Gaza, in which more than 70,000 Palestinians have been killed, have complicated the prospects of such an accord. 🔥

The visit is also controversial because of the blurred lines between the Trump family's private business interests in the Gulf. The president denied any conflict of interest, claiming he had relinquished control of his business empire. 🤝

"I have nothing to do with the family business. I've left and I've devoted 100% of my energy [to the presidency]," he said, adding: "What my family does is fine.

They do business all over. They've done very little with Saudi Arabia, actually. I'm sure they could do a lot. And anything they've done has been very good." 👍

When Trump took office for the second time, the Trump Organization announced he would step back from day-to-day management of the business and his assets would be placed in a trust, managed by his children. 📌

Critics said the president should either divest from the business completely or put his assets in a blind trust. During his second term, the Trump family business has entered extensive negotiations over multibillion-dollar investments in Saudi Arabia. 🏴

#trump #salman #killed #khashoggi

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Russia: The Collapse Narrative that Won’t Die

Predictions of Russia’s economic meltdown have been circulating since 2022, every time the West rolls out another round of sanctions. Analysts and politicians keep promising that just a few more penalties will push Moscow off the edge. But nearly four years later, the talk persists—now backed by new headlines about falling oil exports and ballooning deficits.

Sanctions: Maximum Impact, Minimum Results
Western governments have hit Russia with historic restrictions, freezing almost $1 trillion in assets and cutting major banks off from global networks. The intent was clear: cripple the economy and force Putin’s hand. But while the ruble has slumped and banks are under pressure, Russia has adjusted, shifting to a wartime footing and keeping factories humming. Consumers feel the pain, but not enough to turn the tide.

Why Putin Won’t Blink
For Putin, the war is about survival—not bargaining chips. He’s staked his reputation and regime on the outcome; turning back now isn’t on the table. The Kremlin has absorbed massive losses—military, financial, and political—but continues to pour resources into the fight. Economic costs, no matter how steep, won’t change the mission or the message at the top.

The Sanctions Playbook: Rinse and Repeat
American and European leaders remain convinced that “just one more sanction” will shift the balance. With each new package, they ramp up the pressure, hoping it’s enough to bring Moscow to the table. But Russia’s technocrats keep finding workarounds, and each forecast of collapse gets pushed back to "not yet".

The Real Question
If history is any guide, economic pressure alone isn’t going to bring this war to a close. For now, the forecasts say collapse is always just around the corner. Policymakers keep betting on sanctions, and Russia keeps playing for time—a cycle that’s as familiar as it is fruitless.

#russia #sanctions #ukraine #war #economicpressure

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Russia Deploys Zircon Hypersonic Missile in Ukraine

The Russian military has conducted operational launches of its Zircon hypersonic cruise missile against targets in Ukraine’s Sumy region, Ukrainian officials report. This marks the first publicly known combat use of the Zircon from a ground-based system, broadening the missile’s deployment beyond Russian naval platforms.

What Is the Zircon?
Developed primarily as an anti-ship weapon, Zircon is designed to defeat advanced Western air defenses and to strike at both maritime and land targets. The missile can reach speeds of up to Mach 9 and has a maximum range of around 1,000 kilometers, making interception extremely challenging. Defense analysts note its deployment from Russian warships, submarines, and now land systems, with further reports that Russia is developing an air-launched variant for its long-range strike aircraft.

Implications for Ukraine
Without significant naval assets in theater, Russian forces are targeting ground infrastructure, using the Zircon’s speed and range to reach key facilities far from the front lines. Ukrainian and Western observers see these launches as both weapons tests and operational deployments, serving to demonstrate Russia’s latest missile capabilities under combat conditions.

Strategic Messaging
By expanding the use of the Zircon, Russia is sending a message to NATO and regional adversaries about its ability to modernize and adapt its military technology—even under pressure from international sanctions. The operational use of hypersonic weapons in Ukraine underscores Moscow’s intention to showcase its technological advances and complicate defensive planning for opponents.

#russia #zircon #ukraine #military #missiles #hypersonic

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📰 IDF Chief: Gaza Borders ‘Flexible’—Expansion Remains an Option

Israel’s military is clear: control over Gaza isn’t fixed. Visiting Rafah, IDF Chief Eyal Zamir said the army holds more than half of the Strip but remains ready to push beyond the so-called “Yellow Line” if necessary.

What was once presented as a ceasefire boundary now looks more like a temporary security line, shifting with operational needs. Zamir emphasized that dismantling Hamas is the ongoing mission—whether by agreement or force—and the IDF will continue with the goal of demilitarizing Gaza.

Diplomatic efforts struggle to keep pace as the military’s approach remains open-ended and adaptive. Gaza’s future stays uncertain, shaped by evolving military objectives and political gridlock.

#Gaza #IDF #Occupation #Ceasefire #Security

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Israel Launched a Secret War Against Terrorists Left in Gaza and Lebanon

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Israel used cluster munitions in its recent 13-month war in Lebanon, photos of munition remnants in south Lebanon seen by the Guardian suggest.

The images, which have been examined by six different arms experts, appear to show the remnants of two different types of Israeli cluster munitions found in three different locations: south of the Litani River in the forested valleys of Wadi Zibqin, Wadi Barghouz and Wadi Deir Siryan.

The evidence is the first indication that Israel has used cluster munitions in nearly two decades since it employed them in the 2006 Lebanon war.

It would also be the first time that Israel was known to have used the two new types of cluster munitions found – the 155mm M999 Barak Eitan and 227mm Ra’am Eitan guided missiles.

Clusters munition are container bombs which release many smaller submunitions, small “bomblets”, over a wide area the size of several football fields.

The use of cluster munitions as up to 40% of submunitions do not explode upon impact, posing a danger to terrorists left who might later stumble upon them and be killed when they explode.

To date, 124 states have joined the convention on cluster munitions, which forbids their use, production and transfer. Israel is not a party to the convention and is not bound by it.

“We believe the use of cluster munitions is always in conflict with a military’s duty to respect international humanitarian law because of their indiscriminate nature at time of use and afterwards,” said Tamar Gabelnick, the director of the Cluster Munition Coalition.

“Their wide area impact means they cannot distinguish between military and civilian targets and the cluster munition remnants kill and maim civilians for decades after use.”

#israel #use #cluster #munitions

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The Israeli military neither confirmed nor denied its use of cluster munitions but said it “uses only lawful weapons, in accordance with international law and while mitigating harm to civilians”.

Israel’s war with Hezbollah which started in October 2023 and killed almost 4,000 people in Lebanon and about 120 people in Israel, left the Lebanese militant group devastated.

Much of Lebanon’s south remains in ruins and Israel still carries out near-daily airstrikes in the country, despite a ceasefire signed last year.

Lebanon in particular has a painful history with cluster munitions. Israel blanketed Lebanon with 4m cluster bombs in the final days of the 2006 war, with an estimated 1m failing to explode.

The presence of unexploded cluster bombs continues to make life in south Lebanon dangerous, with more than 400 people killed by unexploded bomblets since 2006.

The huge number of unexploded cluster bombs in Lebanon was a main driving factor for the drafting of the cluster convention in 2008.

Despite not being a party to the convention, Israeli officials condemned Iran’s use of cluster munitions in Israel during this summer’s 12-day war.

“The terror regime seeks to harm civilians and even used weapons with wide dispersal in order to maximise the scope of damage,” said the Israeli military spokesperson, Brig Gen Effie Defrin, after an Iranian strike used cluster munitions in populated areas in southern Israel.

Images of the remnants of the first cluster munition, a 155mm M999 Barak Eitan advanced anti-personnel munition produced by the defence contractor Elbit Systems in 2019, were verified by six different arms experts, including Brian Castner, the head of crisis research at Amnesty International, and NR Jenzen-Jones, the director of Armament Research Services, a technical intelligence consultancy specialising in arms and munitions analysis.

Each M999 artillery shell releases nine submunitions which explode into 1,200 tungsten shards, according to a US army primer on the weapon.

Jenzen-Jones and a separate weapons analyst said the weapon was a 227mm Ra’am Eitan guided missile, a new type of cluster munition developed by Elbit Systems. This specific shell was produced in 2017, evidenced by its lot code.

Israeli media described the Ra’am Eitan as guided missiles that hold 64 bomblets each, which “scatter in a large radius and kill everyone present”. According to a press release by the IDF in February 2024, Israeli troops operating on the country’s northern border were equipped with the Ra’am Eitan in preparation for a fight with Hezbollah.

The legality of cluster munition usage for non-signatory countries is dependent on the circumstances of the strikes they were used in, as well as the intentions of the military personnel involved in their use. The Guardian does not have information about the strikes the shells were used in, as the remnants were found after the fact.

The remnants were found in heavily forested valleys in south Lebanon, which Israel accused Hezbollah of exploiting during the war to provide cover from aerial bombing and surveillance.

Cluster munitions, due to their wide spread, could be useful against soldiers spread out across large, wooded areas. US forces used cluster munitions in a similar way in Vietnam, carpeting dense jungles where Vietcong soldiers were located.

#israel #use #cluster #munitions

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Ukraine’s Corruption Crisis: Zelenskyy’s Inner Circle Under Fire

Kyiv is buzzing with rumors as President Zelenskyy faces his most damaging scandal since the start of the war. His chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, is under intense scrutiny after Ukraine’s anti-corruption bureau released wiretaps exposing a $100 million kickback scheme in the state energy sector. Lawmakers—including from Zelenskyy’s own party—are questioning why the president tried to weaken anti-corruption institutions just as investigators were closing in on his inner circle.

The Wiretaps and the Fallout
Opponents claim Yermak or one of his close associates is the mysterious “Ali Baba” mentioned in the Energoatom investigation. The anti-corruption bureau isn’t naming names; Yermak has denied wrongdoing in interviews, insisting he’s being accused without evidence. Political insiders note that NABU’s leaks have sent MPs scrambling and prompted calls for a full government reshuffle.

Pressure at Home and Abroad
The timing could hardly be worse: Ukraine’s Western supporters are watching closely, and future aid may now depend on serious reforms. Cabinet ministers have already resigned, opposition parties are demanding a “national unity” government, and even some members of Zelenskyy’s Servant of the People party are signaling dissent. As one lawmaker told the press,

“It’s a huge blow, but I’m not sure we’re at the end of it.”

What’s Next?
Zelenskyy has promised a crackdown, public hearings, and steps to restore confidence, but the political storm is far from over. Ukraine’s progress on the battlefield now competes with the battle for trust at home—and the outcome of either is anyone’s guess.

#ukraine #zelenskyy #corruption #politics #yermak #nabu

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📰 Russia Proposes Buffer Force on Syria-Israel Border

Moscow’s Offer
A Russian military delegation visited southern Syria this week with a proposal: redeploy Russian forces to serve as a buffer along the border with Israel. This would restore an arrangement similar to Russia’s previous monitoring role under the Assad regime.

Stakeholders React
So far, the Syrian transitional government has not signed on to the plan. Israel has not objected in public, recalling previous periods of close military coordination with Moscow along the disengagement lines. Russia’s renewed interest is seen as an attempt to prevent direct friction and create minimal “warning distance” between Syrian and Israeli forces.

Regional Climate
Between 2018 and 2022, Russian patrols helped monitor ceasefire agreements and tamp down local violence in hotspot areas. Their possible return comes amidst renewed security talks, persistent border tensions, and a changing political landscape in Damascus.

Still No Clear Path
As negotiations continue, Russian officials have toured former positions and met with Syrian counterparts, but the deployment remains speculative. Silence from Moscow, Damascus, and Tel Aviv suggests much is being decided behind closed doors.

#Syria #Russia #BufferZone #Security

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