Cats from Donetsk.

President Vladimir Putin on Sunday signed a new naval doctrine which cast the United States as Russia's main rival and set out Russia's global maritime ambitions for crucial areas such as the Arctic and in the Black Sea.

The president also said the "Zircon" hypersonic cruise missiles would be deployed in the upcoming months and said it would allow the Russian Navy to quickly engage with threats.

What is happening in Kosovo and Metohija?
The situation at the end of July 31, 2022

The howling of air sirens in Kosovska Mitrovica, which sounded at 18.30 Moscow time, marked the beginning of another escalation of the long-standing conflict.

From August 1, in the self-proclaimed Republic of Kosovo, new rules for the entry of Serbs were to start working. All cars had to be re-registered with Kosovo numbers, and instead of Serbian registration certificates, a special “declaration sheet” should be received. Identity cards issued by the Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs are now considered invalid.

These requirements also apply to ethnic Serbs living in the region and their relatives from central Serbia. Such measures will significantly complicate the life of the Serbian population of the region and are in fact a violation of the Brussels agreements.

Moreover, this is direct pressure on the Serbian population. Civilians are bureaucratically forced to abandon the truth “Kosovo is Serbia” and admit that Kosovo is a different state. Nothing but irritation and a desire to close the problem of the self-proclaimed republic once and for all, such measures do not cause.

Since June, the Serbian authorities have been warning about provocations being prepared in the region.

According to President Aleksandar Vučić, Western conductors of the Kosovo Albanians were actually preparing an operation to clean up the Serbian population by autumn. However, the Kosovo authorities decided not to wait for either autumn or the official date for the entry into force of the new rules.

On July 31, the Brnjak and Yarinje border checkpoints were unilaterally blocked, and the passage of cars with Serbian license plates through the Rudnica checkpoint was also suspended. In turn, the Prime Minister of the self-proclaimed Kosovo, Albin Kurti, blames the Serbian authorities for the escalation.

Fakes about hospitalized Kosovo police officers injured in clashes with the Serbian army multiplied on the Web. However, both the Serbian Ministry of Defense and the Kosovo police denied reports of clashes. Nevertheless, shooting was recorded at the Brnjak and Yarinje border crossings, and one Serb was hospitalized in Kosovska Mitrovica.

The NATO peacekeeping contingent KFOR and units of the Serbian Armed Forces were put on alert, and the Kosovo special forces ROSU were pulled into the border areas in the north of the region. In the evening, negotiations between the Serbian General Staff and KFOR took place, and the American ambassador to Kosovo said that he had persuaded the Pristina authorities to postpone the application of the scandalous decision on license plates until September 1.

This is not the first time we have seen the pulling together of the Kosovo security forces, as well as bringing the Serbian army to combat readiness and the transfer of its units to the south: last fall, at the same Yarinje checkpoint, the confrontation almost reached an armed clash.

Today, however, one cannot underestimate the general background of the international situation, as well as the support that Britain and Germany have been providing to the Kosovo Albanians in recent months.

Now we are faced with the usual provocation and probing the reaction of both the Serbs and the international community. Despite Aleksandar Vucic's calls to keep the peace, the intervention of peacekeepers and Western partners, there is every reason to believe that an armed clash in the north of Kosovo and Metohija is only a matter of time. September 1 and the new rules of travel to Kosovo, humiliating for all Serbs, are coming soon.

It worth mentioning, that Russia and many other countries have never recognised Kosovo, though EU and USA have. More over, Moscow many times stressed out, that the very fact of creating an independent state at the expense of another state has opened "Pandora box" and is a very dangerous precedent - first forced change of state boundaries since WW2.
That precedent was consequently used by Russia, when part of Georgia was recognised as independent Osetia and Abhasia, which was not in its turn recognised by majority of the Western countries. Here we have the same "double standard" approach, when something is good enough for EU and USA, but is "not allowed" to Russia.
You may have already noticed, that Donetsk and Luhansk republic's independence, recently recognised by Russia, is following the same legal template or precedent.

#TransFormator

So, eventually she has made her mind and is going there...
BEIJING, August 1 - RIA Novosti. Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi will arrive in Taiwan on August 2 in the evening and meet with the island's leadership the next day, Taiwanese information portal ETtoday reports.
According to the publication, the official at the head of a delegation of about 20 people should land at about 22:30 local time (17:30 Moscow time) at Songshan Airport in Taipei. She will spend the night at the Grand Hyatt before visiting the Legislative Yuan (Taiwan's parliament) on the morning of August 3 and meeting with the leadership, including Chief of Staff Tsai Ing-wen.

Pelosi will reportedly leave the island by plane around noon on the same day.
As part of the Asian tour, the Speaker of the House of Representatives planned to visit Japan, Korea, Malaysia and Singapore. However, she declined to comment on media reports about her possible arrival in Taiwan, citing security concerns.
Pelosi could have come to the island in April, but then the trip had to be canceled due to her sudden infection with the coronavirus.
As the media wrote, Chinese diplomats actively tried to convey to US congressmen that the visit of US representatives to Taiwan was undesirable in the interests of both sides.

Chinese Ministry of Defense spokesman Tan Kefei stressed that the speaker of the House of Representatives is the third most important person in the American system of power, her visit to the island would violate the principle of "one China", harm relations in the military sphere and lead to an aggravation of the situation. According to him, "the Chinese army will not watch this with folded hands and will definitely take all measures to stop external interference and attempts by the separatists to separate Taiwan."
China considers Taiwan its province and opposes any contact between its representatives and the authorities of countries with which Beijing has established diplomatic relations.

#China #Pelosi

Moscow, right now, TV tower. Slogan projected on the tower: "China, Russia is with you!"
#China

Brief history of Taiwan - to help you better understand, what is going on.

Taiwan, which has long been inhabited by indigenous peoples, became part of the Chinese empire in the 17th century. It was then ceded to Japan in 1895 after Imperial China lost the First Sino-Japanese War.
The island remained a Japanese colony for half a century until the end of World War II. Following the allied defeat of Japan, China's ruling Nationalist government, led by the Kuomintang (KMT), took control of Taiwan.
Not long after, the Nationalists -- which ruled the mainland under the Republic of China (ROC) banner following the fall of Imperial China -- came under renewed attack from an insurgent Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
The two sides entered into a bloody civil war that resulted in the eventual defeat of the Nationalists who fled to Taiwan, moving the seat of the ROC government from Nanjing to Taipei. Across the strait, the CCP took power and established the People's Republic of China (PRC) in Beijing.
Both proclaimed themselves the sole rightful government of the entire Chinese territory.
In Taipei, the Nationalist leader, Chiang Kai-shek, dreamed of one day retaking the mainland; In Beijing, CCP Chairman Mao Zedong deemed Taiwan the last piece to a united "new China" -- a "problem" that needed to be solved sooner or later.
In recent years, Taiwan has downplayed its territorial claims over mainland China, and is today a vibrant democracy, with its own military, currency, constitution and elected government.
But it is not recognized as an independent country by most governments in the world, and has become increasingly isolated diplomatically.
Over the years, an increasing number of governments have switched their diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing, leaving Taiwan with only 15 diplomatic allies at the end of 2021.

Also, more detailed outline of the historical development.
#China

#FACT #Russia #Ukraine @mod_russia_en

🇨🇳 🇺🇸 🇹🇼On the eve of Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, the Chinese army published an impressive video with a demonstration of force.

The construction of the first 12 five-story apartement buildings is underway in Mariupol.

The new 'microdistrict' will have 1011 apartements.

TASS

The Taiwanese press writes that Pelosi will arrive tomorrow at about 17:30 Moscow time (22:30 local time) at Songshan Airport in Taipei (the capital of the island), spend the night at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, and in the morning will visit the Legislative Council of Taiwan, where she will hold meetings with the leadership of the island, including its head Tsai Ing-wen

🇨🇳🇺🇸🇹🇼

Speaker of the House of Representatives of the US Congress Nancy Pelosi may still arrive in Taiwan on the evening of August 2, and on August 3 she may meet with the head of the Taipei administration, Tsai Ing-wen. This was reported by the Japanese agency Kyodo. The same information was confirmed by a journalist from the Taiwanese state media TVBS NEWS.

🇺🇸 According to the Nikkei, The US military hardware, including aircraft carriers and large aircraft, have been moved closer to Taiwan. According to the publication, the US military expects thereby to create a "buffer zone" for the possible arrival of the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

🇨🇳 In turn, 4 aircraft of the Chinese Air Force entered the Taiwan Air Defense Identification Zone. Four J-16 fighters participated in the maneuvers, according to reports from the Taiwanese defense department. They flew around the water area to the southwest of the island.

🇹🇼 The Taiwanese military in response to such actions distributed radio warnings and deployed anti-aircraft missile systems.

Earlier, China's state-run Global Times suggested that the landing of Pelosi's plane could be carried out under the pretext of a technical malfunction or the need to refuel.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry again warned the United States that Pelosi's visit to Taiwan would lead to "serious consequences."

🇺🇸🇰🇷🇯🇵 And in this case, Washington should also take into account the fact that there are very big disagreements among its allies in the region. Today, Japan protested to South Korea because of the entry of research vessels into the area of ​​the Takeshima Islands (Dokdo). A few days earlier, Seoul, against the backdrop of statements by the country's leadership about the possibility of inflicting a preventive strike on nuclear infrastructure facilities in the DPRK, began military exercises in the Sea of ​​Japan near these islands.

❔ So how the White House, in the event of a decision to enter the war in the Strait, is going to organize an operation to supply Taipei and deblock the island, not to mention the supply of weapons and hostilities, is not entirely clear. In addition, one should not discount the Eastern European front, both ongoing and brewing.

JPMorgan says Russia has had little problem rerouting its oil exports, meaning the expected plunge in production never happened

From Market Insider

Russia has been able to reroute its oil exports away from Europe without serious disruptions, JPMorgan has said, adding that the expected drop in output "never happened."

Better-than-expected Russian production, along with the release of oil from global strategic reserves, helps explain the recent drop in crude prices, the bank's head of commodities research Natasha Kaneva said in a note to clients.

Russia's oil exports to Europe — its biggest market — have fallen relatively sharply in 2022, as companies have "self-sanctioned" in the wake of Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine in late February.

However, Russia has been able to shift its exports towards Asia, with India and China in particular stepping up their purchases. More recently, a jump in domestic demand has caused Russian oil production to rise back to prewar levels.

Footage of combat operations of Pantsir self-propelled anti-aircraft gun and missile systems of the Western Military District during the special military operation.

Pantsir system continues to destroy Bayraktar TB2 unmanned aerial vehicles operate AFU as well as Tochka-U missiles fired at liberated civilian settlements while on combat duty.

Wheeled infantry fighting vehicles ZBL-09 on the beach in Fujian

Politico: The fact that Pelosi is apparently still planning to visit Taiwan indicates that the Pentagon has revised its assessment of the danger from the Chinese military.

"The visit ... suggests that both sides have reluctantly reached a compromise agreement that will allow it to take place while reducing the likelihood of miscalculations in a period of increased tension," the publication says.

American military experts interviewed by the newspaper have no doubt that China and the United States are in contact at the military level in order to avoid unwanted incidents. Politico adds that Washington will apparently at the same time confirm to Beijing through diplomatic channels that it remains committed to the "one China" policy.

The Washington Post, citing sources, insists that Pelosi may cancel her visit to Taiwan at the last moment.

108 years ago - on August 1, 1914 - Germany, an ally of Austria-Hungary, declared war on Russia.

The Russian Empire entered the First World War on the side of Serbia.

The First World War led to the collapse of four empires and provoked the flowering of nationalism, destroying the common European civilization.

Just grim reminder, on how emotions and incompetence could lead to the millions of deaths.