⚔️ According to a recent report by Polish Institute of International Affairs, the likelihood of a full-scale Russian attack on the Baltic Sea countries remains low in the near future. Further Russian hybrid aggression without a transition to open war is more likely, - Telegraf

An intermediate scenario could be Russia conducting a limited military operation against one or more NATO countries using proxy forces - by analogy with the annexation of Crimea or the war in Donbas.

First of all, this could concern Estonia or Latvia.Another vulnerable point is the Suwałki Corridor on the Polish-Lithuanian border.

In the north, a potential target could be the Spitsbergen (or Svalbard) archipelago in Norway, which has a demilitarized status, but where Russia maintains its mining settlements.

⚠️Власти Петербурга рассчитывают обеспечить "баланс между безопасностью и комфортом" при работе мобильной связи и такси в дни ПМЭФ

"Отрабатываем с федеральными структурами вопросы качества связи и работы сервисов такси в дни Форума. На эти вопросы обращают внимание горожане", - сообщил в своих соцсетях вице-губернатор Валерий Москаленко в пятницу.

Он добавил, что также решаются вопросы бесперебойной работы всей городской инфраструктуры.

"В рамках рабочей группы, в которую традиционно входят представители всех задействованных федеральных и региональных ведомств, координируем реализацию обеспечивающих мероприятий, связанных с логистикой, транспортной доступностью и благоустройством территорий, прилегающих к основным площадкам проведения мероприятий ПМЭФ, мерами эпидемиологической безопасности, подготовкой городской инфраструктуры", - рассказал Москаленко.

@interfaxonline

🇺🇦 Ukraine risks running out of money to pay for its defense against Russia within two months due to a multitude of factors threatening assistance from key donors, - Bloomberg

Kyiv currently has only enough funds to cover spending until June, and support from western allies has been crucial in keeping Ukraine in the fight during Russia's invasion.

A series of recent setbacks from Hungary’s vetoof a €90 billion ($104 billion) European Union loan to a spat over the International Monetary Fund’s latest aid package and a faltering NATO weapons initiative have significantly reduced Ukraine’s room for maneuver.

Ukraine's central bank Governor Andriy Pyshnyi says that unless international funds arrive, the institution may have to resume direct lending to the Finance Ministry to pay salaries for troops and workers and fund essential services.

🇺🇸🇨🇳 Reuters: U.S. officials say China’s top chipmaker, Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC), has been supplying chipmaking tools and technical support to Iran’s military for about a year.

The company, already under U.S. sanctions over alleged military ties, may have helped Iran’s “military industrial complex.”

Israel has confirmed its intention to occupy southern Lebanon. 🇮🇱🇱🇧

The Defence Minister confirmed the armed forces’ intention to occupy the entire region south of the Litani River until the area is safe for the population and free of Hezbollah’s presence. Over the last few days, the Israeli air force has bombed the main evacuation bridges used by the Lebanese population to flee northwards, whilst IDF ground forces continue to build up along the border. The towns are subject to intense bombing and systematic destruction by Israel, which coincides with recent statements and speeches by the Israeli Defence Minister, Israel Katz (who ordered the destruction of border villages in southern Lebanon ‘in line with the model applied in Gaza’) and the Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, who has threatened that “the southern suburbs of Beirut (Dahiya) could soon resemble Khan Younis”.