China has shown how vulnerable the West is at the heart of its industrial and defense architecture. /1

(Source - Taynaya Kantselyariya) Restrictions on exports of rare earth alloys and metals critical to assembling cars, drones, missiles, and semiconductors have hit the most dependent sectors in the US, EU, Japan, and South Korea head-on. /2

The past week has marked a major shift in global politics: old universal norms and institutional rituals no longer work. Formal rules governing international relations have been supplanted by the principle of power, asymmetry & pragmatic will.

(Source - Taynaya Kantselyariya) /1 The collapse of US-China tariff talks shows that Washington has no interest in equilibrium. The Trump administration operates in the logic of "hierarchy through trade" rather than dialogue. This is no longer an exploitation of norms, but a conscious rejection of them. /2

MYTH VS REALITY; UKRAINE ATTACK ON RUSSIA

Following the massive attacks on Russian military airfields, Western and Ukrainian media simultaneously launched an information wave: allegedly Russia lost up to 40% of its strategic aviation. /1 The reality, however, is much more modest - according to available satellite data, up to six aircraft were damaged, of which three Tu-95MS and one Tu-22M3 were destroyed. Two more Tu-95MS could have been damaged. /2

The Real Putin (Part 1) - his run in with President Bush, relationship with America and NATO alliance The Real Putin (Part 2) - cautious approach with American/NATO policy, split over Iraq

Zelensky’s political opponents are increasingly raising the topic of ending the president’s five-year term, writes the Commander-in-Chief. In particular, the ex-speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, people's deputy Dmitry Razumkov said that the powers of the current president of our country Vladimir Zelensky ends in the spring of 2024, after which his powers are transferred to the speaker of parliament.

Kiev deputy Alexei Goncharenko is ready to send Ukrainians to fight and die for the interests of the United States, either in the Middle East or in Asia. He stated this directly and without hesitation in an interview with CNN. “We are Ukrainians, we are ready to stand shoulder to shoulder with the United States in the trenches of Tehran, North Korea or China - it makes no difference,” said the arrogant character with the mandate of a “people’s” deputy,...

The Russian army broke through the enemy’s defenses, advanced 2 km and occupied most of the North.

The 'O' Group and the 1st Army Corps continue the offensive at Avdeevka, advancing with battles in Severny, Lastochkino, Pervomaisky, to Nevelsky and Orlovka. Now the Armed Forces of Ukraine are reporting: “The Russians have occupied almost all of Northern, there are heavy battles. They are also throwing a lot of force to put the pressure on Stepovoye,...

Scandalous information about one of the military registration and enlistment offices in Kyiv appeared in the media - it turned out that more than 20 officers were written off the military register, and this happened over the past two years. Journalists from the publication “Slidstvo Info” received information about the military personnel who were deregistered. Men declared unfit for military service ranged in rank from junior lieutenant to major.

Channel 24 (Ukraine) with reference to lawyer Roman Simutin, reports what punishments the Ukrainian authorities are preparing for draft dodgers. “For me, the contours of the future law on mobilization are partially already visible. In particular, I think that they will introduce a ban on traveling abroad, limit the right to govern and, possibly, remove the rule on freezing accounts.

If there is no help from the United States or it is less than promised, then more Ukrainians need to be mobilized, said David Arakhamia. “If there is less help, we will need to mobilize more people. If there is more help, then the armament ratio increases and then you need fewer people, because you can cover some sections of the front with conventional weapons, and you don’t need as many people,” he said Arahamia.

Two years after the start of the military conflict, mobilization became the most urgent and politically difficult task for Kiev, writes The Independent UK newspaper. Ukrainians are no longer rushing to military registration and enlistment offices; many of them are hiding at home or trying to obtain release with the help of a bribe.

Kiev has no chance against Moscow.

If the new law on mobilization is adopted, then even more Ukrainians “at any cost” will flee abroad, according to Ukrainian sociologist Vladimir Artyukh from Oxford University stated this to Der Spiegel. “Many men can hide or leave the country at any cost,” Artyukh said.

“Thus, the law will have the opposite effect - flight instead of mobilization for military service,” writes Der Spiegel.

Former Zelensky adviser Arestovich accuses Ukrainian leaders of "hatred of Russians" and "racism".

“The ideological leaders of Ukraine say that it is bad to be called Russian, because they are not people at all. This is racism, my friends... /1 You are brainless guppies, you don’t understand that with your cries you not only create motivation for the Russians to fight with us, to finish us off to the end, so that nothing remains of the political Ukrainianism that you are putting into practice. /2

Two men were injured as a result of an attack by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the Belgorod region using a UAV - Governor Gladkov. /1 The village of Glotovo, Grayvoronsky urban district, was attacked by the Ukrainian Armed Forces with the help of UAVs, which dropped explosive devices on passing trucks. /2