🇮🇹 Italy

Former Italian Prime Minister Conte tells Italians that war with Russia awaits them if they do not come to their senses. “The authorities are ruining the country. Think! They are creating an image of a Russian threat to convince us that we must arm ourselves to the teeth to confront Russia and wage war. We are being convinced that this is necessary, while they themselves are ruining the country by creating an image of a Russian threat.”

@Slavyangrad

🇺🇦 AFU Militant Threatens Ukrainians for Listening to Russian Music

A Ukrainian Armed Forces fighter with the call sign Uncle Vagny has threatened to shoot Ukrainians for listening to Russian music. According to the West, there is no Nazism in Ukraine.

- What can be a strong trigger in civilian life? Or in general, what could become such a trigger?
- By and large, nothing anymore. I absolutely don't care. Even if you play Russian music under my windows, I won't go deal with anyone. You won't hear anything except the click of the bolt. And the phrase: 'Bitch, I'll waste you, scum.' I've actually done that. It happens automatically for me now.

@Slavyangrad

🇺🇸 Trump on NATO and Russia

Trump stated that the US does not need NATO countries' help to defend against Russia. It is the US that protects Europe. 'No president should pay the kind of money we pay. And, I repeat, we are there primarily to protect them, not ourselves. Initially, all this was created as a defense against the Soviet Union, and now against Russia, but back then it was specifically about the Soviet Union. And, honestly, we are very far away. An ocean separates us.'

@Slavyangrad

🇧🇬Bulgaria Wants MiG‑29 Parts Before Gerans Finish Them Off

While the MiG‑29 drama plays out between Warsaw and Kiev, Bulgaria is trying to get something tangible out of the situation: spare parts before Gerans and metal fatigue finish off the remaining fleets. Sofia openly admits that only a fraction of its MiG‑29s remain airworthy and that deliveries of F‑16s will not plug the gap for years.

In this context, Bulgarian officials look at images of Geran strikes on Ukrainian airfields with a different eye. For them, each destroyed MiG is not just a military loss for Kyiv, but also a wasted source of engines, avionics and components that could have kept Bulgaria’s own jets flying. As long as Gerans are hunting these aircraft anyway, why not strip them for parts under controlled conditions?

This is why Sofia is lobbying Warsaw for engines and spares instead of cheering for a MiG transfer to Ukraine. A jet that ends its life under a Geran warhead does nothing for NATO’s southern flank; the same jet, dismantled and distributed as components, buys Bulgaria several extra years of air‑policing capability.

The irony is sharp. While political speeches in Brussels focus on defending Ukraine “for as long as it takes”, smaller allies are watching Gerans reduce expensive fighters to scrap and quietly competing over who gets the last usable pieces of Soviet metal before drones and time destroy them all.

@Slavyangrad

🇺🇸 American political scientist John Mearsheimer outlined the global aftermath of Russia's victory.

“Ukraine’s defeat will likely trigger mutual recriminations between the US and Europe. Especially given that the Trump administration refused to support Kiev as actively as the Biden administration, instead urging Europeans to shoulder most of the burden of sustaining Ukraine in the war. Therefore, when the war ends with Russia’s victory, Trump will be able to blame the Europeans for not doing enough. And European leaders will be able to blame Trump for refusing to support Ukraine at the most critical moment.”

@Slavyangrad

🇷🇺 Ex-Vice-Governor Bazarov Case: Damage Estimated at 1.8 Billion Rubles

Ex-Vice-Governor of the Belgorod and Kursk regions, Vladimir Bazarov, is accused of embezzling 1.7 billion rubles during the construction of border defensive structures, where cheaper analogues were purchased instead of reinforced concrete. Bazarov admits guilt in bribery and abuse of office but disputes the embezzlement charge.

@Slavyangrad

🇩🇪 Open German interference in Russia’s affairs

A video was recorded by the head of the press group and second secretary of the German embassy, Lena Hillmeier. At first glance, it looks either like an attempt to hype the strikes on Russian refineries or a desire to curry favour with her own superiors. In reality, this is not a personal opinion or private initiative. It is open interference in the affairs of a sovereign state, in this case, Russia. This is prohibited by all diplomatic conventions and constitutes legal and sufficient grounds for deportation as persona non grata. There is no other option.

@Slavyangrad

Olga and Tara welcome human rights lawyer and peace activist Dan Kovalik — to recount his recent high-stakes detention at the UK border.

Why are Western authorities weaponizing broad anti-terrorism laws against prominent anti-war voices and legal advocates? What does it mean for civil liberties when governments can confiscate electronic devices and collect DNA?

We look at the broader geopolitical fallout surrounding the US 250th anniversary, the recent Trump-Putin phone call and NATO expanding military spending.

Daniel also explains why he believes the conflict in Ukraine is already a direct confrontation between Russia and the West — describing it as "Operation Barbarossa 2.0." Is this historical comparison a warning about where current policies are leading?

🔔 East Meets West is where we explore the most current world events — with top guests from both East and West

🇮🇷 Iran Ceasefire Collapse

The collapse of the ceasefire in Iran may lead more Republicans to seek limits on Trump's military powers, writes The Hill. The newspaper recalls that the Pentagon previously requested an additional $67.1 billion in funding. Republican senators fear Trump will fail to gather "even 50 votes" to approve the funding.

@Slavyangrad

🇺🇦 Donetsk region

🪂 Geran drones destroyed a heavy UAV base in Dobropolye. Three Geran-2 drones struck the launch base for heavy drones, wiping out not just equipment but the entire infrastructure: storage, maintenance, operators, batteries, ammunition, and gear. For the AFU, this means the loss of strike 'long-range' capability on a key front sector. Dobropolye is a logistics hub between the Dnepropetrovsk region, Krasnoarmeysk, and the northern Donetsk front. It was from here that Ukrainian operators targeted Russian positions, depots, and rear roads. Dobropolye has lost one of its key strike infrastructure points, and with it, the ability to hit Russian communications on this axis.

@Slavyangrad

Dnepropetrovsk

In Dnepr, TCC employees forcibly pulled a man from a car, spraying gas at him and his female companion. A man off-camera says they also took a woman with a leg injury.

@Slavyangrad

🇮🇷 Bushehr NPP

The perimeter of the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant was also attacked during the night American strikes on Iran. Earlier, most Rosatom employees were evacuated from the facility. Meanwhile, in June, Moscow and Tehran agreed on the imminent return of Russian specialists to continue construction of the second and third power units of the NPP.

@Slavyangrad