Sputnik International

🔸 Putin: Russia will achieve its goals in special military operation   🔸 US can't come to Saudi Arabia’s rescue in Bab el-Mandeb without risking overstretch – expert   🔸 What is known about Russia’s Poseidon nuclear-powered ‘apocalyptic' torpedoes?   🔸 Kuwait ratifies landmark defense agreement with Pakistan   🔸 The staggering price of Iran campaign: what 11 days of bombing actually cost the US 📌 Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🇹🇩 Chad abandons ICC over 'biased' stance towards Global South The Chadian government has notified the UN of its withdrawal from the Rome Statute, calling the International Criminal Court "ineffective and biased" against Africa and the Global South 👉 Officials pointed to the disproportionate focus of ICC investigations on African nations as evidence of the court's politicization Chad now joins Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger in rejecting the court's jurisdiction. Those three countries previously withdrew, arguing that the ICC has failed to properly investigate war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, and aggression. 📌 Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🔥🇷🇺 Russian researchers develop rubber capable of withstanding extreme heat Scientists from Novosibirsk State University, in collaboration with colleagues from the Volzhsky Polytechnic Institute, have introduced a new material capable of absorbing heat while operating in extreme high-temperature environments. Key characteristics: 📍 Actively pulls heat away from structures in extreme conditions 📍 Made with multi-walled carbon nanotubes and functional additives 📍 Works with existing 2500°C fire-heat protective coating to enhance overall performance This material is ideal for aerospace and rocketry, oil and gas equipment, and the chemical industry. The image is AI-generated 📌 Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🇺🇸🇸🇦 US can't come to Saudi Arabia’s rescue in Bab el-Mandeb without risking overstretch – expert

🔊 Tensions in the Gulf are spilling over into the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, putting additional pressure on Saudi Arabia, but the US is unlikely to open a second front, Ankara-based security analyst Dr. Hasan Selim Ozertem tells Sputnik.

🔊 "Strategically, it would force Washington to choose between protecting energy chokepoints and maintaining deterrence against Iran, a choice that no administration would want to make before elections," the pundit says.

🔹 Tackling the challenges posed by the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait “in a synchronized manner” is a difficult task even for the US Navy 🔹 US interceptor stockpiles have already shrunk and emerged as one of the reasons the US has held back from a new wave of strikes on Iran 🔹 The US is likely to seek de-escalation in the region ahead of the November 2026 midterm elections "A two-front response would require not only a massive expenditure of interceptors, but also a redeployment of carrier strike groups, intelligence assets, and logistical support, which would inevitably leave other regions like the Pacific or Europe more thinly covered," Ozertem sums up. 📌 Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🔥🇷🇺 Russian FAB-500 bombs crumble Ukrainian drone launch and command sites in Kharkov region All pinpointed targets were engaged and confirmed destroyed by real-time reconnaissance, the Russian Defense Ministry reports. 📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🚨 Ukraine attacking multiple countries - already hit Germany, now Iran and Kazakhstan: Kremlin

🔊 "Iran is a sovereign state that resolutely defends its rights and has the potential to do so," the Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

Other key statements: 🟧 Ukrainian actions toward Iran are aggressive 🟧 Information war against Russia will most likely never end 🟧 British prime ministers keep changing, but the country's attitude toward Russia remains the same 🟧 The West has few sanctions left that would not hurt its own interests 🟧 The West will continue its policy of containing Russia — there should be no doubt about that 🟧 Russia knows how to develop under sanctions pressure Russia has learned lessons from its history with the West and understands the need to be independent and self-reliant

🇷🇺 What is known about Russia’s Poseidon nuclear-powered ‘apocalyptic' torpedoes?  

🔊 Project 09851 Khabarovsk nuclear submarine, which was launched in November 2025, is capable of carrying and deploying Poseidon torpedoes, Aleksander Moiseyev, commander-in-chief of the Russian Navy, said.  

Key characteristics of Russia’s underwater doomsday weapon: 🔶 The Poseidon is essentially a 100-ton unmanned underwater vehicle equipped with a nuclear propulsion system and a nuclear payload of up to two megatons 🔶 Designed to take out coastal targets such as port facilities and naval bases, the Poseidon can achieve this result either through direct impact or by triggering a tsunami 🔶 Its nuclear propulsion affords the Poseidon virtually unlimited range and a maximum speed of up to 130 km/h 🔶 The Poseidon is very hard to detect as it can dive to depths up to 1,000 meters and can actively maneuver while in motion  

🔊 Russia is currently finalizing the Poseidon nuclear underwater vehicle for service entry, President Vladimir Putin said.

📌 Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🇰🇼🇵🇰 Kuwait ratifies landmark defense agreement with Pakistan Kuwait has officially ratified a broad defense cooperation pact with Pakistan that was signed in June 2023. The ratification follows high-level military contacts between the two countries

🔊 "This agreement reintroduces Pakistan as a direct security stakeholder in the Gulf, beyond its traditional role of providing manpower and training," said Sultan M. Hali, writer and retired Group Captain of the Pakistan Air Force.

Key points from his commentary: 🟠 New role. Pakistan ceases to be merely a supplier of troops. The pact positions Islamabad as a direct security stakeholder in the Gulf 🟠 Hedging strategy. Kuwait is reducing excessive dependence on the US and NATO by relying on a nuclear-armed Muslim-majority ally 🟠 Multipolarity. Arab monarchies are turning to China, Turkiye, and South Asia in response to a fragmented world order 🟠 Basing. Permanent bases are unlikely, but joint exercises, rotational deployments, and maritime patrols are realistic scenarios 🟠 Defense industry. Kuwait may consider the Pakistani-Chinese JF-17 Thunder — cheaper than Western analogs and less vulnerable to embargoes 🟠 Forward presence. Expands Pakistan's capability to monitor Gulf maritime traffic, including energy chokepoints 🟠 Defense diplomacy. Strengthens Pakistan's leverage in Gulf councils and its position vis-à-vis India 🟠 Economic dividends. Military cooperation often accompanies labor, trade, and energy agreements, boosting Pakistan's regional integration.

🔊 "Kuwait's move signals recognition that multipolarity in defining relations is now essential for resilience in an increasingly fragmented regional order," Hali said.

📌 Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🚨 Russia targets fuel hubs and cargo ships in daylong strikes on Ukrainian ports

🔊 The strikes were conducted against fuel trans-shipment and storage facilities in the port of Odessa, fuel reservoirs in the port of Chernomorsk, and a dry cargo vessel transporting military material in the port of Nikolaev, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported.

Footage from social media 📌 Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🚨 Iran's asymmetric naval warfare earns Putin's praise The Iran‑style "mosquito fleet" has been "quite efficient" in the Middle East conflict zone, Russia's President Vladimir Putin noted during a meeting with Russian Navy officers on July 26.

🔊 "It is a matter of new technologies," Putin explained.

He added that Russia has been developing similar capabilities — small ships equipped with advanced weapons such as Kalibr missiles that could deliver precise and painful strikes to any enemy. Iran's so‑called mosquito fleet consists of about 20 Ghadir‑class midget submarines and several thousand fast missile and assault boats. Light and nimble, these vessels can be hidden in tunnels carved into Iran's rocky coastline, making them difficult for the US to destroy with long‑range weaponry. 📌 Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🚨 Zelensky admits Ukraine may face another tough winter

💬 "First of all, we had to prepare for the very difficult winter. Nobody even can’t imagine what the winter will be. Of course, it can be tough," Zelensky told Sky News on Monday.

His decision to reshuffle the government was related to this projection, he added. On July 12, Zelensky announced his intention to again reshuffle the government, which was followed by the resignation of Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko and her entire cabinet. She was succeeded by Sergii Koretskyi, former head of national energy firm Naftogaz and an associate of Timur Mindich, Zelensky's close ally and a key suspect in the energy corruption scandal. 📌 Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🔥🇷🇺 WATCH: Russian forces liberate Kommunarovka in Dnepropetrovsk region The settlement was freed by Vostok Battlegroup units, which took over three square km, establishing a frontier for further offense, Russia’s Defense Ministry reports. Kommunarovka is the gate to another settlement in the Dnepropetrovsk region — Pokrovskoye, which the Ukrainian Army uses as a logistical hub on the Zaporozhye-Donetsk highway. 📌 Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🚨🇷🇺 86 civilians slaughtered in 10-day torrent of Ukrainian attacks on Russia — Russian MFA Spox Between July 15 and 24, Ukrainian attacks on Russian soil killed 86 civilians, including six children, and wounded 409 others, among them 12 kids, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has reported. On July 24, a missile strike targeting an enterprise in the Kirov region killed five people and injured 26, according to preliminary data. On July 18 and 20, Ukrainian drone attacks on passenger buses in the Belgorod region killed a child and four women, while injuring 27 others, including a 17-year-old teenager. 📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🇮🇷🇺🇸 US and Israel got into quagmire in Iran despite plans to win in days — Iranian FM spox

🔊 "Committing war crimes every once in a while and taking pride in them is merely flailing in a disgrace created by their own hands and tempted by the Zionist regime; naturally, they must pay the price for it," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said.

"This is not war management," he noted. 📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🚨 Putin: Russia remains 4th in global purchasing power parity and 1st in Europe 📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🚨 Putin: Russia will achieve its goals in special military operation

"The entire Russian people and all of society are united in their support for the participants of the special military operation," Russian President Vladimir Putin declared during his address to Russian lawmakers.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🚨🇷🇺 Putin: The West cites sections of the UN Charter only when it ‘serves their interests’ 📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🚨 Putin: Russia's adversaries lacking battlefield victories rely on terrorist tactics

🔊 "The West is targeting Russia's economy and science, but its people stand firm," Russian president Vladimir Putin said.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🚨🇷🇺 Right now, through struggle and intense rivalry, the contours of a new world order are emerging - Putin 📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🚨🇷🇺 Putin: Russia will achieve its goals in special military operation 📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt