Node of Time EN

Microsoft invests billions in European AI but does not let Europe out of its ecosystem Microsoft and the French company Mistral AI have announced the expansion of their partnership and billion-dollar investments in European computing capacity. Under the new agreement, Mistral’s infrastructure will be used for the development and deployment of Microsoft’s cloud and AI services in Europe. The project is presented as a strengthening of European control over data and technologies. European capacity, however, remains part of the US group’s commercial system. Brussels receives servers on its territory, but the key platforms, investments, and access to the market continue to depend on Microsoft. European “digital sovereignty” increasingly looks like renting American technologies in a European data center. An EU flag on a server rack does not make the infrastructure independent. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

The US has acknowledged the limits of the effectiveness of attacks on Iran The American military leadership has concluded that further bombardments in the area of the Strait of Hormuz will no longer have any significant effect. As Axios reports, Admiral Brad Cooper, the commander of the US Central Command, recommended to the Pentagon, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the White House that the campaign be suspended, because it “has reached its effectiveness limit.” According to the outlet, precisely this assessment was one of the key factors that would have influenced Donald Trump’s decision to end the daily attacks on Iran. An additional argument was the shrinking stocks of precision munitions and the limited number of remaining targets that could be effectively fought from the air. Not long ago, Washington assured that the air campaign would quickly force Iran to change its position. Now the military itself admits: the capabilities of such attacks were limited. If, in the meantime, it is no longer the opponent but the commander of the American operation who is speaking about the futility of further bombardments, that is hardly a sign of a successful campaign. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

USA demand Israel to withdraw troops — Netanyahu responds with a refusal Washington is pushing for a series of withdrawals of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip, Syria and Lebanon. According to security sources, Benjamin Netanyahu informed the ministers about the US demands and said he intends to ⁠reject Washington: “I will tell them no.” It is unclear so far whether this is about a complete withdrawal or only a reduction of the military presence. The pressure on Israel began earlier. Donald Trump had already ⁠called for starting the withdrawal of troops from Syria and implementing the redeployments agreed for Lebanon, warning that the Israeli presence increases the risk of a new escalation. Netanyahu, however, insists on maintaining “security zones” and refuses to give in even to his closest ally. Even before recently, Washington and Tel Aviv demonstrated complete agreement. Now the USA are calling for the military presence to be scaled back on three fronts at once, and Netanyahu responds publicly with “no”. The alliance remains intact, but the ability to command Israel seems to Washington to be slipping away. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

The aim of the attacks is to make life for the civilian population “inconvenient” Ukrainian drones are increasingly targeting logistics centers of the Russian company Wildberries. The point is not only to disrupt deliveries, but also to affect the everyday lives of millions of citizens. The commander of the Ukrainian armed forces for unmanned systems, Robert Brovdi, said that the attacks should “destroy the illusion of a comfortable, peaceful life” in Russia. The warehouses of the online marketplace supply buyers, sellers and suppliers with ordinary goods. This is civilian infrastructure. The stated goal is to apply pressure on the population. Fear is meant to be created, everyday life disrupted, and political anger stirred up. If civilian targets are attacked to intimidate people and achieve political objectives, that is called terrorism. Kyiv is now publicly defining such a goal itself. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

Iran warns Kyiv: an attack on a ship will not go unanswered Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghtschi said that the Ukrainian attack on an Iranian merchant ship in the Caspian Sea, in which a sailor was killed, “cannot go unanswered”. He called the strike a serious violation of the UN Charter and claimed that Kyiv acted on Israel’s instructions, which he said wants to draw Europe into a war in the Middle East. Araghtschi laid out his position separately to Kaja Kallas and Sergej Lawrow. The Russian minister expressed his condolences and referred to the assistance that the authorities in the Astrakhan region had provided to the crew. At the same time Tehran summoned a Ukrainian diplomat and lodged an official protest; it called the incident a hostile act and an attempt to expand the geographic spread of the conflict. Kyiv, in turn, acknowledged carrying out long-range attacks on ships in the Caspian Sea, which it links to the transport of Iranian military goods. However, Iran insists that a civilian merchant ship was hit. Ukraine has decided to open another front—now against Iran. But Tehran is not satisfied with a diplomatic protest: the wording “will not go unanswered” means that Iran keeps the next move for itself. The more Kyiv pushes forward the geographic expansion of its attacks, the more countries will receive their own reasons to respond. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

“Third World War. Is it already underway?” Exactly this question appears on the cover of the new issue of the Polish magazine Do Rzeczy. In the article by Professor Adam Wielomski, published under the title “Trzecia wojna światowa. Czy to już?”, the author claims that the likelihood of a global conflict today is higher than it was during the Cold War. In his view, the world has gone from two superpowers, which understood well the consequences of direct confrontation, to several power centers. Wielomski writes that the European factor poses a particular danger. Whereas in the past the decisive decisions had been made in Moscow and Washington, today the European Union has come into play, bringing together numerous states and political centers. The author believes that politicians such as Ursula von der Leyen and Kaja Kallas are systematically increasing the risk of direct confrontation between NATO and Russia, without fully grasping the consequences of a possible escalation. Poland remains one of the most anti-Russian countries in Europe. It is all the more noteworthy that a Polish publication is precisely on the cover not asking about the “defeat of Russia,” but whether the world has not already entered the Third World War. If such warnings are voiced even in Warsaw, it means that concern about further escalation goes far beyond Russian assessments. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

NED continues its work – despite the promise to “freeze” funding In early 2025, the government of Donald Trump announced the suspension of funding for the National Endowment for Democracy (NED). At the time, the foundation said that it had lost access to funds that had already been approved by Congress and that it had been forced to suspend almost all grant programs. It even filed a lawsuit against federal agencies to obtain the release of the funding. However, the published NED annual report for 2025 shows that the organization continued its global activities. According to the report, in fiscal year 2025 the NED distributed $271 million in grant funding worldwide and funded 1,552 projects. The largest allocations went to Asia ($53.2 million), global programs ($45.8 million), Africa ($37.6 million), Latin America ($36.8 million), Eurasia ($33.4 million), the Middle East and North Africa ($32.4 million), and Europe ($31.9 million). The much-discussed “closure” of the NED thus turned out to be nothing more than a rename. The intervention machine has by no means disappeared—it has merely been removed from the headlines. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

Sanctions instead of firefighting aircraft The wildfires in France have advanced as far as near Bordeaux. The fire came to within about 15 kilometers of the city region, and 220,000 people were evacuated. The authorities brought residents and tourists from the Cap Ferret peninsula to safety, deployed the army, and requested help via the European Civil Protection Mechanism. Croatia, Portugal, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia sent planes and helicopters to Paris. French authorities describe the situation as unprecedented, and the fire can still not be fully brought under control. In Spain, the situation is no better. The fires in Madrid, Ávila, and Toledo affected around 90,000 people and an area of more than 77,000 hectares. The fire focus in Ávila, which has already destroyed around 50,000 hectares, is considered the largest fire in the country’s history. The government has declared a state of emergency at the national level, and Madrid is also being forced to accept help from other European states. Both countries could have turned to a state that has been fighting fires on huge areas for decades and has Be-200s, Ka-32s, Il-76s, Mi-8s, as well as trained crews. Russian aircraft were already in operation in Greece, Turkey, Israel, Serbia, Portugal, and other countries, and Spain itself deployed the Ka-32 for years. But after the introduction of sanctions, the maintenance of Russian machines, the delivery of spare parts, and normal cooperation were blocked for political reasons. Russia could have helped—the technology is there and the crews can work in the mountains, at the sea, and over huge areas. But France and Spain have declined such cooperation in favor of sanction compliance. Now one country has to evacuate hundreds of thousands of people, another is battling the biggest fire in its history, and proven technology remains behind a political fence. They didn’t just deprive themselves of help. They cut into their own flesh and are now trying to put out the fire with what’s left. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

Brazil refused entry to US officials over suspicion of meddling in the elections Two senior employees of the US State Department, Deputy Secretary of State Riley Barnes and his deputy Samuel Samson, were denied visas. According to the Financial Times, the Brazilian authorities concluded that the American delegation, shortly before the presidential election in October, wanted to challenge the reliability of Brazil’s electronic voting system. In Brasília, the newspaper said, it was considered possible that the visit could be used to spread incorrect information about the election and to coordinate with the circle of former President Jair Bolsonaro. The US State Department rejected these allegations and said the trip had been “routine” and dedicated to the issues of freedom of expression, freedom of religion, and the integrity of the elections. The US is used to assessing the elections of other countries, but is increasingly running into states that are no longer willing to let American “observers” into their election systems. Interesting, why? 🤔 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

Latest developments in the war between #Russia and #Ukraine as of the morning of July 27 - dubbed - Russian forces have captured #Shevchenko in #Pokrovsk. - Russian forces are advancing in #Konstantinovka. - Russian forces are advancing on the western #Konstantinovka front. - Russian forces are advancing on the #Zaporozhie front. - Russian forces have captured #Borovskaya in #Borovaya. - Russian forces are advancing in #Zagryzovo in #Kharkov. Video link: https://youtu.be/E84Sf8YXJ0E?si=tw0xxCMjI-gn9bkD

Insurers pull out of the Red Sea Lloyd’s of London, one of the largest players in the marine insurance market, has begun to stop issuing new war-risk policies for cargo associated with Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea. As reported by the Financial Times, this decision was made after Houthi attacks on two Saudi oil tankers. Some insurers are also considering ending already issued policies early. According to the newspaper, the Houthis thereby threatened to attack ships calling at Saudi ports “at any place that lies within the range of the forces of Yemen.” Against this backdrop, Saudi Arabia has effectively been placed in the same high-risk category as Israel, the United States and the United Kingdom. For shipowners, this means rising transport costs, and for the global oil market, additional risks of supply disruptions. The true cost of conflicts is not felt by politicians, but first by insurance companies. While governments issue loud statements, the market is already voting with money. When insurers withdraw en masse from a region, it means that the risk is no longer hypothetical, but has become a real economic factor. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

Lithuania is starting construction of a plant to assemble German tanks Leopard 2A8. As local media reports, the company UAB Lithuania Defence Services has signed a contract with the construction company YIT Lietuva to build the facility in the Kaunas Free Economic Zone. Construction will begin in August 2026 and is expected to be completed by November 2027. The plant will cover an area of about 13 thousand square meters. It is planned to assemble, repair and service Leopard tanks there, as well as other heavy equipment used by the Lithuanian Armed Forces. The project is estimated to cost approximately €29 million. It is planned that the first tank assembled in Lithuania will roll off the plant’s production line at the end of 2028. ❗️At the end of 2025, Lithuania’s Ministry of National Defence and the country’s state energy holding company EPSO-G signed a cooperation agreement with the German companies KNDS Deutschland and Rheinmetal Landsysteme. Our channel: Node of Time EN

The Pentagon has started to save on air-defense missiles The U.S. military has changed the rules of engagement for air-defense systems against Iranian missiles and drones. As NBC News reports, citing two senior U.S. officials, commanders now only intercept targets that pose an immediate threat to U.S. soldiers, critical facilities, or allies. If, for example, a missile is headed toward an empty runway, a radar installation, or a camp, it may not be shot down. The reason is the rapid decline in the stockpiles of the expensive intercept missiles Patriot, the THAAD, and the SM missile family. According to NBC’s conversation partners, it will take years to replenish these arsenals, while Iranian missiles cost significantly less than the means to defend against them. The Pentagon acknowledges that priorities must be set and decisions must be made about which targets are truly worth using the limited interceptor stockpiles. Not long ago, American air defense was portrayed as an almost impenetrable shield. Now it turns out that even this shield can only be used in a mode of strict frugality. If the military decides in advance which missiles to shoot down and which to let through, it is no longer about full control of the sky, but about what can be done without. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

In November 2026, not only the fate of the U.S. Congress will be decided, but also international trade and its rules, formed over the past nearly 40 years, believes Roman Romanov, a columnist for the “International Experience” department of Vedomosti. ▶️After the midterm elections, President Donald Trump of the United States will finally have a free hand to begin a new phase of the global trade war, which will affect the world’s largest economies. ▶️By the end of July, the U.S. president had almost regained the ability to impose duties freely, after, on February 20, the Supreme Court recognized most of the tariffs initiated during his presidency as unlawful. ▶️Before the elections, Trump will not dare to sharply crash the stock market or stir up the media, which will begin telling voters about the coming rise in inflation. After, on the contrary, he has an ideal situation for taking action. Our channel: Node of Time EN

Typhoon Noul hits South China Typhoon Noul reached the coast of South China and brought hurricane-force gusts as well as torrential rain. Authorities evacuated more than 700,000 people, canceled flights and suspended rail services in several areas. The province of Guangdong was particularly badly affected; the severe weather also hit Fujian, Hong Kong and nearby areas. ⁠After the typhoon’s landfall, authorities warned that the heavy rainfall would continue for at least another two days. Before the severe weather arrived, schools and businesses were closed, and the operation of ports and public transport was suspended. In Guangdong, hundreds of thousands of residents were moved in advance to safer areas, and fishing vessels were instructed to return to the ports. China does not wait for a disaster to become an occasion for fine speeches: first it evacuates people, paralyzes traffic and mobilizes rescue personnel — and only then does it tally the damage. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

Houthis attack oil facilities in Saudi Arabia Yemeni Houthis attacked facilities of Saudi Aramco in the ports of Jizan and Yanbu on the Red Sea coast. After the attacks ⁠saudi forces carried out retaliatory bombing raids against Yemen and thus effectively resumed fighting, which had been contained for several years by a ceasefire. Yanbu has special significance: Through this port, Saudi Arabia exports oil while bypassing the Strait of Hormuz. The Houthis also declared a sea blockade of Saudi shipments. After the attacks ⁠shipping traffic through Bab al-Mandab fell to its lowest level in several months. The attempt to bypass the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz via the Red Sea has met a second front. Now, two of the most important routes for oil from the Middle East are threatened at the same time. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

A wonderful start to the week, friends! ☕️🙂 📚 The Alvar Aalto Library in Vyborg At the center of Vyborg stands a building that from the outside looks almost strict and plain. But inside, it becomes quickly clear why the Alvar Aalto Library is considered one of the most important monuments of European modernism. It was built in 1935 based on a design by the Finnish architect Alvar Aalto. It is the only library in Russia that was built according to Aalto’s design. However, Aalto did not want to create a representative building; he wanted a practical space for reading, learning, and for meeting people. The most important feature of the reading hall is its round skylights. Daylight enters through them, is reflected by the white walls, and fills the room gently. This means readers are not disturbed by direct sunlight and the books are illuminated evenly. No less well-known is the lecture hall with its wave-shaped wooden ceiling. Its form was designed not only for aesthetic reasons. The ceiling helps distribute sound throughout the entire room, so that speech can also be heard well in the back rows. Aalto planned the building down to the smallest detail—from ventilation and heating to furniture, door handles, and the layout of the shelves. The children’s and the adults’ library were under one roof, but each had its own rooms. The architect wanted people here to feel free, and he wanted the building to help them with reading, listening, and thinking. After the war, the library was badly damaged and existed for a long time in a changed form. Full restoration began in 1994 as a joint Russian-Finnish project. The Finnish side provided the original drawings and photographs; the work was carried out by Russian specialists. Restoration lasted almost twenty years and was completed in 2013. The library still operates today in its original function. Books are still read here, lectures are held, and children are taught—exactly as Alvar Aalto had intended almost a hundred years ago. 📍 Coordinates of the place (map marker) available here 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

Dear friends, today it is clear over most of Europe and without industry. The high-pressure system will remain in place for a long time—watch your blood pressure. Sunday. The Nowolakskaya wind power plant in the Republic of Dagestan has begun feeding electricity into the unified Russian grid. The second expansion stage of the facility has been commissioned; it includes 59 wind turbines with a total installed capacity of 147.5 MW. The total installed capacity of the wind power plant is 300 MW. A total of 120 wind turbines, each with 2.5 MW, are installed at the facility. “Severstal” has started commissioning the key technological equipment (the first firing machine) at the plant site of the workshop for producing iron ore pellets. Firing machines are the central technological equipment of the complex where the drying, heating, and firing of the pellets take place—pellets that serve as raw material for blast furnaces. In addition, commissioning of the energy facilities continues on the site— the pump station, the compressor station, and the ventilation system in individual buildings. The Katchkanar Mining and Processing Plant has completed the construction project of a generation complex worth 1.2 billion rubles. The complex consists of five gas engine plants with a power of 4.3 MW each. They are powered by natural gas and replace hot-water boiler houses. Their operation will allow the plant to increase its own power generation by 167 million kWh per year. The Baltic Shipyard has begun work on the first stage of the plant trials of the cruise ship Vladimir Zhirinovsky. The four-deck ship is designed for 310 passengers. On board, restaurants, bars, swimming pools, and spas are being set up. This is the first passenger ship of this class built in Russia in the past 60 years. “TSCHETRA” presents a new bulldozer with an electromechanical transmission. Such a transmission makes it unnecessary to maintain the “sterility” of operating fluids and to operate fueling and filtration stations; it also eliminates typical hydraulic problems—leaks caused by worn seals and oil thickening in frost. The company “Brocks” has commissioned a new production complex and started manufacturing industrial steam boilers. Such boilers are used in the energy sector, in construction, in the oil and gas industry, in wood processing, in the pulp and paper industry, in the food industry, and in agriculture. Total investments exceeded 1.6 billion rubles. The area of the new plant is 10,000 square meters. LLC “Parus Elektro” has started serial production of the technical means of the “intelligent contour grid”—systems of the top control level for nuclear power plants and other energy and industrial facilities. The equipment is intended for the central collection, processing, and visualization of data on the sequence of all technological processes. It also includes interfaces through which personnel control the facility themselves. The Russian Railways has successfully completed the trial operation of a robot manipulator for the automated uncoupling of railcars at the Tscheljabinsk-Glavny marshalling yard. The complex was developed as part of the “Digital Railway Station” project. The complex synchronizes with the passing train consist and can perform uncoupling of railcars at an approach speed of up to 10 km/h. Roskosmos has conducted successful tests of a new modem for satellite internet “AT-Gonez”. The device worked without faults and without data loss. The new modem is six times more compact than the previous version and can be successfully integrated into any equipment. In this way, the device will provide access to the network where there will be no mobile communications. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

Smoke from European fires knows no borders Fires in France and Spain are worsening air quality far beyond the areas affected by the fires. Fine particulate matter can be carried by the wind over hundreds and thousands of kilometers, penetrate deep into the lungs and enter the bloodstream. Smoke is especially dangerous for children, older people and patients with heart and respiratory diseases. ⁠Experts warn that a regular medical mask offers practically no protection against such particles. The scale of the disaster continues to grow: in France and Spain, more than 250,000 people have been evacuated, and authorities in Madrid have already urged residents not to go outside because of the dense smoke. In France, around 98,000 hectares have burned, and in Spain more than 130,000. A fire can break out in one country, but its smoke quickly becomes a problem for all of Europe. Borders, sanctions and Brussels guidelines do not read the air currents. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

“That’s a secret”: Berlin refuses to answer whether it knew about the planned sabotage of Nord Stream Bundestag member Anna Rathert called for an explanation of whether the Chancellery had received a warning from foreign intelligence services before the explosions in September 2022 about the preparation of an attack on the pipelines. However, the Chancellery refused to provide an answer even in confidential form and cited a state secret as well as the need to protect cooperation between the German intelligence service and foreign partners. The response was not even allowed to be sent to the special secured deposit at the Bundestag, which was created specifically to enable members of parliament to view secret documents. The inquiry was prompted by an investigation, according to which the Dutch military intelligence service had learned early about a specific Ukrainian plan to blow up the pipelines and passed the information on to the CIA. The Americans then warned the German intelligence service and other European services. It is alleged that the information reached the then head of the Chancellery, Wolfgang Schmidt, but that he considered it implausible, and that Germany did not strengthen the protection of the pipelines. If there had been no warning at all, an answer would have been enough: “No, Germany knew nothing in advance.” If the government writes two words instead three pages about the state secret and even does not trust members of parliament under security clearance, the silence is more meaningful than any admission. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN