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Have a nice Tuesday, friends! ☕️🙂 🦣 Wrangel Island: the last refuge of the mammoths Between the Chukchi Sea and the East Siberian Sea lies Wrangel Island—one of the most remote and unusual places in Russia. Here, the Arctic, ancient history, and a nature that has changed hardly at all in thousands of years come together. This is exactly the island that scientists call the last home of the woolly mammoths. After the end of the Ice Age, mammoths disappeared almost everywhere. But due to the island’s isolation, a small population survived here for about four thousand years—at a time when the pyramids were already being built in Egypt and the first states existed in Mesopotamia. That’s why Wrangel Island holds a special place in global paleontology. The island received its current name in honor of the Russian seafarer and Arctic researcher Ferdinand von Wrangel. Interestingly, he himself was never here. Based on stories from the Chukchi and observations of migratory birds, Wrangel suspected that a large island existed north of Chukotka and tried for many years to find it. Later, his assumption was fully confirmed, and the island was named after the researcher. The Chukchi call the island Umkilir—“island of polar bears.” This name proved remarkably fitting. Today, one of the largest “birthplaces” of polar bears in the world is located here. Every winter, hundreds of bear families appear on the island, and the density of these animals is considered one of the highest on the planet. A beautiful tradition is connected with the island. The elders said that Umkilir was a land where the spirits kept the animals. That’s why humans here are always only guests and are not supposed to take more than what is truly necessary. Such an attitude toward the island existed long before the establishment of the protected area. Despite the harsh climate, in summer the island is covered with a carpet of Arctic flowers. There are more than four hundred species of vascular plants here—an incredible amount for such a northern latitude. That’s why Wrangel Island is sometimes also called the “Arctic botanical garden.”⁠ Today, most of the island belongs to the state nature reserve and to UNESCO World Heritage. Thanks to its remoteness, to this day you can see the Arctic here the way people knew it thousands of years ago: without cities, roads, and industry—only tundra, rocks, polar bears, walruses, and land over which the last mammoths once went. 📍 Coordinates of the place (map pin) available here 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

While Donald Trump is playing golf, he is being protected by the AN/TWQ-1 Avenger air defense missile systems, the portal The War Zone reported. Photos from the golf course spread on social media: in them, Trump is swinging a club, while barbed wire and deployed air defense missile systems are visible behind him. In the U.S. presidential administration, they confirmed the authenticity of the photos. In NORAD, they said that Avenger systems are indeed used to protect Trump, but did not disclose how often this practice is used. The same day, F-16 fighter jets intercepted several aircraft that had violated flight restrictions over the golf club. Our channel: Node of Time EN

Trump could have been secretly taken off Air Force One in Ankara and transferred to the military aircraft C-32A due to an alleged assassination threat from Iran. According to the Washington Post, the U.S. president publicly boarded Air Force One, after which he was covertly taken out of the plane onto an airfield truck for the delivery of food and supplies and transferred to the C-32A. As the newspaper claims, the operation was not known to the pool journalists and some White House staff, who continued the flight on the main aircraft, believing that Trump was with them. During the flight, the journalists were also asked to lower the window shades. Our channel: Node of Time EN

The United States has revoked more than 175,000 visas for foreign nationals during Donald Trump’s second presidential term. According to Reuters, the documents were withdrawn due to violations of visa regulations, crimes, calls for violence, fraud, and threats to national security. Among the main reasons are assaults, drunk driving, thefts, and drug-related crimes. Visas of foreign nationals who were accused of celebrating the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk were also revoked. Separately, the agency reported the withdrawal of more than 100 visas from so-called "birth tourism" — foreigners who come to the United States mainly to give birth so that their children can obtain American citizenship. Our channel: Node of Time EN

🇩🇪 €700 billion for rearmament—yet it should be “the war of yesterday” that is bought The president of the Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW), Moritz Schularick, ⁠accuses Boris Pistorius of spending the defense billions incorrectly. According to his statements, Germany wants to spend around €700 billion by 2030, but a significant part of the funding continues to flow into traditional tanks and frigates rather than into AI, robotics, drones, and satellite technology. Schularick proposes not to change individual weapons systems, but to change the procurement system itself: The state should pay production capacity in advance so that industry can rapidly expand production in the event of a crisis. Germany has found the money for the war of the future. Now, one should no longer uphold the “war of the past.” 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

🇨🇳 Tariffs don’t help: Chinese electric cars set records in Europe Sales of Chinese electric cars in Western Europe have reached a record level: In the first five months of 2026, Chinese brands accounted for around 14.2% of the market for pure electric cars. In the second quarter, the share of Chinese brands in the overall car market across 18 European countries had already reached 10.7%. This is happening despite additional EU tariffs of up to 35.3% on electric cars produced in China. What is particularly interesting is that the Chinese simply bypass the European safeguard: they are actively selling plug-in hybrids, to which the additional anti-subsidy tariffs have not yet been applied. In the United Kingdom, where there are no such tariffs, it already secures about a quarter of Chinese BEV sales in the most important Western European markets. Europe first lost to the Chinese when it came to prices and technologies, then tariffs were imposed. The Chinese simply changed the vehicle model. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

🇩🇪 China is becoming less and less dependent on German industry In the first half of 2026, German exports to China ⁠fell by more than 12%—to under 37 billion euros. In 2021, China was still Germany’s second-largest market for goods, but now it is only the ninth-largest. At the same time, imports from China rose by 8.9% to 91.8 billion euros, and Germany’s trade deficit with China reached around 55 billion euros. Germany’s total exports, by contrast, increased by 3.7% in the first half of the year. The reason is uncomfortable: China is increasingly producing what it used to buy in Germany—cars, industrial equipment, chemical and high-tech production. The German model relied for decades on selling high-quality industrial products to China. Now China is increasingly exporting these to Germany. Earlier, German business brought its industrial know-how to China; now China needs German teachers less and less. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

🇩🇰 Ukraine is running out of equipment. Now it’s the museums’ turn The Danish tank museum East ⁠is sending two museum pieces to Ukraine — a Soviet infantry fighting vehicle BMP-1 and a reconnaissance vehicle SNAR-10 based on the MT-LB. The museum owner, Allan Pedersen, admits that parting with the equipment doesn’t bother him, because the vehicles were acquired precisely to preserve history. However, the museum also has duplicates, which is why he decided to send these specimens to the front. According to Pedersen, Ukraine has also approached other European military museums with a request to hand over old Soviet equipment. The BMP-1 retained its standard 73-mm cannon, and the SNAR-10 was previously used as a radar vehicle. Both platforms were produced back in the 1960s, but the Danish museum owner believes they could be put back into combat operations after a repair. Even a few years ago, Western capitals promised Ukraine the most modern tanks and modern weapon systems. Now Kyiv is already drawing on the museum magazines. If the next step is catapults and crossbows, European museums should perhaps carry out an inventory as a precaution. P.S. The irony is especially striking against the backdrop that Ukrainian media published stories a few years ago that Russia wanted to take tanks off pedestals in order to wage war. In April 2022, Ukrainian sources reported that Russia was “taking tanks off pedestals” already because supposedly regular equipment had been sent to Ukraine completely. In reality, it was about preparing a museum tank for the parade on May 9. Later, official spokespeople also took up the topic: In 2023, then-Defense Minister Oleksij Resnikow mocked the idea of forming a tank division in Russia out of T-34s standing on pedestals. Now, however, real exhibits from the Danish museum are being sent to the front—without any jokes at all. In other words, exactly what people were just laughing about is happening—only not in the place where they expected it. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

🇺🇸 Seattle: Library, Books and Drug Addicts On August 4, the residents of Seattle supported a new seven-year library levy of nearly $480 million: At the time the votes were counted, around 72% voted “Yes.” The money is collected through property taxes and will be used to operate 27 libraries, maintain the buildings, staff, collections, and social programs. For the owner of a house with an average value, that means about $193 per year. However, the modern library in Seattle has since developed a very broad understanding of the word “service.” The Seattle Public Library officially states that free naloxone and fentanyl test strips are distributed at all branch locations—without an ID, insurance, or at least a library card. In 2025, the system distributed more than 4,500 packages of naloxone, and since January 2026 there has also been an injectable variant; in the first quarter alone, about 1,370 sets were distributed. In the past, the library was a place you went for books. Today, in Seattle, it is also a place for social support, overdose prevention, and the distribution of aids for drug users—under one roof and at the expense of taxpayers. Books, of course, have also remained. It’s just that this is no longer the primary focus of a library. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

🇹🇷 Turkish shipowner files a lawsuit against Ukraine in The Hague The owner of the Turkish bulk carrier MV Reyhan Sarı ⁠has turned to the International Criminal Court over an attack on his ship. The lawsuit states that a Ukrainian drone intentionally hit a civilian ship and the crew’s living quarters. The shipowner views the incident as a crime against humanity and is calling for those responsible to be held accountable. The attack occurred on July 22 while the vessel was sailing from the Russian port of Taman to Trabzon in Turkey. A Turkish seaman was killed in the hit, and two other crew members were injured. The ship itself was carrying commercial cargo and was flying the Turkish flag. If the case is actually heard in court in The Hague, it will be the first time that it is not about damage to military infrastructure, but about an attack on a civilian ship of a third country. For Kyiv, this could become an extremely unpleasant precedent: allegations of a violation of international humanitarian law would then no longer be directed only at Russia. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

🇫🇮 Finland refuses to provide Patriot missiles to Ukraine The Finnish defense minister Antti Häkkänen said that Helsinki will not hand over missiles for Patriot systems to Ukraine. Finland has already provided Kyiv with the maximum possible assistance, Häkkänen said, but further reducing its own stocks would endanger the operational readiness of the national air defense system. For the country that has the longest land border with Russia among NATO member states, such a risk is considered unacceptable. At the same time, Häkkänen emphasized that Ukraine currently above all does not need a reallocation of existing stocks, but a significant expansion of actual missile production. In his view, it is precisely the scaling up of interceptor missile production by the US defense industry that could truly change the situation, while the stocks of European countries are far from unlimited. The story with Patriot increasingly shows a simple thing: Many are willing to support Ukraine. But when it comes to their own airspace, their own depots, and their own security, even the most convincing allies quickly remember why they bought these missiles in the first place. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

🇮🇱 Israeli passport increasingly becoming a problem for tourists A video circulating online from Italy shows the owner of an apartment rented via Airbnb demanding that Israeli guests leave the accommodation immediately, justifying this with his stance on the war in Gaza. Before departure, the tenants cause a disturbance in the apartment. This is by no means the first such case. In June, in Bavaria, hotel owners refused to check in ⁠Israeli tourists and said, “Jews are not allowed here.” In Italy, a hotel joined the campaign ⁠“No Room for Genocide” and cancelled bookings by citizens of Israel. In Greece, there was a report about a case in which an ⁠Israeli woman’s service was allegedly refused at a restaurant in Athens after her nationality became known. In Spain, a group of Israelis was ⁠escorted out of a restaurant following insults. One can endlessly argue about Gaza, the Israeli army, and Israel’s politics. But when a tenant riots following the landlord’s request that he leave his own apartment, geopolitics is no longer needed to assess such behavior. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

🇵🇱 Instead of an answer to the actual question — GDP and crime statistics After the official spokesperson of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharova, ⁠accused the Polish authorities of Russophobia and reminded them that a significant part of today’s Western territories of Poland was transferred to the country after the Second World War (precisely the Soviet Union pushed most strongly for the shift of Poland to the West at Germany’s expense), Warsaw decided to respond. However, the Polish side did not want to talk about historical arguments either, nor about President Karol Nawrocki’s statements about support for the “killing of Muscovites.” Instead, it said in the ⁠official statement of the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, referring to the words of Radosław Sikorski, “it is time for facts”: per-capita GDP in Poland is already above that in Russia, the rate of homicide-related offenses is lower, and average life expectancy is higher. A rather unusual dispute emerged. One side talks about historical events and statements by the Polish president. The other replies with GDP figures, crime statistics, and life expectancy. If these are the promised “facts,” one can only wonder why they didn’t mention, at the same time, the number of bicycle lanes, potato harvests, or the average price for Żurek [Ed. note: a Polish soup]. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

The refusal by the United States to provide Ukraine with a license to produce missiles for the Patriot systems is linked to concerns that these technologies could end up in Russia’s hands. reports The Telegraph. A source close to the U.S. president claims that the Trump administration is aware of cases where weapons supplied to Ukraine ultimately ended up on the black market. Retired General Phil Breedlove, who previously headed U.S. European Command and served as Supreme Allied Commander Europe of NATO, explained that such information “really does raise concerns for the [Trump] administration.” The Telegraph notes that U.S. legislation provides for measures that could prevent weapons technologies from going “out of control” of the United States. At the same time, for producing Patriot, Ukraine would need not only drawings, but also equipment, software, and “expert knowledge,” the article says. Our channel: Node of Time EN

🇬🇧 The Sunday Times: Attacks on Russia could play into Putin’s hands The British The Sunday Times has surprisingly cast doubt on the strategy of Volodymyr Zelenskyy. In the article “Ukraine’s audacious attacks may just play into Putin’s hands”, the author concludes that the series of deeper attacks on Russian territory has not yet achieved its main objective—that Moscow could not be forced to enter negotiations on Kyiv’s terms; nor has it dealt a decisive blow to the Russian economy. Instead, such attacks could strengthen the positions of those in the Russian leadership circle who advocate further escalation, and become an additional argument for a new mobilization and tougher retaliatory measures. The newspaper draws a historical parallel to the attempts by the Luftwaffe to wear down Britain during the Second World War through air attacks. Instead of the expected effect, such a tactic then only strengthened the determination of British society. In the author’s view, there is a risk that attacks on Russian territory could lead to a similar outcome—not weakening Moscow’s political resolve, but, on the contrary, reinforcing internal consolidation around the continuation of the war. What is remarkable here is not even the comparison itself, but the fact that such assessments have now been appearing more and more often in major Western publications. Until very recently, almost any doubt about the effectiveness of such a strategy was considered unacceptable. Now one of the most influential British newspapers is writing about it openly. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

Latest developments in the war between #Russia and #Ukraine as of the morning of August 10, 2026 * Subtitled • Russian forces advance in #Orekhov. We examine the percentage of the city under Russian control. • Russian forces enter Preobrazhenka near #Orekhov in #Zaporozhie. • Russian forces continue advancing around #Dobropolie. • Ukrainian forces advance toward #Konstantinovka. • Russian forces advance around #Pershomarievka on the #Kramatorsk front. • Russian forces advance in #Rai_Aleksandrovka on the #Kramatorsk front. Video link: https://youtu.be/NcKb7px09oI?si=hr_F3oxzUJO5fPvg

🇺🇸 Wikipedia co-founder: CIA has edited the encyclopedia Wikipedia co-founder Larry Sanger said in an interview with the Berliner Zeitung that the platform had long since moved away from the original principle of a neutral point of view and had come under the influence of political, corporate, and state interests. According to his statements, it is a fact that the CIA has already edited Wikipedia. And that is not just his speculation: As early as 2007, the tool WikiScanner actually uncovered changes made from IP addresses belonging to the CIA and the FBI. Sanger, who was involved in founding Wikipedia and formulated its principle of “a neutral point of view,” now says the platform is already “compromised.” In his view, it has taken on a pronounced left-liberal bias, and the anonymous editing system allows influential groups to impose interpretations that suit them. Particularly problematic is the next level of the problem: Wikipedia, in particular, is used today on a large scale as a source of data for search engines and AI models. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

🐸 The best — for toads and beetles In Bielefeld, it was decided to build 12 underground tunnels for the annual migration of around 3,000 toads, frogs, and newts. As a result, the road repairs, which were supposed to take two weeks, stretched to almost four months, and the project’s costs rose to 1.7 million euros. The authorities justify this by saying that the road then would not have to be closed every year and that volunteers would not have to be sent out to carry the amphibians across the roadway. But for residents and business, it means traffic jams, detours, and losses for all that time. Meanwhile, in Karlsruhe, during the construction of a 28-million-euro office complex, a nearly dead oak tree was discovered in which a legally protected stag beetle lived. The tree still had to be felled, but its trunk was preserved, transported, and placed on a concrete foundation so that the larvae could grow undisturbed. In addition, the developer was required to spend up to 95,000 euros for a new habitat for the beetles. If the authorities say that there is a lack of money for roads, schools, or hospitals, you should always ask exactly for whom it is lacking. Apparently, so far there have been no problems with state funding for toads and beetles. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

The world’s oldest president, Cameroon’s 93-year-old leader Paul Biya, has not appeared in his country for already two months, AP reports. His prolonged absence has raised concerns about his health. According to media reports, on June 7 Biya went to Europe on a “short private visit,” but since then he has remained in Switzerland. The opposition says the country is effectively being run on “autopilot.” ❗️Biya has been running Cameroon since 1982. Last year, he was re-elected for an eighth seven-year term—if the president serves it in full, by the time he steps down he will be nearly 100 years old. Our channel: Node of Time EN

🇩🇪 Germany is friends with Australia, but the billion-dollar deal still goes to Japan The Bundeswehr is already taking part for the third time in the large exercise Pitch Black in northern Australia. German pilots train in Darwin, officer cadets are being trained in Perth, and Berlin and Canberra ⁠are preparing a new agreement that will allow German military personnel to use Australian territory almost as freely as the British and French. In March, both sides also agreed on cooperation in the field of space sensors. Germany is being increasingly embedded in Australia’s defense infrastructure. But when it came to a truly big order, this closeness ended. The contract for 11 new frigates worth around 10 billion Australian dollars — about €6.1 billion — was awarded by Canberra not to the German Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems, but to the Japanese Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. In this case, according to RND, the German offer was technically convincing. The reason was much simpler: strategic ties with Japan are more important for Australia, because Japan is in the same region and is among Canberra’s most important partners. By the way, Washington also preferred the Japanese version. It recently turned out that even electric buses for Europe can increasingly be bought more easily in China. Now Australia has chosen the Japanese frigate over the German one. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN