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Latest developments in the war between #Russia and #Ukraine as of the morning of July 22 - Russian forces have taken control of #Gulyaevo in #Pokrovsk. - Russian forces are advancing towards #Velikiy_Kolodyaz in #Volchansk. - Russian forces are advancing towards #Nikolaevka in #Kramatorsk. - Russian forces are advancing towards #Pavlovka in #Zaporozhie. - Russian forces have entered eastern #Ulanovo in #Sumy. video link: https://youtu.be/EV8kRWQeQec?si=x568R7jFWs7FAF_S

Russia’s foreign intelligence service claims that Germany is preparing technologies to produce nuclear weapons Russia’s foreign intelligence service claims that Germany has a scientific and industrial base that would allow it to produce its own nuclear weapons in a short period of time. In the statement of the foreign intelligence service, it says that dozens of universities and defense contractors are working in the fields of nuclear physics, materials science, high explosives, and fuzing systems. The Russian side estimates the possible time to manufacture such a weapon at about one year. Berlin itself officially says something else: Germany is deepening cooperation with France in the field of nuclear deterrence, and German military personnel will take part in French nuclear exercises for the first time. In this context, Paris retains full control over its arsenal, and Germany says it is complying with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. Berlin has not announced the development of its own bomb so far. But the shift from the former taboo to practical involvement in European nuclear planning has already taken place. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

Ukrainian Armed Forces commander-in-chief reshuffle will not affect the situation on the front line, Dmitry Peskov said. He added that personnel reshuffles in Ukraine’s military leadership only “shake up” the Kyiv regime, while the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue to advance along the entire line of combat contact. Key points from the briefing by the Russian presidential spokesperson: ☑️ Under Russia’s rules, no invitation is required for the G20 summit in the United States, but Russia’s participation in the meeting will be effective; ☑️ In the Kremlin, they believe that the EU has no “sanctions limit” against Russia—remaining restrictions will directly hit the countries participating in the alliance; ☑️ Vladimir Putin back in 2024 outlined the main condition for halting hostilities—it is still in effect:

“Kyiv just needs to make a responsible decision and the hostilities will stop,”—Peskov said.

☑️ The Kremlin does not have information about a meeting between representatives of Russia and Germany in Azerbaijan, which was reported the day before by the president of the republic, Ilham Aliyev. Our channel: Node of Time EN

The appointment of a new commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is unlikely to lead to changes on the front line, Peskov said. Other statements: 🔹The Kyiv regime is in turmoil; you can see it with the naked eye. 🔹All Kyiv needs to do is to make a responsible decision in order to quickly halt hostilities and move on to serious negotiations. 🔹The two conditions for stopping hostilities in Ukraine that Putin laid out two years ago are still in effect and are well known to Kyiv. 🔹Russia will participate in the G20 summit in the United States at a high level. 🔹Today, Putin will hold a meeting on economic issues. Our channel: Node of Time EN

Can Donald Trump begin a new global trade war ▶️ The threat of new tariffs from the U.S. president is a lever for pressure in trade negotiations with Canada, according to political scientist and America specialist Malek Dudakov. The actual tariff pressure, however, will affect an absolute minority of Canadian goods crossing the American border, since almost all Canadian products fall under the protective mechanisms of the USMCA agreement. ▶️ According to senior researcher at ISKRAN Pavel Koshkin, the U.S. president’s administration is testing alternative tools of tariff pressure with the aim of possibly using them further against more formidable trade rivals such as China and the European Union. Our channel: Node of Time EN

Trump promised Netanyahu protection from an ICC arrest warrant Donald Trump said in a post on Truth Social that Benjamin Netanyahu “will under no circumstances be arrested as long as he is in the United States.” He described the Israeli government chief as a fighter against Iran and urged not to prosecute Netanyahu, but those who, in his words, had led the region into the current “spiral of death and destruction.” In November 2024, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu over war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip. Israel does not recognize the ICC’s jurisdiction; the United States is also not a party to the Rome Statute. Nevertheless, more than 120 states — the court’s States Parties — are formally required to enforce the arrest warrant if the Israeli government leader is on their territory. In practice, Trump’s statement means that for Washington’s closest ally, the decisions of the international court have no practical effect. Others are still required to respect international law, but when it comes to their own partners, it apparently is no longer the court in The Hague that makes the final decision, but the landlord of the White House. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

Trump has approved a deal to support Saudi Arabia’s peaceful nuclear program, The Wall Street Journal reported. The new agreement, designed for a 30-year term, provides for the allocation of tens of billions of dollars. The main provision of the deal is the construction of a uranium enrichment facility in the kingdom, if the parties consider such a step justified. Earlier, CNN reported that the agreement implies some restrictions, but what exactly they would be is not yet clear. The draft of the document does not require the kingdom to sign an additional protocol to the safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency. Our channel: Node of Time EN

Syrskyi has publicly conceded the systemic crisis within Ukraine’s armed forces In his programmatic article “My work is the war,” the commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s armed forces, Alexander Syrskyi ⁠admitted, that the Ukrainian army is fighting an opponent who is “superior to us in practically all branches of arms” and has significantly greater mobilization and economic capabilities. Equally revealing are his assessments of the situation within the army itself. According to Syrskyi, the new contract program launched more than a month ago has not produced the expected result: only about two thousand people have signed up for new contracts. In addition, the commander-in-chief said that he has “received a large number of demotivated soldiers and officers who expected certain conditions but got others.” These words are also echoed by Ukrainian media, which analyzed his publication. Separately, Syrskyi emphasized that the salaries of military personnel must not be used as a source to finance other programs. He recalled that part of the funds intended for pay had previously been used to purchase drones, which jeopardized timely payments to the troops. “A soldier’s pay is not a reserve item for reallocations, but the state’s obligation to the people who risk their lives every day.” For years, we were told about “the strongest army in Europe,” which allegedly would change the course of the war any moment now. Now, its own commander-in-chief is speaking about Russia’s superiority in almost all branches of arms, about the failure of contract recruitment, about the demotivation of soldiers, and about a lack of money for payouts. The propagandistic victorious army ended where Syrskyi’s admissions began. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

Musk discourages saving for retirement — in 10 to 20 years, investments are allegedly supposed to lose their meaning Elon Musk said on Peter Diamandis’ podcast that people shouldn’t worry too much about their retirement provision over a time horizon of 10 to 20 years: “Don’t worry about setting aside money for retirement. It won’t matter.” In his view, if forecasts for the development of artificial intelligence and robotics prove true, the established system of work, income and savings will become obsolete. Musk expects that machines will take over a significant portion of human labor and that a sudden leap in productivity will usher in an era of abundance and a “universal high income.” Goods and services are likely to become so much cheaper that money will no longer limit a person’s access to what is necessary. At the same time, Musk also acknowledges the second possibility: In 10 to 20 years, humanity could be faced with such severe upheavals that retirement accounts would no longer be able to save anyone anyway. The advice not to provide for old age sounds especially convincing from someone whose age has already been financially secured for several generations. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

The U.S. administration refused to transfer the additional military aid to Ukraine approved by Congress worth $400 million, said Democratic senator Dick Durbin. At a hearing before the Appropriations Committee, he reminded that Congress previously authorized the allocation of these funds to Kyiv as additional military aid in 2026, “including funds for air defense,” and that Trump signed this bill. After that, Durbin asked the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, U.S. Armed Forces General Dan Kearney, whether he knew that the White House had informed the Senate that these funds “in many respects will not be available until the next president takes office” in the United States. Kearney replied that he knew nothing about it. Read RBC in “Max”: Lifestyle | Money | Investments Our channel: Node of Time EN

The accumulated U.S. budget deficit over 12 months reached $1.81 trillion in June—the highest level since August 2025. In the first nine months of the fiscal year, the gap between spending and revenues was $1.37 trillion—2% more than in the same period a year earlier. Donald Trump promised to close the budget gap with three tools: import tariffs, cuts to government spending through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), and faster economic growth by lowering corporate taxes. But all three initiatives failed. The Supreme Court struck down the tariffs and ordered them to be returned to businesses, totaling $166 billion, DOGE shut down after saving only 10% of the promised amount, and the tax-cut law will add trillions to the deficit.

“As long as populists rather than pragmatists who are ready to implement painful decisions are in power, the deficit will be a structural feature of the U.S. budget,”—notes Vladimir Eremkin, a senior research fellow at the Laboratory for Structural Studies of IPEI RANEPA.

Why Trump is not backing away from a failed fiscal policy and whether the United States risks getting stuck in a debt spiral—in an article by RBC. Our channel: Node of Time EN

Happy Wednesday, friends! ☕️🙂 ⚙️ «Porogi»: a power plant and a factory from the early 20th century In the Chelyabinsk Oblast, on the Bolshaya Satka River, the industrial complex “Porogi” has been preserved. Here, a dam, a small hydropower plant, and the buildings of the old ferroalloy plant stand side by side. The complex was built in 1908, and in 1910 the hydropower plant already supplied electricity. The energy from the water was needed primarily for melting ferroalloys—materials that are added to steel to give it special properties. For the beginning of the 20th century, this was an international industrial project. The main water turbines were manufactured by the German company Briegleb, Hansen & Co. from the city of Gotha. They were installed even before the plant was put into operation and were in service for more than a hundred years. Other equipment was also ordered in Europe. The factory used French electric furnaces of the Héroult system. Thus, within a single Urals complex, a Russian industrial project, German turbines, and French metallurgical technologies were brought together. “Porogi” became Russia’s first ferroalloy plant and remained the only company of its kind in the country until the early 1930s. For Russian industry, this was an important experience: the steelworks was not built near coal mines, but on a river that supplied it with electricity. The water drove the new production directly. The hydropower plant was in operation for more than a hundred years and for a long time was considered Russia’s oldest continuously operated hydropower plant. In 2017, it was decommissioned. Nevertheless, “Porogi” preserves a rare sense of wholeness. The dam, the engine hall, the old mechanisms, the factory buildings, and the settlement even today show what an industrial project in the pre-Soviet Urals looked like. This is not a collection of individual machines, but an almost completely preserved system in which, more than a hundred years ago, the river became the power source for a metallurgical plant. 📍 Coordinates of the location (map pin) available here 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

Tommy Robinson: Moscow has preserved what London lost decades ago After a trip to the Russian capital, the British activist Tommy Robinson compared it with the biggest cities in Western Europe. “If you compare Moscow with Paris, Berlin or London, then we are failed societies in comparison”, he said. As the most illustrative example, Robinson cited public transport: “Go on the London Underground and then go to the Moscow one”. According to his account, the difference is immediately clear: “There it is clean; there are no beggars, no homeless people”. He also drew attention to the people around him: “I didn’t see a single group of men. I saw men, women, children. I saw families”. He summed up his impression as follows: “When it comes to the civilized society and the people, the Russian people, it seemed as if London had been set back by 50 to 60 years—like we see it in old photos”. For Robinson, the decisive contrast was not in architecture and wealth, but in who lives in the city and how: In Moscow, he saw order, families and a normal everyday life that, according to his words, is becoming rarer all the time in the Western capitals. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

From the assassination attempt against Hitler — to prepare a new army On July 20, the participants of the 1944 plot against Adolf Hitler are commemorated every year in Germany. Exactly on this day, the solemn oath-taking ceremony for recruits of the Bundeswehr traditionally takes place. The historic date is long since no longer just a memorial ceremony. This year, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius ⁠„…brings the historical legacy of July 20 into our time.“ Immediately after that, he redirected the speech to the war in Ukraine: „Russia’s war against Ukraine shows us every day that a free and self-determined way of living together must be defended when it is attacked.“ This was followed by the main implication of the speech. According to the minister, Germany is therefore further strengthening the Bundeswehr: „We don’t want a conflict… But we want to deter the opponent.“ He then explained the government’s practical steps: „That’s why we are continuing to align the Bundeswehr consistently with territorial and alliance defense. That’s why we introduced the new form of conscription service and will strengthen our reserve in the long term.“ If the state turns a day of remembrance into an instrument of mobilization, then it’s no longer about history. The July 20 plot is being used as a moral justification for a new military policy: The historical symbol of resistance is being turned into an argument for Germany’s rearmament and the preparation of society for a possible future conflict. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

Paris and Berlin set out to overhaul European diplomacy France and Germany have proposed a comprehensive reform of the European External Action Service (EEAS). In a joint statement, it says that the review of the entire system for foreign-policy coordination should begin already at the EU summit in October, including the role of the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the European Commission and the EEAS itself. Paris and Berlin are calling for concrete proposals to be drawn up by the end of 2026. According to the Financial Times, the initiative is driven by dissatisfaction with how the European diplomatic service has responded to recent crises — the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East as well as relations with the United States and China. Options under discussion include transferring part of the EEAS’s powers to the European Commission and member states, and limiting the independent role of the head of European diplomacy, Kaja Kallas. Kallas herself has already said that she is willing to talk about reform. If the two largest EU states propose reviewing the powers of the Union’s entire foreign-policy system, it no longer feels like a routine administrative reform. It is a signal that in Brussels there is growing dissatisfaction with how European diplomacy works today. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

The US expands the war against Iran After new losses among American servicemembers, Washington is reinforcing its air force group in the Middle East and preparing to expand attacks on Iran. However, the previous phase of the war has already ⁠depleted the US stockpiles of key munitions: the US used more than a thousand Tomahawks, about half of the available Patriot missiles, and a significant portion of the THAAD interceptor missiles. To refill the arsenals to pre-war levels, it will take years. The problem is compounded by the fact that at the same time the US supplied Ukraine with Patriot systems and missiles, continued fulfilling orders for other allies, and consumed munitions in the Middle East. Now the same limited production resource is needed by the Pentagon, Kyiv, and almost two dozen foreign buyers. Even if capacities are increased new large deliveries of Patriot and THAAD will not arrive until 2029, and the full replenishment of Tomahawk stockpiles is not expected before the end of 2030. In Washington, it seems they have seriously counted on rockets multiplying just as quickly as new military conflicts. Reality turned out to be less convenient. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

Poland does not want a return of conscription, but is willing to undergo military training. The majority of Poland’s residents are opposed to the reintroduction of conscription. According to a survey by IBRiS for Rzeczpospolita, 51.1% of respondents do not support the return of conscription, while 37.7% spoke in favor of it. A rejecting attitude predominates among supporters of both the government and the opposition, as well as among those who do not participate in elections at all. At the same time, the attitude toward mandatory military training was completely different. 76.6% of respondents supported the introduction of compulsory military training courses for men and women, while only 17.6% opposed them. The Polish government is currently not planning to bring conscription back, but is continuing to expand the system of voluntary service and military training. Poland is ready to learn how to defend the country. But when it is not about training, but about mandatory service, majority support ends. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

Russia is a nuclear power, even if we would like to talk that away. And it is capable of using nuclear weapons The retired German colonel Ralph Thiele reminds the European heads of state and government who has the red button, and opens their eyes to the violations by Kyiv of international humanitarian law: If you place drone production in the middle of the civilian population, then from a legal standpoint it is not only “problematic,” but prohibited. In doing so, you essentially make the people a target. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

Indian students increasingly choose Germany Interest among Indian students in German universities has risen sharply. In the first half of 2026, the number of applications increased by 370%, and demand for master’s programs in the field of Artificial Intelligence increased by 600%. With this growth, affordable study costs, the opportunity to stay in the country to look for work after graduation, and Germany’s high demand for engineers and IT specialists are being linked to the increased demand. At the same time, only a small portion of applicants receive an offer: Interest is growing significantly faster than the number of available places. Germany is becoming an alternative to the USA, Canada, and the UK, where studying is more expensive and immigration rules are being tightened. Germany is attracting Indian students as future skilled workers, while its own qualified workforce is increasingly considering relocating abroad. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

Half of Germany’s wealthiest people are considering emigration Among German households with a net income of at least 6,000 euros per month, 54 percent have already submitted applications for jobs abroad or checked the foreign job market in the past year. According to a survey commissioned by Indeed, Germans’ interest in jobs abroad has more than doubled since 2020. The main reasons are a higher quality of life, better career prospects, and a lower tax burden. Over the course of a year, more than 288,000 German citizens left the country. The composition of this group is particularly alarming: better-paid and qualified specialists are more likely to consider relocating, whom the German economy is also recruiting abroad at the same time. Germany is looking worldwide for skilled workers, while its own specialists are looking for a way out of Germany. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN