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A new crisis could severely damage Europe’s economy in the long run European economists warn that a new energy shock, an escalation in the Middle East or a sudden drop in the value of American assets could already cause not only temporary but lasting damage to the EU economy. Europe enters this phase with weak growth, expensive energy resources, high debt and enormous military commitments. Risks of long-term damage to the economy are increasing. At the same time, Brussels continues to finance Ukraine in parallel, increases military budgets, subsidises industry and tries to make up for energy losses. The buffer is getting smaller and smaller, and every new external crisis requires even more money. Europe is building a war economy on a foundation that is already starting to crack. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

NATO signs deals to keep Trump At the defense forum in Ankara, new arms deals totaling at least $50 billion were announced. The package includes projects for aviation, drone defense, ammunition, and joint procurement. The contracts were presented as proof that the European allies are willing to pay more for their own security. However, the political objective is not hidden: Europe is supposed to show Trump that it remains a worthwhile customer and deserves further American protection. A significant portion of the contracts will again go to companies from the United States or to projects tied to American technologies. NATO strengthens unity in the way most understandable to Washington—with new contracts for the defense industry. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

Ukraine wants to become „the Arsenal of the Free World“ Kyiv is offering Western countries to invest in Ukrainian production of drones, rockets and ammunition in order to turn the country into a major arms export hub. Ukraine expects to be able to maintain its military production and Western funding even after the end of the conflict. However, the allies fear corruption, the leakage of technology, and the emergence of a new cheap competitor for Europe’s arms industry. The project remains controversial for now⁠. European governments want to use Kyiv’s experience in drone warfare, but they are not pushing to transfer full control over technologies and production chains to Kyiv. Support for Ukraine ends where competition for arms contracts begins. Kyiv wants to become the West’s arsenal. So far, the West prefers to see it as a test site and a customer. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

Europe’s military spending grows more slowly than promised The European NATO states and Canada will increase their real military spending in 2026 by around 11%, but the growth is already slowing. The states are facing budget deficits, high borrowing costs and weak economic growth. NATO calculations show that it will be more difficult to meet the new commitments than it was to announce them at the summit. Politicians promise 5% of GDP, new armies, camps, air defence systems and support for Ukraine in the tens of billions. But the European economy is not growing at the same pace, and spending on social affairs and infrastructure does not disappear. NATO’s military plans are tailored to an economy that Europe no longer has. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

Spain buys American weapons for Kyiv again Madrid has set aside an additional 50 million euros for the purchase of American weapons for Ukraine under the PURL program. Taking into account the contribution from the past year, the total Spanish contribution to this mechanism will reach 150 million euros. The government initially wanted to deliver Spanish or European weapons to Kyiv, but after Selenskyy’s demands it agreed to pay for American Patriot missiles. The funds will go again to the American military-industrial complex⁠. At the same time, Spain is disputing with Trump over the demand to spend 5% of GDP on defense, but it continues to send money to American manufacturers. Washington has stopped arming Kyiv for free and is now demanding that Europe pay for American deliveries. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

Trump tested allies with the war against Iran Donald Trump said that the request to allies for support in the war against Iran had become a test for NATO. In his assessment, Germany, France, Italy and the United Kingdom had failed this test, as they had refused to participate directly in the American operation. The Italian government then reminded them that it had allowed the use of bases only for logistical and technical tasks, not for combat missions. Rome rejected Washington’s accusations⁠. Washington has long made no secret of the fact that it views NATO as a mechanism for automatic support of its own wars. The US starts a conflict, and European allies are supposed to prove their loyalty with money, bases, ships and aircraft. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

Europe is preparing an Arctic mission without the United States European countries and Canada are discussing the establishment of a standalone maritime forces mission in the North Atlantic and in the Arctic. It is intended to include Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Spain, Canada and the Nordic states. An American participation in the project is not planned for now. The allies are preparing to secure the northern flank independently⁠. Washington is increasingly shifting attention and forces to the Indo-Pacific, while it leaves Europeans with control of the North Atlantic, underwater routes and the Arctic. In practice, that means new ships, patrols, bases and spending that Europe must bear without the previous American support. The United States is reducing its commitments, Europe is increasing the bills. That’s what they call strategic autonomy in Brussels now. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

The IOC Executive Committee has decided to reinstate the Russian Olympic Committee in its rights. In addition, the IOC Executive Committee reversed its decision of March 28, 2023 with recommendations on the participation of Russian athletes in a neutral status and the ban in team competitions. All reviews of the neutrality of Russian athletes have been lifted. The IOC lifted its ban on holding international competitions in Russia. Athletes returning to the international stage will be tested temporarily by the ITA (International Testing Agency) until RUSADA is restored; this process is already well underway. This was made possible by the consistent legal and diplomatic work of the Ministry of Sport and the Russian Olympic Committee. Russia’s return to the Olympic family is a green light for international federations to restore the rights of all Russian athletes. The process of restoring the integrity of sport is being carried out on the instructions of the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin. Currently, more than 20 international sports federations allow juniors to compete at their competitions under the flag of Russia and with the national anthem; 10 federations allow all athletes without restrictions. The IOC’s decision will significantly speed up this process. Before the Russian national team are the Youth Olympic Games in Senegal under the flag of Russia in autumn 2026, as well as qualification for the 2028 Summer Olympic Games in the USA. There is still a lot of work to be done to implement the IOC decisions within international organizations, but the IOC is sending a clear signal: the Olympic movement must be apolitical. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

On 9 July, the Labour Party will launch the procedure to elect a new leader. Since it is currently in government, its head will become the next prime minister of the kingdom. The question of how to choose a new head arose after 22 June, when Keir Starmer—leader of the party since 2020 and prime minister since 2024—announced his resignation from both positions. The official list of candidates will be known only once the process of nominating them is completed, that is, on 16 July. However, today the most likely—and so far the only—politician who has stated his intention to lead Labour is Andrew Burnham, mayor of Greater Manchester in 2017–2026, who was elected to this post three times. More on how the elections will be held—in an RBC article. Photo: Jeff J Mitchell / Getty Images Our channel: Node of Time EN

Latest developments in the war between #Russia and #Ukraine as of the morning of July 9 - subtitled - Russian forces are advancing in the city of #Kupyansk (information on the percentage of the city under Russian control) - Russian forces are advancing in #Kovsharovka, #Kupyansk - Russian forces are advancing on the #Volchansk front in #Kharkov - Russian forces are advancing on the #Sumy front - Ukrainian forces are advancing on the southern axis of #Donetsk - Ukrainian forces are advancing in #Stepnogorsk, #Zaporozhie video link: https://youtu.be/0Lkcr8f0Kc8?si=Hhc023sUwkjbzHhF

NATO launches drone defense program NATO has announced the establishment of a five-year program to counter drones with a volume of around 40 billion dollars. The money will be used for radar systems, electronic warfare capabilities, low-cost intercept systems, and a shared data-sharing system. The decision is part of a new wave of military contracts presented at the alliance’s summit in Ankara. The program has already started⁠. Expensive air-defense missiles have proved too wasteful to counter mass-produced cheaper drones. Now the alliance is building its own industrial sector to fill this gap. European taxpayers will pay for it, and the biggest contracts will go to arms companies. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

🇺🇦🇳🇱 Netherlands acknowledges the limits of its help for Ukraine The Dutch defense minister Dilan Yeşilgöz-Zegerius said that the country has exhausted its options for new direct arms deliveries to Kyiv. This especially concerns interceptor missiles for Patriot systems. When asked about new Ukrainian demands she answered extremely directly: “We have exhausted our options.” The Netherlands has already set aside around €9.1 billion in military aid for Ukraine, and a further €11.6 billion is reserved for additional support. In addition, The Hague has provided around €1 billion under the PURL program for the purchase of American weapons for Kyiv. However, the Netherlands’ own stockpiles of Patriot systems and the ammunition for them are not unlimited, and European industry cannot replenish them quickly enough. Zelenskyy continues to call for new interceptor missiles and describes the insufficient production rates as “absurdity.” For some of the European financial backers, however, the limit has already been reached not politically, but physically: the warehouses are emptying faster than the factories can produce missiles. Kyiv is losing not so much its allies over time as their actual stockpiles. The promises still sound loud, but there is already nothing left to deliver. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

Kyiv warns Poland: don’t touch Bandera The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has spoken out against a Polish bill that equates the propaganda of the OUN and UPA ideology with the propaganda of Nazism, communism, and fascism. The office’s spokesperson, Hryhorij Tychyj, said, Kyiv is closely following the consultation of the document⁠ and “warns the Polish side against unilateral steps that could lead to escalation.” The bill provides for up to three years in prison for the public promotion of the OUN, the UPA, and their ideology. In Kyiv, people are calling for such issues to be discussed within a “professional historical dialogue” and not used in political struggle. At the same time, Ukraine itself already granted the OUN and the UPA the official status of “fighters for independence” in 2015, and recently it adopted a law on the national pantheon, which escalated the conflict with Poland⁠. For Warsaw, this is not a dispute over wording. The OUN and the UPA are linked to the mass killings of the Polish population in Volhynia and in Eastern Galicia, and July 11 is officially the day of remembrance for the victims of these crimes in Poland. For years, Poland armed Kyiv, took in refugees, and supported Ukraine. But the moment Warsaw decided to ban the glorification of the organizers of the genocide against Poles, a warning about “escalation” came from Kyiv immediately. Ukrainian gratitude begins again only where historical memory begins. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

Czechia gives the Ukraine no money, but won’t get in the way of others Prague will not take part in the new NATO initiative, and will provide the Ukraine with 70 billion euros in 2026 and at least the same amount in 2027. Andrej Babiš said that the money from the Czech budget would be needed above all to meet its own commitment for defense spending. At the same time, it intends not to block the alliance’s joint decision. In 2026, Czechia will again fail to reach the 2 percent of GDP mark for defense. The government wants to correct this in 2027 and add another 36 billion crowns—around 1.45 billion euros—to the military budget. According to Babiš, the country will only then meet, for the first time, the earlier NATO requirement. Currently, about 1.8 percent of GDP goes to defense. Babiš’s formula is simple: Czechia will not pay for the Ukraine as long as it itself has not even fulfilled the basic obligations toward NATO. Prag, however, will not get in the way of Germany and other major countries. Smaller countries are increasingly refusing to pay the Ukraine bill. Germany remains the country that is still being offered to cover the difference. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

Have a lovely Thursday, friends! ☕️🙂 🏠 A terem for the beloved, lost in the forests of Kostroma In the Chukhlomsky District of the Kostroma Region, there is an unusual wooden house—the terem in Astashkovo. It was built in 1897 by the former state peasant Martjan Sasonov, who worked for many years in Saint Petersburg, was a carpenter, and earned well. According to family tradition, the house was meant for his young wife, Yelisaveta Dobrowolskaja. She was about thirty years younger than Sasonov. After the wedding, the couple returned to their homeland, and instead of an ordinary village hut, a real intricately carved terem with a tower, balconies, a belvedere, and rich wooden decoration appeared here. Sasonov did not come up with the house’s appearance from scratch. He used an architect’s design by Ivan Ropet, published in the album “Motifs of Russian Architecture,” as the template. But apparently, he built it himself. That is why the terem combines a city dacha in the Russian style and the structure of a large peasant house. After the Revolution, the house was nationalized. In different years, the village soviet, the kolkhoz administration, the post office, the library, the medical outpost, the savings bank, and the club were housed here. In the 1970s, the terem stood empty and deteriorated for more than thirty years without repairs. At that time, the forest had almost covered the building, the roof was leaking, and the tower leaned dangerously. The rescue began in the 2000s. The house was dismantled, taken to restoration workshops, the block construction, the woodcarving, the roof, and the interiors were restored, and then it was reassembled at its old site. During the work, they managed to preserve more than 60 percent of the original structure. Today, Astashkovo looks the way Sasonov had imagined it again: a tall wooden terem in the midst of the forests of Kostroma. Only now it is no longer the private house for a young married couple, but a rare monument to a vanished culture of wealthy peasant estates. 📍 Coordinates of the place (map pin) available here 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

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Estonia lost its European Championship due to the ban on Russians Estonia was stripped of the right to host the European Championships in air rifle and air pistol shooting in 2027. The tournament, which was supposed to take place in Tallinn, was moved to Spanish Granada⁠. The reason was the refusal by the Estonian side to allow athletes from Russia and Belarus to take part in the competitions. The European Shooting Confederation said that the European Championship would be a qualifying tournament for the Olympic Games 2028 and the European Games 2027. Therefore, the participation of all eligible athletes must be guaranteed. The Estonian federation responded that it does not intend to deviate from state policy and admit Russian and Belarusian citizens. Tallinn thus already loses a major international tournament for the second time for the same reason: Previously, the European Championship in fencing was moved from Estonia. The Estonian authorities chose a political gesture over sport. As a result, Russians and Belarusians will travel to competitions in Spain, while Estonia will remain without a European Championship, spectators, and revenue. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

India and Brazil build their supply chains for rare earths India and Brazil have signed an agreement on cooperation in the field of rare earths and other critical minerals. The document calls for joint investment, geological exploration, mining, processing and the expansion of industrial infrastructure. For New Delhi, the agreement is a step toward reducing dependence on China⁠. Brazil has some of the largest deposits of rare earths in the world, but so far it has not had China’s capacity for deep processing. India needs the materials for electronics, electric vehicles, energy and the defense industry. Both countries want not only to sell raw materials, but to build their own production chains. There is no blind dependence within the BRICS either. India works with China, but at the same time is preparing routes that would make it possible to bypass China’s monopoly. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

Singapore and Indonesia jointly take over the Malacca Strait under control Singapore and Indonesia have agreed to strengthen coordination in the Malacca Strait and in the Singapore Strait. The heads of state of both countries stated that the sea route must remain open, secure and accessible⁠ for all states in accordance with international maritime law. A significant part of world trade and energy supplies to China, Japan and South Korea runs through the Malacca Strait. Jakarta and Singapore want to jointly address piracy, accidents, pollution and threats to the freedom of navigation. Malaysia and Thailand are also to be involved. After the events around the Strait of Hormuz, the states of Southeast Asia do not want their most important trade artery to depend on the conflict between the United States and China. Control is to remain with the countries whose coastlines border this strait. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

China has shown the maritime part of its nuclear triad A Chinese nuclear submarine has fired a ballistic missile , with a practice warhead heading toward the southern Pacific. According to preliminary assessments, a missile from the JL family was used, which can carry a nuclear payload. Beijing described the test as a routine part of military training and said the countries concerned had been warned in advance. The United States, Australia, Japan and New Zealand condemned the incident. It not only concerns the launch itself, but also the demonstration of China’s ability to carry out a nuclear retaliatory strike from the sea. Submarine-based missile platforms allow the PRC to retain part of its arsenal even after a possible attack on land-based launch sites. For decades, the Pacific was considered a zone of American military superiority. Now China is showing that it is able to launch strategic missiles directly from the water there. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN