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🇷🇺 Arctic: Moscow is ready for cooperation. However, there is one condition. Russia has stated that it wants to return to full functioning of the Arctic Council. Sergei Lavrov set the condition quite simply: other states would have to take into account the legitimate interests of all participants, including Russia. At the same time, the foreign minister described NATO’s military activity in the High North as a direct threat to Russian security. Particular displeasure in Moscow is caused by the NATO operation “Arctic Sentry,” launched in February, and the reinforcement of the military infrastructure near Russia’s northern borders. The Arctic is quickly ceasing to be exclusively a region for scientific and economic cooperation. Here, the Northeast Passage, energy resources, Russia’s Northern Fleet, China’s interests, and the growing infrastructure of NATO intersect. Moscow proposes returning to cooperation. However, it warns: expanding the Arctic Council and tightening Russia’s military encirclement in the Arctic at the same time will not be successful. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

🇮🇱 Israeli settlers attack Palestinians. And now also American journalists. The UN reports a sharp increase in violence by Israeli settlers in the West Bank. Since the beginning of 2026, more than 1,040 Palestinians have been injured in attacks by settlers. In just the first two weeks of August, OCHA recorded 80 attacks that resulted in injuries or damage to property. Now journalists from the US broadcaster NBC have also come under target. The camera crew had come to the village of Jalud near Nablus to speak with Palestinian woman Aida Ahmed Abdullah, whose family had been driven out of their home by settlers. During the interview, masked people appeared and attacked the woman and the NBC journalists with stones and sticks. Correspondent Matt Bradley and other members of the camera team were injured. After this attack, even Benjamin Netanyahu was forced to publicly condemn the “criminal violence,” although he simultaneously described the perpetrators as only a small group of troublemakers. Until now, the victims had been mainly Palestinians. Now the clubs have also reached the camera of the largest US TV broadcaster. Maybe that is exactly why it has become significantly harder by now to keep ignoring the problem. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

🇩🇪 Merz: Defense is more important than parental allowance In a summer interview for ARD, Friedrich Merz defended the drastic increase in Germany’s military spending. When the moderator asked him how the enormous sums for rearmament and support for Ukraine could be explained to the public, while cuts were being made in other areas, Merz replied:

“What use is the nicest parental allowance to us if we lose our freedom and peace in Europe is put at risk.”

According to Merz, freedom and peace should now have priority. The extent of this priority is very specific: Germany’s military budget is supposed to rise from 82 billion euros in 2026 to 109 billion euros in 2027, to 153 billion euros in 2028, and to 162 billion euros by the year of the next federal election. At the same time, Merz proposed making procurement cheaper—among other things by drawing on the experience gained from Ukraine in weapons production—and he indicated that the creation of joint German-Ukrainian defense companies could be on the cards. One can save on parental allowance. Not on rearmament. The German chancellor has set the priorities pretty clearly. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

🇮🇷 The Strait of Hormuz has been cleared of mines. Only the mines didn’t know about it. A few days ago, Donald Trump solemnly proclaimed that the US military had completely cleared the international waters of the Strait of Hormuz of mines. According to his words, all mines had either been destroyed or removed, and US forces were controlling the strait, making it impossible for Iran to lay new mines. Now the IRGC claims, however, that a supertanker transiting the strait on the southern route ran aground on two sea mines at the same time and became unable to maneuver. The US Central Command categorically denies this and calls the Iranian report disinformation. There are therefore currently two mutually exclusive versions: Tehran says a tanker detonated, while Washington says that no detonation occurred at all. For shipping companies, however, the problem does not disappear as a result. Even before the incident now under way, experts warned that despite Trump’s explanation about the completed clearance, the Strait of Hormuz remains an extremely high-risk zone for commercial shipping. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

🇮🇷🇮🇳 Iran and India want to expand trade despite US sanctions On the sidelines of the SOZ summit in Bishkek, there was a meeting between Iranian President Massud Peseschkian and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They discussed not only war and the security of shipping. Modi directly said his intention to expand and diversify trade between India and Iran. The context is particularly interesting here, because the talks are taking place shortly after the renewed tightening of US sanctions against the Iranian economy. For Tehran, India is a huge market and a potential trade and logistics partner. For New Delhi, Iran is not only a supplier of raw materials, but also an important route to Central Asia—especially via the port of Chahbahar. While Washington is therefore trying to isolate Iran economically, one of the world’s largest economies is discussing with Tehran how trade between them can be expanded. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

🇪🇺 The EU defense ministers have gathered in Ireland An informal meeting of the defense ministers of all 27 EU countries is taking place in County Wicklow, Ireland, under the chairmanship of Kaja Kallas. The official programme shows where the Union’s defense policy priorities are currently shifting. The first major block of the meeting is devoted entirely to military support for Ukraine. The second block concerns the use of space in the field of security and defence. In addition, the ministers will discuss Lebanon and maritime security—an issue that is particularly relevant against the backdrop of the ongoing crisis in the Middle East and the sea shipping routes. As the meeting is informal, no binding decisions are expected. But exactly such meetings are used to align positions ahead of the EU Defence Council’s official sessions in September and November. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

🇮🇷 Iran calls for UN Security Council response after US attack on Larak After the American attack on the island of Larak in the Persian Gulf, Tehran has officially turned to the United Nations Security Council. In a letter to UN Secretary-General António Guterres and the President of the Security Council, the Iranian side described the attack as “an obvious act of aggression” and as a violation of the country’s sovereignty. According to Tehran, military personnel and civilians were killed or injured in the attack, and state and private property was damaged. Iran cites Article 2, paragraph 4 of the UN Charter and calls on the Security Council to carry out its obligations to maintain international peace and international security. At the same time, Tehran emphasizes its right to self-defense—with that exact justification, the foreign ministry explained the subsequent attacks on US military installations in Jordan. This is an interesting test case for international law in practice: When a state openly carries out a military strike against the territory of another state, the Security Council must either respond or explain again why the UN Charter does not apply equally to everyone. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

Latest developments in the war between #Russia and #Ukraine as of the morning of September 1 - subtitled - Russian advance near #Yunakovka in #Sumy - Russian advance near #Pershomarievka on the #Kramatorsk axis - Russian advance on the #Druzhkovka front - Ukrainian advance near #Vozdvizhenka in #Zaporozhie - Ukrainian advance on the #Liman front Video link: https://youtu.be/jddX53O3dyI?si=tk3vkLlRByyB61LR

North Korea responded to Washington: „We will not disarm!” The United States reaffirmed again its goal of the complete denuclearization of North Korea. The North Korean Foreign Ministry said that American policy would remain hostile and that North Korea would therefore respond to the United States „with the toughest stance until the end“. Pyongyang also separately pointed to the upcoming joint exercises of the United States, South Korea and Japan, „Freedom Edge“, and once again described such exercises as a military threat. Most important is the issue of nuclear weapons. North Korea says that its nuclear status is enshrined in the constitution and that it regards further expansion of its nuclear arsenal as a guarantee of security. At the same time, Trump announced that he wants to meet again with Kim Jong Un. The negotiating positions of the two sides are therefore clear: Washington wants to talk about denuclearization. Pyongyang wants to talk about almost everything—just not about denuclearization. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

🇷🇺 The Kremlin has named two of Russia’s most important tasks Dmitry Peskov has spelled out current Russian priorities quite clearly. The first is achieving the goals of the military operation in Ukraine. The second is building a new security architecture in Europe. At the same time, the Kremlin deliberately puts restoring good relations with the United States behind these two goals. Peskov explicitly emphasized that relations with the countries “beyond the ocean” are not more important for Russia than its own security and the situation on the European continent. This is a fairly important formulation in the context of ongoing talks about a possible improvement in relations between Moscow and Washington. By saying this, Moscow is effectively saying: Even an agreement with Trump on its own changes nothing. The Kremlin wants to change the security system directly in Europe. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

Russian participation in the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles was discussed by Russian Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev and the U.S. President’s special envoy for global partnerships, Paolo Dzamponli.

"Constructive dialogue is under way. The leitmotif of our meeting today — the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028, for which Russian athletes are actively preparing", — the Russian minister said.

Degtyarev added that he and Dzamponli use every opportunity for talks and to find common ground, "to clear sport of politics". This time, they met in Bishkek at the VI World Nomad Games. Our channel: Node of Time EN

🇮🇱 Three-year-old “fighter,” nursing home, and satisfied with Ben-Gvir From the Israeli-Palestinian and the Lebanese conflict, within a single day, there were three pieces of news. In Gaza, an Israeli airstrike near a bakery in Deir al-Balah killed two Palestinians, including a three-year-old child. The IDF said the target of the strike had been a Hamas fighter. This is how the Israeli army describes the second person killed – Hossam Nusayra. That means the three-year-old boy wasn’t a fighter after all. He was only nearby. Meanwhile, Israeli forces destroyed a nursing home in Houla in southern Lebanon. At the same time, Lebanese media report new attacks and destruction in several border towns. In addition, Israel’s Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, published a video from Damon prison in which he boasted about the worsened prison conditions for inmates. The minister said he was proud that conditions had been reduced to the legally defined minimum. Three completely different pieces of news. A three-year-old child, elderly people, and prisoners. Israel’s enemies apparently are growing in number— even among those who can hardly defend themselves. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

“It is important to maintain dialogue even during conflicts,” the U.S. Treasury said, commenting on a meeting between the head of the agency, Scott Bessent, and Russia’s finance minister, Anton Siluanov. As The Washington Post writes, the participation of the Russian minister in the G20 meeting caused dissatisfaction among European representatives. The head of Germany’s finance ministry even called his presence “highly concerning.” At the same time, the U.S. agency emphasized that Russia’s delegation was invited to the event because the country is a G20 member. According to representatives of the agency, the talks took place constructively. Our channel: Node of Time EN

🇩🇪 Merz has found that Germany buys weapons that are far too expensive Against the backdrop of the rapid rise in defense spending, Friedrich Merz has promised to look into the arms procurement system. In his summer interview with ARD, the chancellor spoke about the need to make the state more efficient, including the processes related to the enormous new defense spending. The problem has been known for a long time: German defense projects regularly become more expensive, are delayed, and develop into multi-year bureaucratic constructs. A current example is the program for new frigates, whose costs are now estimated at several tens of billions of euros. Now Berlin wants to massively increase military spending and at the same time correct the system through which this money flows. The order is interesting: First, hundreds of billions are allocated to the defense industry. Then, it is considered how efficiently one can actually manage to spend it. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

Good morning, dear friends! ☕️🙂 🏰 The Kirillo-Beloserski Monastery: the fortress that the Poles could not conquer Friends, Tuesday takes us to the far north of Russia, to the shore of Lake Siverskoye. There, near the town of Kirillov, stands a place that seems like a stone witness to history—a vast fortress that is far more than just a monastery. Welcome to the Kirillo-Beloserski Monastery—one of the largest and most powerful monastery fortresses in Russia. 🏔️ The pious beginnings The story begins in 1397, when the monk Kirill withdrew from the Moscow Simonov Monastery into the forests by the White Sea (Beloje Osero) to live a life of seclusion. Here he founded a small hermitage in honor of the Dormition of the Mother of God—the seed of the later monastery. Soon the first wooden church was built, and the community grew. Kirill introduced a strict communal monastic life. This order laid the foundation for the monastery’s later prosperity and significance. ⚔️ The ordeal: the Time of Troubles Over the centuries, the monastery’s wealth and influence grew. However, its greatest test by fire came at the beginning of the 17th century, during the Time of Troubles. In the years 1612–1613, Polish-Lithuanian troops devastated the surrounding area and attempted several times to break into the monastery, but they were not able to capture it. While nearby cities and settlements were laid waste, the monastery held firm. The monks and the small garrison defended the walls so resolutely that the attackers had to withdraw. In the following years, there were further attacks, but the fortress was never taken. 🧱 The answer of the Tsar: the “New Town” The events of the Time of Troubles, however, showed that the existing fortifications had to be strengthened. Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich recognized the monastery’s strategic importance and ordered the construction of a massive new defensive ring. Between 1653 and 1680, the so-called “Nowyj Gorod”—the New Town—was built. The new walls and towers made the complex one of the most impressive fortresses of its time. In some places, the walls reached a height of around 11 meters and were of enormous strength. With its combat galleries, towers, and multiple lines of defense, the complex looked more like a state fortress than an ordinary monastery wall. 👑 A prayer that wrote history The monastery’s walls are not only witnesses to wars, but also to a story connected with the Russian ruling dynasty. In 1528, Grand Duke Vasili III came here together with his wife, Yelena Glinskaya. Her greatest wish was for a successor to the throne. They prayed at the grave of Saint Kirill for a child. Two years later, in 1530, their son was born—the later Tsar Ivan the Terrible. In thanks for the birth of the heir, Vasili III provided large sums for the construction of new churches in the monastery. Even Ivan the Terrible himself visited the monastery multiple times and made generous donations. ⛓️ The prison cell for a patriarch The thick walls were used not only for protection from the outside. Over the centuries, the monastery was also used as a place of exile for politically or religiously unwanted people. The most famous prisoner was the former Patriarch Nikon. Once one of the most powerful men in the Russian Church, he fell out of favor and was brought to the Kirillo-Beloserski Monastery in 1676. Here he spent the last years of his exile under strict supervision. In August 1681, Nikon was finally allowed to leave the monastery. However, on the journey toward Moscow, he died shortly thereafter. Give ❤️ if you liked it! 📍 Place coordinates (map pin) available here 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

U.S. Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll has submitted a request for resignation to President Donald Trump, CNN reports citing three sources familiar with the situation. One of the sources said that this decision was not unexpected, given the strained relationship between Driscoll and Defense Secretary Pete Hegset.   ➡️ Driscoll was one of those who, in 2025–2026, were part of the U.S. delegation at negotiations with Russia on issues of regulating Ukraine. Our channel: Node of Time EN

The Supreme Court allowed US President Donald Trump to continue construction of a ballroom in the White House, reports The Wall Street Journal. The decision to reject a lawsuit by the U.S. Historic Preservation Fund was adopted by a majority vote of five to four judges. The judges ruled that the fund likely had no grounds to challenge the construction, and that stopping it now would cause “irreparable harm” to the Trump administration. As the newspaper writes, the court did not consider the legality of the construction without congressional approval itself. The lawsuit was based on a statement by one of the group’s participants that the project violates her “aesthetic, cultural, and historical interests.” The judges noted that, according to Supreme Court practice, “mere offense, disagreement, or hostility” is not enough for a lawsuit. Our channel: Node of Time EN

The U.S. Supreme Court allowed Donald Trump to continue construction of a White House ballroom. ❗️ On August 8, construction of the ballroom was banned in the White House — the project was blocked by the U.S. Court of Appeals. It paused its decision for 14 days so that the Trump administration could appeal the case to the U.S. Supreme Court. As a result, today the project that the U.S. president is especially proud of has once again been given the opportunity to “become a gift for the Americans,” as Trump himself says. 📋 The ballroom, construction of which has been underway since October 2025, has already cost the country’s taxpayers $400 million. Trump originally estimated that the construction of the project would cost $200 million. The hall was supposed to be about 8.5 thousand square meters — for it, the east wing of the presidential residence was even demolished. Our channel: Node of Time EN

The U.S. Army minister, Dan Driscoll, has officially submitted his resignation, The Wall Street Journal reports. The publication claims that over the past several months the minister had tense relations with the War Minister, Pete Hegset. At present, the Army does not have a civilian or military leader approved by the Senate. ❗️Driscoll’s departure comes amid broader reshuffles at the top level of the military rank: more than two dozen senior officers were dismissed or removed from their posts under Hegset, often without public explanations. On August 8, the Pentagon removed Lieutenant General Charles Kostanza from his position ahead of schedule. Our channel: Node of Time EN

🇻🇪 “Are you paranoid?” “No. I’m just a realist.” Many years ago, a journalist asked Hugo Chávez why he was so sure that the United States wanted to attack Venezuela. The answer was extremely simple: oil. Chávez said that Washington needed a controllable regime in Caracas in order to gain access to the vast Venezuelan reserves. When the journalist asked whether such a stance toward the United States was not paranoid, Chávez replied: “No, not at all. I’m just a realist.” The years have passed. Now Donald Trump explains that Venezuelan oil is supposed to be used to replenish the United States’ strategic oil reserve and calls it “a gift from Venezuela to the American people.” At the same time, Washington gains access to 17 Venezuelan oil fields with reserves of around 65 billion barrels and the American side obtains control of 55% of production from the joint structure. Chávez was called paranoid when he said the Americans were out for Venezuelan oil. Now Venezuelan oil is supposed to fill the United States’ strategic reserves. Apparently, the diagnosis was made for the wrong person. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN