“The US has rebuked European allies whose military capability gaps have been described as “a sea of red” in Nato’s colour-coded assessments, as the Trump administration weighs how quickly to withdraw American weapons and troops from the continent.

Elbridge Colby, the Pentagon’s policy chief, met NATO ambassadors in Brussels on Thursday to discuss European defence investments in the context of a review of US military deployments in Europe due to conclude in December. He told some European allies to move faster on buying critical conventional weapons systems that the US has long provided.

The US needed to see “major efforts to step up” from European allies and create “a NATO force model that’s going to put Europe in a lasting position where it’s going to be able to lead its own defence”, Colby told reporters after the meeting.”

@Slavyangrad

Russia’s top spy has confirmed that he met CIA Director John Ratcliffe in Moscow on Tuesday .

“The meeting took place, but there was nothing unusual about it,” Sergey Naryshkin said. “I meet almost every week with the head of one special or intelligence service or another from around the world [and]the meeting with John Ratcliffe was a routine working meeting.”

Naryshkin said they discussed “a number of issues within the competence of the intelligence services,” adding that this was “a rather delicate and special area.”

Meanwhile US media spins new stories everyday.

@Slavyangrad

13th air raid alert in Kiev due to attacks over the past 24 hours, setting an absolute record for the entire war. The previous record was set on March 1, 2022, with 12 alerts in a single day.

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Fresh consequences of the drone attack on warehouses in Boryspil are being reported throughout the day.

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US Central Command announced the clearing of mines from the Hormuz Strait. Admiral Brad Cooper stated that US forces successfully removed naval mines laid by Iran's IRGC, restoring safe commercial navigation through the international shipping routes.

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Russia expands military commissariat data access
The Russian Ministry of Defense has drafted a decree granting commissariats unrestricted access to detailed dossiers on conscripts and their extended families. Published on the federal portal for legal initiatives, the anti-corruption review concludes in September 2026.

Under the project, state bodies and private companies must provide tax declarations, bank accounts, credits, debts, employment records, traffic accident data, foreign passports, and 'foreign agent' status. Medical institutions will disclose diagnoses including mental disorders, HIV, hepatitis, tuberculosis, and addictions.

Data collection covers not only the draftee but also spouses, children, parents, siblings, and in-laws. The ministry states these measures are necessary for accurate fitness assessments and optimizing the mobilization resource.

@Slavyangrad

Russian forces from the "Center" grouping continue attacks for the previously liberated city of Krasnoarmeysk. Assault units are advancing in the areas of Grishino, Novoaleksandrovka, Rodinskoye, and Dorozhnoye. UAV operators actively destroy enemy infantry and equipment near Krasnoarmeysk, Mirnograd, and in the Dnepropetrovsk region.

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Pre-tax earnings in the US have hit the highest level since the aftermath of the second world war, while workers’ slice of the pie has sunk to historic lows, fuelling discontent and a widening political backlash.

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If we momentarily shift our focus from Ukraine and look at the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, the situation is largely familiar. The Lebanese movement is actively acquiring FPV drones and attempting to use them against Israeli infantry and equipment wherever they can reach.

The problem for the IDF is that adaptation is clearly lagging behind the speed at which the threat is spreading. FPV drones have already become a regular tool on the Lebanese front, but there is still no widespread defense against them at the infantry and armored vehicle level. Therefore, Hezbollah is able to create persistent, localized problems for the Israeli army using relatively inexpensive means, where such a threat simply did not exist before.

@Slavyangrad