In The News.

Russia is not asking. 

Moscow is not asking for the lifting of sanctions, but urges Western states to fix the problems they have created on the global food market, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Sunday. “We are not asking for the removal of sanctions – those are problems that deserve to be dealt with separately. We will simply develop our economy now by counting on reliable partners and not on those who have once again proved their total incapacity… As far as food is concerned, our Western colleagues... should remove the obstacles they themselves have created,” the diplomat said after talks with his Egyptian counterpart, Sameh Shoukry, in Egypt. He noted that Moscow would not have agreed to Friday’s deal unblocking Ukraine’s grain exports if the issue of freeing up Russian exports had not been resolved. Moscow is now counting on the UN to stick to its promise and assist in removing restrictions holding back Russian grain shipments.

In fact, by analogy with RUSI's rather grossly delayed (by many years) report The Return of Industrial Warfare, it is about freaking time one compiled a similar report but titled The Return of Real Economy. Ah, wait, I already did, wink, wink. In real life all those stocks' "values", "capitalization" indices, or GDP fake numbers mean jack shit. Only the ability to produce and properly distribute tangible products ranging from energy, to food, to machines, to essential services matter in order to sustain societies and allow for development and social cohesion. The combined West suddenly, however late, begins to learn about those very simple and self-evident things. 

Per Gonzalo Lira's yesterday hypothesis that Zelensky's day may be numbered. 

Gonzalo is generally correct--assassinating Zelensky is one of the scenarios which was considered from the very start and the longer the SMO goes, the higher is the probability of such scenario being acted upon by the US. This, at this stage, however, makes no difference whatsoever for Russia because judging by the latest statements from the very political top of Russia, especially today's statement by Lavrov in Egypt:

КАИР, 24 июл — РИА Новости. Россия обязательно поможет украинцам избавиться от антинародного и антиисторического режима, заявил министр иностранных дел Сергей Лавров на встрече с постоянными представителями стран — членов Лиги арабских государств (ЛАГ)."Нам жаль украинский народ, который заслуживает гораздо лучшего. Нам жаль украинскую историю, которая рушится на глазах, и нам жаль тех, которые поддались государственной пропаганде киевского режима, и тех, кто его поддерживает", — отметил он.

Translation: CAIRO, July 24 - RIA Novosti. Russia will definitely help Ukrainians get rid of the anti-people and anti-historical regime, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at a meeting with permanent representatives of the member countries of the League of Arab States (LAS). "We pity the Ukrainian people, who deserve much better. We pity Ukrainian history, which is collapsing before our eyes, and we feel sorry for those who succumbed to the state propaganda of the Kyiv regime, and those who support it," he said.

 

Cannot get any clearer than that and it means only one thing--Russia is ready to take most of Ukraine on her balance and remake her, with the exception of areas which are historically Russian and are or will be incorporated back to Russia, into normal, docile and neutral state, fully dependent on Russia economically and in defense terms. My personal opinion is that the Western Ukraine will be given to Poland, Hungary and Romania, after proper arrangements. Russia's economic and military weight allow to accomplish this for sure. Washington and London, however, miscalculated yet again because circumstances changed dramatically since March of 2022. As Putin said: "You ain't seen nothing yet". And Gonzalo is absolutely spot on--Washington now is desperate to extricate itself from the Ukrainian catastrophe before the whole thing collapses and even spin-doctors will not be able to hide the global scale of the US military-political humiliation, which will make Afghanistan look like a child's play. And it is coming, it is almost here.

 

Per strike on Odessa port. Bernhard did a very good short write up on the matter. As you know Black Sea Fleet launched a salvo of 3M14 Kalibrs (which Russia should have ran out of in March, wink, wink):

The Russian Ministry of Defense has confirmed striking targets in the major Ukrainian port of Odessa on Saturday, revealing that its missiles hit military infrastructure and arms stockpiles. “In the seaport of Odessa, on the territory of a shipyard, a docked Ukrainian warship and a warehouse of Harpoon anti-ship missiles, supplied by the US to the Kiev regime, have been destroyed by sea-based high-precision long-range missiles,” the ministry said on Sunday. The attack also crippled a repair facility where vessels of the Ukrainian navy have been fixed, it added. The strike on the target in Odessa, which is a major trade hub in the southwest of Ukraine, came a day after the signing of a UN-brokered deal to unblock grain exports from Ukrainian ports.

But, as I said, read Bernhard's write up on the matter and why there is very little protestation even in the US on this matter. Moreover, I am smiling when reading news of Russian and Turkish navies (in Russian) operating together while escorting grain carriers from Odessa, with Black Sea Fleet also being responsible for de-mining of the area. What a crazy time we are living in, who would have thought)). Here is your primer for Sunday.