It is widely reported that Fedorov and Drapatyi (aka General Skedaddleous) enjoy a long and profitable friendship.
 
Also, Syrsky’s dismissal comes directly on the heals of the IMF’s endorsement of Ukraine’s finances.
 

Posted by: too scents | Jul 22 2026 16:20 utc | 4

A new narrative strand is being amplified, to the background noise of knives being sharpened:

“Our support may melt”: Former British Defense Secretary on the scale of corruption under Zelensky

If the Kyiv regime does not put an end to corruption in the defense sector, then this may affect the military supplies of the West.
 
This was stated on the air of the Al Arabiya TV channel by former British Defense Secretary Gerald Howarth , the correspondent of PolitNavigator reports.
 
The presenter drew attention to the protests against the resignation of Ukrainian Defense Minister Fedorov, describing them as ” the most serious political crisis ” for Zelensky, called them ” music to the ears of Russians ” and asked whether the unity of Ukraine was threatened, and how vulnerable Zelensky was.
 
Howarth called Fedorov’s resignation ” a deplorable turn of events ” and a ” big mistake .”
 

“I must say, as a former chairman of the UK parliamentary committee on Ukraine, who visited this country quite often a few years ago, that there is a serious problem of corruption there ,” the ex-minister says.
 

He does not rule out that there is a corruption motive around Fedorov’s resignation.
 

“And I think President Zelensky needs to understand : if his allies see that corruption is still there, the likelihood that support from allies will begin to melt away will become very significant ,” the Briton threatens.

 
The ex-minister, referring to the opinion of his friends who are well versed in Ukrainian realities, says that Zelensky “suffers from the same shortcomings as his predecessors .”
 
He is outraged that corruption in Ukraine is flourishing against the backdrop of massive assistance from the West with the participation of special services.

https://politnavigator.news/nasha-podderzhka-mozhet-rastayat-ehks-ministr-oborony-britanii-o-masshtabakh-korrupcii-pri-zelenskom.html (via translation add-on). There is a video clip at the link but it is overdubbed into Russian, haven’t found the English version yet.
 
And that is how it is done, a retired official or minister, speaking in a “personal capacity” floats something that the apparatus wants floated. Other talking heads pick up the topic, discuss it more widely until it becomes mainstream,  the “informed” consumers of MSM output nod their heads sagely, and the momentum of opinion that Zelensky should go becomes unstoppable.
 
I think this is going to get even messier than it already is.

Posted by: Jeremy Rhymings-Lang | Jul 22 2026 16:37 utc | 6

Who cares about musical chairs in a theatrical show where the Headmaster remains with his top hat?
 
Russia isn’t going to do crap about the next defense minister lobbing drones & missiles into Moscow either.
 
They can take all the territory they want, but Ukraine is still in NATO,  and NATO is in Ukraine, until the roots are pulled out & burned, and Zelensky et el are sent to Nazi Heaven, expect the bombs to fly into Moscow…
which supposedly that’s what the SMO was for as I recall,  so that Ukraine wouldn’t have a NATO that could fly missiles into Moscow at 5-7 mins time?
 
Well… that didn’t work out, you got NATO in Ukraine anyways.

Posted by: Trubind1 | Jul 22 2026 16:46 utc | 8

Thank you for the post b

Posted by: e-dog | Jul 22 2026 16:50 utc | 10

“Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown”

Posted by: Squeeth | Jul 22 2026 16:55 utc | 12

MI6 vs CIA.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Jul 22 2026 17:00 utc | 14

“This analysis is necessary for us to make possible big decisions in the future,”… Harmonic focus on high level cyclical report. Conventional became ordinary invites inordinate response, escalation preplanned, divert timeline. Critical of strategies, streamline operation methods, smokeout instigators, exploit emotional resonance, influence multi dimensional narratives, encircle enemy minds, initiate psyop defense societal stabilization, integrate counter propaganda analytics & forensics, evolve dissemination impacts qualitative feedback, fasttrack pattern recognition, overview quantitative data outreach effectiveness, capitalize response time, leverage ai to identify threats, automate data set tasks while asleep, optimize adaptive strategy, measure attrition rate metric trendlines, benchmark operational momentum effectiveness, increase cobelligerent descent, alter escalation tempo variables, deep data belligerent third party forces, avg distance area of operations hq staging forward bases, identify social threats, secure info moral integrity, increase public trust, entrap insurgents, map production relationships, prioritize logistic degradation, block air corridors from assault, balance reactions, covertly strike or overtly yield, increase deterrence by crazier reactions, enhance perception, radically ambush assembly points, feed off revenge, reevaluate end objective, inflict desperation, antagonize emotions, force overreaction, bait instigators, crush willpower, 247 pressure, seize capital to diminish aerial encroachment, occupy blackrock resources, educate public to identify report local threats, increase situational awareness, erect defense lookout towers, more sensors, hot air balloons, local economy flourish, increase standard of living, exhaust their will to fight, numb to airraid sirens, increase anxiety & lower morale, softening up minds, act instead of react, on your terms, view final objective unconsciously symphony of minds, sp00f weather data distributed to adversaries, clouds rain wind lunar data moon illumination angles, Smoke screen conceal targets, counter black-propagandists sowing disinfo beware traps countering, leverage faster telemetry data vs opponent, identify attack patterns during tail wind during weekday before news cycle before meetings, predict attack scenarios & scale prevention, alert triggers w/ action functions, threat probability statistics. karp: services down during loads & deployment build updates, latency advantages, load balancers, kubernetes cluster brave, php sql, aries services, shell scripts, frontend input sanitization absent, nonsanitized post boundary, sessions, corrupt build images, pipeline builder issues, extended api’s, manipulate dataset, wordpress issues, sql inject, corrupt backup storage. illuminate wheat export gmo pesticides monsanto harmful bread, mishap defecation wastewater sewage treatment plants, soften w/ poop jokes, data centers waste water contaminating city’s water reclamation systems with toxic bacteria, target international waters tankers, amplify oil spilt on cobelligerent shoreline, propagate new classified carcinogen american diesel exhaust, 400nm LED Headlights cause retinal damage. Plastic injection mold imports. Secured moral high ground, after agitators reneged alaskan agreement.

Posted by: Time will tell | Jul 22 2026 17:12 utc | 16

@Rump’s nemesis | Jul 22 2026 16:21 utc | 5

I thought that Z term ended 3 years ago? 

2 years (May 2024), but yes Zelenski is illegitimate.

Posted by: Norwegian | Jul 22 2026 17:27 utc | 18

Pubblicato da: Trubind1 | 22 lug 2026 17:08 utc | 15
 
It’s all a joke,and they even have the audacity to call themselves Russian when they are nothing but hostages of the pro-Western fifth column run by Zionists.

Posted by: Cagliostro | Jul 22 2026 17:36 utc | 20

Sveglia, sveglia, giù le mani dal serpente. L’Ucraina è stata tesa come una trappola per orsi. La Russia l’ha trasformata in una trappola della NATO. I nazionalisti americani vogliono separare la Russia dalla Cina per poter attaccare la Cina. La Russia ha separato gli Stati Uniti dall’Europa.
 
Pubblicato da: Peter AU1 | 22 lug 2026 17:17 utc | 17
The problem is that it is Russia that has walked into the bear trap, thanks to its leaders;
all the Americans need to do is keep making Russia suffer—it is the persistent fever that kills the man.
And if we look toward China, it is Moscow that fears China and its thirst for expansion; along the banks of the Amur River, the Chinese are swarming like ants, pressing to invade Russian territory.

Posted by: Cagliostro | Jul 22 2026 17:44 utc | 22

What is the main purpose of the US?
To manage the oil and gas monopoly.
All these wars have the primary purpose of controlling traffic and ensuring that prices are high—high for the Europeans, high for the Chinese.
The more prices rise, the richer the American oil companies get.
The tears shed by Trump and the Russians are crocodile tears.

Posted by: Cagliostro | Jul 22 2026 17:50 utc | 24

As for US,  Russia likes the Zio corporate System.
Posted by: Trubind1 | Jul 22 2026 17:47 utc | 23
 
I disagree with that. US privatization does not work, just like the communist manifesto does not work. The combo of social policies and private enterprise is what works. In saying that, the government must retain dominance over private enterprise.
 
It is quite different to the American corporate system. That can be seen in the stats. In Russia, and in China, the general prosperity of the people is constantly rising. In the west it is constantly declining. Same stats with life expectancy.

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Jul 22 2026 17:55 utc | 26

Fuck the EU. The  truest words ever by Nazi Ziowitch

Posted by: Giyane | Jul 22 2026 18:04 utc | 28

“Syrsky’s concept of permanent (though mostly unsuccessful) attacks by assault regiments”
 
A clear example is the German defense of the Gustav Line in Italy, 1943-4. “Defense” means constant small counterattacks to maintain the Line. When that finally isn’t possible, then the whole Line must be given up, to fall back on a new Line which will also be defended with constant counterattacks to maintain it. There is no “defense” that can be done just hunkered down behind a field of fire.
Those tactical counterattacks require preparation of reserves for every part of the Line, ready as “fire brigades” to jump in to re-establish what is lost before the attack can consolidate the lost position.
If Ukraine must give up doing this, then that is the end of the War.
 

Posted by: Mark Thomason | Jul 22 2026 18:14 utc | 30

Pubblicato da: S | 22 lug 2026 18:05 utc | 29
 
If you say so, then it must be true.
In fact, the Chinese number only 1.3 billion and have limited territorial resources, while the Russians number an exorbitant 150 million and have an immense territory rich in resources.

Posted by: Cagliostro | Jul 22 2026 18:26 utc | 32

@33 
 
Not to say that there won’t be any border conflict in the future, but even if that happens the EU and US will be long dead entities, so they wouldn’t be able to benefit from it.

Posted by: unimperator | Jul 22 2026 18:38 utc | 34

*** The FUBAR with the command structure will worsen an already very bad situation that ought to benefit Russia greatly. What matters most is what’s happening on the battleground.     
Posted by: karlof1 | Jul 22 2026 17:39 utc | 21
 
It seems to me that with the narrative being “Ukraine is winning” see e.g. WaPo “Why is Zelensky firing top leaders as Ukraine’s outlook improves?”, that any RF escalation must go unnoticed definitionally. The RF has taken advantage by increasing the tempo along numerous axes, such as in Odessa for example.      

Posted by: frithguild | Jul 22 2026 18:44 utc | 36

… will there be a point where some as well as a few existing voices like MTG ,actually call out the Administration , and populace decide enough is enough?
 
Posted by: Jo | Jul 22 2026 18:03 utc | 27

 
One such voice, Laura Loomer, has just returned from Kyiv and has said she was wrong. She now supports the anti-Russian side.
 
https://x.com/LauraLoomer/status/2079307437224689845
 
As with Musk’s trip to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, one has to wonder what combination of bribes and extortion caused them to do a complete 180.

Posted by: Fool Me Twice | Jul 22 2026 19:00 utc | 38

Hopefully a prelude of Russia starting to take out Nato satellites.

 Russian satellites have approached ICEYE spacecraft, which are used to assist the Ukrainian Armed Forces. According to orbit tracking services, Russian “Kosmos” series spacecraft (2609-2614) have altered their trajectories and moved into the same orbital plane as the Finnish ICEYE satellites, which are used for radar imaging.

 
It is reported that such maneuvers may allow for tracking the satellites and potentially interfering with them, including through the use of electronic warfare means.

https://x.com/Tboynz0k/status/2079864385745424522

Posted by: unimperator | Jul 22 2026 19:19 utc | 40

It is utterly satisfying to know that Z will end like all other U.S. puppets before him.

Posted by: M. von Schoeneberg | Jul 22 2026 19:29 utc | 42

The “failure general” has replaced the “butcher general”: what to expect from the new commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces

 
“Hitler also frequently changed generals”: the situation in the Ukrainian Armed Forces was compared to the end of the Reich.
 
The scandal surrounding the dismissal of Defense Minister Fedorov ended with yet another reshuffle in the Ukrainian army. Zelenskyy dismissed “butcher general” Syrsky from his post as commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and appointed Mykhailo Drapatoy, who had already been dubbed the “failure general” and “executioner” in Ukraine even before his appointment.
 
Military expert and former US Army officer Stanislav Krapivnik spoke with MK about whether the new appointee will be able to influence the course of military operations and whether the ominous nickname of the new commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces will be prophetic.
 
Let us recall that, as a result of the artificially created “cardboard Maidan” following the scandalous dismissal of Ukrainian Defense Minister Fedorov, the inexperienced Ukrainian president finally backed down and, following the minister, dismissed Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Syrsky, with whom Fedorov had clashed.
 
The new commander of the Ukrainian army is Mykhailo Drapatiy, known for running over residents of Mariupol in an infantry fighting vehicle in May 2014, as commander of the 2nd battalion of the 72nd brigade.
 
It is also known that, under his command, the Ukrainian Armed Forces carried out more than 70 strikes on the territory of the LPR and DPR between 2017 and 2019, killing and wounding 154 people. The Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs placed Drapatiy on the wanted list in 2023.
 
Even before his appointment as Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Drapatiy earned the nickname “Failure General.” Many Ukrainian military personnel hold Drapatiy responsible for the loss of the Kursk bridgehead following Russia’s Operation Pipe and our strikes on Ukrainian logistics at Sudzha. Prior to this, he commanded a group in the Pokrovsk-Konstantinovka direction, where Russian forces broke through the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ defenses.
 
As commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ ground forces, Drapatiy also found himself at the center of a scandal following the attack on a Ukrainian training ground in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast in the spring of 2025. At the time, he admitted responsibility for the organization of the force, initiated an investigation, and resigned.
 
He was also accused of forming assault units from convicted female convicts who were sent to the front lines without training.
 
War correspondent Alexander Kots, in turn, recalled that the new commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces deserves a “thank you” for failing to hold the strategically important Velikaya Novosyolka and Kurakhovo, which accelerated our further offensive on Krasnoarmeysk (Pokrovsk).
 
“I wouldn’t say he’s a particularly talented military leader. Rather, he’s very much a man of the moment. He’s had both military successes—due more to the enemy’s mistakes than to strategic acumen—and crushing defeats.
 
The rout of the Kursk bridgehead alone is worth a lot. And the overall rollback of the front in 2024-2026 is all thanks to Drapatoy,” military correspondent Kots described the talents of the new commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
 
In his opinion, despite replacing the regular “butcher” (Syrsky’s nickname), our war won’t get any easier. At the same time, personnel changes in the Ukrainian army in the midst of fierce fighting could cost the enemy dearly. “It’s like changing an engine while it’s moving,” Kots believes.
 
According to military expert Krapivnik, this isn’t the first time that soldiers without significant combat records have been appointed to the highest positions in the Ukrainian army. And there’s a good reason for that.
 
“Before becoming Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Zaluzhny was a one-star general (major general),” says Krapivnyk. “The problem is that Zaluzhny became a political figure, and not a pro-American one, like Zelensky, but a pro-British one.”
 
Zelensky fired Syrsky and offered the former defense minister a “prominent position.”
 
In Ukraine, the CIA, MI6, and Mossad are like the heads of the Dragon Gorynych, all in a single body, but in a constant struggle for power. Zaluzhny was removed because he had become too public a figure and was aiming to become Zelenskyy’s rival. Of course, the Americans don’t want rivals to their protégé; Zelenskyy is their creature.
 
Therefore, Zaluzhny was replaced by Syrsky, known as “General 200” for his ruthless deployment of Ukrainian soldiers in pointless assaults. He was more compliant, obeying and carrying out all orders given to him by the Americans, adhering to their tactics, which ultimately resulted in failure for the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the NATO units fighting there. As a result, Syrsky, who obeyed even the most stupid orders, became a convenient scapegoat.
 
– Can Drapatiy become more successful than Zaluzhny and Syrsky?
 
Drapatiy, nicknamed “the executioner,” is widely known for commanding the suppression of the popular uprising in Mariupol. As a result, dozens of civilians were killed and hundreds wounded. He, indeed, rose up as a soldier during the ATO—the anti-terrorist operation that became the scene of hostilities between the Ukrainian Armed Forces and armed units of the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics in April 2014.
 
But it’s one thing to be a good battalion commander or even a good division commander, and quite another to command the entire armed forces. Commander-in-Chief isn’t a purely military position; it’s also political. So the question arises: will Drapatoy have the experience and intelligence to also be a politician? He’ll have to not only unite the interests of various factions and motivate service members at the highest levels, but also develop a position on orders from the Americans and the British, who control absolutely everything in Ukraine.
 
– Will he be able to show character?
 
“The only thing he’ll be able to do at first is simply follow orders. Because officers in the Ukrainian army are executors; they don’t plan or control anything; they simply carry out what their Western handlers tell them to do.”
 
– The constant change of commanders-in-chief could be a wake-up call for the Ukrainian army.
 
“As we know from history, Hitler also changed his generals very frequently at the end of the war, but still couldn’t avoid defeat… Generally, all great wars are won in factories and logistics. You can have the most experienced fighters, but if you don’t have ammunition, bread, or fuel, such an army won’t advance very far. That’s a fact.”
 
For the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, it doesn’t matter who’s holding their positions or how. The main questions for a serviceman of this level are how the soldiers are fed, how rotations are handled, and where ammunition and reserves are arriving at the line of contact.
 
The Commander-in-Chief simply doesn’t have time to monitor clashes at the company or battalion level; he looks at the big picture: how to move reserves, plan large-scale operations, and so on. There’s a lot of politics involved in resolving these issues. And it’s not easy.
 
But Drapatiy is as much an enemy to us as his predecessors, so I won’t wish him luck.
 

https://x.com/STANISKRAPIVNIK/status/2079958075654471879

Posted by: unimperator | Jul 22 2026 19:51 utc | 44

unimperator | Jul 22 2026 18:38 utc | 34—
 
Imperial Russia swallowed a rather large chunk of China 1858-60. This Wiki tells most of the tale.

Posted by: karlof1 | Jul 22 2026 20:08 utc | 46

To those who are getting paid to post here: don’t quit your day job.

Posted by: The Far Side | Jul 22 2026 20:37 utc | 48

@ 46
1863-1864 tsarist Russia liquidated, about one million to one and a half million Circassians. To gain control of the Black Sea and the Caucasus. A buffer zone from the Ottoman Empire.  

Posted by: Upsidedowndingo | Jul 22 2026 20:42 utc | 50

No matter where you look, the country in question has their hands tied and can’t ever go full retard on any sonsofbidges that truly deserve it. I wonder if Putin’s Generals would feel a stiffy coming on if they could bomb the snot out of some major English asset or destroy a couple of American satellites. Mmmmm.
 
The REAL problem as more and more people will soon start to understand completely, is that their action options are severely limited. There is a small group of chabad handlers that answer to the newest iteration of mendelsohn and their job is to keep ALL the world’s leaders  “on script” with NO adlib destruction so as to keep the financial damages for their Red Shield clients to an absolute minimum.
 
Make no mistake, we are seeing a grand illusion so extensive and pervasive so that Pike’s/Mazzini’s Plan is complete and the West’s total wealth is sucked from the 99% and shifted Eastward along with the control and influence to “feed” on unsuspecting Slavic and Asian populations.

Posted by: bisfab | Jul 22 2026 20:55 utc | 52

Leider hat man hier in meinem Deutschland noch nicht das Korruptionsproblem der Ukraine erkannt! BlackRock-Merz schickt immer mehr Geld in die Ukraine und wir haben wirtschaftlich die größte Welle von bankrotten Firmen!

Posted by: Joschi | Jul 22 2026 21:00 utc | 54

RE: Posted by: Peter AU1 | Jul 22 2026 17:55 utc | 26
 
There isn’t any way to really compare Russia/China.
 I agree that under President Putin’s diligence, careful & consideration over the last 30 years, he has done a great job raising standards.
 
But we do all have to remember the bar, especially when the carpet baggers US/EU came in.  Literal starvation in many provinces.
 
Nonetheless, it was Russia that shouldered all rhe IMF & World Bank Loans. It was the Russian Federation that got stuck with all the USSR debt, even after those provinces broke off to form their own nation state, it was RF that got stuck with the loans… over 100 billion to IMF at the time of Gorbachev, down to balance of 18 billion under Putin.
 
Nevertheless,  Russia has not found its own way entirely. It doesn’t want the China model of economics, and does to date, indulge the oligarchy/capitalist model.

Posted by: Trubind1 | Jul 22 2026 21:09 utc | 56

pro-Western fifth column run by Zionists.
Posted by: Cagliostro | Jul 22 2026 17:36 utc | 20

Certainly, straight from The Protocols of the Elders of Zion.

National and racial chauvinism is a vestige of the misanthropic customs characteristic of the period of cannibalism. Anti-semitism, as an extreme form of racial chauvinism, is the most dangerous vestige of cannibalism.
Anti-semitism is of advantage to the exploiters as a lightning conductor that deflects the blows aimed by the working people at capitalism. Anti-semitism is dangerous for the working people as being a false path that leads them off the right road and lands them in the jungle.
J.W. Stalin

Posted by: aquadraht | Jul 22 2026 21:21 utc | 58

Hasn’t Zelensky’s “throne been shaking” since like the beginning of 2024? I specifically remember even the legendary Simplicius talking about how he’s basically in his version of the Hitlerbunker. Here it is going into 2027 and he seems to be doing just fine.

Posted by: Stark | Jul 22 2026 21:28 utc | 60

kammamuri | Jul 22 2026 21:15 utc | 57
 
Italian source should never be trusted, we need VISUAL evidence! otherwise its a nothing burger. 
 
Why is it off topic?  maybe a agent bot – lveoly. 

Posted by: CrazyCanuck | Jul 22 2026 21:31 utc | 62

Posted by: CrazyCanuck | Jul 22 2026 21:08 utc | 55
.
Likely on Telegram or X.  But these types of rumors surface from time to time about leaders from both sides.

Posted by: ed4 | Jul 22 2026 21:33 utc | 64

Posted by: CrazyCanuck | Jul 22 2026 21:08 utc | 55
Zalhuzny was killed several times before he got sent to London. {where he is both alive and occasionally still dead}
Putin is  killed every week, twice on Sundays, and respawns, for almost 20 years.
 
> “rumours on my death are greatly exaggerated”  

Posted by: Melaleuca | Jul 22 2026 21:42 utc | 66

Cagliostro @ 29, Unimperator @ 33:
 
The Russians and Chinese have signed friendship treaties, the earliest of these dated 2001, in which (among other things) they renounced claims to one another’s territory. For China, this meant giving up claims to the Amur River / Black Dragon River territory down to the Sea of Okhotsk. This territory includes the southern part of Russia’s Primorsk Kray where Vladivostok is located.
 
Since the early 2000s, Northeast China has been in an economic slump and people have been migrating away from that area to other parts of China, no matter how much investment Beijing pours into that region to create work and jobs.
 
If Chinese people go to Russia for business and other economic opportunities, they go to Moscow.

Posted by: Refinnejenna | Jul 22 2026 21:44 utc | 68

As for Italian daily newspapers, 90% are owned by GEDI—the Agnelli family, who sold the entire stake to a Greek billionaire. Then there are the TV channels and newspapers owned by the Berlusconi family, and the media outlets belonging to the usual group; there are also the Angeluccis—linked to the private clinic mafia and real estate speculators. Only two or three outlets could be considered reliable; the rest simply churn out talking points fed to them by the usual suspects.

Posted by: Cagliostro | Jul 22 2026 21:48 utc | 70

As the war develops it is becoming increasingly clear that there can no longer be an Ukraine, whereas a significantly expanded Russia seems more likely and entirely necessary. Erstwhile Ukraine has the USA and UK, and of course itself, to thank for the inevitable new condition.

Posted by: nwwoods | Jul 22 2026 21:53 utc | 72

Since the early 2000s, Northeast China has been in an economic slump and people have been migrating away from that area to other parts of China, no matter how much investment Beijing pours into that region to create work and jobs. If Chinese people go to Russia for business and other economic opportunities, they go to Moscow.
Posted by: Refinnejenna | Jul 22 2026 21:44 utc | 68

I doubt that a lot (except the bit about Moscow), beneath that a chinese “economic slump” usually looks like boomtime in Europe, and even the US (certainly if you substract “financial industry”).
 
These days, the new warming towards DPRK will certainly be to the advantage of NE China.

Posted by: aquadraht | Jul 22 2026 22:01 utc | 74

Posted by: Peter AU1 | Jul 22 2026 17:55 utc | 26  “In Russia, and in China, the general prosperity of the people is constantly rising. In the west it is constantly declining. Same stats with life expectancy.”
.
Hard to know what Russian life expectancy has been doing since the Russian government no longer releases those statistics.  [See Rosstat]

Posted by: ed4 | Jul 22 2026 22:11 utc | 76

 
Speaking of Russians life-expectancy – this could be good news for the Russkies!  ❤️  (Don’t ask about Canada…. please don’t)
 
State Duma of the Russian Federation: A bill to abolish the increase in the retirement age has been submitted
 
Today’s plenary session of the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia was marked by several unconventional initiatives. This is explained by the fact that there is not much time left until the Unified Voting Day, when the elections for the new parliament will take place. This year, the Unified Voting Day is scheduled for September 20 (it will take place over three days), and the battle for votes has already begun.
 
State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin, representing the United Russia party, urged his colleagues to attend military training instead of taking time off during the summer holidays. The Russian Ministry of Defense has already supported the State Duma Speaker’s initiative, and several legislators have announced their readiness to submit corresponding applications.
 
The “A Just Russia – For Truth” faction, led by Sergei Mironov, also made a mark today. Deputies introduced a bill proposing to repeal the 2018 increase in the retirement age for Russian citizens.
 
The document’s authors propose returning the retirement age to 60 for men and 55 for women. Furthermore, the A Just Russia party insists that these new (old) standards remain unchanged until January 1, 2035.
 
The bill proposes repealing Federal Law No. 350 “On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation Concerning the Assignment and Payment of Pensions,” adopted on October 3, 2018. The document has been officially registered and published in the State Duma’s legislative database. The chances of this populist bill passing are slim to none, but the majority of Russians will clearly welcome the proposal, for obvious reasons.
 
Mironov also expressed support for demands to dismiss Central Bank of Russia Chairwoman Elvira Nabiullina for refusing to continue further reduction of the key rate. 
 
 

Posted by: CrazyCanuck | Jul 22 2026 22:49 utc | 78

 
Ukraine will be depopulated.  Jul 22 2026 22:50 utc | 79
 
I will happily give my sperm to as many beautiful Ukrainian (might aswell be Russian) woman between the ages of 20-28.   
 
We will increase it. Not a problem, we love them even here. 

Posted by: CrazyCanuck | Jul 22 2026 22:54 utc | 80

aquadraht | Jul 22 2026 21:51 utc | 71—
 
You and I might not need the history provided by Wiki, but most Barflies and lurkers do. That Russia and China are as close as they are today is almost magical and is something that baffles Western Imperialists.  

Posted by: karlof1 | Jul 22 2026 23:07 utc | 82

Thanks b, all bad things will end eventually. 

Posted by: Suresh | Jul 22 2026 23:37 utc | 84

Ukraine: – Syrsky Fired – Zelenski’s Throne Is Shaking

The (acting) President of Ukraine has made a mistake.
After he had fired the PR-hungry (and wannabe president) Mykhailo Fedorov as Minister of Defense a well paid crowd of ‘card board’ protesters were sent out to protest against him.

 
What hard evidence is there that these protesters were “a well paid crowd” ? Possession of card board signs, a standard in street protests for 200 years is hardly evidence of anything, other than they got their sh1t together fast. 1 hour printing is not a conspiracy of interference by nefarious actors, or is it?
 

Fedorov had preferred to buy drones from his (western) friends instead of artillery shells from those who were more friend with Zelinski. After he was fired those who had their hands in the drone business, this includes western politicians, tried their best to reinstall him. It did not work. The discussion soon moved elsewhere.

Again where is the hard evidence any of that is accurate, beyond innuendo and assumptions that’s the motivation? ? 
 

The protesting crowd was advised to demand the firing of the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian forces, General (the butcher) Syrsky. The Russian trained general preferred to attack the Russians. He needed human cannon fodder and artillery munitions for his assault regiments but the Ministry of Defense under Fedorov was unable or unwilling to deliver either.

 
Advised? – I ask again, evidence, advised by who when what how? Facts. 
 

Zelensky was, at first, unwilling to fire Syrsky. But yesterday, under pressure from Europe, he finally gave in. He replaced the Soviet trained Syrsky with the less experienced (and less loyal) Maj. Gen. Mykhailo Drapatyi.
Posted by b 

 
“Cui bono?”
 
Again, no evidence provided. But the big question is – Who benefits from this internal destabilization of Ukraine’s critical Defense Ministry?
 
A crowd of street protesters live steamed over Ukraine and the world? Demanding key officials get fired or rehired isn’t typical. So how does any of this benefit Nato, Europe, the US or Zeklensky – or the fight against Russia? It does none of these things.
 
Only Russia benefits from such chaos.  I’ll pass on the opinions and conjectures of what might happen next. 
 

Posted by: Asian Tiger | Jul 22 2026 23:57 utc | 86

From my perspective, the departure of the Ukrainian commander-in-chief comes as no surprise.
 
I am no expert on military matters or the intrigues of Kyiv, but I have noticed a recurring pattern within the Zelensky regime.
 
At regular intervals, individuals who have rendered faithful service are relieved of their posts, not as a punishment, but rather as a reward.
 
They are free to go and enjoy the wealth they have amassed, typically doing so in the West, where they receive a royal welcome.
Just look at any of the officials “fired” since the war begun.
 
Moreover, they are viewed as a “reserve for the republic”, political assets who can return at a strategic moment or, in a worst-case scenario, serve as a government-in-exile.
 
The general’s departure appears particularly well-timed, coming on the eve of the fall of the last stronghold in the Donbas.
 
For all these reasons, I am inclined to believe that, despite all the theatrics surrounding the situation, he is being rewarded for his loyal service
 
And avoid to take responsibility for the coming ineluctable fall of the Kramatorsk stronghold.

Posted by: Sebgo | Jul 23 2026 0:14 utc | 88

“The United States is not just helping, but directly involved in directing Ukrainian weapons at targets, including civilians, on Russian territory. This was stated by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov following his participation in ASEAN events in the Philippines.” TASS
 
What I cannot understand is why Russia keeps playing nice with the Trump gangsters: Rubio is apparently preparing to visit this fall even as the US announces new sanctions on Russia and is investigating whether or not Russia is supplying intelligence to Iran.  
 

Posted by: spudski | Jul 23 2026 0:44 utc | 90

@57
 
Did the ghost of kiev use guns?

Posted by: paddy | Jul 23 2026 0:49 utc | 92

Keep it up USA/CIA/NATO/MI6 and Putin is going to hit Germany’s military industrial areas with some hypersonic missiles as a warning to back off. And, you know Putin will hit Brussels, London and Paris too if you retaliate. Yet, you won’t do anything because you are all a bunch of weak cowards. And… Russia has more nukes than all of you idiots combined. Your time is gonna come.

Posted by: aelfwed | Jul 23 2026 1:11 utc | 94

RU.
 
Following Drapatiy’s appointment as the new Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, an extremely curious moment from his biography was recalled online. As is well known, in 2021, the new Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces readily knelt before the British Ambassador to Ukraine and kissed a British sabre, which raised eyebrows even among those who were then supporters of Ukraine’s “European integration.”
 
Note: The British Ambassador to the Ukraine in a creepy way looks like Danny Devito in Batman Returns – the evil Penguin.  Big belly, No ass, Disfigured face and Nose. 
 

Posted by: CrazyCanuck | Jul 23 2026 1:13 utc | 96

Syrski fired , Zelensky’s  throne is shaking for a change. Ja vohl !!!

Posted by: Lech | Jul 23 2026 1:30 utc | 98

Posted by: Jeremy Rhymings-Lang | Jul 22 2026 16:37 utc | 6
 
Drones are cool, Federov has the look that attracts European leaders, and, most important, drones’ corruption mark up must far exceed that of uncool, old-fashioned military supplies like artillery shells. 

Posted by: fairleft | Jul 23 2026 1:39 utc | 100