The levies come as Kiev touts plans to sell billions of dollars’ worth of UAVs to the US

US President Donald Trump has imposed steep tariffs on imported drones and their components, potentially complicating Ukraine’s plans to expand UAV sales to Washington.

Under a proclamation signed on Thursday, drones weighing more than 25 kg and those equipped with thermal imagers will face tariffs of 100%, along with certain docking stations and critical components. Smaller unmanned aircraft will be subject to a 25% levy.

Lower rates will apply to selected US partners, including 15% tariffs for the EU, Japan, South Korea, Switzerland, and Taiwan, and 10% for the UK. The measures are set to begin taking effect in 21 days, with some delayed for 180 days.

Trump said a Commerce Department review found that the US was “too reliant” on foreign drones and components. The White House said the measures are intended to reduce supply-chain and security risks while rapidly expanding domestic production.

The move, however, could complicate Kiev’s recently revived push to sell drones to the US.

Trump said last month that Washington would buy Ukrainian UAVs, while Reuters later reported that Kiev had agreed to export drones for the Pentagon’s Drone Dominance program. During discussions last year, Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky suggested a broader drone deal with the US could eventually be worth between $10 billion and $30 billion.

Ukraine was not listed among the countries receiving reduced tariff rates in Trump’s proclamation. Neither Washington nor Kiev has explained whether the planned purchases will receive an exemption or how the new duties could affect the proposed agreements.

Trump’s new tariffs come as the Pentagon has been racing to expand its own unmanned capabilities, with US officials acknowledging that Washington has struggled to keep pace with the rapidly evolving use of cheap reconnaissance and attack drones in the Ukraine conflict.

Kiev, meanwhile, has been aiming to turn its domestic weapons production into a major source of export revenue despite continuing to heavily rely on Western military and financial support.

Ukrainian officials have spoken of earning billions from weapons sales and opening export hubs across Europe. At the same time, the country’s defense sector has been hit by major corruption scandals, including investigations into alleged embezzlement and inflated procurement contracts. European officials have also raised concerns over weapons supplied to Kiev disappearing and potentially reaching criminal networks.

Internal messages show Phoebe Gates knew her startup Phia was using a ‘cookie-stuffing’ scheme to generate profit, according to the outlet

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates’ daughter Phoebe has been accused of knowingly using a “cookie stuffing” scheme at her shopping startup that allowed the company to collect commissions for sales it did not actually generate, according to Bloomberg.

Phia, co-founded by Gates and fellow Stanford graduate Sophia Kianni, markets itself as a digital shopping assistant that finds cheaper products and discount codes. Despite Gates trying to distance herself from the “nepo baby” label and present the venture as independent of her billionaire father, it immediately attracted tens of millions of dollars from prominent Silicon Valley and celebrity investors during its first funding round and was actively promoted by Bill Gates.

The controversy around the company first erupted last month, when Bloomberg reported that Phia’s browser extension was automatically inserting affiliate tracking cookies into online purchases, allowing it to claim commissions even when shoppers had not used its coupons or links.

The practice, known as “cookie stuffing,” can constitute federal wire fraud, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 20 years.

Phia responded to the initial report by saying it had only discovered the problem within the previous 24 hours and described it as a software issue that was quickly fixed.

However, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday that internal Slack messages and source code show Gates and Kianni had known about the practice for months.

In one December exchange, Gates reportedly asked developers to ensure automatic cookie drops were working across retailers so Phia could monetize “every transaction.” Kianni later told engineers that “whatever we can do to keep these cookies dropping will be amazing.”

After the features were disabled in July, average daily revenue reportedly fell from about $80,000 to between $10,000 and $28,000. Phia claims part of the decline came from suspending other monetization tools and says it has begun reversing improperly attributed commissions while hiring a compliance chief.

The controversy comes amid continued scrutiny of Bill Gates over his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The Microsoft co-founder featured prominently in recently released Epstein files, which contained allegations concerning extramarital encounters, requests for medication to treat a purported sexually transmitted infection, and discussions with Epstein about global health initiatives and a proposed pandemic simulation.

Gates has denied involvement in Epstein’s crimes and told the US Congress this year that the financier had tried to blackmail him over his extramarital affairs. He has called his association with Epstein a serious mistake.

Valery Melnikov says his Mariupol series was pulled after complaints over his past work for RIA Novosti

German camera maker Leica has excluded a Russian photographer from its prestigious Oskar Barnack Award (LOBA) following Ukrainian criticism over his links to the Russian RIA Novosti news agency.

Valery Melnikov, a three-time World Press Photo winner, said in a social media post this week that his long-term series, ‘Mariupol. Open Wounds’, had initially been selected by the Leica jury for the 2026 shortlist before being dropped.

The project, which Melnikov has worked on since 2022, documents civilians living in the Black Sea port city of Mariupol, in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR). The city was liberated by Russian forces in May 2022 following an 85-day battle that left much of it in ruins. The DPR, along with Lugansk, Kherson, and Zaporozhye regions, voted to join Russia in referendums later that year. 

Leica had initially described the series as focusing on residents who “suffer the unbearable humanitarian consequences of the war.”

Melnikov said the complaints came from “either photographers or bloggers from a neighboring country” who described him as a “Kremlin-media-linked photographer.”

Ukrainian photographer Sergey Korovainiy, who has covered the conflict, had publicly criticized Leica’s decision to shortlist Melnikov, according to media reports.

According to Melnikov, Leica representatives told him that some of the photographs in the project had been taken while he was working for RIA Novosti. He stressed that his employment history had always been public, adding that the competition rules contained no restrictions on such circumstances.

Melnikov also stated that shortly before his project was removed, a vice president from Leica AG suggested that he personally request the withdrawal of the project while mentioning the potential for future collaboration. The photographer said he refused and that the executive declined his request to put the proposal in writing.

Leica has not publicly addressed Melnikov’s account of the conversation.

The photographer also stressed that the series is a personal project produced not in the interests of “corporations or states, but for ordinary people and for history.”

Since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, several EU member states have seen discrimination against performers from other nations perceived to have sympathy for Russia. Moscow has denounced such measures as “Russophobic censorship,” warning that attempts to “cancel” Russian culture will ultimately fail.

Melnikov, a 2015 LOBA finalist, has covered global conflicts, including in Syria, Afghanistan, and Mali. The winners of the 2026 award are due to be announced on October 8 in Wetzlar, Germany.

Angelina Melnikova emerged victorious, while Anna Kalmykova claimed second place in the competition in Croatia

Russian athletes claimed gold and silver in the women’s all-around event on the first day of the European Gymnastics Championship in Croatia.

World champion Angelina Melnikova claimed first place, ahead of teammate Anna Kalmykova. Another Russian athlete, Liudmila Roschina, narrowly missed out on the podium, finishing behind Elena Colas of France, who is in her first senior season.

The participation of the Russian team was marred by hostile actions from the host country, which initially refused to provide visas to nine members of the Russian delegation, including both of the medal winners, a coach, and the team’s physician. Russian diplomats managed to secure visas for four of the affected athletes, while others remained barred from entering Croatia.

In addition to the visa troubles, the host country also refused to allow Russian athletes to compete under their national flag. 

European Gymnastics reinstated Russian athletes to competitions earlier this year, enabling them to perform under the national flag, following a ruling from World Gymnastics.

However, for the events for which hosting rights were awarded before July 28 this year, Russian teams can be barred from displaying the country’s flag and other symbols at the host’s decision.

Mike Huckabee has condemned a days-long blockade of several homes in the West Bank, including one owned by a dual US citizen

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee has branded Israeli settlers besieging three Palestinian families in their West Bank homes “terrorists.” The days-long siege has targeted several properties, including one owned by a dual US citizen.

According to the UN, the blockade in the village of Qusra began last Sunday, leaving approximately 15 Palestinians, including at least two children, trapped in their homes without access to electricity or water supplies. The Palestinians are also believed to be running out of food and medicine.

Huckabee, known for his pro-Israel views and support for the settler movement, issued the rare rebuke in a post on X on Thursday.

“The actions of those doing this to this family’s home is criminal… Actions by those who carried out this horrific act of terror meant to intimidate and harass this family are disgusting. No excuse for such thuggish behavior,” the diplomat wrote.

The US envoy also claimed that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the police had removed the “Israeli terrorists” from Qusra at the US Embassy’s request.

The IDF claimed on Thursday that its forces had “dismantled two illegal outposts” erected by the settlers on the outskirts of the Qusra and Jalud areas, detaining one Israeli. In a post on X, the IDF also said that its troops would “carry out defensive missions and patrols in the area to maintain security and protect the area.”

However, the siege appears to have continued unabated, with settlers still overrunning the village located south of the city of Nablus.

The West Bank, which has been occupied by Israel since the 1967 Six-Day War, is home to around three million Palestinians and more than 500,000 Israelis. The latter live in dozens of settlements, which are considered illegal under international law.

Israel insists that the West Bank is disputed territory with deep historical and biblical ties to the Jewish people.

In mid-July, the Israeli government allocated 1.3 billion shekels ($431 million) to set up 34 new settlements in the West Bank, despite growing criticism of its expansionist policies by the UN, Arab nations, and many EU member states.

Settler violence against Palestinians has been on the rise in the West Bank since the surprise attack on Israel by Hamas in October 2023, which triggered a major conflict in Gaza.

RT’s Charlotte Dubenskij traveled to Qusra but was unable to reach the besieged Palestinian homes when Israeli settlers harassed her crew. That is despite her having received clearance from the IDF.

Watch RT’s full report from the area below:

The intelligence on the alleged threat reportedly originated from Israel and was met with skepticism by American spies

The US intelligence community doubted reports of an Iranian plot to kill President Donald Trump by shooting down Air Force One as it departed a NATO summit in Türkiye, the Washington Post has reported. Their assessment was reportedly conveyed to the administration, yet the Secret Service still opted to covertly move Trump to another aircraft.

US media broke the story of the clandestine maneuver this Monday. On leaving the meeting, Trump abruptly switched from his new Qatari-gifted Boeing 747-8 to the previous Air Force One, but it turned out he secretly left that aircraft as well in an airport catering truck, flying aboard a smaller military plane to the UK. He is said to have reboarded the older Air Force One there to create the impression that he was on it the entire time.

CIA analysts were highly skeptical of intelligence on an imminent assassination plot and conveyed that position to the administration. Reports about the threat were “Israeli-derived, not US-generated, and viewed as low confidence,” an unnamed intel official told the Post.

The latest report adds more color to the whole affair, which has already sparked a major scandal. Reporters and many high-ranking officials were left in the dark about Trump’s maneuver and the perceived threat. Journalists felt they had been treated like “unwitting and unknowing decoys very much in the line of fire,” CNN senior reporter Aaron Blake has said.

Trump admitted to switching planes on Tuesday, insisting he was only doing what the Secret Service considered the best course of action. “I go by Secret Service and the military. They wanted me to go in a different flight, different plane. I just have to do what they say,” Trump told reporters. 

The scandal also coincides with the departure of White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, who announced on Wednesday she would leave her position at the end of the month “so she can spend more time” with her family. The 28-year-old, who became a mother for the second time in May, returned to the White House after a hiatus in June. Leavitt’s abrupt departure has sprouted theories that she was among the unwitting officials left on the decoy aircraft and that the affair may have been the final straw for her.

Tokyo is building a military and intelligence architecture very different from the one that defined its postwar era

Released in early August, the Japanese Ministry of Defense’s latest white paper signals that Tokyo, under Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, is converting years of incremental modernization into a more integrated and far-reaching national-security architecture – one that is altering the strategic landscape along China’s eastern periphery. It envisages a system designed not merely to absorb an attack, but to conduct strikes farther from Japanese territory.

The white paper frames Japan’s security environment as the most severe and complex since the end of World War II. It points to Chinese military activities near Japanese waters, the Taiwan question, North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs, and closer coordination among China, Russia, and North Korea. These are Tokyo’s stated assessments. More consequential is the early revision of Japan’s three core security documents – the National Security Strategy, National Defense Strategy, and Defense Buildup Program – and the translation of the post-2022 defense expansion into a tighter, more comprehensive system.

Two developments stand out: a major reorganization of intelligence and the military and the operationalization of long-range counterstrike systems that extend Japan’s reach well beyond its traditional defensive perimeter.

A new intelligence command for a new era

A central institutional step is the creation of the National Intelligence Bureau on July 31. Upgrading the former Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office, the bureau consolidates information from across government agencies and operates with roughly 700 personnel as the secretariat of a National Intelligence Council chaired by the prime minister. Japan has long managed with fragmented intelligence structures; the new body is designed to function as a stronger central ‘control tower’.

This move coincides with expanded satellite and maritime surveillance, cyber and electromagnetic capabilities, and improved joint command arrangements under this year’s reorganization of the military. The white paper lists command-and-control and intelligence functions among seven priority areas and describes a national defense architecture that deliberately links diplomatic, intelligence, economic, and technological instruments.

Further steps – anti-espionage legislation and the possible creation of a dedicated foreign-intelligence agency – remain under discussion. The direction is clear: tighter integration of intelligence collection, analysis, economic security, technology policy, and military planning.

Counterstrike capabilities and the limits of ‘senshu boei’

The second defining change concerns counterstrike. The white paper identifies stand-off defense systems as a core pillar of the buildup and presents counterstrike capabilities as essential for deterring invasion. Japan maintains that these systems remain consistent with senshu boei – its exclusively defense-oriented policy – while seeking the ability to address threats before they reach Japanese territory.

In practice, the shift alters Japan’s traditional posture. For decades, Japanese defense emphasized territorial protection, missile interception, and responses after an attack had begun. Long-range systems change that. Japan is acquiring Tomahawk cruise missiles and upgrading indigenous stand-off weapons. Among the systems drawing particular attention is the Type-25 anti-ship missile, designed to engage naval targets at greater distances. Development of hypersonic weapons and unmanned platforms – aircraft, surface vessels, and underwater vehicles grouped under a SHIELD (Synchronized, Hybrid, Integrated and Enhanced Littoral Defense) concept – is also advancing. These elements form a more complete kill chain linking intelligence, surveillance, command, and distant engagement.

From a regional perspective, such capabilities complicate security calculations along the first island chain and in waters near Taiwan. Japanese territory can increasingly function not only as a defensive position but as a platform supporting or conducting operations farther from the home islands.

Resources, industry, and structural change

Financial resources are expanding in parallel. Japan accelerated its target of defense spending equivalent to 2% of GDP. Fiscal 2026 expenditures, including costs related to the Special Action Committee on Okinawa and the realignment of US forces, exceeded ¥9 trillion (almost $56.5 billion) for the first time. The white paper elevates defense production and the technological base to a central place, treating them as integral to overall defense capability.

This year’s reorganization of the military reflects this approach. Joint command structures are being strengthened, procurement is being linked more closely to domestic industry and dual-use technologies, and greater participation by startups is being encouraged. The April revision of the Three Principles on Transfer of Defense Equipment and Technology further eases restrictions on exports, presenting them as means to strengthen deterrence, support partners, and sustain production capacity.

These steps increase the potential for joint production, maintenance, and supply-chain integration with the United States and other partners, positioning Japan as a more active node in a wider defense-industrial network.

Latent nuclear capability and softening boundaries

Nuclear policy remains formally constrained. Japan has not decided to acquire nuclear weapons, and Prime Minister Takaichi has repeatedly stated that the country upholds the Three Non-Nuclear Principles of not possessing, producing, or permitting the introduction of nuclear weapons. At the Nagasaki Peace Memorial Ceremony on August 9 marking the 81st anniversary of the atomic bombing – and days earlier in Hiroshima – she affirmed that the country “firmly upholds the three nonnuclear principles” while promoting “realistic and practical initiatives” toward a world without nuclear weapons.

Yet the wording has drawn attention for its careful ambiguity. Takaichi described Japan’s current stance without offering an explicit pledge that the principles would remain unchanged in the security documents now being revised. Discussion around the third principle in particular – the ban on introducing nuclear weapons into Japanese territory – has become more flexible. Government experts reviewing the documents have examined whether that restriction should be reconsidered, with some officials arguing that changed circumstances require a fresh look at nuclear deterrence.

Japan’s advanced civilian nuclear industry, reprocessing facilities, and technical expertise already constitute a latent nuclear capability – an industrial and scientific foundation that could, under certain conditions, be redirected more rapidly than that of most non-nuclear states. This debate does not inevitably lead to a decision to weaponize, but it does indicate that the political boundaries around nuclear policy are less rigid than in previous decades. Given the existing technological base, any long-term movement in this area would carry significant regional implications.

Why China is watching closely

China has responded with diplomatic criticism and military signaling. Chinese officials have described Japan’s accelerated military development as a dangerous turn toward remilitarization and have objected particularly strongly to Japan’s long-range strike capabilities. Beijing has also continued maritime and military activity around areas of strategic importance to Japan, while China-Russia military cooperation has remained an important element of the regional security environment.

Beijing is responding not just to Tokyo’s aggregate military strength, but to its position inside a wider regional network. Japan’s defense cooperation with the US, Australia, the Philippines, South Korea, and other countries is becoming more interconnected. The Japanese strategic documents themselves describe the objective as building multilayered networks and improving interoperability in training, operations, equipment, and industrial bases.

The result is a changing equation. Japan remains much smaller than China in population, military expenditure, and overall military capacity. But it is becoming a considerably more capable, connected, and technologically sophisticated military power than before.

For China, that means the strategic environment along its eastern periphery is changing. Japan is no longer simply the relatively constrained maritime power of the postwar decades. It is developing the intelligence, strike, industrial, and technological capabilities required to act earlier and farther from its territory, while remaining closely integrated with the US-led security system. In short, a more assertive Japan is redrawing the map of East Asian security – and Beijing knows it.

Iranian air defenses have proven the long-range UAVs obsolete

The US military lost 45 MQ-9 Reaper drones, or a quarter of its entire supply of the reconnaissance craft, during its war on Iran, the Washington Post has reported. The loss cost the US taxpayer an estimated $1.3 billion.

The loss figures were revealed by the Washington Post on Thursday, citing three unnamed US officials. A fourth US official told the newspaper that not all the lost drones were shot down. Some, they said, crashed after losing communications with their operators.

A successor to the MQ-1 Predator, the MQ-9 Reaper is a medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) drone, capable of flying for up to 30 hours while carrying out surveillance missions or targeted strikes with Hellfire missiles. One of these craft costs between $30 and $50 million, and the US military had approximately 185 before the US-Israeli war on Iran began on February 28 – 165 in the Air Force, and 20 operated by the Marine Corps.

Within hours of the war beginning, reports of downed Reapers began circulating on Iranian Telegram channels. Video footage soon followed, with the Iranian military claiming to have shot down multiple MQ-9s mid-flight, and destroyed others as they sat in hangars at US bases across the Gulf region.

By the time the US and Iran reached a tentative ceasefire on April 9, preliminary reports in US media suggested that around two dozen Reapers had been shot down by Iranian forces. If the Washington Post’s figures are accurate, the initial accounts may have undercounted the losses by almost half.

The MQ-9 Reaper entered service with the US Air Force in 2007, and was extensively used in Iraq, Afghanistan, and in the US’ undeclared wars in Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen, and beyond. Synonymous with President Barack Obama’s drone assassination program, the MQ-9 Reaper was viewed as untouchable until 2017, when Houthi forces in Yemen managed to shoot one down with a Soviet-era anti-air missile.

A string of losses followed, and by the time the US and Israel began striking Iran in February, the Reaper was already considered obsolete and ineffective against any military with anti-air capabilities.

However, the US has no viable replacement for the Reaper. General Atomics stopped production of the drone in 2020, and the Pentagon is not expected to launch its program to select a successor until later this year. Meanwhile the Senate Armed Services Committee has recommended that MQ-9 production be restarted, while Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff David Tabor told a Senate hearing in June that the Pentagon is “looking at options to buy back as many of the MQ-9As as we possibly can” from US allies. 

The Reaper is one of multiple weapons systems left in short supply by the Iran war. The US has reportedly used more than half of its Patriot and 80% of its THAAD anti-air missiles, and a third of its Tomahawk cruise missiles since February 28. US President Donald Trump has denied that the US is facing a missile shortage, but has asked Congress for $87.6 billion to cover “urgent needs” related to the war, including $21 billion for munitions.

The tale of colonial excess comes as France tries to salvage its reputation among its former subjects

France’s ambassador to the Central African Republic has been disciplined for sexual misconduct with around 30 local women at his official residence in Bangui, according to French media. 

Ambassador Bruno Foucher brought around 30 women between the ages of 20 and 30 into his residence between January 2024 and March 2026, French magazine Le Canard Enchaine reported on Wednesday. These late-night visits, some of which involved the women sleeping over, reportedly alarmed Foucher’s security detail, who alerted his higher-ups in Paris.

The French Foreign Ministry told the Guardian that an investigation was carried out, resulting in “disciplinary proceedings against the ambassador.” These proceedings, the ministry said, are “ongoing.” 

Foucher has admitted to having sexual relations with two of the women, Le Canard Enchaine reported. According to the magazine, the ambassador paid money to at least one of them, handing “envelopes of cash” to a nursing student named ‘Gypsie’.

Foucher has not been accused of sexual abuse, as the ministry sees his conduct more as embarrassing than criminal. According to the magazine, the French Foreign Ministry’s Inspectorate General determined that “his inappropriate behavior had serious consequences for security and reputation, and was detrimental to French interests.”

France losing influence in Africa

France’s influence in the CAR has waned dramatically over the past decade. Although the CAR gained independence from France in 1960, Paris continues to control its currency, and France intervened militarily during multiple civil wars in the 2000s and 2010s. However, French troops had been widely seen as incapable of ensuring stability, so President Faustin-Archange Touadera turned to Russia for security assistance following his election in 2016. 

French troops left the CAR in 2022, and now Russia’s Wagner private military company and Africa Corps are the sole foreign forces on its soil. Russia has also ramped up development aid to the CAR, and both countries have strengthened their economic ties since Touadera took office.

The trajectory of the CAR follows those of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, all of which are former French colonies. All three countries have expelled French troops, with Russia’s Africa Corps stepping in to fight jihadists in Mali, and Russia providing military aid and training to Burkina Faso and Niger. 

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot visited Bangui in March, ending a period of disengagement that he termed “cooling off,” and reassuring Touadera that “the Central African Republic matters to France.” Amid this outreach campaign, Ambassador Foucher’s conduct is an embarrassment to Paris and a potential impediment to diplomacy.

The US military buildup in the region is relying on heavily dilapidated infrastructure, a new report by the Pentagon inspector general has indicated

US military installations across the Pacific are in an alarming state of decay, a new Pentagon inspector general’s report has found, calling for “immediate attention” to fix crumbling infrastructure.

The heavily redacted report, released this week, is part of an ongoing audit of US military facilities in the region. Inspections at 11 installations have revealed various severe issues, including collapsing ceilings, corroded walls, and a significant presence of mold. Additionally, there is extensive use of hazardous construction materials such as asbestos and lead-based paints.

The unclassified “management advisory,” dated August 6, goes on at length about the Kadena and Yokota air bases in Japan. The uncovered issues affected both “mission‑critical systems” and “other critical infrastructure… and housing infrastructure.” Multiple buildings at the bases have “visible corrosion, visible mold, visible fire damage, visible cracks on the building exterior and interior, visible concrete spalling, and exposed rebar,” as well as “inoperable communication connections” according to the advisory.

In some instances, storage buildings had multiple rusted-through holes exposing the hardware inside to the elements. Housing units have suffered from “ceiling collapses, visible mold, or visible concrete spalling,” repeatedly prompting relocation of assigned servicemen and their families. Some of the buildings also had crumbling facade elements “ranging from small fragments to large slabs” falling off, posing a threat to personnel.

The officials stationed at the inspected facilities blamed the situation on the age of the bases, which date back to the 1970s, as well as on “recurring environmental conditions, such as typhoons, earthquakes, and tsunamis that further degrade the infrastructure,” according to the advisory. They also pointed to convoluted schemes of funding, which come from both the US and Japan, with the latter funds geared largely “toward broader strategic objectives” rather than fixing dilapidated infrastructure.

The decay of US military installations in the Pacific has been a persistent issue for years, yet neither civilian nor military authorities have been able to reverse it. In 2024, for instance, the Biden administration launched an Installation Infrastructure Action Plan to address the disrepair at bases overseas. According to the plan, at least “70 percent of utility systems at Pacific Air Force locations [were] severely degraded due to the highly corrosive environment.”

Meanwhile, the Trump administration has been pushing a staggering $1.5 trillion defense budget for fiscal year 2027, a sharp increase over the more than $901 billion enacted for the current year. The massive $600 billion increase alone is almost twice the total annual military budget of China, which has been painted as the main US rival by the White House. The administration has repeatedly singled out the Pacific as its priority, rallying local allies to spend more on defense, citing China’s alleged military buildup.

From revolution and Cold War confrontation to historic ties with Moscow, RT explores the legacy Fidel Castro left behind

Fidel Castro, the revolutionary leader who ruled Cuba for nearly five decades, was one of the defining figures of the Cold War, defying successive US administrations and surviving hundreds of reported assassination attempts.

To mark the 100th anniversary of Castro’s birth, a new RT documentary looks back at his rise to power, his confrontation with Washington, and the ideas that shaped Cuba under his rule.

A key Soviet ally in the Western Hemisphere, Castro stood at the center of the Cuban Missile Crisis, which brought the world to the brink of nuclear war. Under his rule, Cuba endured decades of US economic pressure while making major advances in healthcare, science, and education.

The film also explores Castro’s historic ties with Moscow and the legacy of a leader whose influence reached far beyond his Caribbean island.

Watch on RT.

The Ukrainian leader’s latest request to Washington falls apart when measured against Moscow’s current rate of ballistic attacks

Vladimir Zelensky has made an unusually specific claim about what Ukraine needs to defend itself against Russian ballistic missiles.

In an interview with CNN, Zelensky said Ukraine currently has enough Patriot interceptors to amount to roughly 1% of America’s existing stockpile – itself reportedly depleted by the war with Iran and a source of some acrimony between US President Donald Trump and his secretary of war, Pete Hegseth.

Nevertheless, Zelensky used the CNN interview to call on Washington to sell Ukraine 5% of its remaining Patriot missile stockpile, which he claimed would be enough to get Kiev through the winter. The former actor went further on air, saying that 10% of the US inventory would allow Ukraine to shoot down every Russian ballistic missile fired at the country.

But the numbers quickly begin to fall apart under scrutiny.

How many missiles does the US have, and what does Zelensky want? 

The total number of Patriot interceptors currently at America’s disposal is classified, but the most recent estimates put the figure at around 800, after the US reportedly burned through some 65% of its total inventory during the war on Iran.

Zelensky’s proposed 10% transfer would therefore amount to about 80 Patriot interceptors.

That may sound substantial – until it is compared with the rate at which Kiev has been using them. Zelensky adviser Dmitry Litvin told the New York Times in March that Kiev had received and used some 600 Patriot missiles over four years. There is also the rate at which Russia is firing ballistic missiles to consider.

How many missiles does Zelensky claim Russia is firing at Ukraine?

Zelensky himself told Axios in late July that Russia was firing 30 to 40 ballistic missiles in each major attack, with such strikes occurring three to five times a month.

On July 5-6, Russia reportedly launched 29 ballistic or similarly high-speed missiles in an attack focused heavily on Kiev. Ukraine intercepted none of them, with Ukrainian officials attributing the failure to a shortage of interceptors.

Less than two weeks later, Russia reportedly launched 25 Iskander-M/S-400 ballistic missiles and ten Zircon missiles – 35 in total – alongside several other weapons in another barrage focused largely on Kiev. Ukraine claimed to have intercepted 17 of the Iskander/Zircon/S-400 missiles.

Does Zelensky’s missile math make any sense?

Even under the extraordinarily favorable assumption that every Patriot interceptor destroys an incoming ballistic missile, 80 interceptors would be enough to defeat only 80 targets. At the rate of 30-40 ballistic missiles per major attack cited by Zelensky himself, that would provide enough ammunition for roughly two large-scale attacks – again, assuming every interceptor hits its target.

US and NATO defense doctrine calls for launching between two and four Patriot interceptors at each incoming missile. Zelensky’s claim that a Russian barrage involves 30 to 40 ballistic missiles would therefore mean that Kiev could expend as many as 80 interceptors – or 10% of the estimated US inventory – on a single attack.

Three to five such attacks a month, involving 30 to 40 ballistic missiles each, would amount to roughly 90 to 200 incoming ballistic missiles per month. Eighty Patriot interceptors could not destroy all of them even with an impossible 100% success rate.

At a 1:1 interception ratio, 80 Patriots would cover 80 ballistic targets. At 2:1, they would cover 40. At 3:1, about 27.

Does Zelensky’s claim of protecting Ukraine through the winter add up?

In other words, 10% of America’s estimated stockpile of roughly 800 interceptors could plausibly provide enough ammunition for robust ballistic-missile defense against one major barrage, or perhaps several weeks to a month of more selective protection.

It could not literally “destroy all the Russians’ ballistic missiles,” as Zelensky told CNN.

There is another inconsistency, however. According to Axios, just weeks before making his 10% proposal, Zelensky said he needed 300 Patriot interceptors before winter because of the scale and frequency of Russian ballistic-missile attacks.

If the relevant US inventory is around 800 missiles, 300 would represent nearly 40% of the total. Yet Zelensky is now suggesting that approximately 80 – barely a quarter of his previous request – could accomplish something far more ambitious.

What’s the bottom line?

Moscow’s most recent ballistic-missile barrages against Ukraine have reportedly further eroded Kiev’s ability to mount even a token defense. Zelensky’s 40-day influence operation has also significantly backfired, earning him a dressing-down from Washington over attacks on shipping in the Black Sea. His apparent failure to anticipate that Russia would respond in kind and shut down Ukraine’s Black Sea ports could reportedly cost the Ukrainian economy another 1.5% of GDP.

Zelensky may be working from a different estimate of America’s missile inventory, or assuming that US production would provide a recurring supply in the future rather than a one-time delivery. Alternatively, his use of the phrase “destroy all” may simply be another example of his usual rhetoric rather than a literal claim that Ukraine could intercept every ballistic missile Russia launches.

That leaves two possible interpretations: Either Zelensky is using his own media-manipulation techniques to deliberately simplify or exaggerate the figures in an effort to strengthen his case for further depleting America’s stockpiles, or his assessment of how long such a stockpile would last is seriously mistaken.

Tyler Robinson’s lawyers argued that he can’t be charged with aggravated murder because he “hit the intended target” without endangering others

The defense team of Tyler Robinson, the man accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk last September, has argued that the defendant should be spared the death penalty, as he only “hit the intended target.” The defense attorneys insist that the prosecution has been unable to prove the alleged shooter put other people’s lives at risk, thus committing aggravated murder.

The latter, which is a capital crime in the state of Utah, requires at least one “statutory aggravating factor” to qualify as such.

Kirk, a popular podcaster and co-founder of Turning Point USA, was shot in the neck and killed while speaking to about 3,000 attendees of an event at Utah Valley University in Orem on September 10, 2025.

Robinson was apprehended two days later. Investigators allege that he was the sniper who fired the fatal shot from a rooftop, about 130 meters (140 yards) from the packed venue.

In Tuesday court filings, Robinson’s defense attorneys argued that prosecutors had failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant “knowingly created a great risk of death to another other than Charlie Kirk.” Kathy Nester, Michael Burt, Richard Novak, and Staci Visser wrote that the “only evidence presented supports that the bullet traveled above, not through, the crowd,” and thus no one other than Kirk was in the line of fire.

Robinson’s defense team also pointed out that the alleged shooter did not specifically mention “any threat or intended harm to any other individual(s)” in communications with his romantic partner, Lance Twiggs, which was cited as evidence by the authorities.

The lawyers also sought to refute another potential aggravating factor, namely that Robinson targeted Kirk for political reasons. Citing the text messages between the defendant and his transgender lover, the defense team insisted that Robinson’s explanation that he had “had enough of [Kirk’s] hatred” refers to general “hatred” rather than a specific political viewpoint.

The prosecutors, in turn, contend that Robinson’s alleged motivation for the assassination stemmed from Kirk’s public opposition to same-sex marriage and gender transitioning.

According to family members and media reports, Robinson became radicalized and mentioned the conservative activist in conversations before the shooting. The unfired rounds recovered from the rifle allegedly used in the assassination reportedly bore inscriptions, including “Hey, fascist! Catch!”

Robinson’s defense team had petitioned Utah District Judge Tony Graf to bar prosecutors from seeking the death penalty back in June, accusing them of staging a “media tour” concerning a bullet fragment recovered from Kirk’s body. The defense attorneys alleged that this constituted a violation of restrictions on public comments on the case.

The hearing is expected to resume on September 1, with Robinson yet to enter a plea.

Prolonging the conflict until Trump leaves office is among Tehran’s options, Mohammad Reza Naqdi has said

Iran can stay in the fight in a prolonged armed conflict with the US, even if it lasts the rest of Donald Trump’s term in office, a senior Iranian general has said.

Brig. Gen. Mohammad Reza Naqdi of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) voiced confidence in Tehran’s ability to sustain a long-term confrontation during an interview with PBS on Tuesday. His remarks came amid media reports of pressure on US munitions stockpiles and declining morale among American forces deployed in the Middle East.

Tehran’s objective is “to attain deterrence so that the enemy never dares to attack us, so we can live with security,” Naqdi told the US broadcaster when asked whether Iranian commanders intended to “drag out” the conflict until Trump was no longer in office.

“One way is to prolong this war until we get to the next term of the presidency and cause attrition, so that if anyone else wants to attack Iran, they will know there is a cost,” he said.

Trump launched a 40-day bombing campaign against Iran in late February. Despite the loss of senior officials, the government in Tehran retained control of the country and responded with attacks on US military facilities in the region, while also exerting economic pressure on Washington’s allies and global markets.

The conflict has become increasingly unpopular among US voters, raising concerns among Republicans ahead of the November midterm elections.

Trump has alternated between threats of further military escalation and claims that Iran has been weakened to the point of almost accepting a peace agreement favorable to Washington. On Wednesday, he claimed that the US naval blockade of Iranian ports, imposed in April, had been widely described as a “wall of steel” and that Tehran “has no money.”

“The longer this war lasts, the more experience we gain,” Naqdi told PBS. “We had never seen a real war to gain real experience to learn how to fight with America. In these five months, we have learned how. We have also seen how the American military is weaker than what we perceived.”

Naqdi also claimed that Iran is producing drones and missiles at a faster rate than it is expending them and could continue fighting for years.

Should those stockpiles eventually be exhausted, he added, Tehran could instead target what he described as “thousands of [American] economic interests throughout the world.”

Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has vowed to defy Washington and maintain its occupation of Lebanese territory

The US State Department reportedly ordered Israel to stick to its word and pull its troops out of Lebanon after Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said his forces were “here to stay” in the south of the country.

Under a US-brokered framework signed on June 26, Israel agreed to leave the territory it currently occupies in Southern Lebanon in exchange for the Lebanese government disarming Hezbollah and establishing its own military as the sole armed group in Lebanon. During a visit to the occupied territory on Wednesday, Katz declared that “the IDF is here to stay in the security zones in Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza.”

“The United States expects all parties to act in accordance with the framework agreement they have agreed upon, and Israel has clearly stated that it has no territorial aspirations in Lebanon,” a State Department official told Barak Ravid – an Axios reporter whom Israeli politicians and security officials regularly leak to – on Wednesday.

🇺🇸🇮🇱🇱🇧The Trump administration criticized Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz's remarks about maintaining Israel's occupation of southern Lebanon, stressing that his comments contradict commitments the Israeli government made under the framework agreement with the United States…

— Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) August 12, 2026

“A permanent Israeli military presence in southern Lebanon is inconsistent with the commitments given in the framework agreement and does not align with the long-term peace and security of both countries,” the official added.

Israel currently occupies roughly 600 square kilometers of southern Lebanon, including some territory north of the Litani River. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have demolished dozens of villages, and the occupation has resulted in the forced expulsion of more than 1.2 million Lebanese civilians.

“I have instructed the IDF to take all necessary steps to prepare for a long-term stay in the field,” Katz said on Wednesday. “As the Prime Minister and I have clearly stated, we are not withdrawing from this security zone… under no circumstances will we withdraw.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has suggested that Israel could permanently annex certain areas of southern Lebanon. In an interview with Fox News last month, Netanyahu claimed that some Christian villages in Lebanon “have actually asked to be annexed to Israel because we protect them against the Hezbollah fanatics who want to kill them.”

Netanyahu did not name any of the villages, and more than a dozen local Christian leaders in southern Lebanon issued a statement calling his remarks “completely fabricated” and “unrelated to reality.”

Israel’s war on, and occupation of, Lebanon has directly interfered with US-Iran peace talks. The July 17 memorandum of understanding agreed by Washington and Tehran reportedly called for the “immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon,” a clause that Israel has not heeded.

Ceuta and Melilla are “untouchable,” Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles has said

Spain will not discuss the sovereignty of Ceuta and Melilla with Morocco, Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles has said after Rabat publicly renewed its claim to the North African enclaves.

The exchange comes nearly two weeks after tens of thousands of people crossed the border of Ceuta in an unprecedented influx that overwhelmed the city. At least 100 people reportedly died, many while attempting the crossing by sea, while Madrid deployed troops and accelerated returns. Most of those who entered have since been sent back, but between 3,000 and 5,000 remain on Spanish territory, according to local officials.

Moroccan Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouahbi told Asharq TV on Tuesday that Rabat regularly raises the status of Ceuta and Melilla in negotiations with Madrid and seeks a long-term resolution through dialogue.

“This issue remains unresolved, and whenever we meet with the Spaniards, we raise it. We remain committed to our territories. This requires patience, and we want to resolve the issue through dialogue,” Ouahbi said.

In response, Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles told reporters during a visit to Ceuta on Wednesday that the two cities were “thoroughly Spanish” and “untouchable.” She described any challenge to the cities as an attack on Spain and warned that the border crisis “must never happen again.”

Spain’s Foreign Ministry issued a separate statement saying the country’s territorial integrity “has not been, and will never be, discussed with anyone.”

Ceuta and Melilla are Spain’s only land territories in Africa and form the European Union’s only land borders with the continent. Morocco has regarded the enclaves as occupied territories since gaining independence in 1956 and argues that sovereignty should ultimately be transferred to Rabat. Spain considers them integral parts of its territory, having controlled Melilla since the 15th century and Ceuta since the 17th.

The border has repeatedly become a pressure point between the two countries. In 2021, Morocco relaxed border controls during a diplomatic dispute over Spain’s decision to provide medical treatment to Western Sahara independence leader Brahim Ghali, allowing thousands of people to enter Ceuta.

Relations improved after Madrid endorsed Morocco’s autonomy proposal for the disputed territory in 2022. Rabat, however, has not renounced its claims to Ceuta and Melilla.

Madrid has largely praised the Moroccan authorities for helping repatriate migrants following the July influx, blaming people-smuggling networks for the crisis. The surge came shortly after Spain’s Supreme Court ruled that migrants intercepted at sea while attempting to reach Ceuta or Melilla could not be immediately deported.

The Moroccan Interior Ministry said on Wednesday that it had reinforced security near both enclaves after online calls for another mass crossing on August 15. It warned that organizers and participants could face prosecution and urged Spain to accelerate the return of unaccompanied Moroccan minors remaining in Ceuta.

The government is seeking broad new powers for the BfV to conduct active operations on home soil

A sweeping overhaul of Germany’s intelligence services proposed by the government could infringe on police powers in violation of constitutional safeguards, opposition politicians have warned.

On Wednesday, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt presented a 730-page package comprising three draft laws that would significantly expand the powers of the Federal Intelligence Service (BND) and the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), Germany’s foreign and domestic intelligence agencies respectively.

While there is broad political agreement that Germany’s security apparatus requires modernization, critics say the proposed expansion of the BfV’s mandate goes too far. Germany has traditionally maintained a strict separation between intelligence gathering and police work to prevent concentration of power.

“Dobrindt, with these demands that he hastily dictated into the draft legislation, is doing far more harm than good,” Free Democratic Party (FDP) leader Wolfgang Kubicki told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

The BfV is currently focused on collecting and analyzing data. Under the proposed reform, however, the agency would receive new “operative powers” allowing it to actively disrupt suspected threats. These could include hacking computer systems, feeding false information to targets, altering or deleting data, and secretly sabotaging equipment believed to be connected to hostile operations.

Dobrindt has argued that the proposed intelligence “revolution” is necessary to tackle an evolving “hybrid threat landscape.”

Critics contend that the proposed reform would fundamentally alter the relationship between the state and citizens, particularly because the BfV operates under a different system of legal oversight from ordinary law-enforcement bodies, which generally require judicial authorization for intrusive measures.

“Equipping a secretive security agency with such powers will predictably create more chaos and problems,” Kubicki said.

Green Party MP Konstantin von Notz likewise argued that the reform represents a fundamental departure from existing norms and would “end up before the Federal Constitutional Court.”

Gottfried Curio, the domestic-policy spokesman for the parliamentary group of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, denounced the proposal as a “deliberate attempt to blur the line” between intelligence gathering and policing. He also described it as an “arrogant self-empowerment” by the federal government that should be rejected.

The BfV has for years scrutinized the right-wing, anti-immigration AfD over suspected threats to Germany’s constitutional order, giving the agency expanded legal grounds to surveil its leaders. The AfD has rejected the allegations and accused the authorities of using the agency for politically motivated pressure.

Christian Wirth, another AfD lawmaker, warned last month that the proposed reform could transform the BfV “from an early warning system of democracy into an architect of a totalitarian reality.”

The AfD continues to post strong polling numbers despite other major German parties maintaining a policy of refusing to form governing coalitions with it.

Party co-leader Alice Weidel argued this week that the trend could eventually allow the AfD to form single-party governments in some federal states.

She pointed to recent polling in Saxony-Anhalt showing the party at 43% ahead of an election in early September, more than twice the share of the vote it received there in 2021.

The Shipping Ministry sees a ‘huge possibility’ in the Northern Sea Route, after a 70% jump in cargo traffic via the Chennai-Vladivostok trade link

India is planning to send its first cargo ship on the Arctic route running along Russia’s northern coast next year, as it seeks to deepen trade with Moscow outside of Western sanctions and without disruptions via the Suez Canal.

The 5,600 km Arctic route, or Northern Sea Route (NSR), runs off Russia’s Arctic coastline and is the shortest shipping route between East Asia and Europe. Climate change and receding sea ice open up the route seasonally – but conditions are harsh, requiring specialized ice-breakers to keep channels open.

“In 2027, we are planning to have the first pilot vessel running through the Northern Sea Route,” the joint secretary in the Indian Shipping Ministry, S. Venkatesapathy, told the Arctic-Regions Forum in Arkhangelsk on Thursday. 

On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said New Delhi was showing active interest in the NSR. He said Moscow is seeing “growing interest from countries” about the Arctic route, naming India and China among those talking to Moscow.

Venkatesapathy, who is leading the Indian delegation to the two-day forum, said the Chennai-Vladivostok corridor – also known as the Eastern Maritime Corridor (EMC) – has seen a 70% jump in cargo movement, and there is a “humongous possibility” to extend this success to the NSR.

He also spoke of India’s interest in the multi-modal Trans-Arctic Transport Corridor (TATC).

“We are seeing huge possibilities, not only for the EMC but also for the NSR,” the official said, adding two MOUs were signed last year for the development of the routes. He said India found the routes appealing because of their shorter distances, safety, and commercial viability.

India and Russia have set a bilateral trade target of $100 billion by 2030, and Russian oil now makes up more than half of New Delhi’s imports – making the Arctic route a key trade link for the two countries.

For India, the Arctic route can save up to 40% in distance and about two weeks in travel time to most European ports, compared to the traditional route through the Suez Canal. The Suez route has become dangerous for commercial shipping due to the Mideast conflict.

Russia has invested heavily in developing the NSR’s infrastructure, and in 2023, Moscow struck a deal with Dubai-based DP Word to develop container shipping along the Arctic route. Container traffic has risen as Chinese companies have seized the opportunity offered by the NSR. While 23 voyages were completed last year, some 30 are already planned for this year.

Cargo volumes along the route have exceeded 37 million tons over the past two years, and it is expected to reach 20 million tons by 2030.

Cargo movement between Russia and China through the NSR has already exceeded five million tons this year, the director of the Department for the Development of the Northern Sea Route and the Arctic at Rosatom, Azamat Khochuev, told RT on the sidelines of the Arctic-Regions forum.

The state-owned conglomerate, with its fleet of nuclear-powered icebreakers, is Russia’s designated operator and coordinator of the NSR.

China’s Sea Legend Shipping will launch its first regular service to Europe this month via the NSR. Sea Legend will sail seven vessels along the route – from August to October, Rosatom’s CEO Sergey Likhachev told Russian media.

South Korea is also working on developing cargo traffic through the NSR – with Seoul treating it as a strategic state priority.

The warning by the former Russian president came after Tokyo protested Vladimir Putin’s first-ever visit to the archipelago

The Kuril Islands will forever remain Russian land, with Japan looking for trouble by continuing to stick to its claim over the archipelago, former Russian President Dmitry Medvdev has said.

The Kuril archipelago came under Soviet control at the end of World War II following Japan’s defeat and was subsequently incorporated into the USSR. Tokyo, however, continues to claim the four southernmost islands – Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and the Habomai islets – which it calls its “Northern Territories.” The dispute has been the main obstacle to Moscow and Tokyo signing a formal peace treaty in the eight decades since the conflict.

On Thursday, Tokyo lodged a strong protest over Russian President Vladimir Putin’s first-ever visit to the Kurils, with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi calling the trip “absolutely unacceptable” and saying it “hurts the feelings of the Japanese people.” 

Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi also issued a statement, insisting that the islands “are an inherent part of Japan’s territory both historically and under international law.”

The Japanese Foreign Ministry also summoned the Russian ambassador to the country, Nikolay Nozdrev, over Putin’s trip, Kyodo News reported.

In post on X later in the day, Medvedev said that “Takaichi can prattle on all she likes about the Kuril Islands being ‘historically Japanese,’ but this chatter won’t change a thing. They were, are, and will remain Russian land.”

“Anyone who fails to understand this will face the monstrous consequences of their delusion,” the official, who currently serves as deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, warned without elaborating.

Putin traveled to Iturup, the largest of the Kuril Islands, on Thursday morning, touring a local fish processing plant, a medical center, and a school. He is only the second sitting Russian president to visit the Kurils after Medvedev made the trip in 2010.

Putin addressed the dispute on Wednesday while attending the final stage of Russian Pacific Fleet exercises off Sakhalin. He blamed Tokyo for the broader deterioration in relations between the two countries.

The president said he could not understand why Japan “under the pretext of the events in Ukraine and without delving into the causes of that conflict, imposed sanctions on Russia” and why Tokyo “classified Russia as a source of major threats in its latest military doctrine documents.” 

“I would like to emphasize that we pose no threat. We have absolutely no grievances against Japan. On the contrary, it’s Japan that has territorial claims against our country, specifically regarding the Kuril Islands issue,” he insisted.

The status of those territories “is enshrined in international documents as a reality resulting from World War II. Yet even on this, Russia was prepared to seek a solution to reach a peace treaty,” Putin said.

Moscow and Tokyo signed a declaration in 1956 that “opened the way” for a peace agreement, but Japan later backed out of it, the president recalled. After the fall of the USSR, Russia also engaged in constructive relations with several Japanese leaders, including Shinzo Abe, who served as prime minister in 2006-2007 and 2012-2020 and “did a lot” to align the positions of the two nations, he added.

“Now we see a shift in their [Japan’s] stance. I stress that this shift was in no way provoked by us,” Putin said.