"The Biden administration continues to rely on hostile regimes to keep oil prices down in the months leading up to pivotal elections. The Treasury Department announced Monday that it is extending sanctions relief for 10 Russian financial institutions that are involved in the energy sector, with the relief set to expire on November 1 in the absence of any further action. The move reduces the risks that global oil prices spike over the summer and follows several similar decisions involving Iran and OPEC countries, for example, keeping oil prices lower ahead of important elections.
Additionally, the administration appears to have adopted a lax approach to enforcing oil sanctions against Iran, a State Department-identified state sponsor of terrorism. Iranian oil exports have exceeded $100 billion since Biden came into office in 2021. All of these decisions to keep global energy prices from increasing have been made while the administration has taken numerous steps to rein in domestic energy production. " DC
"Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin confirmed that Russia hit Odesa with an Iskander missile armed with a cluster warhead." RT
"Some Ukrainian servicemen with Brigade 155, which took over the town’s defense, blame its fall on their commanders’ mistakes.“My company was literally destroyed, we carried out tasks in the worst conditions and no one cared, we stormed without support and with stupid command, we defended with almost no support and with the same stupid command,” one of the servicemen wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
A retired Ukrainian general said that the dominance of Ocheretyne’s high-rise apartment buildings over the surrounding steppe could have served as an effective deterrent against Russian troops and prevented the town’s takeover.
“What we have is a serious systemic failure,” General Serhiy Krivonos said in televised remarks. “The downside is that all of Ukraine knows, all the servicemen know that there’s no money, no equipment, a dire shortage of air defence systems,” Vladimir Prokhvatilov of the Russian Academy of Military Sciences told the Kremlin-funded Radio Sputnik.
“And when Syrskii commands a withdrawal, people simply run, he provoked the panic himself,” he was quoted as saying." AJ
"Republican and Democrat US lawmakers alike have called for retaliating against theInternational Criminal Court (ICC) if it issues arrest warrants for Israeli leaders.... the Hague-based tribunal will soon post warrants for the arrests of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli officials, members of Congress have issued statements warning of consequences for any such step. US Representative Brad Sherman (D-California) is among those insisting that Washington would retaliate for any attempt to arrest Israeli leaders during their ongoing war with Hamas.
“The ICC apparently considers warrants on Israeli leaders for legitimate self-defense,” the 14-term congressman said. Sherman argued that such a move would turn the tribunal into a “kangaroo court,” adding, “President [Joe Biden] must condemn this, and I know Congress will ensure consequences for such an absurd decision.” RT
"A Russian missile attack on an educational institution in Ukraine's Black Sea port of Odessa on Monday killed four people and injured 28, Regional Governor Oleh Kiper said on the Telegram messaging app. Four injured were in serious condition, Kiper wrote. Among the injured were two children and a pregnant woman. A turreted Gothic-style building known locally as the 'Harry Potter Castle', part of the Odessa Law Academy, was seen in flames after the strike. Putin's forces are firing on Ukraine as the Duchess of Edinburgh has become the first British royal to visit Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion. Sophie, 59, met with President Zelensky and his wife - and passed on a personal message from King Charles - as she showed her solitary with survivors of conflict-related sexual violence and punishment during her emotional one-day trip." MS
"Three janitors claim the pro-Hamas insurrectionists at Columbia University temporarily held them hostage during the takeover of a campus building..... the Jew-hating insurrectionists stormed Hamilton Hall. The mob then “shattered windows, barricaded doors using tables and chairs, and obscured the windows of the facility.”" FOX
"Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary General, believes that the delays in the supply of military aid by the Alliance's member states have affected Ukraine’s trust in them, and strengthening NATO's role in this situation may solve the issue. He mentioned his idea to create a years-long plan which would clearly determine the contribution of each NATO member into the aid for Ukraine." Pravada
"Americans overwhelmingly support Israel in its war against the Hamas terrorist group by a margin of four-to-one despite pro-Palestinian protests roiling streets and campuses across the country, a poll released Tuesday reveals.
The Harvard CAPS-Harris survey shared with The Hill found 80 percent of registered voters back Israel more in the conflict while just 20 percent say they support Hamas more." Breitbart
"Police moved in to clear dozens of protesters who had camped out in a courtyard in Sorbonne University in Paris to demand an end to Israel's bombardment of Gaza. About 100 demonstrators took part in the protest near the prestigious university, waving a giant Palestinian flag and chanting slogans in support of Palestinians in Gaza." France24
"115 combat clashes on front lines in past day.....In the Sivershchyna and Slobozhanshchyna sectors, Russia maintains a military presence in the border areas, and continues to conduct sabotage and reconnaissance activities to prevent the deployment of our troops to threatened areas.In the Kupiansk sector, Ukrainian troops repelled nine attacks near Berestove and Novoserhiivka in the Kharkiv region and Stelmakhivka in the Luhansk region.
In the Lyman sector, 13 enemy attacks, supported by aircraft, were repelled in the Tverdokhlibove are, Nevske and Serebrianka forestry in the Luhansk region; Terny, Torske and south of Zarichne in the Donetsk region.
In the Bakhmut sector, Ukrainian soldiers repelled 33 attacks in the Bilohorivka area of the Luhansk region; Verkhniokamianske, Novyi, Ivanivske, Klishchiivka, Andriivka, Rozdolivka and Chasiv Yar in the Donetsk region, where the enemy, with the support of aircraft, tried to improve the tactical situation.
In the Avdiivka sector, Ukrainian defenders repelled 24 attacks in the areas of Arkhanhelske, Novokalynove, Ocheretyne, Sokil, Solovyove, Semenivka, Orlivka, and Netailove in the Donetsk region, where the enemy, with the support of aircraft, attempted to dislodge Ukrainian from their positions.
In the Novopavlivka sector, the Defense Forces continue to hold back the enemy in the vicinity of Kostiantynivka, Heorhiivka, and Urozhaine in the Donetsk region, where the enemy, with the support of aircraft, tried to break through the defense of Ukrainian troops 20 times.
In the Orikhiv sector, the enemy, with the support of aircraft, attacked Ukrainian positions seven times in the vicinity of Staromaiorske, Donetsk region, and Novodarivka, Zaporizhzhia region.
In the Kherson sector, the enemy continued attempts to dislodge Ukrainian units from the footholds on the left bank of the Dnipro River. Over the past day, the enemy made three unsuccessful attacks on Ukrainian positions." Ukrin
