Powerful explosion at factory in Moscow Region

"A powerful explosion has rocked a factory in the town of Sergiyev Posad outside of Moscow,
with evacuation efforts underway...The incident took place on the territory of the Zagorsk Optical-Mechanical Plant, which according to its website, designs and produces optical and electronic equipment." RT

Ukraine claims it foiled Russian plot to kill Zelensky

"The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) announced on Monday that it arrested a woman who

had passed on intelligence to the Russians about the location of President Vladimir Zelensky so they could try to assassinate him.

The suspect is a resident of the port city of Ochakov in Nikolaev Region, who once worked at a military supply store as a sales clerk.

The woman, who has not been named, allegedly inquired about Zelensky’s schedule and route ahead of his visit to Nikolaev in June. The SBU detected her and implemented additional security measures to protect the president, while deploying agents to gather more evidence on the suspected “Russian informant.” RT

Two killed in Russian missile attack

"Two people have been killed in two Russian missile strikes on a residential building in the
eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk in Donetsk region." AlJazeera

Glacial Break Triggers Flood in Alaska, Emergency Declared as Homes Collapse

"Juneau, Alaska, has been hit by a catastrophic glacier lake outburst flood, leading city
officials to declare a state of emergency. The flooding, caused by a rupture in Suicide Basin, located on the Mendenhall Glacier, has resulted in the destruction of several structures along the Mendenhall River.... The scale of the flooding was so extreme that experts estimated less than a 1% chance of it occurring, catching authorities by surprise." Sputnik

Section Of Russia-Europe Oil Pipeline Halted After Leak

"Poland’s pipeline operator PERN said it had halted a section of the Druzhba pipeline carrying oil from Russia to Europe after detecting a small leak that is being fixed...The damaged section, where there is no indication of the leak being caused by a third party, is under repairs now, the company said in a statement carried by Reuters." ZH

Ukrainian forces repel enemy attacks in Kupiansk, Avdiivka sectors

"Ukraine's defense forces have successfully repelled attacks by Russian troops in the Kupiansk and Avdiivka sectors, with about 28 combat engagements recorded on the front line." Ukrin

Shrubbs Stalling Kiev’s Counteroffensive ‘Stupid’

"More than two months on, Kiev’s counteroffensive shows no sign of being successful as the
Ukrainian army’s losses in men and materiel continue to increase.

Former US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) analyst Larry Johnson has lashed out at the UK military over allegations about vegetation being a factor in stalling the advance of Ukrainian troops.

“Who knew that all the United States had to do to ensure the success of Ukraine’s counteroffensive was to provide them with a brigade of weed wackers, so they could have gone out there and cut down all the weeds,” Johnson said in an interview with a YouTube channel.

He spoke a few days after the UK Defense Ministry claimed in its regular intelligence update that “undergrowth regrowing” in the southern part of the front line in Ukraine remains a likely factor “contributing to the generally slow progress of combat in the area.”

Kiev has lost over 43,000 servicemen since the start of Ukraine's counteroffensive." Sputnik

People Killed and Missing Due to Heavy Rains in Northern China

"The downpour was caused by Typhoon Doksuri, which had previously swept through the
Philippines. The Chinese Beijing Daily newspaper reported, citing the Beijing Flood Prevention Authority....1,106,900 people were stranded in the disaster zone in the entire city area, 627,000 people have been urgently evacuated from dangerous areas, 10 people have been killed and 18 others are missing...." Sputnik

Ukrainian forces destroy three enemy ammunition depots in Tavria sector

"Ukraine's defense forces conducted 1,477 fire missions in the Tavria sector, destroying 21
pieces of military equipment and 3 ammunition depots of the Russian army." Ukrin

Response to Niger coup may escalate into ‘world African war’

"A Western-driven campaign to force Niger’s acting government to restore former President

Mohamed Bazoum to power following last week’s military coup could bubble up into a wider conflict pitting NATO powers against Russia and China......“We are now at the door of a world African war,” African Freedom Institute President Franklin Nyamsi said.....ECOWAS and the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) imposed sanctions on the new Nigerien government last week, suspending all financial transactions and freezing the country’s assets in ECOWAS-member states. Regional development banks cut off all assistance, as did the EU and France. The US and the African Union also threatened to follow suit. ECOWAS demanded that the junta restore Bazoum, who has been under house arrest since the coup.....A military intervention by ECOWAS would be a “declaration of war” not only against Niger, but also against dissenting members, including Burkina Faso, Mali and possibly Guinea....The two ECOWAS factions – pro-NATO vs. pan-African – might not only fight each other, but also seek assistance from their powerful allies, Nyamsi said. Niger’s backers would likely call on Russia, China and Iran for help. Possibly they want to export a world war in Africa between, finally, the two main blocs of the old Cold War.” RT

Zelenskyy on results of military enlistment offices inspections: There are many disgusting abuses

 "Zelenskyy’s evening address on 3 August 

 "Today there were reports of [Vasyl] Maliuk, head of the Security Service of Ukraine, as well as the Minister of Internal Affairs Klymenko. In particular, one of the issues is the inspection of military enlistment offices. We talked in detail. The audit reveals many abuses, including frankly disgusting ones. All facts revealed by law enforcement officers will be presented to society and investigated within criminal proceedings......The enlistment offices have to be staffed by people who saw the war and went through it. There are those who, unfortunately, lost limbs but did not lose dignity and did not lose Ukraine. I thank them." Pravada

Air Force explains peculiarity of Russian night attack with Shaheds

"A specific element of the Russian night attack is that Russia launched from three directions

simultaneously.....The peculiarity of this night attack was that the launches were carried out from three directions simultaneously. Often, the enemy uses one or two: Primorsko-Akhtarsk in Krasnodar Krai and often from the Seshcha airfield in Bryansk Oblast.....It seems to have a small combat reserve (Shahed UAV– ed.), and it does not fly fast, but you can see that even the Russian air defence in Moscow is not handling kamikaze drones well. This is a dangerous weapon, and, unfortunately, it flies accurately. Therefore, we need to do everything to destroy it...If Shahed hits a vulnerable spot at any object, it leads to extremely undesirable consequences." Prvada

Ukraine's General Staff reports 33 combat clashes along front line

"Ukraine's offensive operation in the Melitopol and Berdiansk sectors is ongoing, ...Some 33
combat clashes took place between Ukraine's defense forces and Russian invaders...." Ukrin

Ukrainian Troops Shelled DPR Territory 112 Times in Past Day

"Ukrainian troops shelled the territory of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) 112 times over the past day, firing 421 rounds of ammunition...." Sputnik

Russian Navy rebuffs Ukrainian drone attack

"Ukrainian seaborne drones have attempted to attack two Russian vessels tasked with
monitoring navigation in the southwestern part of the Black Sea.....all of the maritime drones were destroyed by the Russian Navy, with both ships continuing operations in the area." RT