Chartwell Speakers has taken me on as a speaker on world affairs and geopolitics . My agent is Natasha Lyons . To book me as a speaker, send an email to natasha@chartwellspeakers.com.

Flights have been halted from Sochi to ensure the safety of the Russian airport . The fire required 120 firefighters to extinguish which underscores the growing potency of Ukrainian drone attacks across borders.

BREAKING: Ukraine's drone attack sparks a fire at an oil depot in Sochi.

This is a major reassertion of NABU and SAPO's power as Zelensky restored the influence of Ukraine's anti-corruption institutions . Critical as Ukraine's drone self-sufficiency aspirations and indigenous production are crucial for its war efforts against Russia.

State contracts were conducted with supplier companies at inflated prices and 30% of the proceeds went as kickbacks. A sitting Ukrainian MP, two local officials and National Guard personnel were linked to the scandal.

BREAKING: Ukraine's anti-corruption agencies uncover a major corruption scheme in military drone and signal jamming procurement.

These drills are routine as they reflect rising Sino-Russian cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region. This should be emphasized as they are being misleadingly framed as a retaliation to the Trump-Medvedev clash and Trump's nuclear submarine deployments near Russia.

BREAKING: Russia and China carry out artillery and anti-submarine drills in the Sea of Japan.

So the Trump move is mostly theatre and not a major escalatory gesture . Its impact will die down over the coming days as the sanctions/tariff decision nears /END.

It could also send a provocative message about Russia's Baltic Sea activities: shadow fleet escalations and hybrid threats . But the US rhetoric needs to be more targeted and showcase the cost of these belligerent moves, which isn't happening /7.

This is Trump also showing Russia that he is serious about sanctions and secondary tariffs . India cutting oil imports than zig-zagging (India is responding more to market conditions than US pressure) was a disappointment, and Trump is showing strength with this move /6.

Medvedev threatened apocalypse over Ukraine striking Crimea, repeatedly warned of World War III and advocated extreme economic measures like seizing Western company assets. Russian policy didn't follow in kind and won't align with what he says this time either /5.

Dmitry Medvedev's views are eye-catching but should not be taken seriously . But ultimately meaningless, he is primarily there to allow Putin to illustrate that there are more extreme forces in Russia and also is doing this to boost his relevance /4.

There are also comparisons in Russia between the US moves and the nuclear submarine movements near the Korean Peninsula in 2017. These movements were a peak of tension with North Korea that presaged dialogue with Kim Jong-Un. So a deterrence gesture at most /3.

This is very unlikely to lead to a near-term US-Russia escalation spiral. The Kremlin is keeping silent while Russian state media commentaries are downplaying the move as an impulsive emotional reaction. No repeat of the nuclear threats of February 2022/September 2022 by Putin /2.

Donald Trump has ordered the deployment of nuclear submarines closer to Russia . Here's what you should know /1.

Trump's trade war with China does not preclude appeasing Beijing on Taiwan's sovereignty. A policy contradiction that has been laid bare here, even though it aligns with the US's official One China Policy.

Britain, France and Germany coordinated on the Gaza peace plan together . This follows the US and Israel withdrawing the negotiating teams from Qatar over the impasse in the hostage talks and Hamas's reluctance to make a deal.

BREAKING: Britain presents a European peace plan for the Gaza War to Trump.

Cyberpartisans is the name of the Belarusian hacking group. As Lavrov warned about Russia standing alone against the West, Russian MP Anton Gorelkin used this cyberattack to strengthen the total war narrative .

The Russia-Belarus and Russia-Armenia routes were subject to the cyberattacks . It appears as if Ukraine's Silent Crow group coordinated with Belarusian partisans on the cyberattacks, which adds new dimensions to the collaboration on railways that began in early 2022.