MOSCOW, August 9. /TASS/. Russian troops battling to push Ukrainian forces out of Kursk Region; US tries to exercise sway with Iran, calls on Tehran not to retaliate against Israel; and Bangladesh appoints temporary prime minister amid ongoing unrest. These stories topped Friday's newspaper headlines across Russia.

 

Izvestia: Fierce fighting continues in Russia’s Kursk Region for third day

According to the latest data from the Ministry of Defense, in three days of fighting in Russia’s Kursk region, Ukrainian militants have lost 660 men and 82 armored vehicles. The ministry stated that Russia’s battlegroup North, together with border guards and incoming reserves, kept the enemy from advancing deep into the region. Experts told Izvestia that counter-attacks and fighting for positions are currently taking place in the region, which will be followed by a Russian offensive. At this point, the situation in the region is far from decided, as both sides battle to impose their will on the other.

Ukraine’s goals in the incursion are manifold, retired Lieutenant Colonel Roman Shkurlatov, Chairman of the board of Officers of Russia organization told Izvestia. "First, they want to show their Western sponsors and curators that the Ukrainian Armed Forces can actually achieve some results, instead of just retreating. For months they have been falling back and suffering defeats. They need a small tactical victory as badly as they need air. The second possible goal is to try to get a foothold in the Kursk region for future negotiations. The third is to attempt to force Russia to pull reserves to Kursk, thus exposing other areas. But they will obviously not succeed. We have enough unused reserves," he said.

Shkurlatov believes that the Ukrainian assault is running out of steam. "Now the counter-attacks and positional battles will begin. Then we should expect offensive actions from our guys, at which time the enemy will be driven back to his territory or destroyed. However, we should not be complacent. The situation is difficult," he added.

It is too early to talk about the stabilization of the situation in the Kursk border region, military expert Colonel Gennady Alyokhin told the newspaper. "It should be noted that the enemy is acting competently, boldly, and according to all the rules of classical military tactics," he said.

"According to the latest information, the enemy is trying to disrupt logistics chains and control the roads. They are still probing and at the same time trying to consolidate, build fortifications, strongholds and mine the area. We must stop their assault and strengthen our reserves. The situation is complicated. I would not talk about stabilization yet," he concluded.

 

Vedomosti: White House works to dissuade Iran from attacking Israel

Iran may decide against carrying out a massive strike against Israel in response to the assassination of Head of the Hamas movement's Politburo Ismail Haniyeh in the Iranian capital, Politico wrote citing sources in the White House. The US presidential administration has been working through diplomatic channels in recent days, engaging allies in the Middle East to persuade Tehran to reconsider attacking the Jewish state, Vedomosti writes.

According to Politico, the White House reminded the Iranian side of the perils of a massive strike against Israel, trying to avoid a further increase in tensions and a potential direct confrontation between the two states.

Still, at this point, it’s premature to say that Iran will choose not to carry out an attack, as a number of factors preclude this from happening, expert at the Russian International Affairs Council Kirill Semenov told Vedomosti. According to him, abandoning the attack will be tough for Tehran, given the Israeli special services carried out a terrorist attack on its territory. Otherwise, according to the expert, the Iranian side risks losing face, and Haniyeh's assassination in Tehran will serve as a warning to other Iranian politicians going forward. Iran could postpone the operation if the Israeli side guarantees not to invade Lebanon and withdraws its troops from the Gaza Strip, Semenov added. But this is unlikely in the run-up to the US election.

By refusing to retaliate against Israel, Iran would show weakness to the world, which Tehran is not ready to do, expert at the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies Yuri Lyamin agrees. Tehran could possibly reconsider its position only after a radical change in the situation in the region, for example, after a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, the expert believes.

 

Rossiyskaya Gazeta: Interim Prime Minister appointed in Bangladesh after riots

The situation on the streets of Bangladesh remains volatile following riots and the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, but tensions are easing, Rossiyskaya Gazeta writes. Students, who were the driving force behind the riots in protest of widespread unemployment, a lack of job prospects and a job quota system for relatives of those who fought in the 1971 war of independence, have now begun cleaning the streets and regulating traffic in the capital, Meanwhile, an interim government was sworn in Thursday at the Banghaban Presidential Palace.

Economist Muhammad Yunus, who returned to Dhaka from France, was invited to head the cabinet. The 84-year-old professor and banker was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for his ideas on economic development.

In 2022, Bangladesh's Anti-Corruption Commission launched an investigation into Yunus's charitable foundations. On Wednesday, it was announced that a court in Dhaka had acquitted the economist. His legal troubles as well as problems with the previous government will only work to his advantage, senior researcher at the Institute of Asian and African Countries at Moscow State University Ilya Spektor told Rossiyskaya Gazeta.

"Formally, Yunus should call new elections, but the current political situation in the country makes it unlikely that they will be held in the coming months. First, basic order must be restored. Then there is the question of what the students are prepared to do once their main demands have been met. Perhaps they will form a full-fledged political body by the time of the elections," the expert noted.

Russian Ambassador to Bangladesh Alexander Mantytsky noted that Moscow "will cooperate with any leader and government elected by the people of Bangladesh who is ready for equal and mutually respectful dialogue with Russia."

 

Nezavisimaya Gazeta: Central Asia considers creating defense union

Major global players have recently begun ramping up efforts to exert influence on Central Asia. The countries of the region are trying to navigate the situation by strengthening relations with their neighbors. Given that completely severing ties with Russia would mean losing a huge market and aggravate the military-political situation, such steps are unrealistic, Nezavisimaya Gazeta writes. At the same time, steps are being taken to gradually weaken Moscow's role in the region - alternative logistical routes are being sought for the countries of the region to access Western markets through Iran's southern ports, Transcaucasia, and the Middle East. In light of these events, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev proposed an initiative to create a defense union of Central Asian countries.

Tokayev believes that the Central Asian states need to create a unified defense policy. "Amid the persistence of a difficult military-political situation along the perimeter of Central Asia, there is a need for cooperation in the sphere of defense policy and security," he said in his article for Kazakhstanskaya Pravda newspaper on the eve of Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev visit to Astana.

According to Director of the Tashkent-based Man’o Research Initiatives Center Bakhtiyor Ergashev, Tokayev's proposal is most likely a reaction to the aggravation of the global situation and the growing confrontation between world powers. Central Asia has become one of the key regions where the interests of Russia, the United States, China, the European Union, Turkey, and other powers intersect.

The expert told the newspaper that despite the growing threats to Central Asia, the countries of the region are not ready to create a defense union and need to focus on increasing the level of economic interaction and partnership first.

 

Izvestia: Capital outflow from Russia falls to $18 bln per quarter

Net capital outflow from Russia in the Q2 decreased by $10 bln to $18 bln in comparison with the first three months of the year, including legal transactions and funds in the accounts of Russian citizens and companies in foreign jurisdictions. At the same time, for the same period last year, the figure was much lower at $7 bln, according to calculations of the Higher School of Economics. Experts told Izvestia that the outflow has now slowed down against the backdrop of a decline in imports, including due to difficulties with payments, but the seasonal factor also plays an important role.

Capital outflow from Russia has slowed down due to the fact that imports of goods to the country are declining, leading analyst at Freedom Finance Global Natalia Milchakova told the newspaper.

"In addition, the seasonal factor also plays a role in reducing capital outflows from April to June. Importers usually conclude contracts and make purchases at the end or the beginning of the year, while in the middle of the year demand decreases," the expert added.

At the same time, it is too early to talk about a sustainable reduction of capital outflows, Associate Professor at the RUDN University’s Faculty of Economics Andrey Girinsky. The demand for imports and settlements with foreign counterparties remains. However, this process is under control and the figures are unlikely to exceed critical levels, the expert believes.

The decline in imports has become one of the factors that have strengthened the real effective exchange rate of the ruble over the past three quarters, according to the HSE report. The less Russian companies purchase goods abroad, the lower the demand for foreign currency from importers on the domestic market. At the same time, more and more importers and exporters from friendly countries are switching to ruble settlements, Natalia Milchakova noted.

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