MOSCOW, August 29. /TASS/. Kiev calls for enhanced NATO support as frontline pressures mount; looking at the global geopolitical landscape on the 75th anniversary of the USSR's first atom bomb test; and Israel expands operations in West Bank. These stories topped Thursday's newspaper headlines across Russia.
Izvestia: Ukraine demands more support from NATO
Kiev continues to demand even more weapons from NATO - this issue topped the agenda at an emergency meeting of the North Atlantic Alliance on August 28, organized at Ukraine’s initiative. Experts interviewed by Izvestia believe that they want to use the weapons to attack Russian territory. Recent reports suggest that London supports attacks deep inside Russia. But even if the Ukrainian armed forces attack dozens of airfields, it will not move the needle in their favor, analysts believe. The parties could have also discussed the situation in Russia’s Kursk region, given the fact that Western countries, according to the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, took part in preparing the operation.
"I think that the urgency of the meeting is connected with Ukraine's retreat along the front line, not in Kursk, but in Donbass, on the contact line. That is why they are trying to get additional support from the West. Secondly, they need to sustain the offensive in Kursk, and that’s hard to do without logistics, reserves and resources," leading researcher at the Center for Security Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences Konstantin Blokhin told the newspaper.
In addition, as in every meeting between Ukraine and NATO, Kiev didn’t forget to bring up the topic of its full membership in the alliance. "Bringing Ukraine into NATO amid the special military operation is a political fantasy," Blokhin believes.
"Their main goal is to inflict as much damage as possible on Russia, although, of course, Ukraine cannot win, and that is obvious. Now they are promoting this Kursk gamble in order to destabilize the situation in Russia," American historian and former Harvard University professor Vladimir Brovkin believes.
However, the likelihood that the US president will give Kiev the go-ahead to escalate this offensive is very low. This is due in large part to the fact that Washington is preoccupied with the upcoming elections in the US, and diplomats are aware that Russia’s patience is wearing thin, that there is a limit to how far they can be pushed, the expert believes. Still, it’s not a stretch to think that Washington will throw caution to the wind and make this move, Izvestia writes.
Izvestia: Global geopolitical scene remains largely unchanged on 75th anniversary of USSR's first nuclear test
Exactly 75 years ago, on August 29, 1949, the Soviet Union conducted its first atom bomb test. The project used knowledge from a wide range of fields, becoming a true "integrator" of scientific progress, President of the Kurchatov Institute National Research Center Mikhail Kovalchuk told Izvestia. The nuclear arms race, however, is far from over, though it is no longer just a standoff between the USSR and the USA. NATO is now aligned against Russia, China, North Korea and Iran, Russian and American experts told Izvestia.
More than half a century has passed since the first nuclear tests, and the world now finds itself in what is, essentially, a new Cold War, Izvestia writes. Many of its features mirror the previous one: the nuclear factor, the arms race, and proxy conflicts in other countries, research fellow at the Center for International Security at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations Vasily Klimov told the newspaper. This time, however, the confrontation has changed in some important ways.
Peter Kuznick, Professor of History and Director of the Nuclear Studies Institute at American University, believes this is no longer a battle between the US and the USSR - now the US and NATO are ganging up on Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran. At the same time, Indian PM Narendra Modi's visit to Moscow during the NATO summit in Washington sent a strong and clear signal to the West, he noted in an interview with Izvestia.
According to him, recent events are particularly alarming, especially in connection with Ukraine's attack on Russia’s Kursk region.
The denunciation of a number of arms control treaties, as well as conflicts in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip, only increase tensions. However, every crisis provides an opportunity to create a new security architecture that will suit all parties, Izvestia writes.
Despite the ongoing special military operation in Ukraine and the indirect involvement of the United States in it, the parties are avoiding a nuclear conflict, still viewing this form of weapon primarily as a tool for military-political deterrence, Vasily Klimov believes.
Meanwhile, in recent months, Washington has intensified talks on the restoration of the New START Treaty. The US Embassy in Russia has emphasized Washington's readiness to discuss arms control, but Moscow is adamant that any security dialogue must focus on the broader Ukrainian issue.
Nezavisimaya Gazeta: Netanyahu hits West Bank with full force
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has launched a large-scale operation in the West Bank. According to members of Benjamin Netanyahu's government, the military is working "with full force" to destroy the underground infrastructure Iran has reportedly established there. Representatives of the Hamas group have already condemned these military actions as an attempt to extend the war in Gaza to the West Bank, and called on their supporters to use all means of resistance. According to experts interviewed by Nezavisimaya Gazeta, Israel may have taken these measures out of fear of a repeat of the tragedy that occurred on October 7, 2023.
An escalation in the West Bank together with the war in Gaza will have disastrous consequences for all involved, with no exceptions, official Palestinian spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh said. He called on the US presidential administration to urgently intervene and stop the war, as befits Israel's main ally.
"The plans of Iran and Hamas include strengthening the eastern front against Israel in Judea and Samaria (terms used for the West Bank)," former member of the Israeli parliament and Head of international expert center ICES Alexander Tsinker told the newspaper.
"The activity of Hamas militants has sharply increased, and in connection with this, remembering the October 7 tragedy, and realizing that such an attack on the border with central Israel could lead to even more tragic results, the army leadership planned and the IDF military carried out an anti-terrorist operation on the night of August 28," he added. The expert stressed that for the first time in a long while, aviation is being used extensively in this area.
So far it seems clear that the charged atmosphere in the West Bank could lead to wider clashes between IDF units and the Palestinians, especially against the backdrop of the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip, the newspaper writes.
Vedomosti: Russia eyes overseas production of drones
Manufacturing facilities for Russian drones may start popping up in friendly countries - the Federal Air Transport Agency proposed in a letter to the Ministry of Transport to include such a clause in the national project "Unmanned Aircraft Systems." Vedomosti has reviewed the letter and its authenticity was confirmed by two sources working first-hand on the project. The Air Transport Agency also proposed to support Russian unmanned aircraft systems manufacturers entering the markets of Asia, Africa, Latin America, as well as to create platforms for interaction between industry participants from BRICS countries, the document said.
A number of friendly countries have no restrictions on the purchase of electronic components and dual-use materials, making the creation of drone assembly sites abroad a promising endeavor for Russia, CEO of drone company Cursir and market expert at the National Technology Initiative Aeronet Vitaly Munirov told Vedomosti.
Production can and should be set up in African and Latin American countries, Director of RuDrones Dmitry Datsykov believes. For example, Kenya is a dynamically developing country which has special economic zones where taxes are reduced or eliminated, making it more cost-effective to do business there, he noted. After Kenya, it would be easier to expand into the markets of other countries on the continent, he added.
Countries in Africa, South America, and Indonesia are genuinely interested in hosting production sites for Russian drones, CEO of Rusdronoport Nikolay Ryashin agrees. This is due to the fact that these countries do not want to rely solely on China and are looking for alternatives.
On the other hand, General Director of Stratim Pavel Kostyunin believes there is no need to focus on making Russian UAVs abroad, since their mass production should first be set up in Russia. Russian UAVs are already in demand abroad with the total export of drones in 2018-2022 reaching 600 mln rubles ($6.53 mln).
Nezavisimaya Gazeta: India tries to strengthen its presence in Central Asia
New Delhi is preparing to host the second summit of leaders of India and Central Asian states, which may take place this fall. The meeting is expected to become an important step in strengthening India's relations with Central Asia, Nezavisimaya Gazeta writes. The summit was preceded by a two-day security conference in New Delhi on August 28, attended by the heads of Central Asian foreign ministries. India is concerned about the threat of the spread of extremism and terrorism from Afghanistan to Central Asia, which directly affects New Delhi since Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan, which border Afghanistan, are important regional partners for India.
"The security sector is one of the key areas of cooperation between the Central Asian countries and India. The main thing that New Delhi can offer in this area is significant experience in combating radical extremist organizations, assistance in strengthening the capabilities of anti-terrorist units, and combating drug trafficking," Director of the Center for Public Diplomacy and Analysis of World Politics, research fellow at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences Alexander Vorobyov told Nezavisimaya Gazeta.
In his opinion, the problem lies in the multidirectional policy of the Central Asian states, who aim to receive resources and support from various centers of influence.
According to Director General at Strategy East-West analytical center Dmitry Orlov, India's activities in Central Asia show that this country, along with Russia, China, the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, and the Persian Gulf monarchies, all want to influence the region. At the same time, only Russia, China and Iran have direct access to the region. "All other countries, including India, do not have this advantage," Orlov told Nezavisimaya Gazeta.
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