MOSCOW, August 1. /TASS/. Russian forces freed Chasov Yar in the Donetsk People’s Republic, the Kiev regime restored independence to anti-corruption agencies, and new Syrian authorities visited Moscow. These stories topped Friday's headlines across Russia.

 

Izvestia: How liberation of Chasov Yar in DPR alters frontline situation

The successful liberation of the town of Chasov Yar in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) has become a significant step by the Russian army toward the complete freedom of Donbass. The city is located at heights from where roads open to Konstantinovka and the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk agglomeration, the last stronghold of the Ukrainian armed forces in this region. The Ukrainian army turned Chasov Yar into a powerful defensive stronghold, which has been fiercely fought for since last spring, experts reiterated. Now, the defense capability of the Kiev regime’s militants has been significantly weakened, and in the foreseeable future, the situation on the line of engagement may favor Russia.

Following the liberation of Chasov Yar, the road to Konstantinovka, Druzhkovka and Kramatorsk opens, Lieutenant Colonel Roman Shkurlatov, chairman of the Officers of Russia public organization, noted.

"Moreover, by conducting operations out of the Chasov Yar and Ocheretino areas, we can get behind the rear lines of the entire Kramatorsk—Slavyansk agglomeration," he noted. "That said, we will already have an advantage in using unmanned aerial vehicles and long-range weapons. Such a maneuver will make it possible to avoid a direct assault on large localities and bypass well-equipped fortifications where they have been preparing to meet us for years. They were expecting us from the east, and the defensive lines there were thoroughly built. Of course, the Ukrainian army is mounting a defensive line in the potential direction of our advance, but these are less substantial temporary fortifications," the expert added.

The loss of Chasov Yar will cripple the defense capability of the Ukrainian army and make it possible to move on, opening a direct path to the liberation of Konstantinovka, Roman Kovalenko, chairman of the executive committee of the Other Ukraine international movement, told Izvestia.

"Then we will be able to swiftly encircle those populated centers that are located after Konstantinovka. They have been fighting so long and so fiercely for this salient, Chasov Yar, because it really has quite a serious tactical significance," he said.

Chasov Yar is an important point on the way to the complete liberation of Donbass, military expert Viktor Litovkin agrees.

"It is of strategic importance for Ukrainian units," he said. "This is an important transport hub — the crossroads of motorways and railroads, on which the stability of the adjacent sections of the frontline depends. For these reasons, reinforcements were always sent here, and some of the most trained and well-armed Ukrainian units operated here. The town was held for as long as possible, and the fact that we freed it is an important moment during all combat in Donbass," the expert explained.

Litovkin also noted that after the liberation of Chasov Yar, Russian forces opened the way to the Kramatorsk-Slavyansk agglomeration, the last defensive line in Donbass, and the battles that are taking place there will have a serious impact on the development of events on the line of combat engagement.

 

Media: Return of powers to anti-corruption agencies unlikely to halt unrest in Ukraine

Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, under pressure, has passed a law reinstating the independence of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO). The bill was considered against the background of large-scale protests: hundreds of people gathered outside the Ukrainian parliament on the morning of July 31. However, despite the newly acquired independence of anti-corruption bodies, unrest in the country will not stop, experts tell Izvestia. Earlier, the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) said that representatives from the United States and Great Britain discussed replacing Vladimir Zelensky as the country’s leader at a secret meeting with members of the Ukrainian leadership.

The current protests in Ukraine and the recent meeting in the Alps, one way or another, can be seen as approaching a political shift in Ukraine, Vladimir Zharikhin, deputy director of the Institute of CIS Countries, told Izvestia.

"There will be a change of power, but not because of unrest. It will not be a popular revolution, but at the direction of the West," he says.

Essentially, it is impossible to view NABU and SAPO as independent agencies as their activities are supervised by European and US entities, Dmitry Ofitserov-Belsky, researcher at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO RAS), told Vedomosti. As a result, the West got what it wanted and basically made Zelensky "yield." That said, now NABU is unlikely to "take special revenge" on Zelensky and those Rada deputies that voted against the agency, the expert believes.

The powers of NABU and SAPO remained as they were before the July 22 draft bill, political scientist Alexey Makarkin told Vedomosti. That said, a "certain aftertaste still remains," as the crisis around the anti-corruption agencies delivered a blow to Zelensky and his administration’s reputation and his attempt to control NABU and SAPO will not be soon forgotten. These actions also hurt Western supporters of aid to Ukraine who earlier used the existence of independent NABU and SAPO as an argument in the issue of corruption in Ukraine. Currently, NABU, which was practically granted immunity by the West from any attack by Zelensky, may become more assertive, the expert concluded.

 

Vedomosti: Delegation of new Syrian authorities visits Moscow for first time since Assad's fall

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Syrian counterpart Asaad al-Shaibani at the first talks in Moscow since the ouster of Bashar Assad agreed to review relations given the new landscape and discussed the Druze issue. In the meantime, Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov met with his new Syrian colleague Murhaf Abu Qasra, as Russian military bases still remain in the country.

The military bases must have been the central issue of the talks, Andrey Zeltyn, senior lecturer at the School of Asian Studies at the Higher School of Economics (HSE University), believes. Damascus is trying to get political advantages via this issue as well as engage Moscow in negotiations with Israel, the expert added. "Its threat to [Syria’s interim president Ahmed] al-Sharaa is ‘number one issue.’" Damascus could have gotten closer with the US, but there are too many with anti-American sentiments in al-Sharaa’s close circle. Moscow can become an equalizer," the expert explained.

Damascus needs al-Sharaa’s visit to Moscow to display a multivector policy and independence, said Eastern studies scholar Ruslan Suleymanov. The expert added that, for Russia, talks with Syria’s interim government are a way to show an interest in maintaining positions. In addition to the military bases, the negotiations may have focused on the economic and humanitarian situation, the expert believes. "However, Moscow is unlikely to take part in the country’s restoration. It has neither resources nor desire to do so," he explained.

 

Nezavisimaya Gazeta: Trump declares tariff war on BRICS

US President Donald Trump is displaying readiness to fulfill his promise to introduce tariffs on goods from many countries in August, including Brazil, India, China and South Africa which, along with Russia, were at the inception of BRICS. As his statements made clear, at least in two cases (Brazil and India), he is being motivated not simply by the desire to even out the trade balance but by purely political motives. This is not a good sign for Russia. Trump is not ruling out using economic pressure in order to resolve political disputes. That said, not only is he dissatisfied with Russia’s lack of willingness to end the Ukraine conflict but also with BRICS, which he views as a potential threat to the US’ influence globally.

The important factor is that Trump has postponed the introduction of the tariffs for a week, believes Viktor Heifets, director of the Center of Ibero-American Studies at St. Petersburg State University. "Refusing to introduce tariffs against Brazil immediately shows that the US wants to try some sort of middle ground. After all, a trade war against everyone is not a very good prospect. The US economy will definitely withstand the simultaneous introduction of import restrictions against China, India and Brazil, but the American consumer will suffer. He won’t like it one bit," the expert explained.

Brazil is also not likely to rush introducing any retaliatory measures. "It seems to me that the possibility of a compromise between the countries remains. Yes. [Brazilian President Luiz] Lula [da Silva] loudly proclaims that they are not afraid of the US and will respond to it. Yet so far this is mostly about reorienting to other markets than about response to tariffs," Heifets believes. He emphasizes that Brazil cannot ignore the tariffs as they will strongly impact its economy, especially since the US is one of its main commercial partners.

 

Izvestia: Serbia plans to replace Russian gas with supplies from Azerbaijan, US

Dubravka Dedovic-Handanovic, Serbian mining and energy minister, is preparing to announce the liberalization of the country's gas market in the coming days, thereby depriving Gazprom of the status of the primary gas supplier to the republic, Izvestia found out.

This decision will jeopardize talks on a new long-term contract conducted by Moscow and Belgrade. Diversifying gas supplies is one of the requirements for joining the European Union. As the alternative, Belgrade may consider gas deliveries from Azerbaijan and LNG from the US. However, ordinary Serbian consumers will suffer while the economic situation will deteriorate, experts believe.

Serbia’s dependence on Russian gas is viewed by Brussels as Moscow’s instrument of influence, while the EU plans to eliminate Russia’s presence in the Balkan region.

It is no secret that Russia is selling gas to Serbia at a certain discount, that is, cheaper than at the European market. So Belgrade will not find a better deal anywhere. The only accessible options are increasing pipeline gas supplies from Azerbaijan and purchasing LNG with deliveries via Turkey and Bulgaria, lead analyst at the National Energy Security Fund and expert at the Financial University under the Russian Government Igor Yushkov stated.

"Serbia is consuming about three billion cubic meters of gas, Azerbaijan is not likely to be able to deliver such volumes," he pointed out.

For ordinary consumers this will result in price hikes and push enterprises into bankruptcy as they lose their competitive ability, while thanks to discounted gas supplies from Russia, the Serbian economy has been displaying stable growth with 3.8% in 2023 and 3.9% in 2024.

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