MOSCOW, October 8. /TASS/. Kiev is preparing plans for strikes on Russia with US-made Tomahawk missiles, and Canada may get involved in the West’s confrontation with Russia in the Baltic region. Hamas insists that Israel withdraw its troops before freeing hostages. These stories topped Wednesday's newspaper headlines in Russia.

 

Nezavisimaya Gazeta: Kiev preparing plans for strikes on Russia with Tomahawks

The question of the United States providing Ukraine with Tomahawk cruise missiles seems to have been resolved. Media reports say Washington has signed a deal with the Netherlands to send at least 200 such missiles that, under NATO arrangements, may be transferred to Ukraine. Who will operate these weapons and for what goals remains unclear. Valery Zaluzhny, the former commander of the Ukrainian armed forces, said Kiev still hopes to achieve progress in its conflict with Russia by modernizing its military as he noted that it will soon form cyber forces and space troops.

Judging by the geography of recent attacks on Russia, the Ukrainian armed forces appear to have been given approval to strike not only the distant areas in Russia’s Volga region but also targets beyond the Urals. Western outlets reported that US President Donald Trump wanted to know what Ukrainian forces intended to do with Tomahawks before sending them. "I think I want to find out what they're doing with them," the US leader told journalists. "Where are they sending them? I guess I'd have to ask that question," he said.

As he addressed this matter earlier in Washington, Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky said Moscow, too, could be targeted. The Kremlin regards potential Tomahawk supplies as deeply concerning. This would mark a major escalation, as such missiles may carry nuclear warheads, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

"I think [the US] may accelerate Tomahawk Block V-type missile deliveries to Europe and later to Ukraine amid the Pentagon’s aim to test those in combat," retired Colonel and military expert Vladimir Popov told Nezavisimaya Gazeta.

Furthermore, on October 7, the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament) held the first reading of a bill on creating cyber forces in Ukraine. "Ukrainian troops are being upgraded rapidly," Popov continued. "In 2024, drone units were formed within the Ukrainian army, and in 2025 it established assault troops and a special air defense drone command, with cyber and space forces coming next," he said. The expert believes this reform warrants close attention. "Ukraine is still preparing for continued combat against Russia. And the United States and its NATO partners have been supporting Kiev throughout. There should be no illusions about this," he concluded.

 

Izvestia: Canada may join West’s confrontation with Russia in Baltic region

Canada is holding discussions with Great Britain to join the London-led Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), Russian Ambassador to Ottawa Oleg Stepanov told Izvestia. For now, the Canadians choose to cooperate with the British in certain projects on a bilateral level. Among other things, they train British crews in Arctic navigation and conduct joint research and development, particularly in space-based Arctic monitoring.

Together with its allies, the United Kingdom is continuing efforts to develop the JEF, a British embassy representative in Moscow confirmed to Izvestia. "We and our allies are working to enhance the Joint Expeditionary Force as a capable and determined coalition committed to bolstering NATO’s deterrence potential in Northern Europe and the Arctic," the diplomat said.

Not only the notorious Euro-Atlantic solidarity drives the idea of including Ottawa in the JEF, political analyst Denis Denisov told Izvestia in an interview. According to him, Canada has both means and expertise to produce Navy-related weapons. And this is very important for JEF members, as there are few nations with advanced naval forces among them.

Ottawa can indeed reinforce the maritime component of the JEF. Canada already deploys vessels as part of NATO’s standing naval groups operating in the Baltic region, Yury Zverev, director of the Center for Overseas Studies at Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University, explained to Izvestia. "Canada’s Air Task Force based in Britain’s Prestwick provides strategic transport for Operation Reassurance and other air missions worldwide," the expert said.

 

Izvestia: Hamas demands withdrawal of Israeli troops before freeing hostages

Two Hamas leaders who survived the Israeli airstrike on Doha on September 9, Khalil al-Hayya and Zaher Jabarin, headed another round of talks in Egypt on October 6. The Israeli delegation comprised Ophir Falk, a foreign policy adviser to the Israeli prime minister, and Coordinator for Hostages Gal Hirsch, who were later joined by Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer.

The first meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh lasted about four hours, and Egyptian media said the talks were held "in a constructive way" and continued on October 7. Even as the two sides worked out a roadmap for dialogue, consultations might be postponed due to disagreements between Hamas and Israel.

Hamas outlined its terms. Media reports said that during the first round of Monday’s talks, Hamas called for a ceasefire and the pullout of troops from residential areas in the Gaza Strip by Israel before moving forward with a prisoner exchange. "Khalil al-Hayya reaffirmed Hamas’ earlier stance that remains unchanged and contradicts the group’s official message conveyed by Trump," Roman Yanushevsky, editor-in-chief at Israel’s Channel 9, told Izvestia.

Officials told Saudi Arabia’s Asharq television that the two sides discussed procedural mechanisms for further consultations. There are plans to address a ceasefire, a prisoner exchange, and the handover of held Israelis, both living and dead, within the coming days. The TV channel said the talks could last about a week.

Hani Salah, an expert on Palestinian resistance, believes there are no guarantees of achieving a full end to the conflict under current conditions, as Israel has been acting with the complete backing of the United States. "Hamas has agreed to the first phase of a hostage swap to avoid further civilian casualties, while the risk of Israeli captives dying amid shelling remains significant," he told Izvestia.

Meanwhile, on October 7, pro-Palestinian supporters gathered in several cities, while anti-Israeli protests took place in Sydney and in the European cities of Athens, Geneva, London, Paris, Istanbul, and Stockholm.

 

Kommersant: Duma approves agreement on Russia’s defense cooperation with Cuba, Togo

On Tuesday, the State Duma ratified accords on military cooperation between Russia and two Global South nations, Cuba and Togo. Lawmakers voted unanimously for the corresponding documents. The agreements signed in March provide for developing bilateral collaboration in defense, sharing expertise, and protecting confidential information.

The new accords align with Russia’s current foreign policy strategy, which focuses on strengthening its positions in Latin America to counter the United States and gradually reducing foreign influence through training, technical cooperation, and technology exchange in Africa. While Cuba has been a longstanding partner since the Soviet era, the Togolese previously leaned more toward Western Europe.

Even as a small nation with a population of around 9 million, Togo holds a significant role in West Africa as a logistics hub and the only sea outlet for the Alliance of Sahel States, including Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, Nikita Panin, program coordinator at the Russian International Affairs Council and researcher at the Center for African Studies at the Higher School of Economics (HSE University), told Kommersant. Key transit routes run through the country, and Togolese ports facilitate exports from neighboring states. As for the framework deal with Russia, it is largely standard, Panin noted: Russia has concluded similar agreements with other African countries. Among other aspects, it includes intelligence exchange, which is especially important for northern Togolese regions occasionally attacked by jihadist groups from neighboring Sahel nations, the expert added.

In addition, cooperation may include naval elements, mainly to monitor the coast along the Gulf of Guinea, Panin continued. In 2011, Togo signed an agreement with France to train its military and host advisors, he recalled, but West African countries have lessened their reliance on France in recent years, viewing Russia as a more adaptable and dependable partner, the expert concluded.

 

Vedomosti: Gaza war spurs rise in Israeli weapons imports

The United States accounts for 66% of Israeli arms imports, a report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), timed to mark the second anniversary of the Gaza war, showed. According to it, despite mounting international pressure on the Jewish state, it has notably boosted weapons imports. Between 2010 and 2014, the country ranked 34th in terms of arms purchases from abroad, and it climbed to 15th place in 2020-2024, accounting for 1.9% of global imports.

Pro-Israeli voters in the United States strongly shape the political processes in the country, therefore the current US administration has to take their interests into account when making foreign policy decisions, Pavel Koshkin, senior researcher at the Institute for US and Canadian Studies, told Vedomosti. "Next year, the country will hold midterm elections, and the Republicans are trying to gain the support of Jewish influencers in advance," he said. The US defense industry is another major beneficiary of US military aid, as well as the ongoing war in Gaza, Koshkin continued.

Overall, since 1948, the United States has sold weapons worth more than $130 billion to Israel, according to figures from the US Department of State.

Although Israel is an important US ally, the country is not the primary destination for American defense exports, military expert Andrey Frolov, a senior researcher at the Center for Complex European and International Studies of HSE University, noted. "The more so since a significant portion of these supplies is funded by American taxpayers." He is confident that the White House will continue to provide military assistance to Israel, despite international criticism.

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