Yesterday was a wild one in Russia. Many of you may remember the coup attempt against Vladimir Putin in June. The march on Moscow was led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the mercenary Wagner Group. The relationship between Putin and Prigozhin was a tumultuous friendship, with the latter constantly complaining to the president that the army’s generals were not supplying them well as they battled against the Ukrainian forces.
When he was finally fed up with the deprivation, Prigozhin led his troops on a trek to the Russian capital city. But before reaching his destination, the coup mysteriously fizzled out leaving people wondering what trump card Putin had pulled out against the mercenary leader, or whether the march on Moscow was real at all. Was it just a ruse that the two old friends cooked up as a false flag?
Various sanctions were declared against the Wagner Group following the coup attempt, but soon everything seemed back to normal. Wagner troops were in Belarus, Niger and other parts of western Africa, and Ukraine. In fact, just Tuesday Prigozhin released a video from Africa talking about how Moscow was to become a major player on the continent. But as anyone who has dealt with Russia knows, revenge is a dish that is best served cold.
In Your Inbox
Yesterday afternoon, a plane fell from the sky in Russia’s Tver region killing everyone on board. Witnesses say that it was shot down. Soon it was discovered that on-board the jet were Yevgeny Prigozhin and his second-in-command, Dmitry Otkin. The lesson? Don’t get on the wrong side of Vladimir Putin.
Palestinian Terrorists Take More Innocent Lives
A 60-year-old Jewish father and his 28-year-old son drove to a car wash in Huwara, West Bank, on Saturday where they were gunned down at close range by a Palestinian terrorist. Known and loved by many, Shay Silas Nigreker and Aviad Nir were laid to rest Sunday night, as the manhunt continues for their murderer.
On Monday in Hebron, also in the West Bank, a Jewish kindergarten teacher and mother of three, Batsheva Nigri, was killed when a terrorist in a passing vehicle peppered the car she was in with bullets. She died at the scene, while a man she was traveling with was rushed to the hospital in serious condition. Two Palestinians were arrested for the shooting the next day.
While visiting the scene of Nigri’s murder, Yoav Gallant, Israel’s Defense Minister, laid blame for the recent proliferation of terrorist attacks at the feet of Tehran, saying, “It is important to understand the significant change that is taking place on the ground: it is related to Iranian funding, and to the proliferation of weapons under the Iranian directive…. Iran seeks every means to harm the citizens of Israel.”
Immigrants Continue to Pour into Israel
Immigrants making aliyah to Israel continue to pour into the country. In the first half of the year, 34,530 people declared their new home to be within the nation’s borders. The number would be higher, but Russia has slowed their emigration flow to a trickle, allowing only 2,500 to move to Israel per month. This is despite there being about 60,000 Russian Jews who are ready to make aliyah as soon as they are given the opportunity. In 2022, approximately 75,000 immigrants landed in Israel.
Tel Aviv Opens Israel’s First Metro
After seven years of work, including numerous delays, Israel’s first light rail line launched in Tel Aviv. The Red Line covers 24 km, of which half is underground. In the future, three light rail and three metro routes will be added to this inaugural line.
Celebrating this momentous occasion, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “This is a festive event for Israel. Today, we are realizing the transport vision of Israel: we promised and we have delivered.”
Israel Increases Gas Input to Help Egypt
Egypt is approaching an energy crisis as their needs grow. So, they’ve reached out to their neighbor, Israel, to help. Already, 43% of Israel’s natural gas production goes to Egypt and Jordan, which has helped to open the doors of friendship a little wider.
Now, Israel will increase its production over the next several years in order to help Egypt with their energy struggle. Some energy-minded people within Israel are concerned that increasing exports could lead to an energy shortage in Israel as its demand grows. However, Israel’s Energy Minister has reassured the nay-sayers, guaranteeing adequate supplies for domestic use.
Israeli Air Strike Hits Iranian Targets in Syria
Israeli jets and guided missiles hit targets in and around Damascus on Monday morning. Targeted were Iranian and Hezbollah facilities, as well as a new Iranian weapons shipment that had arrived at the Damascus airport. Four Syrian soldiers were killed in the attack, and another four were wounded.
In related news, the Washington Post released a story last Thursday in which they claim that last January the Mossad bombed a drone factory in Isfahan, Iran, while Russian officials were there to tour the facility. The Russians were kept inside in case the Israelis planned on targeting them, also.
Iran Claims to have Captured and Executed Western Spies
If you think those people that Iran is detaining are hostages, you’d be wrong, at least according to the country’s Minister of Intelligence Esmail Khatib. They are actually “spies from Sweden, France, and Britain.” Because of their acts of espionage, a number of “spies have been executed,” claims Khatib.
Tehran Releases New Offensive Drone
The Defense Ministry of Iran unveiled a new offensive drone on Tuesday called the Mohajer-10. This UAV, which looks remarkably similar to a US MQ-9 Reaper drone, is capable of carrying multiple types of weapons up to 300 kg. With a range of 2,000 km and an average speed of 350 km/hour, this new weapon can remain aloft for up to 24 hours at a time. I’ve got to give credit where credit is due: that is a scary aircraft.
Nightly Drone Attacks in Moscow
Tuesday marked the sixth night in a row that Ukrainian drones damaged buildings in Moscow. The attack on that particular night was significant enough that all the airports in the capital city closed. Meanwhile, Moscow continues to pound Ukraine with its missiles.
On Saturday, a Russian ballistic missile hit a theater in the center of Chernihiv, killing 10 and injuring 11. Despite the constant loss of life, a poll showed that 90.4% of Ukrainians are not ready to give up territories to Russia, even if it meant ending the war.
Russia Fails and India Succeeds in Moon Race
The good news for the Russian space program is that their Luna-25 spacecraft made it all the way to the surface of the moon on Saturday. The bad news is that it was traveling at an extremely high rate of speed, causing it to “cease to exist”, according to Roskosmos, Russia’s state space corporation.
Their opponent in this modern race to the moon was India, who on Wednesday celebrated as their craft, the Chandrayaan-3, softly settled onto the lunar dust. India is the fourth nation to land a spacecraft on the moon, but it is the first to place that landing in its unexplored southern polar region.
China’s Spreading Influence through BRICS
The BRICS economic bloc met this week in Johannesburg. One of the primary subjects discussed by the five member nations, Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, was expanding their rosters to include more countries. Already more than 20 nations are seeking to join, and at the summit the decision was made to open the doors to Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
The West needs to keep their eyes on this growing economic alliance. It is the perfect venue for China to continue to spread its global interests and influence into countries that formerly aligned themselves with Europe and the United States.
Back in 2001, when the bloc was still BRIC without South Africa yet, Goldman Sachs economist Jim O’Neill predicted that by 2050 the four nations would come to dominate the world economy.
