Russia has begun sending troops and military vehicles to Belarus ahead of February drills as tension with the West rises over potential Ukraine invasion. (vayar.mil.by)
Tensions have been flying high between Moscow and the West for months, with little prospect currently of imminent de-escalation. Stress is also mounting between Russia and Ukraine, as Russian military activities in the surrounding region increase. In Washington, the White House and President Joseph Biden argue that a Russian invasion of Ukraine could be pending. The Kremlin has, in turn, repeatedly claimed it has no intentions of deploying troops into Ukraine.
Dr. Pavel E. Felgenhauer is a Moscow-based defense analyst and columnist for Novaya Gazeta. He served as senior research officer in the Soviet Academy of Sciences, from where he received his Ph.D. Dr. Felgenhauer has published widely on Russian foreign and defense policies, military doctrine, arms trade and the military-industrial complex. He comments regularly in local and international media on Russia’s defense-related problems.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev are scheduled to join U.S. President Donald Trump for an "official Peace Signing Ceremony" on Aug. 8.
U.S. President Donald Trump said the ceasefire deadline he set for Russia — scheduled for Aug. 8 — now depends on Vladimir Putin. "We’re going to see what he has to say. It's going to be up to him," Trump told reporters on Aug. 7.
Ukrainian law enforcement detained two minors recruited by Russia who carried out a terrorist attack in Zhytomyr city earlier this week, killing one man and seriously injuring another, the Security Service of Ukraine announced on Aug. 7.
Ukraine's military launched a drone attack on Russia's Volgograd Oblast overnight on Aug. 7, striking a railway station in the town of Surovikino, regional Governor Andrei Bocharov reported.
"This step will help ensure transparency and legality in the work of enlistment offices' teams, as well as protect the rights of both sides," Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal said.
"As in May 2025, the only plan that can be the subject of discussions and approval by the Ukrainian public is a joint plan from Europe and Ukraine," the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology read.
"Parents of some of them were killed by occupation authorities, others were simply issued Russian identification documents to legitimize their abduction," said Mykola Kuleba, head of the Save Ukraine organization.
Members of the Russian Community reportedly arrived at the cemetery in Russia's Karelia region before the ceremony on Aug. 5 and doused participants with water while singing the patriotic Soviet song “Katyusha,” according to Sova.
"Yesterday (Aug. 6), various potential formats for leader-level meetings to bring peace were also discussed – two bilateral and one trilateral," President Volodymyr Zelensky said after a phone call with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
