Nato anticipates no breakthrough in Kharkiv, cites other threats

It happened while you were sleeping. Here’s what global agencies reported on the night from Thursday to Friday.

• NATO does not expect a breakthrough in the direction of Kharkiv. The Russians do not have the required forces. However, other threats were identified. - They don't have the skill and the capability to do it, to operate at the scale necessary to exploit any breakthrough to strategic advantage - said the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, General Christopher Cavoli, quoted by PAP. He added that despite specific Russian successes at the local level, the Ukrainians "will hold the line." Meanwhile, the Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, Admiral Rob Bauer, referred to the changes in the Russian army since the start of the war. He stated that Russia has begun to use electronic warfare means, improved logistics, and is developing industrial capabilities faster than Europe and the USA. However, he noted that the Kremlin has a problem with training soldiers due to the lack of officer personnel who have been killed in Ukraine.

• "No one leaves the house"—a massive attack on Novorossiysk. "No one leaves the house. Neither to school nor to work," - the Deputy Mayor of Novorossiysk wrote on Telegram. Over 35 drones fell on the Russian city. Fires broke out in many places. There's no electricity in parts of the city, and public transport isn't functioning. In the morning, there was also an attack on a refinery in Tuapse. Thetown's Deputy Mayorn, Alexander Yamenskow, told residents to stay home. Moreover, according to the Russian portal Baza, parents of local school children are starting to receive messages informing them that their children "do not need to attend educational institutions today."

• Hell in paradise. State of emergency in New Caledonia. Paris sends military. Gerald Darmanin, the French Minister of the Interior, assured on Thursday that the French government will "regain control" of the situation in New Caledonia, a French overseas territory. The region is experiencing riots that erupted due to changes in the electoral system proposed by the Paris government. A state of emergency has been declared. During his appearance on France 2 television, Darmanin announced that "in the next few hours, the state will fully regain control." Shortly after this statement, the minister reported another fatality of the riots. This time, it was a person serving in the gendarmerie who was fatally shot on Thursday. This means that since Monday, when the riots began, five people have already died.

• "Vassalisation of Moscow to Beijing". Putin fell into a trap? Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, currently on an official visit to China, is trying to persuade Beijing to recognize Russia as an equal partner. However, the Chinese government seems interested in ensuring that the ongoing conflict in Ukraine leads to Russia's subordination to China, reports Business Insider, citing expert opinions. Chels Michta, an expert from the Centre for European Policy Analysis (CEPA), explains that although Chinese support has allowed the Russian economy to survive Western sanctions, this cooperation has served China's interests more than Moscow's, which has become a subordinate partner in this partnership.

• Tesla near Berlin to expand. Activists are furious. The municipality of Gruenheide near Berlin has paved the way for the expansion of the American electric car manufacturer Tesla factory. On Thursday - under police protection - the municipal council voted by majority to adopt the amended development plan. In recent days, over a thousand activists have opposed this decision. After criticism from the local community, Tesla's expansion plan was modified to ensure that the interference with local forests was less than initially anticipated, reports the dpa agency.