Putin has a “very cheerful voice”, he is not in a coma

Russian President Vladimir Putin has not "fallen into a coma" and is not "looking for a replacement" now, said the head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, in his Telegram channel. "I want to disappoint you - I recently spoke with the president, he has a very cheerful voice, a commanding one, and he is ready to complete the" special operation "," Kadyrov said. The head of the republic did not specify where exactly he had read "such ridiculous nonsense" about the president's health.

US allocates another $1 billion to Ukraine

US President Joe Biden announced the allocation of an additional $1 billion military aid package to Ukraine. This was reported on the website of the White House. The new package of military assistance to Kyiv will include additional artillery, weapons for coastal defense, ammunition for artillery and advanced missile systems. Another $225 million will be allocated as humanitarian assistance to provide people with clean drinking water, life-saving medical supplies, food and basic necessities.

Kherson port, where grain is blocked, has started working

Kherson seaport has started to work again. This is stated in the message of the "military-civilian administration" of the occupied Kherson region. After the start of the war, grain exports from Ukraine dropped sharply. According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Russia has blocked 22 million tons of food products in Ukrainian ports. In addition, she “gradually steals, exports and tries to sell” Ukrainian products for export. According to the estimates of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, since the beginning of the war, Russia has stolen and exported at least 400,000 tons of Ukrainian grain.

Europe agreed with Israel and Egypt on gas supplies

The European Union signed an agreement in Cairo with Israel and Egypt on the supply of liquefied natural gas to Europe. Israel will export gas through Egypt, which has the necessary capacity to liquefy and export it. The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said that the agreement would allow for stable gas supplies from the Eastern Mediterranean. According to her, the new agreements on gas supplies will help get rid of energy dependence on Russia.

Ex-captain of the Russian national football team urged Putin to stop the war

Former captain of the Russian national football team and football player of Zenit, Dynamo, Anji and Lokomotiv Igor Denisov called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop the war. Denisov admitted that he even recorded a video message to the President of Russia, in which he was ready to kneel, if only the head of state would withdraw the troops and stop the war. He offered the same video to the media, but no one began to publish it. The athlete also said that he was afraid to upload and record a video with an anti-war appeal, but he "cannot be silent."

Shortage of tea bags in Russia due to the war

Russian tea producers are faced with a shortage of filter paper needed for the production of tea bags, which may lead to a shortage of tea bags in the Russian market. Filter paper was included in the fifth package of European Union sanctions against Russia due to the war in Ukraine, Japan introduced similar restrictions. The enterprises of these countries accounted for the main flow of imports of filter paper, which is not possible to quickly replace. The bans come into force only on August 10, but already now enterprises cannot replenish stocks due to logistical problems.

US to increase VPN funding to help Russians bypass censorship

The US government will provide additional funding to three VPN services that provide Russian users with access to blocked sites. Washington wants to help Russians bypass Internet censorship. The nthLink, Psiphon and Lantern services will receive additional funding. After the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, Russia massively blocked social networking sites and independent media. This was the reason for the rise in popularity of VPN services that allow you to bypass blocking. Over the past 6 years, VPN services have received $4.8 million from the US government to help circumvent censorship in various countries, but since February, their funding has almost doubled.

Loboda arrived in Irpin

Singer Svetlana Loboda came to Ukraine for the first time since the beginning of the war. She visited the city of Irpin, Kyiv region, where she was born and raised. On Instagram, Loboda posted a video of a meeting with the mayor of the city Alexander Markushin and photos of the blown up bridge on the Novoirpinskaya highway, destroyed houses in Irpen and local residents.

“I don’t know what needs to happen for the Ukrainians to forgive everything that happened here,” the singer wrote under the video.

During a performance in Yerevan in early June, Loboda promised to transfer half of the money from each concert to Irpin's needs. On February 28, she recorded a video and asked to "stop this horror." Only on March 24, the singer for the first time called the war a war and said that Russia had attacked Ukraine. Loboda opened a volunteer center and helps Ukrainian refugees. The singer is denied entry to Russia, where she has built a career in recent years.