August 19th, 2026: Russia’s Top Economist Says Putin Is Losing & Iran Fires on the UAE

Russia is losing the economic and technological competition with the U.S., China, and Ukraine, and will not win the war of attrition.

Klepach's firing is part of a broader Kremlin effort to silence critics and conceal the war's mounting costs.

One missile fell outside UAE territorial waters and the other fell inside UAE territory, with no immediate casualties or damage.

Tehran will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz until Washington fulfills the conditions of the June agreement.

Conversations between the U.S. and different elements of the Iranian government are more robust than ever.

There are no talks or conversations currently taking place with Iran, and none scheduled for the future.

The Pentagon is using long-term contracts to fundamentally change how quickly the U.S. can replenish critical long-range weapons.

The U.S. is not running out of weapons, and what has been used against Iran is "peanuts."

The operation was designed to gather intelligence to help Russia plan future acts of sabotage across Europe.

Russia's hybrid attacks aim to defeat Europe politically and socially and erode public trust in the state.