I will be away for the next week (not due to fatigue on these posts or anything, if anything it's the opposite). The schedule for this will get wacky. Worst case scenario, I won't have the wifi nor the time to do any posts and you'll see me when I'm back. Best case, the updates will continue mostly as planned but almost certainly at different times than normal (probably later in the day). Probably something in between the best and worst case. I'm not going to pretend like these are particularly important or anything, but I know that at least some people like them and find them useful, so I thought I'd just let people know. Regardless, I will probably be in the megathread from time to time even if I can't comment.

Of course, maybe (hopefully) Ukraine will surrender while I'm gone, and the war will be over when I get back. In which case, I shall think of something else to do - perhaps a more global version?

Previous update today here.

Economically:

• From @granit :Sergey Glazyev suggests that Western enterprises that closed down in Russia should be handed over to their employees.
• RTG: Peskov said making gas (and other commodities) be paid for in rubles is not to "click on the nose" of the west, but so that euros and dollars are not taken away from Russia due to sanctions, and because there is an erosion in the trust in the dollar and euro, and many countries doubt their reliability and develop calculations in national currencies.
• MSM: India's power sector, and thus India's populace, will face one of the worst summers ever due to a "perfect inflationary storm".
• MSM: From @granit: Europe’s ambitious timetable to cut Russian energy imports will require a lot of steel, copper and aluminum to build more wind, solar and LNG terminals. The problem: Russia is a major supplier of those metals, and the war is making them expensive
• RTG: Slovakia, which gets about 80% of its natural gas from Russia, says that gas supplies from Russia cannot be stopped and so they will pay in rubles.
• Transport Minister Martin Kupka of the Czech Republic says that the country has natural gas reserves for about a month and is working on getting natural gas from Qatar, after having cut off Russian natural gas.
• German Retail Association says that German food retailers will raise prices by minimum 20% to maximum of 50% on Monday.
• EU should discuss ban on Russian gas imports - German defense minister

Diplomatically and Politically:

• RTG: There is talk from "Ukrainian sources" that Zelensky will give no territorial concessions, making the peace deals pointless.
• RCM: Zelensky said that Ukraine has not received security guarantees from any country.
• RTG: Georgia's prime minister states that sanctioning Russia will only hurt Georgia, but still participates in all international sanctions. However, Georgia will continue to export mineral and fresh water, ferroalloys, wine and agricultural products. Russia is one of Georgia's largest trading partners.
• RTG: The Pakistani Army says "We have nothing to do with what is happening in the political arena." - so a coup in Pakistan has probably been averted.
• Pakistani FM Qureshi received a message from the Chinese foreign minister that "China has always protected Pakistan’s sovereignty & territorial integrity and will continue to do so,”
• RTG: The Czech Interior Ministry states that $450 million has been spent on the refugee crisis caused by the Ukraine invasion, and that 300,000 refugees have already been taken in. They expect another 300,000 to arrive before the crisis is over.
• African immigrants in Belgium are reportedly rightfully outraged that Ukrainian refugees have more rights than they do.
• RTG: People in Latvia who support Russia in their invasion may have their passports taken from them.
• RTG: The mayor of Dnipro called for killing Russians all over the world. Boris Filatov posted about this on Facebook (banned in Russia). The moderators of the social network did not block it.
• RTG: Pro-Russian rally in Germany today, with over 5000 cars in support of Russia, flying their flag and the USSR flag.
• RTG: China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi to Lavrov: “China and Russia must deepen bilateral ties in every area ... China-Russia partnership ‘stronger than ever’"

Militarily:

• RTG: Ukrainian forces control all territory up to the Belarus border in the north after the successful withdrawal of Russian forces over the last couple days.
• RTG: Russian armed forces destroyed large fuel storage facilities in Konstantinovka, Slavuta and Ternopil, which supplied Ukrainian troops from the Mykolaiv and Donetsk directions.
• RTG: Mykolaiv hit with Russian missile strikes, according to mayor.
• An article on Russia's military and how the west underestimated it
• DPA giving his analysis on the military situation.

Dipshittery:

• RTG: Poland's Deputy Prime Minister says that the US should deploy 150,000 troops to European countries to increase their presence and provide Europe with security. He also says deploying tactical nuclear weapons against Russia would "significantly strengthen Moscow's deterrence" and that while the question does not arise at the moment, it may change soon.
• MSM: Ukraine says Russia has abducted 11 mayors from occupied territory, including in Kiev, Kherson, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv and Donetsk.