Russia

• Ukrainian President Voldymr Zelensky said in an interview aired on Sunday that the Ukrainian counteroffensive started later than he wanted due to a lack of weapons and training. AWC
• After two drones targeted Moscow early Monday, a Ukrainian military intelligence spokesman warned such attacks on the Russian capital city will “continue and increase in scale” in a rare Ukrainian admission of responsibility for attacks inside Russia. AWC
• The Biden administration is holding off on sending Ukraine longer-range missiles, The Washington Post reported Saturday, citing unnamed US officials. AWC
• Secretary of State Antony Blinken told CNN Ukraine’s long-awaited counteroffensive could go on for several months. Kiev launched its operations in early June, sustaining heavy losses and gaining little territory. The US expects Kiev will fail to retake territory, as Ukraine lacks sufficient military equipment. The Institute 

China

• The Chinese Foreign Ministry said Monday that Beijing would take countermeasures in response to the CIA saying it’s making progress on rebuilding spy networks inside China after losing assets in the country over a decade ago. AWC

Korea

• A US submarine arrived in South Korea on Monday, less than a week after the US sent a nuclear-armed submarine to the Korean Peninsula for the first time since 1981. AWC

Middle East

• US Central Command announced on July 20 that the US was deploying a Marines Corps unit and additional warships to the Middle East amid heightened tensions with Iran. AWC
• Moscow said an American drone dangerously approached a Russian fighter jet in Syria and could have caused a collision. The White House and the Kremlin have issued a sequence of statements claiming the other is engaging in confrontational behavior over Syria. The Institute