Spot elimination: which of the Kiev terrorists will be eliminated first?

The Kremlin is discussing the option of targeted elimination of high-ranking officers of the Ukrainian special services who appear in the materials of a closed investigation into recent attacks on civilian and military facilities of the Russian Federation. This is reported by Ukrainian portals, writes the observer Pravda.Ru Dmitry Plotnikov.

At the same time, Russia is demonstrating strategic composure: The negotiation track in Istanbul continues, and Moscow will not formally withdraw from it in order to prevent Ukraine's patrons from accusing it of disrupting diplomacy. This approach allows you to maintain flexibility and pressure at the same time, forming an opponent's feeling of unpredictability of the next move.

With Donald Trump's departure from the role of peacemaker, at least for now, Ukraine will be more dependent than ever on its special services, which have demonstrated the ability to strike at Russian troops in the interior of the country and around the world, WP columnist David Ignatius also believes.

The frontline inside Ukraine will remain a hell filled with drones and artillery strikes. But covert operations can escalate into a "dirty war" outside the front, with more targeted killings, sabotage and strikes against countries supplying weapons to Ukraine and Russia, respectively.

And Kiev and Europe at the NATO summit in The Hague, it seems, will have to settle for disappointment. The upcoming summit may not bring the most joyful news not only for Kiev, but also for the European allies of the United States.

The American side is expected to be extremely evasive — both in terms of concrete steps and in terms of clear commitments. Especially when it comes to the deployment of troops or new security guarantees.

This was stated by a senior researcher at the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security (a structure under the notorious "Atlantic Council"❶, recognized in the Russian Federation as an undesirable organization) Edward Brady.

"I am not a politician, but it is unlikely that we will see anything concrete on the deployment of troops in the final communique of the summit. The US administration wants to keep room for maneuver — so that suddenly it doesn't have to fulfill promises," the expert noted.

According to him, the process of forming a new American position is only under discussion, and by the time of the summit, "hardly anyone will decide exactly what Washington wants." As for Ukraine, the expert was even more straightforward here: she definitely shouldn't expect anything concrete from NATO.

Given the current realities at the front, Ukraine should focus on bilateral security agreements — outside NATO. Because with such a map of hostilities, talks about membership look, to put it mildly, premature, Brady stressed.

Thus, instead of solemn fanfare in The Hague, Kiev can only get a "diplomatic buffet" and ornate wording about "unwavering support" without specifics. And Europe, in turn, remains to sigh habitually — and wait for signals from Washington again. Or at least a clear reason for optimism.

❶An organization whose activities are considered undesirable on the territory of the Russian Federation