The World Watch Report for 9 July 2025 - The World was Very Busy

Your daily digest for global news with a focus on the Russia-Ukraine War and other key geopolitical events that are shaping our future.

The World Watch Report for 9 July 2025 includes the Russia-Ukraine War SITREP No. 880 and is 62 pages long.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR TACTICAL SUMMARY

The United States has resumed shipments of 155mm artillery rounds and 227mm rockets for guided multiple-launch rocket systems (GMLRS), following the Department of Defense's freeze on military aid last week.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) “hoped” to bring Lindsey Graham’s (R-SC) “bone-crushing” Russian sanctions bill to a vote before the Senate’s August recess. As we previously assessed, the White House is refusing to move the legislation forward without modifications.

At the time of publication, Ukraine was under another massive drone and missile attack focusing on Kyiv. Ozerne Airbase in the Zhytomyr Oblast of Ukraine was hit by multiple Russian Kh-47M2 Kinzhal air-launched ballistic missiles on 8 – 9 July. The extent of damage is unclear.

There were limited changes to territorial control in the last 24 hours.

In the Sumy area of operation (AO), there were minor adjustments to the gray area in Oleksiivka and in the area of Yunakivka. The VKS (Russian Aerospace Forces) heavily bombed the village of Andriivka.

In the Lyman AO of the Donetsk Oblast, Russian sources claimed, without evidence, that Zelena Dolyna was captured. The village was coded as contested.

Russian sabotage and reconnaissance squads did additional flag-wavings in Tolstoi in the Novopavlivka AO of the Donetsk Oblast. The gray area was expanded.

REST OF WORLD SUMMARY REPORT

EUROPE

PAN EUROPE
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed to strengthen nuclear cooperation and coordinate responses to major threats in Europe. They will also restart joint production of Storm Shadow and SCALP-E cruise missiles.

EUROPEAN UNION
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen faces a no-confidence vote led by Hungary’s Viktor Orban, accused of misusing E.U. funds and election interference. Slovakia once again vetoed the 18th sanctions package against Russia.

AUSTRIA
OPEC banned major news outlets, including the Wall Street Journal and Reuters, from covering its Vienna conference, marking the broadest media restriction yet.

HUNGARY
Hungary may stop buying Russian oil if it can access Ukraine’s Odesa-Brody Pipeline, though experts say the pipeline needs costly upgrades and is unusable until the Russia-Ukraine war ends.

MOLDOVA
The U.S. will impose a 25% tariff on Moldova, effective August 1, unless a new trade deal is reached.

POLAND
Poland worries it’s unprepared for drone warfare, relying on outdated SKYctrl systems and private businesses hiring contractors for defense.

ROMANIA
Moldova’s Chisinau mayor, Ion Ceban, was banned from Romania and the Schengen area for five years due to national security concerns tied to his past political ties.

TÜRKIYE
Turkey’s President Erdoğan faces criticism for arresting over 500 political opponents, including Istanbul’s mayor, Ekrem Imamoğlu, in a growing crackdown targeting the opposition CHP party.

MIDDLE EAST

IRAN
A top Iranian advisor threatened to assassinate U.S. President Trump with drones, following claims by an Iran-linked group raising $40 million for the attempt.

IRAQ
The U.S. announced a 30% tariff on Iraq starting August 1 if no new trade deal is reached.

ISRAEL
Houthi rebels launched a missile at Israel, intercepted by the Arrow-3 system, marking their third attack from Yemen in a week.

YEMEN
Houthi rebels sank the Eternity C ship with missiles and drones, killing four crew members and leaving 14 missing, targeting it for stopping in Israel.

AFRICA

PAN AFRICA
Five African presidents met with U.S. President Trump to boost trade, but key allies like Nigeria were excluded as China’s influence grows on the continent.

MALI
Terror groups claimed attacks on Russian convoys in Mali, damaging a bridge and vehicles with IEDs and possibly artillery strikes.

NIGER
The Islamic State in Greater Sahara claimed an IED attack on a Nigerien Army patrol, alleging injuries and vehicle damage without proof.

ASIA AND OCEANIA

PAN ASIA AND OCEANIA
The U.S. will impose 25% tariffs on the Philippines and Brunei starting August 1 unless new trade deals are reached.

CHINA
Ukraine arrested two Chinese nationals for trying to steal Neptune missile technology, catching them during a sting operation in Kyiv.

MALAYSIA
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russia’s Sergey Lavrov will meet at the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur to discuss undisclosed topics.

AMERICAS

BRAZIL
President Trump threatened 50% tariffs on Brazil unless it halts the trial of former President Jair Bolsonaro, prompting Brazil to plan reciprocal tariffs.

CANADA
U.S. lawmakers blamed Canada for wildfire smoke affecting Minnesota and Wisconsin, accusing officials of forest mismanagement and arson.

UNITED STATES
Six Secret Service agents were suspended after a failed Trump assassination attempt. Another congressperson was blocked from touring an ICE detention facility. Flooding in Texas, North Carolina, and New Mexico has killed over 130 people. A new "rare earths" mine will open in the U.S. on Thursday. X Corp CEO Linda Yaccarino resigned a day after AI chatbot Grok went out of control. The 8th District Court blocked the implementation of the "click-to-cancel" law.

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