Up to 100 people are believed to have been inside the mall when it came under attack | A large fire has broken out at a shopping mall in the Russian city of Donetsk after the building was shelled by Ukrainian forces, the head of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), Denis Pushilin, said on Friday. ● Footage of the blaze at the Galaktika center has been shared on social media. TASS initially reported that the building caught fire after the Petrovsky district of the DPR capital was shelled. ● Pushilin later confirmed the attack, writing on his official Telegram channel that Ukrainian forces had targeted the area at around noon on Friday, causing the mall to catch fire. The blaze spread to more than 10,000 square meters. Donetsk Central Hospital No. 14 was also damaged in the bombardment, he said. ● Pushilin added that at least 11 civilians have been injured, including a teenager. Ukrainian forces reportedly conducted a large-scale attack on the city’s Petrovsky district throughout the day, using 155-mm artillery and kamikaze drones. Kiev has so far carried out 14 attacks and fired about 50 rounds of ammunition, Pushilin said.

■ Ukraine Bombs Shopping Center in Donetsk (Hal Turner)
■ Imitating the Nazis and desecrating graves: Ukrainian troop actions amid attack on Russia (RT.com)
■ IN BRIEF: What we know about Ukrainian attack on shopping mall in Donetsk (TASS)
■ Ukraine's Strike on Donetsk Mall Sparks Blaze and Leaves Eleven Injured (Sputnik News)

The Pentagon is reportedly already working through the details of a potential transfer of JASSM missiles | The White House is “open” to sending long-range cruise missiles to Ukraine, which could give previously transferred F-16 jets greater combat ability, Politico reported on Thursday, citing officials in the Biden administration. ● The unnamed officials reportedly told the outlet that no final decision has been made on sending the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM), but the Pentagon is currently “working through the complicated details.” Those issues reportedly include reviews of the transfer of sensitive technologies, and ensuring Ukraine’s jets can launch the 2,400-pound missile, which carries a 1,000-pound warhead. [...] Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that any base hosting Ukrainian F-16s would become a legitimate target for the Russian military, while the Kremlin has declared that no amount of Western hardware will win the conflict for Ukraine.

■ Biden Considering Sending Long-Range Cruise Missiles to Ukraine (Antiwar.com)

Throughout the interview, Abu Shujaa discusses the nature of "Israel's" weakness, the assassination plots against him, and his messages to the support fronts and the people of Gaza. | Al Mayadeen conducted an interview with the commander of the Tulkarm Brigade within al-Quds Brigades, Mohammad Jaber "Abu Shujaa", which translates to "the father of courage", the Israeli occupation's most wanted individual in the occupied West Bank. Abu Shujaa insisted his first media interview be with Al Mayadeen, despite "Israel" and its apparatus' pursuit of him.

■ Gaza Health Ministry: Over 40,000 Killed By Israeli Onslaught (Antiwar.com)
■ As Gaza death toll passes 40,000, corpses are buried in yards, streets, tiered graves (Associated Press)

Commentary by the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Ms. M.V. Zakharova, on the situation in Moldova

  💬 The current leadership of Moldova, hiding behind slogans of "European integration" and Russophobic rhetoric, is continuing the realization of the Ukrainian scenario, which is disastrous for the country and its people.

1) On August 1, Moldovan Foreign Minister M. Popşoi said Russia allegedly feels "enormous envy" towards Moldova and its "success in strengthening democratic institutions". In reality, through the efforts of the pro-Western leaders, the Republic has turned into a totalitarian state with a crumbling economy and one of the poorest countries in Europe.

How can we not envy such outstanding "successes"? The hypocrisy of such statements is also noted in Moldova itself, where, as the presidential elections and the "euro-referendum" approach, the actions of the authorities are increasingly compared to the agony of the regime.

  ■ Repression against the opposition and all those who disagree with the leadership's actions is intensifying in Moldova. [...]
  ■ Total cleansing of the information space of the Republic continues. [...]
  ■ The pace of artificial Romanization of Moldova is not decreasing. New symbols and ideals are imposed on the population of      the country. [...]

Realizing the failure of the European integration adventure, the Moldovan authorities are making frantic attempts to keep this project afloat by any means. All forces and means are being used. To promote the “euro-referendum”, administrative resources and financing from the state budget are shamelessly used (Moldovan government spokesman D. Voda confessed to the use of funds from the State Chancellery for this purpose). [...]

  👉 Thus, instead of solving urgent socio-economic problems, the Moldovan authorities focus on the struggle with political opponents and use anti-democratic methods and the full range of repressive apparatus.

And what else is left when, according to polls, almost two-thirds of Moldovans believe that the authorities are leading their country in the wrong direction? (Translation: DeepL + Language wash: Grammarly) (Full text in Russian HERE) (© MAP)

■ Will Westerners Soon Pilot Ukrainian F-16s Out Of Moldova For Sorties Against Russia? (Andrew Korybko)

The AfD’s Marie-Therese Kaiser was fined for pointing out that Afghans are 70 times more likely to commit the offense than Germans | A court in Lower Saxony has convicted Alternative for Germany (AfD) politician Marie-Therese Kaiser of inciting hatred by sharing government data showing that Afghans are disproportionately more likely to commit gang rape. ● Kaiser, who leads the right-wing party’s Rotenburg chapter, made a post on Facebook in 2021 criticizing the mayor of Hamburg for offering asylum to 200 Afghans who had worked with German troops in Afghanistan. Kaiser described the Afghans as “culturally alien masses” and linked to an article containing government statistics showing that Afghans in Germany are 70 times more likely to commit gang rape than native Germans. [...] Kaiser was issued 100 daily fines of €60, amounting to €6,000 ($6,447), and will be left with a criminal record.

■ German lawmaker convicted of using banned "Nazi slogan" (RT.com) ["Alles für Deutschland" is not a Nazi slogan. Both King Håkon VII of Norway and his son, the late King Olav V, had "Alt for Norge" as motto as kings of Norway. So does the current King of Norway, Harald V. (Royal mottos of Norwegian monarchs). "Alt for Norge" is exactly the same motto, except that one is in Norwegian and the other in German ("Alles für Deutschland"). There's nothing more to it. None of the Norwegian kings were Nazis. So what's the problem? There is none, except that for some reason the German establishment wants to please a shitty little state in the Middle East. The irony here is that if the German lawmaker had said "Alles für Israel," then he would have been OK. — Editor]

The bar just got even lower. | The BBC reports that a 40-year-old man has been arrested and criminally charged for social media posts that contained “anti-establishment rhetoric.” — Yes, really. Wayne O’Rourke becomes the latest example of the wave of authoritarian hysteria to impact free speech in the UK following the recent anti-mass migration riots. O’Rourke was arrested on Sunday in connection with “posts made from a social media account,” according to Lincolnshire Police. “Nottingham Magistrates’ Court heard the posts were alleged to contain anti-Muslim and anti-establishment rhetoric,” reports the BBC. O’Rourke had nearly 100,000 followers on X and predicted his own arrest days beforehand. So now apparently posting “anti-establishment rhetoric” in the United Kingdom is enough to get you locked up.

■ UK’s crackdown on free speech in light of migrant crisis should not be viewed in a vacuum; It contains the globalist model to collapse U.S. and all of Western civilization (Leo Hohmann)

Kit Knightly | At OffG we reserve the right to be sceptical. Of everything. | Those outside the UK might not have heard, but it’s been a violent week in the UK. Here’s a quick rundown of the official story so far:

Four days ago a 17-year-old allegedly walked into a children’s “Taylor Swift dance class” (whatever that might be) in Southport and started stabbing little girls, wounding 10 and killing 3. It was initially reported the boy was a muslim immigrant.

This story was, however, reversed within hours, the new story “revealing” that he was actually born in Cardiff, the son of Rwandan immigrants. He was named as “Axel Muganwa Rudakubana” late yesterday. His religious affiliation, if any, seems not to have been firmly established.

Another young man was, allegedly, arrested later while in possession of a machete and balaclava at a vigil for the victims. He was, again, reportedly Muslim. This, allegedly, resulted in what are described as protests and riots, the destruction of a brick wall outside a mosque and the burning of a police van.

Further alleged riots subsequently sprang up in London and Hartlepool. This is the current narrative. None of the details has been substantiated as yet, so how much you decide to believe is your personal preference at this point.