Good morning, readers!

Yesterday, NASA astronaut Frank Rubio and his two Russian colleagues Dmitri Petelin and Sergey Prokopyev touched down on Earth. It’s been more than a year since they last felt the Earth’s gravity!

As we watched them land, it was clear—their camaraderie is as vast as the cosmos they’d explored. Unfazed by earthly politics, they were astronauts first, bound by a shared mission.

Okay, now, here’s what’s happening on the Earth:

Today’s geopolitics hotspots

Is the West participating in the Russia-Ukraine war?

🚀 The attack.

Last Friday, Ukraine launched a missile strike on the port city of Sevastopol, where the Russian Black Sea Fleet is based.

• The fleet is a crucial base for supporting Russia’s military operations in eastern Ukraine.

• The strike blew a “big hole” in the main building of the headquarters—killing 34 officers and wounding 105 people (according to Ukraine).

• Russia, however, was vague about the damage. It first said one serviceman was killed, then changed its mind and said he was missing.

🇷🇺 The accusation.

Russia was quick to point fingers at Ukraine’s Western allies, namely the US and the UK, for helping plan and carry out the strike.

• Russia claimed that the strike was planned in advance using Western intelligence means, NATO satellite assets, and reconnaissance planes.

• It also said that American and British security agencies advised and coordinated with Ukraine on the attack.

🎥 The plot thickens.

Ukraine also claimed that the fleet’s commander, Admiral Viktor Sokolov, was among the 34 killed by the strike. But then… Russia released two videos that show the commander alive and well.

• On Tuesday: The Russia Defense Ministry released a video showing Sokolov attending a video conference with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.

• On Wednesday: Russian state TV stations aired footage of Sokolov handing out awards to a Black Sea Fleet soccer team. When asked to comment on “the latest developments” (a reference to Ukraine’s claim that he was among the casualties in the missile strike), Sokolov simply shrugged it off.

While the authenticity of the footage and Sokolov’s identity remain unconfirmed, if Sokolov does turn up alive, Ukraine’s credibility will take a hit.

✍🏻 Why it matters.

Russia, with its nuclear arsenal, has been repeatedly raising the ante, warning of dire consequences if the West gets involved in the battlefield.

• While they’ve turned a blind eye to the West’s financial and material aid to Ukraine so far, their response to the West’s continued intelligence support remains to be seen.

• Meanwhile, the West’s gradual tiptoe towards direct involvement in the conflict is stirring up questions about the perils of provoking nuclear-armed Russia.

Quick updates

Click the country's name for more.👇🏻

🇨🇳 China:

China’s (once) richest man goes missing as Evergrande crumbles.

Hui Ka Yan, the billionaire founder of the globe’s most debt-ridden developer, has been taken away by police and is under house arrest at an undisclosed location.

His future hangs in the balance as his real estate empire teeters on the brink of liquidation and a colossal debt restructuring that could send shockwaves through the Chinese economy and global markets.

Some critics believe that Hui was merely a convenient scapegoat for the CCP.

✱ NOTE: Evergrande is sinking under more than $300 billion of liabilities. Its main arm in China has recently missed another bond payment and failed to sell new debt.

🇰🇵 North Korea:

Defector US soldier gets deported from North Korea after 71 days of captivity.

A US soldier who bolted across the border into North Korea in July has been expelled and is now in US custody. The soldier was in “good spirits and good health” upon release, but now faces legal troubles and psychological challenges after his ordeal.

✱ NOTE: The soldier, Private Travis King was previously convicted of assault in South Korea and was supposed to go to Texas before he fled.

🇩🇪 Germany:

Germany cracks down on border smugglers.

Germany is not happy with the influx of migrants crossing its borders from Poland and the Czech Republic. The country has decided to beef up its police presence along these routes to stop the illegal entries and bust the smugglers.

✱ NOTE: The move comes after a migrant trafficking operation was uncovered, involving fake passports and visas.

🇬🇧 United Kingdom:

UK tapping a new oil field.

The UK government has given a thumbs up to a new untapped oil field, Rosebank, off Shetland’s coast. With an estimated 500 million barrels of oil, it is expected to produce 200 million tonnes of carbon dioxide over its lifetime. Critics argue it’s a slap in the face for climate goals and a waste of taxpayers’ money.

✱ NOTE: Meanwhile, a group of six young Portuguese activists is suing 32 European governments for failing to protect their human rights from the climate crisis.