MOSCOW, August 6. /TASS/. Russia’s Defense Ministry reorganizes leadership as strikes target Ukrainian logistics; the US suspends strikes on Iran due to dwindling missile stockpiles; and the Pentagon works to develop a new nuclear concept to counter Russia, China. These stories topped Thursday’s newspaper headlines across Russia.

The recent leadership reorganization at Russia’s Defense Ministry is intended to enhance the supply of advanced weapons and other resources to the armed forces, experts interviewed by Izvestia said.

The revamp of the military’s technical support system is expected to boost cooperation between developers of weapons and equipment and troops on the frontline that actually use them, military expert Vasily Dandykin noted. The goal is to make sure that Russia’s defense industry produces weapons that the army truly requires. Meanwhile, changes in the leadership of Battlegroups Center and East, along with the appointment of a new commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces, are expected to accelerate the pace of Russia’s advance in the special military operation zone.

Political scientist Andrey Kortunov notes that every country involved in a conflict gradually refines its troop command and control system. Military leadership reshuffles in Kiev often become part of domestic political competition, while Moscow is guided by practical considerations and frontline requirements. The West is trying to persuade itself that time is on Kiev’s side, but if Russia disproves this assumption on the battlefield, it could prompt the West to step up negotiations. In that case, further initiatives from American negotiations and, perhaps, a shift in the position of European countries could follow, the expert concluded.

In the meantime, Russian strikes on Ukrainian logistics infrastructure are inevitably going to impact military supplies and the Ukrainian armed forces’ ability to use long-range attack drones, experts interviewed by Izvestia said. They noted that the overnight strikes into August 5 had been unmatched in scale since the start of the special military operation.

"Most importantly, our army has begun targeting logistics hubs on a regular basis," military expert Vadim Kozyulin said.

Reorganizing logistics is always a major challenge, especially amid military operations, as it demands significant time and resources, the expert stressed. The Ukrainian armed forces’ supply chains will certainly be disrupted, as well as the enemy’s production chains, making it extremely difficult for the Kiev regime to find alternative options.

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth dismissed media reports that the Pentagon had depleted 80% of its air defense interceptor stockpiles. However, military experts believe that the US military’s supplies of both interceptor and strike missiles are declining, largely due to operations against Iran, and that it was these shortages that prompted US President Donald Trump to pause further strikes, Kommersant reports.

Since replenishing such stockpiles will take time, Washington is currently unable to supply additional missiles to Kiev or wage another large-scale war, even against a relatively weak opponent. It’s no wonder that, according to media reports, Trump declined Vladimir Zelensky’s request for Patriot interceptors.

Military historian Andrey Soyustov pointed out that "the Americans are in a situation where they have to acknowledge the idea that modern armed conflicts can be very large in scale and lengthy in time, requiring substantial ammunition spending." US military experts share the same view. According to US media reports, another wave of strikes on Iran had been planned for the previous weekend but consultations between the president and military officials concluded that the attack would be inefficient, especially compared to the damage caused by Iran’s potential retaliatory strikes.

Meanwhile, Iran and Oman have agreed on a new shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz. Although the initiative could be interrupted by either Washington or Tehran at any time, the temporary arrangements will provide some relief to global markets, Izvestia notes.

Grigory Lukyanov, a researcher with the Center of Arab and Islamic Studies at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Oriental Studies, believes the most effective approach at this point would be to maintain multiple parallel channels of communication, giving the parties time to exchange information and align their positions.

However, both Tehran and Washington have so far willingly suspended negotiations in order to defend their positions. While the Strait of Hormuz issue leaves some room for maneuver, Iran continues to refuse the US ultimatum that it must completely abandon its nuclear program. As a result, lasting peace in the region looks unlikely unless the White House adjusts its rhetoric.

The Pentagon is developing a new nuclear concept where the emphasis would be on the potential use of tactical nuclear weapons in regional conflicts with Russia and China, Kommersant reports, citing US media.

According to the reports, the updated strategy, drafted by Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby, suggests an approach similar to the so-called "escalate to de-escalate" concept aimed at assuring US allies that Washington would be prepared to employ the full range of its military capabilities in their defense. However, such an approach entails significant risks.

"Colby is a longtime and firm supporter of the concept of controlled nuclear escalation, which is viewed as a structured and reversible process," said Konstantin Bogdanov, director of the strategic analysis and forecasting sector at the Center for International Security of the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of World Economy and International Relations. "The key idea is to strengthen nuclear deterrence by deploying more usable nuclear weapons. If deterrence fails, it could potentially be reestablished through the limited use of nuclear weapons," he added.

According to Russian International Affairs Council President Dmitry Trenin, Colby is right that neither US adversaries nor allies seriously consider the prospect of Washington using its strategic nuclear forces in the event of a military crisis involving the security of US allies.

In Trenin’s view, if Colby’s ideas are integrated into the US nuclear strategy, eventually leading to the deployment of additional US nuclear weapons to Europe and Asia, tensions between Washington and its rivals will rise sharply. "As a result, US security would be significantly affected. The conflicts in question could escalate from regional to global," the analyst warned. "Rather than strengthening allied security, the United States would encounter increasing national security threats," he stressed.

FBI Director Kash Patel addressed cooperation with Moscow and Beijing in combating transnational crime in an interview with Reuters. In this regard, he referred to child pornography, human trafficking and cyber fraud, Vedomosti reports.

According to the FBI, in May, the agency and Chinese law enforcement authorities carried out a joint operation in Dubai that uncovered a cybercrime group and led to the seizure of up to $300 million. While there have been no reports of similar joint operations between US and Russian intelligence agencies in recent years, media outlets have said Patel is provisionally scheduled to visit Russia in October. If the trip takes place, it would mark the first visit to Russia by a US official of this rank since 2013.

Speaking about his view of cooperation with Moscow and Beijing, Patel said: "If we can go and have wins for America, then we must engage." However, he emphasized that Australia, Britain, Canada and New Zealand remain traditional US partners and allies within the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance.

There are many areas where Russian and US domestic security agencies could cooperate, but such collaboration has so far been confined to general criminal matters, lawyer Dmitry Agranovsky said. He noted that the 1999 Treaty on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters continues to serve as the legal framework for cooperation between the two countries.

From a legal and practical standpoint, combating economic crime and addressing issues that are clearly politically motivated are the most complex areas, Agranovsky added.

Notably, cooperation in certain security-related areas does not guarantee an overall improvement in bilateral relations, as the United States clearly distinguishes partnerships in areas of its interest from other issues, Vadim Kozlov, head of the Internal Policy Department at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute for US and Canadian Studies, pointed out.

Russia’s budget collected 934 billion rubles (about $11.5 billion) in oil and gas revenues in July, the highest monthly figure since the beginning of the year, the Finance Ministry said. The July total was 36.6% higher than in June and 18.6% above the level registered in the same month last year, Vedomosti notes.

Oil and gas revenues increased largely due to elevated oil prices in previous months amid the conflict in the Middle East, Anton Tabakh, chief economist at the Expert RA rating agency, said. He expects oil and gas revenues in August to remain at approximately the same level as in July.

July is one of the four months when companies make major additional income tax payments, which largely drove the significant increase in oil and gas revenues, Open Oil Market Director General Sergey Teryoshkin pointed out. He expects Finance Ministry data to show a drop in such revenues in August, as no major tax payments are scheduled, while oil prices are unlikely to return to the record levels seen in the second quarter of 2026. Markets have largely adjusted to geopolitical instability, Teryoshkin explained. Saudi Arabia continues to export oil through the Red Sea, particularly via the northern route involving the Suez-Mediterranean (Sumed) pipeline and the Suez Canal, Teryoshkin specified. In addition, global oil demand is expected to be weaker this year due to declining Chinese oil imports and a surge in electric vehicle sales, Teryoshkin predicted.

A weaker ruble could bolster Russia’s oil and gas revenues in August, Aricapital Investment Strategist Sergey Suverov said. "Oil prices are likely to remain highly volatile, ranging between $75 and $90 per barrel for Brent crude, depending on political statements and whether tensions in the Middle East subside or intensify further," the expert added.

As for annual oil and gas revenues, much will depend on discounts, demand for Russian oil, the ruble exchange rate and the domestic fuel market situation, Emil Ablayev, an expert at the Center for Macroeconomic Analysis and Short-Term Forecasting, said earlier.

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