Gun shortage in the US, massage scandal in Korea - weekly diary

Weapons shortage in the US, massage scandal in Korea - the main events of the week

Over the past week, it became known that there was a shortage of weapons in the United States, civilians in Ukraine and Russia continued to become victims of war, and an unprecedented conflict erupted in South Korea. It was revealed that Koreans organized massage services for foreign referees who worked in World Cup qualifying matches. Below, we will recall these and other important events of the week together.

**America is running out of weapons**

America, which has the most powerful military in the world, has seriously depleted its weapons reserves and even has a shortage of missiles. This was reported by American publications, citing military officials. Journalists have found that the American military has used up 80 percent of the missiles in reserve for its main air defense systems. There are dangerously few missiles left in the warehouses. Trump asked Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth for a report on the ammunition shortage at a cabinet meeting at Camp David.

Recall that Trump promised Iran "the biggest strikes since World War II," and later canceled the order, allegedly "to allow for diplomacy." In fact, the issue was not diplomacy, but the shortage of missiles in the American military. For example, the Americans are currently short of missiles for Patriot air defense systems. This is not a 155-mm projectile, which they could produce in one go and fill the warehouse. It would take years to eliminate this shortage.

Trump, of course, pointed to Joe Biden as the main culprit for the ammunition shortage. At the Camp David meeting, the president blamed Pentagon chief Hegseth, and the Secretary of War, in turn, blamed his assistant. It is not difficult to imagine the rest, the deputy blamed his deputy, who in turn blamed his assistant, and in the end the culprit turned out to be the keeper of the missile depot, but it is not surprising.

But it is understandable why the weapons depots were emptied. Trump launched a war against Iran for the benefit of Israel, and the country has been practically at war for half a year. You say that few missiles were fired at Iran, in response the Persians also targeted American bases, and defensive missiles are needed to repel these missiles.

War is just that, it empties the depots of countries like America. And the most interesting thing is that America did not see any benefit from starting a war for its ally Israel, it only caused harm. The saying "such a big America is just following Israel's lead" has become a common one. Imagine how much prestige the emptying of American depots in a war would bring to Iran.

**Drought in Europe**

This summer has been difficult for Europe. England is no longer called "foggy Albion", but London has not had a single rain for a month. This is the first time in the 155-year history of observations. British farmers have warned of food shortages due to the dry summer.

The countries along the Danube, in particular Hungary, are threatened by an energy crisis. Due to problems with irrigation in Europe, farmers are not hoping for a good harvest. Products transported by ship are arriving late at their destination, causing prices to rise. The cancellation of cruise flights has also affected tourism. In Germany, the level of the Rhine River has dropped to its lowest level in the history of observations.

Due to insufficient water, there has been a problem with cooling nuclear power plants. For this reason, the stations had to reduce their capacity. In Romania, a planned explosion on the Danube was carried out to divert water to the Chernavode nuclear power plant. Two car factories announced that they would not operate until August 19 to reduce the need for electricity.

Of course, drought is bad, Europe is going through difficult times, but I would like to focus on how the continent has reacted to this test of nature. Every industry is trying to do something about the heat and drought, based on its activities, and no one is sitting idly by...

**Terrorist attack in Moscow**

Last week, another attempt was made in Moscow, most likely by the Ukrainian security services, to assassinate a military officer. An explosion occurred near the Balzi Rossi restaurant, killing at least three people. At that time, a closed party was being held in the restaurant.

According to media reports, the restaurant was celebrating the birthday of the commander-in-chief of the Russian military space forces, Alexander Chaiko. In a photo taken by one of the participants of the event, the inscription "Alexander 55" can be seen on the stage. Colonel General Chaiko survived the attack. One of the dead was reportedly Chaiko's son-in-law, and another was another general.

Assassinations of Russian generals in this way are nothing new, and Chaiko was one of the most senior figures in the Russian military leadership to be assassinated. Independent Russian journalists have found that, against the backdrop of such attacks, Russian soldiers are given instructions to change their routes, phones, and even their appearance for security reasons.

Such attacks may not change anything on the front lines, but they certainly have a negative impact on the morale of the military. Earlier, the Ukrainian side reported on the completion of the "40-day operation to encourage Russia to peace", and Zelensky said that he had given orders to Russia for new attacks.

**Drone crashes on people**

The Russia-Ukraine war is increasingly moving from the trenches to the cities. The front is so frozen that it is difficult to find anything about it in the news feed. When we think of war, we are used to reading about attacks on Kiev or Moscow, attacks on residential buildings, the death of civilians, and assassinations of generals.

You have probably heard of a place in Russia called Gelendzhik. Those who are not indifferent to the news about this country know very well what is in Gelendzhik. So, a Ukrainian drone crashed on people bathing on the beach near this city. At least seven people were killed and dozens were injured.

In Ukraine, at least ten people were killed as a result of a Russian ballistic missile strike. Five of them were members of one family. The whole of Ukraine mourned the Voronovs and their three children. Ukrainians were shocked by the attempt of a Russian drone operator to mock a vegetable seller in Kherson. So, the war is killing more and more civilians on both sides.

**Referee scandal in South Korea**

The most high-profile scandal of the week was observed in South Korea. Local journalists conducted an investigation and uncovered a series of scandals dating back decades. It turned out that the South Korean Football Federation arranged massage services for referees who worked in the 2012 Olympic and 2014 World Cup qualifiers in order for them to make decisions in favor of the hosts.

It was during the qualifying matches that money was transferred from the football union to massage parlors in Korea. The inquiry said the referees were from Bahrain, the UAE, Japan and Uzbekistan, but did not name them. It is also unclear in which episodes the referees ruled in Korea's favor.

The South Korean Football Association quickly reacted to the incident and apologized for the events that took place decades ago. The union said in a statement that "most of the staff were unaware of these incidents." It also added that "these incidents do not reflect on the skill of the Korean players."

The South Korean national team's failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup was met with great disapproval in the country. An investigation was launched into the people and organizations responsible for football. Former officials and coaches were questioned in parliament. In short, all the problems in Korean football were investigated at the government level. As a result, details emerged that could have turned into such an international scandal.

At this point, it comes to mind that in the last match of the decisive qualifying round for the 2014 World Cup, South Korea lost to Iran on their home field, as if mocking Uzbekistan, leaving us in the group. Any scenario other than Iran's victory in that match would have taken us to the World Cup.