MotolkoHelp (Twitter)

Belavia uses its Boeing 737-8 MAX to fly over Russia for the first time: Did Russia lift the ban or make an exception for Belavia?
Last week we wrote about the airline’s situation with this aircraft, and that now Belavia has only one Boeing 737-8 MAX (reg.number EW-528PA).
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MotolkoHelp (Twitter)

Since its arriving in Belarus in April 2021, this aircraft couldn’t fly to/from Russia because of the ban on entering Russian airspace by this model of aircraft after two crashes that occurred in late 2018 and early 2019 (in Indonesia and Ethiopia).
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MotolkoHelp (Twitter)

Of course, after the Rayanair aircraft was forcibly landed in Belarus, the aircraft can’t fly to western countries either.
However, this Boeing 737-8 MAX (EW-528PA) left Minsk National Airport (MSQ) today at 23:00 and headed for Tbilisi, flying over Russia.
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MotolkoHelp (Twitter)

Moreover, EW-528PA is scheduled to fly to Tbilisi from July 20 to July 23, as well as for tomorrow’s flight to Kutaisi.
It turns out that either Russia lifted the ban, which had been in effect for over two years, or made an exception only for this Belavia aircraft.
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MotolkoHelp (Twitter)

We remind that in June, the U.S. @CommerceGov tightened export controls against Belavia for performing flights on Boeing aircraft in violation of the restrictions imposed after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
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MotolkoHelp (Twitter)

In this case, it’s not just about a flight on @Boeing aircraft, but the aircraft that is leased from the U.S. company Air Lease Corporation.
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Status-6 (Twitter)

RT @AmichaiStein1: .@CIA Director Burns at #AspenSecurity: There are lots of rumors of President Putin's health but, as far as we can tell, he is entirely too healthy

MotolkoHelp (Twitter)

Has Russia lifted the flight ban on the Boeing 737 MAX specifically for Belavia?
We found out that yesterday at 15:40 Russia lifted the ban on flights of the American Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, which had been in effect for more than two years.
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MotolkoHelp (Twitter)

However, according to NOTAMN U0941/22, Russia has allowed only airlines from friendly countries to use Boeing 737 MAX for flying in its airspace. And Belavia’s EW-528PA is the first foreign Boeing 737 MAX to enter the Russian airspace.
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Rob Lee (Twitter)

At some point a Russian official had to mention why they were occupying parts of Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, and Kharkiv oblasts when the ostensible territorial goal was the Donbas (which was not the initial goal). The justification will shift to suit the status of the battlefield.
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@maxseddon:
Lavrov gives the biggest official signal yet that Russia is planning to annex southern Ukraine.

"Now the geography has changed. It's not just Donetsk and Luhansk, it's Kherson, Zaporizhia, and several other territories. And this is an ongoing process, consistent and insistent." https://t.co/xN6IMmAr5R

Dan (Twitter)

RT @AliBakeer: 🇷🇺🇷🇺 The moment #Russia’s #Iskander missile transforms into a Mortar!
https://twitter.com/markito0171/status/1549645700308287488/video/1

Rob Lee (Twitter)

3659/
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@maxseddon:
Lavrov gives the biggest official signal yet that Russia is planning to annex southern Ukraine.

"Now the geography has changed. It's not just Donetsk and Luhansk, it's Kherson, Zaporizhia, and several other territories. And this is an ongoing process, consistent and insistent." https://t.co/xN6IMmAr5R

 Rob Lee (Twitter)

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@JackDetsch:
The U.S. is closely watching Ukraine's expenditure of HIMARs ammunition, which is a greater concern than the number of launchers: Gen. Mark Milley

Dan (Twitter)

RT @pmakela1: Ukrainian 58th Brigade wiped out a Wagner mercenary unit.
https://www.facebook.com/100069092624537/posts/366800728966345/?flite=scwspnss https://twitter.com/pmakela1/status/1549680472766177281/photo/1

Rob Lee (Twitter)

Video from Ukraine's 28th Mechanized Brigade of DJI UAV-adjusted artillery fire on Russian positions.
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1399990497136940