Norway Preparing for Its Largest Military Drill of the Year

Preparations are underway for the international drill Joint Viking, billed as this year’s highlight for Norway, as some 750 soldiers from the US Marine Corps as well as Dutch and UK forces are already in place.

The biennal international exercise Joint Viking includes land, navy, and air forces, as well as allied contributions. This year's edition is expected to host a total of 10,000 Norwegian and allied soldiers.

Learn more

📹 Russia's MoD has published footage showing firing from the latest T-90M "Proryv" tanks

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🥴 President Joe Biden, who on Thursday spoke on the 30th anniversary of the Family and Medical Leave Act, or FMLA, said more than half the women in his administration are women.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

⚡️ Latest statements by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov:

▪️ Security of Crimea is provided for, while Donbass is not fully protected, so Russia's special operation continues;

▪️ Russia values relations with Serbia and hopes that bilateral relations will further develop;

▪️ The Kremlin is well aware of the pressure the West is exerting on Belgrade and with what efforts Serbia has to endure this pressure;

▪️ EU embargo on Russian oil products will lead to a further imbalance in world markets.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Brazilian Lawmaker Claims He Was Asked to Join Bolsonaro Camp's Effort to Overturn Election

Senator Marcos do Val said on Thursday that when he sat down with Bolsonaro at the urging of former lawmaker Daniel Silveira in December, he was asked to pressure the head of the electoral court into incriminating himself in a conversation meant to be recorded.

The legislator who reportedly set up the meeting was taken into police custody.

Read more

🐶🇵🇹 A dog named Bobi from Portugal got into the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest dog on the planet - in May he will turn 31

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Beijing Says Speculation Related to 'Chinese Spy Balloon' Over US Inappropriate

Speculation on the topic of a "Chinese spy balloon" allegedly detected over the United States will not contribute to the resolution of the issue until all the details are established, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Friday.

Learn more

EU Leaders Set to Pour Cold Water on Zelensky's Dream of Joining Brussels Bloc

European Union leaders are set to dampen Ukraine's hopes of fast-track membership of the bloc while its conflict with Russia continues.

British media reported on Friday that Charles Michel, president of the European Council made up of leaders of the 27 member states, will discreetly inform Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that his repeated demand for an express ride to EU membership cannot be met.

Read more

Blinken Failed to Offer Steps to End Violence in Middle East, Palestinian Foreign Minister Says

As part of his official trip to the Middle East, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has urged both Israel and Palestine to ensure the de-escalation of tensions, but eventually left the region without offering any concrete measures to amend the situation, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad al-Maliki told Sputnik.

Read more

Daily training of Russian drafted military personnel at one of the training grounds before being sent to the special operation zone (video courtesy of Russian MoD)

At the training ground, soldiers work out scenarios for a real battle. They are instructed how to shoot and move as part of the units.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

❗️ Russian MoD’s latest statements on the Ukraine crisis:

▪️ The attacks launched by Russia’s Operational-Tactical Aviation and artillery have resulted in the neutralization of the troops and hardware of units from the 103rd Territorial Defence Brigade and 92nd Mechanized Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Kharkov region and in the LPR. Up to 40 Ukrainian personnel, one armored fighting vehicle and 1 US-manufactured AN/TPQ-50 counterbattery warfare radar have been eliminated.

▪️ The artillery strikes and the offensive operations conducted by the Russian Armed Forces have resulted in the neutralization of units from the 66th Mechanized, 25th Airborne, and 80th Airborne Assault brigades of Ukraine in the LPR and the DPR. Over 70 Ukrainian personnel, 2 armored fighting vehicles, 1 infantry fighting vehicle, 1 D-20 howitzer, and 1 US-manufactured M-777 artillery system have been eliminated.

▪️ The offensive operations conducted by the Russian Armed Forces have resulted in it gaining more advantageous lines and positions. Up to 40 Ukrainian personnel, 1 Msta-B howitzer, as well as 1 US-manufactured AN/TPQ-37 counterbattery warfare radar have been eliminated.

▪️ The artillery and units of the Russian Armed Forces have neutralized the units from 108th and 110th territorial defense brigades in Zaporozhye region. The enemy has lost over 20 Ukrainian personnel, 1 US-manufactured M-777 artillery system, 2 D-20 howitzers, and 1 D-30 howitzer.

▪️ The Operational-Tactical Aviation, Missile Troops and Artillery of Russia have neutralized 86 AFU artillery units at their firing positions, manpower and hardware in 103 areas.

▪️ Fighter Aviation of the Russian Aerospace Forces has shot down 1 MiG-29 Ukrainian Air Force jet in Kherson region.
Air defense units have shot down seven Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles in Kharkov region, in the DPR, in the LPR, as well as in Kherson region.

▪️ Some 382 airplanes, 206 helicopters, 3,008 unmanned aerial vehicles, 403 air defense missile systems, 7,723 tanks and other armored fighting vehicles, 1,004 fighting vehicles equipped with MLRS, 3,988 field artillery cannons and mortars, as well as 8,255 units of special military hardware have been destroyed during the special military operation.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

South Korea, US Stage Another Joint Air Drills to Improve Military Cohesion

South Korea and the United States staged joint air drills for the second time this week, involving American F-22 and F-35B stealth fighters, to improve operational capabilities, the South Korean air force said on Friday.

The previous joint air maneuvers over the Yellow Sea took place on Wednesday and involved one B-1B strategic bomber and several F-22 and F-35B stealth fighters of the US Air Force alongside South Korean F-35A fighters.

Learn more

❗️ The Canadian Department of National Defense announced late Thursday that a high-altitude surveillance balloon was being monitored by the North American Aerospace Defense Command, a joint US-Canadian military entity. The statement did not provide any information about the balloon or confirm if it was the same one detected in the US.

“Canadians are safe and Canada is taking steps to ensure the security of its airspace, including the monitoring of a potential second incident,” it said, without elaborating.

The Canadian intelligence agencies are reportedly collaborating with their US counterparts to safeguard against foreign intelligence threats, but the statement did not mention China specifically.

❗️ Chinese Foreign Ministry: The balloon seen over the United States departed from China but is a civilian airship used for scientific research.

The ministry expressed regret that the balloon was over the territory of the United States: it reportedly deviated from its route due to wind.

❗️ Editor-in-chief of Sputnik Lithuania Marat Kasem is reportedly facing torture in a prison in Riga and his health has drastically deteriorated.

This information was shared by the journalist's lawyer. Kasem has been kept in solitary confinement since January 30 with unsanitary conditions that have caused him to develop allergies. The lawyer claimed that Kasem's preexisting medical conditions have worsened, yet the doctor has been ignoring his complaints.

Kasem was arrested in Riga in early January on suspicion of breaking anti-Russian sanctions.

Bill Gates said he'd rather fund vaccines than go to Mars like Elon Musk

The Microsoft founder stated in an interview that he would rather pay for "life-saving" jabs than spend money going to Mars, commenting on how his priorities differ from Twitter owner Elon Musk.

"It's actually quite expensive to go to Mars," he told western media. "You can buy measles vaccines and save lives for $1,000 per life saved, and so it just kind of grounds you, as in: 'Don't go to Mars.'"

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

⚡️ US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will reportedly delay upcoming trip to Beijing over Chinese balloon

🇷🇺🐯 Zoologists from the Russian national park "Land of the Leopard" managed to shoot a unique video with a Red Book tigress calling her kittens.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🇹🇷 Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu called on the US ambassador to Ankara to "take his dirty hands" out of the country on Friday, accusing him of trying to "provoke" Turkey.

"I'm talking to the US ambassador… get your dirty hands off Turkey, I say it very clearly: get your dirty hands off Turkey. I know exactly what you have done, what steps you have taken, how you want to provoke Turkey," Soylu was quoted as saying by a Turkish TV channel.

Earlier this week, the consulates of Sweden, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Germany in Istanbul stopped receiving visitors after the US had issued a warning about possible terror attacks. On Thursday, Soylu called the move a "psychological war" against his country.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt