🦁 Three-month-old lion cubs abandoned by mother being cared for in Mariupol Zoo

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Iraqi Ex-Intelligence Officer Breaks Down US 2003 Invasion Preparations

“If you look at the slogans of the US Secretary of State at that time (e.g. the "New Middle East"), this is exactly what they wanted to demonstrate. The invasion of Iraq was the first step to demonstrate the unrestrained and unpunished US policy. The next step was to divide Syria and then other countries in the region,” says Khaled Al-Douri, a key official of the US section of Iraqi intelligence before the 2003 invasion, in an interview with Sputnik discussing Powell’s lies at the UN and their consequences.

“The US got money from the resale of Iraqi oil and is still getting it. They are not happy with the growing influence of Iran in the country, because they look at us as a colony. But they are not welcome here; the Iraqis are saying on every possible platform that America has done a reckless act and destroyed the sovereignty of Iraq.”

Read more

🪁 Ride the wind: Extreme athletes compete in Russian Snow Kiting Championships

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Swedish Police Chief Sounds Alarm Over 'Unprecedented' Crime

Sweden, formerly a country well-known for its peaceful and law-abiding citizens, has for many years been plagued by gun violence, explosions and gang crime. In 2022, Sweden took the unenviable European record for the most number of fatal shootings in a single year, eclipsing neighboring Nordic nations by some margin.

In searing opinion piece, the country's police chief has penned an article complaining that organized crime has reached "unprecedented levels" and become more complex and difficult to deal with.

Writing in Swedish media, National Police Commissioner Anders Thornberg lamented the fact that crime has become more complex and that it has become more difficult to get witnesses to talk.

Read more

❗️An ancient castle in Gaziantep, Turkey, dating back thousands of years was destroyed in the earthquake.

According to the latest data available, 237 people have died and 639 are injured in Syria to the quake in neighboring Turkey.

WATCH: People on social media share video showing the ancient Gaziantep Castle destroyed by the earthquake

Earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria leaves dozens dead.

Work continues to rescue those trapped under the rubble caused by the earthquake in the Syrian city of Hama.

According to a Sputnik correspondent, local rescue services do not have enough equipment to get victims out from under the rubble quickly enough.