❗️ The Russian delegation in Africa feels that Western diplomats are harassing it with preventive visits aimed at damaging relations "with our African friends," Lavrov said

Subscribe to @sputnik_africa

❗️ The West, with such "stubbornness and insolence" demands from countries on different continents to condemn Russia, because it feels it is wrong, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a joint press conference with Sudanese Foreign Minister Ali al-Sadiq Ali.

Subscribe to @sputnik_africa

⚡️ Lavrov: the agreement on the creation of a material support center for the Russian Navy in Sudan is in the process of ratification

Subscribe to @sputnik_africa

Catch our Fault Lines show where we provide updates and analysis on all the most vital stories! Here's our line-up for Thursday:

🔺 To kick things off, we’ll be discussing the latest Seymour Hersh investigation claiming that the Nord Stream was blown up by the US Navy
🔺 We'll also discuss attempts to discredit Roger Waters who spoke in the UN yesterday at the invitation of the Russian delegation
🔺 And, we’ll update you on the current situation in earthquake-hit Syria and Turkey

Tune in to Radio Sputnik at 7am EST|4am PST|1pm CET via the website or watch on Odysee!

📻 Also in the United States at 105.5FM, 104.7FM, 102.9FM, 1390AM, 1140AM

A Sputnik correspondent has published footage showing the Turkish city of Diyarbakir, where a body of an earthquake victim was removed from under the ruins of an 11-story building.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

❗️The latest briefing from Russia's MoD on the progress of the special military operation in Ukraine:

▪️The strikes of Russian aviation and artillery inflicted a defeat on the troops and equipment of the units of the 103rd Territorial Defense Brigade and the 14th Mechanized Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the LPR and the Kharkov region. Up to 30 Ukrainian soldiers, three pickup trucks, and one US-made M777 artillery system were destroyed.

▪️In the DPR and LPR, as a result of air strikes, artillery and heavy flamethrower systems, units of the 116th Territorial Defense Brigade, the 92nd Mechanized, 81st Airmobile and 95th Air Assault Brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were defeated. Over 110 Ukrainian troops, three armored combat vehicles, a Grad MLRS installation, two D-20 howitzers, and an ammunition depot in the Kharkov region were destroyed.

▪️In the Donetsk People's Republic, during the offensive of Russian troops, air strikes and artillery fire, up to 90 Ukrainian soldiers, two armored combat vehicles, six vehicles, a US-made M109 Paladin artillery system, as well as a US-made counter-battery combat radar AN / TPQ-50 were destroyed. In addition, four warehouses of artillery ammunition of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were destroyed.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

▪️Russian aviation strikes and artillery fire inflicted a defeat on the troops and equipment of the units of the 35th Marine Brigade, the 1st Tank and 72nd Mechanized Brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the areas of the settlements of Vodyanoe and Ugledar of the Donetsk People's Republic. Over 85 soldiers, one tank, three infantry fighting vehicles, two vehicles, an MSTA-B howitzer, a Gvozdika self-propelled artillery mount, and two D-20 and D-30 howitzers were destroyed. In addition, the ammunition depot of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was destroyed.

▪️In the Kherson region, as part of a counter-battery fight, the following were destroyed in a day: an MSTA-B howitzer and three large-caliber mortars of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Four Ukrainian ammunition depots were also hit.

▪️Russian aviation, missile troops and artillery defeated the 83rd artillery units in firing positions, troops and military equipment in 116 districts.

▪️Russian aviation shot down a Ukrainian MiG-29 in the DPR.

▪️Russian air defense systems shot down a Ukrainian Su-25 in the Kherson region. In addition, 11 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles were destroyed.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Australia Plans to Check Chinese-Made CCTV Cameras in Defense Offices Amid Security Concerns

Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles has announced that the government will examine surveillance technology used in the offices of the defense department, amid reports that the Chinese-made cameras installed there have increased security risks.

“This is an issue and […] we're doing an assessment of all the technology for surveillance within the defense (department) and where those particular cameras are found, they are going to be removed," Marles told an Australian media outlet on Thursday.

Learn more

📹 The Russian MoD has revealed footage showing how Russia's tank units practice operating T-80BVM tanks in the rear area of the special military operation

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

❗️ Earthquake death toll in Turkiye increased to 16,170 - Erdogan

▪️ Turkish parliament approves state of emergency in 10 provinces affected by earthquake for 3 months - reports

Russia to Present New Reconnaissance Drone For First Time Abroad

Russia will present its new reconnaissance drone Orlan-30 at the Aero India 2023 exhibition in India, the first ever international exhibition for this type of drone, the Russian state arms exporter Rosoboronexport said on Thursday.

"Visitors of the Rosoboronexport stand could get acquainted with Russian drones - reconnaissance and attack drones Orion-E, reconnaissance drones Orlan-10E and Orlan-30, developed in 2022," the statement said.

Read more

From Sarin to BZ: What Are Chemical Weapons and How Deadly Are They?

Since the Ukraine conflict turned into a NATO proxy war against Russia, reports indicating that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are plotting provocations with the use of chemical weapons have become quite common.

Donetsk People's Republic head Denis Pushilin recently announced that Ukrainian forces resorted to the use of chemical weapons in the Artemovsk (Bakhmut) and Ugledar directions on the front line in Donbass.

So what are chemical weapons and are they internationally prohibited?

👉Find out here

📊 100 successful launches in a row: Which missiles have Russia launched since 2018?

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

⚡️ Zelensky told German media that it was he who stopped implementation of Minsk Agreements, telling Merkel and Macron that they were 'impossible'

Russia 'Saving Lives' in Syrian Earthquake Response

Russian soldiers and rescuers are reportedly assisting in search-and-rescue operations and debris removal in Syria.

The Syrian government has praised Russia's response to the deadly earthquake in the country in comments to Sputnik.

Read more

🗣 Dan Kovalik, labor attorney, human rights activist and author, speaks about the destruction of Nord Stream pipes: "The bombing and Nord Stream, amongst many other things, was the greatest act of environmental terrorism in known world history. It created a methane leak larger than we've ever seen. Methane is 20 times more a contributor to global warming than CO2 is, right? So this should be a giant story."

💬 He also commented on Seymour Hersh's revelation about US involvement in the Nord Stream bombings: "Hersh is a guy again, you mentioned he's won a Pulitzer Prize. He uncovered the My Lai massacre, Abu Ghraib, the funding and support of terrorists in Syria by the United States. All those things happened. That is to say, he was never proven wrong on any of that. So his track record is very good. I think that what he is saying should be taken very seriously."

🎧 Listen to more of Scott’s analysis in our podcast Political Misfits: State of the Union, Zelensky in London, African Pollution Suits

📹 Liberation of a settlement by the Marine Corps assault group (video by Russian MoD)

The soldiers of the assault detachment, acting under the cover of a forest belt, secretly entered the village and began to gradually take control of residential buildings and streets.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

House Committee panel asks for Hunter Biden business dealing records

Hunter Biden has been asked by the US House Committee on Oversight and Accountability to hand over records on family business dealings, Chairman James Comer said on Thursday.

“House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) is calling on Hunter Biden, James Biden, and Eric Schwerin to provide documents, communications, and records related to President Biden’s involvement in his family’s business schemes,” the committee statement reads.

Read more

Who's Jake Sullivan, the Man Who Reportedly Assembled 'Dream Team' to Destroy Nord Stream?

National Security Adviser to President Biden Jake Sullivan played a prominent role in plotting the September 26, 2022, sabotage against the Russo-European Nord Stream pipelines, Pulitzer-prize winning journalist Seymour Hersh has revealed. So, who is Jake Sullivan: "the cat's meow," "once-in-a-generation intellect," or a reckless hawk?

Read more

💭 Mark Sleboda, international relations and security analyst commented on Seymour Hersh's investigation about US involvement in the Nord Stream bombings: "Obviously, Seymour Hersh has been discredited by the mainstream media because the mainstream media has essentially become propagandists over the last few decades. And when he was calling them out over Vietnam, okay, that was a different time but even more recently when he started talking about the supposed assassination of Osama bin Laden or the hoax about chemical weapon uses in Syria. He has been discredited, ostracized by the western mainstream media. He's no longer one of us because he's revealing that. He's saying the quiet part out loud, basically. I think this is a very convincing narrative of what happened."

🎧 Listen to more of Marks’s analysis in our podcast The Backstory: The Democrat Strategy is to Protect the Biden Family at All Costs

US to ‘Explore’ Retaliation for Balloon Flyover as White House Alleges Vast Chinese Spy Operation

Although the US Air Force already shot down the Chinese high-altitude balloon that flew over much of the US last week, the Biden administration is reportedly still considering further punitive actions in response to the flight. The Pentagon has claimed the balloon carried sensitive equipment for monitoring signals.

Read more