The use of shells with depleted uranium is a manifestation of genocide against the population against which they are used, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Radio Sputnik, when commenting on Britain's decision to supply such ammunition to Ukraine

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'Just Crazy': Ex-CIA Agent on US Plans for 'Two-Front War' Amid Xi-Putin Meeting

The historic meeting in Moscow between Chinese Leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin has sparked an unprecedented reaction from Western capitals. Former CIA agent Ray McGovern, founder of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity, said the world was not at a "liminal moment" as the balance of power shifts to the east.

The US is preparing for a "two-front war" against both Russia and China even as the summit between the Eurasian giants' leaders heralds a shift in geopolitical power.

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📹 Russian Ka-52 helicopters in combat action (video by Russia's MoD)

▪️ Army Aviation pilots launch missiles at detected strongholds of UAF units.

▪️ The combat action resulted in the destruction of a command post and armor.

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Every US Bank is at Risk and Yellen's Deceiving Depositors by Saying They are Safe: Economist

By telling people that the US government could shield depositors at smaller banks if the latter face a crisis akin to the Silicon Valley Bank collapse, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has set a precedent that is going to exponentially make the problem worse, Mark Frost, an economist, professor and consultant, told Sputnik.

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📹 Russian Defense Minister Shoigu awarded orders of courage to pilots who prevented a US drone from violating the borders of the special operation area

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⚡️ Swedish Parliament approves Kingdom's accession to NATO by majority of votes

Dr. Kenneth Hammond, professor of East Asian history and activist with Pivot to Peace, joined us to discuss the US botched attempts to destabilize and provoke China into a conflict, triggering "a new Cold War"

🎧Listen to more of Hammond’s analysis in our podcast Political Misfits

🗣 The use of depleted uranium ammunition in Ukraine will affect the country's agriculture sector, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday.

💬 "The use of depleted uranium ammunition will dramatically reduce, or maybe even not preserve at all Ukraine's ability to produce high-quality uninfected food," Lavrov told a press conference.

▪️ The minister stressed that London's decision to deliver depleted uranium shells to Kiev is a step toward escalation of the conflict.

▪️ Lavrov added that Russia will take into account UK's possible supplies of depleted uranium shells to Ukraine.

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📌📹 Khatyn was a village in Belarus, about 31 miles from Minsk. On March 22, 1943, almost the entire population of the village was burnt alive by Schutzmannschaft Battalion 118, the Nazis' police battalion mostly consisting of Ukrainian collaborators and linked to the ultra-nationalist Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (recognized as extremist and banned in Russia)

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Radhika Desai, professor at Canada's University of Manitoba, director of the Geopolitical Economy Research Group and author, joined us to discuss how Beijing balances its relationship with Russia and its own interests, as well as the US attempts to drive a wedge between the two partners

🎧Listen to more of Desai’s analysis in our podcast By Any Means Necessary

Prospects of UK Depleted Uranium Shells Being Sent to Ukraine Rattle Online Crowd

News about the UK being poised to supply depleted uranium (DU) shells to Ukraine has sent ripples across the social media space, with many people appearing less than thrilled by the prospects of this hazardous weapon being unleashed.

Earlier this week, UK Minister of State for Defense Annabel Goldie announced that London’s military assistance for Ukraine may include depleted uranium tank munitions for the Challenger 2 tanks Britain has already vowed to provide to the regime in Kiev.

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❗️ US Federal Reserve adds another 25 basis points, bringing US rates to 5% peak

‘West Making Grave Mistake’ by Sending Depleted Uranium Shells to Ukraine

Supplying the Kiev regime with depleted uranium ammunition "is a very serious mistake by the West," Sandra Kanety of the UNAM Center for International Relations told Sputnik.

"Many legal documents say that the use of nuclear weapons violates international law. The debate here is precisely whether depleted uranium shells are nuclear weapons or not," she specified.

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🇫🇷 The French Constitutional Council is currently considering the pension reform to decide whether it will go into effect, President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday.

▪️ The president added that he is not happy to carry out the reform and regrets that the authorities could not better explain the need for the reform to the French people.

▪️ He stressed that the French government should have the right to stop strikes that block the economy if it interferes with the life of the French.

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Radhika Desai, professor at the University of Manitoba, director of the Geopolitical Economy Research Group and author, joined us to discuss the US propaganda machine which criticizes and condemns China, while the United States itself is having serious problems

🎧Listen to more of Desai’s analysis in our podcast By Any Means Necessary

🚰 On World Water Day, Sputnik has prepared a video dedicated to the water scarcity around the globe.

Subscribe to @sputniknewsindia to follow updates

🐆 A truly good morning should start with exercise

This rule is followed by a graceful female cat from the Russian Far East's "Land of the Leopard" reserve, which was caught by a video trap.

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🔺Britain's decision to supply Ukraine with depleted uranium ammo is a provocation to create a new round of conflict, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said
🔺Japan PM Fumio Kishida pays surprise visit to Kiev ahead of G7 Summit
🔺The US, intending to continue flying drones over the Black Sea, provokes Russia to retaliate, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said

The Critical Hour will cover these and more stories! Tune in to Radio Sputnik at 6pm EST|3pm PST|11am CET via the website or app

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

British Media Downplays Risks of Depleted Uranium Ammo Now Russians Are the Target

The British mainstream media has abruptly changed its tune on the risks of depleted uranium (DU) munitions after the government announced it was sending them to Ukraine for use against Russian troops.

Evidence has been mounting since the 1991 Gulf War that depleted uranium ammunition used by US forces and their allies causes cancer and birth defects. But now the same Western media that helped expose the risks is downplaying them as Ukraine is set to receive DU weapons.

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🗣 Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused the International Criminal Court of obeying orders from the West after the Hague-based organization issued an arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin.

💬 "The International Criminal Court is headed by a prosecutor who is a naturalized Anglo-Saxon and who, of course, as we have all seen, is following the orders of his masters, who forbid this body to investigate the crimes of NATO member states and set it on ferreting out spurious pretexts, nonexistent facts, in order to advance the agenda of the so-called collective West," Lavrov said.

▪️ The ICC accused Putin last week of a role in alleged war crimes related to Russia’s military operation in Ukraine.Russia is not a signatory to the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia would not recognize the warrant or the ICC jurisdiction.

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Democrats Introduce Bill to Promote Inclusion, Raise Number of Refugees in US

US Congresswoman Grace Meng and Senator Edward Markey reintroduced legislation on Wednesday to promote inclusion of new immigrants to the United States and raise the number of refugees eligible to enter the country every year.

The bill would establish a National Office of New Americans to promote and support immigrant and refugee integration and inclusion, the statement said.

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