📹 In an interview with Sputnik, Vladimir Legoyda, Chairman of the Department for Church's Society and Mass Mediа Relations (Russian Orthodox Church) speaks about state-run repression in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra.

💬 "If you claim to be democratic, you cannot support such actions. You cannot do what you are doing now in Ukraine. There were facts and situations when priests, Ukrainian Orthodox priests, were arrested for the fact of having a postcard from Russia, like Christmas card, that it was some kind of Russian propaganda. It sounds, you know, it is absurd. It sounds funny, but it's not funny at all because people are suffering for this," says Vladimir Legoyda.

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Dan Kovalik, writer, author, and lawyer, joins us to discuss Western allegations labeling Putin and China ‘madmen’

🗣️“Neither China nor Russia go halfway around the world to engage in armed conflict. Whereas the US does on a regular basis,” he noted.

🎧Listen to more of Kovalik’s analysis in our podcast The Critical Hour

📹Vladimir Legoyda tells Sputnik if the Orthodox Church in Ukraine would be able to survive in underground conditions.

💭 "Well, we do believe that the church will survive no matter what happens. But you mentioned this, the persecution in the Soviet Union. And, you know, I was maybe quite naive to think that after what we experienced in the 20th century, I mean, our fathers and grandfathers, something like that would never happen in the contemporary world. And the fact that we're talking about those persecutions today in Ukraine, that we compare.... It's not just a metaphor when we talk about persecution, it is a fact. It is a terrible fact, and these historical parallels are real, and it is terrible," says Vladimir Legoyda.

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☢️ International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi saw during his visit to the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) that no offensive weapons are present at the station, Rosenergoatom, a subsidiary of Russian state nuclear energy corporation Rosatom, spokesman Renat Karchaa said on Wednesday.

▪️ Earlier in the day, Grossi arrived at the ZNPP and inspected the site together with the plant's management and responsible technical staff.

🗣 "Rafael Grossi has made sure that there has never been, and that there are no plans to deploy any offensive weapons at the ZNPP," Karchaa told Russian media.

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📹 Russian Grad MLRS artillery formation in action within special military operation.

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🔺Mass rallies engulf Europe, including the Czech Republic, France and Germany
🔺The US is going to adjust its posture in the Western Pacific in response to China’s efforts to become the regional hegemon
🔺The Taiwanese President is going to pay a visit to the US during her tour in Central America

The Critical Hour will cover these and more stories! Tune in to Radio Sputnik at 6pm EST|3pm PST|12am CET via the website or app

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China Calls on US to Stop All Forms of Official Interaction With Taiwan

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen merely stopping in the United States on her way to Guatemala and Belize is a total falsehood, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning said during a briefing on Wednesday, urging Washington to drop any diplomatic relations with Taipei.

On Wednesday, Tsai left Taiwan for a 10-day diplomatic tour of Guatemala and Belize. The trip will include stopovers in New York City and Los Angeles during her departure and return flights, respectively. Earlier this month, US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said he would meet Tsai when she comes to the US. Taiwan has not yet confirmed such a meeting.

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US Banking System Could Suffer More Shocks as Consumer Confidence Plummets

The aftershocks from the Silicon Valley Bank insolvency are still being felt across the US finance sector and overseas. David Tawil, co-founder of ProChain Capital, argues that while the system may not be on the verge of collapse, a crisis in confidence could sink more banks.

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Joe Biden, the Ultimate American Snake-oil Salesman

The second Summit for Democracy kicks off in Washington, DC today, with President Joe Biden gathering representatives from around 120 countries vision of in hopes of breathing life into his vision “restoring” American leadership on the world stage after four years of Donald Trump

According to the US State Department, Biden’s American vision seeks to “prove democracy still works and can improve people’s lives in tangible ways,” adding that “democracies have to come together—to rejuvenate and improve our open, rights-respecting societies from within; to stand together in defending against threats from autocracies; and to show we can address the most pressing crises of our time.”

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Top US Military Officer Warns "Very Difficult” to Fight Great Power War With China, Russia Combined

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley warned on Wednesday that it would be “very difficult” for the US to fight a great power war with Russia and China combined.

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📹 Russian T-80 and T-72 tank crews gear up for urban warfare training (video by Russia's MoD)

▪️ While training in the rear area of the special military operation, the servicemen hone their urban warfare tank skills. The tank crews practice firing at targets while maneuvering a tank amid limited visibility under intense enemy firepower.

▪️ In addition, the tank crews practice maneuvers for tank support, performing fire cover for the actions of the breakthrough tank and destruction of detected firepower.

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Turkiye Will Not Repeat Mistake of EU Members That Suspended Their NPPs

Erdogan earlier said the opposition is playing into the hands of the West, declaring its intention to revise the Akkuyu NPP project and state investments in the defense industry.

In its election manifesto in January, an alliance of six Turkish opposition parties said it intended to "review the current state of the Akkuyu NPP project and relevant details, as well as rights or obligations that have arisen outside the plant agreement."

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US Air Force Intends to End Lockheed Hypersonic Weapon Program - Senior Official

The US Air Force intends to end its hypersonic weapon program done in collaboration with Lockheed Martin, Air Force Assistant Secretary for Acquisition Andrew Hunter said in prepared remarks to the House Armed Services Committee.

The US military has recently been developing at least three types of hypersonic weapons - the Navy's Conventional Prompt Strike, the Army’s Long Range Hypersonic Weapon, and ARRW for the Air Force.

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🗣 The United States should pay attention to the situation in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra (Kiev Monastery of the Caves), and not engage in moralizing about democracy, Russian Ambassador to Washington Anatoly Antonov said.

💬 "Americans should find courage to move from moralizing at the 'Summit for Democracy' towards meaningful steps to stop blasphemy and crackdown on the Orthodox community," Antonov said in a statement.

📌 On March 10, the National Kiev-Pechersk Historical and Cultural Preserve in Ukraine ordered the monks based in the monastery to leave it by March 29 after an interdepartmental Ukrainian commission accused the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) of violating the terms of an agreement on the use of state property. Ukrainian Culture Minister Oleksandr Tkachenko said the monks could stay in the Lavra if they joined the schismatic Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU).

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🌎🇨🇳 Sputnik’s correspondent reports from the Boao Forum for Asia.

🗓 The Boao Forum for Asia takes place on March 28-31. Representatives of governments and international think tanks will attend the event.

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Elon Musk has become the leader in the number of subscribers on Twitter (133 million users), overtaking former US President Barack Obama

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