⚡️🇷🇺🇨🇳 Chinese army ready to cooperate with Russian army in implementing global security initiatives: China's defense ministry

❗️The rector of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra said that the members of the cultural preserve commission will not be allowed into the territory of the monastery until there is a corresponding court decision

⚡️ The FSB stopped the illegal activities of a WSJ Moscow Bureau correspondent, American citizen Evan Gershkovich.

▪️ On instructions from the United States, he was collecting information about one of the enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex, which constitute a state secret.

▪️ Gershkovich was detained in Yekaterinburg, a case of espionage was initiated, the FSB reports.

Members of the cultural preserve commission arrived at the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra on Thursday morning

▪️ Believers have not allowed them into the monastery; law enforcement officers haven't interfered in the situation.

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🇦🇹 Opponents of Zelensky's speech in the Austrian parliament are holding a rally in Vienna, demanding the neutrality of their country and the resolution of the conflict through diplomacy.

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❗️ Latest statements made by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov:

▪️ Russia as a gesture of goodwill will notify the United States of launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles and submarine missiles under the 1988 treaty, despite the suspension of START;

▪️ The United States and Ukraine are ready to sacrifice the safety of the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant to their political ambitions.

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💬 "The world is getting more fragmented instead of getting more united," Xu Bu, President of the China Institute of International Studies, said at The Boao Forum for Asia

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❗️ At the moment, the commission has already left the territory of the monastery, without starting work.

Muslims in Norway More Religious Than Christians, Survey Finds

Norwegian Muslims have been found to be more religious than their Christian counterparts in a survey carried out by the Institute for Church, Religion and Worldview Research (KIFO).

For instance, 71 percent of the respondents with a Muslim affiliation believed that God really existed and had "no doubts" about that. By contrast, merely 15 percent of Christians had the same opinion. In the general population, the correponding figure drops to a mere 11 percent.

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❗️ Russian Foreign Ministry: What the employee of The Wall Street Journal was doing in Yekaterinburg has nothing to do with journalism.

🇷🇺🇮🇷🇨🇳 The joint military exercises of China, Russia and Iran have made a positive contribution to maritime security, as well as to regional peace and stability, Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Tan Kefei said on Thursday.

🗣 "The exercises have further strengthened the traditional friendship and practical cooperation [of the navies of the three countries], and made a positive contribution to maritime security, regional peace and stability," Tan told reporters.

▪️ The drills that took place from March 15-18, also have increased the ability of the three countries' navies to jointly carry out a variety of military tasks at sea, the official added.

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❗️ Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov commented on the detention of WSJ correspondent Evan Gershkovich: "I repeat once again, it is not about suspicion, he was caught red-handed."

▪️ In addition, Peskov said that there are no obstacles for the further work in Russia of representatives of The Wall Street Journal, who are conducting "normal journalistic activities."

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🇨🇳🇧🇷 China and Brazil have concluded an agreement on the bilateral trade in the Chinese yuan and are planning to expand the cooperation in food and mineral extractions sectors, the Chinese vice minister of commerce, Guo Tingting, said on Thursday.

💬 "An agreement on settling payments in yuan has been signed with Brazil, which greatly facilitates our trade. We are planning to expand cooperation in the field of food and mineral extraction, and to search for a possibility of exporting goods with high added value from China to Brazil and from Brazil to China," Guo said at a business forum in Beijing, as quoted by Brazilian newspaper.

▪️ On Wednesday, Brazil and China announced the establishment of a clearing house that would provide for the settlements without using the US dollar, as well as lending in national currencies to facilitate and reduce the cost of transactions and get rid of dollar dependence in the bilateral relations.

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🇷🇺❄️Extreme Yakut rider Duguidan Vinokurov reached the end of his almost 800-kilometre route from the Pole of Cold, the village of Oymyakon, to the settlement of Seymchan in Magadan on Thursday.

Learn more about his incredible journey in our video!

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

🔺To kick things off, we’ll be discussing Biden’s Summit for Democracy
🔺Next, we’ll cover the Taiwanese president’s visit to the US and China’s reaction to it
🔺Finally, we’ll speak about the runaway barge carrying 1,400 tons of methanol

More trending stories coming your way! Tune in to Radio Sputnik at 7am EST|4am PST|1pm CET via the website or app!

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

❗️Russia’s MoD briefing on the special military operation’s progress in Ukraine:

▪️ As many as 50 Ukrainian servicemen and two automobiles, were destroyed in the Kharkov Region and the Lugansk People's Republic.

▪️ In the Donetsk People's Republic and the LPR, the Russian army destroyed up to 130 Ukrainian servicemen, two armored combat vehicles, a Grad MLRS installation, and an Akatsiya self-propelled howitzer.

▪️ In the DPR, the Ukrainian military lost over 340 military personnel and mercenaries, two tanks, four IFVs, six armored combat vehicles, nine vehicles, one Uragan MLRS, as well as D-20 and D-30 howitzers.

▪️ Over 25 Ukrainian servicemen and two armored fighting vehicles were destroyed in the Zaporozhye Region and the DPR.

▪️ In the Kherson Region, as many as 25 Ukrainian servicemen, 11 vehicles, and three D-30 howitzers were wiped out.

▪️ The Russian army eliminated 93 Ukrainian artillery units in firing positions, besides manpower and equipment, in 107 districts in a 24-hour period.

▪️ A Ukrainian Air Force Mi-8 helicopter and two Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles were shot down by air defenses.

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What is the US Plan for Developing Hypersonic Missiles?

The US Air Force (USAF) plans to end a hypersonic weapons program under development by Lockheed Martin Corp., Air Force Assistant Secretary for Acquisition Andrew Hunter told the House Armed Services Committee.

According to Hunter, the USAF “currently intend to pursue follow-on procurement” of the hypersonic weapon known as ARRW, though it will conduct two additional flight tests of it to accumulate important data.

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❗️ Moscow court arrests WSJ reporter in espionage case