❗️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

Musk Blames Fed's Policy for Eroding US Dollar’s Value

American billionaire investor Elon Musk has blamed the US Federal Reserve’s tight monetary policy for hurting the US dollar’s position as a global safe-haven currency.

"Serious issue. US policy has been too heavy-handed, making countries want to ditch the dollar," Musk wrote on social media.

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❗️ Nine US service members were killed in Black Hawk helicopter crash over Kentucky, US media reports citing an army official.

China’s Response to Ukraine Crisis to Determine Its Relations With EU, von der Leyen Says

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that the EU’s relationship with Beijing is very important and will be "a determining factor for our future prosperity and national security". Von der Leyen stressed that the European Union believes that it is critically important to keep lines of communication with China open.

“We need to reinforce the institutions and systems in which countries can compete and cooperate and from which they benefit this is why it is vitally important that we ensure diplomatic stability and open communication with China,” von der Leyen said during her speech on EU-China relations at the Mercator Institute for China Studies.

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Brian Berletic, ex-US Marine Corps independent geopolitical researcher and writer based in Bangkok, joins us to discuss Washington’s attempts to ignite a proxy war between China and Taiwan

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

☦️ Parishioners sing at the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra’s entrance.

The commission for the inventory of property, which is not allowed onto the monastery’s premises, did not rule out that they would need police assistance if they were not granted access.

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🇮🇳🎉 India celebrates Ram Navami, a Hindu festival honoring the birth of Lord Vishnu's incarnation, Lord Rama.

Enjoy the festive mood of this event in our video!

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🇺🇸 US Congresswoman for Georgia Marjorie Taylor Greene announced on Thursday that her resolution to audit "every single" taxpayer dollar for Ukraine was passed by the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

💬 "I’m happy to announce that my resolution to audit every single American taxpayer dollar sent to Ukraine has PASSED the House Foreign Affairs Committee. The American People deserve to know where all of their money is being sent," Greene wrote on social media.

📍 The committee passed the motion in a 90-20 vote.

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📹 Videos that emerged online show Christian faithful gather in front of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra and pray, preventing the government commission sent to do an inventory of the monastery from entering.

🗣 "We do you no harm, let us pray for our husbands” and “You are at war with God”: with these words, the parishioners of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra encountered members of the commission of the Ukrainian authorities.

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🇺🇳 The UN International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that the freezing of a part of Iran's assets by the United States is illegal and a compensation is required to be paid, Vice-President of the Court Kirill Gevorgian said on Thursday.

🇺🇸🇮🇷 The United States violated its obligations under the Treaty of Amity, Economic Relations and Consular Rights of 1955 with Iran, and thus has to pay compensation to Tehran for the consequences and violations of international obligations, according to Gevorgian.

📌 The amount of compensation will be determined at a later stage of the proceedings, according to the court's decision.

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⚡️ Ukrainian court rejected the claim of the Ukrainian Patriarchal Church to invalidate the unilateral termination of the lease agreement for the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, said the Minister of Culture of Ukraine.

Robert Fantina, journalist and Palestine activist, joins us to discuss Ted Cruz’s amendment that would have empowered the US president to wage war against Iran

🗣️”What happened the last time a president was unilaterally allowed to wage war? Well, we had the war in Iraq, which was a disaster for everybody. No war should ever happen. But this one was built on lies, lies that the US government told resulted in the destabilization of Iraq, the deaths of at least hundreds of thousands, if not millions of innocent people, and increased terrorism and hostility to the United States. Nothing, nothing positive came from it. And now, Ted Cruz and 41 of his associates want to march off in that direction again,” he stated

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

Tsai's US Visit Can't Curb China's Growing Political Clout Worldwide

Taiwanese leader Tsai Ing-wen's "transit visit" to the US is consistent with Washington's policy of having close relations with the island while maintaining the appearance of non-official ties, Ross Feingold, a political risk analyst, told Sputnik, adding that Beijing could respond with military exercises and restrictions against Taipei.

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US Drones 'Heavily Involved' in Guiding Kiev's Forces Before Russian Intercept

The crash of a US surveillance drone in the Black Sea earlier this month was a major embarrassment for the Pentagon. International relations and security analyst Mark Sleboda said the incident also crippled efforts to target Russian troop positions for Ukraine's forces.

A senior US military source told the media earlier this week that US spy drones were "for the time being" giving a wide berth to Russia's Black Sea Coast "to avoid being too provocative."

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Mark Sleboda, an international relations and security analyst, joins us to discuss the US decision to redirect its surveillance drones along a different route over the Black Sea after the Russian-US air collision earlier this month

🎧Listen to more of Sleboda’s analysis in our podcast Fault Lines: Re-routing of US Drones Over Black Sea Has Hindered Intel in Ukraine

🇷🇺🇺🇳 Russia is calling for an independent investigation into the last year events in the city of Bucha, near Kiev, and calls on the United Nations to publish a list of the victims, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday.

🗣 "We are saying it once again. In order to find out the truth, it is necessary to carry out a fair, impartial, independent investigation, which should be focused on giving answers to four questions: identification of bodies, time and cause of death, signs of possible transportation of the bodies," Zakharova said during her press conference.

▪️ Russia has requested the full list of Bucha's residents, who died at the time of the events, from the UN, but the organization has not provided such a list yet, Zakharova added.

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George Koo, a journalist, social activist, and international business consultant, joins us to discuss Ma Ying-jeou’s visit to China and the significance of the event as a change in the Taiwanese attitude towards the Mainland

🗣️”But the whole truth of the matter is China doesn't have to pressure anybody. They offer collaboration, cooperation, economic assistance. And, of course, China is looking to have all these relationships as future customers, future allies and friends, economic allies, I should say. And it doesn't take much brainpower to see that falling with Beijing is going to be the right way to go,” he added

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

What is a Yars ICBM?

This week, Russia has launched a command and staff exercise of its Strategic Missile Forces in Siberia, which involves one of the deadliest weapons in Moscow’s nuclear arsenal.

According to a statement issued by the Russian Ministry of Defense, the exercise involves the deployment of RS-24 Yars mobile intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launchers.

So what exactly are these Yars missiles, which currently comprise a large portion of Russia’s strategic missile arsenal, and how much damage can they do?

Find out here

Daryl Jones, an attorney, and voting rights activist, joins us to discuss the upcoming Summit for Democracy hosted by the US and the need for the US to take up this domestic policy instead of telling others what to do

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