Thousands of Swedes protest NATO accession

Thousands of people gathered in Gothenburg, Sweden, on Saturday to protest against the country's accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), as well as against the Aurora-2023 military drills hosted by the Nordic state. As per the police estimates, between 2,000 and 2,500 people attended the rally.

Holding banners such as "No to NATO", the demonstration marched through the city.

Protesters dubbed NATO a “war machine of the United States” and expressed concern that the alliance will drag Sweden into numerous conflicts.

The protest was supported by local civil organizations, including the Swedish Peace and Arbitration Society and several pacifist networks promoting the idea of nuclear disarmament.

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Argentine business interested in cooperation with Russia despite sanctions

The Russian Ambassador to Buenos Aires, Dmitry Feoktistov, said that Argentine businesses remain interested in cooperation with Russia, despite economic sanctions imposed by the West against Moscow.

Feoktistov stated that the Russian-Argentine business council has resumed and is uniting businessmen from both countries seeking to continue working together.

Additionally, he highlighted two international tenders announced by Argentina in nuclear energy, which could be interesting for the Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom.

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Cuba’s Prime Minister expected to visit Moscow, St. Petersburg, Sochi

Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz plans to visit Moscow, St. Petersburg and Sochi as part of his upcoming trip to Russia, Cuban Ambassador to Moscow Julio Antonio Garmendia Pena told Sputnik.

"Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz will pay a visit to Russia in June. First of all, he will take part in the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council of the EAEU [Eurasian Economic Union], which will be held in Sochi on June 7-9. After that, he will pay an official visit to Moscow, and then go to the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum," the ambassador said.

The ambassador also pointed out that Cuba and Russia have been working on integrating the Mir payment system in Cuba. He expressed hope that Russian tourists will be able to use Russian Mir cards in Cuba already this year (some ATM machines in Cuba already accept Mir cards for cash withdrawals).

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Denmark withdraws military from Syria, Iraq to combat threats near country’s borders

Denmark has decided to withdraw all its military specialists, who participated in countering Daesh* in Iraq and Syria, to combat threats in close proximity to the country’s borders, the Danish Defense Ministry said on Saturday.

"Now we are withdrawing the unit to Denmark, partly because the number of the Islamic State [in Syria and Iraq] has been so reduced that there is no equal need for our contribution, and partly because we need to restore combat power for countering the threats that we see in our immediate vicinity," the ministry said in a statement.

The Danish military specialists have been on the territory of these countries since 2016, the statement noted, adding that the servicemen worked in the field of air defense.

* Daesh (also known as ISIS/ISIL/IS/Islamic State) is a terrorist organization banned in Russia and many other countries

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❗️Russia's Black Sea Fleet has repelled an attack by surface drones off the coast of the Russian port city of Sevastopol in Crimea, governor Mikhail Razvozhayev said.

During the attack in the outer roadstead of Sevastopol, one drone was destroyed, while the other one exploded by itself, Razvozhayev said.

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🇷🇺🇺🇳 Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has arrived in New York

The minister will chair two meetings of the UN Security Council on Monday and Tuesday. On Monday, he is also scheduled to meet with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Lavrov's trip to the US comes against the backdrop of Washington's refusal to issue visas to Russian journalists who were supposed to accompany him.

💬 "We consider this step as another manifestation of neglect of the international law by the United States. When denying access to UN events for Russian journalists, the US authorities once again demonstrate their true attitude to freedom of speech and availability of information," the Russian Permanent Mission to the UN said, commenting on the US' decision.

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🌎🪖💸 Global military expenditure reaches new record high of $2,240 billion in 2022

The United States remains the world’s biggest military spender with its military expenditure having reached $877 billion last year, which is 39% of total global military spending, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute said in a report. The sharpest rise in spending (+13%) was seen in Europe, SIPRI report shows.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s military spending saw the highest single-year increase in a country’s military expenditure ever recorded in SIPRI data, reaching $44.0 billion in 2022, which was a 640% increase.

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🇺🇸 Republican Congressman Paul Gosar slams US military aid to Ukraine and calls for a moratorium on foreign aid

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☦️ A church in Ukraine's Chernovtsy region was burned down in an arson attack

It was targeted for being part of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which has remained under the Moscow Patriarchate despite continuous political pressure. Local police have confirmed that the fire was caused by deliberate arson and have already detained a suspect, the UOC said.

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🇨🇳🐼🇺🇸 China is returning friendship panda-messenger Ya Ya from the US, authorities say

According to the Chinese State Forestry and Steppe Administration, after 20 years in the United States, the panda will return home to Shanghai, China.

Panda Ya Ya was born in the Beijing Zoo on August 3, 2000. In April 2003, Ya Ya and another panda named Le Le were transferred to the Memphis Zoo as messengers of friendship.

Initially, the agreement on the stay of Ya Ya in the US was designed for 10 years, but in 2013 it was extended for another 10- year period. In December 2022, it was announced that China would return Ya Ya to its homeland after two ten-year terms

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“People will see their crops and homes destroyed” due to climate problems, Biden’s "climate envoy" John Kerry says in an interview to former White House speaker Jen Psaki, who “considers herself a journalist” now

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📹🇸🇩 Footage of fierce fighting in Sudan near the Kuwaiti embassy goes viral on social media

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❗️Unidentified drone with US-made engine falls in Moscow region

💬 "An unmanned aerial vehicle weighing about 100 kilograms was found on the outskirts of the Bogorodsky city district near a community garden," the spokesperson said.

The drone was equipped with a US-made internal combustion engine, a spokesperson for the emergency services told Sputnik. When falling, the unmanned aerial vehicle crashed into large pieces without subsequent burning.

💬 "Preliminary, this is a model aircraft without any ammunition," the spokesperson said, adding that law enforcement officers were looking for the site from which the drone had been launched.

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❗️Latest statements by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov:

▪️ Presidential elections will take place in Russia in 2024, preparations will be made;

▪️ The Kremlin is sure that the pressure and attempts to interfere in the elections in Russia will increase many times against the backdrop of the situation in the world;

▪️ Putin received an invitation to the BRICS summit, Moscow considers this association important and will actively participate in it;

▪️ Preparations for the May 9 parade in Red Square are underway. It will take place.

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📹 Russian airborne forces quash Ukrainian counterattack attempt in special military operation zone

Thanks to the hard-hitting defense operations by Russian airborne forces in one of the areas of the special military op’s zone, Moscow’s military quashed an attempt by Ukraine’s forces to pull off a counterattack against the positions occupied by our paratroopers.

A Ukrainian motorized infantry company with the support of tanks and artillery sought to pull off a counterattack in order to regain previously lost positions, but was firmly repelled by Russian forces.

Russia unleashed massive firepower, using, among other things, grenade launchers, anti-tank weapons and artillery fire that eliminated scores of Ukrainian servicemen, while crippling two tanks. After suffering significant losses in manpower and equipment, the Kiev regime’s forces retreated.

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