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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❗️The EU has already bled dry all possibilities of sanctions that could hurt Russia, Minister of Finance Siluanov says

Pointing to the EU's scheme to ban exports to Russia, Siluanov said that Moscow would buy goods from what it calls “friendly countries,” adding that more than 70% of Russian-Chinese trade settlements are already made in national currencies.

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⚡️ The Russian Ministry of Defense announced the destruction of militants of the "Georgian Legion" that was involved in brutal tortures and the murders of Russian soldiers near Kiev in March 2022.

▪️ On April 21, the Iskander missile system attacked a mercenary deployment point in the DPR, killing up to 60 soldiers.

🫠 Eco-zealots glue themselves to a road in Berlin

At least 15 ambulances were obstructed during the performative “climate change” protest, German media report.

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