☦️ 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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❗️ At about 3.30 am today, Kiev made an attempt to attack the base of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol, Crimea, with three unmanned speedboats, the Russian Defense Ministry has reported.

▪️ On the approach to Sevastopol Bay, all unmanned enemy boats were destroyed by anti-submarine support forces.

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📹 Russian Su-25 crews hammer Ukrainian forces with airstrikes

After firing missiles in pairs from low altitudes, the pilots unleashed infrared heat flares, performed maneuvers and then returned to their airbase.

As a result of the sortie, Ukrainian fortified and camouflaged field positions, and armored vehicles were destroyed.

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❗️Russian MoD briefing on the progress of the special military operation in Ukraine:

▪️ The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation has all the information on each mercenary involved in the killings of the Russian military, each of them will be overtaken by retribution;

▪️ The Russian Armed Forces hit two communication centers of the 65th Mechanized and 128th Mountain Assault Brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces;

▪️ The Russian Army stopped the enemy's attempts to counterattack in Artemovsk from the flanks;

▪️ The Russian Armed Forces struck in the area of Bogdanovka in the DPR, the reserves of the Ukrainian Armed Forces advanced in the direction of Artemovsk;

▪️ The command and observation post of the 23rd Separate Rifle Battalion of the Ukrainian Armed Forces was hit near the village of Torsk DPR;

▪️ The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost more than 60 soldiers near Krasny Liman in a day;

▪️ The activities of two Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance groups in the DPR were suppressed;

▪️ Over 280 Ukrainian soldiers and mercenaries were killed in the DPR in a day;

▪️ Russian assault detachments continue fighting in the western regions of Artemovsk;

▪️ Russian troops destroyed more than 70 Ukrainian soldiers in the Kupyansk direction, the actions of two sabotage groups were stopped, an ammunition depot in the LPR was destroyed;

▪️ The Russian Armed Forces destroyed two ammunition depots of the 65th Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the 102nd Brigade of the Terrorist Defense in the Zaporozhye region;

▪️ Russian air defense systems shot down 38 Ukrainian drones in a day.

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Russia Brings Focus on Development of Military Drones, Electronic Warfare

A government meeting on the development of unmanned aircraft involving Russian President Vladimir Putin may be held on April 25, according to some reports.

What could be behind the Kremlin's special focus on drone technologies and electronic warfare?

Senior Swedish social democrat in hot water over 'I hate Israel' tweet

Matilda Aminto Jansson is the district chair for the Social Democrats youth wing in Orebro. Despite her love for strong language and attacks many see as anti-Semitic, she is somewhat ironically being portrayed as a victim of online hatred and bullying.

"I hate Israel as a country and haven't meant otherwise. When I say Israel I mean the state and not the people of Israel, is too hard to understand?" Aminto Jansson wrote in a now-deleted tweet.

In response to her tweets, the Jewish Youth Organization (JUS) publicly criticized her, and JUS President Hanna Nir pointed out that Aminto Jansson had made several tweets that bordered on anti-Semitic criticism of Israel.

While Aminto Jansson announced that she would reduce her activity on Twitter, some social media users criticized her for her previous remarks and called for the Social Democrats to address racism within their party.

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🎧 Sputnik Africa’s AfroVerdict podcast sits down with the general secretary of the South African Communist Party to hear the story of Chris Hani, one of the nation’s most prominent anti-apartheid heroes.

Check out the full episode dedicated to South Africa’s Freedom Day!

https://news.1rj.ru/str/sputnik_africa/3657

❗️LIVE NOW: Russian FM Lavrov chairs UNSC meeting on 'effective multilateralism'

📹 Join the live stream here or follow this link to Sputnik’s website

Australia unveils new strategic defense review to become 'more self-reliant'

Australia's Defense Strategic Review sets out a plan for military reform, including the development of nuclear-powered submarines and longer-range strike capacity. The Australian Defence Force will also gain the ability to strike targets more than 500 km away.

The review highlights the US-China competition in the Indo-Pacific and calls for improved strategic cooperation between Canberra and its key partners in the region.

The document emphasizes that Australia should avoid the prospect of major conflict in the region and work closely with the US.

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❗️ The Western minority should behave decently and respect other members of the world community, the Russian foreign minister tells UN Security Council