❗️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

❗️ Kiev's [neo-]Nazi regime cannot be seen as representing residents of territories that refused to accept the 2014 coup, Lavrov said at the UN

Hungary won't agree to any sanctions against Russian nuclear energy

Budapest will not agree even to a partial imposition of sanctions against Russia's nuclear energy sector, as proposed by the Baltic states, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Monday.

Lithuanian Foreign Affairs Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis proposed last week to gradually impose sanctions against Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom or against Russia in the field of nuclear energy, but give two years to complete contracts.

"If there were a decision on sanctions in the nuclear sphere, it would mean that the security of the energy supply of one EU member state, Hungary, would become quite concretely impossible in the subsequent period... My colleagues from the Baltic states asked, they say, let's see if it is possible... to slightly impose sanctions against [Russia's] nuclear energy - no, you cannot," Szijjarto said, as broadcast on his social media.

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❗️ Lavrov's main statements in the UN Security Council:

▪️ The United States sought the destruction of globalization, which for many years was extolled as the highest good of all mankind.

▪️ The Western minority should behave decently and respect other members of the world community.

▪️ Now significant forces of the United States and its allies are thrown to undermine multilateralism in the Asia-Pacific region.

▪️ Today, both the UN and the requirements of its Charter pose a threat to US global ambitions.

▪️ It is impossible to consider the Ukrainian issue in isolation from the geopolitical context.

▪️ Once again, as in the years of the Cold War, we have approached a dangerous, and perhaps even more dangerous line.

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❗️ The US has violated its obligations under the UN Headquarters Agreement by denying visas to Russian journalists who were supposed to accompany Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on his official visit to the New York City-based UN Security Council.

What does the Western media say about it?

Nothing! Unfortunately, our colleagues in the Western media have failed to comment on the US decision not to issue visas to Russian journalists and don't consider it necessary to tell their readers what the US attitude to the freedom of speech and the rights of journalists really is.

To get the most extensive coverage of the situation – click here.

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❗️Latest statements by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov:

▪️ The hybrid war and the lies waged against the Russian Federation require willpower, faith in our innocence, creativity and understanding of what is happening from us.

▪️ Claims that Russia allegedly launched a special operation for no reason is a monstrous lie

▪️ Poland is seized with an attack of Russophobia and hates us, sooner or later it will pass like any acute illness.

▪️ NATO is not an instrument of peace, but an instrument of war, has always been close to the borders of the Russian Federation.

▪️ Statements that sanctions against Russia are working and the Russian economy is dying are a lie.

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⚡️ Fox News host Tucker Carlson and the media company have "agreed to part ways," Fox announces

China's France envoy may be declared persona non grata after calling Crimea 'historically Russian'

EU lawmakers have urged France to declare the Chinese ambassador persona non grata over remarks on former Soviet republics.

The MEPs accuse Lu Shaye of violating international law and insulting the ex-Soviet republics' history, culture, and integrity. They claim his comments threaten the security of France's European partners and demand immediate action.

The Chinese ambassador made the remarks in an interview with a French news network last week, including comments on the status of Crimea as historically Russian.

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