❗️ Margarita Simonyan, Editor-in-Chief of Sputnik and RT, said that a parcel with traces of explosives arrived at her work in her name. Police are currently investigating.

❗️Growth of radiation recorded in Poland after the destruction of ammunition with depleted uranium in Ukraine, Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev has said, noting that the radioactive cloud is moving toward Europe

Americans have “helped” countries by supplying them with depleted uranium more than once in history. They also “helped” Ukraine, making Washington’s satellites supply ammunition with depleted uranium to the Kiev regime. Their destruction led to a radioactive cloud heading toward Western Europe. In Poland, an increase in radiation has already been recorded, Russian top security official added.

In March, UK Minister for Defense Annabel Goldie said that the country would provide Ukraine with depleted uranium tank ammunition, including armor-piercing shells for the 14 Challenger 2 battle tanks the UK is planning to supply to Ukraine. The Kremlin has repeatedly warned against further escalation of the situation.

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❗️ Margarita Simonyan said that it was figured out that there was no explosive device in the parcel sent to her from Hong Kong

🌍🕊African countries' Ukraine settlement plan has no preconditions, mediator says

🗣"There are no pre-conditions I can assure you. [...] Those people [African leaders] are not going to spare 4 days, because it is the minimum to do the 2 countries, and go back to their cities empty handed. We really sincerely hope we will get some results out of these visits, if not we wouldn't do it," the founder of the Brazzaville Foundation and initiator of the mission, Jean-Yves Ollivier, told Sputnik.

▪️Earler, French news outlet Jeune Afrique claimed that a ceasefire in Ukraine is a precondition for the African peace initiative.

▪️Ollivier also noted that the African countries' mission to Ukraine is the first to be accepted by Moscow and Kiev.

▪️ On Thursday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said an African mission with a peace initiative on Ukraine plans to visit Russia in mid-June or early July, This followed an announcement made by South African President Ramaphosa that both Russia and Ukraine would accept a peace mission consisting of six African leaders

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The UK and Norway have signed a security partnership in undersea domain

The agreement, announced by the defense ministers of both countries, includes the prevention of attacks on infrastructure, including gas pipeline and cables.

Britain and Norway have also pledged to exchange intelligence, counter mine threats and improve the detection of submarines from hostile nations.

"The growing use of the seabed for energy and communications purposes has resulted in increased opportunities for adversaries to threaten Western subsea critical national infrastructure, as seen through the damaging of the Nord Stream pipeline, where the UK and Norway have jointly increased security patrols in the region," a statement by the UK Defence Ministry said, citing "shared interests in the North Sea" and promising to simplify the process for allies and partners to "join or complement" the UK-Norwegian cooperation.

The references to the Nord Stream blast sounded rather uncanny as a series of revelation pieces published by US veteran journalist Seymour Hersh earlier this year specifically uncovered Norway's alleged role in it.

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❗️ Key statements made by Vladimir Putin at the Interethnic Relations Council meeting:

▪️ The organizers of provocations against Russia do not understand that national diversity only makes the country stronger.

▪️ We see what aggressive external pressure is directed at Russia.

▪️ The level of all-Russian identity in the last year has grown in direct proportion to the pressure on our country.

▪️ Attacks on Russia's culture and spiritual values do not stop; there are continuing attempts to drive a wedge and foment interethnic disunity.

▪️ Provocations are organized within the ethnic minority communities in Russia; one announces the 'decolonization' of the country, while another proposes to divide Russia into dozens of small entities.

▪️ The Kherson and Zaporozhye regions, DPR and LPR are multinational in their composition.

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

▪️ In the Lvov region, a fuel storage facility for Ukrainian military equipment was destroyed;

▪️ The Russian Armed Forces destroyed up to 130 Ukrainian soldiers in the DPR;

▪️ The Russian Armed Forces delivered a strike with long-range precision weapons at the points of deployment and training centers of units, as well as warehouses of the Ukrainian Army;

▪️ During the day, Russian troops destroyed more than 85 Ukrainian military and Gvozdika self-propelled guns near Krasny Liman;

▪️ Assault detachments are fighting in the western part of Artemovsk;

▪️ The units of the Russian Army hold back the Ukrainian Armed Forces, covering the flanks of the assault detachments in the battles for Artemovsk;

▪️ The Russian Armed Forces destroyed a warehouse of missile and artillery weapons of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the DPR;

▪️ Russian Armed Forces destroyed up to 120 military units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the south of the DPR and in the Zaporozhye region;

▪️ Russian troops destroyed up to 65 Ukrainian soldiers near Kupyansk in a day;

▪️ As a result of the strike with high-precision weapons, the supply, training and formation of reserves of the Ukraine Army were disrupted;

▪️ The Russian Armed Forces destroyed an ammunition depot of the 72nd Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the DPR;

▪️ The Russian Armed Forces destroyed more than 70 Ukrainian military and mercenaries in the Artemosvk area in a day.

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US-made air defense system Patriot lost all of its 32 missiles trying to intercept a Russian hypersonic Kinzhal

An international portal, dedicated to military analytics, has reported that Kinzhal missiles were specially designed to avoid and destroy air defense systems, which is why the US-made Patriot had no chance. They add that Patriots are rather easy prey since their radars give out powerful electromagnetic waves and Russian Armed Forces have no problem locating them. The American air defense system is static and it takes a great effort to relocate it.

Previously Russian MoD stated that Kinzhals destroyed a multifunctional radar station in Kiev as well as five launchers of Patriot surface-to-air missiles interceptors.

Earlier, US officials said they were "still assessing" damage dealt to the Patriot air defense system by a hypersonic Kinzhal missile.

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Australian police used a taser electroshock weapon on a 95-year-old woman suffering from dementia

The incident took place in a nursing home as officers were called to deal with a woman with a walking frame who carried a steak knife. After asking her to put away the blade, they tasered her. The old lady fell and was critically injured – now she is receiving end-of-life care.

Netizens were shocked by the event, slamming Australian police for their cowardice and unprofessional skills. Meanwhile , it has made global headlines as an act of “utter generacy.”

Australian netizens were obviously ashamed of their police's actions. Tasering is not unheard of in Australia, but it is usually on Indiginous aborigenal people. However, this is practically the first time that officers have used a stunner on a granny.

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From Syria to Sudan: what is the Arab League summit’s agenda?

The 32nd Arab League summit kicks off in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. At the 2023 gathering, leaders plan to discuss critical issues such as Syria's re-entry, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and crises in Libya, Sudan, and Yemen.

Syrian President Bashar Assad will attend the summit after over a decade, following Syria's recent re-entry into the body. The summit will also address the Gaza escalation and efforts to combat terrorism.

Notably, the summit takes place in the context of improving relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran, which is seen as a significant factor in Syria's return to the Arab League.

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🎙 What risks and promises does artificial intelligence hold when it comes to Africa? Why has Rwanda become the major start-up space and what does it have to do with AI?

🌍 To answer these and more, tune in to the new episode of the AfroVerdict podcast by #Sputnik Africa!

☝️ Putin came up with a new synonym for the neo-colonialists, suggesting they compete in a special contest.

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Ukraine's depleted uranium blast: Europe on brink of 'environmental disaster'

Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev warned on Friday that a radioactive cloud was heading towards Western Europe following the destruction of a Ukrainian warehouse storing British-supplied depleted uranium ammunition.

Sputnik News spoke with Dr. Chris Busby, a physical chemist and scientific secretary of the European Committee on Radiation Risk, about how the West’s decision to provide depleted uranium (DU) ammunition to Ukraine has potentially caused a continent-wide ecological disaster.

Read his full answer

🗣️”I find it completely obscene that the US and the G7, as they are escalating to war against China, which is potentially thermonuclear war against China, that they're trying to make some kind of a symbolic gesture”: Journalist and author KJ Noh on Biden's visit to Japan ahead of the G7 summit

🎧Listen to more of Noh’s analysis in our podcast Fault Lines

What could shoot down Ukraine's hopes of getting US F-16s?

The US may hesitate to deliver F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine due to potential political consequences, despite economic advantages, according to Earl Rasmussen, a retired US army lieutenant colonel and international consultant.

While the Biden administration is reportedly willing to approve the export of F-16s to Ukraine through European allies, it remains reluctant to send its own jets. Even if the decision is made, the delivery may be delayed as Ukrainian pilots require significant training, and establishing the necessary maintenance infrastructure would incur additional costs.

Moreover, there seems to be a conflict between the US Department of Defense and the State Department, with the Pentagon expressing concerns about escalating the situation and urging caution in foreign policy decisions.

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💭 PM Modi’s participation as a guest country at this year’s G7 Leaders’ Summit in 🇯🇵 Hiroshima definitely points towards New Delhi “growing geopolitical prominence” and “economic might” in the world, an Indian strategic affairs expert has told Sputnik.

However, Kulkarni added that New Delhi would be well-advised not to fall in the trap of joining the “western camp”. 👉 READ MORE

🗣️"The US president shows up and says 'Guys, I'm your leader. I can't stay long because my country's gone broke. I got to get back to the debt negotiations because we're running out of money. But follow me.' I mean, in the G7!": Asia and Indo-Pacific historian and critically-acclaimed best-selling author James Bradley on Biden's trip to Japan for the G7

🎧Listen to more of Bradley’s analysis in our podcast The Final Countdown

'G7 no longer globally-determining force' amid emerging multipolarity

China's hosting of the Xian summit signifies its growing global influence, according to Mehran Kamrava, a professor at Georgetown University. The summit, takes place as G7 leaders gather in Hiroshima. Kamrava argued that while the G7 still allows the coordination of policies, it no longer has the power to dictate the global economy or shape the global order.

Kamrava emphasized the significance of the China-Central Asian summit, highlighting China's recognition of the strategic importance of Central Asian republics. He sees China's hosting of the summit as a sign of its increasing diplomatic influence on the global stage, further solidifying its role as a major technology producer, commercial actor in Africa, and consequential player in the Persian Gulf. China is leveraging its strong geographical, historical, logistical, and cultural ties with Central Asia to expand its diplomatic activities worldwide.

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Hiroshima G7 summit just 'photo-op' for Biden's confrontation with China

The G7 summit in Japan hosted by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has been criticized as a superficial show of support for the US' confrontational stance against China.

According to Asian-based author James Bradley, President Joe Biden's visit to Hiroshima is merely a photo opportunity with the real focus being on China. The G7 leaders plan to issue a statement highlighting concerns about China's economic aggression. However, Bradley argued that Biden's credibility in the Asia-Pacific region has been compromised by the US' own economic aggression in Ukraine. He believes that Asian countries will turn to China, their primary trading partner, once Biden leaves the summit.

Bradley contended that Japan's portrayal of China as a threat is a justification to abandon its post-World War II constitutional commitment to self-defense-orientated armament. He emphasized that the real military threat to Japan comes from the United States, with a significant American military presence in the country.

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