Russia and Belarus have the right to ensure their security, including in the military-nuclear sphere

"We have noted increasingly frequent comments in recent days coming from White House and State Department concerning the Russia-Belarus military-nuclear cooperation. They once again accused us of ‘irresponsible and provocative’ behavior," the Russian Embassy in the United States said in a statement, adding that "it is the sovereign right of Russia and Belarus to ensure their security by means we deem necessary amidst of a large-scale hybrid war unleashed by Washington against us."

The embassy emphasized that the recent measures with regard to nuclear weapons are fully consistent with Russia’s international legal obligations.

"Before blaming others, Washington could use some introspection. The United States has been for decades maintaining a large arsenal of its nuclear weapons in Europe. Together with its NATO allies it participates in nuclear sharing arrangements and trains for scenarios of nuclear weapons use against our country," the Russian embassy said.

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Russia will continue to support Serbia in its efforts to protect its legitimate rights, sovereignty and territorial integrity

"We will continue to support Belgrade in its efforts to protect legitimate rights, sovereignty and territorial integrity. We have no reason to question the stability of the Serbian government when it comes to the protection of state interests," Yuri Pilipson, Director of the Fourth European Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, told Sputnik.

Any decision on Kosovo should be acceptable for Serbians and approved by the UN Security Council, Pilipson also stated, adding that the West is trying to promote other ways to solve the issue with no regard for interests of the Serbian people.

On Friday, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic brought the Serbian military to a state of maximum alert due to the situation in Kosovo and Metohija over unilateral steps taken by Pristina. He also demanded that NATO "urgently stop violence against Serbs" in Kosovo and Metohija.

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US President Joe Biden revealed that Secret Service employees are presently working to ensure that his house is bulletproof

"The reason I’m going to Camp David is they are working on the -- the Secret Service is working on my house -- bulletproofing the house," Biden told reporters.

"So there’s no place to go at home; they said I’d be out for five weeks. So I’m going to Camp David because my granddaughter graduates on Sunday, and it’s closest so I can get there to be at her graduation."

The president also said he hoped to know by Friday night whether a deal had been reached with Republican leaders in Congress to raise the US debt limit and that he was "optimistic" about it.

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📹 The Black Sea Fleet reconnaissance ship Ivan Khurs has arrived at its home base in Sevastopol after carrying out special missions in the Black Sea

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📹 Russian tank crews destroyed the house where the militants of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were hiding

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The US and the UK are certainly starting to question the Ukrainian government's sanity after one of its official's statement calling Vladimir Putin a target

"I have no doubts that the puppeteers in Washington and London are starting to question whether these people are sane. I hope that sanctions will be imposed against these so-called leaders," Lavrov said in a video comment posted on Russian journalist Pavel Zarubin's Telegram channel.

Earlier in the week, deputy chief of Ukrainian military intelligence Vadym Skibitsky told German daily that Putin was at the top of Kiev's list of targets.

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Beijing will boost the dialogue with all parties to the Ukrainian crisis, including Russia, and make efforts to reach a political settlement

"Based on provisions of the document 'China's Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis,' Beijing will continue to boost cooperation and dialogue with all parties, including Russia, and make real efforts for a political settlement of the Ukrainian crisis," Chinese Special Representative for Eurasian Affairs Li Hui said during the meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, as quoted in a statement by the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

The Chinese ministry stated following the meeting that Russia and China would continue to increase bilateral and multilateral cooperation in various areas and enrich their relations "in a new era."

In February, China released a 12-point document ennoscriptd "China's Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis," which underscores respect for the sovereignty of all countries, the cessation of hostilities and the resumption of peace talks between Moscow and Kiev. Russian President Vladimir Putin said that some of the provisions of the plan could be a basis for a peace settlement, "if the West and Kiev are ready for it."

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Ukraine has made a request to the German government to acquire Swedish-German long-range cruise missiles Taurus KEPD 350 with a range of up to 500 kilometers

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky raised the issue of the shipment of German missiles to Ukraine during his meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz earlier in the month, the newspaper said, adding that the German Defense Ministry confirmed that Kiev had requested Taurus from Berlin.

Earlier in the week, Roderich Kiesewetter, a German lawmaker from the opposition Christian Democratic Union, said that Berlin should abandon "red lines" in its approach to the Ukrainian conflict and provide cruise missiles with over 500km range to Kiev.

Western countries have been supplying military aid to Ukraine since the start of Russia's special military operation in February 2022. The aid includes both light and heavy weapons, such as tanks and other armored vehicles, missiles, drones, artillery and munitions.

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

▪️In the Kupyansk direction, Russian forces destroyed up to 45 Ukrainian troops, two armored fighting vehicles, one Msta-B howitzer, one US-made AN/TPQ-50 counter-mortar radar as well as one ammunition depot;

▪️In the Krasny Liman direction, Russian forces neutralized up to 60 Ukrainian personnel, three armored combat vehicles, as well as two D-30 and one Gvozdika howitzer;

▪️In the Donetsk direction, Ukrainian losses amounted to more than 260 troops, two armored combat vehicles, two D-30 and one Gvozdika self-propelled howitzer as well as one ammunition depot;

▪️In the South Donetsk and Zaporozhye directions, Russian forces destroyed over 120 Ukrainian troops, one infantry fighting vehicle, a Polish Krab self-propelled howitzer, one US-made AN/TPQ-37 counter-mortar radar as well as two ammunition depots;

▪️In the Kherson direction, Russian troops neutralized up to 10 Ukrainian soldiers, one D-30 and two Gvozdika self-propelled howitzers;

▪️Russian air defenses shot down two Storm Shadow cruise missiles, two HARM anti-radar missiles, 19 HIMARS missiles, and 12 unmanned aerial vehicles in the LPR, DPR, and Zaporozhye region.

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The training of the military of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the use of M1 Abrams tanks and their maintenance has begun in Germany

▪️ The Pentagon was cited by US media as saying 200 military men have begun general-arms briefing at the training grounds in Grafenvoor and Hohenfels; another 200 are being trained in tank refueling and maintenance.

▪️ According to the report, the training will take from ten to 12 weeks.

▪️ Earlier it became known that the United States will transfer Abrams M1A1 tanks to Ukraine without “sensitive” technologies: there are fears that they will fall into the hands of the Russian military.

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EU freezes $26Bln in private assets of sanctioned Russians since February 2022

The value of frozen Russian private assets under sanctions increased from 18.9 billion euros in December to 24.1 billion euros in late May, a German newspaper said.

As many as 1,473 individuals and 205 firms from Russia have been sanctioned by the EU, the newspaper added.

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✈️ 110 years ago, the first-ever four engine aircraft, designed by famous Russian aviation pioneer Igor Sikorsky, performed its first flight in Russia. Its name changed to Bolshoi Baltiyskiy (The Big Baltic)

A massive contraption powered by four 100 hp Argus As engines made in Germany, Sikorsky’s creation was 20 meters long and 4 meters high, with the plane’s upper and lower wingspan being 27 and 20 meters respectively.

During its maiden flight on May 27, 1913, the plane, piloted by Sikorsky himself, took off from the Corpusny Airfield in St. Petersburg and reached an altitude of about 100 meters.

Russian Emperor Nicholas II himself took interest in Sikorsky’s creation and personally inspected the plane.

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Ukrainian military starts training in Germany to operate US Abrams tanks

About 200 Ukrainian troops started combined arms instruction at training ranges in Grafenwoehr and Hohenfels on Friday, while another 200 started being trained in tank refueling and maintenance, Pentagon spokesman Garron Garn was cited as saying.

Last week the White House gave its consent to European allies to sent Ukraine their US-made F16 jets — Kiev's fighter aircraft of choice. Germany said it would not send fighter jets but would continue supporting Ukraine in other ways. The Kremlin has repeatedly warned against Western arms deliveries to Kiev.

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Egyptian archaeologists unveil two largest embalming workshops found to date

The mission, led by the head of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, Mostafa Waziri, also found two burial sites and some other artifacts, the regional broadcaster reported. The workshops, one of which was used for mummifying humans and the other for embalming animals, date back to the Thirtieth Dynasty of Egypt and the beginning of the Ptolemaic period, Waziri was cited as saying.

Archaeologists unearthed an intact tomb around 4,400 years old, which is believed to have belonged to a high-ranking official who lived during the Fifth Dynasty of Egypt. Other tombs dating back to the Old and New Kingdoms were also discovered there.

Saqqara is home to the oldest necropolis, whose first burials date back to the First Dynasty of Egypt, and the iconic Step Pyramid of Djoser.

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"By this time, all Russians will have already left": Six months ago, the advisor to the head of the Ukrainian presidential office, Mikhail Podolyak, promised to expel all Russians from Crimea by today and personally come to the city of Yalta. But something went wrong 🤷‍♂️

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🗣️”The enormous profits that come into these defense contractors, they plow some of those profits into think tanks, as you guys know very well. And what do those think tanks do? They produce policy papers about threats, the China threat, the threat from Asia, the threat from here, the threat from there.”: Daniel McAdams, executive director of the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity, on the hidden connections between the Pentagon, think tanks, and the media

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

Henry Kissinger turns 100

Henry Kissinger is an American political scientist and former US secretary of state. He is famous for creating the foreign-policy doctrine called "realism".

No matter how the geopolitical situation changes, Kissinger continues to insist that Russia should be perceived as "an essential element" of global equilibrium and call for a peaceful co-existence with China.

"Most people don’t understand that there is no 'independent diplomacy' pursued for the benefit of all humanity and disconnected from the pursuits of power," Nicolai Petro professor of political science at the University of Rhode Island told Sputnik.

Who is Kissinger and what's his legacy?

Read the full story on our website

🚀 SpaceX is a private aerospace company founded by Elon Musk that focuses on developing advanced rockets and spacecraft. It is known for its achievements in reusable rocket technology and its ambitious goal of establishing a human colony on Mars.

On May 27, SpaceX launched the Arabsat BADR-8 telecommunications satellite into orbit.

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EU Commissioner says Twitter quitting bloc's voluntary pact against disinformation

"Twitter leaves EU voluntary Code of Practice against disinformation. But obligations remain. You can run but you can’t hide. Beyond voluntary commitments, fighting disinformation will be legal obligation under # DSA [Digital Services Act] as of August 25. Our teams will be ready for enforcement," European Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton tweeted on Friday.

Last February, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell expressed concerns that Twitter's policy under its new owner, Elon Musk, would harm efforts to counter disinformation and manipulations since the platform removed free access to its application programming interfaces, among other things.

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🚀 Virgin Galactic is a commercial spaceflight company founded by Richard Branson, offering suborbital spaceflights for tourists. Its flagship vehicle, VSS Unity, was launched from a carrier aircraft and provides passengers with a few minutes of weightlessness and a stunning view of Earth from space.

The company launched its Unity 25 mission from Spaceport America in New Mexico ahead of the planned commercial launch in June 2023.

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🗿 The Olmec civilization is one of the oldest known complex societies in Mesoamerica, flourishing between approximately 1500 BCE and 400 BCE.

It is considered the "mother culture" as its influence and artistic style spread to later civilizations, such as the Maya and Aztecs.

A 2,500-year-old Olmec stone monolith has returned to Mexico museums after decades illegally kept in the US.

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