🇷🇺🇮🇩 Russian tourists cannot be intimidated by sanctions, says Russia's Ambassador to Indonesia

💬 “And when could a Russian person be scared by sanctions? But seriously speaking, most Russian tourists are absolutely law-abiding people who have no desire or intention to break laws or in any way offend the feelings of Indonesians who live in Bali. Therefore, the tourist flow has not decreased, but, on the contrary, continues to increase," Russian Ambassador to Indonesia Lyudmila Vorobyova told Sputnik at the #SPIEF2023.

Recently, numerous reports have appeared in the Indonesian media about cases of deportation of Russian citizens from Indonesia and, in particular, from the resort island of Bali. There were also a number of negative statements regarding Russian tourists, and new sanctions were introduced - in particular, Bali Governor Wayan Koster published a list of eight bans for tourists in Bali.

💬 "The Indonesian authorities and Bali authorities decided to clean up the mess. There are laws of the country, there are immigration laws. If you arrived on a tourist visa, then you cannot engage in illegal labor activities. If you have a visa for a certain period, and you stay in the country for a longer period and do not renew a visa or do not apply for a new one, then this is a violation of the immigration law," Vorobyova said.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

⚡️ Egypt applies for BRICS membership, Russian envoy says

❗️Russia can’t be isolated in spite of all efforts, MFA spokeswoman says in her interview to Sputnik

💬 “According to the organizers, delegates from 130 countries and territories are participating in the forum. Given this fact, can we really claim that Russia is isolated, something which the West endlessly chatters on about?”

"A country, [its] people and the nation that honors its history and passes it on to the future generations cannot be isolated. There will be attempts to isolate [Russia], but the isolation itself will not happen. This has already been proven," Maria Zakharova added.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

❗️Caucasus mercenaries in Ukraine seize luxury mansions in Kherson

💬 "As of May 30, a group of Caucasus Legion mercenaries, along with the Ukrainian troops, occupied a private two-storey house in Kherson ... The house is located in a prestigious neighborhood and surrounded by private households. Georgian mercenaries, including Caucasus Legion commander Lado Gamsakhurdia, occupy the first and the second floors of the building," a Russian security service officer told Sputnik, citing their sources in the Ukrainian army.

▪️The house's takeover could have been executed with the help of the commander's adviser Alexey Lyublinsky, known under the call sign "Kherson," whose responsibility is intelligence work for the Caucasus Legion, the source said.

💬 "In late 2022, Lyublinsky, together with Caucasus Legion mercenaries, was capturing private properties, which belonged to the residents of the Zaporozhye Region they suspected of pro-Russian sympathies," the officer stated.

▪️Russian intelligence has discovered that the mercenaries at the occupied house have been receiving humanitarian aid sent by a woman based in Western Ukraine, Lyudmila Sivak.

▪️The intelligence also revealed a bus route by which the Caucasus Legion's new recruits enter Ukraine: Tbilisi-Batumi-Istanbul-Izmail-Odessa-Kherson, the source added.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🇧🇾 Belarus to engage in conflict in Ukraine if aggression used against Minsk, Lukashenko says

💬 "We will take a strong stand if aggression is committed against us. We already have enough power to answer," Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

📹 Russia’s Baltic Fleet conducts artillery battle with mock enemy during drills

In total, over 15 warships participated in the training, where strike groups fired on mock enemy warships and engaged in a single ship and aerial attack.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🇪🇺 “Those who impose sanctions have more problems than those targeted,” Spanish businessman Pedro Mourino said in an interview with Sputnik at #SPIEF2023, describing the state of affairs in Europe after the West’s barrage of sanctions

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Moscow expects Paris to clarify motives behind Macron's plan to attend BRICS summit

💬 "It would be nice if they [Macron's office] told why they want [to attend the summit]. Do they want to once again make some contact to show Paris' activity or is it a 'Trojan horse' of some sort — so let them explain," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Radio Sputnik.

A comment should follow in particular from the French Presidency or whoever is delegated to represent France at the summit of the key emerging economies, the Russian Foreign Ministry's spokeswoman said.

💬 "After all, we are talking about the organization to which they are in no way a member and toward which they have never even shown any politeness, let alone showing any good intentions or feelings," Zakharova added.

On Tuesday, French newspaper reported, citing sources in the Elysee Palace, that Macron had asked South African President Cyril Ramaphosa for an invitation to the upcoming BRICS summit.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

⚡️ Ukraine lost about 7,500 people killed and wounded on frontline alone since June 4, Russia's MoD says

⚡️ Blinken to travel to Beijing, London, UK on June 16-21, will meet with senior PRC officials in China, State Department says

❗️Kremlin on creation of "buffer zone" in Ukraine: Kiev has more long-range weapons, it will be necessary to move line for security of Russian regions

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

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

▪️Last night, Russian forces launched strikes with high-precision long-range sea and air-based weapons at concentration sites of Ukrainian reserves and foreign mercenaries, as well as ammunition depots, weapons and foreign-made military equipment. All the assigned targets were hit, the goal of the strikes was achieved;

▪️The attacks of two Ukrainian motorized infantry companies were repelled;

▪️Four tanks and seven armored fighting vehicles were destroyed close to the Vremevsky salient;

▪️In the DPR, attacks of two company tactical groups were repelled. Ukrainian losses amounted to 10 tanks and five armored fighting vehicles;

▪️In the Kupyansk direction, Russian forces destroyed up to 30 Ukrainian troops, a US-made M109 Paladin self-propelled howitzer, and a Polish Krab self-propelled howitzer;

▪️In the Krasny Liman direction, Russian forces neutralized up to 60 Ukrainian personnel, one Gvozdika self-propelled howitzer, one D-20 howitzer, and one Grad MLRS combat vehicle;

▪️In the Donetsk direction, Ukrainian losses amounted to over 205 Ukrainian troops, two armored fighting vehicles, two D-20 howitzers, as well as several ammunition depots;

▪️In the South Donetsk and Zaporozhye directions, Russian forces destroyed over 800 Ukrainian troops, 20 tanks, four infantry fighting vehicles, 15 armored combat vehicles, two US-made M777 artillery systems, one Msta-B and one D-30 howitzer, a Grad multiple rocket launcher combat vehicle, as well as an ammunition depot;

▪️In the Kherson direction, Russian troops neutralized up to 50 Ukrainian servicemen, and one Akatsiya self-propelled howitzer;

▪️In the area of the city of Zaporozhye, a P-18 radar station for detecting and tracking aerial targets was destroyed;

▪️Air defenses shot down two Storm Shadow cruise missiles, four HIMARS projectiles, and 20 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles in the DPR, Zaporozhye, and Kharkov regions.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

❗️ Russia supports Egypt's application to join BRICS, Russian Ambassador in Cairo says

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🇷🇺 Russia's top carmaker Lada debuts X-Cross 5 model at #SPIEF2023

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

❗️🇱🇰 Sri Lanka and 🇷🇺Russia's Rosatom agree on construction of NPP, Sri Lankan Ambassador tells Sputnik at #SPIEF2023

Subscribe to @sputniknewsindia

🇷🇺 #SPIEF2023: Russian robots and drones are on full display, showcasing the country's technological advancements

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🇷🇺 #SPIEF2023: New Russian drone model the Patriot K40 TL on display

The UAV boasts 95% effectiveness against anti-drone weapons, and it is currently in use by the Russian Ministry of Defense, National Guard, and Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

💸🇺🇸 US Treasury chief in denial over dollar decline as dominant currency

Testifying before the House Financial Services Committee on Tuesday, Janet Yellen tried to downplay the risk de-dollarization in response to sanctions on Russia for its de-Nazification operation in Ukraine.

💬 "We should expect over time a gradually increased share of other assets in reserve holdings of countries — a natural desire to diversify," Yellen conceded, but insisted that "the dollar is far and away the dominant reserve asset."

She insisted that "the dollar plays the role it does in the world financial system for very good reasons that no other country is able to replicate, including China."

💬 "We have deep liquid open financial markets, strong rule of law and an absence of capital controls that no country is able to replicate. It will not be easy for any country to devise a way to get around the dollar," Yellen said.

Democratic Texas Representative Vicente Gonzalez asked whether the US should scale back its multitude of sanctions on other nations for fear of driving other countries away from the dollar.

💬 "I would say there is virtually no meaningful workaround for most countries for using the dollar as a reserve currency," Yellen claimed.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt