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.

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⚡️ 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

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❗️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.

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

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

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

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

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🇷🇺 #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.

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💸🇺🇸 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.

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🇷🇺 Russian-made luxury Aurus Komendant SUV on display at #SPIEF2023

The car entered serial production this year, and costs about 35 million rubles (approx. $415,000).

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🗣️"The sanctions are to lock in European and English-speaking dependency on the US."

In last episode of our New Rules show, we were joined by Michael Hudson, an American economist and author, to discuss how the West’s anti-Russia sanctions impact Europe and other interesting topics!

🔊If you missed the episode, watch it on Rumble or listen to it via the website or app!

🎥 Msta-B and D-30 combat units conduct operations to eliminate Ukrainian artillery that is shelling the Belgorod region’s residential areas.

As part of the counter-battery fight, artillery men identify the positions of the Ukrainian army and use pinpoint strikes to destroy their artillery guns, mortars and clusters of enemy personnel.

Video courtesy from Russian MoD

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Instead of answering, just smile?

Joe Biden just smiled when asked whether it's true that he accepts bribes. An American journalist asked the question amid an ongoing investigation into a possible political bribery scheme involving Biden himself, his son Hunter, and the Ukrainian company Burisma.

The POTUS stopped mid-stride, turned around with a smile on his face, chuckled to himself, and shook his head before walking away without saying anything.

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🇷🇺🇨🇳 Vladimir Putin has wished Xi Jinping happy birthday in a "very warm" greeting, as the Chinese president turns 70 years old in a few hours

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Adam Delimkhanov, member of the Russian State Duma, is safe and sound, Chechnya’s head Ramzan Kadyrov said, adding that reports about Delimkhanov's death are fake.

Earlier, various reports emerged online claiming that the lawmaker had come under fire in the special military operation zone and been killed. Kadyrov posted a photo showing him together with Delimkhanov.

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🇷🇺 #SPIEF2023: Drones developed by students at Sevastopol State University in Crimea

The drones can be used for military reconnaissance missions as well as civilian purposes, such as helping emergency services combat fires.

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🗣️”When you hear that the US is planning for evacuation, it signals that the US is very serious about war over Taiwan. I mean, in a sense, you're starting to say that the die is cast”: KJ Noh, writer, teacher, and activist, professor, on the US, planning to evacuate its citizens from Taiwan

🎧Listen to more of Noh’s analysis in our podcast The Critical Hour