🇷🇺💥Russia's air-droppable 'Lotos' self-propelled artillery gun to begin major tests

Acceptance tests of Russia’s newest self-propelled artillery gun developed for the Airborne Forces were completed late in 2020.

The combat vehicle "fully meets the requirements for weight and size characteristics and at the same time boasts an impressive speed, rate and range of fire," Rostec state corporation confirmed at the time.

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The Russian Defense Ministry detailed that air defenses struck down 20 drones over the Crimean peninsula overnight Saturday.

"Tonight, an attempt by the Kiev regime to carry out a terrorist attack using 20 unmanned aerial vehicles [UAVs] on sites on the territory of the Crimean peninsula was thwarted," the ministry said in a statement.

Officials also confirmed Russian forces successfully repelled multiple strikes by Ukrainian troops near the Kupyansk and the Svatovo regions.

🇮🇳 🇷🇺 Russia Dominates in India's Crude Import Basket

🛢 This compelling dominance has been consistently maintained at over 40% since April 2023, surpassing the contributions of Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and other suppliers such as the UAE and the US, energy expert Arpit Chandna told #SputnkiIndia.

🗯 "These traditional players have encountered a significant reduction in their market share, largely attributed to the higher premiums they levy, a contrast to the more favorable terms provided by Russian counterparts," the trade pundit told Sputnik India on Friday.

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🇬🇧 Sonar image reveals upside-down F-35b resting on seafloor after 2021 carrier mishap

An investigation by UK Ministry of Defense determined that an intake blank, part of the red gear, became lodged in the fighter's intake during takeoff. This obstruction severely reduced the engine's power output, resulting in a 17% thrust deficit. As the aircraft approached the carrier's ramp, the pilot attempted to abort takeoff, but the momentum carried the jet over the edge, leading to an ejection.

The incident also raised concerns about the carrier's operational readiness. The report revealed that personnel aboard the HMS Queen Elizabeth, including F-35B pilots and maintainers, lacked sufficient training for sea operations, contributing to the accident. Fatigue among personnel, compounded by the demanding pace of operations and COVID-19-related isolation, further compromised readiness.

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📹 Russian Airborne Forces assault units train at night in military op zone

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🇷🇺📹 Russian Northern Fleet ships on duty in Arctic seas

A detachment of warships of the Northern Fleet, including the large anti-submarine ship ‘Vice-Admiral Kulakov,’ the large landing ship ‘Alexander Otrakovsky,’ the rescue tug ‘Altai’ and the tanker ‘Sergey Osipov’ have left the main base of the Northern Fleet - the city of Severomorsk - for solving tasks in the Arctic zone of the Arctic Ocean, the MoD said.

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🇺🇸 US lawmaker files articles of impeachment against Biden

💬 "Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr. has undermined the integrity of his office, has brought disrepute on the presidency, has betrayed his trust as president, and has acted in a manner subversive of the rule of law and justice, to the manifest injury of the people of the United States," a resolution by US Rep. Greg Steube reads.

The resolution lists four articles of impeachment, including abuse of power, bribery, extortion, fraud, obstruction of justice, and financial involvement in drugs and prostitution.

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🇷🇺📹 Shoigu and Rosatom head inspect main nuclear site in Arctic

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom head Alexey Likhachev have inspected the Central Test Site on Novaya Zemlya, a Soviet-era polygon used for conducting nuclear tests.

The polygon was established on September 17, 1954. Between 1954 and 1990, the USSR conducted 132 tests of atmospheric, underground, underwater, surface, and ground-based nuclear weapons.

Nowadays the main tasks of the Central Testing Ground are the preparation and testing of advanced weapons and military equipment.

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🇨🇳 BlackRock gets hit in China's real estate crisis

The US investment giant is one of the major Western investors involved in China’s real estate crisis, veteran Asia-Pacific affairs expert Thomas Pauken II told Sputnik.

💬 "BlackRock is actually struggling big time in their real estate investments and they’re not even paying back their investors anymore because they're losing so much money on these property and real estate development projects. They’re really getting hit hard by China. I’m not saying it's the same as the 2008 financial crisis, but there are a lot of similarities because of real estate," he said.

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🇦🇲 Armenia requests emergency meeting of UN Security Council over Nagorno-Karabakh

There is a shortage of essential goods, including food, medicine and fuel, due to the blockade of the Lachin corridor, according to the statement, Armenian Permanent Representative to the UN Mher Margaryan, in a letter to the UNSC President, said.

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🇪🇨 Shots fired at Ecuadorian parliamentary candidate days after Villavicencio killing

Estefany Puente Castro was attacked in the city of Quevedo, in the Ecuadorian province of Los Rios, while driving downtown in a car with her father and a company employee.

Puente was not injured and no evidence of a firearm having been fired was found inside her vehicle; however, photos from the scene showed damage to the vehicle, including shattered glass.

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❗️Russian air defenses shot down two Ukrainian missiles over Kerch Strait, Crimean bridge not damaged, local authorities say

Special services put a smoke screen on the bridge, vehicular traffic will resume in the near future.

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❗️Russian MoD on Ukrainian attack on Crimean bridge:

▪️On August 12 at about 13:00 Moscow time (+3 GMT), the Kiev regime attempted to launch a terrorist strike on the Crimean bridge with a S-200 surface-to-air guided missile converted into a strike version

▪️The Ukrainian missile was timely detected and intercepted in the air by Russian air defenses

▪️There were no damage or casualties

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