📹 Russia's Federal Security Service has arrested smugglers who supplied spare parts for military aviation to Europe

The criminal group acquired components of combat aircraft in Russia for their illegal export, including for the needs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

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The US is reportedly going to send another batch of cluster munitions to Ukraine in the near future to support Kiev's counteroffensive attempt

Washington has not specified how many cluster munitions were included in the first batch, out of the hundreds of thousands that the Pentagon has at its disposal, according to a US news outlet.

US officials said that Ukrainian forces fire about 8,000 artillery rounds per day, including hundreds of cluster shells. The newspaper reported that Kiev's requests for ammunition are expected to rise as many units now increasingly rely on heavy artillery to prepare for infantry advances rather than NATO-style combined arms combat, which is difficult for the Ukrainian army to master.

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The Russian MoD's latest statements on the Ukraine crisis:

▪️ The Russian Armed Forces have repelled 14 Ukrainian attacks in the Zaporozhye region. The enemy's losses included up to 110 Ukrainian servicemen, 2 tanks, 4 infantry fighting vehicles, 2 armored fighting vehicles, 3 motor vehicles, an M109 Paladin self-propelled artillery system, and 1 US-manufactured M777 artillery system. They also lost a Gvozdika self-propelled artillery system, a UK-manufactured FH-70, an Msta-B, D-30 howitzers, and one Bukovel-AD electronic warfare station for detecting UAVs and blocking their control and navigation channels.

▪️ The Russian Armed Forces have successfully repelled 9 attacks by enemy assault groups in the DPR. The enemy's losses amounted to over 320 Ukrainian servicemen killed and wounded, 1 tank, 2 infantry fighting vehicles, 12 motor vehicles, Polish-manufactured Krab and Gvozdika self-propelled artillery systems, 2 D-30 howitzers, and 1 D-20 gun.

▪️ The Russian Armed Forces have repelled one attack by enemy assault groups in the LPR. The enemy losses were up to 60 Ukrainian personnel, 2 armored fighting vehicles, and 3 pickup trucks.

▪️ The Russian Armed Forces have inflicted one fire defeat on Ukrainian units in South Donetsk. The enemy's losses were up to 180 Ukrainian servicemen, 2 armored fighting vehicles, 5 motor vehicles, 1 Polish-manufactured Krab self-propelled artillery system, 2 D-30 howitzers, and 1 Giatsint-B gun.

▪️ The enemy's losses in the Kherson region were up to 25 Ukrainian servicemen, 2 motor vehicles, and 2 US-manufactured M777 artillery systems.

▪️ One S-300ps SAM system has been destroyed in the Zaporozhye region.

▪️ Air defense facilities have intercepted 11 HIMARS multiple-launch rocket systems, as well as one JDAM guided aerial bomb.

▪️ Some 467 airplanes; 248 helicopters; 6,467 unmanned aerial vehicles; 436 air defense missile systems; 11,711 tanks and other armored fighting vehicles; 1,148 fighting vehicles equipped with MLRS; 6,274 field artillery cannons and mortars, as well as 12,776 special military motor vehicles have been destroyed during the special military operation.

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US intelligence acknowledged that Washington had underestimated Russia's forces ahead of the Ukrainian counteroffensive, a UK newspaper reported, citing Pentagon intelligence analyst Trent Maul

He stated that most of the Russian fortifications are still unscathed.

One Biden administration official says that Ukraine has around six to seven weeks of combat left before its offensive culminates. There are private disagreements over how much progress can be made in that time, the newspaper wrote.

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We'd like to draw your attention to a growing English-language news channel specializing in coverage of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Be sure to follow/subscribe for updates!

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https://news.1rj.ru/str/ukraine_watch

“Even if the Ukrainians are successful in breaching the first line of defense, there will be nothing left. They will burn themselves out before the second line of defense. The Ukrainians have no follow on forces. This counter-offensive is over. People will continue to die, but it has no chance whatsoever of meeting its ambitious goals,” Scott Ritter, former US Marine intelligence officer and UN weapons inspector, told the New Rules podcast, commenting on the chances of the Ukrainian counteroffensive to succeed.

👉 The Ukrainian counteroffensive, Zelensky’s plans for a new round of mobilization, and corruption within the Ukrainian military: You can find the full episode on YouTube or Rumble

Elon Musk ordered to limit the work of Starlink satellite internet near Crimea last year, thereby disrupting the Ukrainian attack on the Russian Fleet, according to his biography.

Excerpts from the book have been published by US media. Musk was allegedly concerned that in response to the "mini-Pearl Harbor" Russia could respond with nuclear weapons.

Due to the Starlink outage, Ukrainian underwater drones loaded with explosives "lost contact and were washed ashore."

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Emmanuel Macron asserted that it is up to the Ukrainians to decide whether Russian athletes should participate in the 2024 Games despite claiming that the Olympics should not be politicized

The president said that while there must be "no Russian flag" at the Olympics, "the Olympic world must determine the place of Russian athletes who have trained all their lives."

In March, the IOC executive board recommended that international sports federations allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under a neutral flag, while also advising that Russian teams not be considered for participation in international team sports competitions.

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Klyushin's lawyer says 'we will appeal' verdict after Russian businessman sentenced to 9 years in US prison

A US court on Thursday sentenced Russian businessman Vladislav Klyushin to nine years in prison on hack-and-trade charges, a Sputnik correspondent reported. The defense sought a 36-month sentence to include time served in Switzerland and the United States. US prosecutors asked for 14 years in prison.

The judge said that the 3-year sentence would minimize seriousness of the crimes he committed, citing their sophisticated geography. She still mentioned mitigating factor including that he is the first time offender and that he has participated in charities and helped individual neighbors.

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Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau may open a criminal case against Rustem Umerov, who was recently appointed the country’s defense minister, a Ukrainian media outlet has reported

The bureau received a complaint that Umerov, the former head of the State Property Fund (SPF), along with his two deputies, "took actions aimed at concealing the facts of theft of state property."

The three are accused of concealing the sale of electricity at below-market prices to companies related to Tsentrenergo, one of Ukraine’s energy giants.

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🇷🇺A true hero: Russian serviceman with the call sign Casper saved his brothers-in-arms from a Ukrainian drone

During the drone attack, Casper took the armor from the bulletproof vest, stretched out his arms and directed the defense towards the flying drone, closing the gap in the trench where his comrades were located.

Watch the video to find out more details of how this happened – from Casper and his comrades.

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Pro-Russian blogger Mika Badalyan and columnist for Sputnik Radio Armenia Ashot Gevorgyan have been detained in the Armenian city of Goris.

The reason behind the detention is not disclosed yet and investigative procedures continue.

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