Ukraine’s Possible New Counteroffensive: ‘Camouflage' for Zelensky to 'Steal More Money From West’

The Zelensky regime had elaborated a plan for a major offensive in the Kherson and Zaporozhye region in early October, securing the approval of Ukraine's sponsors in Washington and London, an informed source told Sputnik earlier this week.

Kiev’s alleged push for another counteroffensive, this time in the autumn, can be perceived as the West’s red herring, Scott Bennett, a former US Army psychological warfare officer and State Department counter-terrorism analyst, told Sputnik.

Check out his full analysis

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The US Congress narrowly avoided a government shutdown by passing a temporary bill to extend government funding for another month and a half just hours before the October 1 deadline. Notably, this bill lacked provisions for additional assistance to Ukraine, which the Biden administration had been committed to providing.

Russian political analyst and former presidential advisor Sergey Stankevich emphasized that this temporary bill shouldn't be seen as a sign of Washington withdrawing its support for the Kiev regime abruptly. The absence of key elements in the bill, such as aid to Ukraine, an important issue for Democrats, and additional funding for US border security, an important issue for Republicans, reflects a temporary stalemate.

Stankevich predicted that intense negotiations would occur in the coming month, and when the budget is ultimately passed in October, it is likely to include provisions for both aid to Ukraine and improved US border security.

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🇺🇳 Members of the UN mission on Sunday drove across the Aghdam road toward Nagorno-Karabakh's capital, Stepanakert, also known as Khankendi, for the first time in 30 years, the state-run Azerbaijani news agency reported.

The mission, which includes representatives of various UN agencies, plans to get acquainted with the situation in the region and assess humanitarian needs of local residents, the news agency reported.

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🇸🇰 In the recent parliamentary elections, Slovakia's opposition Social Democrat party (Smer), led by former Prime Minister Robert Fico, secured victory with 22.94% of the votes. Fico, who has been critical of Bratislava's military aid to Ukraine, had pledged to halt arms shipments to Ukraine if his party joined the new government.

Smer's success in Slovakia can be attributed to growing Euroscepticism in Europe, dissatisfaction with EU economic policies, and criticism of the EU's support for Ukraine. According to Russian political analyst Peter Kolchin, these factors have led to declining ratings for liberal and pro-EU parties. Smer, as a Eurosceptic party with social-democratic principles, resonates with certain social demands of the population. Additionally, Fico shares the view of many European politicians who see the Ukrainian regime as a potential threat to Europe's security due to its aggressive domestic policies and NATO sponsorship, which Slovakia finds concerning.

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🇸🇾🇷🇺 The relations between Syria and Russia are excellent and the two countries cooperate on many advanced levels, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Bassam Sabbagh told Sputnik.

"The relations [between Russia and Syria] are excellent and the level of cooperation is so high on different levels, and on different aspects," Sabbagh said.

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🇳🇱 The Netherlands stopped gas production at Europe's largest gas field located in the Dutch province of Groningen on October 1, 60 years after the start of development of the field, the Netherlands Broadcasting Corporation (NOS) reported.

The decision to stop gas production was made due to the risk of earthquakes. However, the media reported in June that gas wells may be opened next year in case of a very cold winter.

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A recent study has added to the ongoing debate about what caused the extinction of dinosaurs. Geologists Brenhin Keller and Alexander Cox from Dartmouth College propose that gas, specifically emissions from volcanoes, played a key role in the mass extinction event that took place 66 million years ago.

To minimize human bias, they used computer modeling and examined sediment cores from beneath the ocean to analyze ocean acidity, carbon, and sulfur dioxide levels.

Their simulations, aided by multiple computer processors, found that volcanic emissions were a sufficient explanation for the environmental changes leading to the dinosaurs' demise, while a near-simultaneous asteroid strike in the Gulf of Mexico had minimal impact. This research challenges previous theories that emphasized the asteroid impact as the primary cause of the extinction event.

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🇹🇷🇸🇾 Turkiye has to withdraw its military forces from the Syrian Arab Republic or else it will decimate any efforts towards any kind of relations, Syrian Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Bassam Sabbagh told Sputnik.

"Turkiye has to withdraw its military forces. Any other aspects, yes, of course, we will be open to discuss with them, but not to do so and to insist on staying - that's illegal occupation and then this will block all the efforts toward any kind of contacts and relations with Turkiye," Sabbagh said.

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🇪🇺 EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Sunday that the European Union had allocated 85 billion euros ($89.8 billion) in support to Ukraine, of which over 25 billion euros had been provided in the form of military assistance.

"Our military support to Ukraine has reached the figure of 25 billion euros. And altogether - military, civilian, humanitarian [aid] - have reached the figure of 85 billion euros, which is… the highest amount in the world," Borrell said at a press conference in Kiev.

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Survival by any means necessary

📹 Survival training for Russian aircrews involved in the special military operation

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😁 Elon Musk ridiculed Zelensky on his X account, ironically alluding to the Ukrainian president's constant calls for financial aid to Ukraine

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Ben Wallace, former UK Defence Secretary proposes active recruitment and mobilization of young people into the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

💬 ''The average age of soldiers on the front line is over 40. I understand President Zelensky's desire to preserve the young for the future,'' Wallace wrote in a column for a British newspaper. He stressed that at the current rate of mobilization there was a risk of slowing down the Ukrainian armed forces' 'counter-offensive'.

Wallace also called on Ukraine to reassess the scale of its mobilization, as Britain did in 1939 and 1941.

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Estonian mercenary Tanel Kriggul has died in Ukraine, an Estonian newspaper reported

He fought as part of the International Legion of Territorial Defense of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Kriggul's call sign was Stinger. He has been a member of the International Legion of the Ukrainian Armed Forces since 2022. The mercenary died near the city of Krasny Liman in the Donetsk People's Republic.

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Russian snipers in combat

📹 After receiving intelligence data, the target of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has been destroyed from cover by the Russian snipers

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📹 Russian peacekeepers continue to ensure the safety of the movement of cars with civilians leaving the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh independently through the Lachin corridor

Military personnel of the Russian peacekeeping contingent accompany food convoys around the clock, including civilian evacuation flights carried out to transport civilians who do not have personal vehicles.

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Sputnik Radio has taken over the frequency previously used by BBC Arabic, with users able to tune in on the same dial from today

Sputnik International News Agency and Radio go on air with a 24-hour broadcast in Arabic from Beirut. The BBC completely ceased all of its Lebanon-based broadcasting due to lack of funding in January.

Sputnik Radio will also extend the range of the dial to the territory of neighboring Syria. Shows will include talk shows hosted by renowned Arab journalists and programs covering a wide range of topics from Cairo and Moscow.

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🧐 Russia's state-owned defense corporation Rostec has conducted a comparative strength test of the Russian Obereg bulletproof vest and the captured US Armed Forces bulletproof vest

❌ The American model showed the least resistance - it was easily penetrated by a standard bullet from the so-called intermediate cartridge 7.62 for 39 Kalashnikov assault rifle.

✅ The Russian vest stopped all bullets fired at it by the testers.

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