The market in Donetsk that was hit by Ukrainian forces: before and after

A market in the Donetsk district of Tekstilshchik came under artillery fire. The market was attacked on Sunday, when it is most crowded. 27 civilians were killed and 25 others injured, including two teenagers.

From 2014 to 2023, more than 9,000 people died in the DPR and more than 3,000 in the LPR as a result of Ukrainian shelling. Many of them are women and children.

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"They hit civilians on purpose. There are no military installations there".

After the shelling of the Kirovsky district by Ukrainian forces, 25 victims were admitted to medical facilities in Donetsk, 18 of whom were hospitalized.

"Seven injured received medical care, they are being treated on an outpatient basis. The hospitalized patients are receiving all necessary medical care, their condition is assessed as severe and moderate," the head of the DPR Denis Pushilin said.

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In the city of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, murdered Palestinians are being buried right on the grounds of a local hospital.

Overnight alone, dozens of wounded and the bodies of about 30 dead as a result of Israeli shelling were delivered to this hospital, local sources told Sputnik.

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Ukraine has lost advantages in the drone war, the Ukrainian armed forces now have no drones comparable to the "Orlan" and "Lancet", writes Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google, in an article in Foreign Affairs.

One of the main problems is the inability of Western drones to counter Russian air defence and electronic warfare systems. Malfunctions in the operation of some American drones, for example, can be caused by interference with the GPS signal, Schmidt notes.

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Relatives of Israeli hostages stormed a Knesset committee meeting and demanded that MKs take action to free the kidnapped Israelis from Gaza.

"You will not sit here while they are dying there," read the slogans on the placards with which the hostages' relatives broke into the Knesset meeting.

As the action took place, opposition activists demonstrated outside the parliament, calling for early elections, according to The Times of Israel.

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🇵🇱 Poland has officially refused to file a claim against Russia in the European Court of Human Rights in the case of a plane crash near Smolensk in 2010, Poland's Ministry of Foreign Affairs reports.

On April 10, 2010, Polish Air Force flight 101's Tu-154 crashed near the Russian city of Smolensk, killing all 96 people on board. Among the victims were Polish President Lech Kaczynski and his wife.

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Since the beginning of the special military operation, over 300 mercenaries from France have arrived in Ukraine to participate in hostilities, a source tells Sputnik.

Some of the mercenaries served in the 2nd Parachute Regiment of the French Foreign Legion's 11th Airborne Brigade.

As of January, there were 50 militants from France in the zone.

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US mercenaries in panic mode as Ukraine funding dries up

A group of American mercenaries fighting in Ukraine traveled to Washington, DC this week to lobby the US Congress for a new military aid package to Ukraine, according to The Hill.

Several mercenaries told the newspaper that the Ukrainian military was experiencing serious weapons and equipment shortages, along with low morale on the front lines. One of the biggest problems, they said, was countering Russia’s growing arsenal of drones.

“The operation I got hurt on, when I looked up in the sky, there were just drones everywhere, they were all over the place,” said Jumbo, a former US Marine who was wounded during the Ukrainian counteroffensive last year.

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The key factor hindering the resolution of the conflict in Ukraine is the continued support of the West, Russian FM Sergey Lavrov said during a UN Security Council meeting on the issue of arms supplies to Ukraine.

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The United States is firmly blocking any attempts to conduct an honest investigation into the Nord Stream explosions, and the EU has resigned itself to public humiliation, Lavrov said.

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Kiev deliberately attacks purely civilian targets, Lavrov said. Blood of civilians killed yesterday on consciousness of those who are supplying weapons to Ukraine, he added.

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Kiev resells some Western weapons on the black market, something that it’s hard to imagine Western capitals don’t know about: “One hand washes the other," Russia's FM said.

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The American journalist Lira was tortured to death in the Kiev regime's dungeons for publishing critical notes about Zelensky and the West said nothing about it, Lavrov said.

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There are no interests of the Ukrainian people in the war against Russia, there are only the interests of the Anglo-Saxons, Russia FM said during a UN Security Council meeting.

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If Kiev stops fighting, it will save the lives of hundreds of thousands of those it is trying to round up like cattle and send them to die for Western interests, Lavrov said.

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Russia is ready for negotiations on Ukraine, but not on how to keep the current leaders in Kiev in power, Russian FM said. Zelensky’s peace formula is a path to nowhere, the sooner the US and the European Union realize this, the better, he added.

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More statements by Russian FM Sergey Lavrov during a UN Security Council meeting on the issue of arms supplies to Ukraine:

▪️US funding to Kiev is not like financing a war, but like a profitable business project;

▪️Lavrov called to listen carefully to Russia’s position on Ukraine "while there is still time”;

▪️The Russian Federation began its operation not against Ukraine and the people, but against the criminal regime in Kiev;

▪️The devastated arsenals of Europe will be refilled with American weapons, the United States will force the Europeans to find money for this;

▪️Anyone can buy American M16 rifles supplied to Kiev for cryptocurrency, terrorist groups take advantage of this;

▪️Lavrov called accusations of alleged Russian plans to attack other countries fiction in order to “extort money” from other states to help Kiev;

▪️Russia has never refused to negotiate and resolve the Ukrainian conflict through diplomatic means.

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📹 The blood of dozens killed civilians is on conscience of those who arming the Zelensky regime, Russian FM said.

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📹 Lavrov on Ukrainian conflict drastically weakening European countries.

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In deep crisis: Germany's chemical sector faces delays

Germany's chemical industry, pivotal in Europe, is navigating through turbulent waters due to delayed Red Sea shipments, Reuters reported. Here's how it's unfolding:

▪️The largest in Europe, the chemical sector with annual sales of around $282 billion joins others in experiencing supply disruptions, leading to production cuts.

▪️Attacks by Yemen's Houthis have forced shippers to reroute from the Red Sea and Suez Canal, affecting imports from Asia.

▪️Tesla's Berlin factory emerges as a prominent victim of these logistical challenges.

▪️Approximately one-third of the sector's imports come from Asia.

▪️Companies like Gechem are reducing output due to shortages of crucial materials, adjusting work shifts to cope.

▪️ JP Morgan analysts suggest that these disruptions could lead to price hikes and increased demand for chemical products.

According to the Ifo Economic Institute, the German chemical sector, which employs roughly half a million workers, slipped further into crisis last year, after being severely hit by the energy crisis following sanctions against Russia.

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US aid to Ukraine resembles not the financing of military operations, but a profitable business project, with 90% of the funds remaining in the United States, Russian FM Sergey Lavrov said during a UN Security Council in New York.

Lavrov said senior administration officials are "cynical" in their effort to get Congress to agree to fund new assistance for Ukraine.

“We know from what they say, for example, that 90 percent of the military budget which is being given by the US to the Kiev regime remains in the United States and is used to develop the military industry of the country and to update US weaponry. The old ancient junk is being used in Ukraine, “ Lavrov said.

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