Western security services, primarily UK intelligence service MI6, are training Ukrainian sabotage groups for provocations against nuclear power plants (NPPs) in Russia, Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) Director Sergey Naryshkin said in an interview with Sputnik.

“I can give examples when Western security services, primarily British MI6, train Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance groups whose plans include carrying out provocations at nuclear power plants in the Russian Federation,” Naryshkin said.

According to reports, in 2023 Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance groups that were targeting some NPPs were neutralized in Russia.

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Russia was, is and will always be open to negotiations on the settlement in Ukraine, but intends to continue its special military operation until its goals are achieved, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday.

Earlier in the day, Bloomberg reported that Russia was allegedly signaling to the United States via indirect channels that it was open to talks on the future settlement of the Ukraine conflict, including possible security arrangements for Kiev, and was testing the waters to see if Washington was interested in engaging.

"President Putin has stated numerous times that Russia was, is and will continue to be open for negotiations on Ukraine... We are determined to reach our goals. And would prefer to complete it by diplomatic means. If not, the military operation will be continued till we reach our goals," Peskov told Bloomberg when asked to comment on the report.

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“There is a strong and distinct possibility that the International Court of Justice in the Hague in the Netherlands will issue what amounts to a cease-and-desist order… demanding that Israel’s forces stop its genocidal campaign against Palestinians in Gaza,” said author Dr. Gerald Horne on Sputnik’s The Critical Hour program Thursday.

The discussion came as reports emerged that the ICJ would issue a decision in South Africa’s case against Israel Friday morning. A ruling against Israel could lead to increased pressure or even sanctions against the country; it would also be an embarrassment for its most important defender, the United States.

Elsewhere in Africa, Namibian president Hage Geingob made headlines recently when he slammed Germany’s defense of Israel at the ICJ, pointing out Germany’s 20th century genocide of the Namaqua and Herero people in Namibia.

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The United Nations has received a request from Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to share a list of Bucha victims featured in footage that was released by Ukrainian authorities after they entered the town following the departure of Russian forces, in what Moscow says was a provocation to frame its soldiers.

"Yes, the request has been received," spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said during a briefing on Thursday.

The remarks were in response to a reporter's question if Lavrov had sent such requests.

Speaking at a UN Security Council this week, Lavrov recalled that he had personally asked the UN secretary-general on several occasions to facilitate Kiev handing over the list of names of those allegedly killed by Russian soldiers in Bucha. His appeals remain unanswered, Lavrov stressed.

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“There is an example of how a European army today would look… It's like the Ukrainian army today – a logistical nightmare,” said political and strategic analyst Dr. Alessandro Politi in an interview with Sputnik on Thursday.

The discussion came after a fear mongering article in the European edition of Politico’s website which envisioned a Russian invasion of NATO countries in the coming years. Politi likened the piece to “campaign bluster” but insisted the continent should work sincerely towards maintaining peace in Europe.

The creation of an integrated European military would face various practical and political challenges, the analyst explained. Politi said that “a security agreement that reassures everybody” would be necessary long term, “which is not the case now.”

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Two years after the country’s withdrawal from Afghanistan the United States is set to bring another long-running military presence to an end as talks begin to remove US-led coalition forces from Iraq.

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin made the announcement Thursday after informing the Iraqi foreign minister in a letter the day before. The US-Iraq Higher Military Commission will include representatives from both countries and is the culmination of an agreement made last year.

The US has faced intense opposition throughout the Middle East amidst its material and diplomatic support for Israel in its military campaign in the Gaza Strip, which has killed nearly 26,000 Palestinians. US forces continue to face attacks throughout the region.

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A prisoner in Alabama was executed using pure nitrogen for the first time in US history, the Associated Press reports

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“Joe Biden wearing his hardhat backward while trying to be 'one of the guys' is so on brand": Biden was mocked online during a visit to a brewery

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US and Germany to become partners in crime with Ukraine if investigation reveals Kiev used US Patriot or German IRIS-T systems to down the Il-76 airplane, Russia’s Deputy Envoy to the United Nations Dmitry Polyanskiy said

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday approved Turkiye’s ratification of Sweden’s NATO membership

MI6 and other Western secret services train Ukrainian saboteurs to be capable of nuclear terrorism

More stories:

'I wanted to live': words of a Ukrainian POW killed by the Kiev regime haunt from beyond the grave

What will the International Court of Justice decide on South Africa’s lawsuit against Israel on genocide in Gaza?

'Prudent' or ‘war psychosis’: what are the prospects for a European military?

US and Iraq to reportedly hold talks ‘soon’ on ending the American foothold

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The US is supplying the Syrian armed opposition with modern drones, including for raids on the Russian airbase at Khmeimim, Russia's special presidential envoy for Syria, Alexander Lavrentyev, has told Sputnik.

Washington sets tasks for its wards to inflict maximum damage on the Russian military contingent, Lavrentyev noted.

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Texas Border Showdown: Constitutional Crisis or the Beginning of a New American Civil War?

Here’s what we know so far:

▪️ Texas Governor Greg Abbott declared that the state had a right to self defense “superseding any federal statutes to the contrary” following a US Supreme Court ruling allowing federal agents to remove razor wire installed on the Mexican border.

▪️ This statement came after weeks of growing tensions between Texas authorities and the Biden administration over the US immigration crisis. Texas has accused the federal government of purposefully undermining efforts to secure the southern border.

▪️ Republican governors from 25 US states have signed a joint statement in support of Texas’ “constitutional right to self-defense.” Several of the governors also pledged to send their national guard units to assist Texas.

▪️ Former US President Donald Trump has also expressed solidarity with Texas and urged "all willing states to deploy their guards to Texas to prevent the entry of illegals and to remove them back across the border."

▪️ The Biden administration has given Texas until Friday to stand down. Democratic lawmakers have called upon Biden to seize control of the Texas national guard, a move that would almost certainly spark an enormous political backlash.

▪️ Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton stated that state has no plans on complying with the Friday deadline, and accused the Biden administration of colluding with Mexican drug cartels in a “pay-per person scheme.”

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