Ukrainian air defence forces will only have enough shells until March 2024, The New York Times reported, citing US officials.

"Ukrainian troops are exhausted, they lack weapons and ammunition. Air defence systems, crucial for protecting civilians from Russian missiles, are steadily being depleted by repeated bombardments," the article read.

Previously, Oksana Markarova, Ukraine’s ambassador to the US, said Ukraine is "running out of equipment, especially missiles and interceptors,” which were needed "yesterday".

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🪖 "There is an attempt by Americans and Ukrainians to use ethnic Russians to fight against other Russians," French war correspondent says

"Clearly, there is a substantial ethnic Russian community. Donbass was composed of over 85% Russians. As for Crimea, it is not even up for discussion; it exceeds 90%. Cities like Odessa, which were founded by Russia under Catherine the Great, or later, for example, Donetsk, which was established in the 19th century," a war reporter in the Donbass, Laurent Brayard, told Sputnik Africa.

Brayard reflected on Vladimir Putin's comments, in which he referred to the conflict in Ukraine as having "an element of civil war." The Russian President made this statement in an interview with Tucker Carlson.

Subscribe to @sputnik_africa

🔸 TikTok | Sputnik Africa 🔸

Israel carried out a missile attack on the Syrian capital province of Damascus overnight to Saturday, and Syrian air defenses shot down some of the missiles, the Syrian Defense Ministry said in a statement.

“Today, at approximately 01:05 a.m., the Israeli enemy committed air aggression from the side of occupied Syrian Golan Heights, striking a number of localities in Damascus province. Our air defense systems responded to enemy missiles and shot down some of them,” the ministry said.

Hungary has never participated and will never participate in arms deliveries to Ukraine amid the ongoing conflict with Russia, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto told RIA Novosti.

“Hungary has never been part and we will never be part of any actions which aim at delivering weapons to Ukraine. Simply because we do believe that the more weapons are being delivered to Ukraine, the longer the war will take and the longer the war takes more destruction will take place and more people will die,” Szijjarto said.

The foreign minister emphasized that one of Hungary's conditions to agree with the European Union allocation of 50 billion euros in aid to Ukraine was for the money not cover any weapons deliveries.

Szijjarto said Budapest received guarantees from Brussels that Hungarian funds frozen by the EU would not be sent to Ukraine and that a transparent mechanism would be created to control the expenditure of funds allocated to that country.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

US President Joe Biden’s response to special counsel Robert Hur’s report on his handling of classified information, which mentioned the President’s alleged memory issues, made the situation “infinitely worse" Ed Martin, former chairman of the Missouri Republican Party told Radio Sputnik’s Final Countdown on Friday.

“He couldn’t control it because he was so angry [...] he made it infinitely worse,” Martin argued.

“I do think Democrats believe that they’re in big trouble because of this, but I don’t know the path [to removal,]” he speculated. “Both parties[...] set up a system where the President is so darn powerful [...] if he doesn’t step away, and I don’t think he will, I think he is going to stay there.”

Martin called it a “tragedy” that Biden’s family allows him to continue serving in his current state.

Read more in the full article

NATO's existence is a Cold War relic aimed at preventing closer Europe-Russia ties, Adriel Kasonta London-based foreign affairs analyst said.

"NATO is the relic of the past that serves as a useful tool to keep this environment of threat of imagined possibility of the conflict and serves as a tool to put a pressure on Europeans not to conduct their own foreign policy," stated Kasonta.

Kasonta dismissed Western fears of a Russian attack on NATO as baseless, arguing that such fears are propagated to justify military spending and support the US military-industrial complex.

Kasonta also pointed to the economic incentives behind portraying Russia and now China as boogeymen, suggesting that these narratives are designed to keep European countries aligned with US policy objectives rather than their own.

"President Vladimir Putin with the Chinese leader XI Jinping both... are aiming to create a world order where weaker nations or smaller nations have also something to say rather than to be submissive and subservient towards one country," stated Kasonta.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

The history lesson Russian President Vladimir Putin gave US journalist Tucker Carlson was a necessary aspect of the interview to show Americans that the conflict in Ukraine did not start in February 2022 and that the US and Russia could have struck up a partnership in the wake of the Cold War, Rick Sanchez, an American journalist, former CNN anchor and current host of two shows on RT, told Radio Sputnik’s Fault Lines.

“The word that comes to mind is necessary. Necessary,” Sanchez explained to co-hosts Jamarl Thomas and Melik Abdul. “For some damn reason in this country, we have decided that we will allow our government officials, our State Department, oftentimes, people who aren't even elected, to determine whom we are allowed to hear and whom we are allowed to listen to.”

“I think Putin went in saying, ‘I’ve got a long and important story to tell, and it begins with A [and] ends with Z.’ He was hell-bent on taking him through that,” Sanchez explained, noting that Putin’s knowledge of history and geopolitics and his ability to recall them was impressive to watch.

He noted that according to Putin’s account, the Russian president tried to be friends with the US but was rebuffed by the heads of certain US departments.

“It almost seems as you listen to the man, that we have done everything possible to make sure Russia is not our friend. Even when they came to us offering to embrace and make friendship,” Sanchez explained. ”One can’t help but wonder why. [...] Why do we want to be in a state of internal friction and even war with this country? The only answer I come to is money.”

Read more in the full article

The oddities in Biden's behaviour were pointed out by the personal physician of former US presidents Obama and Trump, calling for documented cognitive tests to be carried out on the head of the White House.

"He doesn't need a [cognitive] screening test .... He needs an actual cognitive battery of tests, objectively done, put on paper, and briefed to the American people by his physician," said Ronny Jackson. In his opinion, Biden's constant blunders show that he should not be the person responsible for nuclear weapons in the US.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

166 million in a day: Tucker Carlson's interview with Vladimir Putin, which the traditional US media chose to ignore, was viewed by an audience equal to half the total population of the United States on X on the first day alone.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

▪️ Vladimir Putin's interview with Tucker Carlson was viewed by an audience equal to half the total population of the United States

▪️ Hungary will never participate in arms deliveries to Ukraine amid the ongoing conflict with Russia

▪️ Ukrainian air defense forces will only have enough shells until March 2024

▪️ Watch Hillary Clinton been called 'war criminal'

More stories:

▪️ Germany can’t reveal Nord Stream attack perpetrators because gov’t is infested with American agents, Sputnik experts commented on Vladimir Putin’s interview with Tucker Carlson

▪️ Sputnik found out why NATO's existence is a Cold War relic aimed at preventing closer Europe-Russia ties

▪️ Joe Biden was trying to debunk his alleged memory issues, made the situation “infinitely worse"

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🇷🇺 Key points from the Sputnik's interview with the head of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) Gennady Krasnikov:

▪️ Thanks to the scientists, it is possible to create unique body armour for the special military op very quickly;

▪️ The developments of Russian scientists make it possible to return to duty 98% of those wounded in the special military operation;

▪️ RAS participates in the development of approaches to military conflicts of the future. According to Krasnikov, a special military operation is a modern military conflict: "new weapons, new techniques, and new approaches are constantly being improved there".

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🇷🇺 Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has inspected the implementation of the state defense order for the production of attack and reconnaissance drones by defense industry enterprises in Russia’s Udmurtia region, the Ministry of Defense reports.

The main points of Shoigu’s inspection:

▪️ Kalashnikov will increase the production of Vikhr-1 guided missiles, Kitolov-2 shells, and Strela anti-aircraft missiles twofold;

▪️ the developer of the Lancet drones presented Shoigu with new models of reconnaissance and attack UAVs, modified taking into account the experience of the special operation;

▪️ new developments by the company ZALA AERO (which also makes Lancet drones) will allow the combination of all combat drones produced by it into a single system and hit enemy targets in an automated manner;

▪️ an automatic targeting system is also being developed for Russian kamikaze drones;

▪️ The minister was also shown new Russian composite materials that significantly increase the survivability of UAVs.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Vladimir Putin outlined the priorities for foreign policy in his congratulatory message on Diplomatic Worker's Day:

▪️ In the face of Western attempts to isolate Russia and undermine its security, the Russian Foreign Ministry is responsible for several tasks;

▪️ Russian diplomacy is called upon to contribute to the consolidation of the global majority in order to build a just multipolar world order;

▪️ Priority is given to developing cooperation with the CIS, increasing integration within the EAEU, and strengthening ties within the CSTO and Union State;

▪️ The quality fulfillment of tasks and responsibilities related to Russia's chairmanship of the CIS and the expanded BRICS requires special attention;

▪️ Work is needed to unite the Russian world by supporting compatriots abroad and to counter attempts to falsify history.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

📹 Footage of precision strikes by Russian drones on enemy shelters in the Berestovoe area

Subscribe to @SputnikInt