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Fact check: Was Tallinn’s residential zone really targeted by Soviet forces in March 1944? Rewriting history or honoring Nazis in parliament by nations supporting the Kiev regime can no longer surprise anyone. But, Estonia went one step further. In a…
"Russian playbook is the same today in Ukraine" .... denazification
The Estonian Foreign Ministry was mocked and heavily criticized for its post on the anniversary of the bombing of Tallinn, when the Soviet army was liberating the city from the Nazis. The ministry's post made no mention of the fact that the city was occupied by the Nazis and gave the impression that the Soviets were at war with the Estonian population.
Stunned social network users called such posts fakenews and rewriting of history. They recalled under whose control the city was and that several tens of thousands of Estonians served in the ranks of the Nazi army, many of whom were in the SS units. The ministry was called for shame and respect for the sacrifices made to defeat Nazism.
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The Estonian Foreign Ministry was mocked and heavily criticized for its post on the anniversary of the bombing of Tallinn, when the Soviet army was liberating the city from the Nazis. The ministry's post made no mention of the fact that the city was occupied by the Nazis and gave the impression that the Soviets were at war with the Estonian population.
Stunned social network users called such posts fakenews and rewriting of history. They recalled under whose control the city was and that several tens of thousands of Estonians served in the ranks of the Nazi army, many of whom were in the SS units. The ministry was called for shame and respect for the sacrifices made to defeat Nazism.
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White House has tasked US NGOs with reducing the turnout in the Russian presidential election, the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) said.
Russian opposition Internet resources spread messages to Russian citizens to ignore the presidential election at the instigation of Washington, the SVR said.
According to Washington's calculations, the "reduction in turnout" obtained through appeals and cyberattacks will give the West a reason to question the results of the elections in Russia, the statement said.
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Russian opposition Internet resources spread messages to Russian citizens to ignore the presidential election at the instigation of Washington, the SVR said.
"With the participation of leading US IT specialists, it is planned to carry out cyberattacks on the remote electronic voting system, which will make it impossible to count the votes of a significant proportion of Russian voters," the statement said.
According to Washington's calculations, the "reduction in turnout" obtained through appeals and cyberattacks will give the West a reason to question the results of the elections in Russia, the statement said.
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Russian FAB bombs, including the FAB-1500, played a key role in breaching Ukrainian defenses in the Donbass, with hundreds used during the battle for Avdeyevka in February, according to Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ignat. Even though the Russian military has yet to confirm its use, here is what makes FAB-1500 a ‘monster bomb’:
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Key Biden's 2025 Budget Proposals:
🟥 $850 billion for pentagon in FY2025, a $34 billion increase from the 2023 enacted level.
🟥 $7.8 billion for the Artemis programme in FY2025.
🟥 $100 million for military assistance for Taiwan.
🟥 Over $4 billion for Indo-Pacific deterrence, which is nearly $600 million above the 2023 level.
🟥 $25.4 billion for NASA in FY2025, a 9.1% increase since the start of the administration.
🟥 $482 million for Ukraine to assist with economic recovery and bolster resilience and defence.
🟥 $64.4 billion for the State Department, strengthening national security to 'outcompete China'
🟥 $1.5 billion for 'countering Kremlin aggression'
🟥 $19.8 billion for nuclear weapons activities, $4.5 billion above FY2021 level
🟥 $25 million for a new fund to 'suppress' Russia in Africa
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The German government is hesitating over the delivery of Taurus missiles to Ukraine because it would require putting boots on the ground in the country, says Mikael Valtersson, a former Swedish Armed Forces officer and the chief of staff of the Sweden Democrats Party.
“Both the UK and France have their own personnel on the ground” assisting in the operation of the Storm Shadow and SCALP-EG cruise missiles, “and that’s the reason why Germany doesn’t want to send Taurus to Ukraine – because they don’t want to send military personnel to Ukraine,” Valtersson told Sputnik.
Commenting on the apparent split inside the German government about whether or not to send the missiles eastward amid a proposal by Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock to send Taurus to the UK in exchange for Storm Shadows going to Kiev, Valtersson noted that no matter what decision is ultimately made, it won’t change the balance of power on the battlefield. The missiles might “help Ukraine for a short while to avoid losing more ground, but it won’t change the war in the long run,” the observer stressed.
“Ukraine has very great problems. The only aircraft that can use the Storm Shadows is the Su-24 [a Soviet-era tactical bomber, ed.]. Those planes have been adopted with Western technology so they can carry Storm Shadows. But we don’t know how many Su-24s Ukraine has left; it’s probably maybe ten. They are a very limited resource,” Valtersson said.
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Why Putin pulled out of fishy 1956 treaty letting Brits fish in Russia’s Arctic waters
Russia’s president signed a law on Monday barring British commercial fishing vessels from trawling Russian waters in the Barents Sea, the Kola Peninsula, Kolguyev Island and Cape Kanin Nos.
The bountiful waters, where British fishermen caught some 556,000 tons of fish in 2023 alone, provided the UK with up to 40 percent of the cod and haddock for Britain’s best-known national dish: fish & chips.
Want to know what prompted Moscow to mete out such a cruel, cruel punishment against London? 👉 Check out our infographic for answers.
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Russia’s president signed a law on Monday barring British commercial fishing vessels from trawling Russian waters in the Barents Sea, the Kola Peninsula, Kolguyev Island and Cape Kanin Nos.
The bountiful waters, where British fishermen caught some 556,000 tons of fish in 2023 alone, provided the UK with up to 40 percent of the cod and haddock for Britain’s best-known national dish: fish & chips.
Want to know what prompted Moscow to mete out such a cruel, cruel punishment against London? 👉 Check out our infographic for answers.
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EU’s defense strategy a ‘wishful dream’ – ex-Foreign Legion officer
The European Commission’s newly-proposed joint defense strategy is a pipe dream, Colonel Jacques Hogard, who served 26 years in the French Army as an airborne officer in the Foreign Legion and the Special Forces, told Sputnik.
“It clumsily tries to find a way out of the trap into which the Americans have made it fall. But in reality, ‘Defense Europe’ is a dream,” the expert continued.
Top EU officials laid out their plan for a dramatic overhaul of the bloc’s defense industry last week, while “French and German leaders have continued to publicly display their deep disagreements, which result from two opposing visions and two competing ambitions in terms of defense,” the pundit pointed out. “We can clearly see in these conditions that the European Commission's plan is a wishful dream which is not about to begin to come true even at a minimum," he said.
As for the EU plan to jointly “invest more in defense,” in the current economic crisis this is, again, “wishful thinking,” suggested the expert. “When this crisis is over, the current EU will have to give way to a new organization that is truly European but respectful of the nations that make it up, from the Atlantic to the Urals,” said Hogard.
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The European Commission’s newly-proposed joint defense strategy is a pipe dream, Colonel Jacques Hogard, who served 26 years in the French Army as an airborne officer in the Foreign Legion and the Special Forces, told Sputnik.
“The EU, whose initial vocation as a peacemaker in Europe has completely slipped and transformed into a warmonger, is seeking to exist, in the face of the visible disengagement of the United States in Ukraine,” Hogard said.
“It clumsily tries to find a way out of the trap into which the Americans have made it fall. But in reality, ‘Defense Europe’ is a dream,” the expert continued.
“Born from a desire to bring the Franco-German couple together, this dream has never had the slightest beginning of concrete realization.”
Top EU officials laid out their plan for a dramatic overhaul of the bloc’s defense industry last week, while “French and German leaders have continued to publicly display their deep disagreements, which result from two opposing visions and two competing ambitions in terms of defense,” the pundit pointed out. “We can clearly see in these conditions that the European Commission's plan is a wishful dream which is not about to begin to come true even at a minimum," he said.
As for the EU plan to jointly “invest more in defense,” in the current economic crisis this is, again, “wishful thinking,” suggested the expert. “When this crisis is over, the current EU will have to give way to a new organization that is truly European but respectful of the nations that make it up, from the Atlantic to the Urals,” said Hogard.
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🇩🇪💸 The German Ministry of Defence announced a financial “hole"—the Bundeswehr will not have enough six billion euros next year. Germany risks not meeting NATO's requirement to spend two percent of GDP on defence, says Bild.
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Right-wing parties victorious in Portugal's elections following 8 years of socialist rule
In Portugal, the center-right Democratic Alliance (AD) emerged as the clear winner with 30% of the vote in the recently held parliamentary elections, according to the EFE news agency. The Socialist Party, which had held power for the past eight years, secured second place with 28.8% of the vote. In third place was the right-wing party, Chega, with 19% of the ballot.
With expectations that no single party will achieve an absolute majority, the formation of a coalition government is on the horizon. The right-wing Chega, despite being the third-largest in terms of votes, may hold significant influence in shaping the new government.
Following Portugal's last elections in 2002, which resulted in a socialist victory, this recent outcome marks a shift in the country's political landscape.
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In Portugal, the center-right Democratic Alliance (AD) emerged as the clear winner with 30% of the vote in the recently held parliamentary elections, according to the EFE news agency. The Socialist Party, which had held power for the past eight years, secured second place with 28.8% of the vote. In third place was the right-wing party, Chega, with 19% of the ballot.
With expectations that no single party will achieve an absolute majority, the formation of a coalition government is on the horizon. The right-wing Chega, despite being the third-largest in terms of votes, may hold significant influence in shaping the new government.
Following Portugal's last elections in 2002, which resulted in a socialist victory, this recent outcome marks a shift in the country's political landscape.
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Portuguese conservatives outperformed the incumbent Socialist Party, which conceded defeat. The center-right Democratic Alliance (AD) won around 76 seats, while the Eurosceptic right-wing Chega ("Enough" in Portuguese) quadrupled its share of seats from 12 to 48 in the national parliament. Marsili sees Chega as a potential game-changer which is “becoming the third political force in the country.”
“This result was easily predictable, in a political landscape shaken by numerous corruption scandals," the academic said.
Issues that dominated the campaign – the rise of immigration, the increase in the cost of living and the corruption around the Socialist Party – aided the success of the conservatives, according to the researcher. The rise of the right in the EU has become a major trend which could influence the forthcoming European Parliament elections.
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