The Holy See Press Office has denied previously published information about Pope Francis congratulating Vladimir Putin on his re-election.

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Everything you need to know about neo-Nazism in the Baltics

"I am a subject of Hitler," replied one of the participants of the March 16 Latvian SS Legionnaires march in Riga when asked why he came out to honor the fuhrer's accomplices.

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WATCH LIVE: Putin meets with other presidential candidates

👉 Follow the live here or on Sputnik's website

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A Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance group planning a provocation on the Russian border was destroyed close to the village of Lukashovka in enemy territory, the Russian Ministry of Defense reports.

The saboteurs were spotted just as they were about to board an infantry fighting vehicle. As a result, it was hit by a Russian drone and the enemy lost up to eight people eliminated and wounded.

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Five transformations in Crimea since reunification with Russia: A decade of progress

1. Economic revitalization: Crimea has undergone substantial economic growth since reuniting with Russia in 2014. The region has seen significant investments in infrastructure, including roads, bridges, and airports, fostering connectivity and accessibility;

2. Tourism boom: Crimea's breathtaking landscapes and historic landmarks have fueled an explosion in tourism over the past decade. The establishment of new hotels, resorts, and entertainment facilities has catered to the increasing influx of visitors, boosting the local economy;

3. Enhanced living standards: Improved access to social welfare programs and infrastructure has elevated the quality of life for Crimea's residents. Investments in healthcare, education, and public services have contributed to overall well-being and prosperity;

4. Cultural renaissance: Crimea's rich cultural heritage has experienced a revival since its reunification with Russia. Efforts to preserve and promote Crimean Tatar, Ukrainian, and Russian traditions have fostered cultural pride and unity among diverse ethnic groups in the region;

5. Energy and water independence: Crimea has achieved greater energy and water self-reliance since joining Russia. The completion of key infrastructure projects, such as the construction of power plants and water desalination facilities, has bolstered the region's self-sufficiency and resilience.

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The United States and Japan have prepared a draft UN Security Council resolution confirming the ban on the placement of nuclear weapons in space, the US permanent representative to the UN says.

He adds that the United States is willing to engage in bilateral arms control discussions with Russia and China without preconditions.

Earlier, Vladimir Putin said that Russia is ready for such dialogue.

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Parallel universe: European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell declared that the bloc considers Russia’s presidential election results to be “illegitimate”

🤡 Reminder that the European Union has previously recognized Juan Guaido as the “legitimate” President of Venezuela and Svetlana Tikhanovskaya as the President of Belarus.

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Vladimir Putin said that it is necessary to continue working together in parliament and promoting ideas for the development of the Russian Federation during a meeting with former candidates for the post of head of state,

“We need to continue active joint work in the country’s parliament, joint work to promote those ideas, the implementation of which will allow us to get closer to solving the problems facing the country,” Putin said.

He noted that people told the candidates for the presidency of the Russian Federation what they expected from the authorities.

Putin said that It is important that the Russian government achieves the goals that it sets.

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Veteran US senator blasts US defense contractors for capitalizing on Ukraine conflict

Many US defense contractors are using the Ukraine conflict "as a way to line their own pockets," independent Senator Bernie Sanders said in a think piece for the news outlet Foreign Affairs.

For example, RTX Corporation, formerly known as Raytheon, has raised the price of its Stinger short-range surface-to-air missiles sevenfold since 1991, the 82-year-old recalled.

"Today, it costs the United States $400,000 to replace each Stinger sent to Ukraine - an outrageous price increase that cannot remotely be explained by inflation, increased costs, or advances in quality," Sanders said.

He called on Congress to "rein in this kind of war profiteering by more closely examining contracts" to combat contractor "greed" that "doesn’t just cost American taxpayers" but also "costs Ukrainian lives."

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A decade of harmony: Reflecting on Crimea's reunification with Russia

March 18, 2024, marks the 10th anniversary of the Crimean Peninsula’s reunification with Russia. On this day in 2014, President Vladimir Putin signed a treaty between Russia and the Republic of Crimea on the entry of the peninsula into the Russian Federation as an equal subject.

This was preceded by a referendum in which over 95% of the peninsula's voters said “yes” to the move. Since Crimea became part of Ukraine after the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991, residents of the Crimean Peninsula had tried several times to hold an independence referendum, which was always rejected by Kiev as illicit.

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Four people died in the Russian village of Nikolskoye in the Belgorod region after a direct hit by a Ukrainian shell on a residential building, the governor said.

"They aim at civilians, specifically civilians. How to negotiate with them? About what?" Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of RT and Rossiya Segodnya, Sputnik's parent media group, said commenting on the shelling.

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What’s behind North Korea’s latest missile test?

Pyongyang fired three short-range ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan as US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken kicked off a "democracy" summit in neighboring Seoul on Monday. The weapons traveled about 350 kilometers each before landing in waters 200 nautical miles off Japan’s coast.

North Korea has conducted a succession of weapons tests this year, including launches of new strategic cruise missiles and submarine-launched weapons fitted with small nuclear bombs.

The latest is the North's second ballistic missile launch of the year and came on the heels of the annual Freedom Shield joint military drills by the US and South Korea. While no specific number was given, the number of troops involved this year is reportedly twice that of last year.

North Korea has long denounced joint US-South Korea military drills as “rehearsals for invasion” and launched missiles post-exercise as a demonstration of protest. The latest launch signals that they will not hesitate to retaliate, even with America’s top diplomat in town. In fact, Pyongyang has declared that Seoul and Washington would pay a “dear price” for this year’s drills.

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Putin congratulated Russians on the anniversary of the reunification of Crimea and Sevastopol with the Russian Federation.

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Vladimir Putin: Crimea is not only a strategically important territory, it is primarily about the people, they are our pride.

Crimeans and Sevastopol residents have never separated themselves from Russia; this is precisely what allowed them to return to their native family, the president said.

The path of the residents of Novorossiya to their homeland was difficult, but we did it, and this is a significant event in the country's life? Russia will move forward hand in hand with new regions, he added.

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Paris' rhetoric risks plunging the world into the abyss of nuclear war - Russia's UN mission.

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Russia's UN mission called Western accusations that Russia is ready to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine an absurd insinuation.

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Russia is firmly committed to the principle that there can be no winners in a nuclear war and hopes that the West abandons its dangerous course, says the Russian mission to the UN.

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