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."

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

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.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

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.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

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.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

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

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

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.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

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

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

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

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

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.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🇷🇺 Vladimir Putin was warmly greeted by the public in Red Square who chanted “Russia”

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

What did Putin mean when he floated the possibility of creating a 'buffer zone' in Ukraine?

"It is necessary to distinguish what types of [buffer] zone are meant," Sergei Poletaev, a Russian political analyst, tells Sputnik. "The first type is established as a result of a ceasefire agreement. The second one is established as a result of forceful actions by one of the parties."

Given that neither the Kiev regime nor its NATO backers are willing to talk, the second option is likely to be chosen by Russia, the analyst says. When asked about the potential depth of a buffer zone, Poletaev suggests that it could be approximately 40-50 km to prevent massive artillery shelling of Belgorod and other Russian cities.

"The most common Western artillery systems used by Ukrainians are M777 howitzers. They have a range of 20 to 40 kilometers, depending on the type of shells they use. The sophisticated guided Excalibur projectile's firing range is [slightly over] 40 kilometers. That's the depth," he says.

Presently, as Ukraine's drone attacks and incursions into Russian territory continue, the Russian military should "move the frontline" away from the nation's borders, Poletaev believes.

Vladimir Putin initially discussed the creation of a buffer zone in Ukraine in June 2023. He touched upon the issue again in the aftermath of his election victory on March 17.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

How new NATO base in Romania motivates Russia to win Ukraine conflict

"This [base] certainly poses a serious challenge to Russia's security and the activities of the Russian Armed Forces in the Black Sea region," Leonid Reshetnikov, a retired lieutenant general of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), tells Sputnik.

Romania has begun the construction of what may become NATO's largest European base located near the Black Sea port city of Constanta in close proximity to Russia's southern regions.

Once the base is built, NATO will be able to control both the air and land domains all along the Black Sea region, he warns, adding that Crimea, the Sea of Azov and its coast could fall within the alliance's striking range.

Under these circumstances, Russia has no other option but to win the Ukraine conflict and accomplish the major goals of demilitarization and de-Nazifying the Eastern European state, the intelligence veteran emphasizes.

"It will be a powerful response if we ensure the security of Russia’s new territories, take Kiev out of the game, and reach the goals that Putin proclaimed two years ago - demilitarization, de-Nazification of what Ukraine will be like after we complete the liberation of the territories which have already become part of Russia," Reshetnikov stressed, adding that otherwise NATO's expanded presence could pose an existential threat to Russia.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Kremlin to Sputnik on possible Russia-US talks on new START treaty: Putin already mentioned his readiness to discuss all security issues in a comprehensive way.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

China pushing Europe to include Russia in Ukraine peace process

Beijing has made it clear that it will boycott any upcoming peace negotiations concerning Ukraine if Russia is not invited to the table. The stern warning comes as China is engaged in talks with Europe about the possibility of extending an invitation to Russia for the talks, which may be held in Switzerland, as reported by Politico, citing unnamed officials familiar with the discussions.

The sources also referred to Chinese special envoy Li Hui's remarks made during his European tour earlier this month that Beijing would "support the timely convening of a peace conference with equal participation of all parties."

The media outlet has drawn attention to China's push for equal negotiations while reporting on Chinese Chairman Xi Jinping's forthcoming meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron that is scheduled for early May in Paris. The South China Morning Post reported earlier this month that China and Switzerland are advocating Russia's participation in Swiss-held talks dedicated to the settlement of the conflict.

Citing sources close to the discussions, the online publication noted that Beijing and Bern share a "pragmatic" view on the way to achieve peace. The two insist that if Russia is excluded from the peace negotiations the format would turn into the diplomatic equivalent of a "Potemkin village", i.e. to provide an impressive façade to a shabby situation.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🇹🇷 Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warmly congratulated Putin on his convincing victory in the election and wished him new success in government activities for the benefit of the people of Russia.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

▪️Officially: Vladimir Putin wins presidential election

▪️Fact check: Addressing Western claims about Russian presidential election

▪️Crimea's growth story since reunion with Russia

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

▪️What did Putin mean when he floated the possibility of creating a 'buffer zone' in Ukraine?

▪️How new NATO base in Romania motivates Russia to win Ukraine conflict

▪️Why is the US military building a ‘civilian’ port near Taiwan?

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

▪️Why has Niger halted its military cooperation with the US?

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

❗️ Russian President Vladimir Putin is the leader of Russia, White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre acknowledged when asked about Putin's legitimacy following his landslide win in the election over the weekend.

“Mister Putin is the leader of Russia,” Karine Jean-Pierre said during a press briefing.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Russian air defenses shot down 8 air targets over the Belgorod region, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.

No injuries or damage were reported per preliminary information, according to the governor.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt