📹💥 Russian FAB-1500 guided bombs have been making headlines the past few weeks as they became the bane of the Kiev regime forces in the Ukrainian conflict.

Check out this video and see exactly how much shock and awe the 1.5-tonne glide bomb create.

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Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu had a phone conversation with his French counterpart Sébastien Lecornu, according to Reuters.

Lecornu, in the conversation with Shoigu, strongly condemned the terrorist attack in Crocus City Hall and expressed solidarity with the families of the victims.

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Is mercenary activity legal for all citizens of NATO states?

Moscow is aware of the participation of Swedish mercenaries in the Ukraine conflict on the side of the Kiev regime, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova stated on April 3. The 1989 International Convention against the Recruitment, Use, Financing and Training of Mercenaries bans mercenary activities. Not all NATO member states whose citizens are involved in Ukraine conflict are party to the convention.

▪️The Swedish Penal Code does not ban Swedes from serving as mercenaries. Still, recruiting people for foreign military service without the permission of the government is punishable by a fine or six-month imprisonment under section 12 of chapter 19 of the code.

▪️Germany bans recruiting its citizens "for military duty in a military or military-like facility in support of a foreign power" (§ 109h StGB).

▪️French law prohibits its citizens from fighting abroad as mercenaries: they could face a prison term of up to five years and a fine of €75,000 ($80,800).

▪️The UK Foreign Enlistment Act of 1870 prohibited Brits from joining the armed forces of foreign states at war with countries with which the UK is at peace. Presently, "the direct or indirect provision of armed personnel, where it enables or facilitates the conduct of armed hostilities, may constitute an offense under UK sanctions regimes."

▪️US laws do not explicably ban American citizen from providing combat services abroad. Still, the Neutrality Act (18 U.S.C. §960) prohibits the knowing participation in, preparation for, or financing of a hostile expedition from within the US against a nation with which the US is at peace under the threat of fine or three year-long jail time, or both. Per legal experts, the Arms Export Control Act (AECA, 22 U.S.C. § 2778 et. sec.) and the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (“ITAR,” 22 C.F.R. Parts 120-130) could be applied to US mercs.

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How the UK wasted nearly $2 billion on drones that can’t withstand bad weather

The £1.4 billion ($1.76 billion) Watchkeeper drone program in the UK has resulted in the production of several dozen drones worth some £5 million ($6.28 million) apiece, but which have serious problems operating in bad weather.

According to The Times, an inquiry by a House of Commons Defense Committee determined that the drone program, which was finished years later than originally anticipated, was complicated by “265 user requirements and 1,910 additional system requirements.”

Watchkeeper drones also crashed during routine flights on more than one occasion, partly because these UAVs became somewhat “overweight" due to all the additions to the original design.

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Russia's GDP growth in February accelerated to 7.7% year-on-year from 4.6% in January, according to a review by the Ministry of Economic Development.

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Zelensky's new mobilization law to accelerate destruction of Ukraine

Volodymyr Zelensky signed a new law on April 2 lowering the connoscription age from 27 to 25, abolishing "limited fitness" classification for recruits and creating an electronic database of potential Ukrainian fighters without their consent.

"Zelensky had reasons to delay signing the amendments to the law on mobilization and military service, and so on, he signed several of these bills at once," Alexander Dudchak, leading researcher at the Institute of CIS Countries and the Other Ukraine movement expert. "Why now? Because it’s hard to further delay it."

The West pressures Zelensky into sending more Ukrainian citizens to the front line amid Russia's successful advance. Last month, US Senator Lindsey Graham urged the Kiev regime to widen the field for mobilization. However, the Ukrainian president has long understood that the measure is extremely unpopular, according to the researcher.

What's more, Ukraine's mobilization potential is fading: the Kiev regime has sent the bulk of the Ukrainian population eligible for military service to death, Dudchak remarked. According to him, mobilizing 500,000 in Ukraine is virtually unrealistic.

"In essence, the state has been destroyed and cannot be restored. It will function, as long as there is a need for the Ukraine project, it will be supported," Dudchak concluded.

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Europe's (never-ending) Pegasus spyware saga

The Polish scandal over illegal wiretapping has led to the country losing its license for the Israeli software Pegasus. According to recent revelations by the minister-coordinator of special services, Tomasz Siemoniak, Poland stopped using the spyware in 2021.

Pegasus, developed by the NSO Group, allows covert surveillance by infiltrating smartphones to monitor messages and activate cameras and microphones without user consent.

In Poland, it was used to eavesdrop on politicians, business leaders, lawyers, and public figures, including former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and current Prime Minister Donald Tusk. Poland is just one example in a series of other scandals as Pegasus left a long trace of scandals in Europe:

▪️In France, journalists, activists, and even government officials were reportedly targeted by the spyware. The most notable case involved suspicions of Morocco's intelligence services using Pegasus to target French President Emmanuel Macron's phone, which led to diplomatic tensions and investigations by French authorities.

▪️In Spain, the phones of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Defense Minister Margarita Robles were also “pirated,” the government press service reported without going into further details. Additionally, the investigative group Citizen Lab accused the special services of using Pegasus to spy on the Catalan independence movement.

▪️In Germany reports about federal police's purchase of Pegasus spyware sparked debates on its legality, ethics of using such surveillance tools in a democracy and sparking debates on privacy.

▪️In Hungary and Greece, governments faced allegations of using Pegasus spyware to follow journalists and politicians, sparking concerns over privacy, free speech, and the need for surveillance oversight.

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▪️Zelensky's new mobilization law to accelerate destruction of Ukraine

▪️EXPOSED. ‘Poor Ukrainian youth’: Lower mobilization age drives Ukrainians to realize Maidan led to unwanted, endless dictatorial terror

▪️Did Israel bomb aid workers by accident?

▪️Is mercenary activity legal for all citizens of NATO states?

▪️Europe's (never-ending) Pegasus spyware saga

▪️Russia’s FAB-1500: Western press admits guided bomb’s ‘devastating’ characteristics

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Ukraine’s former national security council secretary sent as envoy to Moldova: So what?

While Kiev’s decision to reassign former Ukrainian national security council secretary Oleksandr Danilov as an ambassador to Moldova may seem counterintuitive, given his overall crass manner and penchant for making chauvinistic remarks, ultimately it may not really matter who becomes Ukraine’s envoy to Kishinev.

Shortly after Danilov’s ouster on March 26, one Ukrainian MP claimed on social media that the former would become an ambassador to Norway, though, as it turns out, the regime in Kiev had other plans for Danilov. According to Alexander Dudchak, senior researcher at the Institute of CIS Countries, Ukraine does not really have any pull in Moldova or Romania, unlike France and other NATO countries.

“A former national security council head appointed by Ukraine will portray his presence while the Americans, the British and the French will be calling the shots,” Dudchak told Sputnik.

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⚡️ Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu held a telephone conversation with his French counterpart Sebastien Lecornu for the first time since October 2022.

⚡️ The French Defense Minister persistently tried to convince Shoigu that Ukraine and the West were not involved in the terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall, blamed the IS*;

Shoigu told Lecornu that there was information about the Ukrainian trace in the organization of that terrorist attack.

*IS (also known as ISIL/ISIS/ISIS-K/Islamic State) is a terrorist group banned in Russia and many other countries.

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⚡️ If plans to send a French contingent to Ukraine are put into practice, it will create problems for Paris, Shoigu pointed out to the head of the French Defense Ministry Lecornu;

The readiness for dialogue on Ukraine was noted, and that "Istanbul Peace Initiative" could become the foundation, the Defense Ministry said referring to the conversation between Shoigu and Lecornu.

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🇷🇺 🌍 Potential of the Russian space industry has been presented by Glavkosmos, part of Russia's state space agency Roscosmos, in Angola

The head of Glavkosmos told the participants of the NewsSpace conference, taking place in Angola's capital, Luanda, about the opportunities for African countries arising from the development of cooperation with Russia in the field of space exploration.

"The solutions proposed by Glavkosmos based on the results of space activities will not only reduce poverty but also improve the quality of life of the population of African countries," Ilya Tarasenko said.

According to him, "satellite technologies promoted by the company can increase agricultural productivity, improve public access to health care, the quality of education and vocational training, and enhance control over the use of natural resources, and facilitate access to financial services."

Space technologies in Africa "will have an impact on improving human security and the effectiveness of government activities; it will become more timely to provide assistance in natural disasters and emergencies, and satellite monitoring will help track infrastructure development and government spending to prevent corruption," Tarasenko stressed.

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Hungary cannot support Netherlands' Rutte for NATO secretary-general

Budapest does not support Dutch PM Mark Rutte to become the next NATO secretary general and believes that it is time for a candidate from Central or Eastern Europe to lead the military alliance, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said.

"It is clear that most countries support the candidacy of Dutch PM Mark Rutte. Hungary cannot do this, since NATO is a defensive alliance, where a high level of trust in the leadership is necessary. We, on the Hungarian side, cannot trust not only at a high level, but at any level at all, the person who previously spoke about bringing Hungary to its knees. I think this is clear to everyone," Szijjarto told Hungarian reporters after the NATO foreign ministers' meeting in Brussels.

The NATO head has never been from Central or Eastern Europe, Szijjarto said.

The top Hungarian diplomat added that it is time to "declare openly about this idea," having welcomed the candidacy of Romanian President Klaus Iohannis for the secretary-general post.

The issue should be resolved before the NATO summit in Washington in July, Szijjarto said.

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The CIA is directing the conflict against Russia on the ground in Ukraine, US Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene said in an interview with journalist Tucker Carlson.

“To fund a war, to pay for it, to continue it, to advise it, to have our CIA on the ground over there running that war in Ukraine against Russia — nuclear-armed Russia… that is a complete departure from anything that is Christian,” Greene said.

It is contrary to Christian principles to fund wars all over the world, Greene added.

Fighting a “proxy war” in Ukraine against Russia does not protect the US or serve its national security interests, Greene said. People in the US want to see a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, Greene said.

Officials and media lie every single day by claiming that Russia intends to take over Europe, Greene said. Such a claim contradicts statements made by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Greene said.

In February, US media reported that the CIA created a network of spy bases in Ukraine over the past eight years, including a dozen forward operating bases along the Russian border that engaged in operations against Russia. CIA Director William Burns has personally visited Ukraine at least 10 times since February 2022.

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US, UK didn't discuss Russian UNSC statement on attack on Iranian consulate

The US and the UK refused to discuss a draft statement of the UN Security Council proposed by Russia on Israel’s attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Russian Deputy Ambassador to the UN Dmitry Polyansky said.

“Following the results of the Security Council meeting on April 2 on the Israeli attack on the consular department of the Iranian Embassy in Damascus, Russia prepared a draft Security Council Statement for the press with a standard text for such cases. However, the United States and Great Britain did not even want to discuss it, citing the fact that during the meeting there was no unity in assessments of what happened,” Polyansky wrote on his Telegram page.

He recalled that at that time only these two delegations, together with the French, did not condemn this obvious violation of international law, “but engaged in a verbal balancing act, from which it could be concluded that Iran itself is to blame for everything.”

“This is the best illustration of the double standards of the Western “troika” and it's real, and not declarative, attitude towards law and order in the international context,” the diplomat emphasized.

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