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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Sy Hersh: US warning of terrorist attack in Russia had ‘urgent’ mark, didn’t mention Crocus

The US warning about an imminent terrorist attack at a concert venue in Russia was marked "urgent," but contrary to media reports did not identify Crocus City Hall as the target, Pulitzer Prize-winning US investigative journalist Seymour Hersh wrote in his new article published on Wednesday, citing a US official familiar with the matter.

The CIA allegedly provided the warning to Russian intelligence before the concert at the Crocus City Hall marking it "urgent," meaning that the data in it "was credible and near term," Hersh quoted the official as saying.

"The highly secret report on the attack in Moscow was prepared by the Counterterrorism Center at CIA headquarters and delivered to the terrorism division of the Russian Federal Security Service located in the old KGB building in Moscow. Separate briefings were presented in person by the FBI officer at the embassy. This is an established relationship," the official said.

The warning, however, did not mention Crocus City Hall near Moscow and only said that an attack was being planned at some "public gathering," according to the official.

The information provided by the official is contrary to a Washington Post report published on Tuesday claiming that Crocus City Hall was specifically identified in the warning as the target of a terrorist attack.

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Jaish al-Adl terrorist group attacks two police stations in southeastern Iran

Members of the Jaish al-Adl terrorist group have attacked two police stations in the cities of Rask and Chabahar in the southeastern Iranian province of Sistan and Baluchestan, Deputy Governor Alireza Markhamati said.

Three security forces officers have been killed in a firefight with Jaish al-Adl terrorists, Deputy Governor Alireza Markhamati stated.

"Three security forces officers have been killed in a fight with Jaish al-Adl," Iranian news website Jamaran quoted Markhamati as saying.

Markhamati said earlier in the day that the attackers planned to infiltrate the headquarters of Iran's elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), but a shootout with law enforcement officers prevented them from doing so.

The deputy governor added that the attack began around 10:00 p.m. local time (18:30 GMT) on Wednesday and emphasized that Sunni militant group Jaish al-Adl, which is fighting for the independence of the Sistan and Baluchestan province and recognized a terrorist group in Iran, is linked to Israel. His statement came amid a deteriorating situation in the Middle East over Monday's Israeli airstrike on the consular annex of the Iranian Embassy in Damascus.

Iranian media reported that several terrorists were killed and wounded, but the reported numbers varied.

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The unexpected Israeli attack on the Iranian diplomatic building in Syria was part of a message being sent to the US that Israel will enlarge the conflict if the US does not come to its “rescue,” veteran war correspondent Elijah Magnier told Sputnik’s Fault Lines.

“The Israelis are sending a very strong message to various actors. The first one is the United States that is slow in delivering weapons,” Magnier began. “The Israelis are also sending another message to the Americans saying, ‘Well if you don’t come to our rescue and you don’t stand by us, we are going to enlarge the war and drag Iran,’” into the fight.

Israel wants Iran to respond and bring the US into the war, something Magnier says Iran is aware of, noting that it declined to respond to attacks against its generals who weren’t in diplomatic buildings. “However, this time is different.”

“If Iran does not respond, then the Israelis will go further and will hit even further objectives,” Magnier explained. “But the response will be very thoughtful because Iran needs to be careful not to fall into the hands of [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu.”

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Macron's words on possible sending of troops to Ukraine 'unacceptable', Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko says

"The Russian Foreign Ministry has repeatedly commented on recent remarks by the French president about a possible sending of military personnel of the alliance's member states to the hostilities zone. Again, these ideas have been immediately disavowed by the NATO headquarters in Brussels, Washington and the majority of other capitals of the bloc's states. Nevertheless, these statements show the readiness to follow the path of escalation at a time when the West itself is suffering a strategic defeat 'on the ground.' Such 'claims,' no matter what foreign or domestic political goals they pursue, are unacceptable for responsible politicians, especially in times of the already heated military and political situation in Europe," Grushko has said.

He added that NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg "has repeatedly said that the alliance is not at war with Russia and is not a party to the conflict in Ukraine."

In late February, following a Paris-hosted conference on Ukraine, Macron said that Western leaders had discussed the possibility of sending troops to Ukraine and, although no consensus had been reached in this regard, nothing could be ruled out.

Following Macron's statement, other EU countries rushed to dismiss such plans, with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz saying that NATO had no intention of sending its troops to Ukraine. The Kremlin, in response to Macron’s comments, has said that a deployment of NATO troops to Ukraine would make a direct conflict between the alliance and Russia inevitable.

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Adrian McRae, an MP of the Australian city of Port Hedland who acted as an independent observer at the Russian presidential election, has told RIA Novosti that after returning home he began receiving threats related to his positive assessment of the Russian election.

McRae also said that the ABC television website had published an article citing complaints by an organization representing Ukrainians in Australia.

The article claims that McRae's independent comments with a positive assessment of the Russian election "caused concern in the local community" and therefore are allegedly sufficient reason to demand the politician's immediate resignation as a Port Hedland MP.

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Any security threat from NATO to Russia will not be left without a response, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told Sputnik.

Grushko recalled the recent words of Russian President Vladimir Putin in his address to the Russian Federal Assembly, who said that "we remember the fate of those who once sent their contingents to the territory of our country, but now the consequences for possible interventionists will be much more tragic."

Russia in recent years has claimed unprecedented NATO activity near Western borders. NATO is expanding initiatives and calls it "deterring Russian aggression". Moscow has repeatedly expressed concern about the alliance's force buildup in Europe. The Kremlin has noted that Russia is not threatening anyone, but will not ignore actions potentially dangerous to its interests.

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US wants ‘another Kosovo’ in Syria’s northwest, keep control of oil, wheat

The US wants to create “another Kosovo” in Syria while cutting off the country’s resources from its adversaries in the region, investigative Syrian-US journalist Hekmat Aboukhater told Sputnik’s Political Misfits.

The US controls the northeast of Syria and is in charge of humanitarian aid in the northwest. ”This area happens to be the place where we have our oil derricks, all of Syria’s natural resources are there, along with the wheat,” he explained, noting that Syria produces 350-400,000 barrels of oil a day. “These revenues are going [towards] sustaining this Kurdish enclave that’s supported by the US and funds the operation.”

“They want to create another Kosovo in the northwest of Syria to see Syria further segmented and balkanized into a million different pieces, which was always a dream of the State Dep. starting in 1979 when Syria was placed on the official state sponsor terrorism list.”

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US Pentagon Austin expresses 'his outrage' at Israel's strike on WCK aid convoy to Israeli Defense Minister Gallant

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, in a phone conversation with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, has expressed "his outrage" at the Israeli strike on World Central Kitchen's (WCK) humanitarian convoy in the Gaza Strip that led to the death of seven aid workers, Pentagon spokesperson Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder has said in a release.

"Secretary Austin expressed his outrage at the Israeli strike on a World Central Kitchen humanitarian aid convoy that killed seven aid workers, including an American citizen," Ryder said.

He added that "Secretary Austin stressed the need to immediately take concrete steps to protect aid workers and Palestinian civilians in Gaza after repeated coordination failures with foreign aid groups."

The US and Israeli defense chiefs will conduct a "swift and transparent" investigation into the incident and share conclusions publicly, as well as "hold those responsible to account," the release said.

"Secretary Austin stated that this tragedy reinforced the expressed concern over a potential Israeli military operation in Rafah, specifically focusing on the need to ensure the evacuation of Palestinian civilians and the flow of humanitarian aid," the spokesperson said.

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