New Azov Battalion* forces have arrived in Kharkov, adviser to the head of the Donetsk People's Republic, Yan Gagin, told Sputnik. According to him, these forces were dispatched to fight against pro-Russian citizens and members of guerilla units.

*Azov battalion is a terrorist organization outlawed in Russia.

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"I am Joe Bidenopolous!": Biden woke up, went cringe and revealed his Greek identity

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🎥Two Ukrainian soldiers on the right bank of the Dnepr shot two fellow servicemen before getting into a landing boat.

Then they hid the corpses in the boat, pushed it away from the shore, and disappeared, according to footage filmed by a Russian reconnaissance drone and obtained by Sputnik.

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"Israel is alive today thanks to US artificial respiration. Today the Zionist regime breathes thanks to the United States. When this Western artificial respiration device is removed, it will begin a vegetative life and collapse — and it is close," IRGC chief Hossein Salami said during a demonstration on the occasion of Al-Quds Day.

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🎥The Russian military has found and dug up the notorious "Azovets" armored vehicle of the Azov* neo-Nazi regiment.

Designed in 2015, the Azovets cost, according to its creators, $5 million. However, further testing and development were suspended due to a financial scandal.

*The Azov regiment is a terrorist organization banned in Russia.

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A missile and drone alert have been announced in Israel on the border with Lebanon for the first time in several weeks. The Israeli media has reported the downing of three missiles and two UAVs.

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NATO has ‘no appetite’ for a new member – report

Officials at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) won’t extend Ukraine a formal invitation to join the alliance at the Washington Summit on July 9-11, The New York Times reported, citing senior Western diplomats.

The bloc has “no appetite” for accepting a new member that could draw it into a “land war in Europe” by virtue of the alliance’s covenant of collective security, the article says.

This conundrum has forced NATO to search for a “middle ground,” or, in other words, something short of membership but sufficient to show that it is prepared to back Ukraine “for the long haul.” However, that has also proven to be challenging. A proposal to strengthen the alliance's coordinating role in supplying arms to Ukraine and training Ukrainian soldiers reportedly elicited skepticism among foreign ministers in Brussels, and drew sharp objections from Hungary.

Washington and Berlin are still opposed to efforts by some European allies to offer Ukraine a “road map” to NATO membership in July.

Even clearly fleshing out the conditions Ukraine needs to meet to start accession talks with NATO is yet to get off the ground.

After a sweeping post-Cold War expansion in violation of the West's commitment to not move any closer to Russia’s borders, the alliance recently absorbed Finland and Sweden. Moscow has warned that the military bloc's ongoing buildup along the perimeter of Russia’s borders creates threats to the country’s security.

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❗️The ARAT-1 dynamic protection system was installed on an American Abrams tank that was hit a few weeks ago near Avdeyevka

According to open data, the M1A1 Abrams and BMP Bradley tanks that were originally delivered to Ukraine did not have dynamic protection. However, in the beginning of 2024, footage emerged showing ARAT blocks installed on the aprons of the tank body.

It was assumed that the additional protection for the undercarriage of the Abrams would be effective. However, based on the video, this protection did not seem to have helped in this instance, as the tank was destroyed by two FPV drones operated by the UAV team of the Russian Battlegroup Tsentr.

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❗️The Russian military carried out 39 precision strikes from March 31 to April 5, in response to Kiev's attempts to target the Russian oil and gas industry and energy infrastructure, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense.

Strikes have been carried out on targets of the energy sector of Ukraine, as well as military-industrial complex facilities, arsenals, and fuel bases. According to the Ministry of Defense, the goals have been met and all targets have been hit.

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❗️The Russian military liberated the settlement of Vodianoye in the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) of Russia.

🇷🇺🪖 Other statements from the Russian Defence Ministry weekly briefing on the progress of the special military operation in Ukraine: 

🔺The Russian Armed Forces destroyed three Ukrainian Su-25 attack aircraft and five S-300 air defence missile launchers.

🔺The Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF) lost over 760 militants and 8 tanks to the south of Donetsk.

🔺Russian troops successfully repelled 39 Ukrainian counterattacks, causing the enemy to lose over 1,695 militants.

🔺The UAF have lost more than 240 militants in the Kherson region.

🔺Ukrainian losses amounted to 270 militants near Kupyansk.

🔺The Russian Army successfully repelled 15 Ukrainian counterattacks in the DPR, resulting in the enemy losing more than 2,100 militants.

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Ukraine strips Germany bare: Bavarian police pull off pantless protest vid to mock lack of uniforms

Police officers from Bavaria, the largest state in Germany located in the southeast of the country, recently filmed an April Fools' video in which they humorously went on duty without wearing trousers. The video alluded to a shortage of uniforms caused by the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and the conflict in Ukraine.

In the YouTube video, the officers are seen lamenting about their delayed uniforms. They joke about their situation as they humorously step out of their squad car without pants.

Jürgen Köhnlein, chairman of the Bavarian German Police Union, emphasized the shortage of uniform pieces in the video. He warned that the situation could deteriorate further and called on the Bavarian State Ministry of the Interior to take appropriate action, even if it required additional expenditures.

The Interior Ministry acknowledged the issue but clarified that it does not hinder the State Police duties. They mentioned that alternative uniform elements can be utilized to address the problem.

Despite the problem, the Ministry said State Police are in no way being hindered from performing their duties, adding that other uniform elements could be used when specific pieces were unavailable.

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❗️Ukrainian militants attacked the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) with drones near the cargo port and nitrogen-oxygen station, the press service of the NPP reported.

No damage to critical infrastructure or disruptions to the station were observed.

Russia warns Kiev and its Western patrons against any attempts to attack or destabilize the situation at the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant, the Russian Foreign Ministry said, adding that Russia calls on the IAEA to use experts present at the NPP to publicly record all cases of an attack on the station from the Ukrainian side.

Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant is located on the left bank of the Dnepr River and is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. It came under the control of Russian forces in early March 2022 and has since been repeatedly shelled, raising international concerns over a possible nuclear accident. IAEA experts have been working at the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant since September 1, 2022, following IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi's first visit to the facility.

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What is the strategic importance of Chasov Yar, which Russian forces are closing in on?

The Russian Armed Forces have entered the suburbs of Chasov Yar and are less than a kilometer away from the city itself. Why is this city the scene of fierce fighting, and what makes it so important?

Geography

🔺Chasov Yar sits on a hill about 15 kilometers west of Artemovsk (Bakhmut) which was liberated by Russia in May 2023.

🔺Chasov Yar’s geographical position makes it important from a strategic standpoint, as it overlooks the surrounding area for many kilometers.

🔺Its boundaries are quite complex. From north to south, it is crossed by the Seversky Donets -Donbass Canal, and the O-0506 highway. There is also a railway line with a bridge over the canal.

🔺Chasov Yar has several industrial zones and large enterprises, such as the Chasov Yar refractory plant. Such areas could potentially be used to equip shelters or fortifications.

🔺On the other side of Chasov Yar are Kramatorsk, Slavyansk, and Konstantinovka. The latter is an important railway hub.

Fortifications

🔺The city has been turned by Ukrainian forces into a powerful fortified area reminiscent of those in the liberated city of Artemovsk.

🔺Construction of fortifications in the area of Chasov Yar reportedly began in July-August 2022. During the battle for Artemovsk, the city was used as a transport hub crucial for the entire logistics of the Ukrainian Armed Forces group in the Artemovsk-Soledar area.

Strategic Importance

🔺Liberating Chasov Yar would provide control of a logistics center that has been key for the Ukrainian Armed Forces since 2014.

🔺By taking control of the highway and railway hub, Russia could disrupt delivery of reinforcements and munitions to Ukrainian forces.

🔺Control of Chasov Yar would pave the way for advancing on the so-called Kramatorsk-Slavyansk agglomeration.

🔺Liberation of Chasov Yar is crucial for liberating the Donetsk People's Republic from the forces of the neo-Nazi Kiev regime.

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🇮🇷The IRGC commander killed in an Israeli attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus took part in the planning of Operation al-Aqsa Flood — Iran’s Coalition Council of Islamic Revolution Forces.

The council is a coalition of conservative parties close to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, that won most seats during the parliamentary elections and elections to the Assembly of Experts held on March 1.

"Martyr Zahedi's strategic role in shaping and strengthening the resistance front and designing and implementing the Al-Aqsa Flood operation is one of great honors, which will immortalize the silent efforts of this great commander in the pages of the glorious [history of] struggle against the occupation [Israeli] regime," the council said in a statement.

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