Peter Pellegrini officially won the Slovak presidential election with 53.12%, the State Election Commission announced.
Pellegrini is the head of the Slovak parliament and opposes arms sales to Ukraine. Prime-minister Fico previously supported him, calling him "a moderate candidate who understands the value of peace."
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Pellegrini is the head of the Slovak parliament and opposes arms sales to Ukraine. Prime-minister Fico previously supported him, calling him "a moderate candidate who understands the value of peace."
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US reluctant to cut off Israel's arms pipeline despite Gaza deaths
Despite its verbal rhetoric about Israel's actions in Gaza, the Biden administration is reluctant to cut off Tel Aviv's lucrative arms pipeline.
When Biden urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a phone call after the deadly attack on the WCK workers to minimize civilian harm in Gaza, he did not at any point threaten to limit US arms supplies, the NYT noted.
Biden "has the power to limit any foreign arms deliveries, even those previously approved by Congress," yet there was no specific "or else" delivered to Netanyahu during their exchange, officials were quoted as saying.
The US is the largest supplier of arms to Israel:
◾️According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, it will account for 69% of Israel's arms imports between 2019 and 2023.
◾️Shipments to Israel will continue under a 10-year military deal signed in 2016 that guarantees Israel $3.3 billion a year to buy weapons from the US. Another $500 million a year is earmarked for missile defense.
◾️There is a legal loophole tied to the price tag that allows the sales to bypass congressional oversight. The State Department notifies Congress only if the tranche is worth more than $25 million.
◾️Three new Israeli arms orders reportedly exceeded the price tag threshold requiring congressional review, but were pushed through using "emergency" authority.
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Despite its verbal rhetoric about Israel's actions in Gaza, the Biden administration is reluctant to cut off Tel Aviv's lucrative arms pipeline.
When Biden urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a phone call after the deadly attack on the WCK workers to minimize civilian harm in Gaza, he did not at any point threaten to limit US arms supplies, the NYT noted.
Biden "has the power to limit any foreign arms deliveries, even those previously approved by Congress," yet there was no specific "or else" delivered to Netanyahu during their exchange, officials were quoted as saying.
The US is the largest supplier of arms to Israel:
◾️According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, it will account for 69% of Israel's arms imports between 2019 and 2023.
◾️Shipments to Israel will continue under a 10-year military deal signed in 2016 that guarantees Israel $3.3 billion a year to buy weapons from the US. Another $500 million a year is earmarked for missile defense.
◾️There is a legal loophole tied to the price tag that allows the sales to bypass congressional oversight. The State Department notifies Congress only if the tranche is worth more than $25 million.
◾️Three new Israeli arms orders reportedly exceeded the price tag threshold requiring congressional review, but were pushed through using "emergency" authority.
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🔸Peter Pellegrini, who opposes military supplies to Ukraine, has become Slovak president, getting 53,12% of votes
🔸Sappers of the Russian army destroyed about 5,000 explosive objects near Mariupol since the beginning of 2024
🔸US reluctant to cut off Israel's arms pipeline despite Gaza civilian deaths, remaining the largest weapons supplier to Tel Aviv
🔸Nicaragua cuts diplomatic ties with Ecuador amid fallout from Mexican embassy invasion
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🔸Sappers of the Russian army destroyed about 5,000 explosive objects near Mariupol since the beginning of 2024
🔸US reluctant to cut off Israel's arms pipeline despite Gaza civilian deaths, remaining the largest weapons supplier to Tel Aviv
🔸Nicaragua cuts diplomatic ties with Ecuador amid fallout from Mexican embassy invasion
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The IDF withdrew all ground forces from the southern Gaza Strip overnight after four months of fighting near the city of Khan Younis, Israeli media reported.
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Road to freedom: 10th anniversary of people power in the Donbass
Ten years ago today, on April 7, 2014, Donbass residents would begin their long, difficult journey home to Russia with the proclamation of people’s republics. That day the Donetsk People’s Republic was proclaimed, followed by the Lugansk People's Republic on April 27.
The measure was taken in the aftermath of a US-sponsored coup d’etat in Kiev and threats by the new authorities to crack down on eastern Ukraine’s Russian-speaking population. It would be the first in a series of steps culminating in the September 2022 referendums in which Donbass residents overwhelmingly voted to join Russia.
But getting to that point would take over eight years, from the proclamation of independence from Kiev and the adoption of separate constitutions to resistance to a brutal Ukrainian military campaign hoping to crush Donbass residents’ spirits.
How did it all go down in the spring of 2014? Check out Sputnik’s infographic.
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Ten years ago today, on April 7, 2014, Donbass residents would begin their long, difficult journey home to Russia with the proclamation of people’s republics. That day the Donetsk People’s Republic was proclaimed, followed by the Lugansk People's Republic on April 27.
The measure was taken in the aftermath of a US-sponsored coup d’etat in Kiev and threats by the new authorities to crack down on eastern Ukraine’s Russian-speaking population. It would be the first in a series of steps culminating in the September 2022 referendums in which Donbass residents overwhelmingly voted to join Russia.
But getting to that point would take over eight years, from the proclamation of independence from Kiev and the adoption of separate constitutions to resistance to a brutal Ukrainian military campaign hoping to crush Donbass residents’ spirits.
How did it all go down in the spring of 2014? Check out Sputnik’s infographic.
Subscribe to @SputnikInt
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The Pantsir-M naval air defense system has been used for the first time in the special military operation zone and destroyed Storm Shadow missiles, the CEO of High Precision Systems (part of Russian state-owned defense corporation Rostec), Oleg Ryazantsev, told Sputnik on Sunday.
"The ship, while on a combat duty, downed Storm Shadow missiles. In other words, is was the first effective successful use of the Pantsir-M serial system," he said.
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Sputnik International
Road to freedom: 10th anniversary of people power in the Donbass Ten years ago today, on April 7, 2014, Donbass residents would begin their long, difficult journey home to Russia with the proclamation of people’s republics. That day the Donetsk People’s…
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🎥 Activists of youth organizations unfurled a 200-meter-long DPR flag at the Saur Mogila memorial near Donetsk in honor of the tenth anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic.
Every year on April 7 the DPR celebrates the anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic. On this day in 2014, the declaration of sovereignty of the DPR and the law on proclaiming the independence of the republic were adopted.
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Every year on April 7 the DPR celebrates the anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic. On this day in 2014, the declaration of sovereignty of the DPR and the law on proclaiming the independence of the republic were adopted.
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Russian flamethrowers have become more accurate
The accuracy of TOS-1A "Solntsepyok" heavy flamethrower systems has been increased to several metres due to the requirements of radiation, chemical and biological defence troops, said Vladimir Pimenov, General Director of the All-Russian Scientific Research Institute "Signal" (part of the "High-Precision Complexes").
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The accuracy of TOS-1A "Solntsepyok" heavy flamethrower systems has been increased to several metres due to the requirements of radiation, chemical and biological defence troops, said Vladimir Pimenov, General Director of the All-Russian Scientific Research Institute "Signal" (part of the "High-Precision Complexes").
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❗️The Russian Army destroyed a warehouse with unmanned boats transferred to Ukraine by NATO countries.
🇷🇺🪖 More statements from the Russian MoD's daily briefing on the progress of the special military op in Ukraine:
🔺Ukraine lost up to 370 militants and a tank in the Donetsk region.
🔺Russian troops repelled two Ukrainian counterattacks near Kupiansk, resulting in the enemy losing up to 30 militants.
🔺Ukrainian losses amounted to 135 militants and a tank to the south of Donetsk.
🔺The Russian Armed Forces destroyed two launchers of the S-300 air defense system and the P-18 air target detection and tracking radar.
🔺Russian air defense systems shot down 293 Ukrainian drones and 4 HIMARS and Uragan MLRS shells.
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🇷🇺🪖 More statements from the Russian MoD's daily briefing on the progress of the special military op in Ukraine:
🔺Ukraine lost up to 370 militants and a tank in the Donetsk region.
🔺Russian troops repelled two Ukrainian counterattacks near Kupiansk, resulting in the enemy losing up to 30 militants.
🔺Ukrainian losses amounted to 135 militants and a tank to the south of Donetsk.
🔺The Russian Armed Forces destroyed two launchers of the S-300 air defense system and the P-18 air target detection and tracking radar.
🔺Russian air defense systems shot down 293 Ukrainian drones and 4 HIMARS and Uragan MLRS shells.
Subscribe to @SputnikInt
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Ukrainian drones attacked the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant
The UAV strike took place near the plant's dining room, the station reported. Twenty minutes before the attack, IAEA experts were conducting a scheduled inspection of the plant.
Another hit of the Ukrainian drone on the territory of the Zaporozhye power plant was recorded in the area of the cargo port.
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The UAV strike took place near the plant's dining room, the station reported. Twenty minutes before the attack, IAEA experts were conducting a scheduled inspection of the plant.
Another hit of the Ukrainian drone on the territory of the Zaporozhye power plant was recorded in the area of the cargo port.
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Sputnik International
Storm Shadow killer: What we know about Russian warships' Pantsir-M air defense shield
The naval variant of Russia’s Pantsir surface-to-air missile and anti-aircraft artillery system has made its combat debut, taking on and defeating Storm Shadow cruise missiles in the Ukrainian conflict zone.
Developed in 2017, the Pantsir-M began to be fielded with the Russian Navy in 2020, with ‘Pantsir’ meaning ‘Carapace’ or ‘Shell’ and the ‘M’ in the name standing for ‘Maritime’.
The Pantsir-M operates along the same general principle as its ground-based cousins, but features its own design solutions optimized for maritime conditions and for dealing with sea-based threats. The platform is formally classified as a close-in weapon system (CIWS) designed to take on enemy missiles, drones, aircraft and other projectiles as they approach to within 20 km or less (at an altitude of up to 15 km) of a warship.
🔺The Pantsir-M is armed with eight Hermes-K SAMs attached in a 4x2 arrangement.
🔺Secondary armament consists of twin AO-18KD 30x165mm rotary cannons with a range up to 5 km and a rate of fire up to 10,000 rounds per minute.
🔺The Pantsir-M can engage up to four targets simultaneously.
🔺It is the only ship-based air defense system in the world using a combat module that combines CIWS, SAMs and a radar-optical control system – including automated target search, selection and firing capability, in a single piece of equipment.
🔺The onboard phased array radar has an estimated target detection range of up to 75 km.
🔺The system weighs about 7,100 kg (ammunition included), making it suitable to deploy on small and large vessels alike.
🔺The Russian Navy plans to equip all new warships, from missile corvettes to cruisers, with the Pantsir-M, and to upgrade existing vessels with the system over time.
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The naval variant of Russia’s Pantsir surface-to-air missile and anti-aircraft artillery system has made its combat debut, taking on and defeating Storm Shadow cruise missiles in the Ukrainian conflict zone.
Developed in 2017, the Pantsir-M began to be fielded with the Russian Navy in 2020, with ‘Pantsir’ meaning ‘Carapace’ or ‘Shell’ and the ‘M’ in the name standing for ‘Maritime’.
The Pantsir-M operates along the same general principle as its ground-based cousins, but features its own design solutions optimized for maritime conditions and for dealing with sea-based threats. The platform is formally classified as a close-in weapon system (CIWS) designed to take on enemy missiles, drones, aircraft and other projectiles as they approach to within 20 km or less (at an altitude of up to 15 km) of a warship.
🔺The Pantsir-M is armed with eight Hermes-K SAMs attached in a 4x2 arrangement.
🔺Secondary armament consists of twin AO-18KD 30x165mm rotary cannons with a range up to 5 km and a rate of fire up to 10,000 rounds per minute.
🔺The Pantsir-M can engage up to four targets simultaneously.
🔺It is the only ship-based air defense system in the world using a combat module that combines CIWS, SAMs and a radar-optical control system – including automated target search, selection and firing capability, in a single piece of equipment.
🔺The onboard phased array radar has an estimated target detection range of up to 75 km.
🔺The system weighs about 7,100 kg (ammunition included), making it suitable to deploy on small and large vessels alike.
🔺The Russian Navy plans to equip all new warships, from missile corvettes to cruisers, with the Pantsir-M, and to upgrade existing vessels with the system over time.
Subscribe to @SputnikInt
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The Ukrainian Armed Forces attacked the dome of the 6th power unit of the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant; there was no critical damage or casualties, the nuclear power plant’s press service said, adding that the radiation background at the plant and the territory after the attack did not change and is at a level corresponding to normal operation.
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AUKUS to forge ahead with expansion despite 'misgivings' between allies
The US is pushing for Japan to be brought into Pillar II of AUKUS, despite misgivings of some pact allies, the Financial Times reported.
Defense ministers of the US, UK and Australia are to make a statement on Monday announcing the start of talks on new members joining the trilateral security treaty.
Pillar II involves the sharing of a range of technologies, including underwater robotics, quantum electronics, cybersecurity and electronic warfare capabilities, hypersonic weapons and defense mechanisms against them.
The upcoming announcement on potential expansion is a “compromise” between the allies,” noted the outlet. Both Australia and the UK have reportedly been reluctant to invite Japan to join AUKUS, citing Pillar I as a priority. The security pact is facing “challenges” in efforts to "trilateralise" aspects of co-production, admitted US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell.
The Washington-conceived, de facto anti-Chinese alliance has been repeatedly slammed by Beijing as likely to turn the Pacific into "an ocean of storms." Russia voiced concerns about the pact as fraught with destabilizing effects on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and undermining international security in general.
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The US is pushing for Japan to be brought into Pillar II of AUKUS, despite misgivings of some pact allies, the Financial Times reported.
Defense ministers of the US, UK and Australia are to make a statement on Monday announcing the start of talks on new members joining the trilateral security treaty.
Pillar II involves the sharing of a range of technologies, including underwater robotics, quantum electronics, cybersecurity and electronic warfare capabilities, hypersonic weapons and defense mechanisms against them.
The upcoming announcement on potential expansion is a “compromise” between the allies,” noted the outlet. Both Australia and the UK have reportedly been reluctant to invite Japan to join AUKUS, citing Pillar I as a priority. The security pact is facing “challenges” in efforts to "trilateralise" aspects of co-production, admitted US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell.
The Washington-conceived, de facto anti-Chinese alliance has been repeatedly slammed by Beijing as likely to turn the Pacific into "an ocean of storms." Russia voiced concerns about the pact as fraught with destabilizing effects on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and undermining international security in general.
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Donald Trump privately stated that he could end the conflict in Ukraine by putting pressure on Kiev to leave Crimea and Donbass for Russia, the Washington Post says, citing sources. Trump also said that people in parts of Ukraine would be okay with being part of Russia, according to a person who has discussed the matter directly with Trump.
Trump's team has not yet confirmed this information.
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Trump's team has not yet confirmed this information.
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