Scrutinizing the Scorpio: Russia’s new innovation disables Ukrainian booby traps

Russian bomb disposal units in the liberated city of Avdeyevka are using a light-wheeled UGV (unmanned ground vehicle) to clear mines and booby traps left behind by retreating Ukrainian troops. The vehicle, known as "Scorpio," helps reduce the risk for personnel dealing with these hazards.

The compact "Scorpio" weighs only 30 kilograms and can move at speeds of up to 5 kilometers per hour on dirt and 10 kilometers per hour on pavement. It is equipped with onboard cameras, including an infrared camera, which allow combat engineers to examine potentially dangerous objects from a safe distance. The vehicle's mine-clearing attachments enable it to sweep for booby traps and land mines effectively.

In addition, the "Scorpio" can transport up to 25 kilograms of explosives in a special cart. This feature allows for controlled explosions without the need to send personnel in to set up charges, further minimizing the risk to individuals on the ground.

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The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said that the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant was “pretty close” to a nuclear accident after the Ukrainian attack on Sunday, this is not a made-up scenario, according to media.

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Ukraine’s drone attack on the Zaporozhye Nuclear Plant lacks ‘military sense’ but creates radioactive threat in Europe

Russia's Rosatom nuclear agency has condemned the Kiev regime’s recent "unprecedented" drone attack on the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant, which left at least three employees injured.

“There is no slightest military sense in similar strikes, given that the facility is not running now,” Alexander Uvarov, a nuclear energy specialist and head of Atominfo Center, tells Sputnik.

“The plant’s nuclear reactors are not being operated, and they are not producing electricity. Namely, the strikes cannot cause any damage to the energy supply system of [Russia’s] new regions,” Uvarov adds.

On the other hand, he warned of possible radiation-related consequences, which could “affect everyone, including those living on the territories controlled by the Ukrainian side.”

The expert explains in this regard that a potential disruption of one of the plant’s reactors would be followed by “the uncontrolled release of radioactive substances into the atmosphere.

When asked about how Europe could respond to the Kiev drone attack, Uvarov says that he doesn’t believe in any such reaction and that, at best, the International Atomic Energy Agency will issue a statement on a strike by “unidentified drones,” ignoring the threat of Ukraine’s attacks that might lead to a disaster.

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❗️WATCH: Australian police and fire fighters remove a boycott Israel sign in Sydney, sparking outrage from local Palestine supporters.

There have been mass protests in Australia against Israel’s war in Gaza ever since the conflict erupted six months ago.

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Crocus City Hall terrorist attack reeks of NATO's asymmetrical shadow wars

"I would not be a bit surprised to discover that the US has induced some extremist groups into fighting in Ukraine as mercenaries against Russia to overcome the shortage of Ukrainian soldiers, and even introduce plausible denials in some of the black operations which are part of the neocon-induced asymmetrical war," Fabien Chalandon, chevalier of the French Legion d'Honneur, investor, and writer, told Sputnik.

The controversy surrounding the recent terror attack near Moscow continues to be a topic of debate, with the US media providing contradictory accounts on how 'Duty to Warn' signals were allegedly sent to Moscow. Additionally, Team Biden persists in denying any possible involvement of Ukraine in the incident.

From the beginning, the coverage of the terrorist attack and the response from the White House have raised questions. Following the massacre, Washington repeatedly denied any connections between Ukraine and the tragedy, despite a long-standing history that links the Kiev regime to previous terror attacks on Russian territory.

"Team Biden and his predecessors since Bush Jr., with its fabricated evidence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, have lost all credibility as they have replaced politics with a delusional game of concocted narratives - straight lies masquerading as plausible truths – to cover up their serial obsession of regime change by destruction of the target country, to the point where, enmeshed in their deceits, they have lost their basic sense of realism, common sense and ethics, thus undermining the international order they falsely claim to underpin," Chalandon stressed.

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❗️A Russian Iskander missile strike completely destroyed a Ukrainian heavy drone warehouse and workshop in the city of Zaporozhye.

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Is there a US link behind Hungary's anti-government protests?

"[The rally] looked very similar to an American campaign. The events [opposition leader Peter] Magyar has been holding in recent weeks - with a stage, lighting, music and singers - require hundreds of millions of forints [Hungarian currency], something that he does not have," Hungarian political expert Georg Spottle tells Sputnik, suggesting Washington may be behind the event.

According to Spottle, Team Biden is seeking to create a big opposition front in Hungary in order to exert considerable pressure on Viktor Orban and his government, and then replace Orban with Magyar during the 2026 election cycle. In March, Joe Biden publicly claimed that Orban is pursuing a "dictatorship". Just days after that, Magyar, 43, a former member of the ruling Fidesz party, announced his intention to establish a new opposition coalition.

In the eyes of the Biden administration, Orban's many "sins" range from opposing the NATO proxy war in Ukraine to maintaining lonstanding working relations with former President Donald Trump.

"Yes, they are trying to oust [Orban]. But they will still do this in more a civilized ways than what happened in Ukraine. Hungary's membership in the European Union imposes certain restrictions here," Russian political scientist Vadim Trukhachev tells Sputnik.

The timing of Magyar's sudden rise preceded both the European Parliament elections which could see the increase in right-wing and Euroskeptic MEPs and the US presidential vote. "They have very little time. Now it looks like Trump could win the presidential election [in the US]. But until then, there is time to create a new opposition in Hungary," Spottle states.

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US visibly nervous as Russia and China strengthen strategic partnership.

Just one day before Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's arrival in China, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen threatened Beijing over its economic ties with Moscow. Sputnik examines why the burgeoning Russia-China strategic partnership poses a serious geopolitical problem for the Biden administration.

🔸Following the start of the Ukraine conflict, Russia-China trade surged 64% to hit a record $240 billion in 2023. This boom in bilateral trade has helped both countries to overcome Western sanctions and other forms of economic pressure.

🔸Russia and China work through BRICS to promote de-dollarisation and offer the Global South new financial and economic mechanisms that aren't beholden to the West.

🔸Russia and China are strengthening their technological cooperation through ambitious initiatives such as the International Scientific Lunar Station. The pair is also looking to collaborate on AI’s military application.

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🇮🇷 Iranian FM Hossein Amir-Abdollahian: "I speak with a loud voice from Damascus that the Zionist regime will be punished."

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'Worst kind of genocide’: People in Gaza were killed block by block at the will of an Israeli AI machine

Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham's investigation into an Israeli military AI program has revealed that Tel Aviv's special services and the army let a machine decide the destiny of the people it suspected of being jihadists – and then execute them on the spot with huge “collateral damage.”

“The Lavender AI program or some other targeting program the Israelis are using – its purpose is not to destroy enemies. Instead, it has been designed to destroy blocks of real estate… And the destruction of the people living in those buildings is the bloodthirsty confirmation of the worst kind of secret genocide,” former US State Department analyst Scott Bennett tells Sputnik.

“What Lavender does is scan the information on the people inside a given building in Gaza. The artificial intelligence, i.e. a machine, gives every individual a rating (on a scale from 1 to 100) on the likelihood that this individual is a member of Hamas or the military wing of Islamic Jihad group,” Yuval Abraham explained in an interview to Democracy Now.

“In the next step the machine ordered the destruction of the building with people inside it, including children. There was minimal human supervision of AI’s actions – one of my sources said he usually spent 20 seconds before authorizing the bombing.”

While Abraham’s investigation cited 6 high-ranking Israeli officers acquainted with the AI use, the IDF is yet to face the accusations. Reham Owda, an independent political analyst from Gaza, shared her opinion with Sputnik: “This means that Israel chose the easiest and the cheapest way to target Hamas militants.”

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▪️Crocus City Hall terrorist attack reeks of NATO's asymmetrical shadow wars

▪️Ukraine’s drone attack on the Zaporozhye Nuclear Plant lacks ‘military sense’ but creates radioactive threat in Europe

▪️Why Crimea still remains Russia’s key strategic Black Sea base 80 years on?

▪️Zaporozhye nuclear power plant: Why are Ukrainian forces gunning for it?

▪️Ukrainian shelling of Zaporozhye nuclear plant creates risk of catastrophic fallout

▪️Russia celebrates 80th anniversary of the start of the Crimean offensive in World War II

▪️Warrior poetess: Ukraine dehumanized Donbass people to justify slaughter

▪️Giant automatic ‘Stalker’ sapper trialed by fire in Avdeyevka suburbs

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Israel's withdrawal from Gaza Strip: What is Tel Aviv trying to accomplish?

Israeli troop withdrawal from the Khan Younis area of the Gaza Strip is “more of a tactical move than a concession for a peace deal” with the Palestinians, says Dr. Hasan Selim Ozertem, an Ankara-based security and political analyst.

“These moves look more tactical, than moves of concession or compromise,” Dr. Ozertem tells Sputnik, pointing out that there has been “no certain or serious progress going on between Hamas and Israeli representatives” at the talks in Cairo.

According to him, the Israeli Defense Forces' pullout from Khan Younis might presage an Israeli attack on Rafah where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians sought refuge when Israel invaded the Gaza Strip.

“Withdrawing from Khan Younis may help some civilians to come back to their homes, decreasing the number of civilians over there. So, this may also help to reduce the civilian casualties in a possible operation in Rafah,” Dr. Ozertem suggests.

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The West is the source of fake activity on the social network X, not Russia, the platform's owner Elon Musk said.

"We don’t see a lot of Russian activity, to be frank, on the system. We see very little," Musk detailed during a so-called Space on X. He further noted that while outside efforts to influence discourse have been detected, the nefarious acts appear to actually originate from the West.

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The United States received information about potential threats to multiple locations in Mogadishu and subsequently canceled upcoming travel for diplomatic personnel, the US Embassy in Somalia said in a statement.

"The US Embassy in Nairobi has received information about threats to multiple locations in Mogadishu, including Aden Adde International Airport in Mogadishu," the statement said.

The embassy canceled all travel for personnel scheduled on April 9, the statement said.

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Eight people have been injured in clashes between police and demonstrators taking part in an anti-NATO rally in the Italian city of Naples, Italian media reported.

The protesters attempted to break through a police line on their way to the San Carlo opera house, which was to host a concert dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the alliance, the Corriere della Sera newspaper reported, adding that there was a pro-Palestinian march along Naples’ Via Toledo street with people carrying banners against NATO.

Approximately 50 people tried to break through the police cordon, prompting law enforcement officials to respond with batons.

Meanwhile pro-Palestinian protesters occupied the premises of the University of Naples Federico II demanding that NATO end cooperation with Israel, the newspaper reported.

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Sweden continues to aggressively militarize after joining NATO

The Swedish government and the right-wing Sweden Democrats party have agreed to allocate an additional 300 million Swedish kronor ($28.4 million) to strengthen the country's defense capabilities, the Swedish Defense Ministry said Monday.

Sweden also expects to provision $85 million for the military budget through the redistribution of funds, Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet reported.

The funds will be added to the already approved $2.55 billion increase in the military budget the report claimed, adding that the country’s defense budget will be more than 2% of GDP as required by NATO.

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US ‘Deep State’ will call shots in Ukraine, not Trump or Biden – expert

The threat of Trump’s restoration to the presidency has prompted moves to provide Ukraine with a multi-year fund to continue hostilities whether the country is supported by the United States or not. But the ultimate decision over whether American aid will continue to flow to its embattled leader may not lie with the US president at all, according to security analyst Mark Sleboda on Sputnik’s Fault Lines program Monday.

“All this stuff is not going to be acceptable to the West,” said the international relations expert, insisting Russia’s claims to Kherson and Zaporozhye as well as Crimea and the Donbass will generate opposition. “They can't be seen as losing to Russia here. So I think they'll fight this to the bitter end.”

“The Russian government doesn't believe that a Trump foreign policy will be, or can be any different, in essence, than a Biden foreign policy because the US president doesn't actually really make those decisions,” he claimed. “The blob – the deep state, the permanent security bureaucracy – does, whatever you want to call them.”

Recent reporting featuring CIA operatives boasting about the agency’s expansive influence in Ukraine has led even Western observers to conclude the country is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of US intelligence.

Sleboda claimed the West’s stated intention to “pump” what remains of Ukraine full of weapons and grant it membership in NATO will force Russia to continue fighting until it feels the threat is eliminated.

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