Angara 5's launch opens door to Moon, Venus and Mars for Russians
"Angara 5 rockets are something that has been needed for a long time, and now it is being put into operation," Dr. Natan Eismont, a leading researcher at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Space Research Institute, told Sputnik. "This is a fairly useful carrier for flights to planets, including expeditions to the Moon, and for flights to Venus, Mars, and Jupiter."
The 761-ton rocket Angara 5 was launched at 09:00 am GMT and later its Orion upper stage successfully delivered the Gagarinets satellite into low Earth orbit.
Russia plans to leave the International Space Station (ISS) by 2028 while the first segment of the nation's new station is scheduled to be put in orbit by 2027. Russia's Angara 5 is the space vehicle for the job, according to the researcher.
Eismont believes that Angara 5 will attract the attention of other international participants of the ongoing space race. "It will be quite competitive in the market of [space] launch services," the researcher pointed out.
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"Angara 5 rockets are something that has been needed for a long time, and now it is being put into operation," Dr. Natan Eismont, a leading researcher at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Space Research Institute, told Sputnik. "This is a fairly useful carrier for flights to planets, including expeditions to the Moon, and for flights to Venus, Mars, and Jupiter."
The 761-ton rocket Angara 5 was launched at 09:00 am GMT and later its Orion upper stage successfully delivered the Gagarinets satellite into low Earth orbit.
"The success of Angara 5, as well as the success of the launch complex, is crucial for our country's further activities in space. If we are talking about a new orbital station, then the modules of this station can currently be launched by Angara 5," Sputnik's commentator noted.
Russia plans to leave the International Space Station (ISS) by 2028 while the first segment of the nation's new station is scheduled to be put in orbit by 2027. Russia's Angara 5 is the space vehicle for the job, according to the researcher.
"This orbital station is supposed to be built from modules weighing around 24 tons. It would be easy for a heavy-class rocket Angara 5 to carry them," the expert said.
Eismont believes that Angara 5 will attract the attention of other international participants of the ongoing space race. "It will be quite competitive in the market of [space] launch services," the researcher pointed out.
"That is, this is a serious industrial achievement that has utmost significance for space activities," he concluded.
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The Israeli foreign minister has accused Iran of piracy after it seized a ship in the Strait of Hormuz and called on the world to recognize the IRGC as a terrorist organization
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"I call on the European Union and the free world to immediately declare the Iranian Revolutionary Guards corps as a terrorist organization and to sanction Iran now," Israel Katz wrote on X.
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Sirens are sounding in northern Israel, according to the Israel Defense Forces.
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The Israeli Air Force has attacked Hezbollah targets in four areas in southern Lebanon, the IDF reported.
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Sabotage and desertion: new order from Ukraine's top general reveals more of the army’s ugly side
Ukrainian soldiers sabotage army orders, threaten their commanders, refuse to fire their weapons, leave the battlefield, and desert. This was revealed in a new order on “strengthening discipline” signed by Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrsky and seen by Sputnik.
Among the many criminal offenses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the commander-in-chief listed “insubordination,” “failure to comply with an order,” “threat or violence against a superior,” “unauthorized abandonment of a military unit or place of service,” “desertion,” “evasion of military service by inflicting self-harm or in any other way,” and “unauthorized abandonment of the battlefield or refusal to use weapons.”
Syrsky’s order comes as the Ukrainian Army is struggling to replenish its ranks in the wake of manpower losses and active draft-dodging.
The Kiev regime's army units are rife with cases of insubordination and desertion. Furthermore, Sputnik earlier obtained footage appearing to show Ukrainian troops being shot at and having grenades thrown at them by their own comrades during a Russian advance.
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Ukrainian soldiers sabotage army orders, threaten their commanders, refuse to fire their weapons, leave the battlefield, and desert. This was revealed in a new order on “strengthening discipline” signed by Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrsky and seen by Sputnik.
Among the many criminal offenses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the commander-in-chief listed “insubordination,” “failure to comply with an order,” “threat or violence against a superior,” “unauthorized abandonment of a military unit or place of service,” “desertion,” “evasion of military service by inflicting self-harm or in any other way,” and “unauthorized abandonment of the battlefield or refusal to use weapons.”
Syrsky’s order comes as the Ukrainian Army is struggling to replenish its ranks in the wake of manpower losses and active draft-dodging.
The Kiev regime's army units are rife with cases of insubordination and desertion. Furthermore, Sputnik earlier obtained footage appearing to show Ukrainian troops being shot at and having grenades thrown at them by their own comrades during a Russian advance.
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What drones does Ukraine’s military have?
The Kiev regime is increasingly employing drones for strikes on civilian infrastructure on Russian territory. Moscow condemns this as terrorism. Let's examine Ukraine's drone arsenal:
🔹 UJ-22 Airborne: Ukrainian-made drone for military intelligence and search and rescue, with options for internal warheads or air-dropped bombs.
🔹 Tekever AR5: Portuguese twin-engine UAV built for maritime surveillance, equipped with optical and infrared cameras.
🔹 IAI Harop: Israeli loitering munition designed to neutralize enemy air defenses. Features include a forward-looking infrared camera for tracking and 360-degree rotation.
🔹 Valkyrie: Ukrainian-made fully autonomous, electric-powered, portable drone designed for military and civilian purposes.
🔹 Mugin-5 Pro: weaponized version of Chinese commercial UAVs.
🔹 Leleka-100: Ukrainian-made drone designed to assist in patrolling, aerial reconnaissance, and mapping. It can carry a payload of up to 600 grams and has a flight radius of up to 90 kilometers.
🔹 A1-CM Furia: Ukrainian hand-launched UAV designed for aerial reconnaissance.
🔹 Bayraktar TB2: Turkish medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) drone capable of remote or autonomous flight. It carries onboard cameras and can be armed with laser-guided bombs.
🔹 RQ-20 Puma: small, battery-powered hand-launched US drone geared for surveillance and intelligence gathering using an electro-optical and infrared camera.
🔹 Bober (Beaver): Ukrainian long-range loitering munition with a range of around 1,000 km and payload of 20 kg.
🔹 А-2 Sinitsa (Titmouse): modification of a Ukrainian drone with a canard layout and powered by an internal combustion engine.
🔹 Tu-141 Strizh (Swift): Soviet-era jet-powered tactical reconnaissance drone converted into a cruise missile.
🔹 Switchblade 600: suicide drone made by US contractor AeroVironment, small enough for backpack transportation, armed with a high-explosive anti-tank warhead from the Javelin missile.
The Kiev regime is increasingly employing drones for strikes on civilian infrastructure on Russian territory. Moscow condemns this as terrorism. Let's examine Ukraine's drone arsenal:
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Game over? Persian Gulf monarchies refuse to give US access to bases for anti-Iran attacks
Persian Gulf countries have reportedly told the United States not to launch any attacks against Iran from their territory or airspace amid seething regional tensions.
💬 Sources including a senior US official told the Middle East Eye that Gulf monarchies have been “working overtime” on the diplomatic track “to shut down avenues that could link them to a US reprisal against Tehran or its proxies from bases inside their kingdoms.”
The countries include regional heavyweights Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Kuwait, with their leaderships reportedly “raising questions” on the details of US basing agreements, and taking steps to prevent the use of their Iran-adjacent bases against the Islamic Republic.
The Gulf powers’ increasingly independently foreign policy is a major political setback for Washington, which for many decades after World War II (and especially after the Cold War) was able to rely on the Persian Gulf monarchies for its military operations in the oil-rich region. In recent years, regional powers have begun the pursuit of an increasingly independent foreign policy.
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Persian Gulf countries have reportedly told the United States not to launch any attacks against Iran from their territory or airspace amid seething regional tensions.
The countries include regional heavyweights Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Kuwait, with their leaderships reportedly “raising questions” on the details of US basing agreements, and taking steps to prevent the use of their Iran-adjacent bases against the Islamic Republic.
“It’s a mess,” a senior US official said, referring to the headache the Biden administration faces as it prepares for a potential Iranian retaliatory strike against its top regional ally Israel following Tel Aviv’s April 1 attack on the Iranian Embassy compound in Damascus, Syria.
The Gulf powers’ increasingly independently foreign policy is a major political setback for Washington, which for many decades after World War II (and especially after the Cold War) was able to rely on the Persian Gulf monarchies for its military operations in the oil-rich region. In recent years, regional powers have begun the pursuit of an increasingly independent foreign policy.
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Ten people have been killed in a Ukrainian attack on the city of Tokmak in the Zaporozhye region, while two people are missing, the region's governor, Yevgeny Balitsky, said.
On Friday, the Ukrainian Armed Forces opened fire on a residential area in Tokmak, killing eight people, including two children, and injuring 13 others, the governor said. Earlier on Saturday, Balitsky said five more people had been pulled from under the rubble. All were said to have injuries of varying severity.
Two other people remain missing, Balitsky said, adding that rescuers are continuing to search and clear the rubble.
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On Friday, the Ukrainian Armed Forces opened fire on a residential area in Tokmak, killing eight people, including two children, and injuring 13 others, the governor said. Earlier on Saturday, Balitsky said five more people had been pulled from under the rubble. All were said to have injuries of varying severity.
"The number of people killed as a result of the terrorist attack by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on Tokmak has risen to ten. Rescuers have recovered the bodies of an adult and a child from the rubble," the governor said on Telegram.
Two other people remain missing, Balitsky said, adding that rescuers are continuing to search and clear the rubble.
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Which countries have laser weapons?
The UK has announced plans to deploy the new DragonFire laser platform by the year 2027, and may even deliver prototypes of the weapon to Ukraine for use against Russia. Who else has got laser weapons?
Russia
🔺The USSR was a pioneer in laser tech for both civilian and military use.
🔺Created a lineup of experimental laser weapons including the Terra-3 missile defense system, the 1K17 Szhatie ground-based laser combat platform, the Beriev A-60 airborne laser lab, and the Polyus laser-armed orbital weapons platform.
🔺Russia has built the Peresvet air defense and anti-satellite warfare system, which can blind enemy satellites up to 1,500 km away.
United States
🔺Has spent decades working on combat lasers going back to the Project Excalibur missile defense concept.
🔺Notable projects include the Precision Airborne Standoff Directed Energy Weapon program, the Laser Close-In Weapon System, the Area Defense Anti-Munitions fiber laser and the AN/SEQ-3 Laser Weapon System.
China
🔺Created the Silent Hunter fiber-optic laser air defense system and ZM-87 and Py132A dazzlers to blind enemy troops and photo-electric components in laser rangefinders and missile seekers.
🔺China’s ZKZM-500 laser assault rifle can hit targets up to 1 km away, burn and ignite flammable targets.
🔺Last year, Chinese scientists made a breakthrough allowing lasers to operate “infinitely” thanks to a cooling system that eliminates waste heat.
Others
🔺Israel, Iran, Turkiye, Japan, France, Germany, the UK, India and Pakistan also have access to military lasers.
🔺Israeli firms have created the Drone Dome, Light Blade and Iron Beam missile defense system.
🔺Iran has built a laser air defense cannon known as the Sateb.
🔺A notable Indian laser known as the DURGA-2 is in development for use as a combined anti-missile/drone system.
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The UK has announced plans to deploy the new DragonFire laser platform by the year 2027, and may even deliver prototypes of the weapon to Ukraine for use against Russia. Who else has got laser weapons?
Russia
🔺The USSR was a pioneer in laser tech for both civilian and military use.
🔺Created a lineup of experimental laser weapons including the Terra-3 missile defense system, the 1K17 Szhatie ground-based laser combat platform, the Beriev A-60 airborne laser lab, and the Polyus laser-armed orbital weapons platform.
🔺Russia has built the Peresvet air defense and anti-satellite warfare system, which can blind enemy satellites up to 1,500 km away.
United States
🔺Has spent decades working on combat lasers going back to the Project Excalibur missile defense concept.
🔺Notable projects include the Precision Airborne Standoff Directed Energy Weapon program, the Laser Close-In Weapon System, the Area Defense Anti-Munitions fiber laser and the AN/SEQ-3 Laser Weapon System.
China
🔺Created the Silent Hunter fiber-optic laser air defense system and ZM-87 and Py132A dazzlers to blind enemy troops and photo-electric components in laser rangefinders and missile seekers.
🔺China’s ZKZM-500 laser assault rifle can hit targets up to 1 km away, burn and ignite flammable targets.
🔺Last year, Chinese scientists made a breakthrough allowing lasers to operate “infinitely” thanks to a cooling system that eliminates waste heat.
Others
🔺Israel, Iran, Turkiye, Japan, France, Germany, the UK, India and Pakistan also have access to military lasers.
🔺Israeli firms have created the Drone Dome, Light Blade and Iron Beam missile defense system.
🔺Iran has built a laser air defense cannon known as the Sateb.
🔺A notable Indian laser known as the DURGA-2 is in development for use as a combined anti-missile/drone system.
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🇷🇺🇮🇷 Russian FM Lavrov had a telephone conversation with his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amirabdollahian, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
During the conversation, Lavrov again condemned the Israeli strike on the Iranian consulate, noting that any encroachments on diplomatic missions and consulates are unacceptable.
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During the conversation, Lavrov again condemned the Israeli strike on the Iranian consulate, noting that any encroachments on diplomatic missions and consulates are unacceptable.
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Nine people were injured as a result of a Ukrainian missile attack on a plant in Lugansk, the head of the Lugansk People's Republic of Russia Leonid Pasechnik has said.
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“Ukrainian terrorists fired cluster shells from MLRS at Suzemka, the administrative center of the Suzemsky district, Russian Bryansk region,” said the governor of the region.
According to preliminary information, a civilian was slightly injured as a result of the terrorist attack. She received all the necessary medical care. Several residential buildings, outbuildings and a car were partially damaged. Operational and emergency services are working on the site.
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According to preliminary information, a civilian was slightly injured as a result of the terrorist attack. She received all the necessary medical care. Several residential buildings, outbuildings and a car were partially damaged. Operational and emergency services are working on the site.
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📹 D-20 152 mm howitzer crews disrupted the rotation of Ukrainian units near the village of Pervomaiskoye
Every day, Russian artillerymen fire on Ukrainian artillery batteries, destroy defensive structures, suppress command posts, and annihilate Ukrainian firepower, weapons, and military equipment in the area of the Donetsk People's Republic.
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Every day, Russian artillerymen fire on Ukrainian artillery batteries, destroy defensive structures, suppress command posts, and annihilate Ukrainian firepower, weapons, and military equipment in the area of the Donetsk People's Republic.
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Ukraine's air defence system has been overwhelmed by focused waves of Russian strikes aimed at power plants, Mikhail Podolyak, adviser to the head of the Ukrainian Presidential Office, admitted after the destruction of an entire station on Thursday, the Guardian reported.
🔺Podolyak said Moscow started using new tactics, attacking power plants with "10 or 12 rockets at a time," bypassing the already-overloaded Patriot anti-missile systems and other air defences.
🔺Ukraine has asked for urgent help from the allies, Podolyak stated, and although Kiev has not yet run out of American Patriot missiles and German Iris-T, there is not enough critical ammunition.
🔺Ukraine said it had destroyed 57 of the 82 missiles and drones launched by Russia in a large-scale attack on Wednesday night, which is relatively small by Kiev's standards.
🔺Zelensky believes that Ukraine needs 25 Patriot anti-missile systems to protect the whole country. Currently, Kiev has at least two, although the exact figure is unknown. Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba was instructed to urgently find 7, and he counted 100 air defense systems belonging to Western countries from which he hopes to receive them.
🔺Podolyak said that the West should understand that Russia is "conducting military operations against the civilian population" and complained about the lack of condemnation from the international community. "The Russians have completely destroyed one of the largest thermal power plants in Europe. But we do not see any UN Security Council resolutions or other similar statements," he said.
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🔺Podolyak said Moscow started using new tactics, attacking power plants with "10 or 12 rockets at a time," bypassing the already-overloaded Patriot anti-missile systems and other air defences.
🔺Ukraine has asked for urgent help from the allies, Podolyak stated, and although Kiev has not yet run out of American Patriot missiles and German Iris-T, there is not enough critical ammunition.
🔺Ukraine said it had destroyed 57 of the 82 missiles and drones launched by Russia in a large-scale attack on Wednesday night, which is relatively small by Kiev's standards.
🔺Zelensky believes that Ukraine needs 25 Patriot anti-missile systems to protect the whole country. Currently, Kiev has at least two, although the exact figure is unknown. Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba was instructed to urgently find 7, and he counted 100 air defense systems belonging to Western countries from which he hopes to receive them.
🔺Podolyak said that the West should understand that Russia is "conducting military operations against the civilian population" and complained about the lack of condemnation from the international community. "The Russians have completely destroyed one of the largest thermal power plants in Europe. But we do not see any UN Security Council resolutions or other similar statements," he said.
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How Ukraine's 'anti-terrorist operation' in Donbass turned into bloodbath against its own people Pt.1
10 years ago today, the Kiev regime that rode to power in Ukraine in the wake of an unconstitutional Western-sponsored coup unleashed the so-called “anti-terrorist operation” (ATO) against the residents of the southeastern Donbass region.
The start of the ATO was announced by acting president Olexandr Turchinov to quell local counter-protests to the Euromaidan coup in Kiev that had toppled legitimately-elected then-president Viktor Yanukovich in February 2014.
What Preceded the ATO?
🔺On April 6, 2014, fledgling militia forces in Lugansk seized the Ukrainian Security Service building in the city, arming themselves with weapons from its large armory. The same day, in neighboring Donetsk, participants of a protest rally took over the building of the regional administration, formally proclaiming the Donetsk People’s Republic.
🔺After residents of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions — who refused to kowtow to the Ukrainian nationalists — held independence referenda and proclaimed the People's Republics of Donetsk and Lugansk, they were branded "terrorists" by Kiev.
10 years ago today, the Kiev regime that rode to power in Ukraine in the wake of an unconstitutional Western-sponsored coup unleashed the so-called “anti-terrorist operation” (ATO) against the residents of the southeastern Donbass region.
The start of the ATO was announced by acting president Olexandr Turchinov to quell local counter-protests to the Euromaidan coup in Kiev that had toppled legitimately-elected then-president Viktor Yanukovich in February 2014.
What Preceded the ATO?
🔺On April 6, 2014, fledgling militia forces in Lugansk seized the Ukrainian Security Service building in the city, arming themselves with weapons from its large armory. The same day, in neighboring Donetsk, participants of a protest rally took over the building of the regional administration, formally proclaiming the Donetsk People’s Republic.
🔺After residents of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions — who refused to kowtow to the Ukrainian nationalists — held independence referenda and proclaimed the People's Republics of Donetsk and Lugansk, they were branded "terrorists" by Kiev.
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Sputnik International
How Ukraine's 'anti-terrorist operation' in Donbass turned into bloodbath against its own people Pt.1 10 years ago today, the Kiev regime that rode to power in Ukraine in the wake of an unconstitutional Western-sponsored coup unleashed the so-called “anti…
How Ukraine's 'anti-terrorist operation' in Donbass turned into bloodbath against its own people Pt.2
Key Events of Donbass War
🔺May 2, 2014, the starting point of the fully-fledged war in Donbass. Ukrainian forces attempted to storm the city of Slavyansk in Donetsk region, but militia members repelled the assault.
🔺On May 2, 2014, around 50 people were bludgeoned to death and burned alive in the Odessa Trade Union House massacre.
🔺On May 6, 2014, the first major confrontation between local militia members and Ukrainian nationalist battalions took place in the Azov Sea coast city of Mariupol.
🔺On May 9, Ukrainian ultra-nationalists and the military killed and persecuted participants celebrating the anniversary of victory over the Nazis in WWII.
🔺On May 26, 2014, the milestone battle for Donetsk began, raging for 242 days and ultimately ending in victory for the Donetsk militias in January 2015.
🔺On June 5, 2014, fighting broke out between Ukrainian security forces and the Donbass militias at Lugansk Airport. On September 1, Ukrainian forces which had held the airport for 146 days blew up its runway and retreated.
The Ukrainian regime shelled Donbass mercilessly, targeting civilian infrastructure. By the time Russia launched its special military operation in order to protect residents of south-eastern Ukraine, the conflict had claimed the lives of about 14,000 people, including 3,500 civilians, UN estimates show.
Key Events of Donbass War
🔺May 2, 2014, the starting point of the fully-fledged war in Donbass. Ukrainian forces attempted to storm the city of Slavyansk in Donetsk region, but militia members repelled the assault.
🔺On May 2, 2014, around 50 people were bludgeoned to death and burned alive in the Odessa Trade Union House massacre.
🔺On May 6, 2014, the first major confrontation between local militia members and Ukrainian nationalist battalions took place in the Azov Sea coast city of Mariupol.
🔺On May 9, Ukrainian ultra-nationalists and the military killed and persecuted participants celebrating the anniversary of victory over the Nazis in WWII.
🔺On May 26, 2014, the milestone battle for Donetsk began, raging for 242 days and ultimately ending in victory for the Donetsk militias in January 2015.
🔺On June 5, 2014, fighting broke out between Ukrainian security forces and the Donbass militias at Lugansk Airport. On September 1, Ukrainian forces which had held the airport for 146 days blew up its runway and retreated.
The Ukrainian regime shelled Donbass mercilessly, targeting civilian infrastructure. By the time Russia launched its special military operation in order to protect residents of south-eastern Ukraine, the conflict had claimed the lives of about 14,000 people, including 3,500 civilians, UN estimates show.
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