House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries insisted the US should continue to support Ukraine “to prevent a broader war.”

"We can't let Ukraine fall because if it does, then there's a significant likelihood that America will have to get into the conflict — not simply with our money, but with our servicewomen and our servicemen," Jeffries said in an interview with Norah O'Donnell for 60 Minutes.

He added that there is a growing pro-Russia faction within the Republican Party which does not want to support Ukraine and “believes for some reason that Russia is not an enemy of the United States of America.”

Discussing the ongoing NATO proxy war against Russia where hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians are being sacrificed for US interests, Jeffries emphasized that "this has been a strategic success by any definition."

Russia has repeatedly warned NATO countries that arms supplies to Ukraine would be considered legitimate targets. Moscow has accused NATO countries of "playing with fire" by arming Ukraine, emphasizing that such actions hinder the possibility of Russia-Ukraine negotiations.

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The murder of Sputnik’s correspondent Russell Bentley should be investigated and the perpetrators punished, said Dmitry Kiselev, the general director of Sputnik's parent media group Rossiya Segodnya. Kiselev commented on new information about the suspects' detention published by the Telegram channel “Operation Z: Russian Spring's Military Correspondents.”

“This is our military correspondent. The crime must be investigated, there is the principle of inevitability of punishment. The law applies to everyone without exception,” Kiselev emphasized.

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The IDF has called on Palestinians to evacuate eastern Rafah neighborhoods ahead of a planned offensive, The Times of Israel has reported. The civilians are being called to move to an expanded humanitarian zone in the al-Mawasi and Khan Younis areas, the report said.

Earlier Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel will enter Rafah to combat the Palestinian organization Hamas, with or without an agreement on hostages. He repeatedly said that Israel "has no choice" despite the negotiations.

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EU officials eye bloc’s bailout fund as source of ‘cheap loans to buy weapons’ - report

Dipping into the European Union's emergency bailout fund is being floated as a means of investing in the bloc’s defense ambitions, Politico reported.

Warmongering EU officials have been eyeing the nest egg of around €422 billion set aside in the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) for rescuing floundering economies, hoping to repurpose it, cited sources claim.

The cash could reportedly be used as a potential source of “cheap loans to buy weapons.”

The EMS is an intergovernmental organization established in 2012 in the wake of the financial and sovereign debt crisis. Its goal was to help preserve financial stability in the Eurozone by providing assistance to members facing acute financing problems.

The EU’s weapons stockpiles have been bled dry by NATO’s proxy war against Russia in Ukraine. Coupled with the mounting debt and domestic policy challenges of individual member states, it is small wonder some favor the idea of refashioning the ESM into a so-called “defense tool.”

However, the bailout fund option, believed to still be at an early stage, is likely to fuel further dissent within the bloc. Previous suggestions for funding defense have fueled deep disagreements. All of the Eurozone's 20 finance ministers would have to agree to such a repurposing of the ESM.

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▪️The US is likely to get into the conflict ‘not simply with money but with servicemen’ if Ukraine suffers defeat, Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries says

▪️The murder of Sputnik correspondent Russell Bentley should be investigated, and the perpetrators punished – Dmitry Kiselev, the general director of Sputnik's parent media group Rossiya Segodnya

▪️The IDF struck a UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees compound

▪️French President Emmanuel Macron needs his “caveman Russophobia” to become a leader in Europe – Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov

▪️Is the US’ concern that China’s floating nuclear plants pose a military threat grounded?

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❗️At least 6 people were killed and 33 injured as a result of Ukrainian drone attacks on commercial vehicles in the Borisov district of Russia's Belgorod region.

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Updates on the Ukrainian drone attacks on Russia's Belgorod region from Governor Gladkov:

▪️Two 'GAZelle' cars and a passenger car were transporting employees of the agricultural complex to work.

▪️The attack occurred near the village of Berezovka.

▪️Thirty-five people were injured, including two children.

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❗️A Russian citizen has been detained in Tambov, who, on instructions from Ukrainian intelligence services, was preparing explosions near buildings of regional and arbitration courts, the FSB reports.

The man was hiding unknown objects near the station and was noticed by Russian Railways employees, with security then detaining him. Sappers found two explosive devices at the site.

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⚡️The Russian General Staff, on behalf of President Vladimir Putin, has begun preparations to hold exercises with missile formations of the Southern Military District and Navy forces in the near future, the Ministry of Defense reported.

During the drills, a set of activities will be carried out to practice preparation and use of non-strategic nuclear weapons, the ministry said.

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❗️The exercises, for which preparations have begun, are aimed at maintaining a readiness to respond and to unconditionally ensure Russia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty in response to provocative statements and threats made by Western officials, the Defense Ministry reported.

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Suspects in the murder of Sputnik correspondent Russell Bentley detained and testifying, media report.

Investigators of the Main Military Division of the Russian Investigative Committee are conducting an investigation, the Telegram channel “Operation Z: Russian Spring War Correspondents” reported, quoting the lawyer of Russell Bentley’s widow.

“A forensic medical examination of the found remains has been appointed,” the lawyer said.

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Uralvagonzavod (part of Rostec) sent a train convoy carrying T-90Ms and T-72B3Ms to be delivered to the Russian army on the eve of Victory Day, the company has reported.

Uralvagonzavod supplies upgraded T-90M tanks, deeply modernized T-80BVM, T-72B3, and T-72B3M tanks to Russian troops operating within the special military operation zone.

The new tanks are now more advanced thanks to modifications based on battlefield experience. They are equipped with all-aspect dynamic protection, as well as anti-drone "visors" over the turret, along with electronic warfare and visibility reduction capabilities.

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Hezbollah has attacked the headquarters of the 210th Golan Division at the Nafah base in the Golan Heights with dozens of rockets, according to a statement by the group.

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❗️As a result of Ukrainian drone attacks in the Belgorod region, 40 people have been injured, including three children, and 30 have been hospitalized, the Russian Ministry of Health has reported.

Previously, 35 casualties were reported. Russian Health Minister Murashko has taken personal control of providing assistance to the wounded, the ministry emphasized.

The number of people killed in the attack has increased to seven, Agro-Belogorye, the company that owns the attacked vehicles, reported.

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❗️The United States has ramped up its search for an alternative to Zelensky, according to Russia’s foreign intel service, the SVR. The agency reports that contacts have been made with Petro Poroshenko, Vitali Klitschko, Andriy Yermak, Valerii Zaluzhny, and former speaker of the Ukrainian Parliament, Dmytro Razumkov.

It is believed that these figures could become key players in the event of a sudden deterioration on the front that would necessitate an urgent change in leadership.

“It is assumed that these individuals may be sought after if a drastic deterioration in the situation on the front occurs, requiring an urgent change in leadership. In this case, it would be possible, once all the blame for the failures is placed on Zelensky, to choose one of them as a replacement. The main thing is to prevent any overwhelming disappointment among Ukrainians from the failures of pro-Western policies,” the SVR statement says.

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Belgium has initiated discussions on possible EU trade sanctions against Israel over its actions in the Gaza Strip, which have led to the death of more than 34,000 people, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo said.

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French Foreign Legion reported to have likely suffered first losses in Ukraine

The French Foreign Legion dispatched to Ukraine has possibly sustained its first personnel losses, military correspondent Boris Rozhin stated on Telegram.

The legionnaires, he wrote, could have lost as many as seven mercenaries in clashes with the Russian military near Chasov Yar, a city in the Donetsk People’s Republic that is currently under Kiev’s control, but the situation there is getting increasingly precarious for Ukraine’s forces.

These are no longer “TikTok soldiers” who pour into Ukraine to earn a fast buck but flee at the first sign of danger they encounter, underscored Rozhin. He added that now highly trained, professional military personnel from NATO countries” had entered the fray.

The first reports of the arrival of foreign fighters in Chasov Yar, obtained by radio interception, surfaced about a month ago, Rozhin added.

Earlier, Stephen Bryen, former US deputy undersecretary of defense for policy, claimed that France had sent its first troops officially to Ukraine. The forces were deployed “in support of the Ukrainian 54th Independent Mechanized Brigade in the city of Slavyansk,” Bryen wrote in an article published by the Asia Times.

After French President Emmanuel Macron reiterated that he did not rule out the possibility of NATO sending troops from Europe to Ukraine, the Kremlin denounced his statement as “very dangerous.”

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Kremlin on the exercises to practice preparation and use of non-strategic nuclear weapons:

Statements from France, Great Britain and the United States require special attention and special measures, press secretary of Russian President Dmitry Peskov explained.

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More statements from the Peskov's briefing:

▪️Information about France allegedly sending soldiers to Ukraine requires verification.

▪️About the Russian Intelligence service's message about US efforts to find a replacement for Zelensky: it is too early to comment.

▪️On media reports about sabotage allegedly planned by Russia in Europe: it doesn’t look like serious material, just another unfounded accusation.

▪️The exhibition of captured equipment on Poklonnaya Hill in Moscow is enjoying great interest; the issue of its extension is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Defense.

▪️The issue of Russia’s alleged use of North Korean missiles concerns the progress of the special operation, so it is not the responsibility of the Kremlin, but of the military.

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