The Russian Foreign Ministry's statements on the escalation in Ukraine:

🔺The Russian exercises should be viewed in the context of recent belligerent statements by Western officials and destabilizing actions by NATO.

🔺We hope that exercises to test the use of non-strategic nuclear weapons will cool down the “hot heads” in Western capitals.

🔺In response to the actions of the United States, the Russian Federation is intensifying its development and starting production of medium- and shorter-range missile systems.

🔺The United States is “at full speed” producing and testing medium- and shorter-range missile systems in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region.

🔺The actions of NATO member countries indicate that they are deliberately heading towards an open military clash with Russia.

🔺The reckless steps of Ukraine and Western countries are bringing the situation ever closer to the accumulation of an explosive “critical mass.”

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🇷🇺 Russian presidential inauguration ceremony: what you need to know

Vladimir Putin will be sworn in as the president of the Russian Federation in the Grand Kremlin Palace on May 7.

The newly elected Russian president will solemnly swear the oath of office as outlined in the Russian Constitution, accompanied by the symbols of presidential authority.

A new version of the Russian-made Aurus Senat Limousine, a fully armored car designed in a retro style featuring Soviet-era detail and having a 4.4-litre twin-turbo hybrid V8 engine, will be used during the ceremony.

The inauguration ceremony has evolved ver the past decades, acquiring new elements to reflect Russia's resurgence as a major world power.

🔺Boris Yeltsin was elected the first president of the Russian Federation on June 12, 1991. During the inauguration, Yeltsin took the oath of office while the state flag of the RSFSR was raised above the Kremlin's presidential residence next to the state flag of the USSR. Patriarch Alexy II made the sign of the cross over the president.

🔺During the second inauguration ceremony in 1996, the President's Standard was first used. The chairman of the Federation Council affixed the sign of the President of the Russian Federation — a chain of office — to the Russian leader.

🔺Vladimir Putin's first inauguration, held on May 7, 2000, included a ceremonial procession featuring the Russian military dressed in uniforms reminiscent of soldiers from the Patriotic War of 1812. They carried the state flag, the presidential standard, a special copy of the constitution and the presidential sign into the St. Andrew's Hall of the Grand Kremlin Palace.

🔺Subsequent ceremonies have remained largely unchanged, culminating in a special prayer service by the Russian Patriarch who blesses the president.

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The French ambassador was summoned in connection with belligerent statements from France and information about the country's growing involvement in the conflict around Ukraine, the Russian Foreign Ministry reported.

Moscow told the ambassador about the destructive and provocative line of Paris, leading to further escalation of the conflict.

The ministry noted that Paris’s attempts to create some “strategic uncertainty” for Russia with statements about the possible dispatch of troops to Ukraine are doomed.

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‘They’re not bluffing’: Russian tactical nuke drills are loud warning to NATO to stay out of Ukraine

“This is a signal to the Western leaders that they are serious. They are not bluffing,” retired US Army Lt. Col. Earl Rasmussen told Sputnik, commenting on Monday’s statements by the Russian military and the Kremlin about Russia missile troops’ plans to hold tactical nuclear weapons drills in the Southern Military District amid NATO threats to openly deploy troops to Ukraine.

“If the Western leaders escalate this further with direct engagement, Russia will directly engage them: and they'll destroy their forces, and potentially to protect the Russian state will, may result in tactical nuclear weapons [being used]. This is not good: this would force an escalation and eventually lead to a total nuclear war,” Rasmussen warned.

“I don't believe that Russia wants to do this. I believe they're trying to send a signal to caution the Western leaders from escalating further,” the 20-year US Army veteran-turned international and military affairs commentator said.

Unfortunately, Rasmussen warned, the hostile statements coming out of Western capitals about “getting engaged” in Ukraine if the Ukrainian front collapses increase the risks of a direct clash. “This is a very, very dangerous provocation, a very dangerous escalation. I would caution Western leaders not to do that,” he said.

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Hamas political office head informs Qatari prime minister and Egyptian intelligence chief that the movement agrees to the Gaza truce agreement proposal, Hamas stated.

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Trade war with China will make more damage to EU than to Beijing

"I think Xi Jinping doesn't have much hope when it comes to [ French President Emmanuel] Macron," Angelo Giuliano, a Hong Kong-based political and financial analyst, told Sputnik. "Macron has a double face (…) he says one thing one day, and he says the opposite the other day. So, Xi Jinping probably knows that Macron is an opportunist and he's actually playing signs. But ultimately Macron is the US' tool."

Macron is trying stay relevant in geopolitics while bracing for a potential defeat during the forthcoming European Parliament elections, according to Giuliano.

Macron met Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Elysée Palace on May 6 as the EU and China are teetering on the edge of a full-fledged trade war. According to Politico, Macron is pushing Brussels to get tough with Beijing, and China has warned it will retaliate. According to Giuliano, a trade war with China is clearly against the EU's interests.

"Sanctions against Russia actually backfired on Europe really badly," the financial analyst said. "When it comes to China, the impact would be probably ten-fold. If there is any strained relationship between the two, it will much more damage the EU than China. China very early on has been actually diversifying its partnerships. So the EU is no more the prime partnership for China."

He believes that the US is behind the looming trade war between China and the EU. The European bloc will eagerly shoot itself in the foot because EU members are "ultimately US vassal states," according to the analyst. Giuliano highlighted that the Global South and BRICS serve as viable alternatives for China.

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France is not at war with Russia or the Russian people, Macron said, in response to which Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova asked:

“What kind of state is the French president in, then, making such contradictory statements and taking such aggressive steps?”

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The Israeli Air Force attacked more than 50 targets in the Rafah area in the southern Gaza Strip on Monday, and preparations are underway for a ground operation in the area, an IDF spokesman said.

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TNT plant: Finland rushing to cash in on Ukraine conflict

"[TNT] is needed not only for Finland, but in general for ammunition both in Finland and other NATO countries. It is now obvious that there is not enough production of both components and finished assembled ammunition. And, accordingly, Finland decided to occupy this niche," Dmitry Stefanovich, a research fellow at the Russian Academy of Sciences' Institute of World Economy and International Relations, told Sputnik.

Finland has jumped at the opportunity to cash in on Europe's growing demand for explosives amid the Ukraine conflict: the Nordic country is set to urgently construct a new TNT production plant, Finnish Defense Minister Antti Hakkanen said Sunday.

TNT is used in artillery and mortar shells. Currently, the EU's sole TNT plant is situated in Poland; the factory's production volumes are deemed inadequate to meet the demands of the Kiev regime and NATO's European allies.

"Finland has joined NATO abandoning its long-standing status as a neutral country. That’s why they are trying to make hay while the sun shines," the expert said. "Not every European country is ready to sharply increase outlays, invest in the production of ammunition, and generally increase defense spending. This is accompanied by big problems, as we know, in most NATO countries," he said.

Finland's desire to occupy a new market niche could be also driven by its dramatic financial losses in the aftermath of the economic decoupling from Russia. In January, the Bank of Finland signaled that the Finnish economy is in recession, forecasting that the nation's gross domestic product (GDP) will continue to contract in 2024.

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The US will not have any representative attending the inauguration of Russian President Vladimir Putin, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.

"We will not have a representative at his inauguration," Miller said during a press briefing.

Miller said that the US "certainly did not consider" Russia's March presidential election free and fair but Putin is "the President of Russia and is going to continue in that capacity."

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❗️A US serviceman was detained in Russia, where he arrived from Korea, he is suspected of theft, NBC TV channel claims.

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Israel carries out intensive strikes on Rafah, media report

🔺‘They’re not bluffing’: Russian tactical nuke drills are loud warning to NATO to stay out of Ukraine

🔺What kinds of tactical nuclear weapons does Russia have?

🔺Russian presidential inauguration ceremony: what you need to know

🔺Message to NATO powers ‘playing war in Ukraine’: Why Russia is drilling its tactical nuclear forces

🔺Will Germany deport Ukrainian draft dodgers?

🔺Trade war with China will make more damage to EU than to Beijing

🔺Hamas political office head informs Qatari prime minister and Egyptian intelligence chief that the movement agrees to the Gaza truce agreement proposal, Hamas stated

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