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📄 Zelensky has signed a law allowing those convicted of non-serious crimes to be released on parole to be mobilised in a war zone, Ukrainian MP Oleksiy Honcharenko said.

The measure will not apply to those convicted of:

▫️ Crimes against Ukraine's national security;

▫️ Committing particularly serious crimes;

▫️ Crimes against sexual freedom and inviolability;

▫️ Terrorism;

▫️ Fatal traffic accidents under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Do you think that such a measure will increase the Ukrainian army's combat capabilities, or will it increase the crime rate in the military? 🤔

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🇷🇺🇨🇳 What are the major takeaways from Putin's China visit?

Russian President Vladimir Putin has concluded his state visit to the People's Republic of China, which took place on May 16 and 17.

◻️ Putin's China trip is his first foreign tour since his March re-election. Chinese Presidnet Xi Jinping also paid his first visit to Russia after re-election in March 2023, signaling the special nature of Russia-China relations.

◻️ The solemn meeting ceremony between the two leaders took place in Tiananmen Square. The Russian president was accompanied by newly appointed officials including Minister of Defense Andrei Belousov.

◻️ Xi announced that "China and Russia have set an example for others to build a new type of interstate relations and relations between major neighbors."

◻️ Putin stressed that Russo-Chinese bilateral turnover has grown by almost 25 percent in 2023 up to $240bn, according to Chinese data. The leaders agreed to step up deliveries of Russian gas to China, enhance cooperation in civil nuclear programs. Putin signaled readiness to provide investors from China with economic incentives and access to the technological base.

◻️ Russia and China will continue de-dollarization with 90 percent of mutual settlements being carried out in national currencies.

◻️ Putin stressed that Russo-Chinese cooperation is not aimed against other countries and condemned the formation of new military alliances in Asia-Pacific.

◻️ Putin praised China’s approach to the Ukraine conflict and confirmed that preliminary Istanbul accords with Ukraine and the situation on the ground would be the basis for future talks. He stressed that future accords should be signed by a legitimate Ukrainian leader.

◻️ Putin explained that Russia is not planning to take the city of Kharkov and its advance is meant to create a "safe zone" to shield Russian civilians in Belgorod shelled by the Kiev regime.

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🪖 Watch NATO troops marching where? On Red Square!

In 2025, Russia is shutting its doors to Western countries for the May 9 Victory Day parades. Citing the West's denial of the Soviet Union's pivotal role in defeating Hitler, the Russian Foreign Ministry draws a line.

Flashback to 2010: a monumental parade with 1,000 troops from the US, UK, Poland, France, and Ukraine, celebrating the USSR's 65th Victory Anniversary.

Times have changed!

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Russian forces have taken more territory during their advance in recent weeks, including in the Kharkov region, than Ukraine did during its counter-offensive in 2023, the Washington Post reports.

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Why is France accusing Azerbaijan of meddling in New Caledonia?

French Home Affairs Minister Gerard Darmanin has accused Azerbaijan of colluding with pro-independence forces in New Caledonia – the French overseas territory in the southwest Pacific about 1,200 km east of Australia.

“This is not a fantasy. This is reality. Unfortunately, some independence leaders have made a deal with Azerbaijan, this is indisputable,” Darmanin said in an interview with France-2 on Thursday.


Is there any truth in the claim? What’s the backstory? Here’s what we know.

🔻 Baku rejected Paris’s allegations, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Aykhan Hajizada urging Darmanin to “focus on his country’s failed overseas policies” which caused the wave of violent protests in New Caledonia, “instead of blaming Azerbaijan” for its troubles.

🔻Darmanin’s assertions followed the memorandum of cooperation between the Azerbaijani Parliament and New Caledonia’s Congress, which was signed last month, envisioned as a treatise for developing a framework for parliamentary cooperation.

🔻 The agreement sparked accusations by Paris that Baku was stoking separatism in the French overseas territory. Azerbaijan dismissed the claims, and recalled France’s own controversial policies in the Caucasus.

🔻“It’s known that the French Parliament, at the initiative of the ruling party of France, adopted decisions and resolutions which recognized the separatist regime, challenged and harmed the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan, and enabled the activity of a ‘friendship group’ with the former so-called separatist regime,” Baku said in an April 30 statement, referring to the Karabakh conflict.

🔻 New Caledonia has been rocked by violent clashes starting May 13 over the constitutional reform proposals to change voting law. Protests have claimed four lives, with France deploying the military and imposing a state of emergency until the end of May.

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🇷🇸 Serbian leader quotes Soviet Marshal Georgy Zhukov on West’s ingratitude

"As Marshal Zhukov said, some in Europe will never forgive us for liberating them [from fascism]," Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic stated, against the background of the UN General Assembly’s expected resolution on the "genocide in Srebrenica."


According to Vucic, the resolution to be considered on May 23 has three objectives: abolishing the ethnically-Serbian Republika Srpska in Bosnia and Herzegovina, revising the verdicts on the responsibility of Republika Srpska in the 1992-1995 conflict, and enabling a lawsuit against Serbia for war reparations.

On May 15, the Serbian president delivered a speech dealing with historical revisionism at the Rossotrudnichestvo representative office in Belgrade. He pointed out that for him and his descendants, May 9 will always be celebrated as Victory Day.

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Patriot games: why Zelensky’s calls for more American air defenses won’t help Ukraine in its hopeless battlefield situation

💬 “Two new Patriot systems would strengthen Ukrainian defenses but they would be no game changer on the Kharkov front. The most important thing might be the strengthening of the low and falling Ukrainian morale,” Mikael Valtersson, a former Swedish Armed Forces officer and air defense expert, told Sputnik, commenting on President Volodymyr Zelensky’s desperate plea to Washington this week to send at least two more Patriot SAMs Kiev’s way.

“To be useful against Russian aircrafts using glide bombs, the Patriot launchers must be placed not too deep inside Ukraine, thereby making them vulnerable to Russian attacks,” Valtersson explained.

On top of that, “they also have no effect on Russian drones and artillery, which play an important role in the Russian offensive,” he said.

Valtersson isn’t sure Kiev would even send any new Patriots it gets to the Kharkov front, “since there are many more important holes to fill in the Ukrainian air defense.” The observer doesn’t rule out that Zelensky’s appeal “might be an attempt to get any new Patriot systems at all” into Ukraine, “by claiming that they are needed to save Kharkov.”

To stand any chance, Ukraine would need a lot of new Patriots, and quickly, along with “a steady flow of replacements” to compensate losses to Russian attacks. If it’s only a couple more, it will make only a “small difference for Ukraine’s prospects in the continued fighting,” Valtersson summed up.

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The explosion occurred in one of St. Petersburg's universities, a source told Sputnik. The press service of the Kalininsky district administration told the agency that a resident of St. Petersburg reported a popping noise near the Budyonny Military Academy of Communications to district authorities.

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Sputnik International
The explosion occurred in one of St. Petersburg's universities, a source told Sputnik. The press service of the Kalininsky district administration told the agency that a resident of St. Petersburg reported a popping noise near the Budyonny Military Academy…
Seven servicemen were injured in an explosion at the utility area of the Budyonny Military Academy of Communications in St. Petersburg, the Leningrad Military District said.

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🇷🇺❄️🇨🇳Why does Russia-China deepening Arctic partnership bother NATO?

Russia and China have agreed to set up a joint commission for the development of the Northern Sea Route (NSR), said Russian nuclear corporation head Alexei Likhachev.

The goal is to create “a joint program for expanding Chinese transit” in the region “boasting enormous development potential," he noted.

As the Arctic region increasingly becomes a new frontier for competition, Moscow and Beijing see eye-to-eye on the need to preserve the Arctic as "a territory of peace, low military-political tension, and stability," stressed the framework of president Putin's visit to China.

Moscow and Beijing have boosted cooperation in the Arctic, prompting a private US intelligence report to warn of “national security” implications.

Russia-China interaction in the Arctic is making impressive strides, seen by the PRC as a strategic extension of its Belt and Road Initiative.

◻️ Cargo traffic via the Northern Sea Route reached a record 35 million tons since the start of 2023, with Chinese shipping company COSCO a leading international operator since 2013.

◻️ China is involved in Russia’s federal project to develop the NSR, involving new port facilities, oil, LNG and coal terminals, and ice-class vessels to boost cargo traffic to 110 million tons by 2030.

◻️ Yamal LNG — an integrated project for natural gas production, liquefaction and shipping — is a flagship of cooperation in the Arctic.

◻️ Investors from China controlled about 30% of NOVATEK's Yamal LNG project, and become the largest foreign co-owners of its second liquefied natural gas plant, Arctic LNG-2. China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) and China National Petroleum (CNP) each have a 10% stake.

An estimated 80% of Russia's natural gas and 17% of its oil production lies in the Arctic. The Russian Arctic continental shelf contains up to 17 billion tons of oil and 85 trillion cubic meters of gas reserves.

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Sputnik International
Seven servicemen were injured in an explosion at the utility area of the Budyonny Military Academy of Communications in St. Petersburg, the Leningrad Military District said. Subscribe to @SputnikInt
According to the press service of the Leningrad Military District, a munition from the Great Patriotic War era unexpectedly detonated on the territory of the military academy in St. Petersburg. All the injured were taken to a Ministry of Defence medical facility. Representatives of the command of the Leningrad Military District are working at the scene to clarify the causes and circumstances of the incident.

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◻️ What are the major takeaways from Putin's China visit?

◻️ Patriot games: why Zelensky’s calls for more American air defenses won’t help Ukraine in its hopeless battlefield situation

◻️ Why does Russia-China deepening Arctic partnership bother NATO?

◻️ MERC EXPOSED: Ex-US marine's death in Ukraine kept under wraps by Kiev in bid to hide huge losses near Kharkov

◻️ New Russia-China economic pact will be impervious to any Western sanctions or blockade

◻️ The petrodollar ‘dam show signs of cracking’

◻️ Russia and China won't let business relations be subject of 'blackmail or coercion' – expert

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International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Raphael Grossi told Sputnik that he discussed with Russian President Vladimir Putin the condition of the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant located on the left bank of the Dnepr River but did not make any “warnings” about the danger of its rapid restart.

“No, I would never warn the president of the Russian Federation about anything. We discussed the state of the plant and various prospects under different scenarios. But there were no warnings or advice from my side in this sense. He has his vision as a head of state, and I, as an IAEA technical specialist, have my own - on different scenarios in reality.... No more, no less,” Grossi clarified in an interview with Sputnik.


The New York Times ran an article on Wednesday recalling Grossi's visit to Russia in early March, during which the IAEA director general had talks with Putin. According to the publication, Grossi's goal during the meeting was, among other things, to “warn” the Russian leader about the dangers of restarting the nuclear plant too quickly.

The director general added that the sides discussed in general terms “what are the different possibilities of whether the nuclear plant can continue to operate in the same way as in the past or not.”

“But no specific scenario was considered,” he noted.


Grossi added that he expects to continue discussing the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant with Putin, as he considers this dialog “indispensable”.

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White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby said that US President Joe Biden does not have June's conference on Ukraine in Switzerland on his schedule.

"I don’t have anything on his schedule to speak to in that regard," Kirby said during a press briefing, when asked whether Biden plans to attend the event.


In April, spokesman of the Russian embassy in Bern Vladimir Khokhlov told Sputnik that Switzerland did not invite Russia to the Ukraine summit, and Moscow is not planning to participate in any case.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, during a meeting with Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis in January, emphasized that Moscow takes into account Bern's departure from neutrality principles and its support for Kiev while shaping bilateral relations.

Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated in February that Switzerland's potential as an "honest broker" in conflict resolution has been exhausted for Russia.

Moscow has repeatedly signaled readiness for negotiations, yet Kiev has legislatively imposed a ban on them. The West calls on Russia for talks, to which Moscow shows willingness, but Western countries overlook Kiev's consistent refusal for dialog.

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Sputnik International
According to the press service of the Leningrad Military District, a munition from the Great Patriotic War era unexpectedly detonated on the territory of the military academy in St. Petersburg. All the injured were taken to a Ministry of Defence medical facility.…
The footage showing a stretcher carrying an alleged victim of an explosion at the Military Academy of Communications in St. Petersburg has been spreading on social media.

Earlier in the day, a munition from the Great Patriotic War era unexpectedly detonated on the territory of the military academy in St. Petersburg. All the injured were taken to a Ministry of Defence medical facility, according to the press service of the Leningrad Military District.

Representatives of the command of the Leningrad Military District are working at the scene to clarify the causes and circumstances of the incident.

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Russian air defenses destroyed a Ukrainian drone over the Belgorod region, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.

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Sputnik International
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Raphael Grossi told Sputnik that he discussed with Russian President Vladimir Putin the condition of the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant located on the left bank of the Dnepr River but did not make…
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Russia cooperate on a “professional” level when it comes to the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant, including the issues of monthly rotation of the IAEA experts, the agency’s director general, Rafael Grossi, told Sputnik.

“I have said before and I would repeat to you that the cooperation is a professional cooperation, it is very professional at different levels. I am in constant contact with the [Russian] Foreign Ministry, with of course Rosatom and CEO of Rosatom Mr [Alexey] Likhachev, with the Russian nuclear regulator, so we are keeping in contact and exchanging constantly on technical aspects related to the plant,” Grossi said when asked to describe the IAEA’s cooperation with Russia on the Zaporozhye nuclear plant issues, including the logistically complex operation of the monthly rotation of experts.


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The first crewed Boeing Starliner flight to the International Space Station has been delayed for another four days, NASA revealed.

The repeatedly delayed first crewed launch of the Boeing CST-100 Starliner spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS) has been delayed for at least another four days from Tuesday, May 21 to Saturday, May 25, NASA announced in an official blog.

"The teams now are targeting a launch no earlier than 3:09 p.m. EDT [Eastern Daylight Time] Saturday, May 25, for the flight test carrying NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the International Space Station," the blog said.


The additional time will allow engineering teams to further assess a small helium leak in the Boeing Starliner spacecraft’s service module traced to a flange on a single reaction control system thruster, the blog explained.

"NASA, Boeing, and ULA (United Launch Alliance) teams will take additional time to work through spacecraft closeout processes and flight rationale before proceeding with the launch of the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test," the blog said.


Even if the repeatedly delayed and heavily over-budget Starliner succeeds in its first crewed mission with astronauts Wilmore and Williams, industry analysts said this week it looks unlikely to significantly threaten SpaceX and its Dragon spacecraft in dominating the US side of supplying the space station.

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The British Telegraph slammed US troops lagging behind in engineering at NATO exercises

The British newspaper The Telegraph noted the US military's significant deficiencies in engineering capabilities during a NATO exercise in Poland, reporting that it took the American troops an entire hour to assemble a simple Vietnam War-era crossing.

The forces of NATO countries were traversing a 156-meter-long section crossing the Drava River in western Poland as part of the exercise, the article said. The British used the army's M3 amphibious unit, a 24.5-ton truck that folds out into a floating platform. According to the paper, they crossed the river in 18 minutes, leaving the Americans far behind.

"The US soldiers a few hundred meters upstream were still languishing behind linking the pontoons of their bridge, of which the sections were last used in combat in Vietnam, eventually opening after more than an hour," the report taunted.


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The United States has conducted another “subcritical experiment”* as part of nuclear warhead monitoring, the US National Nuclear Security Administration said.

The office claimed that the 34th experiment of its kind does not violate the moratorium on nuclear testing or the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty because there is no “self-sustaining supercritical chain reaction” involved.

“We plan to increase the frequency of these subcritical experiments to collect important data on materials used in nuclear weapons without the technical need to return to underground nuclear test explosions,” the release said.


It is specified that the experiment took place on the evening of May 14 at the nuclear test site in Los Alamos, Nevada. The data obtained will be used, in particular, to improve the simulation model, which is used to verify the safety, reliability and efficiency of the US nuclear arsenal, the statement said.

The United States is the only country to have ever used nuclear weapons during a conflict and continues to employ depleted uranium, a by-product of nuclear power generation, in a military capacity. The practice is highly controversial as experts point to continuing high rates of cancer and birth defects in places where depleted uranium is used, such as Iraq and the Balkans.

*Subcritical detonation involves detonating explosives around radioactive material without reaching critical mass and initiating a chain reaction.

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