French military instructors to train Ukrainian soldiers

Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrsky has signed a permit for French military instructors to work in training centers in Ukraine.

“I cordially welcome France’s initiative to send instructors to Ukraine to train Ukrainian military personnel,” he said.

Earlier, Russian FM Sergey Lavrov, in an interview with Sputnik, said that there was information that not only French mercenaries are in Ukraine, but also instructors along with the special services from other European countries.

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Despite all odds: Meet Otto Hirsch, a man who committed himself to giving hope to the people of Donbass

Otto Hirsch, owner and manager of the Austrian company Hirsch International GMBH (Linz), is involved in charity work around the world.

In mid-May, Hirsch brought material assistance to residents of a multi-storey building in Alchevsk near Lugansk who suffered from a Ukrainian drone strike.

Since 2015, he has been sponsoring the renovation and construction of kindergartens, schools and hospitals, as well as buying equipment for medical institutions in Donbass. Hirsch told Sputnik about his visit to the Lugansk People's Republic.

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Friendly fire: US officials all mixed up over Georgia's foreign agents bill

The southeastern US state of Georgia was caught in the crossfire amid the smear campaign by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Congress against the nation of Georgia over its foreign agents bill, which the country's president has attempted to veto – wrote Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.

According to her Telegram post, Americans were once again perplexed by the existence of Georgia, the country that shares its name with a US state.

▪️In April, Georgia's [the state] Senate passed and sent its own Bill 368 on foreign agents to the governor, in an attack against US democracy on all fronts;

▪️This coincided with the US State Department issuing an official statement condemning “the Kremlin-inspired ‘foreign influence’ legislation advanced in Georgia’s [the country] parliament” – quite a bold statement, considering the fact that the US has been enacting a similar regulation since 1938;

▪️After this, Georgia [the state] Governor Brian Kemp - apparently having read the State Department’s statement and being surprised that “Kremlin inspiration” is thriving in his own backyard - decisively jumped into action and vetoed Bill 368;

As a result, the State Department has gotten itself into hot water:

▪️Due to Kemp's veto, the Georgia state’s foreign agents bill was never passed, while in the country of Georgia, the parliamentary committee on legal issues launched a procedure to override the Georgian president’s veto;

▪️It turns out that democracy in America’s Georgia state is much more fragile than in the former Soviet republic country, and politicians in Tbilisi are way more informed and consistent than their counterparts in Atlanta or Washington

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Compulsory draft: Are EU's 27 states ready to send their youth to war?

"The idea of a compulsory European army is insane," Hungarian PM Viktor Orban told the Patrióta YouTube channel on May 26, commenting on European People's Party (EPP) President Manfred Weber's proposal to introduce EU-wide connoscription. "We don't want someone else to decide where our young men are deployed." Less than half of EU members have compulsory military services in place.

▪️Eleven European countries have various types of compulsory military service: Austria, Estonia, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland. Three of them - Austria, Switzerland and Cyprus - aren't NATO member states while Switzerland is also not an EU nation.

▪️Germany's opposition center-right CDU/CSU alliance is advocating reinstating compulsory military service, whereas the nation's ruling Social Democrats (SPD) avoids picking sides prior to the European Parliament's June elections. Nonetheless, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius stated on May 9 that Germany "needs some kind of military connoscription."

▪️UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stated on May 26 that British youth may have to perform 12 months of mandatory military or civilian service if the Conservative Party wins the July 4 election.

▪️Latvia made military service obligatory for males from January 1, 2024.

▪️Lithuania reinstated compulsory connoscription in 2015 after canceling it in 2008.

▪️Sweden re-introduced selective military draft for men and women from January 2018, after scrapping it in 2010.

EPP President Manfred Weber touched upon the idea of "general connoscription" during a BR24 show on May 8, as a part of broader plan to create an EU Army, common missile defense shield, and a nuclear umbrella to "deter" Russia;

Russia has repeatedly trashed groundless claims by US, NATO and EU officials about Moscow's alleged plans to invade EU member states.

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NATO crossing red lines yet completely unprepared for war with Russia

The alliance's Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told The Economist on May 24 that Western countries should lift their respective bans on Ukraine using their weapons inside Russia. On May 27, the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (PA) - the consultative interparliamentary entity – adopted Declaration 489, urging the bloc's members to "lift some restrictions" on the use of their weapons by the Kiev regime against Russia's "legitimate targets."

Scott Ritter, an ex-US Marine Corps intelligence officer, said: "This is the decision of an individual nation state, not NATO. NATO as an institution, as an organization is not preparing for a larger war with Russia. NATO has a policy to avoid escalation of this conflict, so as to prevent such a confrontation."

Michael Maloof, former Pentagon analyst, noted: "All the [NATO] countries would have to switch their economies over from a service economy to a full production wartime economy. And they're not capable of it. They can't sustain it. It would take years for them to do that."

Larry Johnson, retired CIA intelligence officer, said: "Objectively, the reality is that NATO is in no position to escalate the war and sustain it. Yes, they could put troops in. They could provide some temporary assistance to Ukraine. But really, there is nothing that's going to change the outcome or the trajectory of the war."

NATO PA representatives from nine countries have reportedly not supported the initiative. Earlier, Italy and Germany spoke against the proposal that could lead to the outbreak of a major war between Russia and NATO. The US has not granted Ukraine a free hand on using its arms against Russia, either.

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NATO's useless 'drone wall' - another step towards 'large-scale confrontation' with Russia

The “drone wall” scheme recently touted by Lithuania, which involves using drones to safeguard the borders of several NATO states, may turn out to be not so effective due to the anti-drone component of this plan, says ex- Swedish Armed Forces officer and politician Mikael Valtersson.

“Efficient large-scale air defense systems are based on long-range missiles like the S-400. Short-range systems are mainly used for protection of certain specific targets,” he explained. “You can't build a wall of anti-drone defenses with short-range air defenses, since you would need a tremendous amount of short-range AD systems. And it would be a total overkill to use very expensive long-range systems to defend against cheap drones.”

Electronic warfare capabilities seem like a more efficient solution but their efficiency “might be limited both in range, but also against totally independent drones that aren't remotely piloted.”

“The practical use of a drone wall is probably rather limited. It might be a cost-efficient method of strengthening traditional border security but it will not be a game changer,” he surmised. “Both private (criminal) and state actors will be able to bring down reconnaissance drones and avoid detection, but refugees will, of course, be detected easily.”

So far, the whole idea appears to be just an attempt by the countries involved to show off “their toughness against Russia and the [alleged] Russian threat,” according to Valtersson.

“They do something with limited efficiency, but proclaim it like it was a revolutionary thing,” he added. “They might even believe that they are increasing their security, but in reality this is just another step down the slippery slope towards a large-scale confrontation between the Western powers and Russia. This heightens tension and lowers security, at a great cost, not the other way around.”

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▪️NATO crossing red lines yet completely unprepared for war with Russia

▪️No country for old men: Western media hints Ukraine must press-gang youngsters

▪️Why US-Ukraine arms scheme will ‘fail in all of its objectives’

▪️Compulsory draft: Are EU's 27 states ready to send their youth to war?

▪️Friendly fire: US officials all mixed up over Georgia's foreign agents bill

▪️French military instructors to train Ukrainian soldiers

▪️NATO 'allows' Ukraine to attack Russian territory

▪️Estonian drone maker expands unmanned ground vehicle production

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How global majority may defend itself against Western financial warfare

The de-facto weaponization of the US dollar by Washington in its economic warfare campaign against Moscow has prompted Russia, as well as China and a number of other nations, to develop countermeasures against such threats.

Though Western sanctions and the ban on using SWIFT necessitated Russia’s delinking from currencies such as the US dollar and euro, Moscow “serves as a clear reminder to the rest of the non-Western world that it is better to proactively begin to delink from the Western banking system before being made the object of asset freezes, confiscation, outright redirection of assets, and similar unilateral actions,” says Paul Goncharoff, chief manager of consulting firm Goncharoff LLC.

“There are a great many countries, for example, the BRICS and the 80-odd nations interrelated through the BRICS and associated organizations, that are actively looking to establish an encompassing financial system, a network of banks that is completely outside of SWIFT, hence Western governmental oversight, controls, and sanctions risk,” he notes.

An “entirely new banking system” that is currently being set up by China using gold, renminbi swap lines and even Bitcoin, not to mention “substantial amounts of dollars and euros,” may be quite attractive to countries that have large trade surpluses in Western currencies, who “need a system of banks that are completely outside the US and Europe” so they can freely use dollars and euros.

“As China, Russia, and many others eventually create a functioning independent financial system that can utilize USD and euros without interfacing through or with the US financial system, its loans, bonds, and so forth, that is effectively de-banking and de-dollarization at the same time, with significant long-term ripple effects and implications for Western financial institutions,” Goncharoff stated.

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Ukrainian forces launched a missile strike on Lugansk with cluster munitions causing a fire to break out, according to the head of the Lugansk People's Republic Leonid Pasechnik.

Information about injuries is being clarified, Pasechnik added.

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Reactions to Israel’s strikes against Gaza: dismay in global South, silence or hypocrisy from the West

The only country that has the capacity to pressure Israel into stopping the strikes in Rafah – the US – continues to ignore the unraveling crisis. How did react other nations around the world?

▪️ The most negative reactions came from the Arab League nations and the Global South in general. Many stressed that Israel acted in defiance of the ruling of the International Court of Justice, which ordered Israel to stop the operation against Rafah last week. Formally, the ICJ’s verdicts are binding for all UN members, so they may lead to Israeli officials being convicted of genocide.

▪️ Turkish president Erdogan also did not hesitate to lambast Tel-Aviv: “We will do everything possible to hold these barbarians and murderers accountable,” he said. Turkiye recently followed the Arab League by calling for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza in favor of international peacekeepers.

▪️ Iran also condemned Israel in harshest terms, urging for a meaningful response from the international community.

Reaction of Western countries depended on how much they wanted to pander to Washington:

▪️ French president Macron said he was “dismayed” by the Israeli strikes and demanded “application of international justice.” However, he did not reveal, if France would enforce the recent arrest warrant of ICC for the Israeli PM Netanyahu.

▪️ Spain, Ireland and Norway reaffirmed their recent recognition of Palestinian statehood and called on other countries to do the same as an act of condemnation of Israeli strikes “against civilians,” Irish foreign minister Michael Martin stated after meeting his Spanish and Norwegian counterparts.

▪️ The American reaction was almost inaudible, with reports suggesting that the US intelligence tries to get negotiations between Hamas and Israel back on track in Qatar.

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Biden’s pride – the $320 million Gaza pier, the American “solution” to the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza – has now reportedly begun sinking into the ocean.

Social media users shared footage of US President Joe Biden’s vaunted aid pier leaving for the sea depths just two days after four naval vessels connected to the installation became unmoored and washed up on the shore.

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Putin highlights role of border guards in protecting Russia in address on Border Guards Day

Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated veterans and current service members on Border Guards Day, saying that Russian border guards act professionally and selflessly on all Russian borders, protecting the country's sovereignty and national interests.

“It is largely thanks to the determination of border guards that repeated attempts by gangs of mercenaries, traitors and sabotage groups of the enemy to break into Russian territory have been thwarted. Those who planned these terrorist raids on our land miscalculated and met a tough and harsh response,” the president said in a congratulatory message on Border Guards Day.

Putin expressed confidence that border guards will continue to act just as bravely and firmly in solving the tasks of the special military operation.

The president said the heroism of border guards during the Great Patriotic War will forever remain an example of steadfastness and unbreakable will. The guards, having taken the first blow of the enemy, did not retreat, he recalled, but “bravely fought on the fronts and in partisan detachments, destroyed Nazi collaborators and together with all the people brought the Great Victory closer.”

“Today you continue these valiant traditions and protect the life and safety of our citizens, sovereignty and national interests of the country. You act professionally and selflessly on all borders of Russia - from the Arctic and the Pacific Ocean to the Black and Baltic seas,” Putin said.

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Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova blasted Brigitte Macron and Elke Büdenbender’s inexplicable levity at the Holocaust memorial in Berlin.

The spokeswoman recalled that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also was amused when commenting on the genocide of people in the Donbass by Ukraine.

The spokeswoman was most likely referring to a statement made by Scholz at the Munich Security Conference on February 19, 2022.

On February 15 that year, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated at a press conference after talks with Scholz in Moscow that he considers what is happening in the Donbass to be genocide. Scholz failed to respond to the statement at that time. However, speaking at the Munich Security Conference on February 19, Scholz decided to argue with the Russian president over the “genocide” assessment.

“He [Russian President Vladimir Putin] makes the argument that there is some sort of a genocide going on in the Donbass, which is really ridiculous, to put it bluntly. But that's his story,” the German Chancellor said.

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Russian military, border guards foil 29 Ukrainian attempts to infiltrate Russia since 2022 – Federal Security Service

Russian border guards together with the Sever Battlegroup have thwarted 29 attempts of Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance groups to infiltrate Russian territory in the Bryansk, Kursk, and Belgorod Regions as well as the Crimean Republic since February 2022, head of the Border Service of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) Vladimir Kulishov told Sputnik.

The number of missile and artillery strikes on Russian territory is increasing and drone attacks on Russia’s military, transport, energy and social infrastructure are becoming more intense, Kulishov said, adding that the victims of such terrorist attacks are mainly civilians, including the elderly and children.

He also noted that in 2023, more than 5,500 attempts to enter Russia by individuals associated with international terrorist and extremist organizations, as well as special services and armed formations of Ukraine, were prevented.

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Yemen's rebel Ansar Allah movement, also known as the Houthis, attacked three US and Israeli merchant ships, as well as two US destroyers, in the Indian Ocean and Red Sea, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said.

"The naval and missile forces of the Yemeni armed forces conducted three joint operations. The first was against US ship Larego Desert in the Indian Ocean, the second against Israeli ship MSC MECHELA in the Indian Ocean, and the third against MINERVA LISA in the Red Sea for violating the ban on entering the ports of occupied Palestine," Saree told the Almasirah broadcaster.

He added that the movement used drones to "successfully attack" US destroyers in the Red Sea.

Houthis vowed in November 2023 to attack any ships associated with Israel until it halts military actions in the Gaza Strip. The attacks prompted the US to form a multinational coalition, which includes the United Kingdom among others, to protect shipping in the area of the Red Sea, as well as to strike Houthi targets on the ground.

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