❗️The Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF) lost up to 660 militants as a result of successful combat operations by the Russian Battlegroup Yug.

🇷🇺🪖 More statements from the Russian Defense Ministry’s daily briefing on the progress of the special military operation in Ukraine:

◻️ The Russian Armed Forces hit the UAF's western weapons storage arsenals.

◻️ The Russian Armed Forces struck the location of a group of technicians who were developing flight missions for Ukrainian attack UAVs.

◻️ Russian Battlegroup Sever repelled five Ukrainian counterattacks and hit HIMARS MLRSs during counter-battery operations; the UAF lost up to 240 militants.

◻️ Russian Battlegroup Tsentr repelled six Ukrainian counterattacks.

◻️ Russian air defense forces shot down 62 Ukrainian UAVs, 14 HIMARS rockets, and three 'Hammer' guided bombs.

◻️ The UAF lost up to 450 militants as a result of successful combat operations by the Russian Battlegroup Zapad.

◻️ The Russian Armed Forces Group Vostok took more favorable positions, resulting in the enemy losing over 120 militants.

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A peace march against Hungarian involvement in the Ukraine conflict and NATO's launch of a new war in Europe is taking place in Budapest.

Tens of thousands of people are participating in the event. Organizers note that the march has attracted Hungarians not only from the provinces, but also from abroad.

The march will end on Margaret Island, where Prime Minister Viktor Orban will address the crowd.

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🚢 Houthis’ Red Sea blockade makes Russia’s Northern Sea Route attractive to desperate West

With the US and Britain proving unable to dislodge the Houthis from their strongholds or stop the militia from attacking Israeli-linked, American and British vessels in the Red and Arabian Seas, commercial shippers have increasingly eyed Russia’s Northern Sea Route as an attractive potential alternative, a leading mainstream US news magazine has reported.

“The surging costs and fear of getting hit by Houthi drones and missiles have led some shippers to consider the Arctic as an alternative, as melting ice begins opening new potential on the so-called Northern Sea Route,” Foreign Policy wrote.

The article ‘discovered’ what Russian officials and media have been saying for years – that the 5,600 km Northern Sea Route is the shortest maritime route between Europe and Asia, and can shave 8,000 km or more of distance, and 40-60 percent in time, off shipments, compared to traditional Europe-Asia routes through the presently troubled waters in the Middle East.

“The ability to slash some 5,000 miles off a ship’s journey would mean much faster travel times – a major plus in today’s world of online retail and next-day delivery,” FP said.

Unfortunately for the West, there’s a catch: 70 percent of the Arctic, including virtually the entire length of the Arctic portion of the route, passes through Russian waters. “Ships wanting to use the route must secure the Russians’ permission and pay them transit fees. Given current relations between many Western countries and Russia amid the Ukraine war, that poses an obvious challenge,” the magazine lamented.

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Insane escalation — US presidential hopeful Robert F. Kennedy Jr condemned the White House’s decision to allow Ukraine to hit targets inside Russian territory.

"More insane escalation by the Biden administration — authorizing Ukraine to strike targets deep in Russia. Using our weapons, trained in their use by our trainers."

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Senior German lawmaker demands activation of 900,000 reservists amid anti-Russia hysteria

Germany needs to “activate [its] approximately 900,000 reservists,” first by making them register with the state, Bundestag Defense Committee Chairwoman Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann has said.

The lawmaker, whose Free Democratic Party is part of Chancellor Scholz’s Traffic Light Coalition alongside the Social Democrats and the Greens, has been a leading cheerleader of escalating tensions with Moscow over Ukraine, and has heavily promoted the delivery of German heavy armor, which now makes up the backbone of the Ukrainian Army’s NATO-provided tank fleet, to Kiev.

Her remarks come just days after Defense Minister Boris Pistorius apparently dropped plans to reintroduce connoscription under his campaign to make Germany a “war-ready” nation, and promised a new “largely voluntary” recruitment scheme.

German generals have complained of major problems with the Bundeswehr’s capabilities, including the inability to scrape together even a single 20,000 troop-strong combat-ready division, after giving away billions of euros in equipment to Ukraine.

Russian officials have said repeatedly that Moscow has no interest – “neither geopolitical, nor economic, nor political, nor military” – in getting into a conflict with NATO, while warning of the dangers of the Ukraine proxy war’s potential for escalation.

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❗️Thousands march in Geneva in opposition to the World Health Organisation (WHO)

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📹More footage from the anti-World Health Organisation protest in Geneva.

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💲 Ukraine warmongering burns gaping hole in France’s budget

French President Emmanuel Macron got a nasty wakeup call on Friday as Standard & Poor's cut its long-term sovereign credit rating from AA to AA−.

“France's general government debt as a share of GDP will increase because of larger-than-expected budget deficits over 2023—2027," S&P explained, adding that the country’s state debt will reach 112.1% of GDP in 2027.

The downgrade comes after France racked up a budget deficit of 5.5% of GDP in 2023 instead of the projected 4.9%. This fiscal shortfall, equal to an estimated 20 billion euros, will add to the massive sovereign debt. In 2024, France was officially reported as having a debt-to-GDP ratio of 112% by the IMF.

What are the potential consequences?

◻️ The rating cut is expected to further put a damper on Macron’s prospects for the European Parliament elections this month. His personal ratings swooped to their lowest record last year over his handling of the controversial pension reform and ensuing protests. In April, close to three-quarters of French respondents expressed dissatisfaction with his actions, an Ifop-Fiducial survey for Sud Radio showed.

◻️ As France currently spends 43.9 billion euros on the military, which is 1.94% of GDP, as per Ouest-France, Paris may now want to reassess its military expenditures. In February, France pledged to deliver up to three billion euros in military aid to Kiev in 2024. Government overall military support to Ukraine equaled 2.69 billion euros, according to the Ukraine Support Tracker, Kiel WP.

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Scraping the barrel: the West’s proxy conflict is fast draining Ukraine of people

Not only is the Kiev regime's military facing manpower shortages due to heavy battlefield losses, the bite is also being felt in the economy. Industrial facilities, mines and building sites are all struggling to find enough able-bodied staff.

While Kiev hopes to plug personnel gaps in the military with its new mobilization law, keeping Ukraine’s economy afloat with such a shortage of manpower is another challenge.

Millions have fled the country, dodging the draft, unwilling to fight “to the last Ukrainian.”

The labor force has shrunk by some 27 percent since the Ukraine conflict escalated, Ukrainian Deputy Central Bank Governor Sergiy Nikolaychuk told Bloomberg.

Men have also avoided connoscription by working on the informal labor market, wary of the new requirement for employers to provide their details to army recruiters.

Billions-worth of weapons funneled to Ukraine cannot compensate for finite human resources, Bloomberg admitted. Despite Kiev encouraging immigrants and women to go to work in place of their menfolk, businesses still had to cut back their operations.

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🇷🇺❄️How Northern Fleet protects Russia’s Arctic

The Northern Fleet is an “operational-strategic” fleet, retired Russian Navy Captain 1st Rank Vasily Dandykin told Sputnik, commenting on the many tasks assigned to the powerful Russian naval formation as it marked its professional holiday on Saturday.

💬 “It is responsible for the security of our entire Arctic – from the Kola Peninsula to the Bering Strait, where the Pacific Fleet takes over. This is a very large amount of coastline,” Dandykin, who served in the Northern Fleet himself back in Soviet days, explained.

“This includes ensuring the security of the Northern Sea Route, islands. And that’s not counting the Northern Fleet’s missions to the Atlantic, the Mediterranean, and if needed, seas or oceans anywhere in the world, because its capabilities relative to other Russian fleets are much greater. Then of course, there are the naval nuclear forces, including submarines from Projects Borey and Borey-A, and the 667BDRM Delfin project, which have Bulava and Sineva missiles onboard. The fleet also includes multipurpose subs capable of fighting enemy naval groups, including Yasen and Yasen-M subs – the first of which arrived in Severodvinsk precisely to the Northern Fleet,” the observer noted.

On top of that are the Northern Fleet’s surface components, which in addition to missile-armed warships including the Admiral Golovoko, Admiral Kasatonov and Admiral Gorshkov, Naval Infantry formations, naval aviation and air defenses guarding Russia’s Arctic coast, Dandykin said.

He is confident that the personnel and superior military equipment assigned to Russia’s Northern Fleet today far outmatch any and all potential adversaries in terms of “experience, nerves and combat potential.”

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◻️ Houthis’ Red Sea blockade makes Russia’s Northern Sea Route attractive to desperate West

◻️ Ukraine warmongering burns gaping hole in France’s budget

◻️ How Northern Fleet protects Russia’s Arctic

◻️ Senior German lawmaker demands activation of 900,000 reservists amid anti-Russia hysteria

◻️ ‘Crazy politics’ hell-bent on dragging the continent into World War III

◻️ Some Republicans may rethink Trump vote after ‘hush money’ guilty verdict – poll

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Chile is going to join South Africa's lawsuit against Israel

Chile's President Gabriel Boric says the country will join a lawsuit against Israel that South Africa has filed with the UN International Court of Justice over the situation in the Gaza Strip.

"I have decided that Chile will support the case presented by South Africa against Israel in the international court. I have instructed the foreign ministry to prepare a report with our arguments," Boric was quoted as saying by Chilean newspaper La Tercera.

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Bernie Sanders: Netanyahu is a war criminal

"Benjamin Netanyahu is a war criminal. He should not be invited to address a joint meeting of Congress. I certainly will not attend," Sanders said on his social media.

Earlier, Netanyahu accepted an invitation from US congressional leaders to address a joint meeting of Congress in support of Israel in the fight against terrorism.

The senator said that he agreed with the International Criminal Court's (ICC) arrest warrant for Netanyahu and Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, adding that "these people are engaged in clear and outrageous violations of international law."

On May 20, ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan filed requests for arrest warrants for Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, as well as for Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip, Yahya Sinwar, Hamas political bureau head Ismail Haniyeh and the leader of Hamas' military wing, Mohammed Diab Ibrahim Masri, over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed since October 2023 based on evidence collected and examined by his office.

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The Houthis once more hit the US aircraft carrier Dwight Eisenhower

The Yemeni rebel movement Ansar Allah attacked the US aircraft carrier Dwight Eisenhower in the Red Sea twice during the day, as stated by the Houthis' spokesman Yahya Saree on air of the Al Masirah TV channel.

He said the strike was carried out using several missiles and drones, “which was the second attack on an aircraft carrier in 24 hours.” The missile strike on the ship was first reported by the rebels on May 31. An earlier statement by Saria said the first attack was in response to British and US strikes that killed 16 people.

A spokesman for the movement also reported attacks on a US destroyer in the Red Sea and three commercial vessels - Maina, Aloraiq and Abliani. It is alleged that the rebels attacked the destroyer with several drones, “achieving a direct hit.”

According to Saria, the Maina vessel was hit twice, first in the Red Sea and then in the Arabian Sea. The Aloraiq was attacked in the Indian Ocean, the Abliani in the Red Sea.

On Friday night, UK and US launched a massive strike on Ansar Allah facilities. The US military's Central Command later informed that coalition forces hit 13 targets in different areas of Yemen controlled by the Houthis.

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China's Chang'e-6 probe reached the back side of the Moon

The landing module of China's Chang'e-6 probe has successfully reached the back side of the Moon, from where it is to deliver soil, China's Xinhua news agency reported.

China Television also showed footage of the Chang'e-6 probe's landing module.

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🗣 Germany is gradually moving closer to Russia intellectually, mentally, and strategically, according to retired US Army Colonel and former Department of Defense adviser Douglas Macgregor.

He also predicts that in the coming months there will be a final rupture between the US and Germany, which will be the only opportunity to restore the economy of the European country.

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Canada to join US Indo-Pacific defense initiative, deploy military ships in region amid NATO-led militarization

Canada will join the US initiative for defense and industrial cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, Canadian Defense Minister Bill Blair said on Sunday at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.

On May, 31 US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced the initiative to “strengthen” military cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region with Washington's allies.

Bill Blair also stated that the HMCS Vancouver would soon leave for Hawaii to join the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2024 exercise on June 26, alongside the HMCS Max Bernays, Motor Vessel Asterix, and 300 Canadian Armed Forces members. RIMPAC, the largest maritime exercise in the world, will involve 29 countries, 40 surface ships, 3 submarines, 14 national land forces, over 150 aircraft, and more than 25,000 personnel.

The exercise will be followed by Operation Horizon, involving the deployment of Canadian joint forces in the Indo-Pacific region.

Russia has repeatedly warned against militarization of the Asia-Pacific region. The penetration of NATO forces into the region threatens its stability, the Russian Foreign Ministry said. The creation of closed military alliances is harmful and counterproductive, Russian President Vladimir Putin underscored after talks with China's leader Xi Jinping in Beijing.

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