❗️US State Department forced Sputnik contributor Scott Ritter off plane headed to Russia and confiscated his passport

“As I was boarding my flight out of New York I was pulled aside by three CBP officers, who seized my passport. When asked why, they said orders of the State Department. No further information was provided. My bags were removed from the flight, and I was escorted out of the airport,” the former US Marine intelligence officer told Sputnik.

Ritter was slated to participate in the annual St.Petersburg International Economic Forum as a guest speaker.

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UPD:
According to Scott Ritter, Andrew Napolitano canceled his flight to Russia for different reasons unrelated to Ritter's removal from the plane.

❗️Former New Jersey Superior Court judge Andrew Napolitano, author, and host of the Judging Freedom podcast on YouTube was also taken off the plane to Russia, Scott Ritter told Sputnik.

"He was unable to travel for completely different reasons that have nothing to do whatsoever... He had to cancel for other reasons, not because of this," Ritter clarified.

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Ex Marine Corps intelligence officer Scott Ritter and former judge Andrew Napolitano forced off plane headed to Russia

What is known so far:
- Ritter said that Customs and Border Patrol officers seized his passport by “orders of the State Department”
- The analysts were scheduled to address the annual St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) as guest speakers
- This year the forum will take place from June 5-8

“Little Blinkie's utter mediocrity/imbecilic pettiness now in day-glo for the whole planet to see: preventing Scott and Judge Nap from boarding a plane in NYC to attend the St. Petersburg forum,” veteran geopolitical analyst Pepe Escobar wrote on his Telegram channel.

UPD:

According to Scott Ritter, Andrew Napolitano canceled his flight to Russia for different reasons unrelated to Ritter's removal from the plane.

"He was unable to travel for completely different reasons that have nothing to do whatsoever... He had to cancel for other reasons, not because of this," Ritter clarified.

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Scott Ritter added that his passport was not given back. He said he will appeal the decision.

Ritter believes US authorities are afraid of his participation in the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

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"The confiscation of Scott's passport is an unconscionable act by a government that's afraid of him because of the truth he speaks," retired CIA intelligence officer Larry Johnson commented on the Biden State Department's apparent political persecution of Scott Ritter.

"America touts itself as the land of the free and the home of the brave, this demonstrating that it's only free for some and definitely a land of cowards," Johnson said.

Johnson worried he may be targeted in a similar fashion. "He's been convicted with no crime," he said of Ritter, noting the former Marine Corps intelligence officer had served his country in the US military.

"There have been no charges brought against him. So this is just an arbitrary act. But when people have that kind of power and they can act unrestrained, as they have under the Biden administration, it can happen to anybody. I anticipate when I go back, they may try to seize my passport," Johnson said.

"They take a US citizen who... just happened to be a critic of US policy and are now punishing him by preventing him from traveling freely. I think this will likely backfire because it's going to bring more attention to Scott, not less," Johnson concluded. "And it will get his message heard by more people instead of fewer people."

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“Is this done under the First Amendment to the US Constitution or the Fourth?” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova asked sarcastically, commenting on ex-US intelligence officer Scott Ritter's removal from his flight to Russia and the confiscation of his passport.

The First Amendment to the US Constitution guarantees, among other things, non-interference with the freedoms of speech and assembly, while the Fourth Amendment prohibits unreasonable searches and detentions.

Earlier today, former US Marine Corps intelligence officer and Sputnik contributor Scott Ritter told Sputnik that US Customs and Border Protection officers seized his passport “by orders” from the State Department as he boarded his flight, preventing him from traveling to Russia for the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

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Yemen's rebel Ansar Allah movement, also known as the Houthis, announced that it had for the first time launched a self-developed ballistic missile called “Palestine” from Yemen towards the southern Israeli city of Eilat.

"We announce the successful strike on the Israeli enemy's military target in the Umm al-Rashrash area in southern occupied Palestine. During the operation, we used the ‘Palestine’ ballistic missile, which we are reporting for the first time," the statement read.

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Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong will not attend the summit on Ukraine in Switzerland as they will hold a meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang, The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper reported.

The Australian Foreign Ministry said the country would be represented at the summit by its Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme Bill Shorten. The unexpected choice was made despite Kiev's requests for Australia's representation at the summit at the level of prime minister or deputy prime minister.

Shorten said that Albanese asked him to attend the summit because of his long-standing interest in Ukraine despite the fact that he has no responsibility for international affairs.

“Mr Shorten is the minister for the NDIS and doesn’t even sit on the national security committee of cabinet, making this a most confusing and inadequate appointment for anyone who looks at it,” opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham emphasized.

The event in Lucerne is plagued by major no-shows: Joe Biden’s attention has been diverted to more pressing issues, such as rubbing elbows with Hollywood celebs at a fundraiser. China, Brazil, and South Africa have also refused to attend the event. Moscow has dismissed the conference, to which it was not invited, as “meaningless".

Russia has repeatedly signaled readiness for negotiations, yet Ukraine 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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US State Department refuses to comment on ban of US analyst Scott Ritter's trip to Russia

The US Department of State told Sputnik it cannot comment on the status of a US citizen's passport following the information about the ban of former US Marine Corps intelligence officer and Sputnik contributor Scott Ritter's trip to Russia.

"We cannot comment on the status of the passport of a private US citizen," the department said.

On Monday, Ritter told Sputnik that the US Customs and Border Protection officers forced him off the plane headed to Russia and confiscated his passport “by orders” from the State Department. He was slated to participate in the annual St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) as a guest speaker.

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South Korea partially exits its military agreement with DPRK. What comes next?

Seoul's National Security Council announced that it finds it necessary to put a stop to some of the already limited legal measures of the Comprehensive Military Agreement between two Koreas. Signed on September 19, 2018, during a period of détente, the deal limited military activity around the demilitarized zone (DMZ).

Formally called “The Agreement on Implementation of the Historic Panmunjom Declaration in the Military Domain,” the document established no-fly zones next to the DMZ and prohibited live-fire navy drills and other military exercises close to the DMZ and the two countries’ maritime borders.

“Trash balloons” from North Korea became the formal reason why Seoul decided to suspend such a peaceful, soft-sounding agreement. In fact, the launch of balloons, which indeed came from the territory of North Korea (DPRK) and inconvenienced some South Koreans, was retaliation for propaganda balloons from the South Korean side, which kept landing in DPRK since late 2023.
This unending propaganda stunt from Seoul was a violation of the Comprehensive Agreement, but South Korea partially exited the deal in November 2023, using the launch of DPRK’s first reconnaissance satellite as a pretext. Pyongyang, however, argued it only wanted equal security terms, citing the number of US satellites over the Korean peninsula.

What comes next? The immediate consequence of the agreement’s suspension will be Seoul's resumption of military exercises next to the DMZ. In fact, in May, South Korea conducted joint exercises with the US. The response will likely follow suit: DPRK insists on its right to make Seoul face “equivalent” threats.

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In an interview with Sky News NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg admitted that Russia has built up its defense industry more rapidly than expected, complaining that NATO countries have meanwhile required more time to increase arms production.

“It's correct that Russia has been able to build up their defense industry faster than we expected and it's correct that NATO allies have spent more time than they should in ramping up our production,” Stoltenberg said.

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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Italy's opposition Five Star Movement will take a stand in the European Parliament against arms supplies to Ukraine and in favor of finding a diplomatic solution to the conflict, the movement's candidate for the position of the European parliament member in Italy, Gianluca Ferrara, told Sputnik.

“I hope there will be other forces in the European Parliament who want to stop going down the path of sending arms all the time. This does not lead to any solution. Russia is a huge state, you can't even think of defeating it. The only way will be World War III with mutual extermination,” Ferrara said.

The movement supports dialogue and diplomatic solution to the conflict, the candidate added.

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