❗️Conflict between groups of English-speaking and French-speaking mercenaries in the Ukraine-controlled part of Kherson has resulted in a shooting in which at least four people have been injured, according to a local underground network.

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Russia, Palestine, and BRICS: Three revolutionary forces changing the world

How can the global majority dethrone the American empire? This question was at the center of an elite roundtable discussion between Russian lawmakers and a delegation of foreign intellectuals on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. Here are the main points from that discussion:

🔻Multipolarity is necessary since American hegemony fuels global problems instead of solving them by provoking wars and color revolutions

🔻Russia is a revolutionary power at the forefront of history. The Ukraine conflict is helping break down old unipolar world order and replace it with a more just and equitable system. Russia’s willingness to defy the West is supported by a majority of the world.

🔻Palestine is the litmus test for challenging US imperialism in the Middle East. The conflict has eroded American influence in the Middle East by weakening its main ally in the region, Israel. Palestinian cause is gaining growing support from Global South.

🔻BRICS is overtaking the UN as the premier international organization. The bloc is headed for a major expansion this year under Russia’s chairmanship, with potentially as many as 45 new member states.

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Robert Fico said he did not believe that a “lone madman” shot at him, calling him an opposition activist.

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🇮🇷 🇷🇺Iran's Ambassador to Russia Kazem Jalali to Sputnik at SPIEF

▫️ Expanding trade in national currencies

"The share of national currencies in transactions between Russia and Iran is growing every day. We have surpassed 70% of trade settlements in national currencies and aim to increase this percentage," Jalali said, emphasizing the move away from the SWIFT system to enhance direct financial interactions.

“Efforts are underway to further this integration, with plans to connect Russia's Mir and Iran's Shetab payment systems to facilitate card transactions for tourists and business visitors between the two countries.”

▫️ Strategic cooperation in BRICS

"Iran’s strengthening position in BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) underscores its commitment to deepening multilateral economic cooperation. This includes enhancing partnerships within the oil sector, where competition is giving way to collaboration among oil-producing and consuming BRICS nations, notably with Russia, India, and China."

▫️ Countering misinformation with Sputnik’s support

"I want to thank Sputnik […]. You do not allow the spread of fake news,” Jalali said, adding that Sputnik has been instrumental in fortifying Russo-Iranian relations against the backdrop of Western media’s efforts to undermine them.

Ambassador Jalali praised Sputnik for its robust role in disseminating accurate news and providing a platform for Iranian voices, which helps counteract misleading narratives and fosters a stronger informational bridge between the two nations.

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The moderator of the SPIEF session with the participation of Russian President Vladimir Putin will be a "well-known person who is deeply immersed in the topic of international relations," Presidential Adviser Anton Kobyakov told Sputnik.

“There will be an interesting person known to everyone, deeply immersed in the topic of international relations,” said Kobyakov, speaking about the moderator of the upcoming plenary session.

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Military analyst suggests US drone's flight path near Crimea сould aim to test Russian air defenses

The US-made RQ-4B Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is specifically designed to track down targets, Dmitry Drozdenko, a military analyst and chief editor of the Fatherland Arsenal Internet portal, tells Sputnik, commenting on information about such a drone flying over neutral waters of the Black Sea near Russia’s Crimean Peninsula for a second day in a row.

He explains that the drone earlier turned off its transponder, a control device that picks up and automatically responds to an incoming signal, something that resulted in the UAV temporarily vanishing from the Flightradar24 tracking website.

Drozdenko also suggests that the Global Hawk changing its route on Tuesday could indicate the UAV’s “provocative attempt to uncover Russian air defense systems in this area” to help the Ukrainian Army to subsequently strike them.”

The analyst adds that no actions against the drone are expected because it remains in international waters, but when it comes to rationale, the UAV should have been shot down.

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❗️LIVE: Russian President Vladimir Putin talks to international media at SPIEF

👉 Watch the livestream here or on Sputnik's website

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The organizers of the conference on Ukraine in Switzerland do not want peace, Russian FM Sergey Lavrov has said.

He noted that Moscow does not understand the West’s position on Ukraine: either you are for the defeat of the Russian Federation or for peace conferences, but dialogue must be with the participation of all parties involved.

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Vladimir Putin holds a meeting with representatives of international news agencies: the president proposed an exchange of views rather than a question-and-answer format.

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Zelensky's corruption fuels rumors of luxury acquisitions

Volodymyr Zelensky is rumored to have bought the Vuni Palace hotel and casino in Northern Cyprus, as per the Turkish website OdaTV. President of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides said there is no evidence to confirm the claim so far, adding that an investigation into the matter in cooperation with other countries and services is underway.

🔸 OdaTV reported that Belize-registered Film Heritage Inc. acquired the hotel for a reported £150 million ($191 million). It appears that the report has recently been deleted.

🔸 Film Heritage Inc. is an offshore company originally belonging to Zelensky, according to OCCRP's October 2021 investigation. Around the time of his election in 2019, his wife, Olena Zelenskaya, became the sole owner of Film Heritage.

🔸 A spokesperson for the hotel told the Cyprus Mail on June 4 that the complex is still owned by the Oscar Group of Companies. The Oscar Group confirmed it owns the hotel, adding that Zelensky is not among its shareholders.

🔸 Explaining how the name "Film Heritage Inc" popped up in the Turkish press, the Oscar Group's spokesman told the Cyprus Mail that a company by the same name had developed the casino's website.

🔸 Earlier, Zelensky and his partners had a network of firms based in the British Virgin Islands (BVI), Belize, and Cyprus; in 2019 Zelensky maneuvered to hide his ownership of offshore assets, according to OCCRP.

🔸 As Western aid keeps flowing to Ukraine, Zelensky is said to have purchased a $35 million house in Florida in February 2023; two luxury yachts in October 2023; and a UK Highgrove House mansion, which was previously owned by King Charles III, in early 2024.

🔸 Even though the claims have been denied by Ukraine and its Western partners, US and EU politicians voice concerns about the Kiev regime's non-transparent use of the multi-billion funding.

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❗️Solutions to issues with European leaders could be found if they felt more confident and had the courage to defend national interests, Vladimir Putin has said at the meeting with representatives of international news agencies.

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❗️Russia doesn’t care who wins the US presidential election - Trump or Biden, Putin has said.

The Russian leader believes that after the elections in the United States, nothing essentially will change in relation to the Russian Federation.

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❗️The Associated Press claims that Ukraine recently used US weapons to strike inside Russian territory: it did not specify where the strike was carried out.

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