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

▪️Ukrainian losses amounted to more than 500 soldiers in one day due to the actions of the Zapad Battlegroup;

▪️Units of the Sever Batllegroup defeated five brigades of Ukranian forces and the defense, including in Liptsy, Tikhiy, and Volchansk in the Kharkov region;

▪️Ukrainian losses amounted to 600 soldiers in the zone of responsibility of the Yug Battlegroup in one day, five ammunition depots were destroyed;

▪️Units of the Tsentr Battlegroup improved their tactical situation in their area of responsibility. Ukrainian losses amounted to 350 soldiers;

▪️Units of the Vostok Battlegroup occupied more advantageous positions, Ukrainian forces in their area of responsibility lost up to 115 soldiers;

▪️Russian air defenses shot down nine ATACMS operational-tactical missiles, two Hammer guided bombs, and 61 drones in one day.

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March to Pristina: How Russian paratroopers disrupted NATO’s plans in the Balkans

The goal of the eyebrow-raising takeover of the Slatina airport outside Pristina in 1999 was to show “the Russian people’s fraternal support for Serbs and to influence the situation in the future,” Retired Lieutenant General Nikolay Staskov, former chief of staff of the Russian Airborne Forces and one of the participants of the mission, told Sputnik.

The operation was conducted on June 12, 1999, by just 206 Russian paratroopers, whose actions stopped NATO from escalating the conflict in Yugoslavia.

He stressed that Russian troops acted faster than NATO forces who were also tasked with seizing the Slatina airport. The BTR-80 armored personnel carriers with Russian paratroopers moved at “an almost unthinkable” speed to cover more than 416 miles so that the highly secretive mission could be accomplished ASAP, Staskov recalled.

“NATO leadership reacted angrily that the Russian airborne battalion had managed to outpace them. UK General [Mike] Jackson saw that the Russian troops were in full combat readiness and could use weapons, so he made his famous remark ‘I'm not going to start Third World War for you',” Staskov said.

The general recalled then-Russian President Boris Yelstin praising actions by Russian paratroopers as "excellent." Yelstin also remarked that he “at last managed to give NATO a flick on the nose." An unnamed official responded: "You didn't give them a flick on the nose - you punched them in the face."

“Most importantly, the Russian Armed Forces felt at the time that they were capable, in the person of the Airborne Troops, of carrying out tasks for the sake of the Motherland,” Staskov concluded.

The “March to Pristina” operation at the end of the 1999 Kosovo war allowed Moscow to outstrip NATO and secured its right to partake in the settlement of the Yugoslavian conflict. The Pristina mission has turned into an example of an immaculate special operation.

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US to send another batch of Patriot missiles to Ukraine

Biden has agreed to send "the scarcest weapons systems in the US arsenal" to Ukraine after an internal debate over the Patriot shipment, the New York Times reports, citing senior administration and military officials.

The second batch of new US Patriot systems is being delivered from Poland and could be deployed to the Ukrainian frontline within days.

However, the US is not prepared to supply enough Patriots because moving batteries from US territory could jeopardize combat readiness.

"Nations that have those weapons systems have to make the decision to take more risk against their own readiness," Adm. Rob Bauer, the chairman of NATO's military committee, urged in an apparent nod to Europe.

Since the beginning of the year, Ukrainian forces have lost five Patriots, according to the Russian Defense Ministry. Moscow has repeatedly stressed that the Patriot PAC-2 air defense systems are a legitimate target for its military, as are all other weapons fueling NATO's proxy conflict.

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💥 Russian forces hit the Ukrainian division of the S-300 air defense system with a strike from the Iskander-M anti-aircraft missile system in the Polyvyany area of the Poltava region, according to the Ministry of Defense.

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Russia's Northern Fleet warships arrive at main port of Cuba, Sputnik correspondent reports

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🇷🇺🇨🇺Russian naval strike group enters port of Havana, Cuba, as part of long-range cruise, Sputnik's correspondent reports

At present, the rescue tugboat of the Russian Navy "Nikolai Chiker" has arrived.

Two solemn welcoming ceremonies for Russian ships will be held successively in the port of Havana - separately for a frigate and a submarine.

A diverse tactical group of four ships, including support vessels that previously practiced the use of high-precision missile weapons in the Atlantic, will pay an official visit to the port of Havana from June 12 to 17.

The Russian sailors plan to meet with the Cuban naval command and the governor of Havana, visit historical and cultural sites.

"The visit to Cuba is just one of the tasks of a long-term campaign and is being carried out within the framework of our country's international cooperation," Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy Alexander Moiseev told Sputnik.

Commenting on the visit of the Russian ships, the Cuban Foreign Ministry noted that it corresponds to the friendly relations between Cuba and Russia and strictly complies with international rules, stressing that none of the ships carry nuclear weapons and their parking does not pose a threat to the region.

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📹Fire near Israeli city of Safed, following a rocket attack from Lebanon.

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Swiss Senate voted to tighten rules for granting S protection status to Ukrainian refugees.

The decision was made in order to put an end to the so-called 'Ukrainian tourism' - when refugees receive aid, return to Ukraine, and after a few weeks they come back for more benefits.

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⚡️Armenia will withdraw from the Collective Security Treaty Organization if the authorities deem it necessary, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced.

Responding to remarks from the audience, the Prime Minister noted: "Armenia will withdraw, we won’t go back anyways."

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🇷🇺🇨🇺 The Russian frigate "Admiral Gorshkov" entered the port of Havana, Cuba.

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🇷🇺🇨🇺 The Russian nuclear submarine "Kazan" entered the port of Havana, Cuba.

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Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan noted that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan did not announce the republic’s withdrawal from the Collective Security Treaty Organization: Whoever decided so is mistaken.

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Russia’s 1999 Pristina operation 'stopped the US from pushing Europe to major conflict'

“The [Slatina] airport was important from a tactical point of view. We showed that Russia cannot be thrown out of the global political process, and that the country is independent and not subordinate to NATO or anyone else,” Leonid Ivashov, former head of the Russian Defense Ministry’s main department of international military cooperation, told Sputnik.

Ivashov took part in the 1999 talks on the Kosovo settlement, adding to a decision by the head of the Russian paratroopers to move to the Slatina airport.

The march had "a geopolitical scale" as "NATO moved Europe to a war. Europeans did not want to fight or prepare for the war with Russia and they also were not interested in a conflict which could arise between the US and Russia and which could affect the economic situation in Europe and [start] a new arms race. So the Americans began to push Europe towards a major conflict,” Ivashov said.

He recalled that the Russian paratroopers successfully entering the Slatina airport had become “the most important event” that “showed the nature of Russian soldiers” who performed perfectly during the operation.

“In Pristina, our soldiers were in the spotlight. A British unit tried to seize the Slatina airport, but to no avail,” Ivashov noted. He praised efforts by Russian Special Services and those of Serbia, who “worked in such a way that not a single shot was fired by Kosovo forces at the Russian paratroopers.”

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What does Gantz’s resignation means for the future of Netanyahu’s government?

Benny Gantz’s recent resignation from the “wartime government” of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu does not necessarily herald the immediate collapse of the government, says Tel Aviv-based international affairs expert Simon Tsipis.

The current Israeli government coalition is comprised of “two religious parties and two Zionist parties,” Tsipis explains.

Gantz’s departure initially raised concerns that the “religious parties” may withdraw from the coalition, and the departure of even one party from the coalition would trigger the collapse of the government, the analyst adds.

The recent passage of a bill on draft exemption for Orthodox Jews, however, essentially ensured that the “religious parties” will not pull out of the coalition, at least for now. Now, Gantz is apparently attempting to woo Yoav Gallant, a member of Netanyahu’s Likud Party and a prominent member of the current Israeli cabinet who opposed the aforementioned bill.

“Gallant, is a member of Netanyahu’s party but voted against the law that Netanyahu brought forth – essentially, there is currently a schism within Likud,” Tsipis notes.
“If Gantz manages to bring Gallant to his side, to the opposition, then Gallant would leave the government,” he adds. “Then the government would collapse and new elections would be announced.”

Tsipis also suggested that Gantz’s departure from the Israeli government is unlikely to as much of an impact on the ongoing bloodbath in the Gaza Strip as the recently adopted UNSC resolution.

The United States and the UN now seek to pressure Netanyahu into ceasing the operation in Gaza and making a deal with Hamas, which would be regarded as a defeat by the Israelis, Tsipis claims.

A failure to dismantle Hamas and kill its leaders would mean the defeat of Tel Aviv, becoming an utter disaster for Netanyahu, he concludes.

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❗️LIVE: The opening ceremony of the BRICS Games in the Russian city of Kazan

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