💬 "Developing Russia’s Far East throughout the 21st century is undeniably a national priority" Putin said at a meeting with residents of the Far East during his visit to Yakutia.

📌 Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Which countries are the top gold producers?

Gold production has been steadily increasing over the years, with annual production reaching 3,039 tons in 2023. The top five gold-producing countries are Russia, China, Australia, the United States, and Canada, which together account for over 50% of the world's total gold production.

In 2023, the top gold producers were China, with 370 tons, Russia, with 322 tons, and Australia with 294 tons.

Other major gold producing countries include Canada, the United States, Kazakhstan, South Africa, Uzbekistan, Indonesia, Ghana, Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Mali, and Tanzania.

📌 Subscribe to @SputnikInt

💬 There are no sane forces in the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament), and the United States commands all processes in Ukraine, Dmitry Medvedev, Russian Security Council deputy chairman, said.

Ukraine has an opportunity to accept Putin's proposals and try to establish peace, but each subsequent proposal will be worse than the previous one, he added.

📌 Subscribe to @SputnikInt

What to expect from Putin’s visit to North Korea?

President Vladimir Putin is setting off to visit Russia’s important strategic partner in Asia – North Korea. Putin will arrive in Pyongyang late in the evening on June 18.

◻️ The Russian delegation will include newly appointed Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and other top officials.

◻️ There will be a parade at Kim Il Sung Square, gala concert, wreath-laying ceremony at the Liberation Monument in Pyongyang, and a state reception.

◻️ Expanded bilateral format talks and a tete-a-tete meeting between the North Korean leader and the visiting Russian president will take place.

◻️ Discussions will focus on the economy, energy, transport, security issues, and international cooperation. The sides hope to further boost mutual trade turnover, which grew ninefold in 2023 to reach $34.4 million.

◻️ A comprehensive strategic partnership agreement will be signed.

◻️ The North Korean leader will accompany Putin to the airport, with the leaders visiting the Russian Orthodox Holy Trinity Cathedral on the way.

Putin's visit to North Korea will be his first since 2000. During Kim Jong Un’s visit to Russia last September, the sides discussed North Korea's satellite program, communication infrastructure, mutual tourist trips, as well as alternative trade and mutual settlement “not controlled by the West.”

📌 Subscribe to @SputnikInt

The Central Bank of Iran (CBI) is introducing a digital rial into public circulation on June 21, allowing customers to make purchases and transfer funds by scanning a barcode, according to the CBI’s public relations department.

📌 Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Western hysteria has failed to cancel Russian culture

Despite strong resistance, Russian culture remains one of the most important elements of European cultural life, Russian Culture Minister Olga Lyubimova told Sputnik at the opening ceremony of the Russian Seasons international cultural project in Brazil.

"Everyone was talking about how we don't need Tchaikovsky anymore... And at the same time we saw how the great musical theaters of the world continued to stage Russian composers," she said.

📌 Subscribe to @SputnikInt

❗️The Russian Armed Forces hit a Ukrainian brigade's warehouse, from which unloading of Western military supplies was underway, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense.

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

◻️ Units of the Russian battlegroup Sever repelled two Ukrainian counterattacks; Ukrainian losses amounted to up to 130 militants.

◻️ Units of the Russian battlegroup Zapad occupied more advantageous positions and repelled four counterattacks; Ukrainian losses amounted to up to 455 militants.

◻️ The Russian battlegroup Yug improved their position on the front line; Kiev's losses amounted to up to 66 militants and a field ammunition depot.

◻️ Ukraine lost up to 80 militants in the responsibility zone of the Russian battlegroup Dnepr.

◻️ The Russian battlegroup Tsentr improved their tactical position, repelled four UAF counterattacks, and the enemy lost up to 355 militants.

◻️ Fighters from the Russian battlegroup Vostok occupied more advantageous positions and inflicted defeat on the UAF in the Zaporizhzhia region and in the Donetsk People's Republic.

◻️ The Russian Armed Forces destroyed a radar station and two S-300 SAM launching installations, as well as a strike UAV production workshop in Ukraine.

◻️ UAF losses in battles with units of the Russian Battlegroup Vostok amounted to up to 155 militants.

📌 Subscribe to @SputnikInt

National treasure trove: Putin has arrived in Russia’s largest region of Yakutia

President Vladimir Putin arrived in Yakutsk, capital of Russia’s Sakha Republic (Yakutia) before setting off on a state visit to North Korea. Putin will inspect the Far East's cluster supporting creative industries, such as IT, media, digital content and artificial intelligence.

Here’s what to know about Russia’s Yakutia:

◾️ Part of the Far Eastern Federal District, Yakutia is bigger in size than Argentina. Its total continental and island territory spans 3.1 million sq. km, making up almost 1/5 of Russia.

◾️ The distance from Yakutsk to Moscow is 8,468 km.

◾️ Over 40% of the republic, located in the northeastern part of the Eurasian continent, is within the Arctic Circle, lying completely in the permafrost zone and spanning three time zones.

◾️ Yakutia is a leader in Russia in industrial production growth. In January-February 2024, it registered a growth spurt of 12.9%. The industrial production index in 2023 was 100.8%.

◾️ Since 2018, the Republic has consistently shown record growth in key economic indicators. Over five years, growth of the republic’s GRP amounted to 28%, with industrial production increasing by 1.4 times.

◾️ Gross regional product growth traditionally comes from industry (63.2%), of which 59.5% is mining. Its volumes for 2023 were: tin – 567 tons, silver – 163 tons and iron ore – 450 thousand tons.

◾️ 1,823 deposits of 58 types of mineral raw materials have been officially registered in the region.

◾️ Yakutia’s share of national mineral resource potential is: diamonds – 82%, gold – 17%, uranium – 61%, antimony – 82%, iron ores – 5%, coal – 5%, tin – 28% and mercury – 8%. There are also significant reserves of rare earth elements, silver, lead, zinc and tungsten.

◾️ Yakutia produces 95% of Russia's diamonds, and accounts for 25% of the world's diamond production.

◾️ Yakutia accounts for 47% of proven coal reserves, 35% of natural gas and oil in Eastern Siberia and the Far East.

📌 Subscribe to @SputnikInt

😡Ukrainians melt down over Adele's Russian dress

British singer Adele performed at a concert in Las Vegas on Sunday wearing a dress from the Russian fashion house of Valentin Yudashkin.

Following this, the singer faced a torrent of criticism on social media from users unhappy with her choice of attire of Russian origin.

Over the weekend, representatives from Yudashkin's house told Sputnik that the suggestion to stylize Adele's look came from the singer's team. The dress took about two months to make.

📌 Subscribe to @SputnikInt

UK media personality Katie Hopkins says she enjoys watching the "Ukraine narrative" losing popularity

"We're now watching the collapse of the Ukraine narrative in real time, and it's a glorious thing to watch, particularly through popular culture. Rod Stewart in Germany tried putting up a massive Ukraine flag and images of the powder-sniffing Zelensky, at which point the German crowd erupted into boos and hisses and it was fun to see. In the football, Romania just thrashed Ukraine and the crowd went wild. Listening to the Romanian anthem was a terrific thing, and perhaps we can see a little less now of Ukraine being forced put into everything," she said.

She said Western leaders would rather see a nuclear Armageddon than listen to Vladimir Putin's proposals on Ukraine.

📌 Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Proposals to deepen diplomatic ties with Russia have disappeared from the website of Marine Le Pen's National Rally party ahead of the French parliamentary elections, Politico has noted.

Sections on the need to stop joint projects with Germany and on withdrawal from NATO’s integrated command were also removed.

Politico believes the moves are related to the desire to soften the controversial points of the program before the elections and strengthen its credibility.

📌 Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Terrorists have used Ukraine as a transit point for entering Western countries, the head of the German Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Thomas Haldenwang, has said.

According to him, the matter concerns the Islamic State-Khorasan Province group*, whose supporters crossed into the West together with a wave of Ukrainian refugees.

The head of the German Interior Ministry said that about 27,000 followers of radical Islamism were currently in Germany.

*banned in Russia for terrorism.

📌 Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Where would you rather live – North Korea or USA?

Despite decades of intense Western sanctions, North Korea’s capital of Pyongyang is cleaner and safer than practically any major American city.

Don’t believe us? See for yourself.

📌 Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Hezbollah publishes drone reconnaissance footage over Israeli critical infrastructure including port of Haifa, military installations, and water reservoirs.

This comes amid growing tensions on the Israel-Lebanon border and speculation that the Netanyahu government could decide to send troops into southern Lebanon.

📌 Subscribe to @SputnikInt