❗️Russian forces hit Ukrainian military facilities and depots in western Ukraine - underground network coordinator

Facilities and depots in the Lvov region of western Ukraine, where aircraft parts were stored, were hit, the coordinator of the Nikolayev underground network, Sergey Lebedev, told Sputnik.

Earlier, Lebedev reported damage to energy infrastructure in the Lvov region, as well as in the Vinnitsa, Khmelnytsky, Volyn and Ivano-Frankovsk regions.

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🔸 IDF admits Israel is unable to defeat Hamas

🔸 Why has US State Dep Assistant Secretary for Palestinian-Israeli affairs left his post?

🔸 Cuba joins South Africa's lawsuit against Israel at ICJ

🔸 Why is there nothing new in Seoul’s hint at supplying weapons to Ukraine?

🔸 No end in sight for the drama in French politics, analyst believes

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Biden reportedly fumbles US-Ukraine gas deal

US President Joe Biden's decision to suspend approval of new liquefied natural gas (LNG) export projects has become an obstacle for Ukraine, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Earlier, the Ukrainian company D.Trading signed an agreement with US Venture Global to supply US LNG to Ukraine and Eastern European countries to help them wean themselves off gas supplies from Russia and support "energy security" in the region.

However, there is a catch: the gas is to be purchased through Venture's CP2 terminal, which is now under Biden's moratorium.

This has created "enormous political uncertainty" over future US LNG supplies, because if re-elected, Biden is likely to make it permanent, the WSJ wrote, adding that Biden "surrendered to an army of [climate change] TikTokers" in deciding whether to allow the supplies.

Western nations have decided not to buy Russian natural gas since the Ukrainian conflict began, blaming Russia for cutting off gas supplies itself.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, however, insisted that the US was simply using European countries in its own interests by forcing them to buy its expensive liquefied natural gas.

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❗️ Russia will respond adequately if US closes visa centers in DC and NYC - Russian FM spokeswoman

Earlier, the United States notified Russian diplomats that the visa center with branches in Washington and New York would be closed, Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov said.

He added, however, that Russian diplomats and consuls would continue to provide necessary legal and consular support to compatriots.

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Russia reveals details of crimes committed by Ukrainian Nazi collaborator Hunka

Ukrainian Nazi collaborator Yaroslav Hunka, accused of genocide against civilians and tried in absentia in Russia, is involved with his accomplices in the murder of at least 500 Soviet citizens, including Jews and Poles, head of the Investigative Committee Alexander Bastrykin told Sputnik.

Earlier, Canada, whose politicians greeted Hunka with a standing ovation in parliament, refused to extradite the 98-year-old ex-SS soldier, who fought on Hitler's side during World War II.

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❗️Work of infrastructure facilities of the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant has been disrupted as a result of Ukrainian attack

A repeated attack on key infrastructure facilities in the Russian city of Energodar in the Zaporozhye area poses a threat to the city's life support, spokesperson for the plant said.

On June 21, Energodar city authorities reported that the Ukrainian Armed Forces hit Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant's Raduga substation, damaging the transformer.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin has laid wreath at Tomb of Unknown Soldier on 83rd Anniversary of Nazi Invasion of USSR

The annual ceremony, which commemorates the start of the 1941-1945 Great Patriotic War, is traditionally attended by veterans and senior Russian politicians.

On December 6, 1966, in commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi troops near Moscow, the ashes of an unknown soldier were transferred from a mass grave on the 41st kilometer of the Leningrad Highway and solemnly buried in the Alexander Garden near the Kremlin Wall.

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US sends warship to S Korea in wake of Putin’s meeting with Kim Jong Un

Nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt has arrived at the South Korean port of Busan, 320 kilometers southeast of Seoul, escorted by the US destroyers Halsey and Daniel Inouye, South Korean news agency Yonhap has reported.

The warship arrived for a planned exercise between the US, Japan and South Korea scheduled for the end of June.

This comes following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s state visit to North Korea on June 18-19, which resulted in the signing of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty.

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How can Rasht-Caspian Railway help Iran negate isolation from global trade?

The recently unveiled Rasht-Caspian railway in Iran is a vital project for the Islamic Republic, especially in terms of its economic significance, Stanislav Tarasov, a political scientist and expert on the Middle East and the Caucasus, told Sputnik.

The 37-km railway line, which connects the Iranian city of Rascht to the Caspian Sea and the Persian Gulf, was launched in northern Iran on June 20. Located in Iran’s Gilan province near the Caspian Sea’s southern coast, this rail line is part of the International North–South Transport Corridor (NSTC), a 7,200-kilometer transportation network that connects ship, rail, and road routes for moving cargo between India, Iran, Azerbaijan, Russia, Central Asia, and Europe.

In May 2023, Russia and Iran signed documents to complete the last section of the railway with the western route of the NSTC, from Rasht to Astara, worth 1.6 billion euros ($1,7 billion). The sum includes Russia’s 1.3 billion euro ($1.39) loan, with the rest coming from Iran.

How could the project help Iran overcome its isolation from international trade?

🔸 "Currently, the Rasht-Caspian project is the main route of the international North-South Transport Corridor" connecting the Persian Gulf with the Caspian Sea, the expert recalled.

🔸 "The project is the most effective railway route with a direct connection to Russia, which can contribute to a significant increase in trade turnover between Tehran and Moscow," Tarasov said.

🔸 The Rasht-Caspian project can be seen as an international transit route that could be of interest to such countries as China and India, the expert said.

🔸 "The emergence of such a communication corridor will strengthen the regional security system in one way or another, a geopolitical aspect that means that Iran is completely coming out of [international trade] isolation," Tarasov concluded.

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❗️Russian forces hit Ukrainian energy facilities overnight in response to Ukraine's attacks — Russian Defense Ministry

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❗️ Russian air defenses shot down 48 Ukrainian drones and a HIMARS MLRS rocket during the day;

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

▪️ Russia's Zapad Battlegroup repelled two Ukrainian counterattacks during the day;

▪️ The Yug Battlegroup destroyed up to 590 Ukrainian soldiers;

▪️ The Tsentr Battlegroup repelled seven counterattacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces;

▪️ Ukrainian losses during the day totaled up to 220 military personnel in the area of responsibility of the Sever Battlegroup;

▪️ Dnepr Battlegroup units defeated the formations of the Ukraine Marine and Territorial Defense Brigades;

▪️ Russian forces destroyed storage depots for the uncrewed boats and airplane-type UAVs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

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How Russia tried to peacefully coexist with NATO

30 years ago, shortly after the dissolution of the USSR when genuine rapprochement between Russia and the West seemed viable, Moscow signed on to NATO’s Partnership for Peace program.

This was not the only attempt by Russia to establish cordial relations with the US-led military bloc before the latter started openly encroaching on Russia’s doorstep.

Here is a brief recap:

▫️ On May 27, 1997, the Founding Act on Mutual Relations, Cooperation and Security between NATO and Russia was inked. Under the auspices of this treaty, the NATO-Russia Permanent Joint Council – the first cooperation mechanism between Russia and the bloc – was set up.

▫️ In 1998, Russia’s permanent mission to NATO was set up in Brussels where the bloc’s headquarters is located.

▫️ In February 2001, NATO’s Information Office was set up in Moscow.

▫️ In May 2002, the NATO-Russia Council, which replaced the NATO-Russia Permanent Joint Council, was established. This mechanism was meant to facilitate joint decision making and help Russia and NATO member states operate as equal partners.

▫️ In 2008 the relationship between Russia and NATO took a turn for the worse when the bloc tacitly backs Georgia’s military action in South Ossetia, which involved an attack on a Russian peacekeeping contingent there. The United States and its allies opted to pin the blame on Russia for the ensuing escalation in the region.

▫️ In 2014, practical cooperation between Russia and NATO was all but halted as NATO countries openly opposed Crimea’s reunification with Russia.

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Understanding North Korea's modest nuclear stockpile and conditions for use

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) ranks last among nuclear-armed nations by number of warheads. Despite having the least extensive arsenal and specific use conditions in its doctrine, its nuclear program still raises Western concerns.

So how many warheads does it have and what are the conditions for their possible use?

Arsenal

Its nuclear arsenal is estimated to include 30 (per Arms Control Association, International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, and the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists) to 50 (per SIPRI) warheads.

Delivery vehicles

The DPRK has a range of delivery vehicles for both strategic and tactical nuclear strikes.

Short-Range Ballistic Missiles

▪️KN-23: Resembles Russia’s Iskander; 600-700 km range.
▪️KN-24: Similar to US’ ATACMS; ~400 km range.
▪️KN-25: MLRS system; 380 km range.

Medium-Range Ballistic Missiles

▪️Hwasong-7 (Nodong): 1,200-1,500 km range.
▪️Pukguksong-2: Solid-fuel; ~1,200 km range.

Intermediate-Range Ballistic Missiles

▪️Hwasong-10 (Musudan): 2,500-4,000 km range.
▪️Hwasong-12: 3,700-4,500 km range.

Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles

▪️Hwasong-14: Up to 10,000 km range.
▪️Hwasong-15: 13,000 km range.
▪️Hwasong-17: Exceeds 15,000 km range.

Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missiles

▪️Pukguksong-1: ~1,200 km range.
▪️Pukguksong-3: ~2,000 km range.

Doctrine

The 2022 Nuclear Forces Policy Law states that North Korea will resort to nuclear weapons if:

🔸 Attacked with nuclear weapons or other WMDs, or if such an attack is deemed inevitable.

🔸 The country's leadership or nuclear command structures are attacked, or if such an attack is seen as imminent.

🔸 A lethal attack on strategic sites is carried out, or perceived as unavoidable.

🔸 To prevent or control war escalation, and gain initiative in hostilities.

🔸 Other scenarios that cause a "catastrophic crisis" threatening the nation's survival and citizens' safety, necessitating a nuclear response.

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One man was killed and another injured as a result of an Israeli drone crashing into a car in the Beqaa Valley in eastern Lebanon, a military source told Sputnik.

The victim was a commander of the Sunni armed group Islamic Movement, which is an ally of Hezbollah, the source added.

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America is risking falling on its own sword — Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

The US presidential candidate slammed the US for striving to escalate the Ukraine conflict:

"Escalation has a terrible logic all its own. We should have learned this in Vietnam... It was the Vietnam war which changed global perceptions of the moral leadership of the United States. It will be Ukraine that cements those perceptions in the minds of the targeted and their many allies," he wrote on X.

He also added that now many countries prefer to cooperate with BRICS rather than NATO "for moral and economic reasons that are easy to understand."

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