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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Outpost to wage war? Сomprehending US military presence on Guam

A United States Air Force (USAF) B-1B Lancer bomber, which recently touched down on Guam "to support routine missions," is the latest arrival of strategic American bombers at the western Pacific Ocean island - an unincorporated organized territory of the US.

What’s known about the US military presence on Guam and how many bases are there in the area?

▪️The US Army’s boots on the ground on Guam date back to the beginning of the last century, with military installations starting to appear during World War II.

▪️America’s growing military presence on the island “has been at least a decade in the making. It began in 2012 after Japan asked the US to move some troops out of Okinawa and gained traction in 2018 after the US national defense strategy called China a pre-eminent threat to US interests and security in the region,” according to the World Street Journal.

▪️The US Department of Defense (DoD) reportedly owns about 25% of Guam's land, where roughly 10,000 American soldiers are currently stationed.

▪️The Pentagon plans to spend a whopping $7.3 billion on military construction on the island between 2024 and 2028, amid reports that the DoD seeks to create “an air and missile defense architecture for Guam” to grapple with an alleged Chinese threat.

▪️Already, there are 12 military installations in Guam, which serve as strategic locations for America’s defense and support operations in the Indo-Pacific region.

▪️In particular, Guam is home to such strategic US bases as the Andersen Air Force Base, (the island’s largest military installation), Naval Base Guam, the Guam Army National Guard and the recently formed Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz.

▪️The USAF earlier this year proposed to upgrade the Andersen Air Force Base to host up to 12 Singaporean F-15 fighters for training.

Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson Wu Qian meanwhile warned against turning Guam into a US “outpost for waging war”, adding that the island’s security “depends on what role the United States wants Guam to play.”

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Triple gold triumph for Russian canoe and kayak teams at BRICS Games

The BRICS Games are taking place from June 12 to 24 in Kazan. Approximately 5,000 athletes from over 90 countries are participating, competing for 387 sets of medals.

The winners of the competitions were:

🥇Dmitry Sharapov, Mikhail Pavlov, Pavel Skryabin, and Alexander Bots (canoe four, 500 meters);
🥇Anastasia Panchenko and Ivan Yepishin (kayak double, mixed, 200 meters);
🥇Ekaterina Shlyapnikova and Sergey Svinaryov (canoe double, mixed, 200 meters).

Silver medalists included:

🥈Vitaly Yershov, Maxim Spesivtsev, Viktor Gavrilenko, and Alexander Sergeyev (kayak four, 500 meters);
🥈Alina Kovaleva and Dmitry Sharov (canoe double, mixed, 200 meters);
🥈Maxim Spesivtsev (kayak single, 5,000 meters);
🥈Ilya Pervukhin (canoe single, 5,000 meters);
🥈Alina Kovaleva (kayak single, 5,000 meters).

Third-place finishes were achieved by:

🥉Andrey Laskorunsky, Dmitry Mamtsov, Ivan Yepishin, and Vasily Pogreban (kayak four, 500 meters);
🥉Kristina Kovnir, Natalia Podolskaya, Elena Anyushina, and Kira Stepanova (kayak four, 500 meters);
🥉Sofia Shtil and Mikhail Pavlov (canoe double, mixed, 200 meters);
🥉Vitaly Yershov (kayak single, 5,000 meters);
🥉Elena Mironchenko (kayak single, 5,000 meters);
🥉Ivan Dmitriev (canoe single, 5,000 meters).

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Yemeni Houthis claim to have successfully hit USS aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower

The Ansar Allah movement launched a missile attack on the aircraft carrier Dwight Eisenhower in the Red Sea, military representative of the Houthis Yahya Saria stated.

US officials have not confirmed the information. This is not the first time the Houthis claimed to have hit a US aircraft carrier. Previously, several instances were denied by US CENTCOM.

Earlier, NBC reported that a commercial ship, which was passing by the American Dwight Eisenhower, saw explosions near the vessel, likely the latest attack by the Houthis. As a result, the US officials reportedly ordered the ship to return home.

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Russian boxers shine at BRICS Games by winning eight golds

The games are coined as becoming another symbol of expanding intercultural dialogue, a significant contribution to strengthening the friendship of peoples and productive interaction between states.

The winners were:

🏅Volodya Mnatsakanyan (in the weight category up to 48 kilograms);
🏅Bair Batlaev (up to 51 kilograms);
🏅Maxim Kuznetsov (up to 54 kilograms);
🏅Andrey Peglivanyan (up to 57 kilograms);
🏅Ilya Popov (up to 63.5 kilograms);
🏅Sergey Sergeyev (up to 75 kilograms);
🏅Beshto Shavlaev (up to 80 kilograms);
🏅Vadim Shcheblykin (up to 86 kilograms).

🥈Silver medals were awarded to Karen Solovyev (in the category up to 67 kilograms), Sergey Koldenkov (up to 75 kilograms), and Ramazan Khanapiev (up to 92 kilograms). Bronze medals went to Arshak Tovmasyan (up to 60 kilograms) and Zhavyzh Surov (over 92 kilograms).

The BRICS Games are taking place from June 12 to 24. About five thousand athletes from more than 90 countries are participating, competing for 387 sets of medals.

As Vladimir Putin said in his address at the opening ceremony, the games will become another symbol of expanding intercultural dialogue, a significant contribution to strengthening the friendship of peoples and productive interaction between states.

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The USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier is heading to the Middle East to replace USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and continue the US presence in the region, USNI News reports.

Earlier, US officials reportedly ordered the Dwight Eisenhower aircraft carrier to return home after the news about explosions heard near the vessel.

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

🔸 Learn how Russia tried to peacefully coexist with NATO

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🔸 Outpost to wage war? Сomprehending US military presence on Guam

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

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US-led coalition launches drone from Iraq, killing multiple Syrian nationals

A MQ-1C multipurpose drone of the US-led international coalition, launched from Iraqi territory, has hit a truck in Syria, killing and injuring multiple Syrian nationals, Yurii Popov, the deputy head of the Russian Defense Ministry's Center for Reconciliation of Opposing Sides in Syria, said.

"At about 10:30 p.m. [19:30 GMT] on June 21, a MQ-1C multipurpose drone of the so-called 'international anti-terrorist coalition,' from Iraqi airspace, without violating Syrian airspace, struck a truck moving in the area of ​​​​the city of Abu Kamal. Syrian citizens have been killed and injured as a result of the attack," Popov said.

The US-led coalition has violated the deconfliction protocols eight times over the past 24 hours, the Russian official also said. Furthermore, a total of 11 violations by a pair of F-15 fighter jets, a pair of Typhoon fighter jets, three pairs of A-10 Thunderbolt attack aircraft and an MQ-9 Reaper drone of the US-led coalition were recorded in the Al-Tanf area during the day, Popov added.

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Hezbollah published a footage of the strategic coordinates of Israeli targets to be hit in the case of war with Lebanon.

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Houthis, Iraqi Militia attacked Israeli-linked ships in Haifa, Mediterranean sea

Yemen's rebel Ansar Allah movement, also known as the Houthis, said that together with a Shia militant alliance known as the Islamic Resistance in Iraq attacked five ships linked to Israel in the port of Haifa and the Mediterranean Sea.

"The Yemeni armed forces carried out two operations using drones together with the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, targeting five ships in the port of Haifa and the Mediterranean Sea. During the first operation, four ships were attacked in the port of Haifa … for violating the ban on entering the ports of occupied Palestine," the movement said in a statement, adding that all the ships were attacked on Saturday.

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Russian air defense has destroyed 12 Ukrainian drones over the Bryansk region in an hour, the region's governor Alexander Bogomaz said.

"Within an hour, twelve unmanned aerial vehicles of the airplane type were destroyed. Two drones - over the Trubchevsky district, eight drones were shot down over the territory of the Brasovsky district, two were destroyed over the Pochepsky district," he wrote."

According to Bogomaz, there were no casualties or damage.

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Kuwait urges its nationals to leave Lebanon amid escalation with Israel

The Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry has called on all Kuwaiti citizens to leave Lebanon as soon as possible over the recent escalation with Israel, the Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) reported.

In light of this, all Kuwaiti citizens staying in Lebanon must leave the country as soon as possible for their own safety, unless they hold it for absolutely necessary to stay, the ministry said.

Following the announcement, Kuwait Airways carrier said it was increasing the number of seats on flights to Beirut to accommodate all those wishing to leave Lebanon.

The situation on the Israeli-Lebanese border worsened after the start of hostilities between Israel and Palestinian movement Hamas in October 2023. The Israeli army and Lebanese Hezbollah fighters, who support Palestine in the conflict with Israel, have regularly exchanged fire across the border since then. On Tuesday, Israel said it approved and validated operational plans for an offensive in Lebanon.

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