❗️Criminal cases have been initiated under the article on terrorism in connection with armed attacks in Russia's Derbent and Makhachkala, the Investigative Committee reported.

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Upgraded Russia–North Korea strategic partnership sends West ‘strong challenge’

Russia's newly-signed Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement with North Korea should be seen as "a strong signal to the West," the Associated Press warned.

Dissecting the agreement’s clause on military aid between the two countries, it stated that it “marked the strongest link between Moscow and Pyongyang since the end of the Cold War."

In NATO’s proxy conflict over Ukraine, Russia is prepared to “challenge Western interests like never before,” stated the publication.

It acknowledged that Moscow "has nothing to lose," and is prepared to go “to the end” to achieve its goals in Ukraine.

Article 4 of the DPRK-Russia Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership states: "If one of the Parties is subjected to an armed attack by any state or several states and thus finds itself in a state of war, the other Party will immediately provide military and other assistance with all means at its disposal.”

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Two terrorists were allegedly killed in the Russian Makhachkala

Their bodies are lying right on the street.

Clashes in the city continue.

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Sevastopol picked for Ukraine terror attack because it is core of anti-Nazi resistance – expert

💬 "The ballistic missile was fired at maximum range at Sevastopol, because the city is iconic for [Russians]. They chose the Holy Trinity Sunday [for the attack]. They often do this when people gather," Vasily Dandykin, military analyst and retired Captain 1st Rank of the Russian Navy, told Sputnik, commenting on Ukraine's terror attack against Russian civilians.

On June 23, Ukraine attacked the Russian city of Sevastopol with five US-made ATACMS missiles armed with cluster warheads. Russian air defenses intercepted four missiles, but the fifth exploded in the air killing at least five civilians and injuring 124, according to Russia's Health Ministry.

"This is an outright terrorist attack," Dandykin said. "Unfortunately, it's not the last one… Previously it was Storm Shadow, now it will mainly be ATACMS."

ATACMS cluster warheads release hundreds of submunitions, hence the number of victims, according to the pundit. The 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) bans the weapons as they pose an immediate threat to civilians. Dandykin said that the US and Kiev are seeking to intimidate Russians and sow panic, but stressed that those efforts were futile.

"Sevastopol is a long-suffering city," he said. "This city is special for Russia's history. It was in Sevastopol that the Crimean Spring began as well as resistance to those who carried out a [2014] coup in Ukraine and openly took the path of Nazism."

The Russian Ministry of Defense holds the US and the Kiev regime responsible for the deliberate missile strike on Sevastopol, as all targeting data for ATACMS missiles are provided to Ukraine by US specialists.

Dandykin added that Ukraine also attacked Russian territories on June 22, on the Day of Remembrance and Sorrow for the Nazi invasion of the USSR in 1941, with tacit approval from the US. "Their cynicism is indefinite," he charged.

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How should Russia respond to Ukraine's terror attack on civilians in Sevastopol?

💬 "We must give an adequate answer," Igor Korotchenko, editor in chief of National Defense magazine, told Sputnik, commenting on Ukraine latest terror attack on Sevastopol. "Attacks targeting key facilities of the energy structure of Ukraine – which ensures the stability of the rear of the Ukrainian Armed Forces – and their complete destruction should be carried out."

The latest missile attack has clearly demonstrated that Washington and Kiev snub all Russia's warnings and "red lines", according to Korotchenko.

On June 23, at 12:15 pm local time, Ukraine attacked the Russian city of Sevastopol with five US-made ATACMS missiles armed with cluster warheads. Russian air defenses intercepted four missiles, but the explosion of the fifth cluster warhead killed at least five civilians and wounded 124, including 27 children, according to the Russian Ministry of Health.

"The second thing that needs to be done is to establish a no-fly zone in the airspace over waters of the Black Sea, from which UK and US strategic reconnaissance drones are patrolling the territory of Crimea. These targets should be destroyed without reacting to possible statements and screams from London and Washington," Korotchenko stressed.

The Russian Ministry of Defense holds the US and the Kiev regime responsible for the deliberate missile strike on Sevastopol's civilians, as all targeting data for ATACMS missiles are provided to Ukraine by US specialists. The attack will not go unanswered, the ministry emphasized.

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⚡️Six law enforcement officers were killed, 12 were wounded in the Russian republic of Dagestan, the regional Ministry of Internal Affairs told Sputnik

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The head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, on the terrorist attack in Dagestan: what happened looks like a vile provocation and an attempt to cause discord between faiths.

At the same time, the head of Russian Republic of Ingushetia said that today's events in Sevastopol and Dagestan are links in the same chain, the enemies are trying to destabilize the situation within the country.

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Sevastopol attack reflects US pattern of war crimes – Iranian expert

"The US and some Western countries impose their political will through war crimes against their opponents,” Iranian international relations expert Emad Abshenas told Sputnik, commenting on the Ukrainian attack on Russia’s Sevastopol with American-made weapons.

“The supply of American ATACMS missiles to Ukraine, the permission to use them against Russian territory, and the guidance of these missiles by American satellites all indicate that the US aims to cause as much damage to civilians as possible," Abshenas said.

He likened the tragedy to war crimes the US committed in Vietnam, Korea, Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya. “It can also be related to what is happening today in Gaza. Every time the Americans realize they are losing on the battlefield, they show that they do not care about international law. In such a situation, they are willing to resort to killing civilians," Abshenas added.

In that context, Abshenas argued, "Russia has the right to supply arms to opponents of the West."

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What is known so far about the attacks in Russian Derbent and Makhachkala:

◻️ In Derbent and Makhachkala, two Orthodox churches, a synagogue, and a traffic police post were attacked, the National Anti-Terrorism Committee reported.

◻️ Six police officers were killed and 12 were wounded, the Ministry of Internal Affairs stated.

◻️ A priest in Derbent and a church security guard in Makhachkala were killed, said Shamil Khadulaev, chairman of the Public Monitoring Commission of the Russian Republic of Dagestan.

◻️ In Makhachkala, unknown persons opened fire at a traffic police post.

◻️ The clash continues in Makhachkala; a police patrol car was set on fire.

◻️ In Derbent, a synagogue and a church burned down after an attack by militants, the Ministry of Internal Affairs for Dagestan reported.

◻️ The “Interception” plan was announced in Dagestan. The identities of the attackers are being established.

◻️ Two militants have been eliminated, and the work of security forces continues, the regional Ministry of Internal Affairs reported.

◻️ An operational headquarters has been created, reported the head of the region, Sergey Melikov.

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Footage from a Sputnik correspondent from Russia's Makhachkala. Automatic shotgun firing sounds are heard

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Sevastopol attack a desperate response to Russian president’s peace initiative

Lebanese expert Samir Ayoub, specializing in Russian affairs, said that the Ukrainian attack on Sevastopol could be seen as a response to Russian President Vladimir Putin's peace initiative and an attempt to recover from battlefield losses.

“This terrorist act shows that the support of the US and Europe for the Kiev regime, and their justification of its actions, encourages it to commit such attacks,” Ayoub told Sputnik. “It’s not just an assault but a reply to the Russian president's peace offers, as well as compensation for the defeats inflicted by the Russian army on the Ukrainians in battles.”

According to Ayoub, Russia’s response to this attack might include strikes “on sensitive targets and decision-making centers in Kiev” and an “expansion of Russian control over territories to create a security buffer around Russian cities.”

Discussing potential developments, Ayoub suggested that events could lead to a “return to negotiations based on Russian proposals,” and if escalation continues, Ukraine might disintegrate as a state.

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Crimes in Russia's Derbent and Makhachkala are an attempt to weaken the consolidation of society in a multinational republic, said the head of the government of Dagestan.

He promised that whatever forces were behind these heinous acts would be punished with the utmost severity.

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❗️The Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Republic of Dagestan reports the liquidation of four militants in Makhachkala.

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◻️ Sevastopol picked for Ukraine terror attack because it is core of anti-Nazi resistance – expert

◻️ Ukraine's ATACMS were targeted to pass over crowded place, coordinated by US drone

◻️ Scott Bennett: Sevastopol beach attack with US ATACMS missiles is a crime against humanity

◻️ What is known so far about the attacks in Russian Derbent and Makhachkala

◻️ ‘Late-to-the-party suicide drill’: Ex-DoD expert slams scheme to upgrade antiquated B-52s with nukes

◻️ ‘Humiliated’ Pentagon ‘miscalculated’ floating Gaza aid pier pounded by rough seas

◻️ Why Article 5 won't provide guaranteed defense for Ukraine if it joins NATO

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❗️ Unknown gunmen opened fire at a police vehicle on a town square in the village of Sergokala in the Russian Republic of Dagestan, the press service of the Dagestan Interior Ministry reported.

One officer was wounded, according to preliminary information.

The town is 65 kilometers south of the city of Makhachkala, where today's terrorist attack took place.

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❗️ As clashes with militants continue in Russia's city of Derbent, the head of the police department of Dagestan was seriously wounded after arriving to provide assistance, the republic's Interior Ministry said.

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The head of the Dagestan Ogni police department, who arrived to provide assistance in Derbent and was seriously wounded, has died, the Dagestan Interior Ministry reported.

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The head of Russian Dagestan's Sergokala district, Magomed Omarov, whose sons may have been involved in the terrorist attacks, is being interrogated, a source in the republic's law enforcement agencies told Sputnik.

"Magomed Omarov has been detained and is under interrogation; according to preliminary information his sons were among the militants who carried out the terrorist attacks," the source said.

A Sputnik source in the republic's leadership said Omarov would be removed from his position.

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A synagogue was also attacked in Russia's city of Makhachkala, as was one in Derbent, Jewish religious organizations told Sputnik.

No injuries have been reported in the terrorist attack on the synagogue in Makhachkala, the city's rabbi said.

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The total number of people injured after a Ukrainian missile attack on the Russian city of Sevastopol has increased to 151, with 82 of them remaining hospitalized, the city's governor Mikhail Razvozhayev said.

Previously it was reported that 144 people suffered injuries of varying severity, with 82 of them hospitalized (55 adults and 27 children). Four people have died.

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❗️ Two gunmen were neutralized in Russia’s city of Derbent, the National Anti-Terrorist Committee (NAC) reported.

The active phase of the counter-terrorist operation in Derbent is over, the agency said.

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