◾️ Wikileaks founder and free speech activist Julian Assange freed, heads back to Australia

◾️ Double standards: Russia’s envoy slams UN response to deadly Ukrainian attack on Sevastopol

◾️ Russia to start downing US recon drones over Black Sea after Sevastopol attack – retired security analyst

◾️ Gaza Strip facing famine, half a million to starve, says UN

For more stories, check out the following:

◾️ Slovakian Deputy Speaker: West losing on all fronts against Russia - militarily, morally, and politically, as ‘warmongers’, neoliberals suffer defeat at home

◾️ US President Joe Biden designates Kenya as key non-NATO ally of Washington

◾️ Is Netanyahu trying to swap Biden for Trump?

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❗️ Indian PM Narenda Modi's visit to Russia is being prepared, dates to be announced by the parties in agreement, presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said

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💬 Margarita Simonyan, the editor-in-chief of Sputnik's parent media group, Rossiya Segodnya, spoke about Julian Assange's motivation and congratulated him on his release from prison:

"Once we were chatting, as we wandered through the woods outside London, leaving our phones in the house (Julian knew that Big Brother was listening to everyone way before anyone else believed it), and I asked him why he was doing all this, since he would be hunted down, corralled, destroyed - both reputationally and physically. "I just can't stand being lied to," Assange replied. Today, he is free for the first time in years. Almost free. Despite the horrific price, I am awfully happy. The best journalist of our time will live," Simonyan wrote on her Telegram channel.

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Key points about the release of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange:

◻️ Assange will be released after a judge signs a deal between the journalist and the US Justice Department during a hearing on the island of Saipan, the wife of the WikiLeaks founder said;

◻️ The journalist's release was announced by Wikileaks itself, preceded by media reports that he was preparing to cut a deal with US prosecutors;

◻️ According to court documents, Assange conceded to only one charge - conspiracy to obtain and disclose information on national defense;

◻️ According to American TV stations, the court will sentence Assange to five years, meaning the time he has already served in a British prison will count toward his sentence;

◻️ The plane carrying Assange will stop in Bangkok for refueling before heading to the Northern Mariana Islands;

◻️ Assange will appear in person in court there on the island of Saipan, for a hearing scheduled for 9 am local time (11pm GMT);

◻️ The journalist's wife has announced her intention to open an emergency fund to restore the activist's health in the near future;

◻️ US presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. labeled the incident as “bad news” since “he had to plea[d] guilty to conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defense info”. He argued that this signified a “horrifying precedent” where the US government has “dealt a big blow to freedom of the press”.

◻️ Former US presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy shares that same viewpoint. He believes what happened is “a desperate Biden gambit for libertarian votes”.

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What the media is saying about Assange's release:

◾️ New York Times: Top officials at the Justice Department accepted an agreement with no additional prison time because Mr. Assange had already served longer than most people charged with a similar offense

◾️ Sydney Morning Herald: The apparent deal follows determined lobbying by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who raised the Assange case in his meetings with US President Joe Biden

◾️ Wall Street Journal: The plea deal offers a neat solution to what was becoming an increasing political headache for the US government

◾️ Telegraph: The decision to allow Mr Assange to leave jail without facing spying charges in the US follows years of wrangling between at least four countries over his case [US, UK, Australia and Ecuador]

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📹 Trolling the West: Houthis mark Uraza al-Fitr with fireworks on captured Israeli ship Galaxy Leader

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Pact with North Korea warning to adherents of military solutions to regional problems - Russian Deputy Foreign Minister

Key points from Sputnik's interview with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko:

◻️ Russia is anticipating the imminent signing of a detailed cooperation agreement with Iran, with the finalization of the text still in progress.

◻️ North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's visit to Russia will take place once "all the necessary conditions are right" and the groundwork for signing documents has been set.

◻️ The Russia-North Korea agreement serves as a warning to countries considering military solutions to regional issues. It is important to note that the treaty is not directed against South Korea or any other third countries.

◻️ Moscow hopes that Seoul will calmly embrace the agreement between Russia and North Korea, and that a sound approach to relations with Moscow will prevail.

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A state of emergency has been introduced in the Olkhovatsky district of the Russian Voronezh region. Earlier, the governor said that “explosive objects” detonated there after a drone attack.

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"Approaching Bangkok airport for layover. Moving closer to freedom," Wikileaks' X account says.

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Ukraine’s NATO entry gamble bound to be 'distant, unlikely prospect,' despite Zelensky's pleas

Ukraine’s potential future in NATO remains a distant prospect, according to an article in The National Interest.

“Ukraine all but certainly won’t be able to join the transatlantic alliance as long as hostilities with Russia continue,” wrote Stavros Atlamazoglou.

The very reason why Kiev has been persistently banging on NATO’s door is also what stands in the way of its membership - Article 5, underscored the journalist. No matter how much support the US and its allies might extend to Ukraine, the alliance will seek to “avoid immediate involvement” in the ongoing hostilities, it was stressed.

Despite Article 5, or the common defense clause, requiring every NATO country to come to the aid of another alliance member under attack by a state or non-state actor, is “not an automatic reaction,” he clarified.

The US-led transatlantic bloc “would have to assess the situation first.”
Ukraine should not expect any breakthrough to happen on the issue at the upcoming July NATO summit in Washington, concluded the author of the publication.

Russia has repeatedly stressed that it considers Ukraine's continued non-aligned status vital to ending the years-long conflict. On June 14, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia would halt its military operation and begin negotiations with Ukraine as soon as Kiev ordered troops out of the Russia-controlled territories and abandoned plans to join NATO.

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Podolyak's comments on Sevastopol attack mirror Nazi propaganda - Russian Foreign Ministry

Advisor to the Ukrainian President's Office, Mykhailo Podolyak, stated that there are no beaches, tourist areas, or signs of peaceful life in Crimea, and that the entire peninsula is a military target.

"This is a hundred percent replica of the Nazi concept of cleansing Crimea during World War II. Today, they have added American weapons and the methodology of modern international terrorism, but the core remains the same - Nazism," said Maria Zakharova, a representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

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In the case of the crash of an Il-76 aircraft in the Belgorod region of Russia, the Investigative Committee (IC) has compiled a body of evidence confirming the involvement of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF), according to the IC.

The aircraft was hit by a Patriot missile, with the explosion occurring in front of the crew cabin on the left along the flight path, the IC stated.

The investigation has information regarding which UAF units possess Patriots. Efforts to identify specific personnel involved in organising the attack are ongoing in collaboration with the Ministry of Defence.

The leadership of the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine (GUR) and the UAF were aware of preparations for a prisoner exchange involving those aboard the crashed Il-76 but nonetheless issued orders to strike the aircraft carrying 65 Ukrainian citizens, the IC stated. 

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📹 Video footage of Assange arriving in Bangkok. From there, he will travel to the island of Saipan, where he is expected to be released after trial.

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💬 The latest statements by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov:

◾️ Russia sees no opportunities for normalizing dialogue with the West on Ukraine.

◾️ President Vladimir Putin remains ready for dialog with French President Emmanuel Macron, especially on Ukraine.

◾️ France initiated of the complete winding up of relations between Russia and France. Moscow considers this decision short-sighted.

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❗️ The Pre-Trial Chamber of the International Criminal Court has issued warrants for the "arrest" of former Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the Russian General Staff Valery Gerasimov over the situation in Ukraine

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Assange's wife urged the public to monitor the journalist's flight in US airspace in case "something goes wrong."

"Julian Assange's flight VJ199 landed in Bangkok and will soon take off again and fly into US airspace where he will appear before a US judge. Please follow [the] Assange jet, we need all eyes on his flight in case something goes wrong," she posted on X.

The Northern Mariana Islands, where the journalist's case will be heard, has the status of an unincorporated US territory.

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❗️ Russia, in response to restrictions on Russian media, is restricting access to transmissions by a number of broadcasters in the European Union, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

If the sanctions against Russian media are lifted, Moscow will also review its retaliatory restrictive measures, the ministry added.

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Protests against tax hikes have been ongoing for several days in Kenya: at least two people have died and dozens have been injured.

Authorities have announced that they will revoke unpopular measures, including a 16% VAT on bread and a 2.5% tax on motor vehicles. Despite the government's readiness for dialogue, protests persist.

The Russian embassy told Sputnik that there's been no inquiry from Russians so far, and there have been no reported Russian casualties. However, diplomats describe the overall situation as highly tense.

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Top 15 European news channels facing tit-for-tat ban in Russia:

▪️ Politico
▪️ Agence France-Presse
▪️ Agence Europe
▪️ Der Spiegel (Germany)
▪️ El Mundo (Spain)
▪️ El Pais (Spain)
▪️ La Repubblica (Italy)
▪️ Le Monde (France)
▪️ Radio France (France)
▪️ Osterreich (Austria)
▪️ SVT (Sweden)
▪️ Belsat (Poland)
▪️ Yleisradio (Finland)
▪️ LRT (Lithuania)
▪️ ERR (Estonia)

The full list of 81 media outlets was published on the website of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

The ministry promised that if the restrictions on Russian media are lifted, the Russian side will also reconsider its decision.

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🇹🇷🇷🇺 Erdogan has held phone talks with Putin, the presidents discussed the terrorist attacks in Dagestan, the Turkish leader's office said

The sides agreed to continue coordinating actions in the anti-terrorist area, the Kremlin said.

In addition, the leaders agreed on further contacts, including at the SCO summit in Astana on July 3-4.

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❗️ Protesters in Kenya broke into parliament in Nairobi, fire started in part of building - reports

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