Western politicians did not show interest or contacted Russia on peace initiatives, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Sputnik

During his recent talks with Russian President Putin in Moscow, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban stated that Hungary will soon, apparently, "become the only country in Europe that can talk to everyone," in regard to the Ukrainian conflict resolution.

“There are very few countries now that can talk to both sides of the conflict," the Hungarian PM said.

In June, the Russian president announced a number of proposals for peaceful settlement in Ukraine, including reaching a complete conflict cessation instead of freezing the one.

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What did Russian specialists find out after studying US-made ATACMS missile?

Luck is smiling on Russia's military specialists, as their search for various elements of the ATACMS has resulted in a new discovery. Russian experts recently got hold of the submunition of the missile used by Ukraine to attack Russian citizens and civilian infrastructure.

After a thorough examination, the specialists revealed some of its characteristics and capabilities. Here's a brief overview of what we know so far:

▪️ ATACMS has 275 M74 cluster submunitions;

▪️ The warhead cassette opens about 200 meters above the ground;

▪️ It explodes upon direct impact with the surface or the application of physical pressure;

▪️ It cannot be moved, as it is likely to go off at any moment, even if it doesn't explode immediately after dropping;

▪️The fragments can be scattered in a radius of 20 meters;

▪️ It has a smaller fragmentation field and a lower hit probability, but the lethality of the fragments is an immense threat;

▪️ It has a high fallout density, as its elements fall within 5 meters of each other;

▪️ The total fallout area covers 400 square meters, making it impossible to hide;

▪️ The warhead was originally developed for an anti-ship missile, but was later installed on the ATACMS missile;

▪️ The guidance system has three ring laser gyroscopes;

▪️ There is a GPS antenna that corrects its ballistic trajectory.

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📸 Watch as instant karma catches up with a robber who tried to escape from a warehouse in Florida, USA

The moment the hapless thief fell from the sky through the ceiling while trying to escape was filmed by police officers who came to arrest him.

Tyvarius Mattison, 34, had reportedly stolen tens of thousands of dollars worth of clothing and shoes in the past.

This time, he apparently tried to carry so much that the floorboards wouldn't hold it.

Video: Social Media

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🇨🇳 🇧🇾 China-Belarus joint anti-terrorism drills to be held in Belarus — Belarusian Defense Ministry

The Chinese military has already arrived in Belarus to participate in the exercise scheduled for July 8-19, the country's Defense Ministry reported.

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🇷🇺 🇮🇷 Vladimir Putin has sent a message of congratulations to Masoud Pezeshkian, Iran's president-elect

The Russian leader noted that relations between the two countries are of a friendly, good-neighborly nature, and they effectively coordinate their efforts in resolving pressing issues on the international agenda.

"I hope that your activity in the presidential post will contribute to the further development of constructive bilateral cooperation in all areas for the benefit of our friendly peoples, in the interests of strengthening regional security and stability.

I wish you success, good health and well-being."

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📹 Watch Russian military destroy Ukrainian S-300 SAM position in Ukraine’s Poltava region

The strike by the Iskander-M system destroyed two launchers, a combat control room, a vehicle transport and personnel of Ukraine's anti-aircraft missile units, the ministry said.

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🇨🇳 Devastating tornado strikes China's Shandong province, leaving one dead and 79 injured

The damage caused by the natural disaster is still being assessed, reports said.

Shandong has an average of 1.5 tornadoes per year, according to the China National Climate Center.

Video: Social Media

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❗️Russian forces hit the Ukrainian Air Force's Martynovka airfield in the Nikolayev region; an explosion damaged an airplane, Sergei Lebedev, coordinator of the Nikolayev underground movement, told Sputnik

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❗️Russia's Tsentr Battlegroup has liberated the village of Sokol in the Donetsk People's Republic, the Defense Ministry said

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Freudian slip or candid confession? Biden dazzles with wit at campaign event

"By the way, I couldn't ponder! Ugh, I guess I shouldn't say it. By the way, I couldn't be prouder!"

Well, at least he's fair.

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❗️Units of Russia's Sever Battlegroup hit troops and equipment of four Ukrainian brigades and repelled five attacks during the day, according to the Ministry of Defense.

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

▪️Ukrainian losses amounted to 650 soldiers in the area of responsibility of the Yug Battlegroup in a day;

▪️The Zapad Battlegroup occupied more advantageous positions and defeated the formations of eight Ukrainian brigades;

▪️The Russian Army destroyed two Ukrainian S-300PS air defense missile launchers and hit Ukrainian storage facility;

▪️Ukrainian losses amounted to 415 soldiers and three infantry fighting vehicles, including a Bradley, in the area of responsibility of the Tsentr Battlegroup;

▪️The daily losses of Ukrainian troops in the area of responsibility of the Zapad Battlegroup amounted to 540 soldiers;

▪️Russian air defenses shot down three Storm Shadow missiles, a HARM missile and three HIMARS missiles in one day.

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'Broken promises' fed voters' rage ahead of UK elections - media

The victory of Britain’s Labour Party at the ballot on Friday was driven by profound disillusionment and anger in the population, according to Politico.

It was “broken promises and broken trust” by successive Tory governments that spurred, in effect, a protest vote, the publication speculated.

The UK has witnessed a dizzying turnover of leaders at No 10 in past months, presenting a bleak picture.

▪️The UK’s eagerness to pump funds into the West’s proxy war in Ukraine helped drive inflation to a 40-year high in 2022.

▪️The economy shrank 0.1% between July and September last year, and then by another 0.3% between October and December, signaling a recession at the end of 2023.

▪️Backfiring anti-Russian sanctions imposed by the West resulted in accelerated inflation, prompting energy prices to soar, hitting household finances.

▪️Lackluster growth was prevalent, with gross domestic product (GDP) per capita increasing by 4.3% from 2007 to 2023, according to research by the Resolution Foundation.

▪️Living costs surged, with food prices about 31% higher than they were three years ago, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

▪️Wages in the UK have stagnated for 15 years after adjusting for inflation.

▪️Food bank use has almost doubled in a span of five years.

▪️The National Health Service has a backlog of 7.6 million cases.

▪️Poor road maintenance resulted in vehicle breakdowns growing by 9% in the last year due to potholes, the RAC reported.

▪️Prisons are filled beyond operating capacity.

▪️40% of England’s universities are expected to run budget deficits this year, a report by the Office for Students (OfS) stated.

▪️A surge in irregular migration via small boats crossing the English Channel from Europe was at an all-time high in 2022, and the Tory government’s Rwanda policy and the Illegal Migration Act have been costly failures.

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❗️EXCLUSIVE❗️What will Iran's foreign policy be under the new President Pezeshkian?

Masoud Pezeshkian, the newly elected president of Iran, spoke to Sputnik on the eve of the election about the main priorities of Iran’s foreign policy: strengthening relations with Russia and China, Iran’s active presence in BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, restoration of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and the lifting of sanctions.

🔸“Russia is a friend and partner of Iran, and I consider it a priority to deepen and expand relations with Russia and China, as well as intensify foreign policy activities in the Asian direction in general. And we, of course, at all levels – bilateral, regional and international – will continue our efforts to expand interaction with the Russian Federation.”

🔸“Iran opposes the policy of unidirectionality and is a supporter of the principle of multipolarity. In addition, one of the priorities of my foreign policy program is regional cooperation, and for this purpose, Iran will expand its presence in BRICS and the SCO, as well as strive for more active cooperation with the Eurasian Economic Union to more fully realize the potential of trade and economic relations with the member countries of these organizations."

🔸“The JCPOA is an international agreement approved by the UN. The American withdrawal from this agreement was unilateral, and this caused serious damage to Iran and the Iranian people. As the Russian side has repeatedly emphasized, Iran has fulfilled its obligations, and we see our task as returning the other participants to this agreement as soon as possible and achieving the lifting of sanctions. I am confident that the friendly governments of Russia and China will support Iran and assist it in resolving this issue.”

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🇷🇺🇮🇷 Russia and Iran have completed the merger of the Mir and Shetab payment systems, said the head of the Central Bank of Iran.

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🇭🇺 Hungarian PM Viktor Orban, who recently visited Kiev and Moscow, announced his intention to hold several “equally unexpected” meetings next week.

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'Kill-crazy' foreign mercs in Ukraine bragged about executing Russian PoWs – report

Foreign mercenaries fighting on the side of the Kiev regime reveled in executing Russian prisoners, the New York Times has reported.

The killings are believed to have been carried out by members of the so-called “Chosen company” incorporated with Ukraine’s Armed Forces. One incident from August 2023 was described to the outlet by a witness, the unit’s medic, a German called Caspar Grosse.

Grosse said that a wounded and unarmed Russian soldier seeking medical help from his foreign captors was shot in cold blood. First one mercenary shot the Russian in the torso, and then, as he slumped still breathing, another soldier “just shot him in the head,” Grosse recalled.

In another episode, a Chosen company fighter “threw a grenade at a surrendering Russian soldier who had raised his hands, killing him,” the outlet stated, referencing reviewed drone footage. It was added that the Ukrainian military had published a video of this episode but edited out the surrender moment.

Militants from the company of foreign hirelings and thrill-seekers reportedly talked freely about the murders of prisoners of war in group chats.

At the center of all these three incidents was reportedly a Greek mercenary with callsign Zeus who bragged “a thousand times” about killing the surrendering Russian, claimed Grosse.

Around 3,100 mercenaries continue to fight for the Kiev regime, the head of the Russian Investigative Committee Alexander Bastrykin said in April. Moscow has stressed that regardless of their status, military officials or mercenaries “represent a legitimate target for our armed forces."

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🇭🇺 Hungarian PM Viktor Orban spoke about the details of his visit to Moscow:

▪️ He called the search for a solution to the Ukrainian conflict his “Christian duty,” albeit with possible consequences for himself in the West;

▪️ Information about the preparation of the visit to Moscow was kept secret, because “communications means are under total surveillance by the big guys”;

▪️The order to prepare the meeting two days before was “secretly” transferred to the Hungarian Foreign Ministry;

▪️Information was leaked only at the moment when a request was made for the aircraft to fly through Polish space;

▪️The Hungarian PM noted that the visit was dictated by the interests of the world and his country;

▪️At the meeting he directly asked three questions: are peaceful negotiations on the Ukrainian conflict possible; is a ceasefire realistic before they begin; and what could the security architecture of Europe look like;

▪️Orban stated that he received answers to these questions, the conversation lasted about three hours;

▪️The negotiations were not a new experience for him, since he had met with Putin before.

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