The Russian military officer, whom Ukrainian intelligence attempted to recruit in order to commit a terrorist attack on the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov, tells his story.

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Islamic Resistance of Iraq released footage of a drone launching towards targets near Eilat, Israel

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❗️The US and its allies are currently sending F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, which will arrive in Kiev this summer, stated Blinken.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov previously stated that Moscow would interpret any potential transfer of nuclear-capable F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine as a deliberate signal from NATO in the realm of nuclear issues.

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The withdrawal of the IDF from the border area between the Gaza Strip and Egypt as part of the deal to release hostages held by Hamas is not ruled out if arms smuggling is stopped, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has said.

"A solution is needed that will stop smuggling attempts and cut off potential supply routes for Hamas, as well as allow for the withdrawal of Israel Defense Forces from the corridor as part of the hostage release deal," Gallant said during a meeting with White House Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa Brett McGurk, as quoted by the Defense Ministry.

Gallant also told the US official that Israel supports reopening of a checkpoint in Rafah but will not tolerate return of Hamas to the area, the ministry said.

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There can be no talk of Ukraine's NATO membership, because this would mean direct conflict between the alliance and Russia, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has warned.

The danger of Kiev joining NATO is understood by everyone in their right mind, the Hungarian FM insisted.

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🎥 Mutual military might: Chinese troops take part in joint anti-terror drills with Belarus

The said anti-terrorist exercises are being held at the Brest training ground, which is situated 30 km from the border with Poland and approximately 40 km from the Ukrainian boundary.

The exercises will continue until July 19 and are intended to establish the groundwork for joint troop training between the two republics.

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Pride of the Russian Fleet: What to know about Russia’s Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier

The FSB has foiled an attempt by Ukrainian spies to recruit a Russian serviceman to carry out a terrorist attack on the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier.

The Kuznetsov, currently docked in Murmansk for modernization, is the pride of the Northern Fleet, the flagship of the Navy and the only aircraft carrier in Russia’s arsenal.

◾️ Laid down in 1982 and commissioned in 1991, the Kuznetsov is an upgrade of the Project 1143 Kiev-class of warships — the USSR’s first fixed-wing-carrying aircraft carriers, officially known as ‘heavy aircraft cruisers’.

◾️ The Kuznetsov is 305 m long, displaces up to 59,100t, can make of 29 knots, has an 8,500 nautical mile range and a 45-day endurance.

◾️ Her 1,960-man crew have duties from servicing and operating the ship’s air group — which includes 630 personnel manning and maintaining up to 50 jets and helicopters, including Su-33, Su-25UTG or MiG-29K jets and Ka-31 and Ka-27 helicopters — to operating systems including radar, comms and electronic warfare equipment, P-700 Granit anti-ship missiles, 3K95 Kinzhal SAMs, Kashtan CIWS, AK-630 AA guns and the Udav ASW system.

◾️ The Kuznetsov carried out her only combat mission from November 2016 to January 2017, launching 420 sorties against 1,252 terrorist targets in Syria. She made six other distant-water voyages, five in the Mediterranean and one in the North Atlantic, between 1995 and 2014.

◾️ While the Kuznetsov is the only surviving ship of her kind in Russia’s arsenal today, others from her class have boosted the navies of Russia’s BRICS partners. India bought the Project 1143 Admiral Gorshkov from Russia in 2004, modernizing and commissioning her as the INS Vikramaditya in 2013. China bought the Varyag, an unfinished Project 1143.5 ship, from Ukraine in 1998, finishing and modernizing her in 2012 and naming her the Liaoning, and using the blueprints to build China’s first-ever domestically made carrier – the Shandong – in 2019.

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German AfD party agrees to form small faction in European Parliament - media

The Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has agreed with several parties from other EU countries to form a small right-wing faction called "Europe of Sovereign Nations" in the European Parliament, according to Welt.

"The AfD delegation in the European Parliament has decided to form a new faction, according to WELT information. The faction will include 28 deputies from nine countries, with half of them from the AfD," reports Welt.

In addition to the AfD, the faction will include the following parties: Eric Zemmour's French "Reconquête," Poland's "Konfederacja," Bulgaria's "Vazrazhdane," Spain's Se Acabó La Fiesta party, the Czech "SPD," Slovakia's "Republika" party, Hungary's "Mi Hazánk Mozgalom," and Lithuania's "People and Justice Union."

The faction is expected to be officially formed on Wednesday evening.

Previously, another right-wing faction called "Patriots for Europe," founded among others by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, was formed in the European Parliament. This faction has become the third largest in the European Parliament with 84 deputies.

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What's behind ambitious Russo-Chinese Moon station program?

Russia is pushing ahead with plans to install a nuclear power plant on the surface of the Moon for a joint Russo-Chinese lunar project.

Roscosmos General Director Yuri Borisov has flown to the People's Republic, where he is due to discuss with the endeavor with the Chinese space agency.

🔸 Roscosmos, Russia’s State Corporation for Space Activities, announced a joint scientific lunar station project with China in March 2023. In 2021 Moscow and Beijing signed an intergovernmental agreement on joint lunar exploration.

🔸 To ensure the uninterrupted functioning of the station, the sides decided to use nuclear energy. A lunar day lasts 27 Earth days, and for half of this time sunlight does not reach the surface of the Moon, maing solar panels unviable.

🔸 A nuclear reactor designed to power the international lunar station would be initially tested on Earth, Borisov told reporters in May.

🔸 Russia is planning to install the reactor on the Moon in the 2030s. The mission will be unmanned and automated, using robots to avoid radiation risks, according to Roscosmos.

🔸 "The lunar station's task… would be to conduct multidisciplinary, multi-purpose research work to study the Moon and to use it," Deputy General Director of Roscosmos Sergei Savelyev told the Federation Council Committee meeting in June.

🔸 On June 25, China's Chang'e-6 robotic lunar exploration lander returned to Earth with the first samples of Moon rock, marking the successful completion of its 53-day mission. The Chinese Lunar Exploration Program was founded in January 2004.

🔸 The Russian Moon Exploration Program dates back to the Soviet era. The Soviet Luna 16 was the first robotic mission that returned a sample of lunar soil to Earth in 1970. Despite the Russian Luna-25 entering to an unplanned orbit last year, Roscosmos' lunar exploration effort is developing full-throttle.

*The pic is AI-generated

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Peaceful nuclear power: Where’s Russia building facilities? Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

Rosatom intends to build six more high-capacity nuclear units and small plants in India, in addition to the Kudankulam plant, as announced during Prime Minister Modi's Moscow visit.

Russia has exported nuclear energy since the 1960s, starting with the Rheinsberg plant in the GDR, and built plants in Bulgaria, Finland, and Hungary in the 1970s-1980s.

Rosatom now leads with 33 nuclear units under construction abroad, exporting nuclear fuel and providing uranium enrichment. In 2023, Rosatom's foreign orders were valued at $200 billion.

Where is Russia building nuclear power plants?

🇨🇳 China

◻️ Xudabao Nuclear Power Plant: Russia and China agreed in 2018 and 2019 to build the 3rd and 4th units in Liaoning Province. Construction began in 2021 and 2022, with operations set for 2027 and 2028, using VVER-1200 reactors.

◻️ Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant: Rosatom built four units for $3.3 billion. In 2018, Russia and China agreed to build the 7th and 8th units with VVER-1200 reactors. Construction started in 2021 and 2022, with the launch set for 2028.

🇭🇺 Hungary (Paks-2 Nuclear Power Plant)

The Hungarian Paks nuclear plant, constructed between 1983 and 1987 based on a Soviet design, currently consists of four VVER units. Through a Russian program implemented between 2005 and 2009, the plant's operational lifespan was extended to 2032—2037, with its capacity boosted to 2,000 MW. As a result, the Paks nuclear plant now generates approximately 50% of Hungary's electricity.

In 2014, Russia and Hungary reached an agreement to construct Paks-2, which would consist of the 5th and 6th units. A contract was signed in December of that year, detailing the construction of two VVER-1200 units at a cost of €12.5 billion. Russia agreed to provide a €10 billion loan for the project. Despite facing EU sanctions in 2022, Hungary is proceeding with the Paks-2 project with the goal of completing it by 2030.

👉 Part 2

👉 Part 3

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Peaceful nuclear power: Where’s Russia building facilities? Part 2 Part 1 Part 3

🇪🇬 Egypt (El-Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant)

In November 2015, Russia and Egypt came to an agreement to construct Egypt's inaugural nuclear power plant, El-Dabaa, equipped with four VVER-1200 units at a cost of $30 billion. Due to delays caused by the pandemic, construction finally commenced on July 20, 2022. Presidents Putin and el-Sisi were present for the groundbreaking ceremony of the fourth unit in January 2024. The first unit is scheduled to be operational by 2026, with all four units anticipated to be finished by 2029.

🇧🇩 Bangladesh (Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant)

In November 2011, Bangladesh reached an agreement with Russia to build its first nuclear power plant, Rooppur, which will consist of two VVER-1200 units and is scheduled to be commissioned in 2024. In order to finance the construction, Russia offered a loan of $11.38 billion in 2017.

🇹🇷 Turkiye (Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant)

In 2010, Moscow and Ankara reached an agreement to construct Turkey's inaugural nuclear power plant, Akkuyu, which would consist of four VVER-1200 units. The initial unit is scheduled to be operational by 2024, with the remaining units expected to be completed by 2026. The total cost of the project is estimated at $22 billion. Moreover, in 2024, Rosatom announced plans to build a second nuclear plant in Turkiye.

👉 Part 1

👉 Part 3

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Peaceful nuclear power: Where’s Russia building facilities? Part 3 Part 1 Part 2

🇮🇷 Iran (Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant)

In 1992, Russia and Iran reached an agreement to resume the construction of Iran's Bushehr nuclear plant. The first unit of the plant was connected to the grid in 2011 and officially handed over in 2013. Following this success, a $10 billion contract was signed in 2014 to build the second and third units of the plant, which would be equipped with VVER-1000 reactors. The financing for these units came from Iran's NPPD. Construction began in 2016, with commissioning set for 2025 and 2027.

🌐 Other Countries

🇧🇾 In 2023, the construction of the Belarusian nuclear power plant (equipped with two VVER-1200 units) was completed.

⚛️ Rosatom is discussing or has preliminary agreements to build power units in Brazil, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, and Sri Lanka, and is competing to build a nuclear plant in Kazakhstan.

🇫🇮 In Finland, Rosatom began work on the Hanhikivi Nuclear Power Plant with a VVER-1200 reactor in 2016, but the contract was terminated by Helsinki in 2022.

👉 Part 1

👉 Part 2

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Why does NATO see the Black Sea as a key strategic prize?

The jubilee NATO summit that kicked off on July 9 will bring into focus the alliance's Black Sea strategy, Deputy Secretary-General Mircea Geoana said.

💬 "NATO will do everything possible... to help the Kiev regime... put pressure on Turkiye so that it finally shares the position of Washington and Brussels [regarding the Black Sea],” Vasily Dandykin, retired Captain 1st rank of the Russian Navy, told Sputnik. “They will discuss how to force [Russia] to leave Crimea, and, accordingly, leave new territories [Kherson, Zaporozhye, Donbass], and leave... the Sea of Azov, which we now completely control."

How did the Black Sea become a focal point of NATO war planners?

◻️ The Black Sea region forms a nexus between Eastern and southeastern Europe, Russia, the Caucasus and the Middle East. It is key to regional trade, with about 1.7 million TEUs of loaded containers processed in the region in 2022. It also serves as an energy distribution hub for oil and gas coming from Russia, the Middle East and Central Asia.

◻️ NATO's takeover of the Black Sea – a gateway to the Mediterranean Sea, Suez Canal, Africa and the Middle East – is also part of the bloc's long-term strategy of containing Russia and imposing a strategic defeat on it.

◻️ In 2004 the alliance absorbed Black Sea coastal states Bulgaria and Romania, while in 2008 it pledged to admit Ukraine and Georgia.

◻️ Since the 2014 coup d'etat in Ukraine, NATO has beefed up its presence on Ukraine's Black Sea shores and in the Sea of Azov. But Crimea's reunification with Russia foiled NATO plans to build military bases there.

◻️ Since February 2022, NATO has reinforced its eastern flank and started to build a new base near the Black Sea port of Constanta in Romania — which could put Russia’s Crimea and Krasnodar regions and the Azov Sea within the alliance's striking range.

◻️ In response, Russia is enhancing its readiness and military presence on the Black Sea.

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🇧🇾🇧🇾30 years of Lukashenko: Most memorable quotes from Belarus’s anti-globalist president

On July 10, 1994, Alexander Lukashenko won Belarus’s presidential runoff election in a landslide. Saving his country’s Soviet-era industry and agriculture, crushing gangs and oligarchs, rejecting Western interference in Belarus’s affairs and forging a union state with Russia, Lukashenko went on to win reelection five times, surviving multiple attempts by the West to oust him.

Over 30 years, Lukashenko earned a reputation as a politician who doesn’t mince words.

◻️ “It wasn’t the European Union that elected me…I don’t care what they think about me today in Britain, the US or the EU. Because the whole world has seen your face,” he told a BBC journalist questioning his legitimacy in 2021.

◻️ He has also recognized the pressures associated with the transition to a multipolar world, saying in a 2022 address that the faltering American “world policeman” is turning into a “global terrorist.”

◻️ Lukashenko criticized US allies' subservience in 2022, telling a French reporter that European nations don't seem to know "where to lick" the US president, despite him trampling on their interests.

◻️ “[Western powers] have turned Ukraine itself into a drug addict, kept on a short leash by promises of a new dose of additional weapons, and financial injections,” Lukashenko said in April of this year, commenting on the escalating security crisis facing Belarus’s neighbor.

◻️ “I once again saw how dirty politics are,” Lukashenko said in 1999 during a visit to Yugoslavia in the middle of NATO’s bombardment.

◻️ “The UN has turned into some kind of phantom. Look at Iraq, Afghanistan, the whole Arab world. Where is the UN?” he asked after the brutal NATO-backed torture and murder of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

◻️ Derisively called Europe’s ‘last dictator’ by Western media, Lukashenko has turned the label around and worn it ironically, telling a journalist in 2014 that media should “be happy” for the chance to speak with a dying breed.

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How strong is the military of the Confederation of Sahel States?

Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger signed a confederation treaty agreeing to establish a joint investment bank, build common infrastructure, pool resources for joint economic projects and above all to bolster collective defense and mutual assistance network.

What are the military capabilities of the new confederation?

◻️ The three states signed a mutual defense pact, the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), on September 16, 2023. Under the pact, any attack on one or more countries "will be considered an aggression against the other parties."

◻️ Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have all demanded that Western troops withdraw from the region.

◻️ In March, the trio announced the creation of a joint force to counter security challenges from terror groups. General Moussa Salaou Barmou, Niger's chief of staff, stated at the time that the three armies had developed an "operational concept."

◻️ The Nigerien Armed Forces include the army, air force and paramilitary services branches comprising a total of around 30,000 servicemen.

◻️ The Burkina Faso Armed Forces include its army, air force, National Gendarmerie and People's Militia totaling 16,500 troops.

◻️ The Malian Armed Forces consists of the army, air force and National Guard, amounting to 44,800 personnel.

◻️ The trio's military equipment includes armored personnel carriers, infantry fighting vehicles, Soviet T-54 and Chinese Type 62 tanks, Sukhoi Su-25 fighters, Embraer EMB-314 warplanes, Mi-17 and Mi-24 helicopters, towered artillery, multiple rocket launch systems (MRLS) and Bayraktar drones.

◻️ Russian is enhancing security cooperation with the three Sahel states. Russian military instructors arrived in Niger in April. Russia is due to increase the number of counter-terror experts in Burkina Faso, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated in June. In February, Lavrov hailed Russo-Malian defense cooperation as ensuring the Sahel nation's security.

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Will Ukraine peace talks start before this year ends?

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban believes the next two months on the battlefield in Ukraine will be “more dramatic than ever,” according to documents accessed by El Pais.

In two confidential reports sent to the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, and to the leaders of EU member states, Orban summarises his discussions and argues that Europe must “launch” a peace initiative without waiting for the United States. "Orban now claims that Putin and Xi expect new peace talks between Russia and Ukraine to take place before the end of the year," El Pais writes.

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✈️ Top 5 fifth-gen jets in world’s air forces

South Korea has started producing its KF-21 Boramae (lit. ‘Fighting Hawk’) fighter, with plans for 20 by 2027 and 120 by 2032. The KF-21 is a 4.5-generation jet, with future upgrades expected to make it a fifth-gen aircraft.

South Korea is the latest aerospace power to venture into next-gen fighter technology. Other prominent jets of this class include:

◻️ The Lockheed Martin/Boeing F-22 Raptor, introduced in 2005 - the world’s first production fifth-gen jet. 195 have been built at a cost of a whopping $678 million each. The single-seat, twin-engine aircraft have a max takeoff weight of 38 tons, can reach Mach 2.25, and have a 1,100 km combat radius. Armaments include various American-made missiles and bombs. High operational costs have led to repeated attempts to retire the F-22, but these plans have been delayed.

◻️ The F-35 Lightning II, Lockheed’s multirole fighter, is the most expensive piece of military equipment ever conceived, with a program cost of over $2 trillion. It has three variants. All models have a single engine and a single pilot, weigh 27.2-31.8 tons, have a combat radius of 935-1,241 km, a payload of 6,800-8,160 kg, and a top speed of Mach 1.6. Despite being in service for nearly a decade, F-35s continue to face issues like faulty landing gear, vibrating fuel tubes, fragile targeting systems, and canopy delamination.

◻️ The Sukhoi Su-57 is Russia’s fifth-gen stealth jet, introduced in 2020. It's a single-seat, twin-engine aircraft with a top speed of Mach 2 and a combat radius of 1,500 km. With a max takeoff weight of 35 tons and a 10-ton payload, it has six internal and six external hard points for various missiles and bombs. Only about 22 Su-57s have been built, with resources focused on the Su-35, a tried and tested 4++ gen multirole fighter.

◻️ The Chengdu J-20 'Mighty Dragon' is China’s fifth-gen jet, visually inspired by the canceled Soviet MiG 1.44. It's a single-seat, twin-engine aircraft with a 37-ton max takeoff weight and an 11-ton payload. It boasts a 2,000 km combat radius, a radar cross section of 0.01 meters, and is armed with PL-14 missiles and LS-6 series small-diameter prediction-guided bombs.

◻️ Several other countries are developing fifth-gen fighters, including India with its HAL AMCA, and Japan with the Mitsubishi X-2, now part of the F-X sixth-gen jet program. Turkiye’s TAI Kaan, expected by the late 2020s, is closest to readiness. These jets will likely have one or two seats, twin engines, advanced stealth, and Turkish-made missiles and bombs.

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▫️ Pride of the Russian Fleet: What to know about Russia’s Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier

▫️ Why does NATO see the Black Sea as a key strategic prize?

▫️ French snap election marked the failure of EU warmongering

▫️ Top 5 fifth-gen jets in world’s air forces

▫️ How strong is the military of the Confederation of Sahel States?

▫️ Peaceful nuclear power: Where’s Russia building facilities?

▫️ 30 years of Lukashenko: Most memorable quotes from Belarus’s anti-globalist president

▫️ What's behind ambitious Russo-Chinese Moon station program?

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