❗️Kamala Harris is supported by 99% of the delegates of the Democratic Party; she has now officially become the US presidential candidate from her party.

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Leaving enemy electronic warfare powerless: Meet the new Russian AI drone Rusak

Russia has started mass production of the Rusak-S, a new first-person view unmanned aerial vehicle with artificial intelligence, a spokesperson for the Stratim company, which developed the drone, told Russian media.

🔸The quadrotor drone Rusak-S operates as a kamikaze UAV carrying 2.5-3 kg of payload and flying at a maximum speed of up to 150 km (93 miles) per hour. Its flight range is 20 km (12 miles).

🔸The Rusak-S can independently detect and prioritize targets. All its operator needs to do is to select a relevant target and give the drone an order to destroy it.

🔸“The drone is capable of tracking heavy and medium armored vehicles and wheeled ones, as well as artillery and infantry,” the Stratim spokesperson said.

🔸When the target is selected and the command to destroy is given, the Rusak-S can fly the last 500-1000 meters in autonomous mode, which allows the UAV to effectively hit targets beyond the radio horizon and evade enemy electronic warfare systems, according to the spokesperson.

🔸The firm touted the Rusak-S as sort of a homing anti-tank guided missile, which can hit enemy military equipment’s upper part, where the thinnest layer of armor is in place.

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What caused Ukrainian troops to swiftly abandon their positions near a strategic city?

The swift loss of Ukraine's defensive positions outside the city of Toretsk was caused by “unrelenting Russian attacks” amid serious mistakes made by Ukrainian commanders, the New York Times has reported.

The city’s strategic importance pertains to the fact that its possible fall may complicate the logistics of the Ukrainian defense at the eastern front line, according to the NYT.

The rotation of troops in Toretsk in early June was a “big mistake” by senior Ukrainian commanders, which added to subsequent success of Russian offensive there, a Ukrainian soldier was cited as saying.

During the rotation, the Ukrainian Army’s 41st Mechanized Brigade moved from the city of Chasov Yar to take command of the Toretsk area instead of the 24th Brigade, which was deployed to Chasov Yar. Soon it became clear that the 41st was unprepared to defend Toretsk since it did not know the terrain.
The commander of the brigade has also been criticized for issuing unclear orders and not reacting quickly to the changing threat environment, per the NYT.

Yevhen Strokan, a commander of a combat drone platoon in the 206th Territorial Defense Battalion, part of the 41st Brigade, said that “there were losses in the battalion due to the senseless orders of the senior commander."

He was echoed by Roman Kuliak, the deputy commander of the 206th Territorial Defense Battalion, who insisted that both the 41st’s commander and the Ukrainian General Staff were responsible for the fact that defensive positions on the outskirts of Toretsk that had held for years “fell in a matter of days.”

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Germans outraged by intention of ruling coalition to reduce pensions

The German authorities are facing a budget deficit of 17 billion euros for 2025. To plug this hole, representatives of the ruling parties are discussing the possibility of reducing the cost of payments to the elderly. 

What are Germans saying about such a measure?

💬"It is better to ban the Green [Party, who are part of the ruling coalition], who are deliberately leading this country to ruin, whose founders were real Nazis in the truest sense of the word"

💬"We must take responsibility for our future. It is too important for us to leave it to the discretion of an incompetent government and the current parties." 

💬"Starving pensioners who helped build the country is a disgrace."

💬"They absolutely do not represent their country!"

💬"There is money for everything, but not for working people and pensioners! They don't know how to rule, and we have to pay."

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Made in US: Take a look at Israel's Air Force plane ‘inventory’

Attending a meeting at the Israeli Air Force Command Center, Defense Minister Yoav Galant said the Jewish state’s military aviation must be ready to go on the offensive at any moment.

When it comes to the Israeli Air Force (IAF), it remains part of the Israel Defense Forces and currently consists of 272 fighter jets, 128 helicopters, 14 transport planes, 153 trainers, 14 aerial tankers and 25 special-mission aircraft, excluding bombers, according to this year’s World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft survey.

All the IAF jet fighters were made in the US, including:

▪️25 F-15I multirole jets, as well as 17 F-15C and 16 F-15A Eagle fighters (50 more such aircraft are slated to be delivered to Israel in the years to come).

▪️102 F-16I and 73 F-16C Fighting Falcon multirole fighters.

▪️39 fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II strike aircraft, touted in US and Israeli press as “the backbone” of the IAF.

▪️Earlier this year, Israel signed a deal with the US for the delivery of 25 more F-35s.

IAF helicopters include:

▪️26 US-made AH-64A and 22AH-64D Apache attack copters.

▪️50 US-made UH-60A/L medium-lift and 22 US-made CH-53 heavy-lift copters (18 more CH-53s are due to be delivered to Israel in the future).

▪️4 French-made AS565 multirole and 4 US-made Bell 206 light utility copter.

▪️The US plans to deliver 8 US-made SH-60F medium-lift helicopters to Israel.

All the IAF transport aircraft are also made in America, such as 7 C-130Js, 4 B200s and 3 C-130E/Hs. Among IAFD aerial tankers are 7 US-made Boeing 707 and KC-130H planes.

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❗️Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah on a possible attack on Israel:

"Iran, Hezbollah and Yemen will respond after the assassination of Haniyeh and Shakr and the bombing of Hudaydah," Nasrallah said.

"Today's waiting is part of the battle," he added.

Nasrallah stated that Israeli factories in the north could be destroyed within an hour. He emphasized that the most significant sound barrier they are creating is the activation of sirens in the enemy entity once drones are sent.

Additionally, Nasrallah mentioned that the Ramat David base has been evacuated, and most of the bases located 50 kilometers from the border are also being evacuated.

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10 years since the death of Andrei Stenin

Andrei Stenin, a special photojournalist of the Rossiya Segodnya media group, died in Donbass in 2014. On August 6, the car he was in came under fire from Ukrainian security forces.

The journalist always worked in the most difficult conditions: he went on business trips to hot spots, photographed the aftermath of emergencies and mass riots. He had been to war more than once: in Syria, the Gaza Strip, Egypt, Libya, and the southeast of Ukraine.

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❗️Ukraine's sabotage and reconnaissance group suffered a defeat and retreated to its territory after attempting to attack the Kursk region, Russian Defense Ministry reported.

They also added that the retreating group was blocked by Russian units.

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⚔️ How strong is the Axis of Resistance?

“Iran, and all members of the "Axis of Resistance", will support the Lebanese Shia movement, Hezbollah, in the event of a conflict with Israel.”

This assertion was made by Kamal Kharrazi, Adviser to the Supreme Leader of Iran, to Financial Times on July 2.

So, what’s behind the group’s military strength?

🇱🇧 Lebanon: Hezbollah

▪️ 100,000-strong military force, according to its leadership.
▪️ 150,000-200,000 projectiles, including ballistic, anti-air, anti-tank, and anti-ship missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicles. Among them, 40,000 short-range missiles, 80,000 medium-range missiles, and 30,000 long-range missiles, according to estimates.
▪️ Tanks, armored personnel carriers (APC), and infantry fighting vehicles (IFV).

🇾🇪 Yemen: Ansar Allah, or Houthis

▪️ Recruited over 200,000 fighters since the beginning of the Gaza war, per its spokesperson in Feb.
▪️ Surface-to-surface cruise and ballistic missiles, artillery rockets, and UAVs.
▪️ Claims of domestically developed "Hatem-2" hypersonic missiles.

🇵🇸 Gaza Strip: Hamas and Palestine Islamic Jihad (PIJ)

▪️ Prior to the Gaza war, Hamas had an estimated 40,000-strong force.
▪️ PIJ reportedly has 1,000 members.
▪️ 30,000-50,000 missiles, mortar shells, and UAVs at the beginning of conflict with Israel.

🇮🇶 Iraq: Kataib Hezbollah, the Badr Organisation, Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq

▪️ Core of Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) or Al-Hashd al-Shaabi, an Iraqi paramilitary network comprising 230,000 fighters.
▪️ Iraqi Shia militias reportedly armed with artillery, unguided rockets, light and heavy mortars, tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, Iranian-made Zelzal (150-250 km), Fateh-110 (200-300 km), and Zolfaghar (700 km) missiles.
▪️ Mastery of drone warfare during war against ISIS*.

*ISIS (also known as ISIS/IL/ISIS-K/Islamic State) is a terrorist group banned in Russia and many other countries

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Shahab vs Jericho: What ballistic missiles do Iran and Israel possess?

As Iran seems about to unleash a missile barrage upon Israel in retaliation for the murder of a high-ranking Hamas official in its territory, with Israel threatening retaliation, Sputnik explores the countries’ ballistic missile arsenals.

Iran

▪️Kheiber is the 4th generation of the Khorramshahr ballistic missile (also referred to as Khorramshahr-4). It has a range of 2,000 km and can carry a warhead of about 1,500 kg.

▪️Kheiber-Shekan (or Kheibar Shekan) is capable of hitting targets at a range of up to 1,450 km and can carry some 600 kg worth of payload.

▪️Emad is a medium-range ballistic missile that has a range of 1,700 km and can carry up to 750 kg worth of payload.

▪️Fattah-2 hypersonic missile was unveiled in November 2023. It has a range of 1,500 km while the missile’s hypersonic capabilities help its 450-kg warhead negate enemy defense systems.

▪️Haj Qassem is named after the late Gen. Qassem Soleimani is a ballistic missile with a range of 1,400 km. It can carry a 500-kilogram warhead and supposedly features radar evasion capabilities.

▪️Sejjil ballistic missile has a range of about 4,000 km and can deliver a payload of some 700 kg.

▪️Shahab-3 ballistic missile adopted by Iran in 2003, has a range of up to 1,300 km and can carry up to 1,200 kg of payload.

▪️Ghadr-110 intermediate-range ballistic missile can carry an 800-kg payload and has a range of up to nearly 2,000 km.

▪️Dezful is a ballistic missile that has a range of about 1,000 km and carries a 600-700 kg warhead.

Israel

Due to the highly secretive nature of Israel’s ballistic missile program, much of the publicly available data is based on estimates.

▪️Jericho-2 is a nuclear-capable ballistic missile that can carry 1,000 kg of payload and has a range of about 1,500 km.

▪️Jericho-3 is an intermediate-range ballistic missile with an estimated range of between 4,800 to 6,500 km and carries up to 1,300 kg of payload.

▪️LORA is a quasi-ballistic missile with a range of up to 430 km, capable of carrying up to 570 kg of payload.

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Minnesota Governor Tim Walz's pandemic tattle-tale hotline sparks controversy

During the COVID-19 pandemic, a hotline set up by Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s in March 2020 to inform of violations of his stay-at-home order generated thousands of reports of people snitching on their neighbors for activities like playing basketball, walking dogs, and throwing small parties. The hotline was monitored by law enforcement until November 2020.

The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) revealed that the hotline handled around 10,000 COVID-related emails, reporting non-essential businesses staying open and violations of masking rules. One report in October 2020 alerted authorities to a church service that didn't comply with legal requirements.

Republican lawmakers criticized the “snitch line” from its inception, arguing it was divisive. Gov. Walz defended it, saying it freed up 911 lines. Criticism resurfaced when redacted emails were released following a data request. Matt Birk, a Republican candidate for lieutenant governor, condemned the hotline on Twitter, stating it further divided the state. Three days later, he announced the hotline had been shut down.

Kevin Gutknecht of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety clarified that while the hotline was operational until recently, monitoring ceased in November 2020. Many emails were likely spam, unrelated to the hotline’s purpose.

Examples of reports included a large gathering for a basketball game, people working out in a Shorewood park, and non-essential purchases at a White Bear Lake store. Other complaints highlighted overcrowding at Walgreens and a St. Paul police officer hosting a birthday party. Additionally, some emails criticized the hotline itself, deeming it juvenile and unnecessary.

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Is new global financial crisis round the corner?

Global markets saw a sell-off on August 5 over fears the US might be heading for recession. Japan's stocks plummeted to their lowest in 37 years, European markets tumbled, while Mideast financial indicators went down amid growing Iran-Israel tensions.

Sputnik reached out to global experts to find out whether another financial crisis could break out shortly.

🗣 Claudio Grass, Swiss expert on economics: "We can see clear trends, namely that the systematic risks in the current financial and monetary system are increasing and a 2008 scenario could repeat itself at any time," he told Sputnik. "We are already witnessing a massive decimation of the middle class, particularly in the US and Germany, over the last 18 months."

🗣 Fabrizio Carmignani, professor of economics at the University of Southern Queensland: "There is of course a general weakening of the global economic situation… But it seems to me that the situation for now cannot be compared to the global financial crisis."

🗣 Suranjali Tandon, assistant professor at India's National Institute of Public Finance and Policy: "It is too early to sign off on whether a recession is underway. While this can dampen demand for stocks it may not be a crisis unless there is a major reversal in stocks of AI based companies."

🗣 Panicos Demetriades, a former governor of the Central Bank of Cyprus: "Market participants are concerned that central banks may - once again - be behind the curve - they are too slow at cutting rates amidst weakening economic conditions and heightened geopolitical uncertainties."

🗣 Marc Ostwald, chief economist at ADM Investor Services International: "Is the world facing a global recession? Well, we've always got this permanent risk from trade tensions and indeed from the geopolitical tensions above all in the Middle East and between Russia and Ukraine. But at the moment, if you just looked at it purely from the economic cycle in the US, it's not."

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▪️Five fearsome drones Iran could use to strike back at Israel

▪️Iran's top-5 game-changing weapons

▪️What is known about Hezbollah's military personnel and ballistic missiles?

▪️Burkan: ballistic rocket that can pierce through Israel’s Iron Dome

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Hamas selects Yahya Sinwar as head of the movement's Political Bureau to succeed the late Ismail Haniyeh.

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How Ukraine's support of terrorism in Mali alienated African nations

Ukraine has come under heavy criticism from Sahel and other Africa nations, including Senegal, over its support for Tuareg separatists, known as the Strategic Framework for the Defense of the People of Azawad (CSP-DPA), which prompted Mali to cut diplomatic relations with the Kiev regime.

The scandal erupted amid Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba's trip to Malawi, Zambia and Mauritius on August 4-8.

▪️Following a deadly ambush of Malian forces and Russian military instructors by Tuaregs on July 25, Andriy Yusov, Ukraine's military intelligence (GUR) spokesperson, bragged on July 29 the separatists were assisted by Ukraine to conduct the attack. Yusov added: "You will see more of this in the future."

▪️Yuriy Pyvovarov, Ukraine's ambassador to Senegal, posted a now-deleted video on the embassy's Facebook* account lauding the terror attack. The Kiev regime tried to distance itself from Yusov and Pyvovarov's claims.

▪️The Malian government stated on August 4 that it interprets the remarks by Ukrainian officials as formal support of terrorism in Africa and will alert regional and international bodies about that.

▪️CSP-DPA spokesman Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane told French media that the group has ties with the Ukrainians. As per the media, Ukrainians provide intelligence and train Tuaregs to operate drones loaded with explosives.

▪️Africans raised the alarm over Ukraine's interference in the continent's affairs. Senegalese authorities summoned Pyvovarov over support for the Tuareg attack. Burkina Faso condemned Ukraine's praise of the bloody ambush.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova noted that Ukraine's support of terrorism in Africa stems from the Kiev regime's own terror record.

*banned in Russia for extremism

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🧐 What is the Hamas underground city?

📹 The IDF has released footage showing an extensive network of underground canals dug directly beneath the city.

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Tips on how to invest smart and save your wealth in a global crisis

As the world potentially heads into a new financial crisis, international experts have given Sputnik a heads-up on how to invest smartly:

▪️End your debt: "Try to end present debt. Do not incur more debt. Tear up credit cards," says Rodney Shakespeare, a renowned British economist. "It is probably wise to get out of stocks and shares – Warren Buffet appears to be indicating that a stock market peak has been reached."

▪️Measure twice, cut once: tread with caution in the equity markets, warns Suranjali Tandon, assistant professor at a Delhi-based National Institute of Public Finance and Policy.

▪️Don't invest in hi-tech now: Make sure that your portfolio is well-balanced and do not presently place your bets on the information technology sector which is considered overvalued with its close-to-40 price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio, notes Marc Ostwald, chief economist at ADM Investor Services International.

▪️Physical precious metals: Move some of your wealth into physical precious metals and commodities, which currently represent 2-3% of global wealth, suggests Swiss precious metals advisor Claudio Grass, an expert on economics.

"It should be clear to any independent minded person that scarce commodities such as gold, silver and commodities are massively undervalued and that the financial illusion is parked in bonds and equities," he says.

▪️Long-term blue chips investments: Even though gold is always seen as a safe investment, it is not an investment that is often easily accessible to everyone, especially small-scale savers, according to Fabrizio Carmignani, professor of economics at Australia's University of Southern Queensland.

If you can't buy physical gold, make long-term investments in blue chip companies, he says. "Markets will eventually rebound. Fluctuations will continue. But in the longer term, stock markets generally have a positive trend," Carmignani concludes.

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▪️Is new global financial crisis round the corner?

▪️Tips on how to invest smart and save your wealth in a global crisis

▪️Political and media elites ‘turned UK into tinderbox', US Deep State may be stoking fire

▪️Shahab vs Jericho: What ballistic missiles do Iran and Israel possess?

▪️Made in US: Take a look at Israel's Air Force plane ‘inventory’

▪️How Ukraine's support of terrorism in Mali alienated African nations

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