Ukraine outlawing Orthodox church fits with West’s ‘globalist agenda’ – psyop veteran

New Ukrainian legislation banning the Orthodox church conforms with the ‘globalist agenda’ pursued by the West, ex-US Army psychological warfare officer Scott Bennett told Sputnik.

The Verkhovna Rada approved the final reading of a bill banning the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) on August 20. The law will come into effect 30 days later.

The strategy relies on outlawing religious institutions to stop people from practicing religious worship, along with targeting churches, the former US State Department counterterrorism analyst said.

“The Ukrainian leadership is using the tactic of a political witch-hunt and attempting to brand religious orthodoxy as somehow a Russian intelligence secret military operation,” Bennett noted.

The law’s passage confirms the “absolute corruption of the Ukrainian parliament,” he said, recalling that Zelensky’s presidential term expired in May and so he can no longer ratify acts of parliament.

“Ukraine adopting a bill outlawing the Ukrainian orthodox church opens the door for Russia to be the religious salvation-defender,” Bennett said, adding that it could redefine Russia as country “rising up to preserve the Ukrainian people’s right to worship God in the orthodox religious manner they have been practicing for hundreds of years."

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Key statements by Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova at a press briefing:

About Ukraine's aggression on Kursk Oblast:

◻️ Kiev's attack on Kursk Oblast happens with the comprehensive support of the West and was sanctioned by it.

◻️ Russia warns that all foreign combatants carrying out terrorist attacks are legitimate military targets and will be destroyed.

◻️ Terrorists who attacked Kursk Oblast will be prosecuted without a statute of limitations, unless they are subjected to fair retribution before then.

About Ukraine's provocations against nuclear power plants:

◻️ Moscow is in contact with the IAEA regarding the Kiev regime's provocations against the Kursk nuclear power plant and the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant.

◻️ A visit by IAEA chief Rafael Grossi to the Kursk nuclear power plant at the end of August is being worked out.

About terrorist attacks on Nord Stream:

◻️ Germany responds to all Moscow's requests on Nord Stream with empty formal replies.

◻️ Berlin's statements about "exchanging" information with Moscow on terrorist attacks on gas pipelines are a lie.

◻️ Moscow insists on bilateral consultations with Germany on Nord Stream.

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School where heroes are forged: What to know about Russia’s unique Spetsnaz university

During his trip to Chechnya, President Vladimir Putin stopped over at the Russian Special Forces University in Gudermes, familiarizing himself with the facilities, observing training, and meeting with special forces commanders, instructors, and volunteers fighting in the Ukraine conflict.

Here’s what you should know about this unique school:

Who founded it?

Created in 2013 at the behest of Chechen Republic leader Ramzan Kadyrov, the university is Russia’s only privately run special forces school. Kadyrov announced in February that the school would carry Putin’s name.

What kinds of training is offered?

The university offers comprehensive training across more than a dozen specialties, from urban combat and paradrops to live-fire and sniper, forest, polar, desert, diving/scuba, medical, canine, engineering, IT, and military journalism training.

That’s possible thanks to the school’s sprawling 400-hectare campus, which includes 95 buildings and other structures, including a whole mock town for combat drilling, a skydiving tunnel, landing sites, a two-hectare tactical reservoir, several shooting galleries and even a 1.6 km long runway.

Along with military training, the school offers civilian courses in elite sport, military/patriotic and physical education, sport shooting, parachuting, diving, mountaineering, CrossFit, security and bodyguard training, and more.

Who’s trained there?

◻️ Since April 2022, over 47,000 graduates (including 18,800 volunteers) have been trained here. The accelerated combat training course includes tactics, physical and medical training, psychological resilience, and specialized knowledge, as needed, and is conducted in accordance with requests from frontline commanders.

◻️ The school has also been heavily involved in the preparation of Chechnya’s security forces, including the legendary Akhmat Group Special Forces that have made a name themselves in operations to liberate the Donbass and other areas.

◻️ Training at the university is conducted by special forces veterans, including from Chechnya and the FSB’s elite Alpha counterterrorism task force.

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🇷🇺🤝🇨🇳 Cooperation between Russia and China contributes to Eurasia development – foreign policy expert

“Under the influence of the volatile global environment, the dollar hegemony continues to weaken,” Wang Yiwei, Director of the School of International Studies at Renmin University of China, told Sputnik.

“Against this background, China and Russia, relying on traditional trade, are expanding payments using the ruble-yuan pair, and are working on creating their own settlement system within the BRICS framework, including a barter system of payment,” Wang added.

He noted that Russia is the only country with which China has a comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation.

“This kind of cooperation is manifested not only in the form of strategic diplomatic guidance from the leaders [of Russia and China], but it is also reflected in strategic cooperation at the governmental level of the two countries,” Wang said, commenting on Chinese State Council Premier Li Qiang’s visit to Moscow.

The purpose of the annual meetings between the prime ministers of China and Russia is to set the governments' policy course for the year, which also reflects the high degree of strategic trust between the countries, the commentator pointed out.

Regular meetings between the prime ministers “deepen more concrete and professional cooperation between regional authorities,” while also playing an important role in strengthening trade and economic cooperation between the two countries.

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Three units of Ukraine’s National Guard refuse to obey orders in Donetsk region – reports

The men, led by their commanders, refused to carry out combat missions near Krasnoarmeysk (Pokrovsk in Ukrainian), located in the Kiev-controlled part of the DPR, Strana reported, quoting a serviceman of the second battalion of the 15th National Guard Brigade.

"The trouble was that we had already arrived at Pokrovsk with a huge manpower shortage," the soldier said. "After a week of fighting there were even fewer of us, 10 to 13 men in a company, including commanders.”

Vladislav said it was impossible to defend the positions, as Ukrainian troops were outnumbered 30 to one by the Russian forces. He said they were regularly under attack.

"Our three companies from among those transferred to Pokrovsk refused to carry out combat orders," Vladislav said. "The superiors came and suggested that those who refused to carry out the tasks should step forward."

But all the men, including their officers, took responsibility.

All the guardsmen who refused to follow orders had been fighting since the start of the Russian military operation, and all had experienced artillery shelling and combat. "But there are simply too few of us left,” Vladislav said.

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Biden’s desperation for ‘foreign policy win’ explains why Blinken jumped the gun on Gaza deal

“The US administration is particularly eager to announce an agreement, driven by both diplomatic and domestic pressures,” Dr. Imad Salamey, an assistant professor of political science at Lebanese American University, told Sputnik, commenting on why Israeli officials haven’t confirmed readiness to accept Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s hostages-for-ceasefire “bridging proposal.”

“The Biden administration views the success of such an agreement as a potential foreign policy win, which could bolster its position ahead of upcoming elections,” Salamey explained.

By contrast, “the Israeli government may face significant internal challenges regarding the deal,” the observer noted, adding that “Prime Minister Netanyahu’s government is deeply divided, and any official confirmation could exacerbate these divisions, potentially leading to resignations or even the collapse of the coalition."

"Thus, while the US is keen to publicize progress, Israel might be more cautious, weighing the domestic repercussions of any public acknowledgement of the agreement,” the expert concluded.

Israeli media reports indicate that the government will not agree to the US deal, and “at least in Israel, it’s clear to everyone that there will be no deal,” Tel Aviv-based international affairs observer Dr. Simon Tsipis told Sputnik.

“Netanyahu has started to refer to the fact that the point of the agreement that does not suit him is the Hamas demand that Israel withdraw its troops from the Philadelphi Corridor border” between Gaza and Egypt Tsipis said, referring to Tel Aviv’s unwillingness to let go of the border area to prevent the resumption of arms smuggling.

“But in my view, this is just an excuse for the fact that Netanyahu is not interested in making any deal with Hamas, no matter its contents,” the observer said, noting that for Netanyahu, the conflict has become not just a matter of political survival, but his personal freedom, given the criminal investigations inside Israel hanging over his head.

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The Iranian Armed Forces General Staff has partially refuted Fars' information about the causes of President Ebrahim Raisi's helicopter crash.

“What the Fars publication said about the presence of two people in the helicopter in violation of safety protocols and that this was mentioned as one of the factors in the crash of the helicopter, which did not have enough thrust to adjust its flight altitude, is a lie,” Iranian media, which quoted the General Staff's statement, stated.

It further added ”the media needs to publish such news with caution and coordinate with central authorities.”

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❗️Russian Bryansk Governor Bogomaz announced the suppression of an attempt by a Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance group in the Klimovsky district of the region on August 21.

During the battle, the breakthrough attempt was prevented by the forces of the FSB Border Guard Service for the Bryansk Region and units of the Armed Forces. The enemy was inflicted with fire damage.

Currently, the situation at the site of the clash has stabilized and is under the control of the regional operational headquarters.

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🪖 The Ukrainian Armed Forces' special operations forces reported that they used Western HIMARS rocket launchers on pontoon bridges in the Kursk region.

Earlier, an American military official, answering a question from Sputnik, refused to admit that the Ukrainian Armed Forces moved HIMARS transferred to Ukraine during the attack on the Kursk region.

He also recalled Kiev's assurances that all American weapons are allegedly used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces only within the limits established by the United States.

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Armored BBQ Grills the Enemy

The crew of a Russian T-80 converted it into as ‘tsar-mangal’ (king grill) with air conditioning – and a bed. They installed grates so that the tank could get some air, solid 8 mm thick steel plate, and even a camp bed so that they could rest between combat missions.

"It all holds tightly, works great. No matter how much we ride, nothing loosens or falls apart," says the tank commander with the call sign Mikhey.

The crew’s field of vision after modding their tank is limited, but for assault operations it is just what they need. When smashing through defensive lines, the main threat is from anti-tank mines and FPV drones.

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Despite utilizing a bulletproof barrier for public events in the aftermath of the failed assassination attempt, Trump ditched the protected podium at a rally in North Carolina after a rally attendee fainted.

Trump's fearless behavior was greeted with applause from the crowd.

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