Ukraine’s cluster munition attack on Belgorod will incur inevitable punishment – Russian Foreign Ministry

“Zelensky's neo-Nazi junta does not stop terror against the civilian population of Russia. On August 30, its militants committed another crime, firing at the Belgorod region with cluster munitions from the Czech-made MLRS Vampire,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

What else did the ministry say:

◾️ There is no doubt that this was a pre-planned terror act of intimidation.

◾️ As a result of this strike, five civilians were killed. Fourty-six received various injuries.

◾️ The Investigative Committee opened a criminal case into Ukrainian terrorism in the Belgorod region.

◾️ So-called civilized and enlightened Western countries who in fact support the neo-Nazis turn a blind eye to their bloody atrocities and supplies deadly weapons, in particular Vampires with cluster munitions.

◾️ The Russian Foreign Ministry calls on the global community to strongly condemn this terrorist attack and publicly distance themselves from the Kiev regime and its Western curators who commit such crimes.

◾️ All organizers and perpetrators of this and other crimes of the Kiev junta will be irrevocably punished in accordance with the law.

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Telegram CEO Pavel Durov's life in France may be in danger, says Florian Philippot, leader of the French "Patriots" party:

"Let's not forget that Macron has been using Telegram extensively with his teams for a long time, and he fears 'leaks'... Pavel Durov should really be wary, his life may be in danger!" he noted on X.

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Lavrov: Russia-Ukraine talks will get harder with time

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has warned those who are trying to hinder peace talks between Russia and Ukraine that negotiations would become tougher as time passed.

"Russian President Vladimir Putin mentioned potential negotiations a year and a half ago. He said we had nothing against them... Opponents must understand that the longer they take, the harder it will be to agree on anything. It was easy to agree in Istanbul, less than a month after the start of our special military operation. But Ukraine did not want it," Lavrov said in an interview to the RT broadcaster for the documentary Bridges to the East.

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Ukraine losing air force commander in ‘blame game’ highlights F-16 drawbacks

The firing of the Ukrainian Air Force’s commander Mykola Oleshchuk shortly after the country lost the first of its US-supplied F-16 fighter jets was likely a product of the “blame game” in the upper echelons of the Kiev regime, says Earl Rasmussen, a international consultant and retired lieutenant colonel with over 20 years in the US Army.

“There's many more factors revolving along this… I think, removing the leadership may complicate addressing some of these,” he notes.

Commenting on the US’ decision not to send personnel to Ukraine to service the F-16 jets, Rasmussen suggests that it was primarily due to the Pentagon deeming it too risky.

“So you're probably going to rush maintenance engineers through very quick training that may not be fully qualified. Or you're going to try to hire in people from outside in a fairly high cost. So it's a high risk job…” he muses.

“Not being able to provide the level of maintenance required could be a detriment to Ukraine's ability to effectively use and deploy the jets,” Rasmussen states.

▪️ However good the F-16s might be, the aircraft has its drawbacks, such as the fairly limited range – “it can be out there for four hours if maximum fuel is provided” – relatively “low payload”, and vulnerability to “electronic exploitations,” Rasmussen notes.

▪️ The absence of stealth capabilities, the lack of “repair parts” and the severe shortage of trained pilots are going to further limit the usefulness of the F-16s for Kiev, he adds.

As for how Russia might counter the potential threat presented by jets, Rasmussen argues that S-300 and S-400 surface-to-air missile systems, as well as Su-30 and Su-35 combat aircraft, should be up to the task.

“The F-16 is an addition to Ukraine, but it's not a wonder weapon, it's not going to affect the outcome of the battle environment and the Russian defense forces between their aircraft and their air defense forces easily will defend against any threat from the F-16s,” he says.

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Lavrov: Russia, Iran, Turkiye, Syria might meet in near future for Ankara-Damascus talks

A meeting in the Russia-Iran-Turkiye-Syria format to normalize relations between Ankara and Damascus will take place in the foreseeable future, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.

He recalled that the parties managed to hold a meeting in 2023 with the participation of defense, foreign ministries and intelligence services, in an attempt to discuss conditions that could lead to the normalization of relations between Syria and Turkiye.

"We are now proceeding from the expediency of preparing another meeting. I am sure it will take place in the foreseeable future. We are interested in our partners in Damascus and Ankara normalizing their relations," Lavrov said in an interview to the RT broadcaster for the documentary Bridges to the East.

The Russian foreign minister added that the previous Russia-Iran-Turkey-Syria meeting was useful, but the sides could not agree on next steps.

"The Syrian government believes that in order to continue this process, it is necessary to clearly decide on the procedure for the eventual withdrawal of Turkish contingents from Syria. The Turks are ready for this, but so far it has not been possible to agree on specific terms. We are talking about the return of refugees, the measures necessary to suppress the terrorist threat, which will make the stay of the Turkish contingents unnecessary. All of this is in the works," the minister added.

Lavrov also expressed hope for a dialogue between Damascus and the Syrian Kurds.

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◾️ Scott Ritter: Ukrainian conflict escalation can lead to ‘global-ending’ nuclear war

◾️ Read the history of Ukraine's economic downfall

◾️ Ukraine's 'blame game' about F-16 highlights its drawbacks

◾️ German authorities examine online fat-shaming harassment aimed at Bundestag MP 

◾️ Look at brand new Russian White Gyrfalcon high-speed train

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UK seeks greater powers for cops to crack down on protests

With Britain rocked by violent protests, Keir Starmer’s government apparently moves towards providing police with greater ability to crack down on protesters.

In May, London’s High Court ruled that the regulations adopted in 2023, which lowered the threshold for cops to impose conditions on protests – essentially allowing police to shut the protests down - were in fact unlawful.

The court deemed at the time that the UK government’s powers "did not extend to lowering the threshold for police intervention."

Prior to the court’s ruling, the regulation in question would have allowed cops to impose conditions on protests that could have been deemed as potentially causing “more than minor” disruption to community life.

This month, the new government of Keir Starmer moved to appeal this decision.

The Home Office’s initiative comes as British cops arrested dozens amid a wave of protests caused by a violent and deadly stabbing attack perpetrated on July 29 in the town of Southport by the son of a migrant couple.

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🎥 A rally against the unification of Moldova and Romania took place in the center of Chisinau

The action forced Moldovan President Sandu and her Romanian counterpart Iohannis, who arrived on a visit, to change their motorcade route.

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