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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WATCH: Steel shield of attack aircraft: BMP-3 crews continue to defeat the enemy

An armored group of Battlegroup Zapad provided fire support to motorized rifle units with BMP-3s, destroying camouflaged observation posts and a concentration of Ukrainian troops.

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🎥 A Su-34 crew struck concentrations of soldiers and armored vehicles from Ukrainian forces

Location: Border area of the Kursk region

The strike was carried out on reconnoitered camouflaged targets using aerial bombs with a universal planning and correction module.

Having received confirmation from intelligence about the destruction of personnel and armored vehicles of the Ukrainian Army, the crew returned to the departure airfield.

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Unhealed wound of Beslan terror attack: Russia commemorates 20th anniversary of tragedy

On September 1, Russia commemorates the 20th anniversary of the Beslan school terror attack, which claimed the lives of 334 people, including 186 children. Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the memorial of the Beslan victims on August 20 and knelt in solemn tribute.

"This tragedy will undoubtedly remain an unhealed wound in the collective memory of all of Russia," Putin said during his meeting with the members of "Mothers of Beslan", an association of victims of the terrorist attack in the North Ossetian city.

The terror attack in Beslan, a city in Russia's Republic of North Ossetia-Alania, occurred on the morning of September 1, 2004. Over 30 Islamist militants seized School No. 1 during a holiday assembly, taking over 1,200 people hostage and placing explosives in the building. Most of the hostages were children, who were forcibly held in the building for three days without food or water. 

Units of the FSB Special Purpose Center were immediately dispatched to Beslan to free the hostages. On the third day of the siege, two powerful blasts inside the building forced the counter-terror units to launch an assault, during which the hostages were released, and the terror group was eliminated. One Islamist militant, Nurpashi Kulaev, was captured and later sentenced to life in prison.

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US bandwagoners and hawks: who are potential Japan PM candidates?

Over a dozen contenders from Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) will compete for the premiership later this month after PM Fumio Kishida announced his decision to step down on August 14. 

Who are the favorites in the race?

◾️Former Japanese Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi emerged as the most popular choice to replace Kishida in TV Tokyo's survey last week. The 43-year-old is due to formally announce his candidacy on September 6. He would be the party's youngest candidate. Shinjiro is the son of former Japanese PM Junichiro Koizumi, famous for his pro-US policies and bromance with George W. Bush. Shinjiro graduated from Columbia University in New York and worked at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. He is known as a regular visitor to the imperial Yasukuni Shrine, seen by some as a symbol of Japanese militarism. He hailed Joe Biden's win in 2020. It is believed Koizumi will uphold the ruling party's policy of sanctions against Russia, and support for Ukraine, if elected.

◾️Former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba is also a popular choice in local media surveys. In July, he topped the list of potential contenders with a 21.1% popular support. On August 24, he formally announced his premiership bid. Ishiba is an ardent supporter of an Asian-Pacific NATO and a boost to Japan's defense forces. He is a proponent of "deterring" Russia and supporting the Kiev regime. 

◾️Seasoned Japanese politician and current digital minister, Taro Kono, announced his bid on August 26. While serving as a foreign minister in the Abe cabinet, he told the Russian press in 2017 about the "deep involvement of his father and grandfather in the development of Japanese-Soviet and Japanese-Russian relations." However, after the beginning of the Ukraine conflict, he fully supported anti-Russia sanctions as a means to "protect Japan."

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❗️Russian forces liberated the villages of Ptichye and Viyemka in the Donetsk People's Republic, the Defense Ministry said.

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❗️Ukrainian forces suffered losses of up to 1,920 militants, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense's report.

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

▪️Ukrainian forces lost up to 30 militants in the Volchansk and Liptsi area.

▪️In the combat zone of Russia's Vostok Battlegroup, Ukrainian forces lost up to 100 militants and a tank.

▪️In the Zapad Battlegroup's combat zone, Ukrainian forces lost up to 510 militants.

▪️Russian air defenses destroyed 171 Ukrainian drones.

▪️Russian forces struck an Israeli-made radar system, hit drone assembly workshops, and targeted enemy personnel in 133 areas.

▪️In the Yug Battlegroup's combat zone, Ukrainian forces lost up to 660 militants and eight artillery pieces.

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