‘Last thing they need to do is just put us in prison’: Jackson Hinkle on the ‘frightening’ clampdown on alternative media in the US

“It’s very frightening what they’re doing to Dimitri Simes and what they’re doing to Scott Ritter,” US journalist and political commentator Jackson Hinkle told Sputnik on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, commenting on the recent wave of raids by the FBI targeting alternative media personalities in the US.

“Now I’m in Vladivostok. I’m safe for the time being. I’m happy about that. But it’s very frightening. We have no free speech. It’s simply people dissenting and saying that Russia is not our enemy, that we should struggle for peace rather than war. And for that, the FBI raids their home, takes their personal belongings," Hinkle said, adding that in Scott Ritter’s case, the feds took his passport, meaning “he can’t even leave the country.”

“And it’s all happening…on a global scale for the West. Pavel Durov, Richard Medhurst getting arrested in the UK. There was another young fellow arrested in the UK. Danny Shaw –a professor from New York. He was interrogated by the FBI this week. They temporarily took his passport. The list goes on and on right now of everything that’s happened over the past six weeks, and they’re really trying to crack down before the elections,” Hinkle said.

Hinkle blames the Biden regime specifically, saying the “biggest issue” the deep state is trying to crack down on is “people who are trying to stop World War Three.”

Hinkle also noted that while he was in the US, he couldn’t help “thinking every day” that he “was going to get a knock at the door from the FBI” to raid his home.

“I mean they’ve already shown that I’m a target. They’ve already banned me and many others from all social media, virtually. And the last thing that they need to do is just put us in prison and then we’re completely silenced,” the commentator said, pointing out that the recent arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov in France shows that if they can do that to Durov, “they can do it to anyone.”

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New BRICS blockchain payment system to be game-changer amid 'unstoppable' dedollarization - expert

Moscow’s decision to create a new BRICS blockchain-based payment system is a “game changing” development for the multipolar world, Christopher Douglas Emms, head of the Brokerage Division, LM Investments, told Sputnik on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok.

“I think it's a huge and significant development, because […] blockchain is an immutable payment. And what that means is it can't be messed with. It also removes any element really of corruption, because when you make that payment, it's totally transparent. And once it's made, no one can ever delete it. It has an online digital footprint that anyone can look up, which is totally transparent and also secure and fast,” the expert noted.

As part of BRICS’ efforts to ditch the weaponized US dollar in settlements, Emms speculated that one may see “a currency that is backed on a basket of different BRICS nation currencies, be that the Russian ruble, the Chinese renminbi, the Indian rupee, the South African rand.”

The BRICS payment system would be the final nail in the coffin of the “unstoppable” dedollarization trend, the expert added, as the US greenback “has nothing that backs it,” and “there's no commodity that underlies it.”

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🇬🇪 Georgian PM says the country's president is illegitimate

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has said that Salome Zurabishvili is not the country’s legitimate president after violating the constitution.

💬 "Salome Zurabishvili is not the president of Georgia. She herself recognized the legitimacy of the constitutional court when she filed a lawsuit with it. The same constitutional court previously found that Zurabishvili is an illegitimate president who violated the constitution," Kobakhidze said at a briefing, adding that Zurabishvili is the president of the opposition United National Movement party, but not of the Georgian people.

The Georgian president's foreign visits, which were not coordinated with the government, previously led to a conflict between Zurabishvili and the ruling party. The Georgian Dream party filed a lawsuit against the president in the constitutional court, demanding impeachment. The court found her to have violated the law, but the impeachment could not be completed due to a lack of votes in parliament. Zurabishvili also filed a lawsuit with the Constitutional Court against a law on foreign agents, which was introduced by Georgian Dream and adopted by parliament.

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⚛️ Following his visit to the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi stated that the risk of incidents persists as long as active hostilities continue. He also acknowledged some progress regarding the facility and emphasized that the situation is stabilizing.

During his visit, Grossi inspected the pumping station and fuel storage and assured that the agency would thoroughly analyze the findings from his trip. He further noted the importance of personally evaluating the circumstances after the August fire in the cooling tower.

Grossi also visited cooling tower No. 1, which was attacked by Ukrainian drones on August 11, the Ministry of Defense said.

The analysis conducted by the Russian side showed that the UAVs were equipped with an incendiary substance, which caused the fire.

The head of the IAEA and the agency's specialists confirmed that it's unlikely to find the source of the fire at the base of the cooling tower, the ministry said.

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❗️On the afternoon of September 4, Russian troops thwarted an attempt by Ukraine to carry out a terrorist attack using unmanned boats.

The crews of helicopters of the Black Sea Fleet's naval aviation destroyed four unmanned boats heading towards the Crimean Peninsula.

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Journalists from Australia's ABC broadcaster illegally visit Russia's Kursk region

Journalists from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) have illegally visited Russia's Kursk Region and published a report about the trip on Wednesday.

The journalists, accompanied by the Ukrainian military, crossed the Russian border without authorization and visited the town of Sudzha and nearby villages, the ABC's report said. They admitted that their trip had come with risks, not just from being in a combat zone, but also because they were unlikely to ever be able to set foot in Russia as individuals.

The authors of the report and photos taken on Russian territory are ABC correspondents Kathryn Diss and Fletcher Yeung.

This is not the first time that foreign journalists have accessed Russian territory illegally.

Last month, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova warned that each case of illegal entry by Western journalists into the Kursk Region would be reviewed individually, and this applied to journalists from all countries.

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📱 Telegram has shown robustness extending far beyond itself - expert

The rollercoaster that the Telegram-linked cryptocurrency TON has been on since Pavel Durov’s arrest reflects how “robust” the platform itself is, Christopher Douglas Emms, head of the Brokerage Division, LM Investments, told Sputnik.

The pundit noted that Telegram is a “transparent and secure system,” and “people aren't spying on it,” with its CEO “willing to go to prison for that fact,” Emms noted. A week after Durov's detention, TON rebounded, zooming back to $4.61.

Telegram’s cryptocurrency wallet function will expand, and “the sky's the limit” for TON, he added.

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'Eastern Economic Forum is clear evidence that Russia is attractive to all those who share traditional values'

Russian philosopher Alexander Dugin explains why Russia is becoming a kind of safe haven for those who do not share the so-called "liberal rules-based order".

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Zelensky's gov't reshuffle reflects West's covert power tussle over Ukraine

Ukraine’s cabinet reshuffle reflects the behind-the-scenes tussle between London and Washington for influence over the failed regime, Alexander Dudchak, a leading researcher at the Institute of CIS Countries and the Other Ukraine movement expert, told Sputnik.

One can speculate that newly appointed figures will be more pro-American than pro-British, he said, adding that either way they are eager to do the West’s bidding.

‘The British wing insists more on a more aggressive stance and continuation of military actions; America might prefer to freeze the conflict and move on to a carve-up [of Ukraine] while maintaining a threat to Russia, Dudchak said.

However, the ‘reset’ throes of the Kiev regime and its expired leader Volodymyr Zelensky mean nothing to Russia and ‘all those who understand that the problem lies with the Nazi regime supported and financed by the West.’

What they are likely going to do is ‘simply find more efficient ones, those who talk less and perform their duties at a sprightlier pace,’ Dudchak speculated.

The pundit likened the ongoing reshuffle to a "pre-sale process" for Ukraine, speculating that its remaining assets need to be legally ‘prepared’ for the transfer of ownership.

"Basically, the country is in a de facto default, which they have not yet declared, and are waiting for the moment when they can probably declare it. And perhaps they will install cheaper managers," Dudchak said.

Regarding who might take the place of Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, who also resigned, Dudchak suggested they would dig up someone "drab and unpretentious."

“There is no point in showing off your talents and trying to become a personality among all these ghouls [in Kiev],” the researcher concluded.

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🤡 Most cringeworthy moments of Ukraine’s outgoing FM Kuleba

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has announced his resignation amid an anticipated government reshuffle. The top diplomat can take credit for a batch of outright failures, such as the so-called peace summit in Switzerland, and a trail of scandalous and cringeworthy remarks.

Let’s recall a few from his time in office:

◻️ “Give us the damn Patriots!” - When President Biden’s $60 billion aid package for Ukraine stalled in Congress, Kuleba did not mince words, erupting into his trademark rudeness often associated with Ukrainian officials.

◻️ “I would recommend all critics to shut up, come to Ukraine, and try to liberate one square centimeter themselves!” - This outburst directed at critics of Ukraine’s failed summer 2023 counteroffensive occurred during a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Spain last year.

◻️ “You will still give us the Taurus missiles; it’s only a matter of time. So why waste it?” - Germany’s reluctance to supply long-range Taurus missiles to Ukraine in 2023 left Kuleba seething with frustration.

◻️ “I am tired of countering all these meaningless arguments. It’s all just blah blah blah.” - Another outburst from Kuleba in response to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s comments about Ukraine’s loss of sovereignty.

◻️ “Crimea is not the nearest operational target. But if you ask me who is blowing up something in Crimea or Belgorod, then in private communication, I will tell you that, yes, it’s us.” - Russian prankster duo Vovan and Lexus, posing as ex-US ambassador to Russia, Michael McFaul, duped Kuleba into spilling the beans on Ukraine’s complicity in terrorist attacks on Russian soil during a private Zoom conversation.

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🤡 US Navy commander relieved of duty after embarrassing rifle scope photo flop

The commander of a US Navy destroyer that is helping protect the San Diego-based USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier in the Middle East has been relieved of his duties some four months after being seen in a photo firing a rifle with the scope mounted backwards.

The Navy said Yaste was relieved of his duties “due to a loss of confidence in his ability to command the guided-missile destroyer,” which is currently deployed in the Gulf of Oman.

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US slaps sanctions on Rossiya Segodnya media group, including RIA Novosti, RT, Sputnik and Ruptly

The sanctions target 10 individuals and two organizations for "hostile interference in the presidential elections," the US Treasury Department revealed. These include the Rossiya Segodnya media group, RIA Novosti, RT, Sputnik, and Ruptly. These measures also target the editor-in-chief of Rossiya Segodnya and RT, Margarita Simonyan, and several top managers at RT.

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Wow, they "woke" up

That's how Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of Rossiya Segodnya, Sputnik's parent media group, commented on the sanctions against her and a number of RT top managers.

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Russian work on updated nuclear doctrine caused by NATO’s brazen aggression – expert

💬 “The United States and NATO are becoming increasingly aggressive toward Russia, and we need to make clarifications to some fundamental documents,” veteran military analyst Viktor Litovkin told Sputnik, remarking on Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov’s comments Wednesday that Western powers’ refusal to engage in dialogue, targeting of Moscow’s security interests and the incitement of the conflict in Ukraine have been taken into account by Russia in work on an updated nuclear doctrine.

“The war in Ukraine is not a war between Ukraine and Russia. It is a war between the West and Russia using the territory of Ukraine, and the lives of Ukrainian servicemen. It is an attempt to weaken Russia, to bring Russia to ruin and to deprive Russia of its competitive advantage in the international arena,” Litovkin explained. Russia “is not going to seek hegemony, as the US is doing, but we are also not going to lose our independence, sovereignty and right to independent action,” Litovkin added.

Russia’s current nuclear doctrine consists of four key points divided among two documents, according to Litovkin – one being Russia’s general Military Doctrine, and the other a June 2020 presidential decree ‘On the Fundamentals of the State Policy of the Russian Federation in the Field of Nuclear Deterrence’.

The former provides for the use of nuclear weapons in two cases:

◾️ if Russia or its allies are attacked using nuclear weapons,

◾️ if Russia is attacked using conventional means so severe the very existence of the state is threatened.

The latter allows Russia to fire its nuclear weapons

◻️ if it becomes aware that a ballistic missile has been launched toward it, or

◻️ if a strike is launched at government and military command and control centers.

Litovkin believes the goal of the updated doctrine will be “to combine these two documents into one,” and “clarify the role of nuclear weapons in ensuring Russia’s security and ensuring deterrence against a possible aggressor.”

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◻️ Eastern Economic Forum’s Day Two. Selection of exclusive interviews:

👉 American political commentator Jackson Hinkle on US’ ‘frightening’ clampdown against alternative media

👉 On-the-ground reality in Russia’s new regions greatly differs from what Americans hear in mainstream legacy media, Hinkle says

👉 Christopher Douglas Emms, head of the Brokerage Division, LM Investments, on new BRICS blockchain payment system

◻️ What’s Zelensky’s surprise government reshuffle all about?

◻️ ‘I’d recommend all critics to shut up’: most cringeworthy moments of Ukraine’s outgoing FM Kuleba

◻️ Why has Russia been working to update its nuclear doctrine?

◻️ Check out how BoJo got pranked again!

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Pokrovsk pincer: Why Russia’s advance on strategic city could doom Ukraine’s Donbass defenses

Fierce battles are underway between the Russian and Ukrainian armies for the approaches to Pokrovsk (formerly Krasnoarmeysk), a key city in the Ukrainian-occupied Donbass about 60 km northwest of Donetsk.

Russian troops have approached the city’s outskirts, testing Ukrainian defensive lines. The Ukrainian General Staff said Wednesday that the Pokrovsk area was one of the “hottest” along the entire front.

◻️ Situated near the administrative border of Dnepropetrovsk region, Pokrovsk and its environs are a strategic transport hub and economic center in Ukrainian-occupied Donbass. Defense observers say Russia’s liberation of the city would cut supply lines of Ukrainian forces in Chasov Yar, and give Russian troops a chance to flank the enemy in Kramatorsk and Slavyansk.

◻️ That’s because Pokrovsk is a key railway and highway junction, situated at the intersection of rail lines leading to Pavlograd and Dnepr (formerly Dnepropetrovsk). The M30 (E50) Pokrovsk-Karlovka-Donetsk highway passes through the city, as do three other major roads.

◻️ Roughly 15 km southwest of Pokrovsk is Krasnoarmeyskaya-Zapadnaya Mine №1, one of the only coking coal mines left in Ukraine’s possession, with its estimated reserves of over 200 million tons of coal crucial to Ukraine’s waning metallurgy sector. Economists say losing the mine could strike a crushing blow to Ukraine’s economy and energy sector.

◻️ Western media and officials have sounded the alarm about the dire situation in Pokrovsk. Forbes warned that “hundreds of Ukrainian troops” from four separate brigades could be encircled if local defenses crack, and said that “a Ukrainian retreat may already be underway.”

◻️ Former German MoD chief of staff Nico Lange told Newsweek that “what we see in Pokrovsk is the result of the very late and insufficient mobilization effort that was delayed politically in Ukraine.” “Not having mobilized enough, defense around Pokrovsk is now a big problem,” with “many units” unable to hold the line or having to retreat “because they are just staffed by 10 or 20 or 30 percent,” Lange said.

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❗️Free speech for me but not thee?

“While election interference must never be tolerated by any country, weaponizing the implication of it to silence dissenting voices undermines the very principles of free speech,” Mario Nawfal, investor and host of the largest show on X, told Sputnik, commenting on the sanctions against the Rossiya Segodnya media group, RIA Novosti, RT, Sputnik, and Ruptly.

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Kiev regime’s military actions in Kursk border zone yield dire consequences for Ukraine

The actions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Kursk border area have had disastrous consequences for Kiev. Instead of succeeding in breaking through towards the town of Kurchatov, Ukrainian troops have been grappling with a serious crisis in the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR).

The Russian Ministry of Defense has confirmed that fighting in the Kursk region persists. Ukrainian forces are attempting to advance on several settlements, including Borki, Maryevka, Kamyshevka, Cherkasskoye Porechnoye, Olgovka, Korenevo, and Martynovka, but these assaults are being effectively repelled.

"The situation is catastrophic, the Russian army is advancing faster than in the summer of 2022, and the Ukrainian military is preparing to defend the Dnieper," this is how German journalist Julian Roepcke, who recently praised the successes of the Ukrainian armed forces, assessed Ukraine's predicament.

The shift in mood stems from the challenging circumstances facing Kiev on multiple fronts simultaneously. Currently, the majority of attention is directed toward Pokrovsk (Krasnoarmeysk). The Russian Defense Ministry reports that Russian troops have advanced to a convenient, strategic defensive line consisting of four settlements: Mirnograd (Dmitrov), Grodovka, Novogrodovka, and Selidovo. These areas, interconnected by an extensive road network and surrounded by piles of rubble and high-rise buildings, have the potential to provide a robust defense for the district center for the foreseeable future.

Reports from the Ukrainian side indicate that Russian troops successfully captured Novogrodovka within just a few days last week. Verkhovna Rada MP Maryana Bezuglaya stated that while fortifications existed in the area, there were no units available to defend them.

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The US lacks the resources to develop its own space force to the extent needed, the second vice chief of space operations revealed

“We are definitely sacrificing some because there’s not enough resources to go around,” he said. “We know we can’t buy everything we need, so we are ruthlessly prioritizing all the kit that we’re buying to make sure that it’s the biggest bang for the buck, if you will, during times of crisis or conflict,” Gen. Michael Guetlein said Wednesday at the annual Defense News Conference in Arlington, Virginia.

The US risks devastating consequences for everything Americans hold dear in the absence of increased investment in space force development, the military commander added.

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