US witch-hunt against journalists cooperating with Russian media is gaining steam

Armed FBI agents beat up and intimately searched a female RT employee during a raid at her home in Miami, Florida. All her electronic devices were seized. The woman's name was not disclosed for security reasons.

The FBI raid took place around 5am local time. The employee was asleep when 20 armed agents broke into her house. She was not allowed to get dressed. According to the RT employee, the agents had a "separate warrant" to search her bodily. “Everything was touched, let's put it this way,” she said later.

The woman was interrogated for about five hours. She recalled that FBI agents were particularly interested in former RT columnist and UN weapons inspector Scott Ritter, along with Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of Rossiya Segodnya, Sputnik's parent media group, and other senior managers.

The FBI did not bring any criminal charges against the RT employee. The woman has since left the US for safety reasons.

◻️ The FBI raid came on the heels of new sanctions announced by the Biden administration against RT, Sputnik and other media of the Rossiya Segodnya group on September 4.

◻️ In mid-August, the US investigative agency raided a Virginia house owned by prominent political scientist Dimitri K. Simes, a Soviet-born US national. According to reports, agents visited Simes' house twice on August 13 and 15, and confiscated items. Simes, who was out of the country at the time, said he had not received any notification or warrant before the raid.

◻️ On August 7, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) raided the upstate New York home of Scott Ritter over an alleged violation of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). Several boxes of materials were taken from Ritter's house by the agents.

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The US may allow Ukraine to use British and French long-range missiles to strike deep into Russian territory, but not American ones, the Times reports

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Why Russia is the literal Eldorado of energy, metals and rare earth riches

President Putin has instructed the government to mull restrictions on the export of strategic resources like titanium, uranium, and nickel in a tit-for-tat response to unfriendly countries’ actions. Given Russia’s status as a resource superpower, a scaling back of exports could plunge Western economies into a depression. Here’s why:

◻️ Energy:

Russia possesses up to 12% of the world’s oil reserves, 32% of its natural gas, 8% of all untapped uranium, and 11% of the planet’s coal.

◻️ Industrial Metals and Minerals:

Russia accounts for 25% of global iron reserves, 33% of nickel, 15% of zinc and titanium, 11% of tin, 10% of lead and rhodium, 8% of chromium, 7% of copper, 3% of cobalt, 2% of bauxite and about 1% of gallium, plus substantial amounts of beryllium, bismuth, and mercury. Russia also has about 12% of global potash (used in an array of areas, from agriculture and industrial chemicals to pharmaceuticals).

◻️ Precious Resources:

Up to 23% of the world’s gold, 12% of silver, up to a fifth of platinum group metals, and as much as 55% of diamonds are buried under Russia’s soil.

◻️ Rare Earths:

Russia is also a potential world leader in rare earth mineral production, (the latter are used in an array of modern high-tech devices). While it only accounts for about 2% of rare earths production at present, Russia has the second-largest reserves, constituting up to 28.7 million metric tons, and has committed to major investments in production and processing. Known rare earths possessed by Russia include samarium, europium, gadolinium, lanthanum, neodymium, promethium, and cerium.

◻️ World’s Dependence on Russian Resources:

Russia’s detractors have often played up its resource exports as a sign of the country’s lagging development or low place in the global hierarchy of ‘developed vs. underdeveloped’ nations. But the breakdown in relations with Western countries after 2022 amply demonstrated that while Russia can definitely survive without Western technological and consumer goods, the same cannot be said of the West when it comes to Russian oil, gas, uranium, fertilizers and other resources.

The US, for instance, continues to depend on Russian uranium to fuel its nuclear power plants. Meanwhile, Europe, having largely cut itself off from Russia’s dependable pipeline-delivered natural gas, is buying record amounts of Russian LNG amid shortages of US and Gulf supplies. Moreover, despite initial bellicosity and threats, Western countries including the US, Germany, France and Poland quickly carved out special exceptions for themselves to allow the continued purchase of Russia’s world-class nitrogen fertilizers.

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☦️Ukrainian Orthodox Church under harsh persecution: What you need to know

The Kiev regime is continuing to escalate its persecution of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church, accusing the clergy and parishioners of working for Russia. The unprecedented oppression of Orthodoxy in Ukraine has repeatedly been highlighted by major US influencers such as Elon Musk and Tucker Carlson.

What’s happening to the only canonical Orthodox Church in Ukraine? Sputnik has compiled the latest information.

Banned and prohibited church:

◻️ On August 20, the Ukrainian parliament adopted a bill noscriptd "On the prohibition of religious organizations associated with the Russian Federation." The law comes into force 30 days after its publication. According to the legislation, the Ukrainian church will have nine months to "sever ties with the Russian Orthodox Church."

◻️ Ukrainian State Service for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience Chairman Viktor Yelensky stated that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church needs to publish statements on its leadership’s withdrawal from the Russian Orthodox Church’s governing bodies for the law not to be applied to it.

◻️ Since March 2022, local authorities have been issuing orders to ban the canonical church’s activities on their territory, and more than 80 such decisions have been made by Ukrainian local administrations. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church has been banned by the authorities of the Vinnitsa, Volyn, Zhitomir, Kiev, Rovno, Khmelnitsky, and Chernovtsy regions.

Seizing, vandalizing, and demolishing churches:

◻️ According to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Synod, more than 1,500 churches have been seized by the Kiev regime's Orthodox Church of Ukraine schismatics. The latest seizure occurred on September 11. According to Ukrainian media, Volodymyr Zelensky's schismatics captured another canonical church in the Kiev region.

◻️ Dozens of cases of vandalism, including arson, have been recorded against the canonical Orthodox Church, and several churches and chapels have been demolished. On May 17, the Vladimir-Olginskaya Chapel, which belonged to the Tithe Church, the oldest in Kiev, was demolished. The chapel, like many other damaged churches in Ukraine, was under UNESCO protection.

Persecution of clergy:

◻️ Since 2022, the Security Service of Ukraine has conducted 41,000 investigations into Ukrainian Orthodox Church priests over alleged cooperation with Russia, and searched 350 church buildings.

◻️ Since February 2022, the Security Service of Ukraine has opened 80 criminal cases against Ukrainian Orthodox Church clergy and bishops under treason articles noscriptd "Aiding the aggressor country" and "Inciting religious hatred." Thirty-seven clergy have been charged, of whom 23 have received court sentences. Several arrested and convicted priests have been exchanged for Ukrainian prisoners of war and handed over to Russia.

◻️ Among them are the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra’s abbot, Metropolitan Pavel, and the Svyatogorsk Lavra’s abbot, Metropolitan Arseniy. These monasteries, along with the Pochaev Lavra, are considered the main Orthodox spiritual centers in Ukraine.

◻️ At the end of August, MP and former Ukrainian Security Service employee Ivan Stupak told Ukrainian media that Ukraine could "bargain" for several of its prisoners of war in Russian captivity for just one Ukrainian Orthodox Church priest.

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Long-range strikes: NATO countries risk a harsh Russian response – Swedish military veteran

"I believe that NATO countries skeptical to the use of long range weapons deep inside Russian territory don't want to be involved in giving permission for their use," Mikael Valtersson, former officer of Swedish Armed Forces and former defense politician and chief of staff with Sweden Democrats, told Sputnik.

Valtersson's comments come in response to a statement by the head of the Polish Ministry of Defense, suggesting that the decision on expanding Ukraine's long-range strikes deep into Russian territory with Western missiles should be made by NATO rather than individual states.

The Biden administration is considering giving the go-ahead to Ukraine for the use of US-made ATACMS missiles, while the UK has reportedly agreed to allow the Kiev regime to expand the use of British-made Storm Shadow missiles against Russia.

"Even if NATO as an organization approves of use of long distance weapons on Russian territory it will be the specific countries that deliver and/or produce the weapons used that will be blamed," Valtersson said.
Russia's response would not be long coming if the US and other countries authorize the Kiev regime to launch long-range strikes, he warned.

While the pundit did not expect Russia to retaliate with tactical nuclear weapons – unless NATO attacks it with nukes – he did not rule out that Moscow would provide long-range missiles to countries deemed adversaries by the West in line with comments made by Russian President Vladimir Putin in June.

"NATO has made small steps all the time, mostly to avoid a large step that Russia must answer to. This will probably be so this time too, but slowly the western countries are getting closer to a harsh Russian response, when enough is enough," Valtersson said.

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📊 Israel's Bombing of Gaza Mapped Out

Israel's bombardment of the Gaza Strip, which has been ongoing since October 2023, has caused widespread devastation and a humanitarian crisis in the region, spreading across the area targeted by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

Israeli airstrikes targeting Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups have resulted in the death of more than 41,000 Palestinians, including women and children, leaving thousands more homeless and displaced.
The attacks have also caused significant damage to local infrastructure, including hospitals, schools, and residential buildings, leaving many without access to basic services such as water, electricity, and health care.

The situation has been condemned by many international organizations and governments, who have called for an immediate ceasefire and a negotiated solution to the conflict.

📊 Take a look at Sputnik's infographics showing Israel's bombardment of the Gaza Strip

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◻️ Putin: NATO's approval of use of long-range missiles by Ukraine will mean it’s at war with Russia

◻️ How did media and influencers react to White House’s comments on allowing Ukraine to strike deep inside Russia?

◻️ Russian army ousts Ukrainian forces from ten settlements in Kursk region – check out the updates

◻️ As Russia considers restricting export of its strategic resources, check out what earth riches the country has

◻️ Why will Serbia never impose sanctions on Russia? Deputy PM Vulin explains.

◻️ What you need to know about harsh persecution of Ukrainian Orthodox Church

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Russian force majeure on resource exports could bankrupt West’s economies: here’s why

“The pain” of a Russian freeze on strategic resource exports “would be felt by both the US and the EU, and all countries listed as ‘unfriendly’ to Russia, as they would have to source the required elements from third country suppliers, and that would entail an appreciable price increase for the commodity, and the extended supply chain costs that entails,” investment consultant Paul Goncharoff told Sputnik, commenting on President Putin’s remarks this week that Russia may restrict its nickel, titanium and uranium exports in response to Western countries’ unfriendly actions.

The US and Europe can expect a 15-20% bump in the costs of its strategic resource imports if Moscow moves forward with restrictions, especially since Russia is in a unique position globally in the production of high-quality nickel, aviation-grade titanium, and enriched uranium, says Maxim Khudalov, chief strategist at the Vector X investment and brokerage firm.

Furthermore, if the Europeans were deprived of access to Russian aviation-grade titanium, that would add to Airbus’s production costs, hitting their bottom line in the high-stakes rivalry with Boeing. Meanwhile, higher nickel costs would mean higher prices for virtually all of Europe’s high-tech products, including electronics and specialized mechanical engineering, the observer said, emphasizing that “all of this will become more expensive in Europe and again allow their American ‘friends’ to grab the remainder of their markets.”

Russia, over the short term, might lose a bit of its export revenues if resources’ exports to the West were curtailed, Khudalov admitted.

“But on the other hand, why do we need export revenues? Generally speaking, the whole point of international trade for us is to sell raw materials in exchange for technology. Western countries have refused to supply us with technology basically going back to 2014. Then the question is: why do we continue to supply them with strategic raw materials? To get some green pieces of paper which they then seize from us? This is a rather strange position. Therefore, here it turns out that since they limit our access to technology, we are starting to limit their access to raw materials,” Khudalov said.

China could become the main beneficiary of a Russian reorientation on resource exports, receiving a 15-20% bump in its cost competitiveness against Western finished goods, and getting a much-needed advantage in the looming trade war with the US, Khudalov summed up.

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❗️ The US is not yet ready to announce lifting of restrictions on long-range strikes by Ukrainian forces deep into Russia - State Dept.

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Ukraine is a non-sovereign state ruled by 'political Frankenstein' Zelensky – Ukrainian opposition politician

💬 "For a long time an independent Ukraine has not been existing politically, economically, or legally," Ukrainian opposition politician and Chairman of the Council of the Other Ukraine movement Viktor Medvedchuk told EA Daily. "The country is ruled by an illegitimate president who has usurped power, becoming a dictator."

◻️ The Western-backed Euromaidan coup d'etat of 2014 dealt a heavy blow to Ukrainian sovereignty and legitimate power. For 30 years the West has fuelled anti-Russian sentiment, distorted history and facilitated the rise of Nazism in Ukraine.

◻️ The Minsk agreements of 2015 corresponded to EU interests, but the UK and US, who sought to start a war, deliberately disrupted the settlement process.

◻️ Washington's plan was "to destabilize the situation on Russia's borders, and then inside Russia. The first step succeeded, the second did not. The US managed to break Ukraine and Europe, but not Russia."

◻️ In 2020 Ukraine got a chance to nullify the adverse consequences of the 2014 regime change through democratic means. "Our party 'Opposition Platform – For Life' won local elections in 2020, after we were ranked second in the 2019 parliamentary elections, and began to lead in polls across the country," Medvedchuk said.

◻️ But in February 2021 the Zelensky regime illegally blocked broadcasting of opposition channels, slapped sanctions on Medvedchuk and his wife, groundlessly accused him of treason and arrested him in May 2021. Other Ukrainian opposition politicians were also subjected to persecution.

◻️ The special military operation in Ukraine would not have begun if Zelensky had abandoned the idea of joining NATO.

◻️ The situation in Ukraine and in the world will improve after the West stops pouring billions into propping up Zelensky, who is a "political Frankenstein".

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Better than Biden? 🤔

📹 Watch the most epically hilarious quotes from George Bush's presidency

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White House refuses to acknowledge nuclear war risks as provocations against Russia continue

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre dismissed fears of World War III as “hypotheticals,” refusing to comment on the media reports of discussions on the lifting of restrictions on long-range strikes by Ukrainian forces deep into Russian territory.

Earlier in the day, Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed that the use of Western high-precision long-range weapons against Russia would be considered as the direct participation of NATO countries in military operations in Ukraine.

Putin stressed that only NATO servicemen can enter targeting data into US and European weapons systems, which are guided by Western satellites that Ukraine does not possess.

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Wait, are they gangsters? Oops, no, it's just regular connoscription in Ukraine

Ukrainian media publish footage of a man being beaten by military registration and enlistment office employees in Mukachevo.

Men in camouflage uniforms and masks beat a prone man in civilian clothes, spray him in the face with what looks like pepper spray and carry him away to a minibus.

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JD Vance shares what Trump’s Ukraine peace plan could look like

“The current line of demarcation between Russia and Ukraine [could become] like a demilitarized zone,” said the vice presidential candidate during an interview with online political commentator Shawn Ryan, appearing to accept Moscow's sovereignty over the Donbass, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions which joined Russia as a result of popular referendums.

“Russia gets the guarantee of neutrality from Ukraine. It doesn't join NATO. It doesn't join some of these sort of allied institutions,” Vance emphasized, echoing Russian President Vladimir Putin’s June 14 proposal to settle the Ukraine conflict as well as numerous previous Russian peace plans.

Vance suggested Germany should help fund Ukraine's postwar recovery. The European country has played a key role in escalating the conflict, funneling weapons to Kiev's failing armed forces and planning attacks on Russia's Crimean Bridge – a provocation that came to light in a leaked telephone conversation between high-ranking German military officials in March.

“The Germans and other countries have to fund some Ukrainian reconstruction,” Vance claimed.

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“What the hell are we doing? What is the goal? What are we trying to accomplish?” Vance questions US proxy war against Russia in Ukraine

“The fact that you don't have a president or a vice president who can articulate [the purpose] means we probably shouldn't be there to begin with,” Vice Presidential candidate JD Vance told political commentator Shawn Ryan.

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Vance refuses to fight for Russia’s Crimea

“The question is, how many American lives would it cost to [invade Crimea]? And if the answer is more than zero, then I'm out, right?” said the vice presidential candidate during an interview with online political commentator Shawn Ryan.

“I'm sick of wasting American lives being the policeman of the world,” Vance emphasized.

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