Sputnik correspondent visited the south of Lebanon. The footage shows a lot of destroyed buildings and cars buried under the rubble. This is what Lebanese villages look like after the Israeli bombing.

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How is the Nord Stream sabotage investigation going two years on?

Two years after a series of blasts rendered the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline inoperable, Western powers have finally moved towards identifying and punishing the people responsible for this act of industrial terrorism… but not really.

In the immediate aftermath of the Nord Stream’s destruction, some European countries – including Germany who suffered the most from losing access to cheap Russian natural gas – displayed a remarkable lack of interest in getting to the bottom of this matter.

◻️ Seymour Hersh’s bombshell exposé that identified the United States (who had both the means to carry out this attack and who repeatedly announced its desire to terminate the Nord Stream 2 pipeline) and Norway as the perpetrators of the bombing was largely ignored.

◻️ Despite launching a formal investigation into the pipeline’s destruction, Denmark – one of the countries through whose waters Nord Stream 2 was laid – closed the probe in February 2024, claiming no basis for a criminal case.

◻️ Sweden – another country whose waters contain a portion of the pipeline – also shut down its probe that same month due to alleged lack of jurisdiction.

◻️ Meanwhile, Germany now alleges that the attack was carried out by a team of, for the lack of a better term, amateur divers from Ukraine contracted by a group of Ukrainian officers led by Valery Zaluzhny, former commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces.

All of the Western powers who claimed to have investigated the Nord Stream destruction also pointedly ignored Russia’s requests for information on the explosions that took out the pipeline.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in August 2024 that Berlin “must stop categorically refusing to present the facts that they could not help but discover.”

He further noted that the fact that some of the information requested by Moscow “is not provided via official channels, but appears in newspapers” suggests that this whole probe into alleged actions of some Ukrainian officers may be meant to divert the public attention away from the real perpetrators.

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❗️Hezbollah Air Force commander Mohammed Hussein Srour was killed in an Israeli air strike in Beirut, the IDF press service said.

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📹 Georgia's ruling party has published a video comparing Ukraine, which chose war, with Georgia, which chose peace

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The demand for primary energy is likely to grow by 25% over the next 20 years – Russian deputy prime minister

Global demand for energy resources has grown by 13-14% over the last decade, and in the next 20 years the demand for primary energy is likely to grow by 25%, Alexander Novak said during the “World Energy as a Basis for Economic Growth and Prosperity: In Search of Balance” session at the Russian Energy Week.

💬 “Despite a slight decrease in the share of hydrocarbons, we can note that they will still dominate the energy agenda and global energy consumption. It is important not to miss the following – since new energy facilities will require major construction, both for power generation, extraction and processing of energy resources, it is important that we do not miss the moment of a global energy capacity shortage,” he noted at the session.

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‘Russian threat’ mantra: How does Western media react to Moscow’s nuke doctrine update?

President Vladimir Putin’s recent announcement of upcoming adjustments to Russia's nuclear doctrine has, unsurprisingly, sent Western media into a frenzy. As expected, the usual suspects were quick to brand it yet another ominous "threat" from Moscow. Of course, in their rush to stir panic, they skillfully overlooked the reasons behind Russia’s reassessment of its nuclear policy – reasons that involve the escalating military presence on Russia's borders and the not-so-innocent actions of Western powers.

🔸 “Vladimir Putin revises nuclear doctrine in warning to West,” the Financial Times’ headline reads as the newspaper calls the announcement “a clear message to Ukraine’s Western allies.”

🔸 In the same vein, Reuters reports that the Russian head of state “issues nuclear warning to the West over strikes on Russia from Ukraine”, while the New York Times argues that Putin purportedly “heightened his warnings against the West.”

🔸 Putin proposes “radical expansion” regarding the use of Russian nuclear weapons, the BBC reports, claiming that the move “could be construed as a threat to use nuclear weapons in the [proxy] war in Ukraine.”

🔸 Echoing the BBC is the Washington Post, which claims that Putin makes “a fresh nuclear threat against the West and Ukraine.” The AP joins the chorus by alleging that the Russian leader issues a threat and makes “a strong, new warning to the West.”

🔸 The Daly Mail goes as far as to claim that Putin “steps up WW3 threats” and that “the Kremlin warns the West of 'consequences' if it joins attacks on Russia in new saber-rattling.”

Putin previously emphasized that nuclear weapons can be used as a last resort and that Russia is capable of conducting nuclear tests, but there is no need for this yet. He called the Russian nuclear doctrine “a living instrument,” which can be changed as Moscow keeps a close eye on world developments.

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Laureates of the Global Energy Prize announced

Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak has announced the winners of the Global Energy Prize on the sidelines of the Russian Energy Week held in Moscow on 26-28 September.

💬 "The winners of the 2024 prize are scientists working in China, the US and Europe. The winners were selected from a shortlist that included representatives from eleven countries and territories, not to mention that initially the applications were from all parts of the world, including even Oceania. This underlines the high international status of the award, which is awarded to the best of the best," Sergey Brilev, president of the Global Energy Association, said.

🔸 Zi-Qiang Zhu, a professor at Sheffield University (UK), was the winner in the nomination for traditional energy for his outstanding contribution to the development of electrified transport, improving the energy efficiency of household appliances and reducing emissions from the generation and use of electricity, as well as energy production from renewable sources.

🔸 Dr. Hector Abruna, a professor of chemistry in Cornell University (US), was selected in the non-traditional energy category for his fundamental contributions in the fields of electrochemistry, batteries, fuel cells and molecular electronics.

🔸 Minggao Ouyang, a professor of Tsinghua University in Beijing, became a laureate for his nomination for new ways of using energy for technical leadership in strategic planning, research, demonstration and commercialization of new energy vehicles.

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❗️US-South Korea union clearly becoming a triple bloc with the participation of Japan, which has embarked on a course of remilitarization, Russian FM Sergey Lavrov told Sputnik.

US and allies actively engage nuclear weapon carrier systems in Asia-Pacific region, Lavrov added.

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Who are world's biggest nuclear powers?

As the US and NATO push the world closer to nuclear conflict, it's worth recalling who controls the largest arsenals. Russia and the US hold the majority of the world’s nuclear warheads, with Russia having the largest stockpile.

Other countries also possess nuclear weapons, and five non-nuclear NATO members (Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Turkiye) host US nukes under NATO's sharing scheme. Belarus hosts Russian nuclear weapons as part of the Union State.

Check out Sputnik’s infographic and see who is who in the world of nuclear weapons.

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Vladimir Putin hints time and again who is behind the Nord Stream terrorist attack

While Western powers either feign ignorance about who orchestrated the destruction of the Nord Stream natural gas pipelines in September 2022, or try to pin the blame on some convenient scapegoats, Russian President Vladimir Putin repeatedly hinted that Russia knows who is responsible and what kind of game the collective West is playing.

Don’t take our word for it – check out this video and see what Putin himself said regarding this matter in his various speeches and in his famous interview to Tucker Carlson.

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‘Energy of the Pen’ media contest gathers entries from 28 countries

The Global Energy Association has closed applications for its “Energy of the Pen” international media contest. Between April 1 and September 1, 2024, organizers registered 217 applications from Russia and 27 other countries from Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe and Latin America.

More than half of all the submissions came from 19 Russian regions. Experts selected the 46 best applications and submitted them to the jury. The jury includes representatives of major media holdings, TV channels, news agencies and business publications.

Key nominations include:

➖ Best energy article in federal press;

➖ Best energy article in regional press;

➖ Best energy article from a news agency;

➖ Best Telegram channel or blog about the energy sector;

➖ Best story about the energy sector on federal television;

➖ Best story about the energy sector on regional television;

➖ Best press service in the energy industry;

➖ Best article about the energy industry from foreign countries;

➖ Best video report on the energy sector from foreign countries.

Winners will be announced at the Russian Energy Week Forum, held in Moscow on September 26-28. The award ceremony will be attended by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak and Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov.

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When could US and NATO use nuclear arms and what's the principal difference with Russia's approach?

Vladimir Putin's announcement of proposed changes to its nuclear doctrine triggered a heated debate about the nuclear threat. However, it appears that the current version of the US nuclear blueprint contains more risks and ambiguity than Russia's approach.

The US Nuclear Posture Review 2022 stipulates:

🔹Preemptive strike. It rejects the principals of "No-first use" or "sole purpose use" (deterrence) of nuclear arms.

🔹Deterrence of nuclear attacks. Use of nuclear weapons of any yield by an adversary of the US or its allies would lead to a nuclear response.

🔹Response to non-nuclear attacks. A range of "high consequence strategic-level" non-nuclear attacks against the US and its allies could lead to a nuclear response.

🔹Calculated ambiguity. The doctrine retains ambiguity as an element on how and when it may resort to the use of nuclear arms to create uncertainty in the mind of the country's adversary.

🔹Nuclear umbrella. The US extends its nuclear umbrella to NATO members and other key allies, committing to the potential use of nuclear weapons to defend them in case of an attack.

🔹US president's authority. The decision of using nuclear weapons rests with the US president.

🔹Non-proliferation obligations. The US vows not to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear weapon states that are party to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and in compliance with their NPT obligations.

🔹Using whole might of NATO. The US exercises its nuclear deterrence in concert with its NATO allies to add "uncertainty and complexity to adversary planning".

🔹Adversaries. It names nuclear powers Russia, China and North Korea as its potential adversaries.

NATO's nuclear policy echoes the US doctrine:

🔸The alliance rejects "no-first use" of nuclear arms. It sees the strategic force of the alliance's nuclear powers – the US, the UK and France – as a guarantee to the alliance's deterrence strategy.

🔸A significant attack against a NATO member state could lead to a nuclear response from the alliance should the fundamental security of the ally be threatened.

In contrast to the US, Russia:

🔻Is committed to the "no-first use" of nuclear weapons;

🔻Explicitly describes under what conditions it will resort to a nuclear response, avoiding ambiguity;

🔻Exercises nuclear deterrence only against those powerful states and military alliances that names it a potential adversary.

🔻Doesn't form any military blocs with other nuclear powers.

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📹 The logo of RT is being projected onto the facade of the US Embassy building in Moscow as a response to Washington tightening its sanctions regime against Russian media, including the Rossiya Segodnya media group, its agencies Sputnik and RIA Novosti, as well as the RT TV channel, a Sputnik correspondent reports.

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📹 Lebanese media report strikes in the Hermel region of northeastern Lebanon in the Bekaa Valley

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Throwback to Putin speaking about nukes

As Russian President Vladimir Putin has outlined new rules for the use of the country's nuclear arsenal, here’s what he has said about the nuclear option throughout the years.

Spoiler: he’s always said it’s a last resort.

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Algeria and Gazprom strike deal for desert gas field development

Algeria has signed an agreement with Russia’s Gazprom for the development of a gas field in the desert, Rashid Nadel, head of the Algerian Fuel Control Authority, told Sputnik on the sidelines of the Russian Energy Week International Forum.

He added that there are other agreements between Algerian and Russian companies in the oil sector, with Algeria actively using Russian equipment.

"We see great potential for cooperation with Russian companies in the field of renewable energy," Nadel emphasized.

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▪️What’s behind Putin’s move to change Russia's nuclear doctrine?

▪️Russian nuke doctrine updates: ‘West to now be more hesitant to okay Ukraine’s long-range strikes’

▪️When could US and NATO use nuclear arms and what's the principal difference with Russia's approach?

▪️How is the Nord Stream sabotage investigation going two years on?

▪️Retired US colonel slams Zelensky’s ‘victory plan' and calls for end to failed ‘Ukraine strategy’

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Kenyan president slams 'undemocratic and dysfunctional' UN Security Council

"The UN Security Council continues to hamper efforts to maintain international peace and security," William Ruto, the president of Kenya, said, calling it "undemocratic and dysfunctional."

"An institution that excludes 54 African countries with 1.4 billion people, while allowing one nation to veto decisions of the remaining 193 member states in the 21st century is simply unacceptable," he said, addressing the UN General Assembly Summit in New York.

Earlier, Vladimir Putin emphasized the need to reform the UN due to the changing global situation, stressing that the reorganization should be based on broad consensus within the international community.

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White phosphorus: What are the toxic flammable munitions the White House is reluctant to give to Ukraine?

As the US provides another $375 million weapons package to Ukraine, including HIMARS, TOWs, and cluster munitions, the country's leadership (officially, at least) remains hesitant to send white phosphorus munitions to the Kiev regime, despite repeated pleas from the Pentagon, NBC reports.

So, what's the issue?

▪️White phosphorus is a toxic chemical compound that ignites upon contact with air, burns at high temperature and is very hard to extinguish.

▪️White phosphorus has been used in munitions since World War I. The substance has seen use in incendiary, smoke and illumination munitions.

▪️Though the use of white phosphorus munitions is not banned outright by international laws, the use of air-delivered white phosphorus incendiary weapons against targets in civilian areas, as well as the deliberate use of white phosphorus incendiary weapons against civilian targets, is prohibited under the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons.

Despite that, the use of white phosphorus for military purposes by the United States and its allies is not uncommon:

▪️Having previously used white phosphorus munitions in World War II and the Vietnam War, the US infamously used white phosphorus incendiaries in the city of Fallujah, Iraq, in 2004.

▪️White phosphorus was also used by the US during its military occupation of Afghanistan.

▪️Israeli forces employed white phosphorus munitions on numerous occasions both in the Gaza Strip (during the 2008-2009 conflict) and in Lebanon (both during the Israeli invasion of 2006 and during the recent border clashes that started in October 2023).

▪️White phosphorus incendiary munitions were also used indiscriminately by forces loyal to Kiev during the Ukrainian conflict. One such instance was reported in March 2024 when a drone carrying a white phosphorus payload was used by Ukrainian forces against a town near the city of Energodar in the Zaporozhye region of Russia.

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