🇷🇺🇨🇳 Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov has arrived in Beijing for an official visit and will hold talks with the political and military leaders of China, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Monday.

"During the visit, the Russian defense minister will hold a series of talks with the country's military and military-political leadership," the ministry said in a statement.

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🇨🇳The Chinese army has announced the completion of exercises around Taiwan.

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❗️ Ukraine lost up to 490 militants in the Russian Zapad Battlegroup's combat zone.

🇷🇺🪖More statements from the Russian MoD daily briefing on the special military operation's progress:    

◻️ The Russian Sever Battlegroup hit Ukrainian formations in the Liptsy and Volchansk directions, with the enemy losing up to 45 militants.

◻️ Russian air defense systems shot down a HIMARS missile and 25 fixed-wing UAVs.

◻️ Ukraine lost up to 620 militants and three depots in the Russian Yug Battlegroup's combat zone.

◻️ Ukrainian losses in the Russian Tsentr Battlegroup's combat zone amounted to up to 465 militants, and Ukrainian forces were struck near Dzerzhinsk.

◻️ In total, Russian forces hit Ukrainian personnel and equipment in 119 areas over the past day.

◻️ Ukraine lost up to 25 militants and an ammunition depot due to the actions of the Russian Dnepr Battlegroup.

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Federal emergency staff relocated in North Carolina over reports of armed militia ‘hunting FEMA’

Federal hurricane recovery staffers working in North Carolina had to be relocated on Saturday amid fears for their safety from “armed militia", the Washington Post reported.
Government agencies were warned about reports of threats targeting Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)-affiliated workers in Rutherford County, stated the outlet.

“FEMA has advised all federal responders in Rutherford County, NC, to stand down and evacuate the county immediately,” an email from an official with the US Forest Service was cited as saying.

The National Guard “had come across trucks of armed militia saying they were out hunting FEMA,” noted the message. It added that “The IMTs [incident management teams] have been notified and are coordinating the evacuation of all assigned personnel in that county.”

The responders were moved to a “safe area”, with some of the relief efforts in the area devastated by Hurricane Helene put on pause, a Forest Service official confirmed.
A spokesperson for FEMA acknowledged on Sunday that “operational adjustments” had been made for safety issues in western North Carolina.

Post-Helene recovery efforts have been swamped by rumors and conspiracy theories circulating on social media. One such rumor claimed that government officials intended to bulldoze the rubble in affected communities and seize the land from its owners. As a result, residents have reportedly been refusing help from federal employees and are even “harassing” them.

Furthermore, the Biden administration has been slammed for prioritizing funds to support Ukraine and accommodate illegal migrants over relief for hurricane victims.

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📹 Scenes of tents for displaced Palestinians bombed by the Israeli army at dawn on Monday, in the yard of the Shuhada Al-Aqsa hospital in Deir El-Balah, central Gaza.

Video taken from social media.

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NATO nuclear exercises launched on Monday in Western Europe will lonely raise tensions amid hot war in Ukraine – Kremlin spokesman

Other key statements by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov at his daily briefing:

▪️ The upcoming BRICS summit in Kazan is one of the main events on the world agenda;

▪️ Space remains the only area where cooperation between specialized agencies of Russia and the United States has been preserved;

▪️ Russia is watching with interest the development of the US space program;

▪️ Russia's space program is developing dynamically, and there are substantial investments;

▪️ Russia categorically rejects accusations of interfering in elections in the Republic of Moldova;

▪️ There are many citizens in Moldova who want to have good relations with Russia, but they are denied this right.

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📹 Who let the dogs droids out?

Check out the latest Chinese anti-criminal invention. Definitely not a pick as a hide&seek partner.

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🇷🇺 Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said that by 2028, the BRICS group of emerging economies was forecast to account for 38% of global GDP, and the G7’s share will decrease.

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🇱🇰Sri Lanka has decided to apply for membership in BRICS and the New Development Bank, Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath says.

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‘This is not war, this is genocide’: Sputnik speaks to families seeking shelter in a Lebanese monastery amid Israeli airstrikes

A Sputnik correspondent visited the Monastery of Our Lady of Salvation in Bikfaya, which has become a sanctuary for those fleeing Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon, and spoke to survivors.

Fatimah Fawaz, 46, described the terror: "It was terrifying, very, very scary. It felt like scenes from Gaza came to life." As explosions neared, Fatimah fled with her family, enduring long nights in the car. "This isn’t war, it’s genocide," she said, recalling how she and her loved ones endured six days without food.

Father Gaby, who hadn’t initially planned to shelter hundreds of refugees, opened the monastery doors to those in need. Among the displaced was Salma El Hayek, who expressed deep gratitude: “We became refugees for the second time, but we will never forget the kindness shown here.” An unnamed woman from Beirut also taking shelter added, "It’s suffering, like being at a dead end."

The monastery has become a vital source of hope for Fatimah, Salma, and many others, as they cling to the hope of returning home.

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Steadfast Noon or Twilight at Noon: What are the risks of NATO’s ‘nuclear sharing’ drills? – Part 1 👉 Part 2

NATO began its annual Steadfast Noon nuclear exercises on Monday, involving 2,000 personnel, 60 aircraft, and operations across eight bases in 13 countries, primarily over the North Sea, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, and the UK.

Central to the exercises is drilling the concept of ‘nuclear sharing’ – which allows designated NATO allies’ jets to simulate combat missions using US nukes stored on their territory.

🔸 NATO’s nuclear sharing began in the Cold War, when the US deployed nuclear weapons to allies like Canada, the UK, Greece, Turkiye, Italy, and West Germany. Guarded by American forces, these weapons always remained under the control of the US, which had the arming codes.

🔸 By 1991, the USSR removed all its nuclear weapons from Eastern Europe, and urged the US to do the same. Washington never did, and today, keeps 100-150 B61 nukes in Europe and Turkiye, including:

🔸 10-15 bombs at Belgium’s Kleine Brogel Air Base – deliverable by F-16 MLU and F-35A jets.

🔸 10-15 B61s at Germany’s Buchel Air Base – carried by PA-200 Tornado jets and eventually, F-35As.

🔸 Up to 45 B61s at Italy’s Aviano and Ghedi air bases, deliverable by F-16 C/Ds, Tornados, and F-35As.

🔸 About 20 bombs at the Netherlands’ Volkel Air Base, delivered by F-16 MLUs and F-35As.

🔸 Up to 50 B61s at Turkiye’s Incirlik Air Base.

🔸 Poland has expressed readiness to host US nukes under the Nuclear Sharing program. It’s likely the bombs would be deployed at Lask Air Base, where the US Air Force has a forward presence.

🔸 The B61, in production since the 1960s, mainly consists of Mod 3 (0.3-170 kt) and Mod 4 (0.3-45 kt) gravity bombs. A Mod 7 variant has a 10-340 kt yield. All are being replaced by the Mod 12, with a 0.3-50 kt yield.

👉 Part 2

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