🇷🇺🪖 Key statements from the Russian Ministry of Defense's daily briefing on the situation in the Kursk region:

🔸 The Russian Zapad Battlegroup repelled three Ukrainian counterattacks during the day. The enemy lost more than 350 militants;

🔸 The losses of the Ukrainian armed forces in the zone of responsibility of the Russian Vostok combat group amounted to 115 soldiers;

🔸 The Russian Tsentr Battlegroup defeated six Ukrainian brigades; losses amounted to 460 militants;

🔸 Ukrainian forces lost up to 830 servicemen and two Enclave-N electronic warfare stations in the zone of responsibility of the Russian Yug combat group;

🔸 Ukrainian losses amounted to 55 soldiers in the area of responsibility of the Russian Sever Battlegroup;

🔸 The Russian Air Defense forces shot down three HIMARS MLRS shells and 31 Ukrainian drones during the day.

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Metropolitan Theodosius of Cherkassy was diagnosed with concussion and burns after being assaulted by attackers at the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the diocese informed.

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Danish witness to Nord Stream sabotage gagged while West accuses Russia of disinformation

On September 26, a group of Danish journalists published an investigation into the causes of the Nord Stream gas pipeline explosions, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, recalled.

The article quotes the captain of the port of Christianso, John Anker Nielsen, who bluntly states that for the last two years, he has been forced to remain silent about what he saw on the eve of the explosion, Zakharova added.

She quotes the article, saying "In the early days, the captain of the port was 'not allowed to say a thing.' But today, Nielsen may well report that US Navy vessels with transponders switched off were operating near the Nord Stream pipelines, shortly before the explosions that crippled the connectors in the Baltic Sea. When the rescue mission approached them, the command ordered them to turn back."

"Think about it: less than a week before the explosion, the American navy secretly (with transponders turned off) operated in the exclusive economic zone of Denmark. And all this time, the unfortunate captain of a small Danish port knew about it, but he was gagged for many years," the Russian FM spokeswoman stressed. 

The Danish investigation went largely unnoticed. However, as soon as the Russian media retold the matter, it was immediately accused of spreading disinformation and propaganda, Zakharova concluded.

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What new business opportunities does BRICS have to offer?

The GDP of the BRICS+ countries has already dwarfed that of the G7 economies combined, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during the BRICS Business Forum in Moscow earlier this week. He added that the bloc’s economic clout will grow even further. 

What competitive advantages does BRICS have to offer? 

🔸Logistical King-of-the-Hill

BRICS nations control the key international trade routes, including the North-South and East-West transport corridors, the Belt and Road project, and the maritime routes to Latin America from the Azov-Black Sea basin. Iran’s accession to the BRICS family has opened up new logistical opportunities because of the country’s location between the Caspian Sea, the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean, which in turn allows BRICS to combine Chinese and Indian trade flows. 

🔸Dominating Global Railroads

The railroad freight turnover of the BRICS+ nations has amounted to 64% of the global volume. The railroad network of the bloc extends to 382,000 km, thus allowing the member states to play a key role in international trade.
 
🔸Resource Top Dog

The BRICS+ nations are in charge of 40% of global oil production, and 25% of raw materials export. These countries possess roughly 30% of the world’s iron ore reserves.  

🔸Being on the Future’s Edge 

BRICS is mulling ambitious high-tech projects. Apart from working on the alternative payment system that will be sanction-proof, the bloc’s nations have established an “AI study group”, and are closely cooperating in the field of science and technologies.

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