Mission impossible: Ukraine would have to beat corruption to even have a shot at NATO membership

Ukraine’s desperate efforts to become a NATO member may have been all for naught as Kiev now faces a new insurmountable obstacle on its way to the coveted place in the US-led military bloc.

Having announced this week that NATO members have to agree on the criteria for Ukraine’s possible admission, Dutch Minister of Defense Ruben Brekelmans mentioned one such potential criteria – a criteria Kiev is very unlikely to meet.

Brekelmans suggested that Ukraine should make progress in fighting corruption - something that has long become synonymous with the powers that be in Kiev.

One need look no farther than to the Kiev’s war machine as Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense got embroiled in a number of corruption scandals.

▪️Last year, the ministry was busted procuring food, fuel and even winter clothing for troops for inflated prices: for example, the ministry paid about $2.17 for a liter of diesel and around $0.46 for a single egg.

▪️In January, Ukrainian authorities announced that an arms company was caught attempting to embezzle about $40 million slated for the purchase of some 100,000 mortar shells.

▪️Much of the Western military supplies for Ukraine, which have been flowing steadily to Kiev since 2022, have also ended up in the hands of Ukrainian black market dealers, including small arms, anti-tank missiles and even loitering munitions a.k.a. kamikaze drones.

▪️As the forcible draft of Ukrainian men, which quickly devolved into veritable press-ganging, intensified, many Ukrainians turned to bribing army and medical officials to be exempt from the measure. Nearly $6 million in cash was discovered earlier this month by Ukrainian security officers who raided the residence of one of Ukraine’s regional medical commission accused of facilitating draft dodging in exchange for bribes.

▪️Other sectors of the Ukrainian state do not fare any better. Ukraine’s state-owned electricity transmission system operator Ukrenergo in 2023 approved over 60 tender-free contracts, $1.6 million each, for the installation of protective structures on transformers.

The deadline for the completion of these contracts was pushed back on multiple occasions all the way to June 2024, yet none of them were completed as of September when the then-Ukrenergo chief was finally sacked.

▪️In April, an illegal scheme to obtain state-owned land worth over $7 million was uncovered by Ukrainian authorities, with the suspect being none other than then-minister of agriculture.

With all of those instances in mind, one can only wonder how Ukraine could even begin to tackle the rampant corruption in the foreseeable future.

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▪️Mission impossible: Ukraine would have to beat corruption to even have a shot at NATO membership

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Moscow: A world-class city in the spotlight

Russian President Vladimir Putin touted Moscow as one of the most beautiful cities in the world in his address to the BRICS Business Forum held in the Russian capital this week. Describing Moscow as a rapidly developing megapolis, Putin invited the forum’s guests to become better acquainted with the city.

Since being placed in the Top 3 of the world’s most prosperous cities in 2022 by the UN-HABITAT City Prosperity Index, Moscow has continued its impressive development. The city excels in infrastructure, smart technology, and sustainability, offering a seamless blend of modern conveniences and eco-friendly initiatives.

This brief video prepared by Sputnik shows what you may look forward to if you decide to follow the Russian president’s advice.

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The leader of the Palestinian movement Hamas, Yahya Sinwar, had been fighting against the Israeli military in the Gaza Strip for 18 days before his death as he did not want to stay out of the battlefield, a Turkish newspaper has reported, citing a source from the movement.

Sinwar was advised to avoid hostilities after he headed the movement's political office in August, replacing the assassinated Ismail Haniyeh, the source said.

"However, he did not want to stay out of the battlefield, he wanted to die in battle. He had been fighting against Israel in [the southern Gazan city of] Rafah for 18 days and was engaging in a battle with four comrades on the day of his death, a battle that lasted about two hours," the source added.

The source also expressed the opinion that Sinwar was alone at the moment of his death, as other Hamas fighters sought to divert the Israeli military in another direction. He intentionally covered his face when filmed by a drone to avoid artificial intelligence recognition, the source was cited as saying by the newspaper.

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😦 Toxic foam floating on the surface of Delhi's Yamuna river captured by drone

Video from social media

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Will US go ahead with nuclear subcritical experiments?

The US’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has published a plan for the country’s nuclear-weapon production complex for the next 25 years.

The 40-page document singles out the Nuclear Security Enterprise's (NSE) variety of tasks and missions due to be conducted between 2025 and 2050, including:

▪️Reestablishment of plutonium pit manufacturing at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico (with annual production capacity of 30 pits) and Savannah River Site in South Carolina (also with a capacity of 50) to replace the capability after the closure of the Rocky Flats nuclear weapons plant in Colorado.

▪️Modernization of uranium and lithium processing capabilities at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Tennessee.

▪️Improvement of nuclear subcritical experiments-related diagnostics at the Nevada National Security Site “to better understand aging performance to certify the stockpile without nuclear explosive testing and collect data on nuclear materials and newly manufactured components.”

▪️Establishment of insensitive high explosive synthesis and formulation capability at the Pantex Plant in Texas to meet capacity requirements and resilience goals.

▪️Recapitalization of spent nuclear fuel handling and examination capabilities at the Naval Reactors Facility in Idaho.

The release of the NNSA blueprint comes amid tensions between the US and Russia over nuclear testing, with Moscow warning that it “will immediately respond in kind” if Washington moves towards resuming the tests. Russia de-ratified the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty last year, while the US signed but never ratified the document.

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US probing intelligence leak on Israel's preparations to attack Iran - report

The US is investigating a leak of its top-secret intelligence on Israel's preparations to strike Iran, which includes Israeli Air Force exercises using air-to-ground missiles, CNN reported citing three people familiar with the situation.

The documents dated October 15 and 16 began to circulate online on October 18. According to the broadcaster, they are marked "top secret" and have a marking indicating that only members of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, which also includes Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Australia, can access the information.

One document, compiled by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, describes Israeli plans that include the movement of munitions. Another document says its source is the National Security Agency and describes Israeli Air Force exercises using air-to-ground missiles, which are also believed to be part of preparations for a strike on Iran, CNN claims.

The broadcaster pointed out that any such leak of information automatically entailed an investigation by the FBI, the Pentagon and other US intelligence agencies.

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❗️The Russian Defense Ministry announced the destruction of 110 Ukrainian drones during the night: 43 UAVs were destroyed over the Kursk region, 27 over Lipetsk, 18 over Orel, eight over Nizhny Novgorod, seven over Belgorod, six over Bryansk, and one over the Moscow region.

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Moldovans vote in presidential election and EU membership referendum in Moscow

A large queue of Moldovan citizens who want to vote in the referendum and presidential elections lined up in front of the Moldovan Embassy in the center of Russia's capital, Moscow.

Voters express dissatisfaction with the Moldovan authorities due to the fact that compatriots living in European countries have been given more opportunities to vote.

Polling stations for voting in the Moldovan presidential election and the EU referendum have started across the country.

Half a million Moldovans live in Russia, yet Chisinau has opened only two polling sites in Moscow.

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Hamas will not cease activities after Sinwar's death, Iranian Foreign Minister believes

The murder of Hamas political chief Yahya Sinwar will not be a reason for the Palestinian movement to cease its activities, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi believes.

"Sinwar's death will not stop Hamas' activities, but will only strengthen the movement's determination and motivate Palestinian youth," Araghchi said in an interview with the Turkish broadcaster NTV.

He emphasized that there was a risk of conflict in many countries in the region, including Syria.

"Israel is not capable of existing without US assistance, is not capable of committing crimes in Gaza and Lebanon without the United States. All the weapons used there are from the US. If Washington had real political will, they would be able to stop the attacks and stop Israel. For us, the US is an ally of the Zionists. If a large-scale war breaks out in the region, the US will be drawn into it, we do not want this at all. The war may spread to the Gulf countries. But I am sure that there is still a chance for diplomacy, we cannot leave everything to the will of one person in the Zionist regime," Araghchi noted.

Sinwar was killed by a gunshot wound to the head, CNN reported earlier, citing pathologist Chen Kugel, who conducted the autopsy on the Hamas chief.

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BRICS possesses 20% of global gold reserves, Russia and China lead pack

BRICS countries now control over 20% of the world's gold reserves, according to calculations by Sputnik, based on data from the World Gold Council.

Russia tops the list with 2.34 thousand tons, holding 8.1% of global reserves, while China follows closely with 2.26 thousand tons. Together, they make up 74% of BRICS' gold reserves.

The remaining BRICS members — India, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Egypt, South Africa, and the UAE — each account for less than 3% of global reserves, with India leading the group at 840 tons.

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🔸US reportedly probing intelligence leak on Israel’s preparations to attack Iran

🔸Iranian FM: Sinwar’s death will only strengthen Hamas’ determination

🔸Moldovans living in Russia queue outside embassy in Moscow to cast votes in presidential election

🔸Will US go ahead with nuclear subcritical experiments?

🔸Who has the largest gold reserves among BRICS countries?

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The Israeli Air Force has launched two strikes on the Haret Hreik municipality near the Bahman Hospital in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanese media reported.

One of the strikes hit a residential building in the vicinity of the Bahman Hospital, the Lebanese National News Agency reported.

On Saturday, a Sputnik correspondent reported that the southern suburbs of Beirut were subjected to 10 Israeli airstrikes, which destroyed several residential buildings.

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New Development Bank can offer ‘tremendous opportunities’ for BRICS economies – expert 

BRICS New Development Bank (NDB) must concentrate on enabling private sectors to drive economic progress, Alasdair Macleod, an independent economist specializing in money and credit, told Sputnik. 

The NDB can introduce a “tremendous scale of opportunities” to economies of BRICS members, which undoubtedly "have enormous growth potential", according to Macleod. 

“An emphasis on infrastructure - road, rail, electricity, shipping and communications, including data - with local private sector partners will allow the NDB to spearhead a new industrial revolution,” he pointed out.

 

“This must be done on a commercial basis, and I would hope the NDB will not just make credit available, but also act as a ‘venture capitalist’, taking equity stakes as part of a financing package and introducing businesses to each other proactively across the bank’s network. This will require a network of local offices,” the economist concluded. 

In an address to the BRICS Business Forum in Moscow on September 18, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the NDB should become one of the main investors in major technological and infrastructural projects both within BRICS, and the Global South as a whole. NDB President Dilma Rousseff earlier announced plans to transform NDB into “an important bank” for developing countries and emerging markets. “Our focus has to be: a bank made by developing countries for themselves,” she emphasized.

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Israeli fighter jets struck a command center belonging to Hezbollah’s intelligence division and an underground weapon manufacturing site in Beirut this morning, the IDF says.

Separate strikes in southern Lebanon targeted and killed three prominent Hezbollah operatives.

The IDF identified them as al-Hajj Abbas Salameh, a senior member of Hezbollah’s Southern Front; Reda Abbas Ouda, a communications specialist; and Ahmed Ali Hussain, a member responsible for weapons manufacturing.

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Observers at the elections in Moldova have already received more than 170 incident reports at polling stations. The reports pertained to voting violations, with 34 of them confirmed. 

That ballot boxes were not sealed was among the violations reported.

The leader of the Victory political bloc, Ilan Shor, said his lawyers are preparing violation complaints on voting day in Moldova due to the presence of EU flags at polling stations, which could be considered a form of campaigning.

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