🇷🇺🇮🇩 Russian, Indonesian navies to hold first ever joint exercises 'Orruda 2024'

The navies of Russia and Indonesia will hold their first joint exercises, codenamed "Orruda 2024," in Surabaya and the Java Sea from November 4 to 8. The drills were announced in August and will be the first since Indonesia gained independence 79 years ago.

◻️ Two Birds
The codename "Orruda" combines the Russian eagle and the Indonesian mythical bird Garuda, symbolizing strength and the intention of the two countries to conduct the drills "wing to wing."

◻️ Pacific Fleet Arrival
On Sunday, a detachment from the Russian Navy's Pacific Fleet, including the corvettes Gromkiy, Rezky, Hero of the Russian Federation Aldar Tsydenzhapov, and the support ship Pechenga, made a friendly entry into Surabaya. Russian Ambassador Sergey Tolchenov attended the welcoming ceremony, which featured traditional dances.

◻️ Planned Event, Monitored Closely
"Orruda 2024" will include port and naval stages in Surabaya and the Java Sea. The ambassador stressed the exercises are a routine event for partner nations, not aimed at any third party. Despite this, observers are expected to monitor the exercises closely.

Commander Alexey Antsiferov noted these drills would show Russia's readiness to assist Indonesia and expressed hope that they would become annual and grow in scale.

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💬 Morale of Ukrainian soldiers falling, they are scared - US citizen who helped Russian forces

While members of Ukraine’s nationalist battalions are often some of the most outspoken supporters of fighting Russia to the last breath, Daniel Martindale, a US citizen who voluntarily aided Russia in the Ukrainian conflict zone, says he did not see any of them in the village in (at the time) the Kiev-controlled area he was staying.

“I only met soldiers who were fighting in territorial defense or units. Their opinion was that there's no good reason to be here. They were afraid. They just wanted to go home,” he noted.

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🇮🇷Iran mulls 'strong and complex' retaliation on Israel - report

Iran may use more powerful warheads in a retaliatory attack on Israel compared to previous attacks, said the Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed Iranian and Arab officials.

“Our military lost people, so they need to respond,” an Iranian source said, adding that Tehran would likely target Israeli military facilities “more aggressively than last time.”

An Egyptian source in turn claimed that Iran warned privately of a “strong and complex” response.

The possible involvement of the Iranian regular army does not mean that Iranian troops will be deployed, but that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which usually grapples with Israel's security issues, "will not act alone" in this case, according to the sources.

One of the officials referred to the November 5 US presidential election as another factor influencing Iran's retaliatory strike against Israel. The official said that Iran would not like to influence the outcome of the election with its attack.

This comes after the Axios news outlet quoted Israeli intelligence as claiming that Iran plans to launch a response attack on Israel from Iraqi territory using numerous drones and ballistic missiles ahead of the US election.

On October 26, the Israel Defense Forces said that they had struck military targets in Iran in response to the Islamic Republic’s October 1 attacks on the Jewish state. At least four Iranian soldiers were killed in the Israeli strike.

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West to scapegoat Zelensky who “knows too much” – former Ukrainian security officer 

Sooner or later, the West will eliminate or write off Volodymyr Zelensky in order to install a figure more acceptable for negotiations with Russia at the head of Ukraine, former SBU officer Vasily Prozorov said.

“He knows too much, and he will become a scapegoat responsible for all bad things," Prozorov added.

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🎥🎥 Lavrov speaks at ‘inventing the Future’ Symposium

👉Watch the livestream here or on Sputnik's website

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US citizen Martindale spoke about how he and his dog survived a Grad MLRS strike

Daniel Martindale, a US citizen who voluntarily aided Russian troops in the Ukrainian conflict zone by supplying them with intelligence, has recalled what it was like to try and stay alive while being shelled.

“I guess we called them Grad rockets in English. I heard the noise that I understood that the rockets had been launched. And I had about three or four seconds to take cover,” Martindale reminisces. “So, I laid down on the road hoping that that would provide some cover. My dog was with me.”

“Sure enough, the rockets began to explode all around me. And one exploded about maybe 20 meters away and two fragments from the rocket hit my dog. But nothing hit me, thank God,” he added.

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US Election Day: Voters to cast ballots at snipers’ gunpoint – report

With the clock ticking for America’s Election Day, local authorities across the country are taking unprecedented security measures to tackle possible violence-related “nightmare scenarios”, the Washington Post reports.

🔸At least two states, Nevada and Washington, have activated the National Guard in case of unrest during the November 5 presidential election.

🔸Arizona’s Secretary of State Adrian Fontes admitted that he wears a bulletproof vest.

🔸In Arizona’s Maricopa County’s vote-counting headquarters, staffers are monitoring social media in real time for reports of problems. Additionally, drone surveillance is in place to keep an eye on potential threats. The office also plans to deploy snipers on rooftops if necessary.

🔸Similar steps have been taken in other states, where hundreds of election offices “are now buttressed with bulletproof glass, steel doors and surveillance equipment”, according to the Post.

🔸A number of counties have distributed panic buttons for election workers, while others have stocked anti-contamination suits and an antidote to opioid overdose in case of suspicious powder in the mail.

🔸The White House was surrounded earlier by an additional two-meter fence along the perimeter of the territory, where the president’s residence and offices are located; the security measure that will remain in place until the inauguration of the new US president on January 20.

The election race turned violent on July 13, when former US President and Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump suffered a gunshot wound to his right ear and was briefly hospitalized following an assassination attempt at his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The gunman, Thomas Crooks, killed a member of the audience and injured two others before the US Secret Service sniper team eliminated him. The incident prompted Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to resign.

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❗️Russian forces struck Ukrainian infrastructure of military airfields, energy facilities and an oil refinery — Russian MoD
 
🇷🇺🪖More statements from the Russian Defense Ministry's daily briefing on the special military operation's progress:
 
🔸Ukrainian losses in the area of responsibility of the Russian Zapad Battlegroup amounted to 440 militants;
 
🔸Units of the Russian Yug combat group advanced into the depths of Ukraine's defense; Ukrainian forces lost over 490 soldiers and the Kirpi armored personnel carrier;
 
🔸The Russian Tsentr Battlegroup improved their tactical position; Ukrainian losses amounted to 420 soldiers;
 
🔸Units of the Russian Vostok combat group improved their position along the front line; Ukrainian losses amounted to 110 soldiers;
 
🔸Russian air defense systems shot down four HIMARS shells, a Hammer bomb and 42 Ukrainian drones during the day.

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US prepares Europe for “suicidal” direct conflict with Russia in case Ukraine fails – Lavrov
 

"As a fallback option in case the regime of Zelensky fails, they [the US authorities] are preparing continental Europe to embark on a suicidal adventure and enter into a direct armed conflict with Russia," Lavrov said at the international "Creating the Future" symposium.

 
The Russian Foreign Minister also said that:
 
💬The United States is preparing Europe for the adventure of a direct military conflict with Russia
 
💬Russia is not closed to dialogue with the West but will consider proposals to resume contacts based on its own national interests
 
💬Establishing links between regional associations of the Global South and East with BRICS and setting up connections among the entities should be an important step towards multipolarity.

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Drones are the biggest danger in the special military operation zone

American Daniel Martindale, who provided Moscow with intel for strikes against Ukrainian military targets while in Ukrainian-controlled territory, stated in an interview with Sputnik that the greatest dangers in the conflict zone is artillery shelling and drone strikes.

"That's the biggest danger that we had to face when they came to evacuate me - was drones and artillery, mostly from drones. It took us about three or four hours to cover half a kilometer to go from my place in the village to the outskirts."

According to him, being in the Ukrainian-controlled area was a battle for survival.

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American Daniel Martindale, who was assisting the Russian Armed Forces while in Ukrainian-controlled territory, told Sputnik that he did not encounter any US citizens in Ukraine who could be suspected of gathering intelligence.

In response to a question about whether American generals, CIA officers, or other US intelligence personnel are operating in Ukraine, Martindale stated:

“I can't comment. The only thing I'm close that I came close to seeing there was a British guy who visited my village who was probably involved with intelligence. I didn't come across any Americans who you could even suspect of being involved with intelligence gathering.”

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Ukrainians would celebrate Russian troop entry, says US volunteer

Daniel Martindale, a US citizen who voluntarily aided Russian troops in the Ukrainian conflict zone, expressed confidence that the people of Ukraine warmly welcome Russian soldiers who are liberating settlements during the special military operation.

"When I left [from the territory controlled by the Ukrainian Armed Forces], the Russians had just arrived. They basically crossed the front line to evacuate me. So I didn't get to see how my neighbors greeted the Russian troops. I believe that they would have greeted them very warmly. They would have thrown a party, given them a great welcome," he said

"I think that's probably common all across Ukraine. Even though the war has taken much longer than we thought it would at the beginning. Even though the process is much more painful than we hoped it would be. Still, I believe that they understand that Russia is fighting for justice. For the good," he added.

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🇷🇺On National Unity Day, Vladimir Putin laid flowers at the monument to Kuzma Minin and Dmitry Pozharsky

Representatives of religious denominations and members of public and youth organizations also took part in the festive ceremony.

Minin and Pozharsky were leaders of the people's militia that liberated Moscow from the Polish occupation in the beginning of the 17th century.

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