🚀 Russia launches Soyuz-2.1b rocket from Vostochny Cosmodrome

The Soyuz-2.1b rocket, carrying two heliophysical satellites, Ionosfera-M, and 53 small devices, lifted off at 2:18 a.m. from the Vostochny Cosmodrome, a RIA Novosti correspondent reported.

Nine minutes and 24 seconds after liftoff, the Fregat upper stage with the satellites was placed into low-Earth orbit. One minute later, Fregat activated its main engine and began delivering the devices into orbit.

The two Ionosfera-M satellites are expected to be delivered into the calculated orbit 56 minutes and 15 seconds after liftoff, followed by the deployment of the small devices.

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❗️ North Korea launched at least 7 ballistic missiles – Japanese Defense Ministry

Early Tuesday morning, North Korea launched at least seven ballistic missiles with a flight altitude of about 100 kilometers and a range of about 400 kilometers, all of which fell outside Japan's exclusive economic zone, Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani told reporters.

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❗️ Trump and Harris could end Ukraine conflict but don’t want to - Martindale

Both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris could end the Ukrainian conflict if they so desired, argued Daniel Martindale, a US citizen who voluntarily supplied Russian troops with intelligence while staying in Kiev-controlled areas.

💬 “Any candidate could if they wanted to. Like I said before, it's just a matter of making the American government realize that the war is not in their best interest,” he remarked.

Martindale noted, however, that he does not think that either Harris or Trump are “personally interested” in ending that conflict.

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❗️US citizen who helped Russian forces: 100 Latin American mercenaries lived with me

Daniel Martindale, a US citizen who voluntarily aided Russian troops in the Ukrainian conflict zone by supplying them with intelligence, has confirmed that Kiev actively employs foreign mercenaries from the other side of the Atlantic.

“If we talk about other foreign soldiers, mercenaries, I could say that as recently as a couple months ago, there were about 100 Latinos in our village,” he recalled. “From countries of South America, Central America, Colombia, Bolivia, Mexico. Those kinds of fighters were there.”

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🚨FBI nabs neo-Nazi who planned drone attack on US power plant

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has arrested a 24-year-old Tennessee man who is charged with plotting to use a weapon of mass destruction in a neo-Nazi-inspired plot to destroy an energy facility near Nashville, Tennessee.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of life in prison, according to the US Justice Department.

US Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said that the man, identified as Skyler Philippi, was “dedicated to white supremacist ideology and the destruction of the US critical infrastructure.”

The 24-year-old “planned to attack Nashville’s power grid using a drone carrying an explosive device. Thanks to brave work by the FBI, his scheme was thwarted," Monaco added.

Before the attack, on November 2, Filippi took part “in a Nordic ritual, which included reciting a Nordic prayer and discussing the Norse god Odin,” the Justice Department said.

The FBI began investigating Philippi in June after a “confidential human source” who was in touch with him reported to the FBI his alleged desire to commit a mass shooting at a Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) facility near Columbia, Tennessee. Philippi was arrested shortly before the unmanned aerial vehicle was launched to attack the power plant.

The man’s arrest comes a day before the beginning of the US presidential election, in which former President and Republican candidate Donald Trump faces Vice President and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris.

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US crunch time: All you need to know about the presidential election

With America’s election day around the corner, Sputnik brings you some of the process' details.

🔸Voter eligibility: At least 186 million Americans aged 18 or over can vote for the 47th US president.

🔸Voting formats: The US presidential election offers three main voting formats: in-person voting on election day, early voting (both in-person and mail-in) before election day, and mail-in/absentee voting for those unable to vote in person. Each state determines the specific rules for these methods.

🔸Early voting: Election Day is set for November 5, but approximately 77 million people have already cast absentee ballots through early voting, a significant aspect of the election process.

🔸Availability of early voting: Early voting, aimed at increasing voter turnout, has been offered by US states since the 2000s. Every state allows some form of early voting, with mail-in or in-person voting as the most common options.

🔸State participation in early voting: In 47 of the 50 states, all registered voters can cast ballots early, except in Mississippi, New Hampshire, and Alabama, which only allow such a process for a limited number of approved reasons, such as having a disability.

🔸Candidates: Besides the main candidates - former President Donald Trump (Republican) and Vice President Kamala Harris (Democratic) - three additional candidates are in the race: Chase Oliver (Libertarian Party), Jill Stein (Green Party), and independent candidate Cornel West.

🔸Tight race: Polls show Trump and Harris are closely matched, especially in the seven key swing states: Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona, North Carolina, Georgia, Nevada, and Pennsylvania.

🔸Electoral College system: The winner is determined by the Electoral College not the popular vote. The Electoral College consists of 538 electors, often party activists, ex-military personnel, and media figures, representing each state.

🔸Winner-takes-all: In 48 states, the presidential candidate who wins the majority receives all of the state’s electoral votes. Maine and Nebraska differ, allocating two votes to the statewide winner and one vote to the winner of each congressional district.

🔸Electoral deadline: The Electoral College electors cast their votes in mid-December, which this year falls on December 17. A candidate must secure at least 270 out of 538 electoral votes to win. If no candidate meets this threshold, the decision goes to the House of Representatives.

🔸Results: Partial results are typically declared on election night and the winner is normally called some days afterwards, but the official tally occurs on January 6 during a joint session of the House and Senate. The vice president, as president of the Senate, announces the final result.

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🔸 US crunch time: All you need to know about the presidential election

🔸 FBI nabs neo-Nazi who planned drone attack on US power plant

🔸 Trump and Harris could end Ukraine conflict but don’t want to – US pro-Russian volunteer

🔸 Baerbock came to Ukraine to push for negotiations with Russia - German politician

🔸 How Kamala Harris could be made president through voter fraud

🔸 North Korea launched at least 7 ballistic missiles – Japanese Defense Ministry

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🗣 ‘They were afraid’ – Martindale on Ukrainian soldiers

American Daniel Martindale, who provided Moscow with intel for strikes against Ukrainian military targets while in Ukrainian-controlled territory, shared with Sputnik his take on the Ukrainian military.

“Their opinion was that there's no good reason to be here. They were afraid. They just wanted to go home. And even better, they asked if I could arrange and help get them to America. Their fighting spirit was completely gone,” he said.

At the same time, he noted that there were those still convinced of their Nazi ideas and the necessity to defeat Russia.

“One way or the other, I don't think that their morale is anywhere near as high as it was even a year ago,” Martindale said.

At the moment, the biggest weakness in the face of the Ukrainian military and foreign mercenaries is the lack of people, he added.

“There are not many soldiers left who are either willing or available to fight.”

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❗️American citizen who helped Russian forces: arms supplies to Ukraine deemed waste of money in US

Public support in the US for providing further military aid to Ukraine is waning, Daniel Martindale, a US citizen who voluntarily aided Russian troops in the Ukrainian conflict zone by supplying them with intelligence, has suggested.

According to him, even people who do not see anything wrong per se in providing arms to Kiev regard it as a “waste of money.”

“I don't think anybody in the US, or at least very few, are really seriously in support of continuing to spend money and send arms to Ukraine,” Martindale said.

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