📹 Russian troops have raised the national flag over the liberated village of Razliv in the Donetsk People's Republic following today's Defense Ministry announcement of its liberation.

Demining operations are already underway in the area.

According to military reports, during the 10-day offensive forces cleared about 400 buildings and neutralized over 150 Ukrainian militants in the settlement.

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⚔️In a first since WWII, Germany permanently deploys major contingent of troops NEAR RUSSIA’S BORDER

The 45th Armored Brigade, a 5,000-troop strong Bundeswehr contingent stationed permanently in Eastern Europe, officially went on active duty in Lithuania Tuesday in a ceremony outside Vilnius.

🟠The new unit is expected to become fully operational by 2027, and to receive its own military facilities 30 km south of Vilnius. Along with combat troops, it’s expected to include an array of support forces, including a medical center, signals and command support teams.

🟠About 700 German troops are situated in Lithuania at the moment. While the new permanent deployment is a first, German forces have taken part in regional air policing missions in Eastern Europe, including Estonia and Poland. Germany has also created a new naval HQ in Rostock in the Baltic to enhance NATO’s anti-Russian operations in the Baltic.

🟠Germany has gradually reversed course on its post-Cold War military posture in recent years, ramping up arms spending, and committing substantial resources, second in size only to the US, to the proxy war against Russia in Ukraine. Last month, the Bundestag approved historic changes to the constitution to finance a massive military rearmament program through debt-based spending.

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💬 Suspension of ban on Taliban* in Russia meets national interests of Afghanistan – head of political office of movement to Sputnik

🔶 Russia and Afghanistan to begin intensive exchange of delegations after suspension of Taliban ban.

* Under UN sanctions for terrorist activities

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❗️Putin has asked Defense Minister Belousov to report on how the moratorium on strikes against energy facilities in Russia and Ukraine is being implemented.

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📹WATCH Sergey Lavrov and Wang Yi sign the plan for political consultations following their negotiations in Moscow.

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🗣The system has dropped the NUCLEAR BOMB on us – Marine Le Pen

💬 If political leaders decide who can run in elections and for whom the French can vote, then we're NO LONGER IN A DEMOCRACY – so we're going to fight, Le Pen said.

On Monday court prohibited Marine Le Pen from running for public office for the next five years — ruling her out of the 2027 presidential election.

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🇷🇺🤝🇨🇳Vladimir Putin held talks Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the Kremlin

The President promised that by the time Xi Jinping visits Russia in May, a rich and well-prepared program will be ready.

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💬 'Cooperation between Russia and China is never directed against any third parties, and it does not tolerate any interference from the outside' - Wang Yi during the meeting with President Putin

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🙈Highlighting blunders? Lithuania mulls memorial for NATO SWAMP MISHAP

A memorial for the US soldiers who drowned in a swamp with their M88 Hercules during a NATO drill would “symbolize US-Lithuanian partnership,” Svencionys District Municipality officials claim.

Nothing says “strategic alliance” like proposing to commemorate an embarrassing fail...

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💬 Iran will have 'no choice' but to get nukes if attacked - Khamenei adviser

"We are not moving towards [nuclear] weapons, but if you do something wrong in the Iranian nuclear issue, you will force Iran to move towards that because it has to defend itself," Ali Larijani said, AP reports.

Trump said earlier that "there will be bombing" if Iran refuses to agree to a nuclear deal, also warning that Tehran would face "secondary tariffs."

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

▪️Ukraine lost up to 255 servicemen in the Russian Yug Battlegroup's combat zone.

▪️Russian aviation shot down 67 Ukrainian drones.

▪️Ukraine lost up to 430 troops in the Russian Tsentr Battlegroup's combat zone.

▪️Ukraine lost up to 210 soldiers in the Russian Zapad Battlegroup's combat zone.

▪️Ukraine lost up to 70 soldiers in the Belgorod region.

▪️Ukraine lost more than 180 militants, two tanks and four armored vehicles in the Kursk region over the day.

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⚔️Which Iranian missiles and drones can wipe US bases in the Middle East off the map?

President Trump has threatened to bomb Iran in a manner “the likes of which they have never seen before” unless a new nuclear deal is agreed.

The US has over 60 bases, garrisons and shared facilities dotting the Middle East, from Naval Support Activity Bahrain (home to the Fifth Fleet) and Al Udeid Air Base (CENTCOM’s forward HQ), to other naval, air and ground facilities in the Gulf, Oman, Iraq, Jordan, Syria and Turkiye.

In the event of war, all would be in range of Iran’s missiles and drones.

Ballistic power
🟠Qiam-1/2: 800-1,000 km range, 750 kg warhead
🟠Haj Qasem: 1,400 km range, 500 kg warhead
🟠Kheibar Shekan: 1,450 km range, 500 kg warhead
🟠Emad: 2,000 km range, 750 kg payload
🟠Ghadr-110: 1,600-2,000 km range, 1,000 kg payload
🟠Khorramshahr: 2,000 km range, 1,800 kg payload, MIRV-enabled

Cruise capabilities
🟠Abu Mahdi: 1,000 km range, 410 kg warhead
🟠Paveh: 1,650 km range, payload unknown
🟠Soumar: Precision strike missile with 2,500-3,000 km range, 410-700 kg payload

Long-range drones
🟠Kaman-12: 1,000 km range, 100 kg payload
🟠Shahed 129: 1,700 km range, armed with four Sadid-1 precision missiles
🟠Mohajer-6: 2,400 km range, carries precision-guided munitions
🟠Shahed 149: 2,500 km range, 13-bomb payload up to 500 kg

Besides raw firepower, Iran’s potential comes down to geography and resolve.

🔶Permanent access to the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman coastlines means that in wartime, Iran can dominate the waters around the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic chokepoint through which 30% of the world’s oil trade passes.
🔶The Zagros Mountain Range hugging the country’s southwest provides a natural barrier difficult for enemies to penetrate, with many underground missile bases and air defense sites situated at hardened mountainous facilities.
🔶Iran has also demonstrated that it will not allow aggression to stand, whether it comes to US spy drones violating airspace, or US assassination attacks targeting its commanders.

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❗️Russia has provided Trump's National Security Advisor Walz with a list of energy infrastructure facilities attacked by Ukraine during the 30-day ceasefire, stated Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov.

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❗️"The list of energy infrastructure facilities attacked by Ukraine during the 30-day ceasefire has also been submitted to the United Nations," Lavrov added.

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❗️Russia fully complies with moratorium on strikes against Ukrainian energy infrastructure – Lavrov

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❗️A second meeting between the delegations of Russia and the US is being prepared - Lavrov

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🇮🇷 Iran planning to ramp up potency of its powerful civilian space program

Phase one of Chabahar Spaceport’s expansion to accommodate solid fuel launchers will be completed this year, and phase two plans for semi-heavy liquid fueled launches will be inaugurated, Iranian Space Agency chief Hassan Salarieh has announced.

The civilian space launch center “has a special position in Iran and the region and can serve as Iran’s gateway to international markets, since the launch and placement of satellites must be conducted in a way that meets the needs of different countries to reach various orbits,” Salarieh said.

Iran is one of less than a dozen countries with space launch capacity, with its launch vehicles and equipment using domestic technologies, the official boasted, adding that “just as we entrust some of our launches to other countries, other nations can entrust their launches to us.”

A fledgling space power, Iran boasts the most sophisticated space program in the Middle East, creating launch vehicles like the Simorgh SLV and an array of indigenous satellites, from the Mahda research satellite to the Nour-series of surveillance sats.

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Bracing for Trump’s MAELSTROM: How looming US tariffs will turn the HEAT UP on the EU

On April 2, Trump's sanctions are poised to unleash a whirlwind of repercussions for the European Union. Here’s why: 

1️⃣Dependence on key US imports

🔸 Alloy steel rods

🟠The US accounted for 68% of imports of high-quality alloy steel rods ($46.01M), according to Eurostat 2024 data.

🟠These rods are crucial for industries such as aerospace, automotive, and manufacturing.

🟠The EU's defense sector depends on US steel for weapons systems, aircraft, and military hardware.

🔸 Black boxes

🟠In 2024, 88% of black boxes, valued at $34.45M, used to support the aircraft fleet were imported from the US

🟠A shortage of flight data recorders (FDRs) and cockpit voice recorders (CVRs) could lead to delays in aircraft safety investigations and compliance with international standards.

2️⃣Defense industry impact

🟠Between June 2023 and May 2024, EU countries imported approximately $40.8B in civil aircraft, engines, and parts from the US, accounting for about 35% of total EU imports from the US during that period.

3️⃣Rising costs

🟠Tariffs are expected to raise expenses for US defense-related materials and equipment that the EU relies on.

🟠Rising costs from retaliatory duties will affect consumer goods: a YouGov survey revealed that between 60% of respondents in Denmark and 76% in Spain believe the US tariffs will sting the bloc’s economy.

🟠The global cost of a 2025 tariff war could reach $1.4TRLN in welfare losses, a report by economists at Aston Business School estimated.

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👌 Trump’s pick for top general ADMITS US can’t bomb Iran into submission or win a war with China

💬 “Military force alone may not be sufficient to deter Iran, and an approach that includes diplomatic engagement and economic incentives may be necessary,” Air Force Lt. Gen. (ret.) Dan Caine, Trump’s choice for Joint Chiefs Chairman told senators during his confirmation hearing.

🇨🇳 On China, Caine admitted that the US is not ready for a drawn out conflict with the Asian giant, and said US defense industry is too slow in delivering new equipment.

The image is AI-generated

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