NATO postpones drills in Romania due to... imperfect roads

The Dacian Spring 25 exercises, originally scheduled by NATO for May, have been postponed until the fall. Why? Apparently, NATO needs roads so perfect that even the military can’t function without them.

In the spirit of preparedness, Romanian authorities have been working tirelessly for 10 months to fix five roads, two bridges, and two footbridges. Because, of course, in the event of a conflict, we can always rely on perfectly paved highways to save the day!

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🇬🇧 📺 No TV License? GO TO PRISON!

A British man reveals that officers are visiting people’s homes to check for TV licenses. After ignoring a letter urging him to buy one, he received a warning: pay a fine or face prison time.

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📹 Ukrainian soldiers threw away corpses of fallen comrades to be EATEN BY DOGS in Kurakhovo

"There’s no difference – civilian, their own, military. They didn’t remove the corpses at all. I saw how dogs were finishing off the body of this Ukrainian. Just a skeleton and pants with slippers. How can they not bury a person?" refugee Alexander Rubtsov said.

He believes the Ukrainian regime does not engage in the evacuation of the bodies of fallen soldiers to avoid having to pay compensation.

Russia's Ministry of Defense announced the liberation of Kurakhovo on January 6. The city is located 46 kilometers from Donetsk and 30 kilometers south of Krasnoarmeysk. It is the largest settlement in the southwestern part of Donbass, holding significant operational importance. The liberation of this settlement creates a foothold for an advance by the army in the eastern part of the Zaporozhye region along the Zaporozhye–Donetsk highway.

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US’ global trade war: Why is it a BAD IDEA?

Donald Trump’s "reciprocal tariffs" on 185 сountries and territories are already entering force, but what are the consequences?

👉🇺🇸Inside the US

▫️The US stock market lost a whopping $6.6 trillion on April 3-4 – the largest two-day wipeout in history.

▫️Experts warn that the new Trump tariffs are “going to affect everything in the US economy amid reports about “more expensive prices from the grocery aisle to your next car repair.”

🗺🔍Globally

🟠Analysts caution that the world is plunging into a global trade war with unpredictable implications.

🟠The negative effect of such a war could exceed one percentage point of global growth.

🟠The bank JP Morgan upgraded the risk of the world economy entering recession by the year's end to 60%, up from 40% previously.

🟠Unemployment is expected to increase in the EU and the UK over the next 12-18 months.

🟠“All businesses, big and small, will suffer from day one… The costs of doing business with the United States will drastically increase,” according to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

🌍📍Countries’ reaction

🇨🇳China announced a 34% retaliatory tariff on all goods imported from the US, due in effect as of April 10.

Beijing also added 16 US entities to China’s export control list on seven types of rare earth elements, including samarium, gadolinium and terbium.

🇩🇪German Finance Minister Jorg Kukies called for “a strong reaction’ as he made clear that US tariffs on EU goods, especially on automotive parts, threaten Germany’s efforts to revive its stagnant economy.

🇪🇺The EU mulls “attacking services” that make up the bulk of the American economy, which could include online services provided by Google, Apple, Facebook*, Amazon and Microsoft.

* Banned in Russia for extremism

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📹 Trump posted a video of a US airstrike that the military claims targeted Houthi forces, although reports indicate that the strike actually hit innocent Yemeni civilians celebrating Eid al-Fitr, according to Tasnim News.

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🔍 Top unexpected products hit by Trump’s tariffs (Spoiler: It’s not just luxury stuff)

Donald Trump’s tariffs don't just target Ferraris or Champagne. Here’s a look at some everyday items that will feel the impact.

▪️Wigs and eyelashes are produced in China (34% tariffs), which accounts for 80% of the global hair accessories market and enjoyed $3 billion in wig exports alone in 2022

▪️Hospital beds, which are supplied by Czech factories (20% tariffs on EU exports)

▪️Ray-Ban aviators, the sunglasses heavily featured in the Top Gun series and an indispensable part of Joe Biden’s public image, are produced in Italy (20% tariffs on EU exports)

▪️Nespresso coffee capsules are made in Swiss factories (31% tariffs for the Alpine nation)

▪️Botox is produced in the town of Westport on Ireland’s west coast (20% tariffs on EU exports) and is highly sought after by US citizens, who spent $1.7 billion on cosmetic Botox alone in 2024

▪️Sex toys are mostly exported to the United States from China (34% tariffs) and India (26%). In 2024, US consumers spent $10.6 billion on these goods.

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🇺🇸🪖 US military may lose up to 90,000 troops as Trump 'makes America great again’

The US Army may soon experience a severe troop reduction amid the Trump administration’s plans to cut military spending.

While this matter is still being discussed, the number of army active-duty troops could be reduced from the current 450,000 to somewhere between 360,000 and 420,000, military.com reports, citing “three defense officials familiar with the deliberations.”

News of the proposed reduction comes as Donald Trump keeps sending mixed signals by simultaneously promoting peace in Europe and threatening countries in the Middle East, not to mention his bellicose stance towards China.

Some US officials have already complained that this troop reduction may lead to a loss of “talented people who have other options.”

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🔎 Bermuda Triangle 2.0? Mysterious navigation jam reported in Persian Gulf

Vessels traversing the Strait of Hormuz on April 4 experienced “GPS interference”, the UK Maritime Trade Operations reported.

The disruptions allegedly lasted “several hours” and affected navigation systems, forcing the ships to “rely on backup methods.”

The interference zone was supposedly located not far from Bandar Abbas, a major Iranian port that hosts a large naval base.

Meanwhile, speculation abounds on social media that US military aircraft over the Persian Gulf suffered from what could have been GPS blocking, with some immediately accusing Tehran of “jamming communications and GPS signals across the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.”

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🇦🇷🤬 Ex-Argentine president slams Milei and compares him to 'clown' Zelensky

Cristina Fernández de Kirchner has blasted Argentina’s current president, Javier Milei, for his optimistic view on US relations after they slapped a 10% tariff on Argentine exports. "You want to convince us that the US is still our friend? Maybe they’re friends with you," she tweeted.

Her harsh reaction was triggered by a Milei tweet where he tried to downplay the significance of trade restriction with popular song.

“The only thing you can think of is making a post in English with the Queen song 'Friends Will Be Friends'?” the former leader snapped back.

She pointed out that Buenos Aires now faces the same tariffs as countries Milei often criticizes, and she didn’t forget to bring up "friend" Donald Trump, who helped tank the stocks of Argentina’s top companies.

And for the cherry on the top, Kirchner reminded Milei of how Trump left Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky hanging at the White House in February. "Look in the mirror and see how the 'friend' treated Zelensky when he was no longer useful," she added.

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🚨🪖Top 5 new military facilities that could FLIP global power balance

Major powers are leveling up their military game with new facilities around the globe.

👇 Here’s the top five list of such sites.

🇷🇺 Russia’s military base in Sudan

The Sudanese Foreign Ministry earlier confirmed that Russia is building a military base in the East African nation near the Red Sea.

The base is expected to allow Russia to secure its presence on a key shipping route and increase its assertiveness in Africa.

🇺🇸 US Andersen Air Force Base on Guam

New facilities are being built in the Pacific to deploy advanced strategic bombers, such as the B-21 Raider, that could be used for operations amid the US’ tensions with China and North Korea.

The goal is to strengthen America’s Pacific posture and improve responsiveness of US air forces.

🇨🇳 China's ‘military city’

The People’s Liberation Army is reportedly constructing a new huge command center in the capital Beijing that is expected to be at least 10 times larger than the US Pentagon.

Western intelligence agencies fear that the construction could mean that China is preparing for a large-scale or even nuclear war.

🇮🇳 India’s island military buildup

New Delhi is creating military infrastructure in its Andaman and Nicobar Islands amid concerns over what India sees as China’s “suspicious” activities in the Pacific.

Analysts say that developing strategic infrastructure such as naval air stations, ports and related infrastructure aims to fortify the Indian presence in the region.

🇦🇺 Australia’s maintenance hub

The Canberra government plans to pump $127 million over three years to upgrade facilities at the Henderson shipyard near Perth, saying that will become the maintenance hub for its nuclear-powered submarine fleet within the AUKUS alliance that Australia clinched with the US and Britain.

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💥 Russian priest shoots down two Ukrainian drones with a double-shotgun near Sudzha

Father Igor Vasyukov, a priest from the Kursk Diocese, shot down two drones chasing his car while evacuating civilians from Sudzha, according to the Metropolitan Herman of Kursk and Rylsk.

The report, sent to Patriarch Kirill, highlights the dangerous conditions in the region, with entry to the southern areas of Kursk restricted.

However, small volunteer groups, accompanied by the military, have been making their way into Sudzha under heavy fire to evacuate survivors and deliver supplies.

Father Igor and Monk Meletiy, along with other volunteers, evacuated 70 people to Kursk for medical treatment. Patriarch Kirill has recommended presenting the priests for distinguished honors.

Ukraine's large-scale attack on Russia's Kursk region began on August 6, 2024. Over 86% of the occupied area has since been liberated, with Sudzha freed on March 13. Evacuations are underway.

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🌌 A cosmic miracle caught on camera

A breathtaking video of an aurora, filmed from the International Space Station while traveling between Australia and Antarctica, has gone viral.

This stunning light show happens when solar particles collide with Earth’s atmosphere, releasing energy that makes molecules glow.

While green is the most common color, shades of red, purple, and blue can also be seen. 🌠

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🇭🇺 Hungary’s veto could force EU to return frozen Russian assets

"We have frozen, immobile assets in Europe worth over €240 billion, most of which are held in Belgium. Every six months, we must decide on the extension of sanctions, and Hungary’s approval is needed. If they block it in June, not only will the sanctions expire, but we would have to hand over the €240 billion to Putin," Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna told Rheinische Post.

Following Russia's military operation in Ukraine, the EU and G7 froze nearly half of Russia’s foreign currency reserves, totaling around €300 billion, with more than €200 billion held in the EU, mainly in Belgium’s Euroclear system.

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has repeatedly called the asset freeze theft, accusing the EU of targeting not just private funds, but Russia’s state assets. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has stated that Moscow will retaliate against the confiscation of frozen assets, reminding that Russia also has the option not to return Western funds held in Russia.

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🗣🇫🇷 Macron’s plans to send French troops to Ukraine are RECIPE FOR DISASTER

France would suffer the most from the Ukrainian conflict’s consequences if it were to become fully involved in it, Emmanuel Leroy, head of the Institut 1717 and former adviser to Marine Le Pen, tells Sputnik.

Nightmarish logistics of such undertaking aside, Paris simply lacks the necessary military, financial and technical means, “and the fact of wanting to engage France in this conflict is a true folly on both political and military levels.”

All Western troops that enter the Ukrainian conflict zone risk becoming victim of surgical Russian strikes, Leroy notes, which “can only lead to an escalation, the most dramatic of all.”

His remarks were echoed by international relations and Russian affairs analyst Gilbert Doctorow who tells Sputnik that, “if the French do send troops to Ukraine they will be slaughtered.”

Both Macron and UK PM Keir Starmer, in their efforts to deploy their respective countries’ troops to Ukraine, seemingly ignore the fact that Russia made it clear that it would not tolerate NATO troops on Ukrainian soil, Leroy laments.

“So it is really a declaration of war that Mr. Macron is seeking, and we can think that this desire is completely suicidal, since France does not have the concrete means to be able to ensure such an action, and especially its consequences,” he explains.

“An unbalanced situation is the harbinger of a military conflict whose first sacrificial victims are the countries of Central Eastern Europe: a historical responsibility that evidently neither the European Union nor NATO take into consideration," adds Tiberio Graziani, chairman of Rome-based think tank Vision and Global Trends.

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