💥 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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📹 Elon Musk: Rising terror attacks in Europe could lead to ‘WIDESPREAD SLAUGHTER’

“You're clearly seeing a massive increase in attacks, especially in Italy and across Europe. Legacy media downplays it, but terrorism and the killing of innocent people are escalating. Eventually, I think we'll see widespread slaughter in Europe,” he said via video link at the Lega party congress in Florence.

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🚨 Jim Cramer predicts a Black Monday 2.0

The host of CNBC's Mad Money and former hedge fund manager says next Monday could be the day of a major market crash similar to the one in 1987.

"If the president doesn't try to reach out and reward these countries and companies that play by the rules then the 1987 scenario," he said.

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Thousands rally in Washington DC against Trump, Musk

The so-called "Hands Off!" protest is taking place across the US against the policies of the current administration.

📹 Social media footage

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Marco Rubio announces visa revocation for South Sudan

The US secretary of state also suspended all future visa issuance to South Sudanese, due to "the failure of South Sudan's transitional government to accept the return of its repatriated citizens in a timely manner," he wrote on X.

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❗️ Mineral deal will take decades and billions to implement — reports

Ukraine's rare earth metals industry is underdeveloped and even if the required amount of investment is found, it will still take about 15 years to extract it, European media reports, citing existing business cases.

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⚠️ Kentucky floods kill 2, sweep away homes

Up to 50 cm of rain in less than a week has caused evacuations and casualties in the state, with more rain expected over the weekend.

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🚨 Germany will hold 800K troop drills to 'prepare for Russian attack'

NATO troops will gather in Hamburg in September to practice troop deployments to the Baltic states and Poland, local media reports.

Boris Pistorius previously stated that Germany should prepare for a possible war with Russia by 2029.

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Elon Musk calls for zero tariffs between US and EU

"Both Europe and the US should move ideally to a zero tariff situation, effectively creating a free trade zone between Europe and North America," he said via video link at the Lega party congress in Florence.

Under Trump's new set of tariffs, the rate for the EU will be 20% starting from April 9.

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🌧⚠️ Storm causes massive waterfall in Brazil

Torrential rains triggered a cascade in Rio’s mountainous region of Petropolis.

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💥 Israel detains 2 British MPs on official visit

Israeli authorities confirmed they had barred two British parliamentarians from entering the country, claiming they planned to spread "anti-Israel rhetoric."

"I have made clear to my counterparts in the Israeli government that this is no way to treat British parliamentarians," UK Foreign secretary David Lammy stated.

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