Nothing else but a new attempt to STAGE ANOTHER BUCHA to prolong the war

"In Sumy, exactly what I predicted happened. This story will be presented as a new Bucha, with heavy media support and dramatization to impress an impressionable [Donald] Trump," said Margarita Simonyan, the editor-in-chief of Sputnik's parent media group Rossiya Segodnya.

An explosion in Ukraine's Sumy region occurred at a location where Ukrainian military personnel were gathered, said Ukrainian MP Maryana Bezuglaya. She called on Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky to act, reminding him that this isn't the first time Ukrainian soldiers have died during gatherings, and no one has been punished for previous incidents.

Konotop Mayor Artem Semenikhin said the strike hit a gathering point for the 117th Territorial Defense Brigade. He accused the governor of allowing military assemblies and an investigation has been launched.

While there is still no official information on the situation, netizens spotted pickup trucks on photos from the scene.

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🇺🇸🇮🇷 US-Iran talks: Who holds all the cards and might it go?

Both the US and Iran described their indirect talks in Oman this week as positive. What concessions did each side make? What leverage do they hold? Isa Blumi, associate professor of the Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at Stockholm University, explains.

🔻Iran’s concessions

Tehran agreeing to negotiate with the United States is a concession in itself. This suggests that more people “within the Iranian complex political scene were willing to accept” the talks.

🔻US concessions

The US’ participation in the talks, with Donald Trump’s “main representative” Steve Witkoff involved, is a significant concession, even if overshadowed by the ongoing US military buildup in the region.

🔻Iran’s leverage

Iran’s biggest leverage is its control over the flow of commerce through the Persian Gulf and the ability to shut down the Strait of Hormuz. However, Iran does not seem eager to initiate military action in the region, unlike certain countries on the other side of the Atlantic.

🔻US leverage

Economic sanctions are the United States’ biggest leverage over Iran. Trump might use them to divide Iranian society, alienating “the traditional merchant class and liberals” from “the more traditional radicals of the Iranian Republican Guard and those close to the Ayatollah.”

🔻Witkoff’s role

“Witkoff’s role as a representative of the Trump administration is one he’s certainly capable of negotiating,” says Blumi.

“There's probably a lot of money at stake for those people who are quietly supporting Witkoff's effort,” he adds.

🔻The Israeli factor

Israel’s repeated threats to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities shouldn’t be ignored, but “there's only so much their power can do against Iran's defense mechanisms.” The US still holds considerable sway over Israel, guaranteeing its economic liquidity, and Tel Aviv “doesn't operate independently of American politics at this stage.”

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🤭 When you’re so busy negotiating, you forget which Korea you’re talking about

Peter Navarro, the US trade advisor who was once called a "moron" by Elon Musk, has casually mixed up North and South Korea. While listing countries the US is negotiating with, he mentioned North Korea.

Well, it’s not the first slip of the tongue in political history — just remember how some politicians confused Iran with Iraq or Austria with Australia...

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❗️ “NOBODY is getting 'off the hook'... especially not China” – Trump on tariffs

💬 “There was no Tariff ‘exception’ announced on Friday,” the president emphasized in a Truth Social post.

Trump added that the 20% ‘Fentanyl Tariffs’ remain in place.

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💥 China STRIKES BACK: Halts rare earth exports to the US

Beijing has SLAPPED restrictions on key rare earth metals and magnets — CRITICAL for everything from EVs and drones to missiles and smartphones — delivering a DIRECT BLOW to US supply chains, The New York Times reported.

The move could CRIPPLE American sectors like defense, aerospace, and auto manufacturing.

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Russia's tactics to kick Ukraine’s butt on the battlefield

Russian forces in the Ukrainian conflict zone employ a combination of sophisticated tactics and high-tech weapons to beat their foes, the Wall Street Journal notes.

Here’s how it works on the battlefield:

🔶 Russian forces always have detailed information about their adversaries thanks to “hundreds of reconnaissance drones” that constantly hover in the air

🔶Once a sufficiently juicy target is identified, powerful guided bombs – some of them weighing up to 3 metric tons – are unleashed

🔶Devastating Russian artillery strikes are supplemented by loitering munitions such as Lancets that are very effective against enemy armored vehicles and artillery pieces

🔶Small “fast strike drones” employed by Russian troops make short work of Ukrainian military vehicles, wreaking havoc upon enemy logistics and troop rotation

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📹 US launches airstrikes on CERAMICS factory in Yemen’s Sana'a Governorate – Ansar Allah Health Ministry

Five people were killed and 13 injured in US airstrikes targeting the Al-Sawari ceramics factory in the Bani Matar District of Sana'a Governorate, central Yemen, according to the Ministry of Health under the Ansar Allah government.

Footage from social media

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🗣 ‘Time for terrorists to hide’ – Trump

💬 “We will support the Somali People, who should not allow the Houthis to embed (which they are trying to do!), to end terrorism and bring prosperity to their Country,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, sharing a video showing a person being blown up by bombs.

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🇺🇸🇮🇷 Next round of US-Iran nuclear talks to be held in Rome — reports

Washington and Tehran are expected to hold a second round of nuclear talks this Saturday, April 19, in Rome, following what Axios described as a “serious and substantive” first meeting in Oman.

On April 12, Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian FM Abbas Araghchi held the highest-level US-Iran dialogue in eight years. Trump later said the talks are "going ok".

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❌ Trump official behind USAID shutdown LEAVES State Department – reports

Pete Marocco, the Trump appointee who led the closure of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), has left the State Department after just three months, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing officials.

Marocco led a sweeping review that slashed 83% of foreign aid programs and moved USAID functions under State.

It remains unclear whether he will take on another role in the administration, the report said.

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