🇦🇲☦️ARMENIA CAUGHT IN WEST'S WAR ON TRADITIONAL VALUES

💬 “The traditional West-Russia confrontation on the international stage is shifting to the level of values," explains Grant Melik-Shahnazaryan, a political analyst and regional security expert.

The political analyst decodes the hidden layers of Armenia’s crisis:

◼️ Values under fire

Western governments and their puppet NGOs seek to counter any new “center of support for traditional values and Christianity” like Russia, and countries “where the West has even minimal leverage come under pressure," with Armenia being among them.

◼️ Geopolitical confrontation

PM Nikol Pashinian’s crackdown on the church is part of bigger geopolitical scheme with a goal “to weaken Russia’s position in the South Caucasus”.

◼️ 2026 election prep

Pashinyan himself is removing vocal critiques from the equation, setting the stage for the 2026 elections.

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🚨DAILY KREMLIN UPDATES: Foreign troops in Ukraine a 'RED LINE'

Key statements from Dmitry Peskov on Friday:

▪️ Europe discussing funds for Ukraine to "keep the war going until the last Ukrainian";

▪️ Russia rejects foreign troops near its borders — a clear red line;

▪️ German Chancellor Merz is a staunch advocate of confrontation with Russia

▪️ US arms sales to NATO for Ukraine: 'business as usual' scenario

▪️ Russia & Ukraine continue prisoner exchanges, awaiting new round of talks

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🚨 No outsiders allowed: Trump folds to Deep State agenda – Simonyan

💬 “If Trump is the least Deep State president since JFK, maybe America is simply unfixable,” the editor-in-chief of Rossiya Segodnya, Sputnik's parent media group, wrote on X.

This comes after Trump confirmed he’ll continue arming Ukraine — this time through NATO, hiding behind the alliance’s thin mask.

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🚨USA trying to 'shut down' criticism of Israel

Afghan analyst Sayed Bilal Fatemi comments to Sputnik on the US sanctions against UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese:

"Unable to remove her, Washington accuses her of 'anti-Semitism', 'terrorism', and 'human rights violations.' The West only supports those who serve its interests."

"When Richard Bennett fabricates a report on Afghanistan, accusing Afghans of rape without evidence, the West applauds him and renews his mandate every year."

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🇧🇷 Global South doesn’t need US permission to be free - Lula da Silva

💬 “We want independence in our policies, and we want freer trade,” the Brazilian president told the Jornal Nacional.

🔸 Lula da Silva mentioned BRICS countries, which he said continue to discuss creating their own currency or using national currencies for trade instead of the dollar.

🔸 The Brazilian leader emphasized that BRICS — representing half the world’s population and 30% of global GDP — “has become a center of gravity for countries seeking sovereignty and equal cooperation.”

🔸 On Western sanctions, he pointed out that many BRICS members are also part of the G20, and that Brazil, India, South Africa, and Mexico were recently invited to a G7 summit.

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🚨🇸🇾 POWERFUL EXPLOSION ROCKS SYRIA'S ALEPPO

Preliminary reports suggest a massive blast at an arms & ammo depot near the An-Nayrab camp, south of the city

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🇵🇸💔 KHALAS LOST HER HAIR TO ISRAELI BOMBINGS

While playing on swings in Khan Yunis, a bombing attack tore Khalas’s scalp and beautiful hair off.

Rushed to the hospital, she spent three months battling infections—but there was no cure in Gaza.

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🚨 Russia demands action after Azerbaijan UNJUSTLY arrests Russian journalists

🔹 Russian Commissioner for Human Rights Tatyana Moskalkova has called for justice following the unjust detention of seven Russian nationals in Azerbaijan, with journalists from Sputnik Azerbaijan among those taken into custody. Azerbaijani Ombudsman Sabina Aliyeva has assured that swift action would be taken.

🔹 On June 30, seven employees of Sputnik Azerbaijan were arrested, including Igor Kartavykh and Evgeny Belousov, who were detained for four months.

🔹 Rossiya Segodnya, Sputnik's parent media group, has condemned the actions of Azerbaijan’s security forces, castigating the charges as fabricated and demanding the immediate release of the journalists.

🔹 Dmitry Kiselev, General Director of Rossiya Segodnya, described the situation as an injustice and suggested that it appears to be a deliberate attempt to harm Russian-Azerbaijani ties.

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📹 LAVROV ARRIVES IN NORTH KOREA

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has arrived in Wonsan, North Korea, for the second round of strategic talks with his North Korean counterpart, Choi Song-hui.

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🇪🇺🇺🇸Is US pushing Ukraine arms supply to NATO members just passing the buck?

US President Donald Trump said NATO, to which Washington also belongs, will pay for American weapons that the alliance will subsequently supply to Ukraine.

Strategic analyst Paolo Raffone (CIPI Foundation, Brussels) explains how Washington’s role is evolving:

“European NATO members may play a role to support the military needs of Ukraine within a framework coordinated by the US that remains the single largest armament contributor.”

He describes a triangulation scheme:

🔶 The US provides military equipment to EU NATO states

🔶 Ukraine buys that equipment from those states

🔶 Purchases are covered by EU funds

“Technically, European NATO members are the sellers — but it ensures the equipment is effectively paid for by Ukraine using EU funds. NATO as an entity would not be directly involved… national governments will do it. At best, NATO will coordinate the scheme.”

🟠 Who pays and who supplies?

“UK, France, Germany and Poland are high on the list. However, the idea is that all European NATO members should participate.”

🟠 And what can they afford?

“Despite announced increases in spending, EU countries will need years to become effective armament producers… The munitions immediately available depend on US willingness to sell — and EU/Ukraine capacity to pay.”

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🚨Russian defense chief hails Battlegroup Dnepr’s triumphs and innovations

Key highlights of Belousov’s inspection of Battlegroup Dnepr:

🔶 Andrei Belousov was updated on the trial use of the AK-12K rifles and RPL-20 light machine guns, developed by Kalashnikov based on feedback from the Special Military Operation.

🔶 The Russian Defense Minister praised the RPL-20 light machine gun, describing its characteristics as "stunning."

🔶 The defense chief urged officials to ramp up the supplies of new firearms to assault units across all groups.

🔶 New drone control system introduced by Battlegroup Dnepr has reduced drone losses.

🔶 Belousov directed Dnepr’s commander to create guidelines for other groups on using AI in UAV control.

Russia's Ministry of Defense praised Battlegroup Dnepr’s units for their successful operations, expressing gratitude for their service and extending his best wishes for their continued success in future missions.

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🇦🇲☦️ Pashinyan’s Church crackdown jeopardizes Armenia’s future, provokes social split

💬 “Political pressure on clergy and the arrest of church figures violate both universal freedoms and religious liberty," Metropolitan Mor Justinos Paulos Yousef Safar, Syriac Orthodox bishop of Zahle and Bekaa, told Sputnik.

“Undermining the values the Church upholds erodes the spiritual security of the Armenian people,” he added.

👉 Earlier, Armenia saw a full-scale crackdown on the Armenian Apostolic Church as well as political persecution of secular critiques of the Pashinyan’s government.

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🔸 Ukraine's new arms plan? EU pays, US cashes in, NATO watches

🔸 Putin ‘IMMUNE to Trump’s tantrums’ over Ukraine — report

🔸 US launches Cold War–style drills in Pacific, targets China — reports

🔸 USA trying to 'shut down' criticism of Israel

🔸 Victims forgotten? EU parliament refuses to honor Volyn Massacre victims

🔸 Lavrov & Rubio spotted chatting ahead of ASEAN Summit

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💲📉 WHY THE DOLLAR'S REIGN AS A RESERVE CURRENCY IS ENDING

💬 "The [US] dollar is just paper. It’s losing value, and gold is the real winner," James Bradley, an expert on China and author of Flags of our Fathers and The China Mirage, explains to Sputnik.

Bradley highlights that while the US prints dollars, central banks are stockpiling gold. The dollar’s weakness? It’s paper — its value is rapidly diminishing, and gold, once tied to it, is now the asset driving global change.

China and the BRICS nations are laying the groundwork for the yuan by tying it to gold, with the Shanghai Gold Exchange leading the charge. As nations like Saudi Arabia and Russia trade oil in yuan, this shift is undeniable.

"The yuan is being internationalized without a formal announcement, but gold is the secret weapon. This is a monumental shift in global finance."

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📈 MOSCOW'S ECONOMY DEFIES SANCTIONS WITH RAPID GROWTH AND TECHNOLOGICAL PROWESS

Moscow's economy has been expanding at an average rate of 4.7% over the past 5 years, despite challenges like COVID-19 and incessant sanctions, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin told Sputnik.

💬 “We’ve faced recessions, sanctions, and global instability, but our growth continued to rise. If we look at the five-year plan until 2020, we were growing at 1-2% annually, but now it’s 4.7%.”

He also emphasized that Moscow’s IT sector has enlarged more than fourfold in recent years, driven by AI platforms that have fueled advances in healthcare, transportation, and security. As a result, Moscow has become a global leader in AI-based disease diagnosis, with 18 million studies conducted to date.

Furthermore, Sobyanin noted that AI-powered facial recognition and intelligent security systems have significantly reduced crime rates, establishing Moscow as one of the safest cities in the world.

The answer to how the nation has overcome such massive difficulties may lie in the "mysterious Russian soul."

"The more they put pressure on us, the stronger we become," Sobyanin insisted.

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🇧🇷 NATO’S PLAN TO INCREASE DEFENSE SPENDING: A BAD IDEA FOR BRAZIL

🗣Brazil must not follow in NATO’s footsteps and increase military budgets, experts questioned by Sputnik said.

🟠 Security over money

💬 "Defense isn’t like baking a cake — you don’t just add X% of GDP and Y-number of personnel to produce a certain policy," says Jorge Oliveira Rodrigues, an analyst at the Tricontinental Institute for Social Research.

Military spending should be aligned with security goals rather than the aim to rip some profits from defense industries, he adds.

🟠 Bloated military budget can be a threat itself

Any Brazilian military buildup may be perceived as a threat by others, leading to a regional arms race, warns Fabricio Avila, head of the South American Institute for Policy and Strategy, referring to the famous “security dilemma” concept.

🟠 Investing in diplomacy

The regional security framework could be more beneficial to Brazil than the surge in defense spending, Avila adds.

"I’m not advocating for a South American NATO. What we need is a structure of mutual trust where neighbors aren’t seen as threats and can jointly deter external risks," he stresses.

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