🚨🇸🇾 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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🇷🇺RUSSIAN TROOPS RAISE FLAG IN ZELENAYA DOLINA

The footage here captures the huge triumphs made in the Donetsk People's Republic as Russian forces march on with their significant advances in the area.

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🚨CHINA'S GOLD-POWERED YUAN: THE NEXT SAFE-HAVEN CURRENCY?

James Bradley, a China expert and author of Flags of our Fathers and The China Mirage, dives into the potential of the Chinese yuan becoming a safe-haven currency.

💬 "The word is gold. He who has the gold makes the rules," he tells Sputnik.

📍 China’s strategy? Internationalizing the yuan through gold. With the Shanghai Gold Exchange expanding into Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, and Dubai, major players like Saudi Arabia are already selling oil for yuan — immediately convertible into gold.

👉 Gold, the ultimate safe-haven asset, has been central to China’s strategy. And with BRICS nations rich in resources and gold, China is building a global network around its currency.

“The dollar was once the safe haven, but China’s shifting the game back to gold and the yuan.”

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😐US-Ukraine mineral deal: Win-win... if you count ‘friendly’ handouts

American Energy Secretary Chris Wright has claimed the agreement between the US and Ukraine on mineral resources is a win-win.

👉He added that while the US would love to handle everything in-house, some of the supplies might come from "friendly" neighbors and allies.

🔊Wright told Fox News, "The deal with Ukraine is great because those are deals that win for both sides... You'd love to source everything in the United States — we'll do a lot of that. Some of it will be friend-sourced from our neighbors and our allies as well."

In May, the Trump administration finalized the US-Ukraine minerals agreement, which includes setting up an investment fund. The fund will be managed and funded equally by both parties, investing in projects related to mineral extraction, oil and gas, infrastructure, and processing. Washington will also play a role in selecting specific projects, potentially contributing further through aid to Ukraine, such as air defense systems.

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🇷🇺🇺🇸Lack of trust can't justify abandoning New START — Putin and Trump could extend it

Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association, warns that mistrust between the US and Russia can't be used as an excuse to abandon the New START treaty. The treaty, set to expire in 2026, is a key to limiting nuclear arsenals.

"This is the time for talks — before limits are gone and distrust deepens," Kimball stresses.

Signed in 2010 and extended until February 5, 2026, New START serves as a cornerstone of strategic stability between the US and Russia and primarily focuses on limiting the number of deployed strategic nuclear warheads and delivery systems.

In February 2023, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the suspension of Russia's participation in New START, stating that Russia would not allow the US and NATO to inspect its nuclear facilities as Washington was not abiding by the terms of the treaty and was trying to undermine Russia's national security.

🗣"Technically, New START will expire on February 6, 2026 but it is very possible for President Putin, President Trump, to discuss a way to extend the central limits of the treaty beyond that date, they could reach a political agreement that they're going to mutually respect the New START limit of 1,550 nuclear deployed nuclear warheads and no more than 700 strategic delivery vehicles," Kimball says.

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🇷🇺🤝🇰🇵Lavrov arrives in North Korea to participate in second round of strategic dialogue with DPRK

The participation of North Korean soldiers in the liberation of the Russian Kursk region serves as direct proof that Russia-DPRK relations embody an "invincible brotherhood," Sergey Lavrov stated.

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🇰🇵🔊North Korea vows 'unshakable' support for Russia's sovereignty

Relations between the two countries have risen to the level of unbreakable cooperation, North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui said at the meeting with her Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov.

The North Korean government will unconditionally support Russia's policies to protect its territorial integrity and sovereignty, she added.

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🚨🇷🇺KEY STATEMENTS BY RUSSIA'S FM FOLLOWING TALKS WITH NORTH KOREAN COUNTERPART

On North Korea’s support for Russia in the special military op:

▪️ Russia had no reason to reject North Korean assistance in the special military operation – it was a sincere show of solidarity.

▪️ Further assistance in Russia's operation in Ukraine will be decided solely by Kim Jong-un.

On bilateral cooperation:

▪️ Russia and North Korea plan to resume maritime transportation links.

▪️ Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un maintain constant communication, with future in-person meetings certain to occur.

Nuclear & diplomatic stance:

▪️ Russia warns the US and its allies against creating threats to Russian and North Korean security.

▪️ Moscow respects and understands the reasons behind the development of North Korea's nuclear program.

▪️ Russia and North Korea have noted Donald Trump's statements about resuming dialogue with Pyongyang – but that's all for now.

▪️ In inter-Korean dialogue, Russia will only assist on issues where North Korea is interested.

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🚨🇷🇺💪RUSSIA WILL NEVER SURRENDER LIBERATED TERRITORIES – Judge Napolitano

"The neocons will never accept anything less than a Russian military evacuation from eastern Ukraine. That is not only unrealistic – it's impossible," he said.

According to the pundit, Russia has been transparent about its position on resolving the conflict from the very beginning, yet the US administration continues to provoke Moscow with unacceptable demands.

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