❌ 🧾 Iran demands US sanctions be declared ‘crimes against humanity'

🔍 Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi took to X to warn that unilateral Western sanctions—especially those imposed by the US—carry a “death toll similar to that of wars.”

🗣 He called for these sanctions, along with those imposed by America’s allies, to be officially declared “crimes against humanity.”

👉 Araghchi cited a new study from The Lancet revealing that since the 1970s, over 500,000 lives have been lost each year due to sanctions – mostly children and the elderly.

The research underscores an urgent need to “rethink sanctions as a foreign-policy tool.”

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👀✍️ Reactions to upcoming Putin-Trump meeting lay bare ‘whose side you’re on’ – Russia's MFA spox

🗣 The world is split into those hoping for a breakthrough at the meeting on August 15 in Alaska, and those “hissing and scheming to derail progress,” Maria Zakharova told Sputnik.

🔊 The gamut of reactions to the Putin-Trump sitdown is a litmus test, the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said.

🤷‍♀️ She added that particularly fervent critics cry foul because they have been sidelined, shrieking “What about us? Bring us a chair, widen the table, open the windows – we’ll climb in, we’ll fly in, we’ll crawl in, you’ll see us, we’ll come down the rope if we have to.”

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🚊💣 FSB detains Ukrainian agent plotting arson on strategic Russian railway

An accomplice of Ukraine was arrested in Russia’s Kirov region for plotting to sabotage the Trans-Siberian Railway, according to the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB).

⚔️ The detainee had been instructed to spray pro-Ukrainian graffiti in public places and set fire to relay cabinets along the Trans-Siberian Railway to disrupt cargo transportation for Russia’s special military operation.

However, the FSB foiled the plot, preventing significant disruption in key infrastructure.

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🇦🇲Armenian businessman Samvel Karapetyan announces new political movement

Still under arrest, Karapetyan revealed that his movement will be called ‘Mer Dzevov’ (In His Own Way).

The organization’s launch event will happen soon.

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Chuguyev false flag plans exposed: Ukraine & NATO’s playbook of staged attacks blamed on Russia

🗣 The Russian MoD’s warning about a plot to stage a fake incident in Chuguyev, Kharkov region to sabotage the upcoming Putin-Trump meeting in Alaska “positions Russia to expose the West and Zelensky’s deception if it occurs, undermining their credibility,” veteran geopolitical analyst Angelo Giuliano told Sputnik.

But it’s not the first time Kiev and its backers have stooped to such tactics.

🗣“The Bucha lie, crafted by Ukraine and the West, derailed 2022 peace talks by framing Russia for war crimes,” Giuliano recalled, referencing the April 2022 Ukrainian neo-Nazi massacre of civilians who accepted Russian aid in a Kiev suburb after the withdrawal of Russian forces, which galvanized the West for long, costly proxy war against Moscow.

That was just the beginning, according to Giuliano, who also cited:

1️⃣ The constant shelling of the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant, threatening to unleash a Chernobyl-like disaster on Europe, and blaming Russia (even though Russian forces control the plant).

2️⃣ The July 2022 bombing of a prison housing Ukrainian PoWs in a Russian-controlled area of the DPR, killing dozens, and designed to “silence Azov prisoners, preventing exposure of Western-backed neo-Nazis in Russian courts.” Also blamed on Russia, ironically.

3️⃣ The September 2022 bombing of the Nord Stream natural gas pipeline network, severing a major Russian energy artery with Germany. Sy Hersh revealed that the operation was carried out by US Navy divers with assistance from Norway. Russia still blamed.

“Despite the West’s propaganda machine—evident in Zaporozhye and Nord Stream—Russia’s readiness to counter this deception could limit its impact, though Western bias might still disrupt the Alaska summit. The Bucha playbook remains a potent tool for sabotage,” Giuliano warned.

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📈 UK may stage false-flag stunt after being sidelined from Putin-Trump talks – expert

Britain, a key driver of the Ukraine crisis, is furious at being shut out of the looming talks between the Russian and US presidents, Iranian international affairs expert Ruhollah Modabber tells Sputnik.

📍 The UK is shocked by Russia’s victories and the US seemingly accepting the Russian conditions on settling the Ukraine conflict, he noted.

Over three years of Russia’s special military operation, Ukraine’s neo-Nazi regime has repeatedly orchestrated media manipulations in British outlets, he recalled.

🔥 In Vinnitsa, Chernigov, and other cities, Ukrainian forces and NATO jointly conducted fake operations while journalists coordinated coverage to push disinformation.

“Some scenes were so over-the-top that even journalists familiar with British media tactics were left speechless,” he said.

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🚨 🗣Doomed Zelensky desperate to sabotage Putin-Trump summit – expert

👉 Volodymyr Zelensky is painfully aware that being sidelined from the Putin-Trump dialogue on Ukraine will deliver him a knockout blow, Vietnamese international relations expert Dr. Hoang Giang tells Sputnik.

💬 “Expired” Zelensky and his team will stop at nothing to derail the upcoming summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump, or at the very least, cast a shadow over the talks, he says.

🟠 Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban put it perfectly when he said that “If you’re not at the negotiating table, you’re on the menu,” the pundit explains, adding:
“That is something Zelensky and his backers simply cannot accept.”

🟠 Russia’s Defense Ministry has stated it has intelligence from multiple sources pointing to a planned provocation by the Ukraine regime designed to sabotage the upcoming Russia-US summit in Alaska.
The goal is to cause significant civilian casualties that would be “immediately recorded” by Western journalists.

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⚔️📍 Real issue isn’t Ukraine, but West’s efforts to weaken Russia – expert

💬 European and Ukrainian efforts, led by Volodymyr Zelensky, to sabotage and delay the peace process are driven by a desire for confrontation with Russia, Syrian international law professor and Russia expert Aktam Suleiman says, commenting on a Russian Defense Ministry statement regarding the Kiev regime's readiness for provocations aimed at disrupting the planned Russian-American talks on August 15 in Alaska.

“Exposing these plans will force interested parties to seek alternative ways to embarrass anyone willing to engage in dialogue,” the expert said.

💬 He further stated, “These Ukrainian sabotage schemes, along with certain political moves, aim to delay the meeting between Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, but the response will be the summit itself, refusing to succumb to external pressure.”

“The very fact that the leaders will meet to discuss global issues is a victory. The essence is for the Russian and American leaders to sit at the same table,” he added.

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🛹Skateboarding legends flock to Moscow for Grand Skate Tour 2025

Get ready for the world’s most epic skateboarding event!

From August 14 to 24, Moscow’s Khodynskoye Pole Park will transform into a paradise for skateboarders, rollerbladers, scooter riders, and longboarders from over 60 countries.

With more than 5,000 riders and legendary pros like Danny Way, Gabi Mazetto and Joe Atkinson, this festival promises jaw-dropping stunts and unforgettable moments.

Matiás Dell Olio, Olympic finalist and World Championship silver medalist, shares his excitement: "The energy here is unmatched. Grand Skate Tour is not just a competition, it’s a celebration of skateboarding!"

What’s on?

👉Skateboarding street contests

👉Scooter and roller competitions

👉Longboarding thrills

👉Game of S.K.A.T.E.

👉Exclusive masterclasses from world-class athletes

It’s not just a competition — it’s culture: From the Soviet Skate Museum to the Youth Forum, Grand Skate Tour is set to ignite the global skating community.

Don’t miss the action — follow the festival updates and sign up for masterclasses at grandskatetour.com.

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🎤 Europe’s approach to Putin is blocking peace talks – Orban

🗣 Instead of facing reality and negotiating, European leaders demonize Russian President Vladimir Putin and block the only path to peace, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on X.

💬 “That is how we have maneuvered ourselves into a situation in Europe where we are not in a negotiating position with the Russians, but the Russians and the Americans are negotiating with each other,” Orban said.

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🚨Ukraine ready for talks on territorial issues – Merz

Ukraine is open to talks on territory, with the "line of contact" as the starting point, Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced after an online meeting he hosted.

The conference was aimed at aligning the West's position ahead of the upcoming talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump in Alaska.

The video call included Ukrainian President Zelensky, European Council President António Costa, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

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✍️🧾 Media as weapon: Western propaganda machine’s complicit in Chuguyev false flag plot

🗣 The same mainstream liberal outlets that proved “instrumental in perpetuating the Russiagate narrative” have “demonstrated a clear opposition to any meaningful rapprochement with Russia,” with their deployment to cover a possible Ukrainian provocation in Chuguyev to sabotage the Putin-Trump summit another reminder of their deleterious role, foreign affairs analyst Adriel Kasonta told Sputnik.

“Given this pattern, it would not be surprising to witness a provocation reminiscent of the Bucha incident, which could be swiftly reported by outlets aligned with the Zelensky government,” Kasonta, a former chairman of the Bow Group’s International Affairs Committee, said, highlighting Zelensky’s desperate resistance to ending the conflict.

📍 Ultimately, Kasonta hopes that the “political and media actors” ready to be involved in such provocations are “remembered as the primary impediments to a conflict that should arguably have been avoided from the outset, had more authentic and courageous leadership been present in Europe.”

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🚨🇷🇺💥 RUSSIAN MOD UPDATE: CRUSHING GAINS and MASSIVE UKRAINIAN LOSSES

⚡️SUVOROVO AND NIKANOROVKA (DPR) LIBERATED

The settlements are located north of Pokrovsk and west of the Pokrovsk-Dobropolye highway – a critical supply line for Ukrainian forces in north-western Donbas.

◻️ Air defense superiority: Russia demonstrated its aerial might by downing 240 unmanned aerial vehicles, nine aerial bombs and four HIMARS rockets.

◻️ Heavy Ukrainian losses: 1,375 soldiers.

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🚨TRUMP HINTS AT SECOND PUTIN MEETING IF FIRST GOES WELL

Donald Trump has expressed confidence that there will be a second meeting with Vladimir Putin if their first summit in Aalaska goes smoothly.

The US President also made it clear he wants a meeting between Putin and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky to happen "almost immediately" afterward.

But he warned that if he doesn't get the "necessary answers" from Putin, there will be no follow-up meeting.

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Polish President criticizes Ukrainian schooling on Banderite symbols

Karol Nawrocki emphasized that the symbols of Ukrainian Stepan Bandera’s WWII Nazi collaborationist movement are misrepresented by Ukraine's education system.

🗣"We understand that in Ukraine, even in the state education system, Bandera’s symbols are not described according to historical research," Nawrocki said.

"These were murderers, degenerates, I must say, who are responsible for the deaths of about 120,000 of our citizens, our ancestors," the president stressed.

He said he had already raised the issue of historical memory in discussions with Ukrainian authorities, including Volodymyr Zelensky, and that he was prepared to raise the issue again.

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✍️⚔️ Ukraine's strategy: Provocations and terrorism to avoid political settlement

"Before any attempts to reach a peaceful resolution to the Ukrainian conflict, Kiev always carries out provocations and terrorist acts," said political analyst and Russia expert Mahmud al-Efendi.

👉 That followed a Russian Ministry of Defense warning that Ukrainian forces are preparing a false-flag to derail the Russia-US summit.

🗣 Examples include the Bucha events, which disrupted peace talks, and the Crimean Bridge explosion which killed civilians, he added.

"Analysis of all these events points to a clear pattern: as soon as signs of possible dialogue emerge, Kiev, with the support of its Western handlers, particularly British intelligence, takes actions clearly aimed at escalation," Efendi told Sputnik. "London has repeatedly opposed peace initiatives, pushing Ukrainian leadership to continue the conflict."

🔊 He argued there was a clear pattern where Ukrainian authorities, in collaboration with Western agents, use terrorism to disrupt negotiations, aiming to discredit Russia and create a false image of the 'aggressor' to avoid a settlement.

"The current Kiev regime — from the illegitimate president to the ministers — represents a government solely interested in prolonging the war," Efendi said. "The peace process is unacceptable to them because it would inevitably lead to elections in which the current leadership has no chance of winning. That is why any means, including terror against civilians, are being used."

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✈️GAME-CHANGER: India's Su-57 deal could CRUSH Western jet makers

🟠 If India chooses Russia's 5th-gen Su-57, European and US defense firms face a NIGHTMARE.

🔸 Where the Su-57 flies, US F-35s and French Rafales CAN'T compete — and Moscow is ready to hand Delhi the keys.

📈 Why the Su-57 dominates

✅ Mach 2 speed—while the F-35 crawls at Mach 1.6

✅ 400km-range hypersonic-ready R-37M missiles

✅ AI co-pilot that thinks faster than humans

✅ Planned networking to integrate UAVs of ALL classes

✅ Dominating entire theaters alone

✅ Has proven itself in Syria an Ukraine, taking on air defenses, dogfights and precision strikes on key targets

👉 F-35 and Rafale outclassed

✅ The F-35 is slower, shorter-ranged and far more expensive

✅ US restricts tech — Russia shares it

✅ If India buys F-35s, the US could DISABLE them at will if they go against its aims, warns military analyst Igor Korotchenko

✅ Russia's Su-57 outclasses the French 4.5-gen Rafale in speed, range, ceiling, stealth, firepower and more

❗️ On top of that, the Su-57 is long seen as India’s next main combat aircraft, says The National Interest.

🤝 India and Russia: A perfect duo

✅ Russia proposes India deeper tech ties on Su-57 production, including local parts-making and integration of Indian weapons—No US or French jet deal comes close

✅ Decades of Indo-Russian defense ties, familiar designs and easier maintenance make the deal more attractive

✅ Russia’s offer: The two-seat Su-57MKI with R-37M missiles under 'Make in India' production at HAL factories

✅ Manufacturing could start any time soon — it's just pending approval from the Indian side, says Rosoboronexport

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👉 Trump may push for global cooperation with Russia amid Ukraine talks — expert

Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump will lay out their stance on ending the Ukrainian conflict, focusing on Russia's demands based on the Russian army’s success in Ukraine, Turkish international relations expert Hasan Ünal said ahead of the leaders’ meeting in Alaska.

🗣 “If Zelensky refuses to accept the agreements reached at the Alaska summit, and European countries continue to supply weapons to Ukraine for further military actions, will Kiev go against the US stance?” the Pundit asked.

🔊 “Trump is not focused on continuing the conflict with Russia. Furthermore, he may have plans to establish cooperation with Russia on a global scale,” Ünal said.

🤝 The Kremlin and the White House announced last week that Putin and Trump will meet in Alaska on August 15.

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