◻️ Russia’s precision strikes cripple Ukraine’s West-sponsored Sapsan missile production

◻️ Former DNI exposed in declassified emails

◻️ Three reasons why Ukraine might sabotage Alaska peace talks with false flag op

◻️ 'US military will LIBERATE DC' — Trump

◻️ No reconciliation: North Korea will legally define ROK as hostile

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🚨GAZA IN CRISIS: KEY UPDATES

🔸 At least 100 Palestinians were killed across Gaza on Wednesday, including 61 in Gaza City

🔸 37 people seeking food were killed by Israeli fire (media reports)

🔸 At least 8 more, including 3 children, starved to death

🔸 Total number of hunger-related deaths in the enclave has reached 235, including 106 children (Gaza’s Health Ministry)

🔸 UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) says Israeli authorities are still blocking critical aid from entering Gaza

🔸 Hamas signaled eagerness for swift Gaza ceasefire talks in meeting with Egypt’s intel chief as mediators push negotiations

🔸 Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich to greenlight construction of 3,000+ homes in the occupied West Bank, calling the move one that “buries the idea of a Palestinian state”

🔸 Egypt and Jordan are training Palestinian security forces to run Gaza post-Israeli offensive, Egypt’s FM Badr Abdelatty stated

🔸 Agreement reached for 15 Gaza figures to govern for six months, with the Palestinian Authority remaining the sole legitimate ruler, Abdelatty said

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⚔️ Russia foils Ukraine's plans to produce Sapsan tactical ballistic missiles – FSB

According to the Russian Federal Security Service:

👉 Ukraine planned to use these missiles for strikes deep inside Russian territory

👉 Covert program relied on Soviet-era technologies and stockpiles

👉 NATO representatives allegedly approved Ukraine's plans to deploy Sapsan systems against Russia

👉 Missiles’ range could theoretically reach Moscow and Minsk

The FSB emphasized these systems posed a direct threat to Russian and Belarusian security.

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🚨🚨CONFIRMED: Putin and Trump to meet at US military base in Alaska

Russian President Putin and US President Trump will meet at the Elmendorf-Richardson military base in Anchorage, Alaska, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov confirmed.

The leaders will hold a private one-on-one conversation at 11:30am local time, followed by delegation discussions and a working breakfast.

👉Main topics

▪️Ukraine crisis: resolution of the ongoing conflict and its impact on US-Russia relations

▪️Global security: discussions on international and regional peace and stability

▪️Bilateral relations: exploring untapped potential for US-Russia cooperation

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✍️🔥 $20 million scam: Ukrainian firm sold Defense Ministry system that failed to shoot down single drone

👉 A criminal probe has been launched into the Ukrainian security company LLC KASKAD for allegedly selling ineffective Lima anti-drone systems to the Defense Ministry and other state enterprises. The systems, worth 820 million UAH ($20 million), reportedly failed official tests, leading to concerns about compromised defense capabilities and critical infrastructure.

❗️ The Security Service of Ukraine initiated the criminal probe after a series of official tests showed the Lima hardware-software system failed to meet its stated performance characteristics. Court documents indicate that officials from LLC KASKAD made false claims in commercial proposals, including that the system had passed military trials and was proven in combat, to secure contracts.

📉 Court documents show that Lima was eventually approved by the Defense Ministry despite warnings from military experts. Following failed trials in Odessa and Kiev, the system was found to be ineffective against modern drones. However, the company continued to profit by selling the systems to the defense and energy sectors.

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🔥 Chisinau clamps down on rally in support of Gagauzia head

🔸 Police in the Moldovan capital have blocked access to the area around the jail where Gagauzia leader Yevgenia Gutsul and activist Svetlana Popan are being held.

🗣 Supporters were planning a rally in their support.

👉 MP Regina Apostolova was denied access despite being a member of parliament, but protests will continue.

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🚨🇷🇺🇵🇰 'Pakistan aims to reconnect with Eurasia, reviving the ancient Silk Route'

📹 In an exclusive interview with Sputnik, Pakistan's Ambassador to Russia Muhammad Khalid Jamali shares his thoughts on Pakistan-Russia ties, the rise of BRICS and the future of the Eurasian region.

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🚨Putin holds Security Council meeting ahead of Alaska Summit

A day before talks with Donald Trump in Alaska, President Vladimir Putin met Russian military leaders, government ministers and presidential staff.

He told the meeting that the Trump administration is making strong efforts to end the conflict in Ukraine.

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🚨 RUSSIA BRINGS BACK 84 SOLDIERS FROM UKRAINIAN-HELD TERRITORY

84 Ukrainian PoWs were handed over in exchange, the Russian Defense Ministry announced.

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🚨🇷🇺💥 RUSSIA'S MОD UPDATE: CRUSHING GAINS & MASSIVE UKRAINIAN LOSSES

⚡️SHCHERBINOVKA AND ISKRA (DPR) LIBERATED

The liberation of Shcherbinovka is strategically significant: the town controls the Donetsk-Kharkov railway line. Iskra served as a heavily fortified Ukrainian stronghold and a gateway to Dnepropetrovsk region.

◻️ The Russian Armed Forces struck UAV storage sites and ammunition depots of the Ukrainian Armed Forces

◻️ Heavy Ukrainian losses: Over 1,315 troops, four aerial bombs and 268 drones shot down

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📹MAJOR VICTORY IN DONBASS: The Russian Ministry of Defense released a video showing the liberation of Shcherbinovka in the Donetsk People's Republic.

🔥 Over 265 Ukrainian soldiers were eliminated, along with three artillery pieces including a US-made M777 howitzer.

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🤝 Dmitry Kiselev invited to international conference on Turkic origins

🔶 Dmitry Kiselev, director general of the Rossiya Segodnya international media group, Sputnik's parent company, has been invited to participate in the 2nd International Scientific and Practical Conference on ‘Altai – The Cradle of the Turks: The History of the Birth of Turkic Civilization’.

📑 The conference is hosted by the Interdepartmental Commission for Historical Education under the President of Russia, the Government of the Republic of Altai, the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia, the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Russian Military-Historical Society, the Russian Society "Znanie" and the Russian Historical Society.

🔸 The event will bring together government officials, leading historians, Turkologists, Altai scholars, archaeologists and linguists from Russia and abroad.

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✍️ Ukraine accepts ONLY 2 POWs from list of 1,000 it previously rejected - Medinsky

💬 "Perhaps they're afraid they were 'over-persuaded' in Russian captivity," Vladimir Medinsky, head of Russia's negotiation team in Istanbul, added ironically.

👉 Earlier, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that Russia had returned 84 of its servicemen from Ukrainian-controlled territory, exchanging them for the same number of Ukrainian prisoners of war.

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🎤🇷🇺Russian pop star Shaman to perform in Pyongyang on Korea’s Liberation Day🇰🇵

Russian singer Yaroslav Dronov, known as Shaman, is ready to take the stage in Pyongyang on August 15 for a special performance celebrating Korean Liberation Day.

The day marks the anniversary of Korea’s liberation from Japanese colonial rule in 1945.

The singer shared the news on Channel One, expressing his excitement ahead of the event.

Along with his band and crew, Shaman will tour the capital before rehearsals, joining a Russian delegation led by Deputy Minister of Culture Andrey Malyshev.

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🚨🇷🇺🇺🇸 Putin and Trump to outline key points after Alaska Summit

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that while the summit will define the scope of agreements between Putin and Trump, there will be no formal document signed.

Peskov cautioned against predicting outcomes too soon.

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🚨Alaska Summit could reset US-Russia relations

The Putin-Trump meeting has the potential to "reset" Russia-US relations, if the meeting goes well, Special Presidential Representative Kirill Dmitriev believes.

He stressed the importance of dialogue, calling the summit a positive step for the world — especially after the lack of talks under the previous government of Joe Biden.

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🚨Putin praises Trump’s unique approach to Ukraine conflict - Kremlin

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov praised Donald Trump’s unprecedented approach to resolving the Ukraine conflict, noting that Vladimir Putin values the US president’s sincere desire to tackle the crisis through political and diplomatic means.

Both leaders see a mutual will for dialogue, he added.

Despite the short preparation time, all necessary conditions were met for the Putin-Trump summit, Peskov said. Productive talks were held during US special envoy Steve Witkoff’s visit to Russia, paving the way for the meeting.

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🔥 Russia cripples Ukraine’s Sapsan missile development

🗣 The Russian FSB intelligence service says Russia has disrupted production of Ukraine's Sapsan ballistic missile system.

🟠 Joint efforts by the FSB and Russian armed forces thwarted Ukrainian plans to build the missiles for deep strikes into Russian territory. A series of a missile strikes on Ukrainian defense industry sites halted production.

✅ Check out Sputnik’s infographics showing potential targets of the Sapsan missile system.

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🔥Expectations mount for strategic cooperation and talks at Russia-US summit in Alaska

👉The summit could lead to progress in bilateral Russian-American relations, Tatyana Parkhalina, president of the Russian Association for Euro-Atlantic Cooperation said, adding that it might include agreements on economic cooperation, thawing of diplomatic ties, and potentially restoration of direct flights between the two nations.

👉The possibility of establishing negotiation and consultation mechanisms at various levels to implement any agreements made at the summit was highlighted by Wan Qingsong, deputy director of the Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at East China Normal University. He believes this could pave the way for Donald Trump to visit Russia in the future.

👉Trump has long been interested in Arctic exploration and energy cooperation with Russia, particularly regarding LNG development in Alaska, Professor Choi Sun-ho from Hankuk University of Foreign Studies said. For Trump, an Alaska-Russia LNG project could serve as a strategic tool in tariff negotiations and a way to strengthen relations with Moscow, he added.

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📹Sputnik has great outreach in Pakistan – Ambassador to Russia

🗣"Pakistani audiences are very aware," Pakistani Ambassador to Russia Muhammad Khalid Jamali says in an exclusive interview.

"When you restrict some media channels, it makes people curious to switch to the restricted one. I see great potential for Sputnik in Pakistan."

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💥What we know about Ukraine’s Sapsan missile, crippled by Russia strikes

Russia’s crushing blow followed Ukrainian hints at deployment of a ballistic missile capable of reaching the Russian capital, military expert Yuri Knutov told Sputnik.

🟠Sapsan’s potential

▪️A ballistic missile system deployed from a mobile launcher capable of carrying two missiles at once

▪️480kg warhead, reportedly twice as powerful as the US ATACMS

▪️High-explosive penetrating warheads able to destroy bunkers and depots or cluster munitions that could cause major civilian casualties

▪️Clocking in at Mach 5.1 and touted as a rival to Russia’s Iskander-M, though Knutov says it’s still far from matching it

🟠Cash drain turned threat

▪️Ukraine developed the Sapsan to replace aging Soviet-era Tochka-U and depleted ATACMS stocks

▪️Ranges: 300 km for the Grom export version and 500 km for the domestic Sapsan

▪️Progress stalled until NATO’s proxy war kicked it into gear

👉The missiles were reportedly tested in 2023 in strikes on Russia’s Crimea, but were intercepted, suggested the air defense specialist.

🟠Key Western support

Involvement of experts, most likely from European arms giant Matra BAE Dynamics Aérospatiale (MBDA) helped speed up production.

Ukraine’s own Yuzhmash manufacturer playing a key role.

“Guidance systems for Germany’s Taurus, Britain’s Storm Shadow and France’s SCALP missiles are largely similar—and were developed by the same European consortium,” says Knutov.

Russia’s crushing blows on Yuzhmash last year likely prompted Ukraine to relocate production to the regions that Russia’s Armed Forces targeted to thwart Sapsan production.

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