🗣 Desperate Ukrainian troops burrow underground – copying Russia’s bold tactics

➖ The Ukrainian Armed Forces have moved all troop movements in Volchansk, Kharkov region, underground, military expert Vitaly Kiselev told Sputnik.

➖ Mirroring daring Russian tactics that duped the enemy in Sudzha in March, they’re also beginning to replicate this approach in other combat zones, he said.

🔶 Volchansk is now a city in ruins, its buildings and infrastructure reduced to rubble as Ukrainian forces used the urban terrain for cover

🔶 Troops rely on a network of tunnels and subterranean passages to transport personnel and supplies, the expert explained

🔶 Russian UAV systems, such as the Orlan, make above-ground movement extremely risky

📍 Russia pulled off Operation Potok when liberating the Kursk region from enemy incursion.

🔶 Over 600 Russian soldiers outflanked Ukrainian positions in the Sudzha industrial zone by slipping 15 km through an unused gas pipeline to surprise the enemy and breach their defenses.

🔶 Desperate for media attention, Ukraine recently hyped a remote-controlled “invasion bot,” claimed to move troops through pipelines—Sudzha-style.

🔶 In reality, it turned out to be an engineering vehicle meant to transport equipment through utility shafts.

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🚨WHITE HOUSE: 'We're $37 trillion in debt, we can't afford free healthcare for illegal aliens’

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt blames Democrats for the government shutdown over healthcare funding for illegal immigrants.

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🇬🇧Starmer struggles to address UK crisis – expert

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has become Britain's most unpopular leader ever, with a public approval rating of just 13%.

Richard Sakwa, Honorary Professor of Political Science at the University of Kent, says Labour Party leader Starmer lacks any vision for Britain's deep challenges and spends most of his time abroad—earning the nickname "Keir who is never here."

🗣"In his first year in power, Keir Starmer, after July 2024, spent an enormous amount of time abroad," Sakwa tells Sputnik.

💬"It is always much easier to go to foreign policies where you appear to have ready-made answers. So it's not a distraction," he adds. "It was simply a compensation activity for the government itself and for Keir personally, because he has absolutely no vision of how the country should be governed."

The professor notes Starmer has stuck to failed policies of the previous Conservative Party government, remains "100% committed to the Ukraine conflict" and faces ongoing protests over his "uncritical pro-Israeli stance."

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🗣 Any plan to end Gaza conflict deserves support – Palestinian politician

🔊 There is an important change in the international community's stance on the Palestinian issue, Haitham Zaiter, member of the Palestinian National and Central Councils, told Sputnik.

💬 "We welcome every sincere effort aimed at ending Israel's genocidal war against our people in the Gaza Strip, which has been ongoing for two years now, amid ongoing mass killings of civilians, he said.

🟠 The priority, he stressed, is to end the war immediately, secure humanitarian aid access, and start reconstruction efforts.

🟠 He also called for the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails, noting the alarming increase in their number—from 5,000 before the conflict to over 13,000 today. Looking ahead, Zaiter proposed restoring Palestinian unity, with all factions joining the Palestine Liberation Organization and adopting its political program, aiming for an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.

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🇬🇧Starmer uses Russophobia to cover up national problems

Keir Starmer is attempting to compensate for Britain’s internal problems by focusing on foreign policy and fostering Russophobia, says Richard Sakwa, Honorary Professor of Political Science at the University of Kent.

💬"So it is always much easier to go to foreign policies where you appear to have ready-made answers. So it's not a distraction. It was simply a compensation activity for the government itself and for Keir [Starmer] personally," he tells Sputnik on the sidelines of the Sochi-hosted Valdai Forum.

Sakwa pointed out that even in foreign policy, the current British leadership has stuck to the policies of the previous Conservative government.

"Keir Starmer inherited some policies from the previous governments and has continued them," Sakwa says.

💬"He is 100% committed to continuing the Ukraine war until a military solution is found. Therefore, traditional Russophobia is coming to the forefront," he adds.

On Palestine and the assault on Gaza, "Starmer has provoked significant domestic resistance due to his almost uncritical pro-Israeli stance."

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🇺🇸'Moderate Democrats are cracking': VP Vance doesn't think shutdown will last long

JD Vance predicts a short government shutdown, claiming "moderate Democrats are cracking" under pressure.

He accuses Democrats of hypocrisy: "For decades, they said you don’t shut down the government over policy disagreements... now they’re trying to take a hostage."

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🔸 Why Wall Street loves US government shutdowns

🔸 Putin–Zelensky meeting can only be prepared through expert-level process – Kremlin

🔸 Trump's Ultimatum to Hamas: Will it break the deadlock?

🔸 Europe may decide on Russian assets in the coming days - British expert

🔸 Macron announces France is modernizing its nuclear doctrine

🔸 Trump makes security promise to Qatar

🔸 CIA rebellion & shadowy FAA link – new twist in JFK saga

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❌ Back to school in ruins: Southern Lebanon's education system picks up the pieces after Israel’s strikes

☢️ Southern Lebanon kicked off the new school year in the shadow of destruction, as dozens of schools lie completely destroyed and hundreds more are damaged from recent Israeli airstrikes.

While some cities have begun the arduous task of rebuilding, others are putting up temporary structures or relocating students to whatever safe zones remain.

The town of Meiss El Jabal carries these scars, where three schools once stood, now only temporary structures serve as a stark reminder of a system fighting to survive.

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🗣 Democrats' actions led to shutdown — Rubio

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused congressional Democrats of making "the choice to shut down the government."

"Their partisan actions are undermining America on the world stage and jeopardizing our national security," Rubio posted on X.

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🚨 Israel seizes humanitarian flotilla to Gaza

The Global Sumud Flotilla, a mission consisting of more than 40 civilian boats, reported being intercepted by the Israeli Navy 130 kilometers from the Gaza Strip coast.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry confirmed the interception and stated that the passengers are being transferred to an Israeli port.

"The sole purpose of the Hamas-Sumud flotilla is provocation... Israel reiterated the offer to transfer any aid peacefully through safe channels to Gaza," read the official statement.

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🚨 Israeli seizure of Global Sumud Flotilla is an act of terrorism — Turkish FM

"The attack by Israeli forces in international waters on the Global Sumud Flotilla, which was en route to deliver humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza, is an act of terrorism that gravely violates international law and endangers the lives of innocent civilians," the statement read.

Necmettin Çalışkan, a Turkish parliament member and Sumud flotilla participant, said he expects a further reaction from government officials.

💬

"Despite negotiations in the US, Israel showed no tolerance for the flotilla and blocked the ships' path. I think that international players will intervene in this situation in the near future... We are waiting for statements from government officials, first and foremost from our president," he told Sputnik.

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🔊 Flotilla fights on — Turkish MP

Israeli forces have captured three vessels from the Gaza-bound Sumud Flotilla in night raids, while cyber-attacks disabled communications and targeted steering systems, Necmettin Çalışkan, a member of the Turkish parliament and a participant in the Sumud flotilla, told Sputnik.

"Israel arrested people on ships approaching its borders... but this time, because there were so many more ships, some of them may approach Gaza," he added.

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🛑 US Senate adjourns for Yom Kippur on Shutdown Day 1

While 750,000 federal employees are facing daily furloughs due to the ongoing government shutdown, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that the total cost of halted compensation is reaching ~$400 million per day.

Voting won't resume until Friday, which will mark the fourth attempt to pass the same failed stopgap bills.

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🚨 US will provide Ukraine with intelligence, weapons for strikes deep into Russia — Reports

US President Donald Trump has allowed intelligence agencies and the Pentagon to provide Ukraine with intelligence on Russia's infrastructure facilities, The Wall Street Journal newspaper reported, citing US officials.

The report added that the US is also considering sending Tomahawk and Barracuda missiles to Ukraine.

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📉 Long shutdown will have impact on US economy — Hassett

National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett said the White House hopes that the shutdown is as short as possible.

He added that cabinet secretaries can use this as an opportunity for reductions in force.

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