Blinken's Central Asia Trip Was Meant to Open a 'Second Front' Against Russia: Why It Failed

The US secretary of state has completed a two-day tour of Central Asia, traveling to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan and meeting with the Kazakh, Uzbek, Kyrgyz, Tajik and Turkmeni foreign ministers in Astana. What was the point of the trip? And why are US options for challenging Russia and China in the region so dim?

Sputnik Explains

The morning session of the G20 Foreign Ministers meeting in New Delhi is being held behind closed doors.

Journalists were only able to hear the introduction speech by the Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and a recorded greeting by PM Narendra Modi.

❗️This session is very important for Moscow since food and energy security are on the agenda.

Ahead of the meeting, Moscow has announced that it wants to address the NordStream pipelines sabotage and the blockade of Russian fertilizer shipments to poor countries by the West.

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Russia Developing New Type of Military Operations for Defense Against US, Reports Say

According to Russian military magazine, the United States is gradually losing its leading position in the world. As a result, the aggressiveness of the US military and political course towards Russia is growing, since Russia is named the main culprit for the loss of American global domination. The authors point out that the US apparently plans to defeat Russia in the form of a "strategic (global) multi-domain operation."

It says Russian military experts consider a Russian strategic deterrence forces operation to be the main means and tool to counteract attempts to implement the Pentagon's aggressive plans to destroy Russia through a strategic multi-domain operation.

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CIA Secretly ‘Hunting’ Assange Activists, Bombshell Report Suggests

Activists, lawyers and journalists linked to WikiLeaks editor Julian Assange are being subjected to extensive surveillance and intimidation, an explosive new report has detailed.

Individuals have been hacked, tracked, burglarized, threatened with death, and thrown in jails for years on dubious charges. And while the identity of the perpetrators has yet to be conclusively proven, victims say it’s clear who’s behind the campaign of harassment and spying: the Central Intelligence Agency.

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⚡️Russia's top diplomat, Sergey Lavrov, and his Chinese counterpart Qin Gang met on the sidelines of the G20 foreign ministers' event

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Dreaded Sea Monster From Norse Sagas Outed as Harmless Whale

Modern-day technology such as drones has allowed sea mammals to be monitored closer than before revealing behavior that had gone unnoticed or that was thought to be mythical. The mystery of the dreaded and voracious giant sea monster from Norse sagas called Hafgufa, which it was claimed swallowed boats whole, appears to have been solved by scientists.

Researchers from Flinders University suggest that this behavior may have been based on the hunting strategy of whales. The mammals have now been seen floating upright near the surface with their mouths open, waiting for fish just to swim in.

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⚡️Russia is shocked at impunity over Nord Stream sabotage, Lavrov says at G20

⚡️ Lavrov at the G20 meeting: I would like to apologize to India for the indecent behavior of a number of Western delegations that turned the work of the G20 into a farce

❗️ Russia expresses support for the African Union to become a member of the G20, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says at G20 meeting in India

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⚡ Sputnik correspondent Denis Bolotsky asked Dutch top diplomat Wopke Hoekstra if the Netherlands considers itself a party to the Ukrainian crisis, because Dutch PM Rutte earlier called the conflict “our war”.

▪️ Hoekstra basically affirmed Rutte’s statement, saying that Kiev's success on the battlefield is important for the Hague, but he stayed mum on whether the Dutch people backed their government on this point.

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Russia-Cuba Talks in Havana Included 'Color Revolution' Prevention: Security Council

The Secretary of Russia's Security Council, Nikolai Patrushev, arrived in Cuba to discuss relations between Russian and Havana including talks on the prevention of "color revolutions" and destructive activities of non-governmental organizations.

The two sides focused on how they would cooperate in combating drug and human trafficking, fighting transnational organized crime, and the international search for people.

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Lots of anti-Russian statements from G7 members within the G20. This is a fragment of the speech by the French FM reportedly distributed at the G20 Foreign Ministers meeting in New Delhi. Notice the wording "We must.." etc. coming from a Western nation - something that emerging powers such as India or China do not like, as they have their own opinion and independent foreign policy.

Risk of New Pathogens Spreading From US Biolabs Threatens Entire Globe

Biolabs funded by the US could pose a risk to humanity as they may lead to the spread of newly developed pathogens, Russia's Ministry of Defense said.

The US has reportedly invested more than $200Mln in these biolabs located in Ukraine, which are believed to be a part of their military biological program.

The Russian Federal Assembly commission investigating the activities of US-sponsored biological laboratories abroad estimates that there are approximately 400 such research facilities with dual-purpose capabilities.

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⚡️Ukrainian militants attack village in Russia's Bryansk region, governor says

❗️A group of Ukrainian militants attacked the community of Lyubechane, situated near the Russian-Ukrainian border, Bryansk Governor Alexander Bogomaz stated on Thursday.

"Today, an infiltration unit from Ukraine penetrated into the village of Lyubechane, Klimovsky district. The saboteurs fired at a moving vehicle. As a result of the attack, one resident was killed, and a ten-year-old child was wounded," the head of the region wrote on his Telegram.

⚡️ One killed, another injured by the Kiev regime's bombardment of the settlement of Tetkino, Kursk Regional Governor Roman Starovoyt says

"Two men were injured as a result of a Ukrainian shelling in the village of Tetkino. Unfortunately, one of them died before the medics arrived. I offer deep condolences to family and friends. The second was hospitalized with moderate injuries, he is urgently provided with all the necessary treatment", Starovoyt said.

🇫🇷 Majority of France's population favors closing military bases in Africa, poll reveals

▪️More than half of the French respondents, who took part in a survey by the French Institute of Public Opinion (IFOP), came out in favor of shutting down all French military bases on the continent, according to media reports.

▪️As sociologists point out, the closure of military bases is supported mostly by residents of rural areas (60% of those surveyed) and by individuals over 65 years of age (57%).

▪️The number of people who participated in the poll is not specified

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⚡ Key statements made by Russia’s Foreign Minister Lavrov on the sidelines at G20

▪️ Russia joins in sending its condolences to the peoples of Turkey and Syria suffering the consequences of devastating earthquakes;

▪️ Russia is in favor of strengthening the multilateralism of the world economy;

▪️ Aggressive Russophobia today looks crazy;

▪️ Russia consistently opposes attempts to destroy the current structure of international law;

▪️ It is necessary to abandon the flawed logic of domination, diktat and sanctions;

▪️ Russia supports the emergence of new centers of influence in Asia, South America, Africa and the Middle East;

▪️ Russia is shocked by unpunished Nord Stream pipelines sabotage;

▪️ The export of agricultural products from Russia is being hindered, despite Western assurances to the contrary.

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📹 Journalists are gathering ahead of Russian FM Sergey Lavrov’s press conference at the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Summit

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