❗️ Russian air defenses shot down a UAV over the Bryansk region, Governor Alexander Bogomaz has said. There were no reported casualties or damages.

❗️ Russia's sovereign assets blocked under sanctions are estimated at $280 billion, most of them in the EU, US Treasury said

🇷🇺 Russia's FM Lavrov Raises Concerns about East Asia's Militarization Due to #NATO

🌐 Sergey Lavrov discussed Russia's commitment to regional security and cooperation at the East Asia Summit in Jakarta. emphasizing the importance of maintaining the mechanisms of multilateral cooperation within the framework of #ASEAN.

He also highlighted Russia's initiatives for epidemic response, tourism, and volunteer organizations in the Asia-Pacific region.

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🗣️ On UK supplies of Challenger tanks for Ukraine:

“The myth of the Challenger Two's invincibility was carefully crafted by the UK Ministry of Defense by carefully deploying it to conflicts where it really didn't face that much of a danger, and also careful narration management, because as a matter of fact, two Challenger Two tanks were seriously damaged in Iraq... And this information was covered up. But it was only later revealed in the media. And now we have the Challenger Two tank in Ukraine. It is fighting Russian forces, which are better equipped and better armed than the insurgents were fighting British troops in Iraq,” Brian Berletic, ex-US Marine, independent geopolitical researcher, and writer, told Sputnik.

🎧 Listen to more of Berletic’s analysis in our podcast The Critical Hour

📻 Catch us at 105.5FM, 104.7FM, 102.9FM, 1390AM, 1140AM

🇫🇷 On Tuesday, an association for the protection of Muslim rights, Action Droits des Musulmans, asked the Council of State, which is France's highest administrative court, to repeal the ban on the all-covering Muslim robe abaya in schools, which had been announced last weekend by the country's newly-appointed Education Minister Gabriel Attal.

"After reviewing the appeal filed by the association as a matter of urgency, the judge of the Council of State dismissed the appeal against the ban on wearing the abaya or kameez in public schools, colleges and lyceums. The judge ruled that the ban on such clothes is not a serious or unlawful infringement of fundamental freedoms," the court said in a press release.

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🇮🇷 The Iranian Space Research Center is planning to hold a public tender for the construction of its first space navigation satellite, the country's space agency said on Thursday.

"As a means of supporting the private sector, the Iranian Space Research Center is planning to hold a public tender for the development, construction and launch into orbit of Research Satellite-1. [The satellite] will be used for research purposes in the field of space navigation," the Iranian government quoted the agency's statement as saying on Telegram.

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Despite the first batch of cluster munitions not yielding positive results in Ukraine's stalled counteroffensive efforts, the US has approved an order for yet another delivery of the controversial munitions.

Recent reports suggest cluster munitions were used in the Ukrainian conflict, with the US citing drone footage from Urozhaynoye in August as evidence of their effectiveness. However, despite heavy attacks with the munitions, the Ukrainian army failed to capture the village over a 72-day period, raising questions about their overall impact on the conflict.

So are cluster munitions really effective?

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💸 While the United States might be aiming to undermine Russian prestige by seizing its assets abroad and transferring them to Ukraine, it is in fact harming its own reputation by engaging in lawless behavior that violates the sanctity of private property underpinning the capitalist system, Christopher C. Black, an international criminal lawyer with 20 years of experience in war crimes and international relations told Sputnik.

Check out his full interview

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🇷🇺🇧🇩 Moscow and Dhaka are discussing practical aspects of establishing regular large-scale supplies of liquefied natural gas and oil to Bangladesh, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Thursday.

"There are good prospects for traditionally good relations in the gas sector. Gazprom International has participated in drilling more than 20 wells and is ready to continue this work. The relevant agencies are discussing practical aspects of establishing regular large-scale supplies of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and oil to Bangladesh," Lavrov stated at a joint press conference with Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Abdul Momen.

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❗️ Elon Musk has denied reports that in 2022 he intentionally shuttered Starlink satellites along the coast of Crimea to thwart an attack by Ukrainian forces, explaining that the system was simply not activated at the time.

He also noted an “emergency request” had been made by government authorities, but that it was not complied with as it would have amounted to an escalation in the conflict.

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❗️ US would like to see Zelensky at G20 in India to continue working with world leaders on Ukraine's ideas for conflict resolution - White House

US-made Javelin anti-tank missiles, HIMARS rocket artillery, JDAM guided glide bombs and Patriot air defense systems have all failed to grant victory to the Kiev regime. Brian Berletic, an ex-US Marine and independent geopolitical researcher and writer, said the failure of the UK's front-line tank was predictable.

Read his full interview

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Saturday will see the start of NATO’s major naval drills in the Baltic Sea that are expected to involve some 30 ships and over 3,000 service members.

As many as 14 NATO countries are due to take part in the Northern Coast 23 naval exercises that will be held on September 9-23 off Estonia and Latvia, as well as in the eastern and central areas of the Baltic Sea near the Russian border.

What’s the goal of these maneuvers and what signs do the drills send to Russia?

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