Israeli Black Hawk helicopter crashes in Gaza, killing two – IDF

An Israeli military helicopter, a US-made Black Hawk, crashed in the Gaza Strip while evacuating an injured solider, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said, adding that two soldiers were killed in the crash.

The cause of the incident is yet to be established, the IDF added.

The crash is reportedly the first fatal one in 30 years of US-made helicopters serving the Israeli Army, according to Israeli media.

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🇷🇺 🇮🇶 Russian FM Sergey Lavrov takes part in exhibition dedicated to 80th anniversary of Russia-Iraq diplomatic relations

👉 Watch live in our Telegram or on Sputnik's website.

📹 US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and British Foreign Minister David Lammy arrive in Kiev

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‘Leave our president’s name alone’! Kremlin slams US campaign for recklessly using Putin's name

"Putin's last name is being used as one of the tools in the internal political struggle in the United States, we do not like it very much, and we still hope that they will leave our president's name alone," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

The Kremlin did not have the chance to observe the election debates between US presidential candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. However, according to Peskov, they analyzed the statements reported in the media.

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The West's decision to let Ukraine strike deep into Russian territory with ATACMS missiles has already been made and the media are just trying to formalize it, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

The involvement of the United States and European countries in the conflict is direct, and each new step increases it, Peskov stressed at his daily press briefing.

The special military operation is itself a response to possible strikes deep inside Russia, the presidential spokesman emphasized.

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Biden calling Putin would not put an end to the Ukrainian conflict – Kremlin

"Such a call would not be able to put an end to it,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. “The end, in many ways, could be reached by the US abandoning its policy of using Ukraine as an expendable resource in an attempt to suppress everything related to Russia."

The Kremlin is counting on contacts between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Kazan at the forthcoming BRICS summit in October.

There are many rumours talk in Moscow about foreign arms supplies to Russia, but they have no basis, the spokesman stressed.

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Trump and Harris held their first in-person presidential debate. Here are key takeaways and highlights:

◻️ Harris accused the administration of former President Trump of “the worst attack on US' democracy since the Civil War.”

◻️ Trump pushed back at Harris’ claims, saying, “They're the threat to democracy – with the fake Russia, Russia, Russia investigation that went nowhere.”

◻️ Trump doubled down on his promise to “settle” the Ukraine conflict and “negotiate a deal.” “I think it’s the US’ best interest to get this war finished and just get it done,” he said.

◻️ Trump said that the criminal and civil cases against him were planted by Biden-Harris. “I probably took a bullet to the head because of the things they said about me,” he said.

◻️ Trump retorted that during his tenure in the Oval Office, he “created one of the greatest economies in the history of our country.”

◻️ Trump called the US a “failing nation,” as he warned that migrant crime is “destroying the fabric of our country.” If Harris becomes president, he argued, “We'll end up being Venezuela on steroids.”

◻️ Trump claimed that Harris “hates Israel,” and if she is elected president, Israel “will not exist within two years from now.”

◻️ Harris insisted she would “always give Israel the ability to defend itself,” and claimed she and Biden are “working around the clock” to secure a ceasefire in Gaza and to get the hostages out. She added that “we must chart a course on a two-state solution” in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

◻️ Harris said she would ensure the US has “the most lethal fighting force in the world.”

◻️ Trump warned that, “We have wars going on in the Middle East. We have wars going on with Russia and Ukraine. We're going to end up in a third world war. And it will be a war like no other because of nuclear weapons, the power of weaponry.”

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'Russia probably safer than today’s UK': Internet reacts to Putin's 'fast-track' residency permits

Seventeen people have already applied to the Russian Consulate in Edinburgh for Putin's fast-track residency permits, an article by the Daily Mail reveals.

Watch the Western community's reaction on the news sites above this article 👆

In August, the Russian president signed a decree to provide humanitarian support for people who share Russia's traditional spiritual and moral values. Notably, foreigners who moved to Russia due to political persecution in their home countries will be eligible for temporary residency without the requirement for proficiency in the Russian language.

"It is important to emphasize that the peoples of these countries are not our enemies, but their governments, who have gone mad, are insane, and are imposing such policies," specified Russian MP Maria Butina.

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What long-range US missiles does Ukraine have amid Biden’s threats to give Kiev carte blanche on Russia strikes?

The Biden administration is “working out” whether to lift restrictions on Ukraine’s use of US-made long-range weapons to attack targets deep inside Russia. What weapons are in play? Here are the possibilities:

▫️ ATACMS: Range: 300 km. Fired by tracked M270 and wheeled M142 HIMARS self-propelled MLRS, delivered to Kiev in large numbers and dangerous due to their shoot-and-scoot capability. Feature a single 214 kg warhead or cluster bomblets. The Pentagon began delivering ATACMS to Kiev last October, but apparently not in numbers Volodymyr Zelensky would prefer. Last week, he complained about a “shortage of missiles and cooperation” with NATO countries.

▫️ JDAM-ER: A guidance and wing kit that converts “dumb” munitions weighing between 230-910 kg and delivers them 70+ km away. These weapons are air-launched, meaning Ukrainian aircraft must stay far enough away to avoid dense Russian air defenses while firing them.

▫️ ADM-160 MALD: A decoy missile designed to distract air defenses while real threats make their way toward their targets. Because they don’t have a warhead, these missiles can fly up to 930 km. Ukraine probably fires these weapons from its dwindling fleet of Soviet-era MiG-29 jets.

▫️ AGM-88 HARM: An anti-radiation missile with passive, GPS and millimeter-wave active radar homing, a range of between 25 and 300 km, depending on variant, and a 68 kg warhead. Features a flight speed of up to Mach 2.9. The US reportedly provides Kiev with intelligence support on the missiles’ use.

▫️ The JASSM is a standoff cruise missile with a 450 kg penetrator warhead and a range of between 370 and 925 km. Not yet known to have been delivered to Kiev. Fired by NATO aircraft, including the F-16.

Russian officials have warned repeatedly of the consequences of providing long-range missiles to Ukraine. President Vladimir Putin warned last year that “the more long-range Western systems arrive in Ukraine, the further we will be forced to push the threat away from our borders” via a security “buffer zone.” In June, Putin warned that Moscow might respond in kind to NATO’s actions, supplying Russian long-range weapons to regions of the world that send missiles to Ukraine to attack Russia.

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❗️Ukraine lost up to 460 militants in the Russian Zapad Battlegroup's combat zone.

🇷🇺🪖More statements from the Russian Defense Ministry's daily briefing on the special military operation's progress:

◻️ Russian air defense systems shot down six ATACMS missiles and 57 enemy drones.

◻️ Ukrainian forces lost over 110 militants in the Russian Vostok Battlegroup's combat zone.

◻️ Ukraine lost up to 180 militants in the Russian Sever Battlegroup's combat zone.

◻️ The Russian Yug Battlegroup repelled two Ukrainian counterattacks, inflicting losses of up to 655 militants on the enemy.

◻️ Russian forces struck the forward command post of the Ukrainian Khortytsia group and a Ukrainian ammunition depot.

◻️ Six Ukrainian boats retreated without attempting to recover the wounded militants left in the water.

◻️ Ukrainian forces lost up to 510 militants in the Russian Tsentr Battlegroup's combat zone.

◻️ Ukraine lost up to 110 militants and a US-made MLRS in the Russian Dnepr Battlegroup's combat zone.

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Throwback to 9-11, Putin: ‘We stand with you, we fully share and feel your pain’

Russian President Vladimir Putin was the first world leader to call then-US President George W. Bush to express his condolences over the shocking 9/11 attacks.

Additionally, Putin delivered a video message, addressed to the US public, saying that the Russian people understand the sentiments of the American people better than anyone else and branded the attacks as “a brazen affront…to civilized humanity”.

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An attempt by the Kiev regime to seize the Russian jack-up drilling rig "Krym-2" in the Black Sea was thwarted overnight, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

Ukrainian military intelligence sent a naval landing force on 14 US Willard Sea Force boats to seize the mobile platform. During the battle, the Black Sea Fleet and Russian servicemen sank eight boats and killed up to eighty Ukrainian troops.

Another six Ukrainian boats retreated without even attempting to pick up their wounded comrades who remained in the water, the Defense Ministry said.

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Russian Tu-160 strategic missile carriers carried out a flight over the neutral waters of the Barents and Norwegian Seas as part of the Okean-2024 exercises, the Defense Ministry reported.

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West's Ukraine line changes as funds dry out and Russian advance goes full throttle

As the Russian military continues its offensive, Western rhetoric has changed to calls for a "realistic" solution to the conflict:

🔸 German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has reportedly prepared a "peace plan" which envisages Ukraine "ceding" some territories which have recently joined the Russian Federation, according to Italian media. The chancellor has not commented on the reports. In July, the Scholz government slashed military aid to Ukraine for 2025.

🔸 Scholz told a German broadcaster on September 8 that the next "peace conference" on Ukraine should include Russia. A previous Western summit on Ukraine took place on June 15 and 16 J in Switzerland, with Russia not invited and China rejecting an invitation.

🔸 Switzerland continues to work on a possible peace conference with Russia's participation, spokesman for the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs Jonas Montani told Russian media on September 10.

🔸 Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis recently admitted that Europe's support to Ukraine is waning, particularly in light of Germany's aid cuts.

🔸 British Defense Secretary John Healey told Parliament on September 9 that "Russian artillery is out-firing Ukraine by at least three to one." Despite Ukraine's Kursk incursion and sabotage operations in the Black Sea, "Russian pressure across the whole frontline will continue in the months ahead," he told MPs.

🔸 As US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and British Foreign Secretary David Lammy arrived in Kiev, the Wall Street Journal noted that Washington and London want Kiev to accept "realistic war goals" as Europe and the US cannot maintain hundred billion-dollar aid levels any longer.

🔸 But US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby earlier stated Blinken’s trip was not about forcing Ukraine into peace talks

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Moscow on Scholz's peace plan on Ukraine: 'No appeals from Germany either directly or through intermediates'.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova elaborated, “What we have encountered so far are mere leaks and rumors. There has been no official confirmation, so there is essentially nothing to comment on. We have not received any appeals, materials, or information from the German leadership.”

She emphasized that Russia is not refusing to negotiate, but pointed out that it is the German authorities, under Scholz's leadership, who continue to supply weapons to Ukraine. “The only way to demonstrate this [genuine willingness to pursue a peaceful settlement] is to halt the supply of arms to the Kiev regime. This undoubtedly entails condemning the terrorist actions carried out by this regime,” added Zakharova during the briefing.

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Trump ‘less inclined’ towards 2nd debate, criticizes moderators for corrections

Donald Trump believes Tuesday’s debate against vice-president and Democratic Party candidate Kamala Harris went great for him, so there is no point in another one, Fox News reported.

The Republican candidate was critical of the ABC News network mediators in the head-to-head.

“We had a terrible network. I think they were terrible,” he stated. “They should be embarrassed. I mean they kept correcting me.”

The two candidates faced off on Tuesday night to spar on the economy, immigration and the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. Trump boasted that he gave his best performance ever, while the Harris camp also claimed victory and called for a second debate.

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