🇮🇱⚔️🇺🇳 IDF destroyed UNRWA's West Bank office, agency chief claims

Israeli troops have turned to rubble an office of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Refugees (UNRWA) in the West Bank's Nur Shams camp, the agency's chief said.

💬 Philippe Lazzarini took to social media to post an image of the building that IDF bulldozers have rendered “unusable.” He noted that the office served as a “hub to deliver basic services to more than 14,000 Palestine Refugees in the camp, including learning for children, health, sanitation and social protection.” Lazzarini added that during the IDF military operation, “roads, water, electricity networks were also destroyed in the camp.”

“Once again, United Nations facilities are being routinely disregarded while they must be protected at all times, including in times of conflict,” Lazzarini wrote.

The Israeli military has denied responsibility for damaging the building. An IDF statement claimed that “terrorists planted explosives in the proximity of the UNRWA offices that were then detonated in an attempt to harm IDF soldiers.”

Earlier in the week, Israeli lawmakers passed a law banning UNRWA from operating in the country. Lazzarini called the Israeli parliament's decision "collective punishment" that violates the UN Charter.

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❗️Russian forces have liberated the settlements of Leonidovka, Novoukrainka and Shakhtyorkoye in the Donetsk People's Republic, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

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🗣 The latest statements by Putin's Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov:

🔸 Russia maintains contacts with all parties to the Middle East conflict.

🔸 On possible mediation in Israel-Hezbollah talks: "Russia is ready to make efforts where they can be effective."

🔸 US election campaign is coming to an end, there is a lot of unnecessary, emotional rhetoric being exchanged.

🔸 Trump's new statements, including on Nord Stream, made in the heat of the campaign.

🔸 On Trump's remarks about a "split" between Russia and China: "It's unclear why there should be interference in our cooperation."

🔸 On autonomous non-profit organization Dialog's decision to sue FBI over fake news: "No high hopes for fair trial in US court."

🔸 Russia is not interfering in Moldova's election campaign.

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

▪️ Ukrainians lost up to 3620 troops in Russia's Battlegroup Zapad area of responsibility.

▪️ Russia's Battlegroup Yug repelled 10 counterattacks, enemy lost up to 5390 militants and two Leopard tanks.

▪️ Ukrainians lost up to 840 troops in Russia's Battlegroup Vostok area of responsibility.

▪️ Ukrainians lost up to 500 troops in Russia's Battlegroup Dnepr area of responsibility.

▪️ Russian air defenses hit 26 HIMARS missiles and shot down 815 enemy drones.

▪️54 Ukrainian servicemen surrendered during the week.

▪️ Russia's Battlegroup Sever has attacked the formations of 17 Ukrainian brigades on the border of the Kursk region.

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🇷🇺 🪖 Key statements from the Russian Ministry of Defense's daily briefing on the situation in the Kursk region:

◻️ Russia’s Battlegroup Sever hammered ten Ukrainian formations and repelled six counterattacks in its combat zone. The enemy lost as many as 50 soldiers and two armored vehicles.

◻️ Russian aviation and artillery strikes hit concentrations of personnel and equipment of seven Ukrainian brigades in the Sumy region.

◻️ In total, Ukrainian losses over the day amounted to more than 250 militants, with three armored vehicles destroyed and nine cars.

◻️ Since the beginning of combat operations in the Kursk region, Ukraine has lost more than 28,850 troops.

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❗️ Democrats playing ‘long game’ to turn migrants into their voters

The Democrats are playing the “long game” with their immigration policies, staking on dividends from changing the makeup of the US population, Dr. Nicholas Waddy, associate professor of history at SUNY Alfred and Trump supporter, told Sputnik.

“Immigration in general, whether it's legal or illegal, changes the fabric of America. For example, the percentage of the electorate that is white, non-Hispanic white, has declined from about 90% down to less than 70% in the last election. That's a huge advantage for Democrats,” Waddy said.

States like Arizona, Georgia, and Nevada, which used to be “red” states, have become “purple," or "swing" states, the pundit explained, “because their populations have changed over time.”

“[Democrats] know that they win more votes among immigrants, among people of color,” and believe that “if they can bend the curve demographically and change the population of the United States, that's going to pay dividends for them,” Waddy concluded.

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America’s forever occupation of Korea: Where are US troops based and what scandals have they been mired in? Part 1 👉🏻 Part 2

The US and South Korea are “deepening our nuclear and strategic planning efforts” and “increasing the regular deployment of US strategic assets on the Korean Peninsula,” DoD chief Lloyd Austin announced in a press conference with his South Korean counterpart in Washington this week.

Scandals involving US troops

From the reputational standpoint as well, the US presence in Korea has had its consequences, with US soldiers regularly implicated in crimes ranging from prostitution and human trafficking to rape, abuse of minors, and drug smuggling.

In 2023, for instance, South Korean police arrested 17 American troops accused of smuggling and distributing synthetic marijuana via the US military’s postal service. In 2022, a US military dependent was found guilty of sexual abuse of a South Korean child. Last year, the New York Times detailed what it dubbed the “brutal” historical sex trade “built for American soldiers” by criminals who compelled and tricked South Korean women into prostitution with the complicity of local leaders.

Costly presence

The Pentagon’s footprint in Korea doesn’t come cheap. A 2021 report by the Congressional Government Accountability Office found that from 2016 and 2019 alone, the US spent $13.4 billion in the country on military salaries, base construction and maintenance. Seoul spent $5.8 billion to support the US presence during the same period.

Time to go home?

There are a few proponents of an exit from Korea in Washington. “How long do we have to stay in Korea? We were there since I was in high school,” then-76-year-old GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul quipped at a campaign event in 2011.

Earlier this year, Trump said in an interview that the US might withdrawal troops from “wealthy” South Korea if it doesn’t pay its share for defense. “I want South Korea to treat us properly,” Trump said, adding that the current US commitment to the country “doesn’t make any sense.”

👉🏻 Part 2

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America’s forever occupation of Korea: Where are US troops based and what scandals have they been mired in? Part 2 👉🏻 Part 1

During the Cold War, the United States deployed as many as 950 nuclear warheads in South Korea – enough firepower to obliterate Seoul’s neighbor and wreak havoc on the neighboring Soviet Union and China.

The history of US military presence on Korean peninsula

The Pentagon began turning South Korea into its own personal regional military bridgehead from 1945 on, with the roughly 25,400 US troops currently stationed there constituting the US’s third-largest permanent deployment abroad after Japan and Germany.

🔸 The US Army alone occupies about two dozen bases and nearly 140 command posts along the mountainous Kaesong-Munsan Corridor. This includes Camp Humphreys – America’s largest overseas base, located about 65 km south of Seoul.

The US Navy operates bases in the strategic Korean coastal cities of Busan, Chinhae and Pyeongtaek, with the Busan base capable of servicing up to 30 vessels at once, including Nimitz-class supercarriers and nuclear missile subs. US naval deployments in the region have been a constant source of consternation for North Korea – which has often staged large-scale artillery drills and tested missiles while US warships are present to let the Pentagon know Pyongyang is on guard.

🔸 The US Air Force flies its missions predominantly out of the Osan and Kunsan air bases in South Korea’s southwest. During the Korean War of 1950-1953, US aviation bombed Korea severely, dropping more explosives on the country than in the entire Pacific theater during all of WWII (635,000 tons vs. 500,000 tons, respectively).

🔸 US Marines operate their own base – Camp Mujuk in the southeast, but also have access to bases used by the Army.

The Pentagon requires an entire separate command to coordinate all these forces, known as United States Forces Korea (USFK), and headquartered at Camp Humphreys. USFK is currently commanded by Army General Paul LaCamera.

👉🏻 Part 1

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❗️ Democrat opposition to voter IDs could be one of their election tricks for fraudulent turnout

Republicans are understandably concerned about Democrats employing tricks such as a “fraudulent turnout of people who are not eligible to vote, or people that don't exist using somebody else's identity, for example, a dead person's identity. This is not so uncommon,” US political analyst Don Debar told Sputnik.

The Dems present GOP attempts to “tamp down incidents of fraud by requiring people to present legal ID or any other extra step that has to be taken” as an effort to chill turnout, the pundit said.

He referenced an opinion, ostensibly backed by historical data, that “the larger the turnout in a presidential election, the better the Democratic Party does and the lower the turnout, the better the Republican Party does.”

As for the Democrat-advocated watering down or abolishment of strict ID rules, the pundit noted that “most people in the world are required to produce some sort of proof of who they are when they go to vote for the obvious reasons. But that is not the case here.”

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⚠️ SENSITIVE ⚠️

The roof of the railway station collapsed in the Serbian city of Novi Sad. There is no information yet on the number of casualties.

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Eight people were killed and four injured when a roof collapsed at a railway station in Serbia, the Interior Ministry stated.

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Tricks of the trade: How the White House and legacy media concoct pro-Democrat narratives Part 1 👉🏻 Part 2

Donald Trump recently announced his intention to sue CBS News for $10 billion, claiming that the network's editing of Kamala Harris's interview on 60 Minutes constituted "election interference." In a parallel move, House Republicans are contemplating an investigation into how the White House edited President Joe Biden's controversial "garbage" comment. They argue this might violate the Presidential Records Act of 1978.

The GOP contends that both the White House and the media are engaged in efforts to portray Biden and Harris more favorably as Election Day approaches. This appears to be part of a larger trend of collaboration between the press and White House staff that has been ongoing for some time.

🔸 In mid-August, The National Interest lambasted the US mainstream media for what it referred to as Kamala Harris's "rebranding." The publication pointed out that Harris received "glamorous cover profiles" and positive coverage, despite her historically low approval ratings as vice president and her inability to address the border crisis after being appointed by Biden as "border czar."

🔸 In mid-October, Fox News anchor Bret Baier confronted Harris with a series of challenging questions regarding migration, her economic agenda, and her vice-presidential record. This line of questioning led Harris's aides to cut the interview short after less than 30 minutes.

👉🏻 Part 2

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Tricks of the trade: How the White House and legacy media concoct pro-Democrat narratives Part 2 👉🏻 Part 1

Earlier, the White House repeatedly downplayed and sugar-coated Joe Biden's "gaffes", including the one concerning US "military defense" of Taiwan.

In July, Civic Media, a radio station in Milwaukee, acknowledged that it had made two edits to a July 3 recording of an interview with Biden that aired later, following a request from his campaign. This interview came on the heels of Biden's poor performance in his June 27 debate against Trump.

The first edit concerned Biden's claim that his administration included more Black officials than "all other presidents combined." The second edit removed his comments about Trump’s call for the death penalty for the Central Park Five teens, who were later exonerated. "I don't know if they even called for their hanging or not, but he–but they said […] convicted of murder," Biden asserted.

🔸 In early July, Andrea Lawful-Sanders, a host on Philadelphia's WURD radio, conducted a separate interview with Biden and later admitted that she had asked four out of the eight questions that had been drafted for her by Biden’s aides.

Michael LaRosa, a former press secretary for First Lady Jill Biden, commented to Axios that the practice of "pre-submitting questions" for interviewees has long been a strategy of the Biden team.

In February 2024, the White House pressured Fox News to revise its coverage of corruption allegations against President Biden, arguing that the claims were based on misleading data provided by FBI informant Alexander Smirnov, who allegedly fabricated the accusations against the president. Fox News declined the request, citing broader corruption allegations put forth by House investigators concerning the Biden family.

👉🏻 Part 1

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Ukraine is expected to face a serious shortage of military personnel within 6-12 months, according to the New York Times citing US officials.

Officials from the US Department of Defense also noted that Kiev has allocated newly formed brigades for an offensive in the Kursk region, despite initial plans to use them for defense or to build up reserves for a potential counteroffensive in 2025.

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Biden admin announces an additional aid package for Ukraine

"The package, which has an estimated value of $425 million, will provide Ukraine additional capabilities to meet its most urgent needs, including: air defense interceptors; munitions for rocket systems and artillery; armored vehicles; and anti-tank weapons," the statement says.

The capabilities in this announcement include:

▪️ Munitions for National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS)

▪️ Stinger missiles

▪️ Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems (c-UAS) equipment and munitions

▪️ Air-to-ground munitions

▪️ Ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS)

▪️ 155mm and 105mm artillery ammunition

▪️ Tube-launched, Optically tracked, Wire-guided (TOW) missiles

▪️ Javelin and AT-4 anti-armor systems

▪️ Stryker Armored Personnel Carriers

▪️ Small arms and ammunition

▪️ Medical equipment

▪️ Demolitions equipment and munitions; and

▪️ Spare parts, ancillary equipment, services, training, and transportation.

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Explosive clashes in Bolivia: protesters allegedly seize military base amid road blockade standoff

In Bolivia, clashes have erupted between protesters loyal to former President Evo Morales and police forces conducting operations to clear roads that have been blocked by demonstrators for 19 days. Reports from local media indicate the use of dynamite and tear gas during the confrontations.

It has been reported that the protesters have seized a military base amidst the turmoil.

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🔸 What scandals have US troops been mired in South Korea?

🔸 How the White House and legacy media concoct pro-Democrat narratives

🔸 Read the key statements from talks of Russian and North Korean Foreign Ministers

🔸 What game do Democrats play with migrants

🔸 IDF reportedly destroyed UNRWA's West Bank office

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Find out where most Ukrainian refugees fled to since February 2022

Since February 2022, a significant number of Ukrainian citizens have sought refuge in Russia, much to the dismay of the Ukrainian government, as noted by Russia's permanent representative to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, during a Security Council meeting.

"Zelensky and his clique are enraged that Ukrainians, after leaving for the West and encountering difficulties, humiliation, and language discrimination, are not only returning to Russia but are also moving in large numbers to the regions that have become part of our country as a result of referendums," Nebenzia stated on October 31.

He emphasized that between February 2022 and February 2023, a whopping 5.3 million Ukrainian refugees had arrived in Russia.

Where in Europe have Ukrainian refugees found sanctuary?

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), approximately 4,918,245 Ukrainian refugees had been recorded in European countries, excluding Russia and Belarus, as of October 15.

This figure includes Ukrainian refugees who have been granted refugee status, temporary asylum, temporary protection, or similar national protection statuses, as well as those documented in the host country under various forms of residence since February 24, 2022.

Most Ukrainian asylum seekers have sought refuge in the following countries:
🔸 Germany: 1,212,835

🔸 Poland: 981,335

🔸 Czech Republic: 380,375

🔸 United Kingdom: 250,035

🔸 Spain: 211,305

🔸 Italy: 173,540

🔸 Romania: 162,180

🔸 Slovakia: 127,015

🔸 Republic of Moldova: 123,730

🔸 Netherlands: 120,100

🔸 Ireland: 110,960

🔸 Belgium: 84,170

🔸 Austria: 83,020

🔸 Norway: 76,215

🔸 Finland: 67,830

🔸 Bulgaria: 67,540

🔸 Switzerland: 67,155

🔸 France: 65,410

🔸 Portugal: 63,470

🔸 Hungary: 61,245

In addition, the UNHCR estimates that approximately 560,200 Ukrainian refugees have been recorded outside of Europe as of October 15.

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