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

▪️Russian troops liberated six settlements: five in Donetsk People's Republic and one in Russia's Kursk region.

▪️The Russian forces carried out 15 successful group strikes targeting military airfield infrastructure, ammunition depots, production facilities, storage warehouses, and command centers for strike drones.

▪️Ukraine lost up to 2,345 soldiers in the areas of responsibility of Russia's Battlegroup Tsentr.

▪️Ukraine lost up to 990 troops in the areas of responsibility of Russia's Battlegroup Vostok.

▪️Russian aviation shot down 12 HIMARS missiles and 993 drones.

▪️Ukraine lost up to 2,065 militants, three tanks and 31 armored fighting vehicles in the Russian Yug Battlegroup's combat zone.

▪️Ukraine lost up to 1,535 servicemen in the Russian Zapad Battlegroup's combat zone.

▪️Ukraine lost up to 1,320 militants in the Russian Sever Battlegroup's combat zone.

▪️Ukraine lost up to 505 troops in the Russian Dnepr Battlegroup's combat zone.

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❗️Deputy head of main operational directorate of general staff of Russian armed forces killed in Moscow region blast

Russian investigative committee says opens criminal case into murder of lieutenant general Moskalik

Blast that killed general Moskalik in Moscow region occurred as result of homemade bomb filled with damaging elements - Russian investigative committee

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called the car bombing, which killed General Moskalik, a terrorist attack.

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🔍Details of US peace proposal to end the Ukraine conflict UNVEILED

Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff presented Europe and Ukraine with a list of proposals for the Ukrainian settlement at talks in Paris, Reuters reports.

✅The list includes:

🟠A permanent ceasefire and the initiation of immediate negotiations between Russia and Ukraine;

🟠Ukraine must give up all NATO aspirations;

🟠Witkoff's proposals advocate for de jure recognition by the US of Russia's control over Crimea, plus de facto recognition of the new Russian territories of the DPR, the LPR, as well as the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions;

🟠Russia-US cooperation in energy and industry;

🟠The lifting of sanctions against Russia.

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❗️Trump says Crimea will remain part of Russia as part of a potential Ukraine settlement deal

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⚡️Trump accuses Ukraine of provoking conflict with Russia, claims Ukraine's NATO aspirations sparked the war

Pic is AI-generated

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🇷🇺🇮🇷 Russia to begin gas supplies to Iran via existing infrastructure in 2025 after price deal, annual volume to be up to 1.8 bln cubic meters - Russian Energy Minister Sergey Tsivilyov

📈 Russia-Iran trade grows in 2024, amounts to $4.8 bln, growth potential much higher

🤝 Iran wants to sign agreements with Russia in oil and gas production soon

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📹American Roots of German Nazism, Part 8: Who Coined the Term 'Untermensch' in the US, Why, and How the Nazis Adopted It

One of the cornerstones of Nazi ideology was the belief that the so-called Aryans were superhumans. They also coined the term "untermensch" (subhuman), used to describe ethnic groups they didn't consider fully human, such as Jews, Romani people, and Slavs.

However, the origin of this term and the concept of racial hierarchy actually emerged in the United States.

In the eighth video of this exclusive Sputnik series, Yegor Yakovlev, a historian of Nazism and the author of “The War of Annihilation”, explains who spawned and popularized the term in the early 20th century.

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✅EU and Ukraine announce THEIR version of peace deal – check it out

The proposal emerged after talks between Ukrainian and European NATO officials in London on April 23 and has been given to the US negotiating team Reuters reported.

🟠Ukraine is ready to start talks with Russia on the issue of territories with participation of the US and Europe once a ceasefire is in place;

🟠Europe proposes negotiating territorial issues in the Ukrainian context, starting from the contact line;

🟠Europe and Ukraine demand US security guarantees in response to Washington’s peace proposal, similar to NATO’s Article 5;

🟠They offer gradual easing of sanctions imposed on Russia since 2014 after peace is achieved, but threaten to reinstate them the peace deal is broken;

🟠Europe wants the US to take the lead in monitoring observance of the ceasefire;

🟠Ukraine should have no restrictions on its armed forces and on deployment, arming and operations of foreign forces on the Ukrainian territory;

🟠Europe wants post-war reconstruction for Ukraine, including at the expense of Russian assets that should remain frozen until "Russia compensates damage to Ukraine."

Any chance someone agrees on that?🥴

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❗️Putin meets Witkoff in the Kremlin - Peskov

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Playground for new round of Putin-Witkoff talks: here is the latest

Details of the meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US special envoy Steve Witkoff remain under wraps, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov promising: “We won't hide anything, we'll tell you all.”

✅The US peace proposal to end the Ukraine conflict – which Witkoff presented to European NATO members and Ukraine in Paris – includes Ukraine abandoning its aspirations to join NATO and recognition of Russia's control over Crimea and the new Russian territories, Reuters reported.

✅Crimea will remain a part of Russia as part of the settlement deal in Ukraine, Trump told Time magazine in his ‘100 days’ interview.
He also accused Ukraine of provoking the conflict with Russia, adding that “they will never be able to join NATO.”

✅US-Russia negotiations are “moving in the right direction," the White House press secretary told reporters, adding Trump had “made it very clear he wants to see peace.”

Bloomberg claims the US may also aim to
🟠Secure Ukraine’s right to its own robust armed forces and defense industry
🟠Push Russia to give up the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest
🟠Allow Ukraine sea access through the Dnepr River, with land that Russia cleared of Ukraine’s armed forces in the Kharkov returned to Ukraine

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❗️Putin responded to Witkoff 's greeting in English

Presidential aide Ushakov and Russia's special envoy Dmitriev are also taking part in the meeting between Putin and Witkoff.

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📹PICTURED: Witkoff strolls down the Arbat, Moscow’s most iconic street

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🗣Ukraine unleashed CRACKDOWN on monastery in last-ditch gamble to MOBILIZE MONKS

💬 "Three days before [Russian] troops arrived, the SBU had come here and sought to round up and whisk away all the monastery workers for the territorial defense forces," Hierodeacon Diador at Holy Dormition Monastery in the DPR told Sputnik.

💬 "But our leadership said that we would not hand anyone over.
When [the Ukrainians] came out, they said that everybody should be finished off, everyone should be rubbed out," he revealed.

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🚨☦️😡Another BLATANT ATTACK on the Orthodox by Ukraine

An Orthodox temple complex in Russia’s Belgorod region has been turned into a smoldering PILE OF RUINS in the wake of a Ukrainian drone strike.

The Noviy Yerusalim (‘New Jerusalem’) temple complex, situated in the village of Sukharevo, Belgorod Region was set ablaze Thursday night, reportedly targeted by a Baba Yaga-type hexacopter drone dropping incendiary munitions.

💉 Attacking rescuers
When firefighters arrived to battle the flames, a second drone tried to attack them and their vehicles.
Only luck and the timely evacuation of monks and pilgrims prevented anyone from being hurt during the drone attacks, or the fire.

🏛 Attack on history
The New Jerusalem complex is a reproduction of traditional ancient Orthodox-style churches, gradually built since 2001 and financed by public donations. Made entirely of wood, in the old style, the complex featured seven holy shrines and eight hillside crosses.

☦️ Anti-Orthodox terror
Ukraine’s military regularly targets religious sites during missile, drone and artillery strikes in Russia, including the Donbass, Kherson and Zaporozhye, but also border regions like Belgorod and Kursk.

At home, the Zelensky regime has cracked down HARD on Orthodoxy, seeking to dismantle the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church, revoke its land rights, seize church buildings and attack clergy.

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😱 US Defense Secretary Hegseth fears dismissal amid Pentagon leaks scandal - report

Trump has been scrutinizing Hegseth’s effectiveness and closely monitoring his media appearances, the Wall Street Journal revealed, citing sources.

The report also notes that Hegseth is increasingly worried about President Donald Trump’s reaction to the ongoing leaks. 🗣

😱 In fear of possibly having to step down, Hegseth has reportedly been spending hours on the phone seeking support outside the Pentagon, causing delays in his scheduled meetings. In the midst of swirling rumors, he is said to be tightening his circle of trusted aides, dismissing key staff members over unproven allegations related to the leaks. Pentagon officials note that each new leak only amplifies his concerns, adding to the tense atmosphere surrounding his tenure.

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🎉 Arms of Victory: MiG-3

Sputnik continues to highlight the arms used to thrash Nazi Germany.
The MiG-3 was the most widely available Soviet fighter at the start of the war, bearing the brunt of the heaviest initial Nazi blows, and mounting the aerial defense of Moscow.

The one-person aircraft had a 620 km per hour top speed and an 820-850 km range, and came armed with cannon and machine guns, up to 200 kg of bombs or 6 unguided rockets.

Legendary Soviet fighter ace Alexander Pokryshkin scored his first aerial victory in a MiG-3.

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📹 World Youth Forum activists tidy up memorials at Belgian cemetery

This event serves as a reminder that there are still people in the world who cherish the memory of WW2 heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice to defeat Nazi Germany.

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💬 Ukraine will most likely have to GIVE UP TERRITORIES as part of the deal with Russia, Mayor of Kiev Vitaly Klitschko admits in the interview with the BBC.

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🔥 Mariupol, a city in the Donetsk People's Republic, and Melitopol, a town in the Zaporozhye region, have been added to the list of CITIES OF MILITARY GLORY displayed at the memorial on Red Square.

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📹 The motorcade allegedly carrying Witkoff leaves the Kremlin after talks with Putin, a Sputnik correspondent reports.

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⚡️The meeting between Putin and Witkoff lasted THREE hours and was constructive and useful, said presidential aide Yuri Ushakov.

Today's conversation helped bring positions CLOSER not only on Ukraine but also on other international issues, he noted.

During the meeting, the possibility of resuming DIRECT NEGOTIATIONS between Russia and Ukraine was discussed, Ushakov stressed.

Productive dialogue between Russia and the US will continue to be carried out in the MOST ACTIVE manner, he added.

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