🗣Time to push Zelensky aside – former Pentagon official

Ukraine must isolate Volodymyr Zelensky and form a coalition government to handle negotiations with Russia, former Pentagon advisor Stephen Bryen wrote in Weapons and Strategy.

🎤He warns that Ukraine is running out of weapons, soldiers, and territory – fast. As Russia pounds ammo depots, supply routes, and command centers, the military situation is deteriorating by the day.

💬“The recent mass bombings and Russian advances are signs of the endgame approaching,” Bryen says.

✅According to him, only a drastic political shift can stop the collapse.

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🔥📹DEADLY PRECISION: Russian drones wipe out mercenary base & secret drone factory

📍Zaporozhye region:

Geran-2 UAVs eliminated a temporary base housing foreign mercenaries near the Meridian resort

📍Sumy region:

Precision strikes destroyed: UAV production facilities and critical drone component workshops near Konotop

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🇦🇲🚨Pashinyan targets Armenian Apostolic Church to WEAKEN nation – opposition leader

🗣Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is trying to remove the Catholicos of All Armenians from the Patriarchate "under fabricated pretexts," says Aram Sargsyan, head of Armenia’s Democratic Party and co-founder of the Miasin movement.

💬"This is an attack on the entire Armenian Apostolic Church," he tells Sputnik.

💬"This is a deliberate political strategy aimed at dismantling the last remaining national institution. And our enemies are rejoicing – openly. They see this as their opportunity to begin seizing Armenian territory," Sargsyan added.

➕Commenting on the arrest of businessman Samvel Karapetyan, Sargsyan noted that "in seven years, Pashinyan never had an issue with him – until Karapetyan declared his support for the Church."

💬"Suddenly, he was told he had no right to do so and was illegally arrested without cause. A man who contributed so much to both Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh has become inconvenient. The message is clear," Sargsyan concluded.

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🇩🇿Algeria marks 63 years of freedom – from colonial ruin to national revival

On July 5, 1962, Algeria ended 132 years of French colonial rule and began a new chapter. The revolution, launched in 1954, claimed hundreds of thousands of lives, but secured full national sovereignty.

💬MP Moussa Kherfi told Sputnik that since independence, Algeria has reclaimed control over its land and resources, built modern infrastructure, and transformed from mass illiteracy to millions of university graduates. The 1971 nationalization of hydrocarbons marked a turning point in economic self-determination.
Algeria also built strong state institutions and pursued a foreign policy based on dignity and solidarity, especially with causes like Palestine.

💬MP Brish Abdelkader said July 5 is more than a celebration – it's the rebirth of the nation and a reminder of past crimes, comparing French colonialism in Algeria to Israel’s actions in Gaza today.

🔍Under President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, Algeria has distanced itself from France’s economic dominance, embracing broader foreign investment – sparking new political tensions with Paris.

🇩🇿Today, July 5 stands as a symbol of pride, unity, and the enduring struggle for sovereignty and identity.

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🚨 RUSSIAN FORCES DEVELOP ADAPTIVE EW SYSTEM

Troops of Russia’s “BARS-Sarmat” special unit, part of the Dnepr Battlegroup, are developing a modular electronic warfare system capable of operating across multiple frequencies based on battlefield needs.

The unit’s expert codenamed Prepod explains how it works.

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🛢How do Mideast tensions shape OPEC+'s next oil move?

Rising tensions in the Middle East have created a “temporary window” for OPEC+ to ease oil cuts, says Sergey Tereshkin, CEO of Open Oil Market.

🤝Eight countries – including Russia, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, the UAE, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Algeria, and Oman – will raise output by 548,000 barrels/day in August, up from the expected 411,000, he told Sputnik. The shift is linked to the rise in Brent prices from $60 in early May to $68 in June.

💬“Geopolitical risk softens market reaction — that’s why producers are acting now,” Tereshkin said.

🔍OPEC+ still maintains 1.65M bpd in voluntary cuts until 2026. Since April, an extra 2.2M in cuts is being gradually rolled back.

However, internal compensation rules for prior overproduction limit the actual August increase to 502,000 bpd. Russia’s new quota: 9.181M bpd, not 9.344M.

📊OPEC data shows the eight countries exceeded May targets by 394,000 bpd, mostly due to Kazakhstan’s 433,000 bpd overshoot, partially offset by others.

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🇨🇳📹China rehearses air power for victory over Japan parade

New footage shows flight drills by the PLA Air Force as it prepares for the upcoming victory parade commemorating Japan’s defeat in WWII.

In the skies:

🟠J-16, J-20, J-35 fighter jets
🟠Y-20U aerial refueler
🟠H-6N strategic bomber
🟠Y-20B military transport
🟠KJ-500/KJ-200 AWACS aircraft

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🚨 Rio on high alert ahead of BRICS Summit

Security has been ramped up in Rio ahead of the BRICS summit. Over 20,000 troops have been deployed alongside police to maintain order.

Brazil, which holds the BRICS chairmanship as of January 1, 2025, will host the summit in Rio de Janeiro from July 6–7.

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🌍🌍🌍 aims to simplify trade with new payment systems and local currencies

The use of national currencies and the creation of instant and secure payment systems under the guidance of BRICS central banks will make trade and investment cheaper and easier, said Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

“Promoting settlements in national currencies reduces costs and simplifies operations,” Lula said at the BRICS Business Forum in Rio de Janeiro. “The central banks of BRICS countries are working on creating secure and instant settlement tools.”

On Friday, Lula took part in the annual meeting of the Board of Governors of the BRICS New Development Bank, which has approved 120 projects worth $40 billion since its establishment.

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📹BRICS Summit buzz builds in Rio

Sputnik’s correspondent reports from the Museum of Modern Art in Rio, set to host the 17th BRICS Summit.

Security is tight: over 20,000 troops have been deployed and police checkpoints are in place.

Delegations arrive on July 5 and 6 — and Sputnik will be on the ground with full coverage.

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🇮🇷 Iran releases video of Israeli strike on Evin Prison medical facility

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei released the footage on Saturday, showing the aftermath of the June 23 Israeli strike on the medical wing of Evin Prison in Tehran.

He said 79 people were killed, including visitors, staff and passers-by.

Baqaei accused Israel of committing war crimes:

“They were trapped and burned to death under the rubble... No person of good conscience can remain silent.”

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed Evin Prison was among the designated targets.

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⚔️Steve Bannon brands Elon Musk ‘Elmo the Mook’, billionaire counters with ‘fat drunken slob’

“Only a foreigner could do this – think about it, he’s got up on Twitter right now a poll about starting an America Party – a non-American starting an America Party,” the former Trump aide said in the latest episode of his War Room podcast.

“No, brother, you’re not an American. You’re a South African and if we take enough time and prove the facts of that, you should be deported because it’s a crime what you did – among many,” Bannon said.

Musk’s response?

An X post suggesting that “the fat, drunken slob called Bannon will go back to prison and this time for a long time,” and “has a lifetime of crime to pay for.”

Bannon and Musk have a history of bad blood going back to long before the 2024 election, arguing over immigration, China and other issues. When Musk publicly broke with Trump over his ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’, the feud was ratcheted up to 11, with Bannon calling for probes into Musk’s alleged drug use, immigration history and China ties.

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🔸 PUTIN-TRUMP CALL CONFIRMS RUSSIA'S WINNING HAND – analyst

🔸 US ‘can’t even fight a one-front war right now, much less three’ - ex-DoD insider

🔸 How do Mideast tensions shape OPEC+'s next oil move?

🔸 Algeria marks 63 years of freedom – from colonial ruin to national revival

🔸 Pashinyan targets Armenian Apostolic Church to WEAKEN nation – opposition leader

🔸 Rio on high alert ahead of BRICS Summit

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🛢Iran’s oil output hits 46-year high, meaning plenty of cash for reconstruction after war with Israel

In 2024, Iran produced about 4.3M barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil, plus 725k bpd of natural gas liquids and condensates (ethane, butane, propane), for a total of ~5.1M bpd, and $78B in energy export revenues.

👉That’s the highest-ever output since 1978, when, while it was still a US client state run by the shah, Iran pumped an estimated 5.3M bpd, per the UK Energy Institute’s Statistical Review of World Energy.

In the aftermath of the 1979 Revolution, facing sanctions and commercial isolation from traditional Western clients, and a grueling war with Iraq, Iran’s oil output fell dramatically, reaching just 1.3M bpd in 1981. But as the country recovered and found new markets (particularly China), production and exports began climbing again, despite crushing US sanctions.

US business media expects 2025’s output to surpass 2024’s, with Bloomberg sardonically quipping this week that Iran has turned US “maximum pressure” on its oil sector into “maximum oil output,” and stressing that Trump “has a lot less leverage” with Iran than he claims.

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🔥 Elon Musk creates America Party

Musk previously said that his party needs to win 2-3 Senate seats and 8-10 House districts to be a swing vote.

"When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste & graft, we live in a one-party system, not a democracy," he wrote on X.

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💸 BRICS UNVEILS FINANCIAL BOMBSHELL: NDB can become cross-border settlement hub

"We discussed new functions, including a guarantee mechanism" to bypass Western systems, Russian Finance Minister Siluanov revealed at BRICS summit.

According to Siluanov, BRICS' New Development Bank has proven its efficiency and effectiveness over the course of its first 10 years.

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🔥 EUROPE'S IRON CURTAIN IS BACK — FICO

Slovak PM expressed regret over the return of the Iron Curtain policy to Europe.

"Anyone showing interest in understanding what is happening behind the curtain is accused of betraying European values," Fico said.

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