Video - Russian strikes on Ukrainian foreign mercs, hunt for HIMARS and electronic warfare systems

A Russian Strela-10 anti-aircraft system fires near Avdeevka, Donetsk People's Republic, Russia.
©Sputnik/Stanislav Krasilnikov

The past week in the Russia-Ukraine conflict has seen active hostilities along the front line, with the Russian military reporting new gains in several areas and as well as claimign to have inflicted mass casualties on foreign mercenaries fighting for Kiev.

Last Sunday, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that the military had seized the villages of Rozovka and Peschanoye Nizhneye, located in Russia’s Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR) and Ukraine’s Kharkov Region respectively. The development signaled the spread of combat to the vicinity of the Ukrainian town of Kupiansk and the Oskol River. The local front line spans roughly along the border between the LPR and Kharkov Region and has remained largely static over the past few weeks.

On Tuesday, the Russian military reported the liberation of Ivano-Daryevka, a small village located in Russia’s Donetsk People’s Republic. The settlement is located roughly 8km to the southeast of the Ukrainian-controlled town of Severs, which has long-served as a major stronghold for Kiev’s troops and remains a major obstacle for the potential Russian advance westward.

The most active combat continued to the northwest of the city of the strategic DPR town of Avdeevka, which was liberated by the Russian military in February. Russian troops continued to advance near the town of Ocheretino, with the Ukrainian forces apparently unable to stabilize the situation in the area.

On Saturday, the Russian military reported the liberation of Lozovatovskoye, a tiny settlement located to the north of the village of Progress. The swift advance was marked with two company-sized Ukrainian forces reportedly ending up in tactical encirclement in the trenches between the two villages.

According to former Ukrainian MP and ex-deputy commander of the notorious neo-Nazi Azov regiment, Igor Mosiychuk, all the commanding officers of the two companies were killed, while the battalion-level command did nothing to fix the situation, only demanding that the soldiers fight to their deaths.

Strikes on foreign ‘instructors’

The week has been marked by new strikes on foreign mercenaries fighting in Ukraine, with up to 90 estimated dead, according to the Russian military.

The Russian Defense Ministry on Tuesday said it targeted a building in the Ukrainian town of Dergachi, Kharkov Region, used to house Western “instructors and mercenaries.” The location was hit by a ballistic missile, fired by an Iskander-M system. Footage of the strike shows the building sustained a direct hit and partially collapsed.

Another strike on foreign fighters was conducted by the country’s military on Thursday with a ballistic missile of the same type. The temporary accommodation point housing Ukrainian servicemen with the 151th mechanized brigade and foreign mercenaries was discovered in an industrial area in the city of Kharkov, the ministry said.

Another video circulating online shows a missile strike on the bridge across the Oskol River located in the town of Kupiansk-Uzlovoy, Kharkov Region. The bridge had been hit by the Russian military at least twice this year, but apparently was repaired. The structure was likely hit by an air-to-surface Kh-38 missile, sustaining heavy damage, footage indicates.

Hunt for US-supplied HIMARS launchers

Over the past week, the Russian military reported the destruction of several US-supplied HIMARS launchers, which have long been priority targets for Moscow. Though the long-range multiple rocket launchers have been touted by Ukraine as the ultimate tool to strike high-value assets, the systems have been widely used by Kiev for the indiscriminate shelling of civilian infrastructure.

On Monday, the Russian Defense Ministry reported the destruction of a HIMARS and its crew in the village of Novopetrovka in Ukraine’s Nikolayev Region. The system was tracked by a surveillance drone to a hangar used as a staging point, with the location promptly hit by a ballistic missile fired by an Iskander-M system. The strike obliterated the hangar, with secondary detonation and a bushfire observed at the site, footage shared by the military shows.

The destruction of another HIMARS was reported by the Defense Ministry on Friday. The vehicle, as well as other pieces of military equipment, was discovered concealed in an industrial area located in the Ukrainian-controlled city of Kramatorsk, DPR. The hangar used to station the equipment was struck by an Iskander-M missile, the military said.The destruction of another HIMARS was reported by the Defense Ministry on Friday. The vehicle, as well as other pieces of military equipment, was discovered concealed in an industrial area located in the Ukrainian-controlled city of Kramatorsk, DPR. The hangar used to station the equipment was struck by an Iskander-M missile, the military said.

Infrared footage shared by the military shows a major explosion and a massive column of fire and smoke emitting from the hangar. Apart from the HIMARS, five Soviet-era BM-21 Grad multiple rocket launchers, five tanks, and up to ten other armored vehicles were destroyed in the strike, according to Moscow’s estimates.

Disrupting Kiev’s electronic warfare capabilities

The Russian military has continued its efforts to strike Ukrainian electronic warfare and early warning systems, such as active jammers, radars, passive detectors, and other equipment. The continuous hunt for the systems enables the Russian forces to operate more effectively, hampering Kiev’s capabilities to intercept or evade incoming projectiles of various types.

On Monday, a video purporting to show the destruction of a US-supplied Ukrainian AN/TPQ-50 artillery radar surfaced online. The system was reportedly found near the town of Kupiansk, Kharkov Region, and hit by a Russian Lancet-family loitering munition.

Another video that emerged online this week shows a Lancet striking a Ukrainian homegrown Plastun electronic warfare support station. The sensor was found deployed in a wooded area, with a Starlink satellite terminal seen nearby. The hardware was hit by the kamikaze drone and apparently destroyed, footage suggests.

A Ukrainian Nota electronic jammer station also fell victim to a Lancet kamikaze drone it was supposed to deter. Surveillance drone footage circulating online shows the system concealed in a wooded area with only its antennas protruding from the shrubbery.

The Lancet apparently scored a direct hit on the system, with open flames seen at the location after the strike, footage shows.

Egypt Stresses Importance of Supporting Lebanon amid Escalating Tensions with Israel

Egypt stressed the importance of supporting Lebanon and “sparing it the scourge of war,” the country’s foreign ministry said on Sunday amid escalating tensions between Israel and the Iran-aligned Lebanese Hezbollah group.

The ministry made its statement during escalating tensions between Israel and the Lebanese group Hezbollah.

Cairo, a mediator in the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza, also warned of the dangers of opening a new war front with Lebanon

The Lebanese government has asked the United States to urge restraint from Israel, Lebanon's foreign minister Abdallah Bou Habib told Reuters on Sunday, as tensions build following an attack blamed on Hezbollah that killed 12 children and teenagers in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

Retired Israeli Terrorists Major-General Itzhak Brik says potential escalation with Lebanon’s Hezbollah in the north of the country may lead to “a full-scale regional war and the destruction of our country”.

He told the Maariv newspaper those who seek revenge after the attack on the occupied Golan Heights may drag Israel further into the war with Hezbollah, with rockets targeting residences, power plants, gas platforms, army bases and factories.

“As a result, Israel will suffer very heavy losses and the country will be destroyed. We need an immediate end to the war in Gaza, which in no way leads to the end of Hamas,” said Brik.

“As long as the war in Gaza continues, it is only a matter of time before a full-scale regional war breaks out. We can respond to Hezbollah without setting the entire Middle East on fire.”

Israel terrorists forces advance in south Gaza, displacing more people

Terrprists Israel’s army sent tanks deeper into southern Gaza as health officials say attacks killed 66 Palestinians across the besieged enclave in the past 24 hours.

Armoured vehicles pushed into the three towns of al-Karara, az-Zanna, and Bani Suheila in eastern Khan Younis city. Medics said at least nine Palestinians were killed by Israeli military strikes in those areas.

Residents said fierce fighting could be heard. The new incursions caused thousands more Palestinians to flee their homes and head to overcrowded al-Mawasi to the west and central Deir el-Balah.

A woman holds her daughter as she walks past the rubble in Khan Younis [File: Hatem Khaled/Reuters]

Meanwhile in Rafah, near the border with Egypt, Israeli forces advanced into the northern parts of the besieged city.

Tanks also shelled areas in central Gaza including the Bureij and Nuseirat refugee camps and Juhor ad-Dik village.

Al-Quds Brigades says it killed Israeli soldiers in Khan Younis

The armed wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group says it targeted an Israeli military crane and areas around it with heavy mortar fire in the east of the war-battered city.

“[A] helicopter landed in the area to evacuate the dead and wounded soldiers after the crane and its surroundings burned,” a statement on Telegram said, without giving precise figures.

The group said it also bombarded Israeli soldiers and vehicles that penetrated the Bani Suheila cemetery in eastern Khan Younis.

UNRWA warns of increased disease and skin infections in Gaza

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) says families in Gaza have extremely limited access to clean water, hygiene products and cleaning supplies. This is leading to an increase in disease and skin infections.

In a post on X, UNRWA said it “continues to work to prevent the spread of infections but resources are limited. We need safe and unimpeded humanitarian access”.

Earlier this month, poliovirus was detected in samples of sewage water in the densely populated Gaza Strip, placing “thousands” of Palestinians at risk of contracting the highly infectious disease that can cause paralysis in children.

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Russian Troops Liberate Progress, Yevgenovka in Donetsk People’s Republic - MoD

©Sputnik/Stanislav Krasilnikov/Go to the mediabank

Russia’s Battlegroup Tsentr liberated Progress and Yevgenovka villages in the Donetsk People’s Republic, the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) said on Sunday.

"Units of Battlegroup Tsentr have liberated the settlements of Progress and Yevgenovka in the Donetsk People's Republic through active combat operations," the ministry said.

Battlegroup Zapad defeated formations of three Ukrainian brigades and repelled a counterattack, resulting in losses of up to 540 Ukrainian soldiers, the MoD stated.

"The Ukrainian armed forces lost up to 560 servicemen, a tank, a US-made M113 armored personnel carrier and two vehicles [in battles with Russia's Battlegroup Yug]," the ministry also said in a statement.

As a result of operations by Russia's Battlegroup Vostok, Kiev lost up to 140 soldiers in the past 24 hours, along with a US-made M113 armored personnel carrier, five vehicles, a UK-made 155mm FH-70 howitzer and a 152mm D-20 gun-howitzer, the statement read.

Russia's Battlegroup Sever repelled two counterattacks in the area of ​​the settlements of Volchansk and Glubokoye in the Kharkov region in the past 24 hours, with Kiev losing up to 205 soldiers and an ammunition depot, the MoD concluded.

Russia’s Battlegroup Center liberates two communities in DPR over past day

Russia’s Battlegroup North inflicts 205 casualties on Ukrainian army over past day

©Sputnik/Stanislav Krasilnikov/Go to the mediabank

Russia’s Battlegroup Center liberated the communities of Progress and Yevgenovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, the Russian Defense Ministry reported on Sunday.

"Battlegroup Center units liberated the settlements of Progress and Yevgenovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic in active operations," the ministry said in a statement.

Russia’s Battlegroup North inflicts 205 casualties on Ukrainian army over past day

Russia’s Battlegroup North struck three Ukrainian army brigades and inflicted roughly 205 casualties on enemy troops in its area of responsibility over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, the Russian Defense Ministry reported on Sunday.

"Battlegroup North units inflicted damage on manpower and equipment of the Ukrainian army’s 115th mechanized, 92nd assault and 71st infantry brigades in areas near the settlements of Volchansk, Tikhoye and Velikiye Prokhody in the Kharkov Region. During the last 24-hour period, they repelled two counterattacks near the settlements of Volchansk and Glubokoye in the Kharkov Region. The enemy lost as many as 205 personnel. An ammunition depot was destroyed," the ministry said in a statement.

Russia’s Battlegroup West inflicts 540 casualties on Ukrainian army over past day

Russia’s Battlegroup West inflicted roughly 540 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed a US-made armored vehicle in its area of responsibility over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, the Russian Defense Ministry reported on Sunday.

"Battlegroup West units improved their forward edge positions and inflicted casualties on formations of the Ukrainian army’s 116th mechanized, 117th territorial defense and 1st National Guard brigades in areas near the settlements of Tabayevka and Kupyansk-Uzlovoi in the Kharkov Region and Krasny Liman in the Donetsk People’s Republic. They repelled a counterattack by an enemy assault group near the settlement of Torskoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic," the ministry said in a statement.

The Ukrainian army’s losses in that frontline area over the past 24 hours amounted to 540 personnel, a US-made Stryker armored personnel carrier and 16 motor vehicles, the ministry specified.

In counterbattery fire, Russian troops destroyed two US-made 155mm M777 howitzers, a Polish-made 155mm Krab self-propelled artillery system, a 155mm Bogdana self-propelled artillery gun and two Anklav-N electronic warfare stations, it said.

In addition, Russian forces destroyed eight ammunition depots of the Ukrainian army, the ministry said.

Russia’s Battlegroup South strikes five Ukrainian brigades over past day

Russia’s Battlegroup South struck five Ukrainian army brigades and inflicted roughly 560 casualties on enemy troops in its area of responsibility over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, the Russian Defense Ministry reported on Sunday.

"Battlegroup South units gained more advantageous positions and inflicted damage on manpower and equipment of the Ukrainian army’s 24th and 54th mechanized, 79th air assault and 46th airmobile brigades and 12th Azov special operations brigade [outlawed in Russia as a terrorist organization] near the settlements of Kurakhovo, Katerinovka, Konstantinovka, Serebryanka and Verkhnekamenskoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic. The Ukrainian army’s losses amounted to 560 personnel, a tank, a US-made M113 armored personnel carrier and two motor vehicles," the ministry said in a statement.

In counterbattery fire, Russian troops destroyed a US-made 155mm M109 Paladin self-propelled artillery system, a US-manufactured 155mm M777 howitzer, a US-made 155mm M198 howitzer, a British-made 155mm FH70 howitzer, two 152mm D-20 howitzers, a 152mm Msta-B howitzer, a US-made 105mm M119 artillery gun and an Anklav-N electronic warfare station, it specified.

During the last 24-hour period, Russian troops destroyed two ammunition depots of the Ukrainian army, it said.

Russia’s Battlegroup Center inflicts 385 casualties on Ukrainian army over past day

Russia’s Battlegroup Center repelled three Ukrainian army counterattacks and inflicted roughly 385 casualties on enemy troops in its area of responsibility over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, the Russian Defense Ministry reported on Sunday.

Battlegroup Center units "inflicted casualties on formations of the Ukrainian army’s 28th, 31st and 32nd mechanized and 142nd infantry brigades in areas near the settlements of Dimitrov, Novogrodovka, Dzerzhinsk, Belaya Gora and Zhelannoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic. They repelled three counterattacks by enemy assault groups. The Ukrainian army lost as many as 385 personnel and five motor vehicles," the ministry said in a statement.

In counterbattery fire, Russian troops destroyed two US-made 227mm M270 MLRS rocket launchers, two 122mm D-30 howitzers, two 100mm Rapira anti-tank guns and a US-manufactured AN/TPQ-50 counterbattery radar station, it specified.

Russia’s Battlegroup East inflicts 140 casualties on Ukrainian army over past day

Russia’s Battlegroup East struck three Ukrainian army brigades and inflicted roughly 140 casualties on enemy troops in its area of responsibility over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, the Russian Defense Ministry reported on Sunday.

"Battlegroup East units improved their frontline positions and inflicted damage on manpower and equipment of the Ukrainian army’s 72nd mechanized, 102nd and 104th territorial defense brigades in areas near the settlements of Ugledar in the Donetsk People’s Republic, Gulyaipole and Novodarovka in the Zaporozhye Region," the ministry said in a statement.

The Ukrainian army’s losses in that frontline area over the past 24 hours amounted to 140 personnel, a US-made M113 armored personnel carrier, five motor vehicles, a British-made 155mm FH70 howitzer and a 152mm D-20 howitzer, it specified.

Russian troops also destroyed three ammunition depots of the Ukrainian army, it said.

Russia’s Battlegroup Dnepr strikes three Ukrainian army brigades over past day

Russia’s Battlegroup Dnepr struck three Ukrainian army brigades and inflicted roughly 100 casualties on enemy troops in its area of responsibility over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, the Russian Defense Ministry reported on Sunday.

"Battlegroup Dnepr units inflicted casualties on formations of the Ukrainian army’s 128th mountain assault, 141st infantry and 35th marine infantry brigades in areas near the settlements of Rabotino in the Zaporozhye Region, Tyaginka and Ponyatovka in the Kherson Region," the ministry said in a statement.

The Ukrainian army’s losses in that frontline area over the past 24 hours amounted to 100 personnel, two US-made 155mm M777 howitzers, two 152mm D-20 howitzers and a 122mm D-30 howitzer, it specified.

In addition, Russian troops destroyed an ammunition depot of the Ukrainian army, it said.

‘My baby girl was born on the street’: A traumatic birth in Gaza

Alaa with Nimah less than 24 hours after she was born [Courtesy of Alaa al-Nimer]

By Maram Humaid

Every morning, Alaa al-Nimer wakes up to bathe her six-month-old daughter, Nimah. There is no running water – there hasn’t been for many months – and the water she uses sparingly is collected from distribution points close to a relative’s house in Gaza City’s northern Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood. Despite the hardships Alaa and her family now endure, she is determined to treat her green-eyed daughter to a daily bath.

The 34-year-old mother of three says her daughter’s smile is a “balm for her soul” during a time of “darkness”.

Every morning, Alaa al-Nimer wakes up to bathe her six-month-old daughter, Nimah. There is no running water – there hasn’t been for many months – and the water she uses sparingly is collected from distribution points close to a relative’s house in Gaza City’s northern Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood. Despite the hardships Alaa and her family now endure, she is determined to treat her green-eyed daughter to a daily bath.

The 34-year-old mother of three says her daughter’s smile is a “balm for her soul” during a time of “darkness”.

But her birth was more traumatic than Alaa could ever have anticipated.

“My baby girl was born on the street,” she explains shyly.

She describes it as the most difficult day of her life.

Displaced more than 11 times Alaa and her family – her husband, Abdullah, 36, and their sons, Mohanned, seven, and Yamen, five – have been on the move almost since Israel’s war on Gaza began in October.

After Hamas-led attacks in southern Israel on October 7, in which 1,139 people were killed, Israel has launched a war on Gaza that has killed more than 39,000 people.

When their home in Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighbourhood was targeted in October, the family first moved to a relative’s home and then to neighbours’ homes.

“[We were] displaced more than 11 times,” Alaa says with a tired voice.

Her family had decided to remain in northern Gaza despite Israeli forces instructing people to move south.

“It was a matter of principle,” Alaa says. “We realised that no place was safe.”

On one occasion, Israeli tanks surrounded the building they were staying in and opened fire. Alaa, her sons and about 25 other people who were inside escaped through an opening created when a shell struck the building earlier in the war. She describes their escape as “miraculous”.

But it was the middle of winter and Alaa was eight months pregnant. She walked eastward for four hours in the cold with her children to escape the tanks. At the time, her husband was elsewhere with his elderly mother, who has difficulty walking. Alaa, her sons and the people from the building took detours to reach the Old City, where they sheltered in a shop near a mosque until it was safe to return.

Nimah at two months of age with her brothers, Yamen, far left, and Mohanned [Courtesy of Alaa al-Nimer]

‘Please, is there anyone?’

Alaa desperately hoped the war would end before she was due to give birth. “I never imagined going into labour during the war,” she says.

She was at her sister-in-law’s house when she first started to feel labour pains. “I tried to lie to myself,” she says, by insisting she wasn’t about to give birth. But the pain grew worse.

It was after 10pm on a wet, cold January night, and Alaa could hear the sounds of Israeli bombs landing nearby.

She called her mother and sister who were staying nearby while her husband went to look for a car to take her to the hospital. Alaa waited on the street. Her labour progressed quickly, but due to the lack of fuel and the late hour, Abdullah couldn’t find a car, and the communication networks were too weak to call for an ambulance.

Alaa stood on the side of the street, screaming for help. She remembers praying and thinking: “Please, God, not now. I want to be in the hospital.” She was terrified for her baby’s life.

But by the time her husband returned, she was already giving birth. Her mother and sister also arrived, running to her in shock. Abdullah caught his daughter’s head in his hands and shouted out for scissors to cut the umbilical cord, which her cousin who arrived with Alaa’s brother brought out from a medical kit.

Desperate to find medical care for his wife and newborn daughter, Abdullah eventually managed to find a car to take them to a maternity hospital 5.5km (3.4 miles) away. Alaa climbed in with her baby and her mother while her husband and brother ran ahead of them.

But the car stopped after just a few metres. It had run out of fuel.

“The street around me was completely dark. There was no one in sight,” Alaa recalls.

“My cousin carried the baby girl, wrapping her in his coat against the cold, and walked quickly in front of us, fearing for her life. He guided us with the flashlight on his mobile phone, saying, ‘Turn right, then left’ to guide us.”

Alaa was bleeding. Her mother and sister walked alongside her, crying.

“My mother walked in the middle of the street, screaming, ‘Please, is there anyone? Is there any car to take us? Please, we have a newborn baby girl and her mother just gave birth.’

“But there was no answer.”

They walked for about an hour before they found a minibus to take them the short remaining distance to the hospital.

“We got into the car, crying with both joy and fear,” Alaa says.

At the door to the hospital, a doctor was waiting, informed by Alaa’s husband and his brother who had arrived before them.

“The doctor took me in her arms and immediately took me to the maternity ward,” Alaa recalls.

Nimah, now six months old [Courtesy of Alaa al-Nimer]

A healthy baby and a spoon of halwa

When she woke the next morning and the doctors told her her daughter was doing well, Alaa says her “happiness was indescribable”.

“I believe God was with me,” Alaa reflects.

Amid the joy of learning that her daughter had survived the harrowing birth, Alaa recalls a small moment when a cousin offered her a cup of fresh orange juice squeezed from an orange she had picked from some nearby land and kept hidden.

“It was the first and last time I had fresh juice during the war,” she says.

Then there was the small box of halwa her husband had put in her birth bag.

“Every day before I gave birth, I checked the bag to make sure it was still there,” she recalls.

That day she took a deep breath before savouring the first spoonful. “I had forgotten what it tasted like during the war,” she says.

Six months have passed since then, and Nimah is healthy. Alaa continues to breastfeed due to the lack of baby formula and food, even as she herself is unable to eat properly, given the food shortages.

Nimah has begun to laugh and coo, and everyone in the house in Sheikh Radwan adores her. But her mother is sad that she was born and is growing up in such difficult circumstances.

Alaa’s family has felt the full force of this war. Her children must survive on a quarter of a loaf of bread each day, and the family mourns Alaa’s 26-year-old brother, also named Alaa, whose body was found near their bombed-out house at the end of December.

“My child was born from the heart of death,” Alaa says. “But since that day, hope has not left my heart.”

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Trump tells Christians they won't have to vote after this election

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump told Christians on Friday that if they vote for him this November, "in four years, you don't have to vote again. We'll have it fixed so good, you're not gonna have to vote."

It was not clear what the former president meant by his remarks, in an election campaign where his Democratic opponents accuse him of being a threat to democracy, and after his attempt to overturn his 2020 defeat to President Joe Biden, an effort that led to the deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Trump was speaking at an event organized by the conservative group Turning Point Action in West Palm Beach, Florida. Trump said: "Christians, get out and vote, just this time. "You won't have to do it anymore. Four more years, you know what, it will be fixed, it will be fine, you won't have to vote anymore, my beautiful Christians."

He added: "I love you Christians. I'm a Christian. I love you, get out, you gotta get out and vote. In four years, you don't have to vote again, we'll have it fixed so good you're not going to have to vote," Trump said.

Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung did not directly address Trump's remarks when asked to clarify them.

Cheung said Trump "was talking about uniting this country," and blamed "the divisive political environment" on the attempted assassination of Trump two weeks ago. Investigators have yet to give a motive for why the 20-year-old gunman opened fire on Trump.

In an interview with Fox News in December, Trump said that if he won the Nov. 5 election he would be a dictator, but only on "day one", to close the southern border with Mexico and expand oil drilling. Democrats have seized on that comment. Trump has since said the remarks were a joke.

If Trump wins a second term in the White House, he can serve only four more years as president. U.S. presidents are limited to two terms, consecutive or not, under the U.S. Constitution.

In May, speaking at a National Rifle Association gathering, Trump quipped about serving more than two terms as president.

He referred to the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt, a Democrat, the only president to serve more than two terms. The two-term limit was added after Roosevelt's presidency.

"You know, FDR, 16 years - almost 16 years - he was four terms. I don't know, are we going to be considered three-term? Or two-term?" Trump asked the NRA crowd.

Trump's remarks on Friday pointed to the need for both parties to energize their base voters ahead of what will likely be a closely fought election. Trump has enjoyed loyal support from evangelicals in the past two elections.

The race has abruptly tightened after the decision by Biden to end his reelection bid and with his vice president, Kamala Harris, becoming the presumptive Democratic nominee.

Recent opinion polls show Trump's significant lead over Biden has been largely erased since the torch was passed to Harris.

Jason Singer, a Harris campaign spokesperson, in a statement did not directly address Trump's remarks about Christians not having to vote again. Singer described Trump's overall speech as "bizarre" and "backward looking".