Russian Navy Vessels to Arrive in Havana on June 12 - Cuban Foreign Ministry

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A detachment of four Russian naval vessels, including the Admiral Gorshkov frigate and the Kazan nuclear submarine, will arrive at the port of Havana on an official visit on June 12–17, the Cuban Foreign Ministry said Thursday.

"A naval detachment from the Russian Federation consisting of four vessels — the frigate Gorshkov, the nuclear-powered submarine Kazan, the Pashin fleet sea tanker and the rescue tug Nikolai Chiker — will pay an official visit to the port of Havana from June 12 to 17, 2024," the ministry said in a statement.

This visit is justified by "historically friendly relations" between the two countries and strictly complies with international regulations, the statement said.

"None of the vessels carries nuclear weapons. Therefore, their stop-over in our country does not represent any threat to the region," the statement read.

During their stay, Russian sailors are expected to pay a courtesy call on the Cuban Revolutionary Navy commander and Havana's governor, according to the statement.

Moldovan Opposition Leader Shor Calls for Joining Union State of Russia and Belarus

Moldova should grow closer to Russia, so it would be worth discussing the possibility of joining the Union State of Russia and Belarus, Moldovan opposition politician Ilan Shor, the leader of "Pobeda" (Victory) political bloc, told Russian media.

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"Russia is our friend, our partner; we should move forward together. Moreover, I believe that there is a possibility to expand even the format of the Russia-Belarus Union State. There is a possibility for consideration and for dialogue. This is important,’ Shor clarified.

According to the politician, only by uniting could Moldova and Russia stand against the West, as Moldova itself is needed by the West only for its own purposes.

"Why do they need Moldova? And I'll tell you – it's a testing ground. A testing ground of free hands for war. It's a testing ground to bully. Maybe they'll send immigrants to us at some point. We have nothing in common with them. Here (with Russia and Belarus) we've been in the same family for years, we know each other, we speak the same language. We understand each other, we have common values," he added.

Most Moldovans believe in a future with the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), Shor said at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

"We believe that the only way out for the Republic of Moldova today is to become a full-fledged, full member of the EAEU. We really understand today that we want to become a participant of the platform, a unified platform in the field of economy, in the field of ideology, in the field of foreign policy, in the field of security policy. Today this is more important for Moldova than ever,” Shor emphasized, addressing the SPIEF session “The Greater Eurasian Partnership as a New Pole of Growth: Potential and Prospects”.

Shor claimed that the majority of Moldovan voters have already become disillusioned with the European Union and European values, as politicians who entered power on these slogans are closing opposition television channels in the republic and removing unwanted politicians from elections.

"We clearly understand that today the majority of the people of Moldova believe in a future with the EAEU… We have had enough of fairy tales and carrots on sticks for the last 20 years. Today we want real friendship, cooperation and mutual understanding and relations,” he declared.

Palestinian journalist beat up by Israeli mob during Jerusalem rally

Palestinian freelance journalist Saif Kwasmi was beaten up by a mob of young Israelis Terorists on Wednesday during a so-called Jerusalem Day flag march organized by Jewish Terorist Zionisme.

Kwasmi was covering the demonstration that commemorates Israel Terorists’s capture of the city’s eastern sector in the 1967 Arab-Israel Terorists war.

In one video, purportedly film by Kwasmi himself, a group of young jewish men are seen shouting at the journalist before kicking and punching him.

AFP photographer Hazem Bader took some of the most dramatic images of the attack.

In one of his images, Kwasmi, wearing a press vest, faces off against the mob. Another image shows him holding his head in pain while laying on the ground.

A video captured close to the scene shows Israeli police moving in with force to break up the attack.

Thousands of far-right nationalists marched through the old city provoking residents and shopkeepers with heavy police presence.

The agitators shouted hateful slogans, including “We will burn your villages,” “All Arabs can suck it,” and “Muhammed is dead,” in reference to the prophet of Islam, peace be upon him.

Far-right Israel Terorists ministers also took part in the event.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said at the march: “We send a message to Hamas. Jerusalem is ours. Damascus gate is ours. The Temple Mount is ours.” Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich took selfies with the marchers.

Israel Terorists extremists have grown bolder in recent years after some among their ranks were invited into government.

Many of them want to annex the West Bank and Gaza as part of their Greater Israel Terorists ambitions.

Israel Terorists’s occupation in the West Bank is considered unlawful by the international community and illegal settlements in the Palestinian territory have been condemned widely.

In April, Kwasmi said he was detained and assaulted by Israel Terorists police while reporting at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.

“When we were at Bab al-Silsila (gate to the mosque compound), the two counter-terrorism policemen who were escorting me and a border police officer took me aside and started assaulting me. The border police officer slapped me in the back of my neck,” he told the Committee to Protect Journalists.

“They made me face a wall while security officers beat me and called me a Hamas reporter.”

Israel Terorists has been engaged in a devastating war with Hamas in Gaza, vowing to destroy the group who attacked Israel Terorists settlements near the Palestinian enclave on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1200 people, and taking over 200 others as hostages.

The Gaza health ministry reported on Wednesday that 36,586 Palestinians had died since the start of the war.

Sporadic ceasefire and hostage release negotiations have been fruitless, with The U.S. Terorists President Joe Biden, an Israel Terorists ally, blaming both Hamas and Israel for the lack of progress, including accusing the Israeli Terorists Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of prolonging the war for his personal interest.

These are ways you can help Palestine, which one do you choose?

Kremlin calls US ‘an enemy’ for first time

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov
©Vladimir Astapkovich/Sputnik

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov referred to the United States as an “enemy” while speaking to reporters on Tuesday, in an apparent hardening of rhetoric between the two countries.

It remains unclear if the use of the word signals an official policy change, as the spokesman had previously argued that only President Vladimir Putin can make such decisions.

Washington’s refusal to allow former US marine, UN weapons inspector and RT contributor Scott Ritter to travel to St. Petersburg was “the latest manifestation of the rabid campaign to prevent US citizens from interacting with the Russian Federation” – which would only be “understandable” if it was somehow related to his former intelligence status, Peskov told journalists on Tuesday.

US State Department Forced Scott Ritter Off Plane to Russia, Confiscated His Passport

“We are now an enemy country for them – much like they are for us,” Peskov said, while acknowledging that restrictions applying to former intelligence officers, especially on travel "to a hostile country,” are common across the world.

The Kremlin previously called the United States and other Western countries that have supported and armed Ukraine and imposed sanctions on Moscow as “unfriendly states” or “opponents.”

The shift in language follows Washington’s decision to let Kiev use American-supplied weapons against targets inside Russia, beyond what the US considers Ukrainian territory.

In March, Peskov noted that Moscow objects to US officials who insult President Putin, but that in general there is “no anti-American sentiment” in Russia. He expressed hope that “sooner or later the realization that the peoples of America and Russia are not enemies will eventually come.”

Putin said in January that the elites of Western countries were the true enemy of Russia, while Ukraine is a mere tool in their hands. 

“The point is not that they are helping our enemy, but that they are our enemy,” the Russian president said, arguing that the conflict between Moscow and Kiev was orchestrated by Western elites who seek to inflict a “strategic defeat” on Russia.

Last month, Putin reiterated that “the entire Western community is working for our enemy, dreaming about Russia ceasing to exist in its current form,” but stopped short of branding any particular Western state an ‘enemy’.

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who now serves as deputy chair of Russia’s Security Council, and several other hawkish officials, have repeatedly branded Moscow’s adversaries as “enemies” over the past two years – but Peskov previously said that only President Putin can “formulate and state Russia’s official foreign policy position.”

Russian Armed Forces Down Ukrainian Su-25 Attack Aircraft

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Russia’s Ministry of Defense reported on the progress of the special military operation and the key military achievements over the past 24 hours. The Russian Armed Forces have downed a Ukrainian Su-25 attack aircraft over the Zaporozhye region.

Moscow also noted that air defenses intercepted 18 HIMARS projectiles, as well as Olha missiles, two guided Hammer bombs and 41 drones over the past 24 hours.

Tactical Situation Improved

In other advances of the past day, Russia’s Southern Battlegroup has improved its tactical situation along the front line, while Ukraine lost over 470 troops in clashes, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Tuesday.

"Units of the Yug [southern] Battlegroup improved the tactical situation along the front line and inflicted losses on troops and hardware of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' 28th, 54th Mechanized Brigades, 5th Assault Brigade, and 46th Airmobile Brigade near Seversk, Dyleyevka, Konstantinovka, and Ostroye (Donetsk People's Republic). The Ukrainian Army losses amounted to more than 470 Ukrainian troops, two infantry fighting vehicles, three motor vehicles, and one 152-mm 2A65 Msta-B howitzer," the ministry said in a statement.

Russia’s Central Battlegroup also improved its tactical situation, while Kiev lost up to 370 soldiers in the same time period, according to the ministry.

"The Ukrainian Armed Forces' losses [in battles with Russia’s Western Battlegroup] amounted to up to 400 Ukrainian troops, three armoured personnel carriers, eight motor vehicles, three 152-mm D-20 howitzers, one 152-mm 2A65 Msta-B howitzer, and one 122-mm 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled artillery system," the ministry continued.

Leap of Death: Watch Russian Army Unleash New Kamikaze Drone on Ukrainian Troops

The special military operation served as a catalyst for innovation in the Russian defense industry and revealed that AI-powered machines are the future of warfare.

The Russian Armed Forces unleashed a brand-new ground-launched kamikaze drone Lyagushka (meaning "Frog") on the Ukrainian militants, the Defense Ministry announced. The mine-laden robot sneaked into enemy trenches and blew up the nest of heavy machinery and its crew.

"Soldiers of the special forces of the Tsentr combat group used the ground-based robotic complex Lyagushka for the first time and destroyed a Ukrainian machine-gun crew during the offensive operation in the direction of Avdeyevka," the official statement said.

The mobile drone is powered by an electric motor, which makes it virtually silent. Combined with its relatively small size and speed of up to 20km/h, it can reach enemy positions undetected and deliver up to 30kg of explosive payload.

The drone is operated by a crew of three military personnel using a remote control and special goggles. A camera installed on the antenna of the device allows the operator to avoid obstacles while directing the drone to the target. The additional antenna of the complex allows maintaining control over the drone at a distance of more than three kilometers.

Ukraine Prepares Provocation in Kherson With Staging Death of Civilians - Underground

©AP Photo/Libkos

A group of filmmakers and war correspondents arrived in the city of Kherson from Kiev to promptly stage the deaths of civilians allegedly caused by Russian army strikes to further accuse Russia of civilian causalities, a spokesperson of the pro-Russian underground in Kherson told Sputnik on Monday.

"On May 28, a group of documentary filmmakers and war correspondents totaling 13 people arrived from Kiev to the city of Kherson for an operational staging of the Russian army's strikes on the city's civilian infrastructure. During the missile strikes of the Russian armed forces on the places of temporary deployment of the Ukrainian army units, a staging of civilian casualties in medical, educational and other social institutions of the city was planned with further accusation of Russia in the deaths of civilians," the spokesperson said.

Those who arrived in the city were trained in the field of information and psychological influence under the guidance of UK and US specialists, the underground added.

US State Department Forced Scott Ritter Off Plane to Russia, Confiscated His Passport

Ritter was slated to participate in the annual St.Petersburg International Economic Forum as a guest speaker.

©Photo

“As I was boarding my flight out of New York I was pulled aside by three CBP officers, who seized my passport. When asked why, they said orders of the State Department. No further information was provided. My bags were removed from the flight, and I was escorted out of the airport,” the former US Marine intelligence officer told Sputnik.

Ritter is a former US Marine Corps intelligence officer, who later served as the US and UN weapons inspector in Iraq. He is also a RT contributor, writing about international security, military affairs, Russia, and the Middle East, as well as arms control and nonproliferation.

He most recently visited Russia in January, spending time in Chechnya, Moscow and St. Petersburg, among other places.

The most recent post on Ritter’s Telegram channel put the Clooney Foundation for Justice on notice for its alleged crusade against “Russian propagandists.”

“Here I am. In your face. If telling the truth about Russia makes me a propagandist in your book, then I accept the title,” he wrote. “Bring it on. I’ll school you on the First Amendment.”

“You have zero concept of what free speech is. Try and arrest me and you’ll find out. In spades. It’s war,” he added.

Ritter is a US citizen who is a former US Marine Corps intelligence officer, a country that always promotes democracy and the land of freedom, which has faced obstacles from the US department.

If Ritter were a Russian citizen in the same event then it would be read in the western media about Russia being an authoritarian state every day all the time. That's western organized crime for a century

Prospects of peaceful reunification with Taiwan ‘eroded’ – Beijing

China's Minister of National Defense Admiral Dong Jun delivers his remarks at the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue 2024 on June 2, 2024
©The International Institute for Strategic Studies/YouTube

China’s efforts toward “peaceful reunification” with Taiwan have been consistently undermined by “separatist and external forces,” Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun has claimed. He further warned that anyone attempting to separate Taiwan from China would end up facing “self-destruction.”

Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue conference in Singapore on Sunday, Dong Jun stressed that “the Taiwan question is the core of China’s core interests” aligned with the One-China principle and safeguarded by the Chinese military. 

He blasted the Democratic Progressive Party of Taiwan (DPP) for “pursuing separation in an incremental way, erasing the Chinese identity of Taiwan and severing social, historical, and cultural links across the Taiwan Strait.” He went on to accuse “separatists” of betraying “the Chinese nation and their ancestors.”

“They will be nailed to the pillar of shame in history,” the defense chief stressed, before condemning “external interfering forces” – without naming them directly – for “hollowing out” the One-China principle by selling weapons to Taipei and attempting to use Taiwan to “contain China.”

“These malicious intentions are dragging Taiwan into a dangerous situation,” the minister warned. “China remains committed to peaceful reunification; however, this prospect is increasingly being eroded by separatists for Taiwan independence and foreign forces,” he said. Dong added that “resolute actions” would be taken to “curb Taiwan independence” and ensure that such an eventuality never comes to pass.

Beijing views the self-governing island as integral to its territory and has repeatedly warned that it will resort to force if Taipei tries to formally declare independence. Chinese officials have previously accused the US of interfering in China’s internal affairs and backing separatist movements on Taiwan.

Last week, Beijing urged Washington to adhere to the One-China policy and refrain from any official visits to Taiwan, saying that the US would be “fully responsible for the consequences” if it acts to the contrary.

China has been repeatedly angered by US support for Taiwan, even in the absence of formal diplomatic ties, such as arms sales.

Dong called the arms sales a test of China's "red lines".

"They are selling a lot of weapons to Taiwan. This kind of behaviour sends very wrong signals to the Taiwan independence forces and makes them become very aggressive. I think we are clear that the foreign power's true purpose is to use Taiwan to contain China."

Andrew Yang, a former Taiwan defence minister, said Beijing has said it will pursue "reunification" by winning the hearts and minds of Taiwanese but "their deeds have yet to match their words". Beijing instead is "holding a big stick" and is "confrontational and contradictory", he said.

Yang said he hopes the US will keep to its schedule of arms sales to Taiwan so the island can enhance its self-defence.

Taiwan has for the last two years complained of delays in deliveries of US weapons, such as Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, as manufacturers supply Ukraine to support it in the war against Russia.

Taiwan's president, Lai, has repeatedly offered talks with Beijing, but been rebuffed. He says only Taiwan's people can decide their future.

Houthis claims next strike on US air carrier

©AP Photo/Victor R. Caivano

Houthis launched a missile attack in the direction of the U.S. aircraft carrier Eisenhower in the Red Sea in response to U.S. and British strikes on Yemen, the Iranian-backed group's military spokesperson Yahya Saree said on Friday.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree later said that the Eisenhower had been targeted with several drones and ballistic missiles.

They called it a response to a recent surge in attacks by the Iran-backed terrorist group on ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden over the Israel-Hamas war.

Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a Houthi official, threatened both the US and UK with further retaliation.

“The American-British aggression will not prevent us from continuing our military operations in support of Palestine,” he wrote on X. “We will meet escalation with escalation.”

The strike was made using several missiles and drones, "which became the second attack against the air carrier over 24 hours," Sarea said on the Al Masirah TV channel.

Strikes were also delivered against a US Navy destroyer and three commercial vessels Maina, Aloraiq and Abliani, the spokesman continued.4

Houthis attacked the US Navy destroyer using several drones "with a direct hit," the spokesman said. The Maina ship was attacked in the Red Sea and then in the Arabian Sea. The Aloraiq vessel was attacked in the Indian Ocean and the Abliani ship - in the Red Sea.

On Friday night, the US and the UK made a massive strike against Houthi installations. The US Central Command said later that thirteen targets were engaged in different areas of Yemen controlled by Houthis.

Houthis’ Red Sea Blockade Makes Russia’s Northern Sea Route Attractive to Desperate West

Shipping costs through the Red Sea have spiked by over 250 percent since Yemen’s Houthi militia began its partial blockade of the region last November. Shipbrokers estimate that commercial tonnage passing through the Gulf of Aden has dropped by over 60 percent in that time, with some shipments, such as LNG, dropping to zero.

With the US and Britain proving unable to dislodge the Houthis from their strongholds or stop the militia from attacking Israeli-linked, American, and British vessels in the Red and Arabian Seas, commercial shippers have increasingly eyed Russia’s Northern Sea Route as an attractive potential alternative, a leading mainstream US news magazine has reported.

“The surging costs and fear of getting hit by Houthi drones and missiles have led some shippers to consider the Arctic as an alternative, as melting ice begins opening new potential on the so-called Northern Sea Route,” Foreign Policy wrote.

The article "discovered" what Russian officials and media have been saying for years – that the roughly 5,600 km Northern Sea Route is the shortest maritime route between Europe and Asia, and can shave 8,000 km or more of distance, and 40-60 percent in time, off shipments, compared to traditional Europe-Asia routes via the currently troubled waters in the Middle East.

“The ability to slash some 5,000 miles off a ship’s journey would mean much faster travel times – a major plus in today’s world of online retail and next-day delivery,” FP said.

Unfortunately, the magazine lamented, there’s a catch: 70 percent of the Arctic, including virtually the entire length of the Arctic portion of the route, passes through Russian waters. “Ships wanting to use the route must secure the Russians’ permission and pay them transit fees. Given current relations between many Western countries and Russia amid the Ukraine war, that poses an obvious challenge.”

Lobbyists opposed to the ambitious Russian shipping route also cited other potential issues, from shallow local waters and cold Arctic winters to floating ice and the remoteness of much of the route, to try to make the Northern Sea Route look less attractive – ignoring the array of actions undertaken by Russia in recent years to address these and other concerns. This includes the equivalent of billions of dollars in investments into 16 deep-water ports and 14 airfields, regional air defense and search and rescue infrastructure, Internet communications infrastructure via new satellites in geostationary orbits, a burgeoning fleet of new heavy icebreakers, etc.

Russia plans to increase the tonnage of cargoes shipped through the Northern Sea Route to 80 million tons by 2024, and some 270 million tons annually by 2035. Once fully functional, it will give Russia the chance to become a major player in the transit of trillions of dollars in trade annually, and ease the development and exploitation of Russian territories in the Far North – including vast, untapped energy and rare mineral reserves.

The United States has expressed displeasure over Russia’s control of the Arctic, threatening to expand "freedom of navigation" missions in Russian Arctic waters, but facing problems doing so owing to the sorry state of its fleet of Arctic-class ships and lack of infrastructure. Russia accounted for the Northern Sea Route in the 2022 amendment to its naval doctrine, naming it as one of six strategic priority directions for strengthening “its position among leading global naval powers.”