Author: Steven Sahiounie

Belarus can formally recognize Donetsk and Lugansk if necessary, President Alexander Lukashenko told AFP Belarus will officially recognize the independence of the Donbass republics of Donetsk and Lugansk if it becomes necessary, but the absence of a formal recognition isn’t stopping Minsk from helping them, President Alexander Lukashenko said on Thursday in an exclusive interview with Agence France-Presse. The French agency asked Lukashenko why Belarus, which supports Russia’s military operations in Ukraine, has not recognized the Donetsk People’s Republic and Lugansk People’s Republic as independent states – or Crimea as part of Russia, for that matter. Crimea voted to rejoin…

Budapest wants to purchase an additional 700 million cubic meters of natural gas Hungary needs to buy an extra 700 million cubic meters of natural gas this year to ensure its energy safety and this is “simply impossible” to do without Russia, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Thursday. Speaking in Moscow at a joint press conference with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, the Hungarian minister said that “some may sell empty promises and chase dreams,” but the “physical realities cannot be changed.” “Like it or not,” in his opinion, “it is currently simply impossible to buy this much extra natural gas in…

July 21 was another day of explosions in Ukraine. The Russian Armed Forces once again targeted the concentration of manpower and military equipment, as well as facilities performing military tasks at the time of bombardment. The main shelling of Ukrainian facilities and positions in the past 24 hours occurred in the southern regions. In particular, Ukrainian positions were subjected to another bombardment in the Kherson direction. Russia, anticipating a counterattack by Ukrainian troops, is actively working to destroy available equipment and personnel. Also, local residents observed explosions in Nikolayev. The Russian Armed Forces fired ten missiles at military targets. Eyewitnesses…

According to Maria Zakharova, the Ukrainian attacks on the NPP confirm Kiev’s goal to create conditions for a nuclear catastrophe for all of Europe Russia has sent an appeal to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) over the Ukrainian army’s attacks on the Zaporozhye NPP and is awaiting its reaction, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a briefing on Thursday. “We have already addressed the leadership of the IAEA’s Secretariat over this incident and are expecting the appropriate reaction on the part of the agency,” she said. According to the diplomat, the Ukrainian attacks on the NPP confirm…

Occupied Jerusalem, SANA-A number of Palestinians were injured Thursday and others were arrested as the Israeli occupation troops stormed different areas in the West Bank. Wafa News Agency stated that the occupation troops stormed several neighborhoods in cities of Jenin and al-Bireh amid opening fire and toxic gas canisters as two young men were injured and others suffered suffocation, while three Palestinians were arrested. The occupation troops also stormed the towns of al Yamoun in Jenin, Bir Zeit and Deir Abu Mishaal in Ramallah and Huwara in Nablus and arrested eleven Palestinians. Source: SANA

Liz Truss will face UK ex-Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak in the final round of the race to succeed Boris Johnson as prime minister UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss on Thursday came out against the direct involvement of British troops in the Ukrainian conflict. The politician, who reached the final round of the race for the post of the Conservative Party leader and the prime minister, told the BBC: “We are doing all we can to support Ukraine. We’ve led the international coalition on sending weapons, we’re putting the sanctions in place, but I do not support the direct…

Late on July 20, Russian air defenses intercepted two unidentified drones which attempted to attack Hmeimim Air Base on the Syrian coast. “On July 20, 2022, at about 10:10 p.m., Russian air defense systems detected unmanned aerial vehicles approaching the area of ​​​​the Russian Hmeimim airbase from the northeast,” RIA Novosti quoted Russian sources as saying. The source said that drones were shot down two kilometers away from the base. The failed attack didn’t result in any casualties or material losses. Russian media suggested the drones were “makeshift” and didn’t pose a real threat. They were likely launched from the…

The shipment will include 1,600 anti-tank weapons and 50,000 artillery shells The UK will send Ukraine anti-tank weapons, drones, artillery guns and tens of thousands of rounds of ammunition, Defense Secretary Ben Wallace told Parliament on Thursday. Ukraine will receive more than 20 M109 and 26 L119 artillery guns, as well as counter-battery radar systems and more than 50,000 rounds of ammunition for its existing Soviet-era artillery systems. The UK will also send 1,600 anti-tank weapons as well as drones, including hundreds of “loitering aerial munitions,” more commonly known as “suicide drones.” The arms will be sent to Ukraine in the coming weeks,…

Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, President Vladimir Putin of Russia, and President Ebrahim Raisi of Iran held talks yesterday in Tehran at the 7th Astana summit for peace in Syria, stressing the need for respecting Syria’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity. The summits date from January 2017, and are named for the Kazakhstan capital they were first held at. The trio of leaders decided the next meeting will be held in Moscow before the end of the year. The Syrian Foreign Minister, Faisal Mekdad, arrived in Tehran late on Tuesday to be briefed…

A Harpoon anti-ship missile launcher that was recently supplied by the US to Ukraine had been destroyed in a pinpoint strike by the Russian Aerospace Forces, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced on July 20. “High-precision weapons of the Russian Aerospace Forces have destroyed US-made Harpoon missile launcher near Usatovo, Odessa Region,” ministry spokesman Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov said during his daily briefing. The Harpoon is a sea-skimming anti-ship missile that is equipped with a radar altimeter and a GPS-aided inertial navigation system, or INS. The missile locks on its target with an active radar seeker. When launched from surface, the…