Ukrainian counter-offensive: Advancing Ukrainian troops are facing "desperate resistance" from Russian forces around the eastern city of Bakhmut, and are inflicting big losses on Russian troops in the south, Ukrainian military chiefs said on Friday.

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CHINA – The PLA will send troops to Mongolia to participate in the "Khaan Quest-2023" multinational peacekeeping exercise in mid-June, said Zhang Xiaogang, spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense on Friday.

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Ukrainian Naval Ships Chernihiv (ex-HMS Grimsby) and Cherkasy (ex-HMS Shoreham) sail from Rosyth this morning.

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Israel's Rafael defense industry unveils Sky Sonic, an anti-hypersonic missile, that will soon go into testing and has been in the works for several years.

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2023 military strength ranking:

1. 🇺🇸United States
2. 🇷🇺Russia
3. 🇨🇳China
4. 🇮🇳India
5. 🇬🇧United Kingdom
6. 🇰🇷South Korea
7. 🇵🇰Pakistan
8. 🇯🇵Japan
9. 🇫🇷France
10. 🇮🇹Italy
11. 🇹🇷Turkey
12. 🇧🇷Brazil
13. 🇮🇩Indonesia
14. 🇪🇬Egypt
15. 🇺🇦Ukraine
16. 🇦🇺Australia
17. 🇮🇷Iran
18. 🇮🇱Israel
19. 🇻🇳Vietnam
20. 🇵🇱Poland
21. 🇪🇸Spain
22. 🇸🇦Saudi Arabia
23. 🇹🇼Taiwan
24. 🇹🇭Thailand
25. 🇩🇪Germany
26. 🇩🇿Algeria
27. 🇨🇦Canada
28. 🇦🇷Argentina
29. 🇸🇬Singapore
30. 🇬🇷Greece
31. 🇲🇽Mexico
32. 🇵🇭Philippines
33. 🇿🇦South Africa
34. 🇰🇵North Korea
35. 🇳🇴Norway
36. 🇳🇬Nigeria
37. 🇸🇪Sweden
38. 🇲🇲Myanmar
39. 🇳🇱Netherlands
40. 🇧🇩Bangladesh

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British intelligence believes that Russia has gained a temporary advantage in southern Ukraine.

The reason: the introduction of 20 attack helicopters to Berdyansk.

This will put more pressure on NATO to expedite jet deliveries to Ukraine.

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Baiba Braže, NATO Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy, published today on Twitter:

"In a show of solidarity and force
🇺🇸 strategic bombers flew above the Freedom Monument in Riga 83 years after the Soviet occupation of Latvia started.

B1-B bombers’ forward posture in Europe enables NATO Allies & partners cohesion."

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BREAKING – Ukraine confirms tactical successes in all main sectors of the southern Ukraine counter-offensive

Ukraine's Defence Ministry claims that its forces are moving at up to 2km along each main axis in southern Ukraine.

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Ukrainian forces destroyed a “significant” ammunition depot near the Russian-occupied port city of Henichesk in the southern region of Kherson, spokesman for the Odesa military administration Serhiy Bratchuk said on Sunday.

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UKRAINE – An epidemic of cholera is spreading among Russian military personnel in Kherson Oblast and Crimea following a Russian terrorist attack onthe Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant, the Atesh partisan movement reported on Telegram on June 17.

Several Russian deaths due to the disease have been reported.

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Ukraine counter-offensive: Occupied Skadovsk, Lazurne, Genichesk, Partizans (Rykove) - Russian warehouses with ammunition are detonating everywhere today.

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ZAPORIZHZHIA FRONT /0245 UTC 18 JUN/ Early contact reports suggest that UKR troops have broken through South of Novodanvilivka. Preliminary info suggests that UKR is expanding a widening pocket from Novopokrovka in the E, Verbove and Novoprokopivka in the S and Kopani in the West.

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The USA has approved the sale of 153 M982A1 Excalibur tactical projectiles to Spain.

The contract is valued at 48.2 million USD.

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German Armoured infantry battalion of the 41st Brigade in Lithuania is deploying to Pabradė for upcoming EXERCISE GRIFFINSTORM.

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The concept of a promising K-3 tank has been presented in South Korea. It differs:

🔺Uninhabited tower
🔺130 mm gun
🔺 Active protection system
🔺An armored capsule for three crew members.

South Korea wants to develop its new tank together with Poland.

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Russian flights arrive in Iran constantly for arms collection.

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Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu attended an aerospace exhibition where he stated: “We are determined to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. We made it clear to our American friends that the agreements are more limited - they are also unacceptable to us. We will do whatever is necessary to protect ourselves against any threat."

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SYRIA – The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and U.S.-led Global Coalition arrest two ISIS members in southern Hasakah in a joint security operation.

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IRAQ – Convoys of the U.S. Coalition Forces, reported in al-Baghdadi, and then headed towards Ain al-Asad base in Anbar province.

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UKRAINE – The LAND-LGR4 launcher based on the HMMWV of the Ukrainian army fires Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) laser-guided missiles.

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