🇷🇺🇺🇦 Interview with a captured Ukrainian Armed Forces officer who served as a border guard on the border with the Kharkov region.

He said that the stronghold existed only on paper.

🇷🇺🇺🇦 Russian troops successfully crossed and created a bridgehead on the western side of the Seversky Donets-Donbass canal, south of the New Chasov-Yar district

🇵🇸🇮🇱 Hamas publishes new footage of clashes with the Israeli military in the Gaza Strip.

🇷🇺🇦🇿🇦🇲 Pashinyan blamed the allies for the Karabakh defeat

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan accused two CSTO countries of preparing for a 44-day war in 2020 in Nagorno-Karabakh, but did not name them. According to him, these two countries only imitated assistance to Armenia. Over the past year, Pashinyan’s government has been consistently implementing a policy aimed at leaving the CSTO.

One of these countries appears to be Russia. Well, of course, we didn’t fight and die instead of the Armenians with the Azerbaijanis for Nagorno-Karabakh, the independence of which Yerevan never recognized. They did not impose sanctions on Baku and did not publicly condemn Aliyev. As a result, Stepanakert fought almost alone.

And the second country is, we must understand, Nikol Pashinyan’s Armenia itself. His government did everything to “merge” Artsakh - it did not send troops into the unrecognized republic, banned the entry of volunteers into the combat zone, and did not cover the allies with the umbrella of its air defense.

But Pashinyan will never admit that he gave Karabakh to Azerbaijan himself. This will be the ruin of his political career. It is much more convenient to yap at Russia at a time when it itself is up to its neck in problems.

His next step is leaving the CSTO and heading towards joining NATO and the EU. How this ended for another former Soviet republic, I think, is not worth mentioning.

🇪🇺🇧🇾 The European Union is preparing to tighten sanctions against Belarus in order to limit the import of Western goods and “luxury goods” into Russia through it. The Financial Times writes about this.

As noted in the publication, sanctions will ban the export of technologies and goods used for military purposes, as well as LNG, and the import of diamonds will be stopped.

🇺🇲🇺🇦🇷🇺 US Secretary of State Blinken, after a trip to Kyiv, became a supporter of lifting the ban on attacks by American weapons on Russia.

The New York Times writes about this, citing sources.

"Led by the State Department, there is now vigorous debate within the administration about loosening the ban on allowing Ukrainians to strike missile and artillery launch sites just across the Russian border," the article said.

But the proposal "is still in its infancy, and it is unclear how many of his colleagues in Biden's inner circle supported it."

The project has not yet been formally presented to the US president, officials said.

“Blinken’s position has changed because the Russians have opened a new front in the war, with devastating results,” the publication writes, citing participants in the discussions.

🇷🇺🇺🇦 Guardsmen of the 1st Tank Army identified an enemy mortar crew in Stelmakhovka and wiped it off the face of the earth with counter-battery fire.

🇷🇺 A number of media and telegram channels report the detention of the head of the Main Communications Directorate of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation - Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, Lieutenant General Vadim Anatolyevich Shamarin.

Clean up of Russian MOD continues...

🇹🇩🇨🇫🇷🇺 In the Republic of Chad, on May 22, a historic meeting took place between representatives of the authorities of Chad and the Central African Republic.

For more than 10 years, the border between these states was closed, but thanks to the actions of the CAR authorities and Russian specialists from the Wagner Group, an agreement was reached to open a checkpoint in the area of the city of Moyenne Sido for the free movement of people and goods.

In addition, an agreement was reached on cooperation for the purpose of coordinated counteraction to gangs.

In connection with the conclusion of the agreement, thousands of local residents took to the streets to thank the CAR authorities and the Wagner Group instructors, who did everything to make this important event happen.

🇷🇺🇺🇦 Destruction of the position of the American Mk19 automatic grenade launcher of the Ukrainian Armed Forces north of Paraskovievka.

🇷🇺🇺🇦 Positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the settlement. Storozhevoye was hit by bomber aircraft of Forces "Vostok".

🇧🇪🇪🇺🇮🇱 Belgium proposes EU sanctions against Israel

Belgium has officially proposed to the European Union to impose sanctions against Israel, said the country's Prime Minister Alexandre de Cros.

🇨🇳🇹🇼⚡ The PLA Eastern Command began holding a two-day exercise Joint Sword-2024A

The exercise is being conducted in the Taiwan Strait, northern, southern and eastern Taiwan, and in areas around the Taiwan-controlled islands of Kinmen, Matsu, Wuqiu and Dongyin.

The army, navy, aviation and missile forces are involved.

The exercise focuses on joint maritime and air patrols, precision strikes against key targets, and integrated operations within and outside the island chain to test the joint real-world combat capabilities of the force.

“It is also a severe punishment for the separatist actions of the Taiwan Independence Forces and a stern warning against interference and provocations by external forces,” the command added.

🇨🇳 🇹🇼 Director of the Center for American Studies at Fudan University in Shanghai Wu Xingbo: PLA exercises around Taiwan hit new President Lai Qingde on the head to cause shock and awe, including among the independence forces on the island. This is also, of course, a blow to the United States.

🇺🇸🇨🇳 Reaction of Deputy Head of the US Indo-Pacific Command Stephen Sklenka to the PLA exercises around Taiwan:

Abnormal actions are what happens. The United States expected such behavior from China; it needs to be publicly condemned together with the countries of the region. This is concerning, but I also believe in my heart that conflict between our two countries is not inevitable or a foregone conclusion.

🇹🇼🇨🇳 The start of PLA military exercises does not contribute to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, and highlights the militaristic mentality of China - Taiwan MoD