The Russian Ambassador: Iraq is a major partner in the region

"The Russian ambassador to Iraq, Maksim Maksimov , confirmed that Iraq is a major partner in the region, while indicating that Russian companies are considering contributing to rebuilding its infrastructure." IraqiNewsAgency

Japan to Refrain From Imposing Embargo on Russian Coal

"The Japanese government will not ban Russian coal imports over recent developments in
Ukraine, Japanese newspaper The Mainichi reported on Thursday citing informed sources. According to the newspaper, Japan fears a price hike on this energy resource in case Russian coal is fully eliminated from the international market. Meanwhile, the news outlet noted that the amount of coal purchased by Japan from Russia accounts for 15% of the country's overall coal imports." Sputnik

Russian Black Sea Fleet Frigate Fired Kalibr Missiles at Military Facilities of Ukraine

"A frigate of the Russian Black Sea Fleet has hit military facilities of Ukraine with Kalibr
cruise missiles, the Russian defence ministry said on Thursday.

"The crew of the frigate of the Black Sea Fleet carried out a salvo launch of four Kalibr cruise missiles from the Black Sea at designated ground targets on the territory of Ukraine," the ministry said in a statement." Sputnik

Ukrainian Forces Fire Shells at Town North of Lugansk

"The Russian military and Donbass militias are tightening their encirclement around the
remaining Ukrainian radicals in Mariupol and preventing their evacuation from the city.

In total, since the beginning of the op, Russia has destroyed 125 Ukrainian planes, over 400 drones, 1,987 tanks and other armoured vehicles, and at least 1,888 special military vehicles, the Defence Ministry said." Sputnik

 

Russian Troops Blunder in Mali while helping hunt Terrorists in Africa

"Malian troops and suspected Russian fighters allegedly executed around 300 civilian men over five days during a military operation in a central Malian town in late March, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a report on Tuesday. FRANCE 24 terrorism expert Wassim Nasr gives his analysis, saying that this was a counter-jihadist operation sparked by bad intelligence. 

The alleged killings took place between March 27 and 31 in the town of Moura, a rural town of around 10,000 inhabitants in central Mali’s Mopti region, a hotspot of extremist activity that has intensified and spread to neighbouring countries in the Sahel region. Since many weeks the Malian military – helped with Russian elements – is trying to make a kind of surge in the central region of Mali.

The Malian army "based their operation there on bad information – or bad intelligence", Nasr explained. “I got to know that a member of the first circle of Mohamad Koufa, a prominent leader of al Qaeda there, was caught and brought into interrogation in [the Malian capital] Bamako – and actually this person gave some information, saying that Koufa could be in this region of Moura, which launched this operation with at least 100 Russian operatives backing the Malian army." France24

Turkey detonates stray naval mine in Black Sea amid Ukraine war

"Ukraine and Russia have accused each other of laying mines in the Black Sea, and in late
March, Turkish and Romanian military diving teams defused stray mines in their waters. 

Turkish military diving teams safely detonated a floating naval mine in the Black Sea, the defense ministry said on Wednesday, the third such mine found in its waters since the Ukraine war.

Maritime officials say the risk of coming across floating mines in the major Black Sea shipping route is adding to perils for merchant ships in the region, and governments must ensure safe passage to keep supply chains running." JP

Germany, France to expel dozens of Russian diplomats

"Dmitry Medvedev has promised a harsh reaction to the expulsion of Russian diplomats by
Western governments. 

“It will be symmetrical and destructive for bilateral relations,” Medvedev, who is deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, wrote on his Telegram channel.

He added that expelling diplomats as a means of pressure is a practice that is “senseless” and “leads nowhere”.Aljazeera

Russian troops 'raped two sisters aged 15 and 16 in occupied village where women resorted to cutting off their hair to 'be less attractive' to Putin's soldiers'

"Two teenage sisters were allegedly raped by Russian troops in a small village outside Kyiv
which was brutally occupied by Putin's forces for as month, its deputy mayor has claimed....that girls restored to cutting their hair 'to be less attractive' after Kremlin troops pulled women by their hair out of their basements to be abused." DailyMail

Dutch customs authorities seize 14 Russian yachts

"Dutch customs authorities have placed 14 yachts owned by Russians under “strict
supervision.”

This includes 12 yachts under construction — including superyachts — and two yachts under maintenance at Dutch yacht builders. The bold move follows an investigation into shipyards in the Netherlands carried out by the customs authorities. It found that the shipyards are still cooperating with the construction of the yachts, despite the major sanctions." DutchReview

 

The Washington Post Finally Admits The Role of the Azov Battalion in Ukraine

"After months of denying the influence of Neo Nazis in Ukraine’s military, the Washington
Post has finally conceded the point – long blasted as “conspiracy theory” or “Kremlin disinformation” – about the nation’s Azov battalion.....Washington Post explains in its headline: “Azov Battalion emerges as a controversial defender of Ukraine.”...the paper interviewed Col. Andriy Biletskiy – co-founder and commander of Azov who is on the record as wanting to “lead the white races of the world in a final crusade … against Semite-led Untermenschen [subhumans]…” NationalPulse

 

U.S. Slaps Sanctions on Putin's Daughters

"The new sanctions targeted Maria Vorontsova and Katerina Tikhonova, two adult daughters
of Putin's with his former wife Lyudmila Shkrebneva." MT

Ukrainian Citizens Say ‘Fascist’ Neo-Nazi Azov Brigade ‘Only Shoot Civilians’

"Lancaster is one of the few English-speaking reporters covering the war while traveling with
the DPR and LPR rebels and Russian troops, but he encourages people to follow journalists on both sides.

A report uploaded Tuesday shows citizens of Mariupol describing a nearby factory said to be occupied by the infamous Azov Brigade, a neo-Nazi outfit fighting with the Ukrainian military.

One man said he was almost hit twice by a sniper, and declared, “Azov”, when asked who the sniper was fighting for.

After Lancaster suggested the sniper may have thought he was in the military, the man explained he was wearing the clothes seen in the video and that “they shoot at civilians.”

“They don’t shoot military, only civilians,” the man added. “They eliminate civilians. They are actual fascists.”

Another man interviewed by Lancaster echoed the theory that the snipers in the neighborhood are “Nazi guys”, saying, “Ukrainian Nazis are shooting, they just kill people. They kill civilians, women, men, everybody.” IW

Russia-Ukraine war: Pope, holding Ukrainian flag, condemns Bucha killing

"Pope Francis on Wednesday condemned Bucha killing and held up a Ukrainian flag sent to him from the town where tied bodies shot at close range, a mass grave and other signs of executions were found." WION

Czech Republic Becomes First NATO Country to Ship Tanks to Ukraine: Reports

"Following repeated calls for heavy armaments from Ukrainian President Volodymyr
Zelensky, the Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, is claimed to have sent Soviet-era tanks and other infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine to bolster their efforts against the renewed invasion by Vladimir Putin’s Russia." Breitbart

'Basically Terror Attack': Russian Envoy Slams Car Ramming of Embassy in Romania

"The incident comes amid escalating tensions between Moscow and Bucharest, after Romania
announced the expulsion of 10 Russian diplomats earlier this week.

The Russian diplomatic mission in Romania on Wednesday confirmed that a car crashed into the gates of the facility, noting that the driver was deliberately trying to ram the entrance. The embassy stressed that the attempt was a result of the anti-Russian hysteria, triggered by the provocation of Ukrainian forces in Bucha near Kiev." Sputnik