Ukraine’s Air Force eight times strikes Russian positions in past day

"Ukrainian war pilots eight times struck enemy positions along the front lines.

That’s according to a morning update by the General Staff of the Armed Forces, Ukrinform reports.

"An enemy Mi-24 helicopter and four enemy UAVs were shot down (two reconnaissance UAVs, Orlan-10 and Zala, as well as two kamikaze drones of the Lancet type). During the day, rocket and artillery units struck four enemy clusters, two ammunition depots, and two more important military objects," military reports." Ukrin

US, France evacuate embassy personnel amid ongoing fighting in Sudan

"US troops swooped in on helicopters to evacuate embassy staff from Sudan's battle-torn
capital as other nations sought to help their citizens escape deadly fighting between rival generals.

France also launched evacuation operations from the northeast African nation, where fighting has entered its second week.

Ferocious battles between the Sudanese army and a paramilitary group -- which has seen fighter jets launch airstrikes and street fighting with tanks in densely populated Khartoum -- have killed more than 400 people and left thousands wounded." France24

Trump lays out timeline to end Ukraine conflict

"Former US president Donald Trump has promised to put a swift end to the bloodshed in
Ukraine should he be elected again in 2024. The Republican also trashed the incumbent Joe Biden’s foreign policy, claiming it has made the world a more dangerous place.

Trump said: “Before I even arrive at the Oval Office, shortly after we win the presidency, I will have the horrible war between Russia and Ukraine settled. I’ll get it settled very quickly.”

He went on to allege that other countries’ leaders have lost respect for the US under Biden’s leadership because of his allegedly poor handling of America’s foreign policy. To regain it, Trump argued, “you don’t need bullets, you don’t need tanks, you don’t need weapons of any kind, you just need some common sense.” RT

 

"Facebook censoring Seymour Hersh story

"Facebook is censoring a Seymour Hersh story which accuses the Ukrainian president of
embezzling funds by citing a pro-Ukraine ‘fact-checker’ which is partly funded by NATO. The Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist’s article, which is headlined ‘Trading With the Enemy’, alleges that Volodymyr Zelensky’s government has been “skimming untold millions from the American dollars earmarked for diesel fuel payments.” NW

Russian warplane accidentally bombs own city

"A Russian Sukhoi-34 fighter-jet has accidentally bombed the Russian city of Belgorod,
around 25 miles from the border with Ukraine. The bomb left a 60ft crater and caused an explosion so large it blew a car on to the roof of a nearby shop. Regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said authorities had ordered the evacuation of a damaged nine-storey block of flats as a precaution." BBC

Ukraine Receives Its First Patriot Missile Defense Systems

"Kiev received the Patriot air defense system from the US and Germany, Ukrainian Defense
Minister Oleksiy Reznikov confirmed on Twitter. While Kiev will only receive a limited number of advanced interceptors." ZeroHedge

Pakistan places first order for Russian oil

"Pakistan has placed its first ever order for Russian crude as it seeks cheaper energy options in
the face of macroeconomic challenges, the country’s petroleum minister, Musadik Malik, announced." RT

US urged Ukraine to withdraw from Artyomovsk – Pentagon leaks

"The US has reportedly been warning Kiev since January that its forces would not be able to hold on to the key Donbass city of Artyomovsk, known in Ukrainian as Bakhmut, and has repeatedly urged a withdrawal, The Washington Post reported on Thursday, citing leaked US intelligence documents." RT

About 20 Republicans called on Biden to end aid to Ukraine

"A group of Republicans prepared a joint letter to US President Joe Biden, in which they call
for an end to aid to Ukraine in the current format." As the war enters its second year, there is no end in sight and no clear strategy to bring this war to close. A proxy war with Russia in Ukraine is not in the interests of the United States and risks an escalation that could spiral out of control," the authors of the letter write." Pravada

Heavy fighting is continuing in the western parts of the city of Artemovsk

"There [in the western parts of Artyomovsk] the fierce fighting is continuing, and the Wagner
Group is advancing both day and night.

He added that the city should be restored once completely taken by the Russian forces.

The hotly contested Artemovsk, located north of the city of Donetsk, has been the center of hostilities between Russia and Ukraine for months now." Sputnik

Russian forces hit village in Kherson Oblast

"Russian military struck the village of Kizomys in Kherson Oblast on the afternoon of 20
April, killing one person." Pravada

US military drone spotted UFO over Middle East – Pentagon

"The Pentagon declassified a video shot by a US MQ-9 Reaper drone after it encountered an
unidentified flying object zooming over the Middle East. ......the first such encounter by an unmanned aircraft with what the military has renamed Unexplained Anomalous Phenomena (UAP)." RT

Russian drone attack on Odesa region: Air defense forces shoot down 10 out of 12 drones

"Russian troops attacked the Odesa region with Shahed-136/131 kamikaze drones with
Ukrainian defenders destroying 10 out of 12 UAVs." Ukrin

North Korea touts new spy satellite

"North Korea says it has completed work on its first reconnaissance satellite and is preparing
for its maiden launch, stressing the need to bolster its military capabilities amid continued threats from the US and South Korea." RT

Chinese Agents Arrested for ‘Operating a Police Station in the Middle of New York City’

"The U.S. Department of Justice announced the arrest of two individuals accused of establishing and operating an illegal Chinese regime police station in New York City.

Dozens of others, mostly Chinese nationals currently believed to be in China, are also facing charges of engaging in “transnational repression” against anti-communist dissidents based in the United States, stemming from accusations that the charged established an online army of fake social media accounts to harass and threaten the dissidents.

The arrests are the first in America since the revelation in September by the NGO Safeguard Defenders that China has established dozens of illegal police stations around the world in America, Canada, Japan, Brazil, and Spain, among other locations. The police stations were reportedly used to intimidate and silence dissidents or threaten Chinese nationals considered to dissent from Communist Party orthodoxy to return to China and face the brutal repressive apparatus there." Breitbart