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The Special Purpose Center Omega of the National Guard of Ukraine has received Novator armored vehicles, specially tailored for rapid response units operating in high-threat areas
The newly delivered Novator armored vehicles, produced by Ukrainian Armor, have strengthened Omega’s frontline units. While the exact number and configuration of the vehicles remain undisclosed, it is believed that the transfer includes an upgraded version of the base model.

According to Omega operators, these vehicles are designed specifically for rapid reaction missions and are equipped accordingly. Visual evidence shows that the Novators feature an armored machine gun turret, intended to provide direct fire support and engage targets in active combat zones. Notably, one of the vehicles was also seen equipped with an electronic warfare (EW) system mounted at the rear, used to counter enemy drones, except those guided by inertial or fiber-optic navigation.

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The Special Purpose Center Omega of the National Guard of Ukraine has received Novator armored vehicles, specially tailored for rapid response units operating in high-threat areas
The newly delivered Novator armored vehicles, produced by Ukrainian Armor, have strengthened Omega’s frontline units. While the exact number and configuration of the vehicles remain undisclosed, it is believed that the transfer includes an upgraded version of the base model.

According to Omega operators, these vehicles are designed specifically for rapid reaction missions and are equipped accordingly. Visual evidence shows that the Novators feature an armored machine gun turret, intended to provide direct fire support and engage targets in active combat zones. Notably, one of the vehicles was also seen equipped with an electronic warfare (EW) system mounted at the rear, used to counter enemy drones, except those guided by inertial or fiber-optic navigation.

Ukrainian Novator Armored Vehicles Reinforce Omega Special Forces on the Hottest Frontlines | Defense Express https://share.google/gdxsD6NgZr3kvzMG5

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Trump’s constructive role at the Nato summit stems partly from his realisation that Putin is neither a partner.

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Ukrainian artillery struck a convoy of Russian equipment & infantry with cluster munitions. TIVAZ Division Telegram channel said video of strike. A drone from aerial reconnaissance unit detected the drone then adjusted artillery fire onto the enemy vehicles & personnel.
https://militarnyi.com/en/news/ukrainian...munitions/

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One of Ukraine’s most decorated soldiers has developed an armoured combat suit
(Is this? it's very heavy suit?), to protect troops from drone attacks. Major Oleh Shyriaiev, who was recently granted the highest military title of Hero of Ukraine, said he designed the outfit to be shrapnel resistant to save more lives.
Here, such suit uses a combination of kevlar, a heat-resistant synthetic fibre that was originally used as a replacement for steel racing tyres, other materials that have ability absorb the impact of shrapnel. Kevlar is not as effective at stopping bullets as the ceramic plates often used in traditional body armour. However, it lighter & provides good protection against shrapnel, which has become main battlefield threat b'cus of proliferation of drones. Major Shyriaiev said his experience of drone warfare prompted him to design the suit.

He said: “The idea of these armoured overalls was my initiative and is something that hasn’t existed before.
“Reason for thinking about drones. When an enemy of a drone drops a grenade or explosive device, whether it hits a soldier or group of soldiers, shrapnel & ballistic powder flying around, have different starting velocities and weight. “Russia is working at a fairly brisk tempo in developing using unmanned systems so we need to anticipate that. “We working & developing this idea, addition to bullet proof vests and helmets, the overalls will be made from so called ‘armoured fabric’ that stop shrapnel of certain sizes penetrating the material.”

He explained that the new overalls need to provide “maximum possible protection” for the body, and that they include reinforced elbow, knee and ankle protection. Designers are also looking into how they can make shoes with insoles that are resistant to the kind of impacts seen on the battlefield.
Militaries rarely use fully armoured suits outside of specialised units such as bomb disposal because of the impact on mobility risk of overheating. Russian special forces units have occasionally been seen in protective overalls for tasks such as anti-terror raids. Traditional bulletproof vests can be removed when mobility is a greater priority than protection, such as on long marches onto the battlefield.

They provide some blast protection, but are chiefly designed to carry heavy plates that protect vital organs from bullets. The move to integrate armour into clothing reflects the fact that the war in Ukraine has become largely static. Troops remain in the same position for long periods of time and the main threat is from drone and artillery blasts, not small arms fire. Major Shyriaiev was awarded the Hero of Ukraine – the highest award that can be conferred on a citizen by the president – after taking part in the summer 2024 incursion into Russia’s Kursk region. How armoured overalls could help save Ukrainian soldiers’ lives https://share.google/CZpVEffYGggGk0IuE

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Slovak supply 11 units of MiG-29 fleet consists of: 9 MiG-29AS & 2 MiG-29UBS is an upgrade of Soviet fighter for Warsaw. Pact countries) Ukraine used to attack now go on to destroys russian Drone Repair Base With U S. Make GBU-39 Bombs. With U.S.-made GBU-39 precision bombs, Ukrainian jet obliterated russian UAV repair facility in the south. Ukrainian aviation successfully targeted & destroyed russian drone repair facility south of Ukraine, dealing another blow to logistics op capabilities of russian unmanned aerial systems, strike was carried out by Ukrainian Air Force in cooperation w/aerial reconnaissance specialists from Flying Skull unit of Unmanned Systems Forces.  Monday, June 30, Flying Skull unit published footage of showcasing the destruction of russian facility used for servicing & maintaining military drones. 

Unit's report, Ukrainian Air Force dropped U.S.-supplied GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs target & bombs, known for their high precision extended range, caused devastating damage to russian-held buildings. "Enemy set up a drone repair base in South. Unit tracked, so Ukraine using MiG-29 to eliminated it with 3 GBU-39 bombs. No remnants, no chance," Video caption to the video stated. Successful operation highlights Ukraine's growing ability to detect, strike high-value russian targets behind the front lines. Such russian drone repair bases have all the time is essential to maintain tempo of UAV op, especially as both reconnaissance and kamikaze drones are used intensively in frontline and deep strike roles the U.S. make GBU-39 bombs demonstrates not only integration of Western weaponry into Ukraine's existing Soviet-era MiG-29 aircraft, but also how Ukraine is combining precision strikes with real-time intelligence from drone and reconnaissance units. 

Synergy strike aircraft & UAV spotters has become a critical element in modern Ukrainian op. As previously reported, the Ukrainian Air Force pilot, known by the callsign Denfix, intercepted & destroyed russian Shahed-type drone during a nighttime mission drone was neutralized with an air-to-air missile launched from the MiG-29 fighter jet. Video interception was published by West Air Command, Ukrainian Air Force shows precise engagement took place under limited visibility conditions, typical of nighttime drone operations.

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https://youtu.be/eWBIPfBjmbI?si=x_LXs8tdn-CmT-YV

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Azerbaijan detains alleged Russian spies as relations with Moscow nosedive

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Azerbaijan detains alleged Russian spies as relations with Moscow nosedive

Azerbaijani police detained two alleged agents of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) on June 30 following searches at the Baku office of the Russian state-controlled news agency Sputnik, the Azerbaijani news outlet Apa.az reported. Sputnik later elaborated that Igor Kartavykh, chief editor of Sputnik Azerbaijan, and Yevgeniy Belousov, managing editor, had been detained in Baku. The agency called the allegations that the detainees were FSB agents "absurd." The move comes amid a major deterioration in Russian-Azerbaijani relations that followed the detention of over 50 Azerbaijanis as part of a murder investigation in Yekaterinburg on June 27. Two people died during the detentions, and three others were seriously injured.

The searches in the office of the Russian propaganda media outlet, which operates as a local branch of Russian state news agency Russia Today (RT), began on June 30. The Russian propagandist Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of Russia Today, said that representatives of the Russian embassy in Baku were on their way to Sputnik's office. Sputnik employees were offline and probably did not have access to phones, she added. According to Simonyan, some of Sputnik's employees were Russian citizens. Azerbaijani govt ordered in February that the activities of Sputnik's Azerbaijani office be suspended. The authorities said that the move was intended to ensure parity in the activities of Azerbaijan's state media abroad and foreign journalists in the country. This meant that the number of Sputnik Azerbaijan journalists working in Baku was to be equal to the number of journalists of the Azerbaijani news agency Azertadzh in Russia.

As a result, Sputnik Azerbaijan had to reduce its staff from 40 people to one but refused to do so and continued to operate despite the Azerbaijani government's decision, according to Apa.az. As the Russian-Azerbaijani relations deteriorate, Azerbaijan has cancelled all planned cultural events hosted alongside Russian state and private organizations, the country's Culture Ministry announced on June 29. Announcement followed  deaths of two Azerbaijani citizens during police raids in Russian city of Yekaterinburg. Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry said on June 28 that Ziyaddin & Huseyn Safarov had died during a raid carried out by Russian authorities. Azerbaijan called killings "ethnically motivated" and "unlawful" actions. Baku called for the perpetrators to be brought to justice and said it expected Moscow to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the incident. In meantime, Russian Foreign Ministry said detentions were carried out as part investigation into serious crimes. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova claimed that these were cases related to murders committed in 2001, 2010, and 2011.

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Azerbaijan detains alleged Russian spies as relations with Moscow nosedive

Ankara, July 2, AZERTAC


Türkiye’s NTV TV channel has aired a report highlighting the ongoing investigation into the crash of a civilian aircraft belonging to Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) near Aktau. NTV’s multi-million viewer audience was informed about reports from various media outlets regarding an audio recording, as well as an explanatory report addressed to one of the Russian officers who gave order to shoot down a civilian aircraft on December 25, 2024. TV channel recalled 38 were killed, another 29 were injured as a result of the shooting down of the Azerbaijani plane.

Report included remarks by President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev regarding the AZAL plane crash, his demand to bring the perpetrators to criminal accountability, and his call for the payment of compensation. The NTV channel also paid special attention to tension caused by the illegal actions of Russian law enforcement officers against ethnic Azerbaijanis in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg.

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Ankara, July 2, AZERTAC


Türkiye’s NTV TV channel has aired a report highlighting the ongoing investigation into the crash of a civilian aircraft belonging to Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) near Aktau. NTV’s multi-million viewer audience was informed about reports from various media outlets regarding an audio recording, as well as an explanatory report addressed to one of the Russian officers who gave order to shoot down a civilian aircraft on December 25, 2024. TV channel recalled 38 were killed, another 29 were injured as a result of the shooting down of the Azerbaijani plane.

Report included remarks by President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev regarding the AZAL plane crash, his demand to bring the perpetrators to criminal accountability, and his call for the payment of compensation. The NTV channel also paid special attention to tension caused by the illegal actions of Russian law enforcement officers against ethnic Azerbaijanis in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg.

On July 17, 2014, a Malaysian Airlines Boeing 777, travelling from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was hit by a Russian-made BUK surface-to-air missile over eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region, where pro-Russian separatists were fighting Ukrainian forces. 

Russia must assume responsibility for MH17 downing: UN aviation Agency. Russia must pay damages for the downing of a Malaysian airliner over Ukraine in 2014, the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) says.

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On July 17, 2014, a Malaysian Airlines Boeing 777, travelling from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was hit by a Russian-made BUK surface-to-air missile over eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region, where pro-Russian separatists were fighting Ukrainian forces. 

Russia must assume responsibility for MH17 downing: UN aviation Agency. Russia must pay damages for the downing of a Malaysian airliner over Ukraine in 2014, the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) says.

The United Nations aviation agency has said Russia was responsible for the downing of a Malaysian airliner over Ukraine in 2014 that killed all 298 passengers and crew. With 38 Australian citizens and 196 Dutch citizens on board the aircraft when it was downed, the two governments called on Russia to take responsibility for the incident and pay damages. However, Russia has consistently denied any involvement in the downing of the plane. Late on Monday, the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) said Australia and the Netherlands’ claims over the shooting down of flight MH17 were “well-founded in fact and in law”.

“The Russian Federation failed to uphold its obligations under international air law in the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17,” the agency said in a statement. According to international air law, a distinction must be made between military aircraft and commercial or other aircraft during warfare. However, Moscow rejected the aviation body’s findings on Tuesday.

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Russia’s sending 110,000 soldiers to be a folders to be kill this summer offensive in eastern Ukraine, enemy launched back in May, is showing battlefield gains and lose across multiple fronts. 

The playbook is to use probing and attacking tactics with small, fast-moving units as fighting escalates daily. With its advance, by Ukraine has shifted the advantage on the battlefield. In May, Russian/Ukraine forces seized roughly 170 square miles, April’s. Most came south of Kostyantynivka, in the Donetsk region, and near the Russian border in the northern Sumy region. Both sides have turned to new tactics using motorcycles & used of western airplane like f-16, while russiaa used civilian cars to quickly cross open terrain. Ukraine, relies heavily on drones to hold its positions, is using civilian vehicles to resupply its defensive lines, while Russia uses them in assaults. The fighting is intensifying even as cease-fire talks have mostly stalled.

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Russia’s sending 110,000 soldiers to be a folders to be kill this summer offensive in eastern Ukraine, enemy launched back in May, is showing battlefield gains and lose across multiple fronts. 

The playbook is to use probing and attacking tactics with small, fast-moving units as fighting escalates daily. With its advance, by Ukraine has shifted the advantage on the battlefield. In May, Russian/Ukraine forces seized roughly 170 square miles, April’s. Most came south of Kostyantynivka, in the Donetsk region, and near the Russian border in the northern Sumy region. Both sides have turned to new tactics using motorcycles & used of western airplane like f-16, while russiaa used civilian cars to quickly cross open terrain. Ukraine, relies heavily on drones to hold its positions, is using civilian vehicles to resupply its defensive lines, while Russia uses them in assaults. The fighting is intensifying even as cease-fire talks have mostly stalled.

https://youtu.be/aF7Bw4lndxE?si=e9dgaHt_drkEYMz3

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https://kyivindependent.com/deputy-head-...s-06-2025/

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Ukraine confirmed strikes on the Energia factory in Russia's Lipetsk Oblast overnight on July 3, a facility that produces components for missiles and drones, including batteries for the Iskander missile system and cruise missiles attack on the Energia plant in the city of Yelets was first reported by Lipetsk Governor said a fire broke out at facility after a drone strike, and residents reported multiple explosions. Employees in nearby workshops were evacuated. No casualties have been reported. Residents of Yelets were reporting multiple explosions, Russian Telegram news channel Astra.
https://kyivindependent.com/deputy-head-...s-06-2025/

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Russia’s sending 110,000 soldiers to be a folders to be kill this summer offensive in eastern Ukraine, enemy launched back in May, is showing battlefield gains and lose across multiple fronts. 

The playbook is to use probing and attacking.
All kind od tactics from small, fast-moving units as fighting escalates daily. With its advance, by Ukraine has shifted the advantage on the battlefield. In May, Russian/Ukraine forces seized roughly 170 square miles, April’s. Most came south of Kostyantynivka, in the Donetsk region, and near the Russian border in the northern Sumy region. Both sides have turned to new tactics using motorcycles & used of western airplane like f-16, while russiaa used civilian cars to quickly cross open terrain. Ukraine, relies heavily on drones to hold its positions, is using civilian vehicles to resupply its defensive lines, while Russia uses them in assaults. The fighting is intensifying even as cease-fire talks have mostly stalled.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/ukrai...80896.html

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Ukraine confirmed strikes on the Energia factory in Russia's Lipetsk Oblast overnight on July 3, a facility that produces components for missiles and drones, including batteries for the Iskander missile system and cruise missiles attack on the Energia plant in the city of Yelets was first reported by Lipetsk Governor said a fire broke out at facility after a drone strike, and residents reported multiple explosions. Employees in nearby workshops were evacuated. No casualties have been reported. Residents of Yelets were reporting multiple explosions, Russian Telegram news channel Astra.
https://kyivindependent.com/deputy-head-...s-06-2025/

An emboldened Russia has ramped up military offensives on two fronts in Ukraine, scattering Kyiv’s precious reserve troops and threatening to expand the fighting to a new Ukrainian region as each side seeks an advantage before the fighting season wanes in the autumn.

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Russia’s sending 110,000 soldiers to be a folders to be kill this summer offensive in eastern Ukraine, enemy launched back in May, is showing battlefield gains and lose across multiple fronts. 

The playbook is to use probing and attacking tactics with small, fast-moving units as fighting escalates daily. With its advance, by Ukraine has shifted the advantage on the battlefield. In May, Russian/Ukraine forces seized roughly 170 square miles, April’s. Most came south of Kostyantynivka, in the Donetsk region, and near the Russian border in the northern Sumy region. Both sides have turned to new tactics using motorcycles & used of western airplane like f-16, while russiaa used civilian cars to quickly cross open terrain. Ukraine, relies heavily on drones to hold its positions, is using civilian vehicles to resupply its defensive lines, while Russia uses them in assaults. The fighting is intensifying even as cease-fire talks have mostly stalled.

“The best-case scenario for Ukraine," said Russian-British military historian Sergey Radchenko, "is that they’re able to stall or stop the Russian advance" in the Ukrainian industrial heartland known as Donbas, which includes the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Then Ukraine could "use that as the basis for a ceasefire agreement.”

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Russia’s sending 110,000 soldiers tobe kill as folders this summer in eastern front showing losses of enemy soldiers across fronts. 
The playbook is to use probing and attacking tactics with small, fast-moving units as fighting escalates daily. With its advance, by Ukraine has shifted the advantage on the battlefield. In May, most came south of Kostyantynivka, and near the Russian border in the northern Sumy region. Both sides have turned to new tactics using motorcycles & used of western airplane like f-16, while russiaa used civilian cars to quickly cross open terrain. Ukraine, relies heavily on drones to hold its positions, is using civilian vehicles to resupply its defensive lines, while Russia uses them in assaults. The fighting is intensifying even as cease-fire talks have mostly stalled.

https://youtu.be/amRu0zguwhY?si=YFraAj_t3AM-ZgSd

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https://youtu.be/amRu0zguwhY?si=YFraAj_t3AM-ZgSd

https://youtu.be/amRu0zguwhY?si=swQPkOjIhaz3TEAP

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https://youtu.be/amRu0zguwhY?si=YFraAj_t3AM-ZgSd

NATO should not depend on this U.S.A. Trump (he is siding with PUTIN) for their weapon at least during his this term. Nato should plan for their long term with WW3 nearer in years 2029 to 2032.

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NATO should not depend on this U.S.A. Trump (he is siding with PUTIN) for their weapon at least during his this term. Nato should plan for their long term with WW3 nearer in years 2029 to 2032.

https://youtu.be/amRu0zguwhY?si=LAoNI5f6qoEsj3Ti
You can see here in this video!. 

The Russian commander  is killed, as he keep sending such soldiers from 100,000 and many more like in this photo here.

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Germany must not depend on this Trump’s anymore, he is playing, he's not constructive in his role at Nato summit. The reason is 100$, 100%. I am very sure myselfl. He use to f... & stems partly from himself. He's siding with PUTIN. A U.S.A. Seow Trump is addicted now, he realization that Putin is also his & is a partner who is a dictator. This Ukraine war after Putin invasion of Ukraine in Feb year 2022 N Seow mad Trump is still continue to support a diderter.. whose used to support Ukraine by Joe Biden...

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz signaled openness to lifting former Chancellor Olaf Scholz's ban on missiles. Stance now included join producing of long-range missiles resulted in a policy shift. Also Ukraine already not only received long-range missiles — like ATACMS, also Storm Shadow and SCALP from U.K. and France. Now Ukraine is w/help from Germany, the Ukraine are making own drones that can separating or distinguishing hit thing from another, often with precision exactness reaching
upto 3,000 km). Comparing between the Ukraine to Israel. I thinking Israel has a better system of better changes then the Ukraine in intelligence information their agents to get or recollect their info into their small, small computer. When come to sending and or as far as to forward the agents warfare, must be up fast real fast and must be accurate to last minute.

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German Chancellor Friedrich Merz signaled openness to lifting former Chancellor Olaf Scholz's ban on missiles. Stance now included join producing of long-range missiles resulted in a policy shift. Also Ukraine already not only received long-range missiles — like ATACMS, also Storm Shadow and SCALP from U.K. and France. Now Ukraine is w/help from Germany, the Ukraine are making own drones that can separating or distinguishing hit thing from another, often with precision exactness reaching upto 3,000 km). Comparing between the Ukraine to Israel. I thinking Israel has a better system of better changes then the Ukraine in intelligence information their agents to get or recollect their info into their small, small computer. When come to sending and or as far as to forward the agents warfare, must be up fast real fast and must be accurate to last minute.

Zelensky, Ting Tong Trump discuss air defense?, and joint drone production amid Russian strikes.  one or the other one is crazy. (I thinking so).

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Zelensky, Ting Tong Trump discuss air defense?, and joint drone production amid Russian strikes.  one or the other one is crazy. (I thinking so).

President Zelensky & U.S. President Donald Trump held a phone conversation on July 4, agreeing to strengthen Ukraine's air defenses?, Zelensky announced on Telegram, all came as Russia escalated its aerial campaign across Ukraine, including an overnight July 4 attack that struck Kyiv and several other regions, injuring@least 23 civilians & sparking dozens of fires in capital. "We discussed situation: Enemy air strikes &, more broadly, situation on front lines. Trump is very well informed," Zelensky said. "We discussed air defense options, agreed to work on increasing airspace protection. We agreed on meeting between our teams."

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President Zelensky & with U.S. President Donald Trump held a a hour phone conversation on July 4, agreeing to strengthen Ukraine's.

Zelensky announced on Telegram, all came after Russia Putin escalated its aerial campaign across Ukraine, including an overnight July 4 attack that struck Kyiv & many other regions. "We discussed situation: like how to enemy using air strikes & many more broadly situation on front lines. Trump is very well informed," Zelensky said. "We discussed all under the Sun. We agreed meeting between our taem and continue to meet."

All is waiting something to happene.
https://youtu.be/6e_8saeGHQc?si=9-Uc64-ilhHMLfSX

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https://youtu.be/6e_8saeGHQc?si=_cAQ3efrA4AQr9An

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Azerbaijani police detained two alleged agents of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) on June 30 following searches at the Baku office of the Russian state-controlled news agency Sputnik, the Azerbaijani news outlet Apa.az reported. Sputnik later elaborated that Igor Kartavykh, chief editor of Sputnik Azerbaijan, and Yevgeniy Belousov, managing editor, had been detained in Baku. The agency called the allegations that the detainees were FSB agents "absurd." The move comes amid a major deterioration in Russian-Azerbaijani relations that followed the detention of over 50 Azerbaijanis as part of a murder investigation in Yekaterinburg on June 27. Two people died during the detentions, and three others were seriously injured.

The searches in the office of the Russian propaganda media outlet, which operates as a local branch of Russian state news agency Russia Today (RT), began on June 30. The Russian propagandist Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of Russia Today, said that representatives of the Russian embassy in Baku were on their way to Sputnik's office. Sputnik employees were offline and probably did not have access to phones, she added. According to Simonyan, some of Sputnik's employees were Russian citizens. Azerbaijani govt ordered in February that the activities of Sputnik's Azerbaijani office be suspended. The authorities said that the move was intended to ensure parity in the activities of Azerbaijan's state media abroad and foreign journalists in the country. This meant that the number of Sputnik Azerbaijan journalists working in Baku was to be equal to the number of journalists of the Azerbaijani news agency Azertadzh in Russia.

As a result, Sputnik Azerbaijan had to reduce its staff from 40 people to one but refused to do so and continued to operate despite the Azerbaijani government's decision, according to Apa.az. As the Russian-Azerbaijani relations deteriorate, Azerbaijan has cancelled all planned cultural events hosted alongside Russian state and private organizations, the country's Culture Ministry announced on June 29. Announcement followed  deaths of two Azerbaijani citizens during police raids in Russian city of Yekaterinburg. Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry said on June 28 that Ziyaddin & Huseyn Safarov had died during a raid carried out by Russian authorities. Azerbaijan called killings "ethnically motivated" and "unlawful" actions. Baku called for the perpetrators to be brought to justice and said it expected Moscow to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the incident. In meantime, Russian Foreign Ministry said detentions were carried out as part investigation into serious crimes. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova claimed that these were cases related to murders committed in 2001, 2010, and 2011.

Azerbaijan is openly challenging Russia’s influence, dismantling cultural ties & arresting Russian journalists, what it calls a crackdown on foreign interference. 

Once a close partner of Kremlin, Baku now presents itself as a regional actor no longer willing to tolerate what it sees as Russian manipulation, signaling a deeper shift that could redraw alliances in the post-Soviet space.


Azerbaijan’s recent moves amount to a full-blown political rupture. Russian cultural events in Baku have been cancelled. A planned visit by Russia’s deputy culture minister was abruptly scrapped. Seven Russian journalists, most working for Sputnik and Ruptly, were arrested and accused of being foreign agents. According to Azerbaijani officials, these individuals were either gathering intelligence or shaping narratives to serve Kremlin interests. Russia denies this, calling them legitimate journalists, but the clash did not come out of nowhere. Russian police recently raided Azerbaijani-run businesses and marketplaces in Yekaterinburg, Voronezh, & other cities, with Russian law enforcement describing raids as part of a long-overdue effort to dismantle ethnic organized crime networks. 

1. However soon after, multiple Azerbaijani detainees died in Russian custody, from heart failure or embolisms. Azerbaijani media & the victims’ families accused the Russian police of torture. But this is not just about the dead; it is what they represent. For Azerbaijan, this became the final straw, an excuse to accelerate a break been in the making for a long time. The response was swift and public. Azerbaijani state television aired segments comparing Putin to Stalin, echoed across social media, official statements, & cultural commentary. The arrests of Sputnik journalists were not just retaliation; they were a signal that Baku no longer sees Russian media influence as tolerable. Regardless of whether these Russian journalists were spies or not, their license to operate had been revoked since February already, as Azerbaijan is actively reclaiming its narrative space. The presence of Russian state media has long shaped public opinion and influenced election outcomes in neighboring states, making its removal not just symbolic but strategically significant for Baku. Russian officials have called Baku’s crackdown a form of genocide and framed it as Russophobia, echoing long-standing Kremlin narratives that portray any resistance to Russian influence as ethnic or cultural persecution.
   

This hard pivot has a long runway: for years, * Azerbaijan has been moving westward. It buys military equipment from Turkey and other NATO-linked suppliers. It fought the 2020 Second Nagorno-Karabakh War against Russia’s former ally, Armenia, and its 2023 offensive further pushed the limits of Moscow’s ability to intervene in the southern Caucasus. And it is not just military moves, Baku has also cultivated quiet ties with Ukraine, supplying fuel and, through third parties, weapons. During the Russian police raids and Azerbaijani response, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky even called his Azerbaijani counterpart, Ilham Aliyev, to express his support against Russian interference in Azerbaijan. It was a small gesture with big implications: Kyiv sees Baku as a partner in undermining Russia’s grip on its neighbors, preventing millions from choosing their own path forward.

Russia appears overstretched: the war in Ukraine continues to demand their full attention, resulting in its geopolitical influence slipping through their fingers. In Central Asia, the South Caucasus, and even other parts of Eastern Europe, former allies are increasingly asserting their own paths. Azerbaijan’s actions are part of that larger story, as ten years ago, open defiance, targeting Russian narratives, and rejecting cultural diplomacy would have been unthinkable; however, now they are being implemented as necessary self-defense. With U.S. President Donald Trump recently revealing that Russian territorial ambitions extend far beyond just Ukraine, Azerbaijan’s decision to cut ties now is preemptive. Notably, Russian media is now already questioning the legitimacy of Azerbaijani statehood while trying to fuel ethnic tensions among Azerbaijani minorities. If the war in Ukraine ends, Russia may likely seek to reassert itself somewhere else; for Azerbaijan, drawing a line early is a way of...

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Azerbaijan is openly challenging Russia’s influence, dismantling cultural ties & arresting Russian journalists, what it calls a crackdown on foreign interference. 

Once a close partner of Kremlin, Baku now presents itself as a regional actor no longer willing to tolerate what it sees as Russian manipulation, signaling a deeper shift that could redraw alliances in the post-Soviet space.


Azerbaijan’s recent moves amount to a full-blown political rupture. Russian cultural events in Baku have been cancelled. A planned visit by Russia’s deputy culture minister was abruptly scrapped. Seven Russian journalists, most working for Sputnik and Ruptly, were arrested and accused of being foreign agents. According to Azerbaijani officials, these individuals were either gathering intelligence or shaping narratives to serve Kremlin interests. Russia denies this, calling them legitimate journalists, but the clash did not come out of nowhere. Russian police recently raided Azerbaijani-run businesses and marketplaces in Yekaterinburg, Voronezh, & other cities, with Russian law enforcement describing raids as part of a long-overdue effort to dismantle ethnic organized crime networks. 

1. However soon after, multiple Azerbaijani detainees died in Russian custody, from heart failure or embolisms. Azerbaijani media & the victims’ families accused the Russian police of torture. But this is not just about the dead; it is what they represent. For Azerbaijan, this became the final straw, an excuse to accelerate a break been in the making for a long time. The response was swift and public. Azerbaijani state television aired segments comparing Putin to Stalin, echoed across social media, official statements, & cultural commentary. The arrests of Sputnik journalists were not just retaliation; they were a signal that Baku no longer sees Russian media influence as tolerable. Regardless of whether these Russian journalists were spies or not, their license to operate had been revoked since February already, as Azerbaijan is actively reclaiming its narrative space. The presence of Russian state media has long shaped public opinion and influenced election outcomes in neighboring states, making its removal not just symbolic but strategically significant for Baku. Russian officials have called Baku’s crackdown a form of genocide and framed it as Russophobia, echoing long-standing Kremlin narratives that portray any resistance to Russian influence as ethnic or cultural persecution.
   

This hard pivot has a long runway: for years, * Azerbaijan has been moving westward. It buys military equipment from Turkey and other NATO-linked suppliers. It fought the 2020 Second Nagorno-Karabakh War against Russia’s former ally, Armenia, and its 2023 offensive further pushed the limits of Moscow’s ability to intervene in the southern Caucasus. And it is not just military moves, Baku has also cultivated quiet ties with Ukraine, supplying fuel and, through third parties, weapons. During the Russian police raids and Azerbaijani response, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky even called his Azerbaijani counterpart, Ilham Aliyev, to express his support against Russian interference in Azerbaijan. It was a small gesture with big implications: Kyiv sees Baku as a partner in undermining Russia’s grip on its neighbors, preventing millions from choosing their own path forward.

Russia appears overstretched: the war in Ukraine continues to demand their full attention, resulting in its geopolitical influence slipping through their fingers. In Central Asia, the South Caucasus, and even other parts of Eastern Europe, former allies are increasingly asserting their own paths. Azerbaijan’s actions are part of that larger story, as ten years ago, open defiance, targeting Russian narratives, and rejecting cultural diplomacy would have been unthinkable; however, now they are being implemented as necessary self-defense. With U.S. President Donald Trump recently revealing that Russian territorial ambitions extend far beyond just Ukraine, Azerbaijan’s decision to cut ties now is preemptive. Notably, Russian media is now already questioning the legitimacy of Azerbaijani statehood while trying to fuel ethnic tensions among Azerbaijani minorities. If the war in Ukraine ends, Russia may likely seek to reassert itself somewhere else; for Azerbaijan, drawing a line early is a way of...

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