August 12 is Russian Aerospace Forces Day. In light of the critical role played by Russian air power in the military operations in Ukraine, Sputnik decided to reach out to retired US Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Karen Kwiatkowski for her take on the conflict, and what the Pentagon got dead wrong in its assessment of Russian capabilities.
Saturday marks the 111th anniversary of the August 12, 1912 order establishing the Imperial Russian Air Service as a separate branch of the armed forces. In the century-plus since, Russia’s air forces have faced multiple reorganizations, and been known by multiple names, from the Soviet Air Forces (1918-1991) to the Russian Air Force (1992) and finally the Russian Aerospace Forces (2015 on). But throughout, its mission remained the same – to defend the nation’s airspace and provide ground support for the Army.
From the very beginning of the escalation of the Donbass crisis into a full-blown Russia-NATO proxy war in Ukraine in February 2022, the Aerospace Forces have played a key role in Russian offensive and defensive operations......more below
Niger has threatened legal action against Orano after allegedly finding 400 barrels of harmful radioactive core materials near a uranium site
Niger’s military government has accused French state nuclear group Orano of “radioactive pollution” and “predatory behavior” after officials said they found hundreds of barrels of radioactive waste abandoned near a former uranium site in the north of the country.
The Mining Ministry said inspectors discovered about 400 barrels of dangerously high levels of radioactive core materials at Madaouela, close to the uranium hub of Arlit, where Orano used to operate. Local measurements reportedly peaked at 10 microsieverts per hour, compared with a normal level of 0.5. Authorities also said tests found harmful substances capable of causing respiratory disorders.
Niger’s justice minister, Alio Daouda, told reporters on Tuesday that the company will face legal proceedings for “mass crimes,” including harm to the environment, public health,...
Sofia Lyskun cited political pressure to cut ties with Russia as among the reasons for her decision
European diving champion Sofia Lyskun has renounced her Ukrainian citizenship and obtained a Russian passport, citing political pressure in Ukraine to cut ties with Russia. The head of Ukraine’s National Olympic Committee, Vadim Guttsait, called her decision a “betrayal.”
A four-time European champion and two-time Olympian, Lyskun claimed she was repeatedly reprimanded for staying in touch with her first coach, who had relocated to Moscow after the Ukraine conflict escalated in 2022. She said staff at training camps told her that “no one else was in contact with Russians,” and she could not understand why such remarks were directed at her.
The 23-year-old Lugansk native argued that Ukrainian sport portrayed itself as “outside politics,” yet athletes “were the first to feel the pressure.”....more below
https://www.rt.com/russia/628964-ukrainian-diver-russian-passport/
Brussels and Kiev are covering up for each other instead of “confronting the truth,” the Hungarian leader says
The EU is still claiming “the moral high ground” despite “drowning” in corruption, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has said, accusing Brussels and Kiev of “shielding” each other from graft scandals.
Orban ripped into the EU leadership on Friday in an interview with Kossuth Radio, invoking the latest corruption scandal that hit the bloc earlier this week. The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) has formally accused three high-profile suspects, including the bloc’s former foreign policy chief and EU Commission vice president, Federica Mogherini, of fraud, corruption, conflict of interest, and breaches of professional secrecy.
The Hungarian PM drew parallels between the affair and the string of graft scandals that has hit Ukraine, including the $100 million kickback scheme linked to Vladimir Zelensky’s inner circle. Despite the scandal, ...
