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U.S. Soldier Gordon Black Sentenced to Nearly Four Years in Russia’s Penal Colony: Report

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A US soldier detained in the Russian city of Vladivostok on charges of theft and threats to kill his girlfriend was found guilty on Wednesday and sentenced to three years and nine months in a Russian penal colony, Russian agencies reported.

Gordon Black, a 34-year-old US staff sergeant who was detained on May 2 in Vladivostok in Russia’s far east, pleaded not guilty on Monday to charges of threatening to kill his girlfriend but admitted he was “partially” guilty of stealing from her.

Black’s defense lawyer will appeal the verdict, said RIA agency, which reported the judge handing down the sentence of “imprisonment of three years and nine months” for both charges.

The agency reported that prosecutors had asked for a prison sentence of four years and eight months, while the defense asked for Black to be acquitted of all charges.

Black “partially” acknowledged his guilt on the charge of stealing 10,000 roubles ($113) from his girlfriend Alexandra Vashchuk’s purse but said that “there was no intent,” RIA reported. (Read more from “U.S. Soldier Gordon Black Sentenced to Nearly Four Years in Russia’s Penal Colony: Report” HERE)

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Vladimir Putin Praises ‘Dignity and Courage’ of North Korea

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Russian strongman Vladimir Putin praised the “dignity and courage” of the communist regime of North Korea, one of the most repressive governments on Earth, in an article published in the state-run Rodong Sinmun newspaper on Tuesday.

Putin is expected to arrive in Pyongyang on Tuesday night after a brief stop in the far-east Russian city of Yakutsk. Moscow and Pyongyang both confirmed that Putin would visit the country on Monday, squeezing in a stop to meet dictator Kim Jong-un before a planned visit to communist Vietnam.

Reports in Russian state media indicate that Putin and Kim will engage in “intensive” discussions on trade and defense and that Putin is planning on signing a “comprehensive” agreement with North Korea on various issues. The reports did not offer any specificity on what the agreement would include.

North Korea has enjoyed friendly relations with Russia for years that have grown in the past two years in response to Kim Jong-un vocally supporting Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Kim made his first trip outside the country to Russia, meeting with Putin, in September in the eastern city of Vladivostok and inviting him to Pyongyang.

“Putin accepted the invitation with pleasure and reaffirmed his will to invariably carry forward the history and tradition of the Russia-DPRK [North Korea] friendship,” North Korean state media reported at the time. (Read more from “Vladimir Putin Praises ‘Dignity and Courage’ of North Korea” HERE)

Putin ‘Stashing Years of Food in Secret Nuclear Bunker’

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Food to feed up to 300 people ‘for several years’ has allegedly been sent to the bunker in the remote Altai Mountains.

The chilling claim comes amid deep tension between Russia and the West over Ukraine, as Putin on Friday warned that NATO leaders are pushing him ‘to the point of no return’ over a nuclear Third World War.

A source – who claims to be involved in loading the food – told Pozdnyakov Telegram channel that ‘boxes with dry rations, cereals, and canned food’ are being shifted on a gargantuan scale to the remote Siberian location.

Nearby is a Putin escape named Altai Yard where earlier reports indicate the Kremlin dictator constructed a giant underground nuclear bunker.

Of the food, the source was quoted as saying: ‘I have never seen anything like it – imported, expensive, not ours [Russian]. The products are brought to a warehouse in the mountainous region, and then a presumed Putin security team takes charge. (Read more from “Putin ‘Stashing Years of Food in Secret Nuclear Bunker’” HERE)

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Biden and Zelensky Seal 10-Year Bilateral Security Pact

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U.S. President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a 10-year bilateral security agreement on Thursday, marking a significant step in the U.S.-Ukraine alliance. The agreement, celebrated by Kyiv as “historic,” envisions extensive U.S. military and training aid to Ukraine but stops short of obligating the U.S. to deploy troops in combat alongside Ukrainian forces.

According to the White House, the pact will enhance Ukraine’s defense and deterrence capabilities, bolster its defense industrial base, and support its economic recovery and energy security. In the event of a future Russian armed attack, the deal mandates high-level consultations to determine necessary measures to support Ukraine and impose costs on Russia.

The G7, alongside the European Union, has frozen approximately $325 billion worth of Russian assets since the 2022 invasion. These assets generate about $3 billion annually in interest, which will be used to pay off the interest on a $50 billion loan for Ukraine. This funding, expected to arrive by the end of the year, aims to support Ukraine’s war effort and economic stability.

Speaking at a joint press conference in Puglia, southern Italy, Biden emphasized the unwavering U.S. commitment to Ukraine, stating, “Putin cannot wait us out, he cannot divide us, and we’ll be with Ukraine until they prevail in this war.”

President Zelensky expressed gratitude for the continued support from the U.S. and European allies. He highlighted the significance of the new security agreement, calling it “the strongest agreement within Ukraine and the U.S. since our independence [in 1991].”

The security pact underscores the enduring partnership between the U.S. and Ukraine, aiming to fortify Ukraine’s defense infrastructure and ensure sustained support in the face of ongoing Russian aggression.

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

Russian Nuclear Submarine Arrives in Cuba for Caribbean Tour

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Russia’s Kazan nuclear submarine and the Admiral Gorshkov frigate arrived in Cuba on Wednesday morning as part of a five-day stopover to the communist nation, placing the fleet within 90 miles of the U.S. coastline.

According to the Russian government, the Navy vessel and the submarine — both equipped with long-range attack missiles — are in the region to engage in aerial and naval exercises carried out by the Russian Navy. The pair are accompanied by the Russian Nikolai Chiker tug boat and the Pashin fuel ship.

The arrival of the Russian vessels and nuclear submarine was first mentioned by unnamed U.S. government sources in reports published earlier in June. In the reports, the U.S. sources stated that the vessels’ visit would include “port calls in Cuba and possibly Venezuela.”

The Cuban Foreign Ministry confirmed the visit on June 6, calling it in line with the “historic friendly relations between Cuba and the Russian Federation and is strictly in accordance with international regulations to which Cuba is a state party.” The Castro regime also claimed that none of the vessels are nuclear weapons carriers, “so their stopover in our country does not represent a threat to the region.”

According to the sources cited by initial reports on the visit, the administration of President Joe Biden is not concerned by the exercises and believes they “pose no direct threat to the United States.” (Read more from “Russian Nuclear Submarine Arrives in Cuba for Caribbean Tour” HERE)

Slovak Defense Minister Says Sending Fighter Jets to Ukraine Was ‘Treason,’ Files Criminal Complaint

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Slovakia’s defense minister has accused his predecessor of “treason” for sending fighter jets to Ukraine, and announced on June 12 he had filed a criminal complaint regarding the matter.

“Weakening the armed forces in this way, contrary to the constitution, cannot be described in our political dictionary as anything other than treason,” Robert Kalinak said in comments reported by the Czech news outlet iROZHLAS.

“I don’t know if it legally constitutes a crime, but he is a person who betrayed national values.”

Kalinak was taking aim at his predecessor, Jaroslav Nagy, who while serving as defense minister from March 2020 and May 2023, sent Ukraine several MiG-29 fighter jets to help the country fend off Russia’s full-scale invasion.

At the time, Nagy said the Soviet-era fighter jets were “unusable” for his country and therefore it was “the right thing” to provide them to Ukraine. (Read more from “Slovak Defense Minister Says Sending Fighter Jets to Ukraine Was ‘Treason,’ Files Criminal Complaint” HERE)

Feds Arrest Russian Nationals With Suspected ISIS Ties In Major Sting Operation

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Federal law enforcement authorities apprehended a group of Russian nationals with suspected terrorist ties in a nationwide operation spanning several major U.S. cities.

Six Russian nationals believed to have ties to ISIS were arrested over the last week in a coordinated sting operation that spanned New York, Los Angeles and Philadelphia, the New York Post first reported. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested the Russians, who originally hail from Tajikistan, after they were alerted by the FBI.

A source familiar with the operation confirmed the reporting to the Daily Caller News Foundation.

“Over the last few days, ICE agents arrested several non-citizens pursuant to immigration authorities,” read a joint statement from the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). “The actions were carried out in close coordination with the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Forces.”

“The individuals arrested are detained in ICE custody pending removal proceedings,” the statement continued. “As the FBI and DHS have recently described in public and partner bulletins, the U.S. has been in a heightened threat environment. The FBI and DHS will continue working around the clock with our partners to identify, investigate, and disrupt potential threats to national security.” (Read more from “Feds Arrest Russian Nationals With Suspected ISIS Ties In Major Sting Operation” HERE)

Biden Admin Shoots Down $24 Billion Pay Raise For Enlisted Troops — After Spending Seven Times More On Ukraine

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The Biden administration “strongly opposes” a proposal to raise the pay of junior enlisted service members in the military — even after nearly spending seven times the proposed amount on Ukraine and the broader region’s security.

The House Armed Services Committee’s (HASC) draft of the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) would give all junior troops a pay raise, representing a rough total of $24.4 billion over five years, according to the Congressional Budget Office. The Biden administration said in a statement on Tuesday that it does not support the proposed “significant, permanent” pay hike until it has had a chance to conduct a compensation review.

“The Administration is strongly committed to taking care of our Servicemembers and their families, and appreciates the Committee’s concern for the needs of the most junior enlisted members, but strongly opposes making a significant, permanent change to the basic pay schedule before the completion of the Fourteenth Quadrennial Review of Military Compensation,” the White House budget office said.

The Biden administration has spent over $175 billion on aid to Ukraine and European security since 2022 — roughly one-seventh of the proposed pay hike for the junior troops, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. The $175 billion amount is broken into several packages over the course of two years, including the most recent aid package of $61 billion in April.

“When accounting for inflation, the average American makes less today than when Joe Biden took office. The White House wants to block Republicans from giving our troops the raise they need to make ends meet in the Biden economy,” Republican Indiana Rep. Jim Banks, a HASC member, told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “Meanwhile, they’ve sent the Ukrainian government $11,500 per Ukrainian household. It’s shameful.”

(Read more from “Biden Admin Shoots Down $24 Billion Pay Raise For Enlisted Troops — After Spending Seven Times More On Ukraine” HERE)

Hunter Biden’s Infamous Laptop — Which the Post Exposed and He Denied — Will Be Used as Evidence in Gun Case

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So much for having “all the hallmarks” of Russian disinformation. So much for “it could be that I was hacked.”

Almost four full years after Big Tech suppressed The Post’s bombshell reporting on Hunter Biden’s abandoned “laptop from hell” with its evidence of influence-peddling, drug use, and other lurid activity, the device will take center stage in the first son’s federal trial on gun charges next month.

Special counsel David Weiss’ team made clear that it intends to use data from the notorious hard drive as evidence against the now-54-year-old.

“The defendant’s laptop is real (it will be introduced as a trial exhibit) and it contains significant evidence of the defendant’s guilt,” prosecutor Derek Hines wrote in a scathing filing Wednesday.

Hines underscored that the laptop data the special counsel will reference is “self-authenticating” and will be “introduced with corroborating evidence at trial.” (Read more from “Hunter Biden’s Infamous Laptop — Which the Post Exposed and He Denied — Will Be Used as Evidence in Gun Case” HERE)

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Mike Johnson Backs Allowing Ukraine to Strike Russia With U.S.-Provided Weapons

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Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) on Wednesday appeared to back allowing Ukraine to use American-provided weapons to strike Russia or Russian-controlled territory.

One reporter asked Johnson about a House Intelligence Committee letter calling on the Biden administration to allow Ukraine to strike Russia with American-supplied weapons.

The letter stipulates that this would allow Ukraine to strike “Russian-controlled territory” as well as Russian territory and represents a significant escalation in America’s seemingly endless proxy war against Russia.

When asked about the letter and if Ukraine should be allowed to strike Russia with American-provided weapons, he said, “I think we need to allow Ukraine to prosecute the war the way they see fit. They need to be able to fight back. And I think us trying to micromanage the effort there – it’s not a good policy for us.” . . .

Johnson has pushed, and passed, the Rebuilding Economic Prosperity and Opportunity for Ukrainians Act (REPO Act), which Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) has said would hamstring a future Donald Trump presidency and potentially drive allies toward competing financial systems that Russia and China control. (Read more from “Mike Johnson Backs Allowing Ukraine to Strike Russia With U.S.-Provided Weapons” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr