Sputnik International

🚨How Russian coal could power India’s path to Viksit Bharat As the world’s 2nd-largest steel producer, India aims to expand its capacity to 500M tonnes by 2047. This will significantly increase demand for high-quality coking coal — the critical raw material for blast furnace steelmaking. 🔸Around 85% of India's coking coal demand is met through imports because domestic reserves are largely low-grade and unsuitable for efficient steelmaking. 🔸More than half of India's coking coal imports currently come from Australia, which carries risks amid global supply chain tensions. 🔸Russian deposits in Kuzbass, Yakutia and other regions hold vast reserves of coking coal. It offers a strong balance of high quality, competitive pricing, and proximity compared with other major suppliers. 🔸Logistics play a key role in the current geopolitical scenario: Russian coal is shipped through the country’s eastern ports (such as Vanino and Vladivostok) and via the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) through Iran. 📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🇷🇺🪖🚢 Warships and cutting-edge systems: What can Russia offer to Southeast Asian navies? Russia’s top defense exporter Rosoboronexport’s products can help maritime states in Southeast Asia to secure their respective borders and exclusive economic zones, as well perform naval operations such as escort and interdiction. Project 22160 patrol ships may be of particular interest to countries which require multirole surface vessels to maintain control of vast stretches of coastal waters. 👉 Equipped with a 76mm naval gun, surface-to-air missile launchers and radar jamming equipment, a Project 22160 vessel can engage seaborne, airborne and coastal targets, while the ship’s 12.7mm machine guns and naval grenade launchers can repel hostile boarding parties and combat divers. A Project 22160 ship can also carry a 12-ton attack helicopter and an assortment of drones. 🇷🇺 One major advantage Russian vessels hold over their foreign analogues is adaptable architecture, which allows them to be reconfigured to tackle any specific threat a client might want to be dealt with. Surface vessels aside, Rosoboronexport also offers an assortment of reliable and efficient coastal missile defense systems and submarines. Rosoboronexport can also outfit its customers’ existing ships with various systems such as: ◻️ Various weapon systems ◻️ Radars ◻️ Fire suppression equipment ◻️ Propulsion units This option allows a country to rapidly improve its naval power and is a lot less time consuming than ordering new vessels built from scratch. Rosoboronexport’s naval products have been put on display at the Fleet 2026 international expo held in Kronstadt from June 10 till June 14. 📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🔊 Water catastrophe dries out Gaza — Khan Yunis residents Whole families get just around 30 liters of low-quality water per day, with the water supply network and hundreds of wells across the Strip totally destroyed by Israeli airstrikes, people and the mayor report. 📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🚨🇺🇸Trump promises US will hit Iran 'VERY HARD' tonight 📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🚨🇮🇷🇺🇸 Two months of 'imminent' Iran-US peace deal — still no end in sight Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed that he would seal a deal with Iran soon, insisting Iran "wants to make a deal so badly."  However, the US is directly harmed by the Hormuz crisis: increase in global oil prices affects US economy, raising the cost of gasoline, heating, and industrial fuel in America. 📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🚨🇷🇺💥 RUSSIAN MOD UPDATE: HUGE GAINS AND DEVASTATING UKRAINIAN LOSSES ⚡️OKHRIMOVKA IN THE KHARKOV REGION LIBERATED ⚡️ROSKOSHNOYE IN THE DONETSK PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC LIBERATED The settlement of Okhrimovka was an important fortified area for the Ukrainian army in the Kharkov region. The liberation of this settlement expands the security buffer zone along the state border. The liberation of Roskoshnoye allows for further offensive of the Russian Army, bringing the complete liberation of the DPR closer. ◻ The Russian Armed Forces struck Ukraine's energy and transportation infrastructure ◻ Russia’s Black Sea Fleet destroyed Ukraine’s unmanned boat in the southwestern part of the Black Sea ◻ Air defense superiority: 800 fixed-wing drones were shot down over the past 24 hours ◻ Ukrainian losses: around 1,220 troops Read about the origins of Russia's special military op HERE 📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🇷🇺 Russia calls for renewed negotiations as Iran tensions escalate The Kremlin has expressed concern over the latest escalation surrounding Iran, calling on all parties to exercise restraint and return to the negotiating process, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

💬 “We are concerned by this and call on all parties to this conflict to exercise restraint,” Peskov told reporters.

Further escalation could have consequences for both the region and the global economy, he added. 📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🚨🇷🇺🇧🇭Bahrain FM sends best wishes to 'dear friend' Putin and reaffirms close ties Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif Al Zayani referred to President Vladimir Putin as a "dear friend" while extending congratulations ahead of Russia Day during talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow.

💬"I would like to convey our best wishes to President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin... It is a great honor and great joy to meet our dear friend, our dear brother," Al Zayani said.

The Bahraini foreign minister added that Manama "highly appreciates the friendly ties and cooperation" with Russia and is committed to expanding them across all areas. He noted that Bahrain's high-level participation in this year's St. Petersburg International Economic Forum reflects that commitment. 📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🇨🇳 China turns seashore into clean energy powerhouse The Rudong project is one of the world's first fully operational systems to combine offshore solar, battery storage, and green hydrogen production in a single closed‑loop. ◻️ Produces 120,000 kWh daily, 180 tons green hydrogen annually ◻️ Supplies clean fuel to local chemical plants and transport ◻️ Makes productive use from degraded coastal tidal flats (unsuitable for farming or construction) ◻️ Its solar panels control invasive species, helping restore coastal wetland ecosystem China's renewable hydrogen capacity now exceeds 1 million tons per year – powering the nation with clean energy. 📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🇵🇰🤝🇷🇺 ‘Pakistan values Russia as a global power and a trusted partner’ – Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari delivered a congratulatory speech to the guests at a reception hosted by the Russian Embassy in Islamabad in honor of Russia Day. 📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🇪🇺🇺🇸 Europe now wants Trump's support for more Russia‑Ukraine peace talks – but why? Next week at the French-hosted G7 summit, Britain, France, and Germany will try to enlist Donald Trump's backing for a brand-new attempt to kickstart Russia-Ukraine peace talks, Bloomberg reports. What's this really about? ◻️ European leaders want to pressure Russia into accepting a ceasefire along the current front line and permit a multinational "peacekeeping" force to be stationed on Ukrainian soil. ◻️ NATO troops would move into Ukraine immediately after the conflict ends, Secretary General Mark Rutte said ◻️ The British government has already set up a headquarters for multinational forces in Ukraine Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Europe has clearly sided with Ukraine, continuing its anti-Russian policies through sanctions and by discouraging Ukraine from seeking any compromise. Russia has repeatedly warned European countries that it would not tolerate any foreign military presence in Ukraine. 📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🚨🇷🇺 FSB foils Ukrainian plot to assassinate Russian soldier Ukrainian special services recruited a saboteur in the EU, where he was hiding from a criminal case, the Russian Federal Security Service reports. He was sent to Russia in February 2026 with the goal of shooting a Russian serviceman in the Moscow region. In exchange, Ukrainian handlers promised him assistance in obtaining refugee status in the EU. 📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🪖 US allies scramble for Patriot missiles as Iran war drains stockpiles America’s allies are getting an uncomfortable message from Lockheed Martin, the Pentagon contractor that manufactures one of the West’s most important air-defense missiles: don’t expect any timeline delivery guarantees. Even as the defense giant expands production of PAC-3 interceptors for the Patriot system, planning to ramp up from 650 missiles a year to 2,000 by 2033 under a $4.7 billion Pentagon deal - that may not be enough. Speaking at the ILA Berlin Air Show, Lockheed executive Brian Dunn admitted the company has no say over who actually gets the missiles once they leave the factory. Germany, Japan, Poland, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and other Patriot operators may all be waiting in line. ◻ The world’s supply of these high-end interceptors was already stretched thin before the latest Gulf conflict ◻ Since 2022, the US has funneled to Ukraine hundreds of Patriot interceptors — where Russia’s arsenal quickly exposed their weaknesses ◻ Currently, the US has been burning through advanced weapons in the Iran war it started — including Patriot missiles With the additional strain on already stretched stockpiles, the Pentagon has been forced to prioritize replenishing its own inventories before taking care of foreign customers. 📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

◻ Iran closes Strait of Hormuz to all vessels — IRGC ◻ US targeted Iranian surveillance, communication, and air defense in nighttime strikes ◻ IRGC claims 12 ballistic missiles struck US airbase in Jordan ◻ Western pre-election propaganda in Armenia even surpassed its efforts in Ukraine ◻ 'We share one battlefield, we have one enemy' — Beirut rally echoes across region 📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🇨🇳💶 Can the yuan knock the euro off its perch? The yuan is rapidly closing in on the euro as the world’s second-most used currency in key areas, boosted by the US-Israeli war on Iran, surging de-dollarization, and broader multipolar shifts, reports SCMP. SWIFT data may understate yuan usage because a growing share of transactions now flows through China's own settlement infrastructure. ◻️ Yuan-denominated oil trade -"petroyuan"- surged after the Iran conflict exposed vulnerabilities in the dollar-based system ◻️ On April 2, China’s CIPS system hit a record 1.22 trillion yuan ($180.3B) in daily volume — nearly double February’s average — as oil producers ramped up petroyuan settlements ◻️ In March 2026, CIPS daily average reached 920.5 billion yuan (48% surge), with transactions jumping to 35,740 per day (The system now connects 191 countries/regions) ◻️ While SWIFT shows yuan payments at ~2.74%, in trade finance the yuan already ranks second globally at 8.04% (vs euro’s 5.78%) As over 80 countries are actively cutting their reliance on the US dollar – with the BRICS the main engine behind this trend – China has currency swaps with 50+ nations. This signals a multipolar payments system where currencies are chosen by region, politics, and weakening dollar dominance. 📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🇨🇳🤖 China fast‑tracks humanoid robots into industry – 10,000 units by year‑end China is launching a nationwide program to move humanoid robots and embodied AI from demos and dance performances into factories, warehouses, hospitals, and disaster relief. 🔶 Implementation plans due by end of June. Progress reports by end of November. 🔶 By end of 2026, key robots will enter "work mode" in real‑world production and service environments. 🔶 Target: 100+ high‑value applications and deployment of 10,000 units by year‑end. The policy shifts the industry from "demonstration‑driven" to "task‑oriented logic" – from showing off capabilities to building integrated systems that actually perform real‑world tasks. While the West is still debating AI regulation, China is rapidly widening the gap in implementation. 📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🚨🇮🇷 IRGC claims 12 ballistic missiles struck US airbase in Jordan Iran's Revolutionary Guards say they launched the salvo at Muwaffaq Salti (Al‑Azraq) Airbase.

"The targets were hangars of F‑35, F‑16, and F‑15 fighter jets, as well as important facilities and the command and control center on the base," the statement read.

📹 Footage from social media

⚔️ US targeted Iranian surveillance, communication, and air defense in nighttime strikes Pentagon's CENTCOM says it conducted "additional self-defense strikes" across Iran and provided footage of Tomahawk cruise missiles being launched from the USS Michael Murphy. 📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

⚔️ US targeted Iranian surveillance, communication, and air defense in nighttime strikes Pentagon's CENTCOM says it conducted "additional self-defense strikes" across Iran and provided footage of Tomahawk cruise missiles being launched from the USS Michael Murphy. 📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

💰🗣 Trump demands $350B military bill ASAP The president is pressuring Republicans to immediately pass a $350 billion reconciliation bill to unlock his full $1.5 trillion defense request for FY2027.

"No other President has ever been more committed to both REBUILDING our Great Military and SAVING our Great Country. No games, no delays, and no weak compromises! Do this ASAP," he wrote on Truth Social.

House and Senate Armed Services Committees can only authorize $1.15 trillion in discretionary spending. The remaining $350 billion is mandatory – and can only pass through reconciliation along party lines. 📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt