West reacts to the escalation of the situation in the Russian Federation. Britain: The Russian state is facing its biggest challenge ever

The British Ministry of Defense said on Saturday that the Russian state is facing its biggest security challenge in recent times, following what appears to be a movement of forces of the Wagner Group towards Moscow, reports Reuters, quoted by Rador.

Wagner Chief Prigozhin appears in videos at a Russian Military headquarters

The head of the mercenary group claimed to have control of parts of the complex in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don, The New York Times reports.

Russia, on the verge of a coup d'état. Prigojin declares war on Shoigu: "We're going all the way"

The leader of the Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, launched a declaration of war on the Ministry of Defense in Moscow after a Wagner camp was allegedly hit by a Russian missile. However, the information was denied by the Ministry of Defense. Shoigu promises that "he will take care of those who destroy the Russian soldiers", and then he will return to the front line on the front in Ukraine, writes Digi 24.

A new package of sanctions against Russia has come into force

A new package of sanctions against Russia in connection with the war in Ukraine entered into force today, reports DPA. They are aimed at preventing evasion of previously imposed sanctions and target companies from other states, including China, Uzbekistan, the United Arab Emirates, Syria and Armenia.

Number of Britons who want to rejoin EU highest since 2016

Seven years after the Brexit referendum, the proportion of Britons who want to rejoin the EU has climbed to its highest level since 2016, according to a survey, The Guardian reports.

Russia claims to have shot down a drone over the city of Kursk

Russian air defense shot down a drone, late Thursday evening, over the city of Kursk in southern Russia, near the border with Ukraine, according to information provided by the regional governor, Agerpres.ro informs.

Dozens injured in central Paris after gas explosion

A fiery gas explosion in central Paris resulted in injuries to at least 37 people and drew hundreds of firefighters to the scene on Wednesday afternoon, CNN reports.

Volodymyr Zelensky enacted a law banning the import of books from Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has enacted a law banning the commercial import of books from Russia. "It's a fair law," wrote the Kiev leader on Telegram, announcing that he had also signed a similar document on the commercial import of printed books from Belarus or the occupied Ukrainian territory.

Director of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi, on a visit to Russia

The director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, will visit Russia on Friday, June 23, for discussions about the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, which is currently under the control of the occupation troops, informs dpa.

West eyes Romania as possible F-16 training site for Ukrainian pilots

A coalition of Western countries is eyeing Romania as a possible location to train Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16 fighter jets, according to three people with knowledge of the planning, indicating that NATO countries are moving closer to starting a program that could see the warplanes above Ukrainian skies within months, Politico reports.

War in Ukraine: Odesa and Dnipropetrovsk regions under attack. Bridges connecting Crimea and the Kherson region were reportedly damaged

The Russians attacked the Odesa region on the night of June 21 to 22, launching Iranian Shahed drones on it, RBC reports. Also, the Russian army launched a missile attack on the Dnipropetrovsk region, damaging private houses and infrastructure targets. Also, the Russian press notes that several attacks took place, on the night of June 21 to 22, on the bridges in Cionhar, which connect the southern Ukrainian region of Kherson with the territory of Crimea, a peninsula annexed by the Russians.

Summit for a new global financial pact, hosted in Paris

Paris is hosting, today and tomorrow, the Summit for a new global financial pact, where 100 countries will be represented, 40 of which at the level of heads of state and government, international financial organizations, reprezentatives of the civil society, academia and business.