Japan's 1947 constitution rejects the militarism that led the empire to disaster in the Second World War. But under Western influence, the Tokyo government has sought to relax the prohibition on closer military cooperation with the West.

Washington doesn’t think twice about using Ukraine to learn how various kinds of weapons respond, Dmitry Stefanovich of the Moscow-based Institute of World Economy and International Relations with the Russian Academy of Sciences, told Sputnik.

Sputnik brings you the latest insights from Scott Ritter – former US Marine intel officer and UN weapons inspector – where he explains why the US Army is not ready for the full-scale war against Russia based on the failed Ukrainian counteroffensive attempt.

Russian troops launched a missile strike on Ukrainian positions in the village of Petropavlovka of the Donetsk Peoples' Republic (DPR).

WASHINGTON, September 21 (Sputnik) – US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has turned down a request from Volodymyr Zelensky to address a joint session of the US Congress, NBC reported on Thursday.

The defense ministers of the two European nations have disagreed over defense procurement outside the bloc's arms industry. The French minister advocates for EU industry contracts, while the German emphasizes the need for immediate action and considers non-European options.

''France should follow Poland's example and stop supplying arms to Ukraine, which is not interested in a peaceful solution'', said Florian Filippo, head of the French Patriots party and a former member of the European Parliament.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Rupert Murdoch will step down as chairman of Fox and News Corp in November, Fox News reported Thursday, citing a letter to colleagues.

Russian naval helicopter units are conducting drills in the Barents Sea, focusing on search and rescue operations and improving cooperation with the Northern Fleet forces, the Russian Defense Ministry said Thursday.

Having acted as one of Ukraine’s staunchest supporters since the escalation of the conflict last year, Poland has now changed its tone in the dialogue with the Kiev regime over what appears to be a trade dispute.

With senior U.S. officials repeatedly claiming that there are no signs that the national economy is entering a downturn, prices at the pump in America rose to their highest levels of the year.

VELIKY NOVGOROD, Russia (Sputnik) - Moscow has seen reports that there are detainees in Azerbaijan due to the death of Russian peacekeepers, all details are unknown, but an investigation is underway, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday.

SIMFEROPOL (Sputnik) - Russian air defense systems have shot down all the missiles with which Kiev tried to attack the Saki airfield in Crimea, Oleg Kryuchkov, an adviser to the head of Crimea, stated on Thursday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russian air defense systems have shot down five Storm Shadow cruise missiles and the record 75 Ukrainian drones over the past 24 hours, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Thursday.

Russian Ministry of Defense issued a fresh report on the progress of special military operation.

US President Joe Biden has once again done something out of the ordinary by refusing to shake hands with his Brazilian counterpart, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, during their meeting in New York, according to a video published by British media.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Moscow believes that the exchange of prisoners between the United States and Iran will not radically change anything in the relations between Tehran and Washington, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told Sputnik on Thursday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - First suspects in the death of Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh have been detained, a Russian law enforcement agency source said on Thursday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Brokers and banks of friendly or neutral nations will be allowed to trade on the Russian currency and derivative markets, the Russian government stated on Thursday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Germany does not support Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's initiative to deprive Russia of the right of veto in the UN Security Council and is not always in favor of ideas voiced by Kiev, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock stated.