Should its territory be threatened, Russia will retaliate with “more powerful weapons,” the Duma speaker has said | A “global tragedy” could be in store for humanity if the West keeps supplying weapons to Ukraine, Russia's most senior lawmaker has warned. Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of the State Duma, also suggested that Moscow could retaliate with more powerful arms, should its territory be threatened. Volodin’s remarks came days after a meeting at US Ramstein air base in Germany at which Western powers pledged to continue supporting Kiev. ● On Sunday, Volodin took to Telegram to point out that should the weapons provided by the US and fellow NATO member states be used to 💬 “strike civilian cities and to attempt to seize our territories, as they threaten [to do],” Moscow would respond with “more powerful weapons.” The Russian lawmaker went on to argue that Western officials should be aware of their responsibility to avert such a scenario. ● The Ukrainian leadership insists on regaining control of all the territories that were within the country's borders established following the collapse of the Soviet Union back in 1991. Kiev says it is prepared to retake those regions by force if Moscow refuses to relinquish them. Crimea became part of Russia following a referendum back in 2014, while four other regions followed suit last year. On Wednesday, the New York Times, citing several anonymous US officials, reported that the Biden administration is now more likely to consider providing Ukraine with striking capabilities needed to hit targets in Crimea.

■ Russia and West on verge of ‘real war’ – Lavrov (RT.com)
■ Putin ally says new weapons for Kyiv will lead to global catastrophe (Reuters)

■ Ex-Russian president predicts new anti-US military alliance | The Ukraine crisis may lead to the founding of a bloc of countries “fed up” with Washington, Dmitry Medvedev says. The continuous flow of military aid to Kiev clearly shows that the collective West is seeking to “wear out or, preferably, destroy” Russia, the country’s former president, Dmitry Medvedev, remarked on Sunday. The effort, however, may ultimately backfire for the US and its allies, he believes. 💬 “The meeting at Ramstein and the allocation of heavy weaponry to Kiev leave no doubt that our enemies will be trying to wear us out for an indefinite period of time, or, preferably, to destroy us,” the ex-president wrote. However, the prolongation of the hostilities in Ukraine may ultimately lead to the emergence of a new military bloc that brings together nations “fed up with the Americans,” Medvedev suggested. “This has always happened in the history of mankind during long wars. And the US then will finally abandon old Europe and what remains of the unfortunate Ukrainians, and the world will return to an equilibrium once again,” the former leader said, warning, however, that it might be “too late” before this happens.

“At a cost of tens of millions of pounds this pointless piece of theater is a slap in the face for millions of people struggling with the cost-of-living crisis,” an anti-monarchist protest group declared. | The UK’s King Charles has rejected pleas for a more modest coronation, royal aides have reportedly told British media, as an unprecedented cost-of-living crisis is forcing a shocking number of Britons out of their homes and into food banks. Promising the planned celebration will be “a glorious advertisement for the UK,” royal aides reportedly told the Sunday Times that Charles is “actively involved and engaged in” planning to ensure his coronation day is “a thing of splendor,” with “pomp, pageantry, braids, brass and fly-pasts.”