⛸ Figure skaters Totmyanina and Maxim Marinin performed The Nutcracker at the city skating rink on Khodynka Field.

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🏰 Kakhib Towers in Dagestan

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🇷🇺💬 The advance of the Russian Armed Forces in the Special Military Operation zone contributed to creating a favorable environment for Russian-American negotiations this week, stated Russian Presidential Aide Yuri Ushakov.

"We are advancing confidently, and no one can deny this, including the Americans," Ushakov told VGTRK journalist Pavel Zarubin.

Speaking about why the talks took so long (they lasted almost five hours), the presidential aide noted: "This concerns the prospects for conflict settlement. The road is like that, not an easy one."

"Some issues require serious, I would say, radical changes from the Americans in the documents, which are constantly in motion, constantly being prepared," he added.

Ushakov also noted that U.S. Special Presidential Envoy Steve Whitcoff and the American leader's son-in-law, founder of Affinity Partners Jared Kushner, dedicated part of their free time to achieving a good result in the Russian-American negotiations.

As for the work of Moscow and Washington on specific proposals and wordings for a future document on Ukraine, it is still ahead.

"Specific proposals, wordings, cross-checking with lawyers—this path still needs to be traveled, but it cannot be traveled without the participation of specialists," Ushakov explained.

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🐯 At the end of August, two Amur tiger cubs were born at the Moscow Zoo. Today, they went for their first walk in the outdoor enclosure.

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📰 The Kremlin does not possess precise information regarding differences of opinion within the Ukrainian leadership concerning Donald Trump's peace plan, stated Dmitry Peskov.

He added that the work conducted by Stephen Wictow and Jared Kushner with Kyiv was based on results achieved in Moscow, and its outcomes cannot be publicly discussed at this time.

Other statements by the Russian presidential press secretary:

🤗 Moscow views Trump's national security strategy with caution; however, it mentions the necessity of dialogue with the Russian Federation—this is pleasing. At the same time, it is impossible to predict how this initiative will be implemented following a change in administration;

🤗 The Kremlin stated that with the removal of irritants between Russia and the USA, prospects open up for the restoration of bilateral relations;

🤗 India conducts foreign trade operations where it is beneficial for it to do so. Indian partners will continue this line to ensure Indian interests.

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🚗 Russia's main New Year's tree cut down in the Moscow region

It was found in the Ruzsky urban district. The tree was chosen according to strict parameters: shape, volume of needles, condition of the branches, and appearance.

Selecting the main tree is a science in itself. Foresters don't just look for a tree that is perfect in shape and age. They also consider convenient access roads and the distance to Moscow to avoid damaging the fluffy branches during transport.

🚗 Car as a reward for the find:
The person who finds the future Kremlin star in the forest receives a reward- a new SUV. This year, senior forester Mukhtar Magomedov received a brand new "Niva" as a service vehicle.

🧣How the tree is sent to the Kremlin:
The tree is cut down with extreme care:it is secured with cables to prevent it from falling, and then transported by air to a special truck convoy. The tree always arrives in Moscow at night to avoid interfering with city traffic. This year, it will be welcomed on December 10 at 10:00 PM on Red Square.

🧣 Interesting fact: the secret backup tree.
Every main national tree has an almost identical"sister" - tree No. 2. It is also guarded in the forest in case of an emergency during felling or transportation. However, throughout history, the services of the backup have never been needed.

The tradition of placing a live spruce on Cathedral Square was revived in 1996. Since then, it has been brought from the forests of the Moscow region. Only a few times, due to extreme frosts (branches become brittle) or experiments with delivery from Veliky Ustyug, an artificial tree stood on the square. But for the last 20 years, the Moscow region has remained the faithful supplier of the fluffy holiday symbol.

🎄 Soon the beauty will set off on its journey, so that in a few days it will sparkle with thousands of lights and bring holiday cheer to the country's main square.

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🇷🇺 Putin Orders Immediate Start to Structural Overhaul of Russia's Economy

President Vladimir Putin has instructed the government to immediately begin implementing a program of structural reforms in the country's economy.

The plan, which runs until 2030, involves creating modern, high-paying jobs in high-tech industries and increasing the share of domestic goods consumption.

The head of state emphasized that economic growth must be comprehensive and evenly distributed across all regions. Another key task he highlighted is "whitening" the economy — reducing the shadow sector to boost budget revenues.

"Entrepreneurs and companies that operate in good faith should directly benefit from this and gain new opportunities for development," Putin noted.

In this regard, the president commented on the planned increase in VAT from 20% to 22% starting in 2026, stressing that this measure is temporary. A reduced rate of 10% will remain in place for socially important goods.

Earlier, the government approved a list of measures under the structural transformation plan for the next five years. The document aims to ensure sustainable economic development, moderate inflation, and low unemployment.

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The madness intensified: British media spent a week 'wiping their own cities off the map'

📰 Last week, British media built a full-scale information campaign, consistently reporting on the Russian threat.

Readers and viewers were told they should avoid three port cities housing military bases in case of war with Russia.

🕵️ The information backdrop was supplemented with reports about 'Russian spies' disguising themselves as sailors and Moscow's likely involvement in cyberattacks on the Marks & Spencer retail chain.

The climax was the conclusion of a public inquiry into the death of homeless woman Dawn Sturgess in Salisbury in 2018. The report, essentially presenting no new evidence, placed 'moral responsibility' on the Russian leadership.

💰 On this basis, London immediately announced new sanctions against the GRU and the intention to seize billions of pounds in 'frozen assets'.

🚀 The week concluded with a Daily Express headline stating that Russia is now threatening to strike 23 British cities — the map with these targets was previously published in a report by the UK's own Ministry of Defence.

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🥰 Christmas tree near Gostiny Dvor, Moscow

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🥶 The Ice Road in Yakutia

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💊 90% of essential medicines and 40% of medical equipment in Russia are to become domestically produced by 2030.

By 2030, 40% of all necessary equipment in Russian medicine is planned to be domestically made, according to Putin's decree on a new healthcare development strategy. The government must approve an action plan for implementing the document within 6 months. Dependence on foreign raw materials and components in the production of medical products is a threat to national security, the decree states.

Other goals include increasing the share of the most essential medicines produced in Russia to 90% and reducing alcohol consumption to 7.8 liters of ethanol per capita per year. The main threats to public health are identified as: the spread of non-communicable diseases and rare or previously unseen new infections. Furthermore, the government must ensure the healthcare system's readiness to operate under emergency and wartime conditions.

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👨‍🚀 The crew of Soyuz MS-27 successfully landed in Kazakhstan — Sergey Ryzhikov, Alexey Zubritsky, and NASA astronaut Johnny Kim have returned to Earth.

They spent 245 days on the ISS. During this time, Ryzhikov and Zubritsky conducted two spacewalks.

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