Presidential address to Russian parliament: what will Putin say?

President Vladimir Putin is expected to deliver his annual address to the Russian parliament on February 29.

The speech essentially amounts to the president appraising both chambers of the parliament of the state of affairs in the country as well as outlining primary vectors of foreign and domestic policies.

Though it remains to be seen what issues Putin is going to focus his attention on, this year’s address may be dedicated to the ongoing military operation in Ukraine and economic response to the Western sanctions.

Though the president usually delivers this address every year, in some rare cases it can be postponed: for example, the address that was meant to be made in 2022 was delivered by Putin only in February 2023. The Russian president said at the time that he needed to properly analyze the events that transpired in 2022.

▪️ 2023 address was largely dedicated to the events in the wake of the Ukrainian conflict escalation in February 2022. The Russian president called out the US and its allies for their hypocrisy, noting how NATO kept expanding all the way to Russia’s doorsteps while pointedly ignoring Moscow’s security concerns.

▪️ 2021 address , in contrast, was largely devoted to Russia’s economy and social policies, not to mention the handling of the global coronavirus pandemic. The president praised Russian researchers for developing “three reliable COVID vaccines” and called upon the government to enact measures that would help rectify the damage caused by the pandemic to people’s livelihoods.

▪️ 2020 speech was also mostly focused on domestic issues, with Putin paying special attention to areas such as demography, education and child support.

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'You Can't Save Navalny; You Can Still Save Assange' - Edward Snowden

Snowden pointed out that Britain has no right to extradite Assange to the United States under the extradition agreement between London and Washington that prohibits the transfer of political prisoners, while urging leaders and media to focus on real action instead of posturing.

"If you're silent here, when and where you can actually influence the outcome, you were never standing up for principles," he wrote on X. "You were just hoping for applause."

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Social network X (formerly Twitter) unblocked the page of Alexei Navalny's widow, Yulia.

No promises Bubba.

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⚡️📣Going Live With Judge Andrew Napolitano to discuss Ukraine's use of NATO / Western Supplied weapons to target and kill civilians in center Donetsk. Today Ukraine used Both HIMARs Rockets and 155mm artillery to target civilian areas of Donetsk (including a library) which killed and injured many civilians⚡️📣 Come tell us what you think https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VeGqBJSlV3E

Boris Johnson attacks Tucker Carlson as a tool of the Kremlin, then demands Tucker pay him $1 MILLION to explain his position on Ukraine.

"Putin didn't demand a million dollars... so you're telling me this guy is alot sleazier than Vladimir Putin!" says Carlson.

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Belarusian leader finds concerns over potential triggering of Third World War valid

Alexander Lukashenko noted that tens of thousands of NATO servicemen, and hundreds of units of military hardware, aircraft and helicopters are being deployed near the borders of Russia and Belarus.

"Military force has again become the main argument put forth by global decision-making centers. As if there had never been millions of losses [in human lives] and the horrors of the First and Second World Wars," the BelTA news agency quoted him as saying at a meeting with top national security officials. "Now we have been literally engulfed by an informational wave of so-called foreboding of a Third World War, which has been bandied about by everybody and their uncle. And there are [legitimate] grounds for such concerns," the Belarusian president emphasized.

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Embarrassment for Royal Navy as another Trident test fails.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/embarrassment-for-royal-navy-as-another-trident-test-fails-dg3mtgtml

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JULIAN ASSANGE JUDGE PREVIOUSLY ACTED FOR MI6

The judge set to rule on the Assange extradition case was previously paid to represent the interests of MI6 and the Ministry of Defence - whose activities WikiLeaks has exposed.

One of the two High Court judges who will rule on Julian Assange’s bid to stop his extradition to the US represented the UK’s Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) and the Ministry of Defence.

Justice Jeremy Johnson has also been a specially vetted barrister, cleared by the UK authorities to access top secret information.

Johnson will sit with Dame Victoria Sharp, his senior judge, to decide the fate of the WikiLeaks co-founder. If extradited, Assange faces a maximum sentence of 175 years.

His persecution by the US authorities has been at the behest of Washington’s intelligence and security services, with whom the UK has deep relations.

As with previous judges who have ruled on Assange’s case, this raises concerns about institutional conflicts of interest.

Exactly how much Johnson has been paid for his work for government departments is not clear. Records show he was paid twice by the Government Legal Department for his services in 2018. The sum was over £55,000.

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Russia, UAE to intensify dialogue, resolve cooperation issues - Kremlin

"We are developing our relations in all spheres, including trade and economic interaction," Dmitry Peskov stressed.

"We have a rather rich dialogue with Abu Dhabi in general and we will develop this dialogue," Peskov said. "We are developing our relations in all spheres, including trade and economic interaction. All current issues are being discussed within the framework of bilateral cooperation mechanisms that are functioning between our two countries," Peskov said.

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US Senator Lindsey Graham tagged as terrorist by Russia

Senator Graham, notorious for his anti-Russian stance, has repeatedly called for Russia to be added to the US list of countries sponsoring terrorism.

Former environmental activist Yevgenia Chirikova (recognized as a foreign agent in Russia) has also been added to the register. She resides outside Russia.

Senator Graham, notorious for his anti-Russian stance, has repeatedly called for Russia to be added to the US list of countries sponsoring terrorism. He also proposed various options for toughening sanctions against Russia.

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West wants Kiev to submit targets inside Russia, with reasons for striking them - source

"All this speaks to NATO's direct involvement in the hostilities against the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation," the source said.

"Western sponsors of the Kiev regime link continued deliveries of long-range combat missiles to Ukraine with the effectiveness of their practical use," the source said. "NATO countries that transfer such weapons are well aware that the regime of [Ukrainian President Vladimir] Zelenskyy uses terrorist methods, using these missiles to strike civilian sites on Russian territory, killing unarmed Russian citizens."

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Putin flew to Kazan for the opening of the Future Games.

Vladimir Putin flew to Tatarstan, where he will take part in the opening of the “Games of the Future” and meet with colleagues from other countries.
It is expected that the heads of Kazakhstan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan will arrive at the opening ceremony of the international multi-sports tournament. The President of the Republic of Serbian Bosnia and Herzegovina, Milorad Dodik, also came to Kazan.

Putin mentioned plans to meet with some colleagues the day before, speaking at the “Strong Ideas for New Times” forum.

"Games of the Future" will be held in Kazan and Sochi from February 21 to March 3. This is the first international multi-sport competition in hybrid disciplines

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President Putin instructs the military to prepare for further advances to build on the success in Avdeevka.

Full trannoscript

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Russia completes grain deliveries to six poorest African countries, minister says

Russian Agriculture Minister Dmitry Patrushev said Russia "delivered a total of 200,000 tons of grain to the African continent as humanitarian aid".

"We have completed wheat deliveries to six poorest countries on the African continent," he said. "We delivered a total of 200,000 tons of grain to the African continent as humanitarian aid," the minister added.

The deliveries were carried out together with the United Grain Company and with assistance from the Russian Foreign Ministry and the Transport Ministry.

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No point talking to Russia from position of strength, envoy to US says

Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov noticed that Washington’s strategy towards Moscow "in essence is little different from military confrontation".

"There is no prospect of talking to our country from the position of strength and sanctions pressure. The persistent desire to dominate only leads to the opposite effect. The earlier America realizes this, the sooner the world will have a chance to return to a stable, sustainable and predictable path of development," he pointed out in an op-ed for Newsweek.

According to Antonov, Washington’s strategy towards Russia "in essence is little different from military confrontation."

"The liberation of cities, first and foremost Mariupol, Artyomovsk and Avdeevka, are clear signs of the Kiev regime's agony and the failure of the West's anti-Russian policy," the Russian envoy stressed.

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◾Warning Graphic: Russian forces share details of combat and mop-up operations in Avdeevka.

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Superstition and taboo: Germany retreats into the Middle Ages as its economy declines

An abandonment of reason is among the symptoms of a nation suffering from a collapse in the prevailing narratives.

Bloomberg recently foretold the end of Germany’s days as an industrial power in an article that begins with a depiction of the closing of a factory in Dusseldorf. Stone-faced workers preside with funereal solemnity over the final act – the fashioning of a steel pipe at a rolling mill – at the century-old plant. The “flickering of flares and torches” and “somber tones of a lone horn player” lend the scene a decidedly medieval atmosphere. 

Intentional or not in their inclusion of such evocative detail, the Bloomberg writers offer potent imagery for Germany – not only because the country is regressing economically but because its elites are increasingly guided by an atavistic force: the abandonment of reason.

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