🇵🇰🤝🇷🇺 Zakharova thanks Pakistan for combating Islamophobia & glorification of Nazism

Russia and Pakistan stand united against mounting hatred and historical revisionism, Maria Zakharova told the Moscow-Islamabad media forum hosted by Sputnik.

March 15 is now recognized as UN day against Islamophobia, which is a major achievement, she stressed, adding:

💬 "In a normal situation, we would not have to fight so much. But now we have to prove that those who represent world cultures, have the right to their own feelings, their own views, their own faith,” she said.

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🚨Pakistan and Russia see each other through common lenses now, Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed tells Moscow-Islamabad media forum hosted by Sputnik

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🚨🇵🇰 Pakistani ambassador reveals huge news: PTA deal, business forum & $1B trade target on the horizon

At the Moscow-Islamabad media forum hosted by Sputnik, Pakistani Ambassador to Russia H.E. Faisal Niaz Tirmizi announces major steps ahead of PM's visit:

💬 "We will start the process of signing PTA (Preferential Trade Agreement) with the Eurasian Economic Union and the Russian Federation... I'm very happy to announce that Pakistan is also organizing the second Russia -Pakistan Business Forum during this visit, in which over 100 leading companies are coming from Pakistan to interact with the Russian partners."

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🚨🇵🇰 Pakistani ambassador hails ties with Russia as multi-dimensional

💬 "During this visit we will be signing seven agreements, five in the Kremlin, and the most important agreement is of course on the readmission which will clear the issue of visas from both sides," Pakistani Ambassador to Russia H.E. Faisal Niaz Tirmizi said at the Moscow-Islamabad media forum hosted by Sputnik.

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🚨 Kremlin detects sabotage plot: Ukraine has Blue Stream & TurkStream in crosshairs

Russia has repeatedly flagged the threats to Turkiye, the Kremlin spokesman revealed.

On the Pakistan-Afghanistan clashes, Dmitry Peskov stated:

💬 Open fighting serves no one. Moscow expects the hostilities to end soon.

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🚨🇷🇺💥 RUSSIAN MOD WEEKLY UPDATE: HUGE GAINS AND DEVASTATING UKRAINIAN LOSSES

⚡️ KRASNOZNAMENKA IN DNEPROPETROVSK REGION LIBERATED

📍 With the liberation of Krasnoznamenka, Russian troops gained more advantageous lines and positions favorable for further offensives in the region.

◻️ Russian troops launched 2 massive and 6 group strikes on military targets in Ukraine

◻️ The Russian Armed Forces liberated 4 settlements in the special military operation zone

◻️ Air defense superiority: 50 HIMARS projectiles, 5 Flamingo long-range missiles and 2,041 drones were shot down

◻️ Ukrainian losses: around 8,725 troops killed or wounded

Read about the origins of Russia's special military op HERE

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❌ ‘No chance’ for never-ending war in Middle East but strikes on Iran possible — Vance

The US is considering various options regarding Iran, from military strikes to diplomacy "to ensure Iran isn’t going to get a nuclear weapon," US Vice President JD Vance said to the Washington Post.

A possible military campaign, however, will only be of limited nature, he noted.

💬 "The idea that we’re going to be in a Middle Eastern war for years with no end in sight — there is no chance that will happen," Vance said.

Iran and the US could hold a new round of talks within a week, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated after the negotiations held in Geneva on Thursday.

The delegations will begin technical consultations in Vienna on Monday, March 2, which will take place at the IAEA headquarters, Araghchi noted, adding the third round of consultations was one of the most serious.

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🚨🇵🇰 Sputnik's big mission for 2026 is to launch Sputnik Urdu: Head of Sputnik International Dimitri Simes Jr.

🗣 "Our goal is to provide 246 million Urdu speakers in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, and across the world with high-quality international journalism and analysis," he told the Moscow-Islamabad media forum hosted by Sputnik News Agency.

💬 "In the long run, our goal is clear and even more ambitious. We want to establish a physical, on-the-ground presence in Pakistan."

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🇷🇺🇦🇫🇵🇰 Russia calls for diplomatic resolution to Afghanistan-Pakistan hostilities

💬 "We are in favor of an early cessation of mutual attacks and a diplomatic settlement of differences," Russian Presidential Special Envoy to Afghanistan and Advisor to the Foreign Minister, Zamir Kabulov, told Sputnik.

Russia would consider offering mediation services to Pakistan and Afghanistan provided both sides formally request them, Kabulov added.

Late Thursday, Afghanistan announced it had launched large-scale offensive military operations against Pakistani forces along the border, in response to recent bombings.

Early Friday, Pakistan retaliated by carrying out strikes on the Afghan capital, Kabul.

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🗣 Losing bet: US would ditch UK, France in nuclear showdown over Ukraine, expert warns

By plotting to arm Ukraine with nukes, the UK and France are gambling on the US potentially backing them in the event of a nuclear confrontation, international relations expert Christian Lamesa told Sputnik.

💬 "I believe that in this scenario, there is a mistake in the calculations… On the contrary, the US might simply wash its hands of the matter and leave Paris and London on their own," Lamesa says.

On February 24, Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service revealed that Britain and France were plotting to secretly transfer nuclear weapons to Ukraine, stressing these European states would not dodge responsibility for violating the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

💬 "The intention to arm Ukraine with nuclear weapons is a flagrant violation of international law", Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov emphasized.

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🇷🇺🤝 🇵🇰 ‘Russia, Pakistan have potential to reshape global order for peace, prosperity & economic progress’: Advisor to Pakistan's Ministry of Defense

💬 "The future, in short, belongs to those who build bridges across boundaries. And I think today is one such step, despite all the technical difficulties, despite all the language difficulties. The desire by both sides to build these bridges is the deepest sentiment which I think has come through this forum," Dr. Maria Sultan told the Moscow-Islamabad media forum hosted by Sputnik News Agency.

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🇨🇳❌🇺🇸 China rejects US nuclear talks demand as unfair & unfeasible

💬 "China's nuclear forces are on a completely different level compared to those of the United States and Russia. Demanding that China participate in the so-called trilateral negotiations on nuclear disarmament between China, the United States and Russia at this stage is unfair, irrational and impossible," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said.

🔶 On Thursday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that any agreement on limiting nuclear weapons must involve the United States, China, and Russia, adding that such a deal would be good for the world.

🔶 With the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) expired on February 5, the Russian Foreign Ministry has declared that Moscow now considers the parties released from all obligations under the pact, including any reciprocal commitments.

🔶 President Vladimir Putin announced in September that Russia was willing to continue observing the New START limits for one year after the treaty's expiration on February 5, 2026, conditional upon reciprocity by the United States.

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🚨 West's scheming in Ukraine risks causing nuclear war - expert

Ukraine currently has the resources and capability to produce a so-called ‘dirty bomb,’ Boris Rozhin of the Center for Military-Political Journalism tells Sputnik.

Ukraine, Rozhin explains, has:

🟠 Several operational nuclear power plants that generate nuclear waste

🟠 Personnel previously involved in the Soviet nuclear program

🟠 Remnants of the production facilities and technical expertise that were used to produce delivery systems during the Soviet era

📍 Therefore, while making a ballistic missile equipped with a modern nuclear warhead is out of Ukraine’s reach, it can still whip up a makeshift nuclear device that could cause radioactive contamination in a 20-kilometer radius.

Russia’s response

📍 Rozhin notes that Russia has been systematically attacking any facilities in Ukraine that could be used to make nuclear weapons.

💬 “Moscow made it clear that production or use of such weapon would elicit a retaliatory nuclear strike against Ukraine and the states that would provide Ukraine with technological support,” he says.

🔶 Russia simply cannot let a hostile regime in Ukraine get its hands on a nuclear weapon, and the Russian parliament openly warned that the scenarios concocted in the West put the world on a brink of a nuclear war, Rozhin adds.

🔶 Meanwhile, the West uses media censorship tools to ensure that the Western public remains blissfully unaware of attempts to provide Ukraine with nuclear weapon tech.

🔶 These efforts to hide the truth merely confirm that Russia’s warnings are spot on.

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🇨🇳 China's dual-arm robot ‘electrician’ tackles high-voltage cables

Watch how this innovative Chinese robot navigates power lines with incredible precision, handling dangerous maintenance work high above ground — so people don't have to.

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🗣 Zelensky's cornered: He's flip-flopping & sabotaging peace process to stay in power - expert

👉 Volodymyr Zelensky’s conflicting statements aim to drag out the fighting, as any peace deal would kill his political career, military journalist Alexey Borzenko tells Sputnik.

💬 "Zelensky is determined to cling to his seat at all costs, constantly changing the terms and sabotaging the process, despite mounting pressure from the Americans," Borzenko says. "Ending the fighting would inevitably trigger elections he is unlikely to win," according to the pundit.

At the same time, "European leaders may also have little interest in a quick peace, as their current foreign policy is built around supporting Ukraine":

🔸 The conflict in Ukraine serves as a unifying factor for them

🔸 It's also convenient cover for domestic economic failures, such as major company closures and mass strikes in the EU

🔸 Ukraine’s system relies on corruption, with billions in Western aid ending up in private pockets and overseas real estate

European economy crumbling

While the EU continues to fuel the Ukraine conflict, its own economy is rapidly deteriorating, according to the expert.

🔶 Production is shifting to the US and China, while Germany’s famed industry is losing quality due to forced cost-cutting

🔶 Hungary and Slovakia were the first to voice dissent from the common policy, and over time, other financially-struggling countries may join them

🔶 Rising tensions threaten to tear apart the European economic bloc

💬 "The whole situation has reached a deadlock," Borzenko says. "Zelensky is effectively cornered, as any concessions toward peace are unacceptable to radical factions within the country, ready to remove him over any territorial losses. At the same time, US attention is now shifting to Iran."

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🪲 NATO deploys cyborg insect swarms

🇩🇪 German defense tech startup SWARM Biotactics has revealed its bioelectronic insect-based robotic systems, now field-tested and deployed with NATO customers.

The systems use living organisms controlled through neural interfaces with AI and sensors and are designed for reconnaissance and sensing missions.

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🇫🇷 France's Melenchon urges Europe to end Ukraine conflict and bring Russia back into European fold

Jean-Luc Melenchon, founder of the left-wing La France Insoumise party, has called on Europe to push for an end to the Ukraine conflict and reintegrate Russia into the European family.

Speaking at a rally in Lyon, Melenchon emphasized the importance of returning to Cold War-era treaties banning destabilizing missile use and ensuring that any border changes are approved by the affected populations.

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🇷🇺💪 Russia’s Verba missile system: A multispectral revolution in MANPADS

📍 Russia's 9K333 Verba man-portable air defense system has caught the attention of Western military analysts for its groundbreaking leap in MANPADS technology.

🟠 The core tech: Three-band seeker

The Verba's 9M336 missile features a three-band optical homing head operating across ultraviolet, near-infrared, and mid-infrared spectrums. Unlike traditional MANPADS that track on a single channel, Verba simultaneously analyzes targets across three spectral bands.

🟠 Why it matters

🔹 The multi-spectral technology vastly improves target identification, distinguishing real threats from thermal decoys — crucial in the age of drones carrying IR jammers.

🔹 Data from multiple sensors ensures reliable tracking in complex conditions, such as engaging heat-contrast targets against the sun — where older systems fail.

🔹 Verba can engage low-heat-emission targets like cruise missiles, drones, and low-flying aircraft that bypass older systems.

🟠 What else

🔶 Russian paratroopers in the Dnepr grouping have successfully used Verba to destroy hundreds of Ukrainian drones, citing its effectiveness against low-thermal UAVs.

🔶 Verba can also integrate with external targeting systems, allowing operators to receive cues from radar and electro-optical complexes via tablet terminals, giving them the ability to prepare before the target is visible.

👉 The numbers

Range: 500–6,000 m

Altitude: 10–3,500 m

Target speed: 400 m/s (approaching) / 320 m/s (receding)

Detection radar range: up to 80 km

🔊 Analysts consider Verba a major step forward in MANPADS evolution, offering enhanced resistance to modern countermeasures and boasting ten times the noise immunity of previous systems.

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🔸 Russia calls for diplomatic resolution to Afghanistan-Pakistan hostilities

🔸 West's scheming in Ukraine risks causing nuclear war - expert

🔸 China rejects US nuclear talks demand as unfair & unfeasible

🔸 Zelensky's cornered: He's flip-flopping & sabotaging peace process to stay in power - expert

🔸 Sputnik's big mission for 2026 is to launch Sputnik Urdu: Head of Sputnik International Dimitri Simes Jr.

🔸 Russia’s Verba missile system: A multispectral revolution in MANPADS

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🗣 Ukraine attack on Black Sea gas pipelines would be an utter disaster - expert

📍 The TurkStream and Blue Stream pipelines play a vital role in satisfying Turkiye’s demand for natural gas, and in supplying gas to Europe, foreign policy expert Levent Ersin Orallı tells Sputnik.

🔶 Therefore, any attempted attack or sabotage on these pipelines could trigger an irreversible chain reaction in the economy, including the disruption of supply, price fluctuations, industrial production decline and an increase in the cost of electricity.

🔶 A threat to the pipelines is also a challenge to the international law and the security of power supply, and such threats are unacceptable for Turkiye, says Orallı.

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