❗️Latest statements by Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov:

▪️Russia's Finance Ministry intends to minimize the use of the National Welfare Fund (NWF) in financing the budget deficit, will enter the debt market;

▪️The ministry intends to use the funds of the NWF primarily for investments in infrastructure projects;

▪️ Russia's budget deficit in 2022 will be about 2% of the GDP;

▪️Russia is preparing countermeasures to the attempt to impose a price cap on oil;

▪️It is still premature to talk about the oil price cap's effect on Russia's national budget;

▪️The introduction of a price cap on oil will have consequences for the world market.

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⚡️An update from Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov:

▪️Russia is not going to include new territories, but parts of Russia's new regions occupied by Kiev will have to be liberated;

▪️Germany's statements about Ukraine's attacks on Russian territories do not contribute to the resolution of conflict;

▪️Kremlin on risks of potential attacks in Sevastopol and Crimea: they exist, Kiev continues a policy of organizing attacks, but measures have been taken;

▪️Kremlin on the Triple Gas Union (Russia-Kazakhstan-Uzbekistan): gas will not be supplied in exchange for political conditions, it is about coordination in the energy sector;

▪️Each country will continue to sell its resources focusing on commercial benefits within the framework of the Triple Gas Union;

▪️Moscow is finishing the preparation of countermeasures to the West's decision to impose a price cap on Russia’s oil.

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📱 A phone thief in Dewsbury, UK, tried to escape the store with two brand-new smartphones. However, the door suddenly locked and the thief couldn’t manage to run away.

“My mate's outside! He forced me to do it," the intruder told the store owner after he was caught red-handed.

While some social media users laughed at the thief's excuses, others wondered how it was possible for the owner to lock the door remotely: he’s not seen pressing any alarm button on the video.

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❗️Russian’s MoD briefing on the progress of the special military operation in Ukraine:

▪️Russian forces performed multiple high-precision strikes on Ukrainian targets, destroying five US-made MLRSs and German-made MARS-II MLRS in the Zaporozhye region;

▪️The Russian Army destroyed two US-made HIMARS rocket systems in the DPR;

▪️As a result of the Russia’s high-precision air strike in the Kharkov region, more than 90 Polish mercenaries were eliminated;

▪️Russian forces eliminated more than 60 Ukrainian troops, as well as three infantry combat vehicles and two other vehicles near Krasny Liman (DPR);

▪️The Russian Army eliminated more than 70 Ukrainian troops, as well as two infantry combat vehicles and three other vehicles near Kupyansk (Kharkov region);

▪️Russian troops eliminated more than 30 Ukrainian soldiers, as well as a Ukrainian infantry combat vehicle, armored carrier and two other vehicles near Nikol’skoye settlement (DPR);

▪️Russian forces hit 93 Ukrainian artillery units at their firing positions;

▪️Russian troops destroyed the Ukrainian Tochka-U rocket system in the Kharkov region, as well as a US-made AN/TPQ-50 radar station in the DPR;

▪️Russian air defense destroyed five Ukrainian UAVs, as well as intercepted 15 HIMARS, Olkha, Uragan and HARM rockets.

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📹 "They smoked weed, sniffed spice - I saw it a couple of times": A Ukrainian soldier who laid down his arms speaks about how his colleagues used drugs and how his friend was trained by US instructors

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World’s Oldest DNA Found in Greenland Reveals Arctic’s Lost Nature

The world’s oldest known fragments of DNA have been found in the permafrost of Cape Copenhagen at the northern edge of Greenland, offering an extraordinary glimpse at the extraordinary ancient ecosystem of the world’s largest island.

The analyzed genetic material dates back at least two million years, which is nearly twice as old as the mammoth DNA from Siberia which was the previous record holder.

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⚡️Exchange of Viktor Bout for US citizen Brittney Griner successfully completed at Abu Dhabi airport on December 8 - Russian Foreign Ministry

⚡️Russian Foreign Ministry: Viktor Bout has returned to homeland. For a long time, the release of Bout was discussed with the US, but Washington refused to have a dialogue on including him in the exchange

❗️The White House said that Joe Biden is due to make an emergency address amid news of Brittney Griner's release

📹 Сombat training of Russian special forces (Russia's MoD video)

Between the performance of combat missions, the special forces improve the coherence of the work of its groups and the skills of using weapons. After the combat exits, the groups analyze the stages of the operation and offer other options for its implementation, taking into account various variables such as weather, terrain, etc.

In the course of fire training, the special forces master various types of weapons in order to be able to replace each other: anti-tank missile systems, automatic and hand grenade launchers, and machine guns.

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Venezuelan Leader Maduro Calls Argentine VP Kirchner's Sentence 'Political Persecution'

Argentine Vice President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, sentenced to six years in prison for corruption, has become a victim of political persecution, Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro said.

“From Venezuela, we express our firm opposition to the constant media and political persecution that Vice President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has been subjected to. Sooner or later, the truth will prevail and the voice of the Argentine people will be respected,” Maduro wrote on Twitter.

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Ankara: Maritime Traffic in Bosporus Caused by Refusal of Companies to Provide Insurance

The Turkish Maritime Authority on Thursday accused EU companies of refusing to provide insurance documents for the passage of oil tankers through the Black Sea Straits, and declared the unacceptability of applying pressure on Ankara.

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📹 In Belarus, company tactical exercises are being held with the participation of Russian military personnel (video courtesy of Russia's MoD)

At the training grounds, troops perform shooting from all types of small arms and mortars, study tactical medicine and other disciplines.

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Xi Jinping: China Sees Saudi Arabia as Important Power in Multipolar World

China considers Saudi Arabia an important power in the multipolar world and attaches great importance to developing a strategic partnership with the kingdom, Chinese President Xi Jinping said Thursday at a meeting with King Salman bin Abdulaziz in Riyadh.

"The cooperation between China and Saudi Arabia has broad prospects. China views Saudi Arabia as an important force in the multipolar world and attaches great importance to the development of a comprehensive strategic partnership with Riyadh," Xi said, as quoted by CCTV.

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