Fault Lines discussed cash injections into Ukraine with Eva Bartlett - an independent writer and journalist.

💬 "But how do Americans feel knowing all this money is going to them instead of to programs, social programs, whatever, to improve society back in the states. Are people pissed off there about that, about so much money being sent to Ukraine or they are not aware?"

🎧 Listen to more of Eva Barlett's analysis on our podcast: White House Makes a Case Against Yemen Resolution While Sen. Bernie Sanders Pulls Back

Washington's possible delivery of advanced electronic equipment to Kiev to convert missiles into "smart bombs" makes no sense as the Ukrainian forces no longer have military aviation capable of using such munitions, Russian military expert Alexei Leonkov has told Sputnik.

Citing senior US officials familiar with the matter, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday that the White House was planning to supply Ukraine with advanced electronic equipment to convert unguided aerial munitions into high-precision "smart bombs" to target Russia's military positions.

According to the report, the delivery would include global positioning devices for precision that could be deployed onto a variety of arms and create what the Pentagon calls a Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM).

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🎥 Training of T-80 crews in the rear zone of the special operation (video by Russian MoD)

The instructor staff trains military personnel taking into account modern combat experience. Gunners practice firing on the move at targets at a distance of up to two kilometers.

💬 “The most important thing from subordinates is attentiveness to training, so that all requirements are met. They must learn what awaits them on the front lines, they must be able to control a tank, use its weapons in full,” said one of the instructors.

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"A decree was given from Kiev to turn a blind eye to everything that the Polish creatures do," An underground activist in Nikolaev revealed how Polish mercenaries rape girls with impunity with the connivance of the authorities.

TikTok Promotes Videos About Eating Disorders and Self-Harm, Research Shows

TikTok is boosting videos about destructive behavior like eating disorders and self-harm, researchers from the Center for Countering Digital Hate said. In a paper noscriptd “Deadly by Design”, they discuss the possible hazards people with mental health issues may face when they use a popular social network.

“It’s like being stuck in a hall of distorted mirrors where you’re constantly being told you’re ugly, you’re not good enough, maybe you should kill yourself,” claims Imran Ahmed, CEO of the Center for Countering Digital Hate.

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‼️Air raid sirens heard across Ukraine - ministry data

'EU And US Hypocrisy': RT & Parent Company Sanctioned Over Claims of Disinformation

The European Union's ninth round of sanctions targeted RT and its parent company Ano TV-Novosti, it has been detailed.

The designation has prompted Brussels to seize the funds and assets of those belonging to RT in Europe over its allegations that the non-profit parent firm and RT work to "spread propaganda and disinformation."

George Szamuely, a senior research fellow at the Global Policy Institute, spoke to the development with RT, underscoring that the move was a "great shame" and simply the product of "EU and US hypocrisy."

"What they call disinformation is information they don't like... it's a perspective that they want to deny to the European public," he stressed, adding that he did not believe western journalists would condemn the EU move as "they're much too busy getting indignant about a handful of journalists getting suspended by Twitter."

Fault Lines discussed western policy towards Russia with Eva Bartlett - Independent Writer & Journalist

💬 "If we go back to Russia's position and the way Russia behaved, in contrary to all these claims of the Russian invasion in 2014, it never happened. Russia was for all these years pushing the negotiation process, pushing for the Minsk accords to be adhered to. And then we learn this, that they never had any intention, the Ukrainian side and their allies never had any intention to adhere to them at all. I mean, that explains a lot."

🎧 Listen to more of Eva Barlett's analysis on our podcast: White House Makes a Case Against Yemen Resolution While Sen. Bernie Sanders Pulls Back

📹 "One can say they were made into suicide bombers," Russian intelligence officers said they found Ukrainian tanks with hatches welded shut from the outside

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Biden Admin. to Start Refilling US Oil Reserve With 3Mln Barrels Purchase in February

The Biden administration plans to start refilling the heavily drawn-down US Strategic Petroleum Reserve with a purchase of 3 million barrels of crude in February, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced in a document inviting US energy companies to tender for the sale.

Last week, the balance was at its lowest level since 1984 at 382.3 million barrels.

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Insanely Huge Marsquake Had Energy Equal to All Previous Quakes Ever Seen, Scientists Say

A marsquake tracked by Earth scientists earlier this year has had its power quantified for the first time, and the results are off the scales.

"The energy released by this single marsquake is equivalent to the cumulative energy from all other marsquakes we've seen so far," seismologist John Clinton of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Switzerland, said in a release. ‘[A]nd although the event was over 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles) distant, the waves recorded at InSight were so large they almost saturated our seismometer."

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📹 The wife of a DPR militiaman, convicted by a Ukrainian court, recalled how her case was fabricated in order to force her husband to come to Ukraine

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High Heating Bills Force Some Cafes in Budapest to Close Until Spring

Some pastry shops in Budapest are being forced to close or reduce services until spring or for a longer period due to unaffordable heating bills, a Sputnik correspondent reported on Friday.

Several employees of bakeries and cafes in the Hungarian capital have spoken about the difficulties their businesses are facing amid the energy crisis in Europe.

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‼️Ukrainian troops shell city of Donetsk using six grad rockets - DPR

‼️Putin Says Ready to Listen to Proposals With Regard to Special Operation in Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting at the operational headquarters that he was ready to listen to proposals for immediate and medium-term actions on the special operation in Ukraine.

"Comrade officers, today we will hear from the commanders in each operational direction, and I would like to hear your proposals regarding our immediate and medium-term actions," Putin said.

Earlier, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists that on Friday, Putin observed the work of the joint headquarters of the Russian military branches involved in the special operation in Ukraine, heard a report on the progress of the operation, and held separate meetings with commanders.

‘Afraid of Losing Face’: US’ Africa Summit Aimed to Save Position, Distract From Policy Failures

On the last day of US President Joe Biden's Africa Summit, to which he invited most of the countries on the continent, Sputnik spoke with two African policy experts about Washington's goals for the summit for the first time in eight years.

What does the US expect from the summit and what actions are they taking? Read the expert analysis in our article.

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❗️Two ministers from Peru's new government have resigned amid protests that have resulted in civilian deaths.

"This morning I presented my letter of resignation from the post of Minister of State in the education portfolio," Peru’s Minister of Education Patricia Correa said on Twitter on Friday, posting her letter of resignation.

Culture Minister Jair Perez Branez also submitted his letter of resignation on Friday. "Today I have submitted my irrevocable resignation. Peru needs peace and effective dialogue, no more violence, wherever it comes from. I call on the highest level and all powers to reflect and take action to bring peace to the Peruvian people. Not one more death," Branez said on Twitter.

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⚡️Elon Musk lifts suspension of Twitter accounts who ‘doxxed his location’

📹Turkey successfully tests its first supersonic missile

The Bayraktar Akinci, a Turkish-made attack unmanned aerial vehicle, successfully test-fired the country’s first supersonic air-to-surface missile, developed by Selcuk Bayrakter, the head of the producing company, Baykar, said via his twitter account.

"Bayraktar AKINCI fired Turkey's first supersonic missile TRG230IHA, developed by Roketsan. Bull's eye from 100km's,” the official declared.

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📹The Pentagon's Aerospace Defense Command has shown how it will track the movement of Santa Claus's reindeer team on Christmas Eve: control of the "aerial object" will be carried out with the full force of the US armed services - helicopters, submarines, fighters, radar.

American children can sleep peacefully - Santa will not pass unnoticed, the Pentagon guarantees.

But will this 'holiday stalking' operation get anyone suspended from Twitter?

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🦠Almost 200,000 chickens will be culled in Japan's prefecture of Saitama, neighboring Tokyo, due to an outbreak of bird flu, Japanese TV reported on Saturday.

▪️On Friday, 76 dead birds were found at one of the poultry farms in the prefecture. In nine of them, genetic analysis confirmed the presence of a highly pathogenic strain of avian influenza.

▪️This is the third bird flu outbreak in the prefecture. Since Saturday morning, work has begun on the culling of birds, which will last until December 23.

▪️ In addition, quarantine was introduced for the transportation of chickens and eggs within a radius of three kilometers (1.9 miles) around the farm, where foci of the disease were found, and the export of chickens and eggs outside the 10-kilometer zone was prohibited.

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