📹 💬 "There can be no negotiations with Zelensky, simply because he has legally banned talks with the Russian government," Lavrov said during the Q&A session of his press conference.

The Russian foreign minister added that the Ukrainian president makes unrealistic proposals on peace settlement.

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💬 Lavrov explaining to Sky News journo the basics of the international law and, once again, talking about the US-backed Maidan coup in Kiev.

Says the US immediately backed the bloody coup of 2014 in Ukraine, while ignoring the EU as a guarantor of agreements between President Yanukovich and the opposition, mentions Victoria Nuland's "f*ck the EU" leaked phonecall.

❗️ Russia's Ukraine op aimed at ending war raging in Donbass since 2014 - Putin

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

▪️ In the Kharkov region and the LPR, Russian artillery inflicted fire damage on units of the 14th and 92nd Mechanized Brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the 103rd Territorial Defense Brigade. Over 60 Ukrainian soldiers, an armored personnel carrier, two pickup trucks, two cars and one US-made M777 artillery system were destroyed.

▪️ The Russian artillery and airborne strikes on accumulations of troops inflicted defeat on units of the 92nd Mechanized, 80th and 95th Air Assault brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Lugansk People's Republic. The total losses of the enemy in this direction per day amounted to more than 90 Ukrainian troops, an infantry fighting vehicle and three armored fighting vehicles. In addition, two US-made AN/TPQ-50 and AN/TPQ-48 counter-battery radars, as well as a ST-68 target detection and tracking radar, were destroyed.

▪️ Volunteers of the Russian assault detachments, with fire support from aviation, missile troops and artillery, liberated the village of Sol in the DPR. During the day, up to 90 Ukrainian troops, three armored combat vehicles, four vehicles, a Msta-B howitzer and a Grad MLRS combat vehicle were destroyed. In addition, the AFU ammunition depot for HIMARS and Grad multiple launch rocket systems was destroyed.

▪️Artillery and marines thwarted Ukraine's attempts to attack in the direction of the settlements of Stepnoye, Sladkoye and Urozhaynoye in the DPR. The total losses of the enemy amounted to 90 Ukrainian troops, four armored combat vehicles, one pickup truck and seven vehicles.

▪️ During the day, aviation, missile forces and artillery defeated 76 artillery units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine at firing positions, troops and military equipment in 103 districts.

▪️ Russian aviation shot down a Ukrainian Su-25 in the DPR.

▪️ Air defense destroyed seven Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles.

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Catch our Fault Lines show where we provide updates and analysis on all the most vital stories!

🔺 First, we cover the Davos Economic Forum and specifically discuss how prostitutes gather in Switzerland at this time to accommodate the world elite
🔺 Next, we’ll talk about the latest admission by a former Defense Intelligence Agency deputy director that he and other co-signers knew the Hunter Biden story was real despite drafting a letter claiming that it was “Russian disinformation”
🔺 Also, we talk about the real reason behind Biden’s meeting with Dutch Prime Minister at the White House
🔺 And, we discuss freedom of speech and censorship in relation to RT Russian being blocked on Facebook* and the Sputnik Lithuania editor being arrested in Latvia

Tune in to Radio Sputnik at 7am EST|4am PST|1pm CET via the website or app!

📻 Also in the United States at 105.5FM, 104.7FM, 102.9FM, 1390AM, 1140AM

*Meta, Facebook, and Instagram are banned in Russia over extremist activities.

Scientists Say They’ve Found Best Hiding Place From Nuclear Blast

A group of researchers have found what they say is the most survivable location in a building at a certain distance from the detonation of a nuclear device.
Nuclear bombs have developed a reputation as the absolute bringers of destruction, but while they can indeed devastate a large area and kill with a variety of methods, it’s also totally possible to survive a nuclear blast, provided you’re far enough away from the initial fireball.

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Latvia Court Upholds Earlier Decision to Leave Sputnik Lithuania Editor Kasem in Custody

A Latvian court upheld its previous decision on Wednesday to leave Sputnik Lithuania editor Marat Kasem in custody, the appeal was denied.

Kasem's lawyers said that they will file a complaint with the European Court of Human Rights.

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Church of England Rejects Calls to Back Same-Sex Marriage

The Church of England rejected demands to allow clergy to conduct same-sex marriages on Wednesday, but suggested that couples who were married in a civil ceremony could bless their union in church.

On Monday, UK House of Commons leader Penny Mordaunt called on the Church of England to perform same-sex marriages, saying the Church's current stance causes "pain and trauma" to LGBTQ+ people. Following the appeal, the Church outlined its new proposals, which it called "historical plans" to reform its posture on same-sex couples.

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🤭 Against the background of recent events, the news has again become viral that the former adviser to the head of the office of the President of Ukraine Oleksiy Arestovich is listed in the database of the Ukrainian website "Myrotvorets.” He is called a "professional provocateur" who carries out "public information sabotage."

📌 In Arestovich's Myrotvorets profile that appeared in January 2022, it is said that he participated in "acts of humanitarian aggression" against Ukraine, measures that undermine the defense capability of Ukraine by demoralizing the armed forces, and discredited Ukrainian government agencies.

🥴 The Myrotvorets website was created in August 2014. It publishes the personal data of people and organizations whose activities the resource administrators regard as a threat to the security of Ukraine.

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What Tanks Did Western Countries Deliver to Ukraine?

Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov said late last month that since the start of Moscow’s special military operation in Ukraine on February 24, Western countries have provided Kiev with more than 350 tanks, among other military hardware. Who exactly was involved in those tank deliveries and will more such supplies be in the pipeline? Sputnik answers these and other questions.

Learn more

Twitter Reportedly Auctioning Off Coffee Machines, Neon Signs Due to Office Lease Debts

US social media company Twitter is auctioning off coffee machines, neon displays with the company's logo, kitchen appliances, as well as office equipment purportedly because of difficulties paying office rent, US media reported on Wednesday.

The auctioned items can be found on the website of Heritage Global Partners, which is in charge of the auction, according to the report.

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Davos Organizers: Elon Musk Not Invited While He Calls the Event 'Boring Af'

While the billionaire claimed he turned down an invitation to the forum, the event's organizers insisted that the last time he was invited was years ago.

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📹 US President Joe Biden suddenly took the knee during the visit of the reigning NBA champions Golden State Warriors to the White House.

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📊 In addition to $19.3 billion in official military aid from the US Department of Defense, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has allocated $23 billion to Ukraine during 2022. Where is this money going?

$13 billion was allocated directly to the current Ukrainian authorities. It is noteworthy that the vast majority of this tranche ($10.7 billion) does not have a special purpose in the report. According to USAID's calculations, the remaining funds ($2.3 billion) are intended to "maintain the administrative capacity of the government of Ukrainian government" and "sustain the economy."

$10 billion was allocated to targeted programs: the vast majority of these funds are designed to provide "economic aid" ($8.6 billion). The money of American taxpayers should also go to "humanitarian aid", "support for democracy and media freedom", "training of the Armed Forces of Ukraine", "social sector", "promotion of European values" and other expenses.

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📹 Exactly 80 years ago, the Red Army made a major breakthrough against Nazi German forces besieging the city of Leningrad, finally breaching the blockade which had lasted for over two years and threatened to starve the city residents.

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Putin: Extremely Important to Recognize WWII Genocide Against Soviet People

Putin met Russian WWII veterans in St.Petersburg as part of events dedicated to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Red Army troops breaking the Siege of Leningrad in the Second World War.

Recognizing the genocide against the civilian population of the Soviet Union during the Second World War is "extremely important", Russian President Vladimir Putin argued on Wednesday.

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Super-Heroic Comeback: Marvel Movies Return to China

After a four-year absence from the Chinese market, movies from the Marvel superhero franchise are once again expected to be allowed into the country as of next month.

Walt Disney Studios subsidiary Marvel Studios has already announced on Chinese social media that "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" and "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" are slated to be released in China’s movie theaters on February 7 and 17 respectively.

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On the 80th anniversary of the breakthrough of the Siege of Leningrad, Vladimir Putin laid a wreath at the Motherland Monument in St. Petersburg.

On the way, he also laid flowers on one of the mass graves in which rests his older brother Viktor, who died during the siege when he was only a child, during the winter of 1942.

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‼️USAID: Washington to provide $125 million in energy support for Ukraine

➡️ In addition to the Wednesday aid, the Biden administration is reportedly expected to announce a new batch of weapons delivery for Ukraine on Friday

📹 Combat work of Grads in the LPR. The crews of the MLRS supported the attack of the Russian infantry.

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‼️Russian Envoy to Canada Stepanov called to Canadian Foreign Ministry, topic unknown