Weapon Manufacturers Record Skyrocketing Profits From US Arm Sales in 2022

US weapon sales to other countries, largely driven by NATO’s response to Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine and increased tensions in Asia, jumped from $35.8 billion in 2021 to $51.9 billion in 2022.

Direct weapon sales from US-based weapon manufacturers also saw a massive increase, jumping from $103.4 billion in 2021 to $153.7 billion in 2022.

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🇮🇳🏍 WATCH: Corps of Signals Dare Devils team on Kartavyapath participating in today's Republic Day parade

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Finland Grants New Permit to Export Defense Materiel to Turkey

The permit in question, signed by interim Minister of Defence Mikko Savola, concerns the export of reinforced steel by the company Miilux, headquartered in the city of Raahe.

In 2021, Finland notably turned down Miilux’s application for export to Turkey. Two years prior, in 2019, a Turkish pension fund acquired 70 percent of Miilux, which manufactures reinforced steel for armored vehicles.

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Not-So-Distant Relatives? Humans and Apes Share Common Body Language, Study Says

Scholars from St. Andrews University discovered that humans understand many gestures that wild chimps and bonobos use to communicate. The research was published in the peer-reviewed academic journal PLOS Biology.

The study was conducted the following way: scientists showed a video of primate gestures to volunteers and then test subjects had to choose the correct meaning of this gesture. They were able to correctly discern roughly 50% of the apes' gesticulations.

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❗️️Latest statements by Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov:

▪️Zelensky ceased to be a possible opponent for Putin when he failed to deliver on his commitments under the Minsk agreements, and instead prepared for a war;

▪️Changing the status of Russia's military operation in Ukraine due to the West's decision to supply tanks to Kiev is not on the agenda;

▪️Moscow considers the Western arms supplies to Ukraine as evidence of their growing direct involvement in the conflict.

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❗️ Leopard tanks to arrive in Ukraine by late March, German defense minister says

🇷🇺🇷🇸 A video has emerged on social media showing the father of Serbian professional tennis player Novak Djokovic, Srdjan, posing with pro-Russian demonstrators.

In the video, Srdjan Djokovic stands next to a man with a Russian flag, who has the letter Z on his T-shirt, and then says "Long live Russians."

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Classified Documents in Pence’s Home Contain Materials for Work Trips, Media Reports

On Tuesday, media reported that classified government documents were found in Pence's home, but it was not clear at the time what information they contained.

According to one of the sources, a number of documents were likely used to prepare Pence for meetings abroad, and they could have been overlooked while packing up his office.

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

▪️ In the Kharkov region and the LPR, artillery inflicted damage on accumulations of troops from the 14th and 92nd Mechanized Brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. More than 20 Ukrainian soldiers, an armored combat vehicle, a pickup truck and a D-20 howitzer were destroyed.

▪️ In the DPR, artillery strikes inflicted damage on units of the 25th Airborne and 95th Airborne Assault Brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Enemy losses per day in this direction amounted to: up to 70 troops killed and wounded, two armored combat vehicles and four M-777 artillery systems manufactured by the USA.

▪️ Russian troops in the course of offensive operations in the DPR took more advantageous lines and positions. A warehouse of artillery ammunition of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was destroyed. During the day, over 40 Ukrainian troops, an infantry fighting vehicle, two Grad MLRS, a US-made M109 Paladin self-propelled artillery mount, two D-20 and Giacint-B howitzers, as well as a counter-battery radar were destroyed in this direction. made in the USA AN/TPQ-50.

▪️ Continuing offensive operations in the Zaporozhye region and the DPR, Russian troops inflicted a defeat on the enemy. The total losses of the enemy in this direction amounted to 60 Ukrainian troops, three armored combat vehicles, and two pickup trucks. In addition, two storage facilities for fuel for military equipment and three storage facilities for artillery ammunition of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were destroyed.

▪️ In the Kherson region, three D-20 howitzers, a Gvozdika self-propelled howitzer, as well as two US-made AN / TPQ-37 and AN / TPQ-50 counter-battery radars were destroyed as part of counter-battery combat. Four warehouses with ammunition of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were also hit.

▪️ Russian aviation, missile forces and artillery hit 83 artillery units in firing positions, manpower and military equipment in 119 districts. In the Nikolaev region, the radar station of the S-300 anti-aircraft missile system was destroyed.

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

▪️ Russian air defense systems shot down a Ukrainian Su-25 near the Ugledar settlement in the Donetsk People's Republic. Also, eight Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles were destroyed.

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📹 Shturm-S self-propelled anti-tank missile system crews in action during the special military operation (video courtesy of Russia's MoD)

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LIVE NOW on Odysee! Catch our Fault Lines show where we provide updates and analysis on all the most vital stories! Here's our line-up for Thursday:

🔺 First, we discuss the Biden administration's decision to send tanks to Ukraine
🔺 Next, we’ll be talking about the potential breakup of Google and The Big Tech giants
🔺 And, we turn our attention to the latest scandals related to top officials mishandling classified documents

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

💃 Twenty-five years have passed since Bill Clinton’s infamous “I did not have sexual relations with that woman” statement, which he gave in response to media questions on the nature of his relationship with the White House intern Monica Lewinsky. Months later, he admitted the relationship was "wrong" and a “critical lapse in judgment.”

On December 19, 1998, Clinton was impeached by the House of Representatives on grounds of perjury to a grand jury and obstruction of justice. However, he was acquitted by the Senate on both articles of impeachment in February 1999.

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❗️ While in Eritrea, Russia's top diplomat is expected to hold talks with the nation's president, Isaias Afwerki, and the country's foreign minister, Osman Saleh Mohammed.

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📹 Russia's “Marker” combat robot will be sent to the special operation zone and is set to destroy Abrams and Leopard tanks

👉 Read more details about “Marker” in our article

Donald Trump on the US decision to pass Abrams tanks to Ukraine: “First come the tanks, then come the nukes!”

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Russia is categorically against forgetting Nazi crimes and pursues a policy to ensure that crimes like the Holocaust do not happen again, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on the eve of International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

"Russia is categorically against consigning to oblivion crimes of this kind that have no statute of limitations," he said.

Putin added that Russia is pursuing such a policy "so that nothing like this in the history of mankind will ever happen again."

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📊 Comparison of the T-90M "Proryv" with western tanks

After the announcement of the supply of Abrams and Leopards to Ukraine, it became even more relevant to compare the characteristics of western tanks with the Russian counterpart, the T-90M Proryv. Which is better? Find out in our video.

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🏆 The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) on Thursday invited Russian and Belarusian athletes to take part in the 2023 Asian Games, scheduled for the fall.

💬 "The OCA believes in the unifying power of sport and that all athletes, regardless of their nationality or the passport they hold, should be able to compete in sports competitions. The OCA has offered to give eligible Russian and Belarusian athletes the opportunity to take part in competitions in Asia, including the Asian Games," the OCA said in a statement.

The next Asian Games will be held in the Chinese city of Hangzhou from September 23 to October 8.

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Paris Transport Workers to Strike Against Pension Reform on January 31

Trade unions of the Paris public transport operator RATP Group said on Thursday that they would take part in a nationwide strike and demonstration against raising the retirement age on January 31.

"We reaffirm our determination to create a broad protest movement with all the workers of the country. In this regard, we call on all company representatives to express their rejection of this pension counter-reform," the RATP trade unions including CGT, FO, UNSA, and CFE-CGC said in a statement.

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⚡️ The United States has announced new sanctions against Russian legal entities and individuals. In particular, measures are being introduced in relation to ship repair enterprises, as well as structures and persons associated with Wagner PMC.

The US Treasury declared the Wagner Group a transnational criminal organization.

The US imposed visa sanctions against 531 members of the Russian Armed Forces, the State Department said.

📉 A total of 63% of Germans oppose supplying Kiev with fighter jets, a poll showed on Thursday.

Only 26% of the 5,063 people sampled said they were "definitely" or "largely" in favor of giving Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky the coveted planes, while 11% said they were undecided, according to the survey, which was conducted from January 25-26.

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