❗️ Russian MoD’s latest statements on the Ukraine crisis:

▪️ Russian artillery hit manpower and hardware of the 114th and 104th Territorial Defense Brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Kharkov region. The enemy's losses during the day amounted to 45 Ukrainian servicemen, one tank, four armored fighting vehicles, and a D-20 howitzer.

▪️ Russian artillery and heavy flamethrower systems hit the 25th Airborne and 95th Airborne Assault Brigades of Ukraine in the DPR. More than 60 Ukrainian troops and four armored fighting vehicles were neutralized.

▪️ As a result of a successful offensive, volunteers of assault groups, supported by operational-tactical and army aviation, missile troops, and artillery, liberated the village of Blagodatnoye in the DPR. Up to 50 Ukrainian servicemen, a French Caesar self-propelled artillery system, a US-made M-777 artillery system, and a MSTA-B howitzer were eliminated in the area during the day.

▪️ The Russian Armed Forces hit units of the 72nd Mechanized Brigade of Ukraine in the DPR. Over 40 servicemen, one tank, two armored fighting vehicles, and two pickup trucks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were neutralized in this direction.

▪️ Two artillery ammunition depots of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were destroyed in the DPR.

▪️ Two Gvozdika self-propelled artillery units and two ammunition depots of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Kherson region were destroyed as part of a counter-battery operation.

▪️ Operational-tactical aviation, missile troops, and artillery of the Russian Armed Forces neutralized 84 AFU artillery units in firing positions, as well as struck enemy manpower and hardware in 126 areas during the day.

▪️ Russian air defenses shot down one Mi-8 helicopter of Ukrainian Air Force in the Kherson region.

▪️ Some 381 airplanes and 206 helicopters, 2,987 unmanned aerial vehicles, 402 anti-aircraft missile systems, 7,691 tanks and other armored fighting vehicles, 997 combat vehicles equipped with multiple launch rocket systems, 3,970 field artillery cannons and mortars, as well as 8,229 units of special military hardware have been destroyed during the special military operation.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Should F-16 Supplies to Ukraine Ever Be Considered by Any Country?

Ukraine appears confident that after some Western countries decided to supply it with tanks, it might get F-16 fighter jets as well. Recently, US President Joe Biden has made it clear that Washington will not provide F-16s to Ukraine. However, some of Kiev’s Western allies have promised to consider such a possibility.

Sputnik wants to know your opinion on the matter - please feel free to take part in our poll!

'Frying Russians in Butter': Major Swedish Daily Under Fire for Spreading Hate Speech

Dagens Nyheter, one of Sweden’s largest dailies, has found itself in hot water after Twitter branded the cover of its weekend supplement as “offensive content".

The cover features a picture of Laura Swaan Wrede - the head of the Swedish Home Guard, who was interviewed by the paper - and it is accompanied by a quotation where she recounts that her grandmother used to say: "A Russian stays a Russian even if you fry him in butter."

This expression sparked outrage on Twitter, where many said that Swaan Wrede would have faced dismal consequences had the quotation been about some other group than Russians. Some pointed out that “roasting humans in a pan” amounted to cannibalism.

Read more

OPINION: US Trying to Sell Own Weapons Under Guise of Convincing India to Shun Russian Arms

💭 Sputnik contacted Retired Major-General PK Sehgal and Dr Rajorshi Roy, an expert on India-Russia relations at the New Delhi-based Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) - India's premier defense think-tank - to discuss the real meaning of Nuland's statement regarding Moscow-Delhi ties.

Check it out 👉

West Begins to Understand That US Provocation Lies at Heart of Ukrainian Conflict: Moscow

Western countries are gradually beginning to understand that the Ukraine crisis stems from Washington's provocative policy, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Tuesday.

The spokeswoman added that those states that did not intend to comply with the Minsk agreements from the very beginning should be held accountable for that.

Learn more

NATO Throws ‘Nuclear Bait’ to South Korea

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg started his visit to South Korea and Japan on Sunday, but the "gifts" he brings with him aren't good. During his trip to South Korea, he mainly discussed issues related to North Korea. He said that the visit demonstrated "the increased importance of the partnership between NATO and the Republic of Korea."

Read more

⚡️ Biden, Zelensky to hold talks on Ukraine's weapons requests

Is There Chance of Revival? Russian Envoy Says It's Premature to Call JCPOA Dead

Russian Permanent Representative to International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov in an interview with Sputnik expressed his opinion on the situation around the JCPOA, the IAEA Board of Governors resolution on Iran, and Iran's nuclear program.

Find out more

📹 🇫🇷 Police fire tear gas at protesters in Paris

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

📹 Pierre de Gaulle, grandson of revered French statesman Charles de Gaulle, has slammed the West’s dangerous decision to deploy heavy weapons in Ukraine.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

💬"As an old school journalist, you always follow the money, right? So someone has to lay out their credit card to do something at some point. And those are things that you can still track. It's great that this news is coming out and would be better if we found out exactly who possibly within the Biden administration is doing this. What I'm loving is that it's still January and all the stuff is still pumping out. We couldn't wait to take back the House so that we can start talking for real again. I think that's what's happened in the last two months, is that more and more of these stories are coming out. We're deflating Biden's balloon", Angie Wong, political pundit and national media spokesperson for Veterans for America First, says.

🎧Listen to more of Angie Wong's analysis in our podcast: Who Carried Out the Drone Strikes in Iran?

Hunter Biden Supporters Reportedly Mulling Legal Defense Fund

Supporters of Hunter Biden are in preliminary talks to create a legal defense fund to help pay the mounting legal fees of the US president's son as he faces a long-running federal tax investigation and new inquiries by the Republican-majority Congress, American newspaper reported, citing sources familiar with the matter.

Sources estimate that his legal debt is already in the millions of dollars and will likely grow. Biden, a former investment manager, also lacks a steady source of income after being mired in various scandals. His fledgling career as an artist has only resulted in the sale of about a dozen paintings.

Learn more

Tehran Cautions US Against Launching Attack on Iran After Blinken’s Threat

The Iranian Foreign Ministry has warned the United States against infringing on Iran’s territorial integrity after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken threatened the Islamic Republic over its nuclear ambition.

"The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman underscored that the US government too well knows that Iran will not tolerate any aggression against its territory and interests and will respond to aggressors decisively and in a manner that would make them regret their action," the ministry said in a statement on Monday.

Read more

What’s New in US’ Latest Rhetoric on China?

With the US and China still maintaining diplomatic contacts, engagement between the two countries came to a standstill following the August 2022 visit by then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan, despite protests by Beijing.

Recent days have seen US officials express fresh unfriendly rhetoric (sometimes stern) toward China, in a sign of escalation of political and economic tensions between the two countries.

Let’s take a closer look at what exactly they said

🦓 Today the world marks International Zebra Day

❄️ Zebras at the Moscow Zoo, although far from their native habitat, enjoy wintertime in Russia. Three beautiful zebras - Deborah, Mia, and Leyla - are not afraid of the cold weather and joyfully play outside even in low temperatures.

📹 Today, on their own day, these magnificent animals are actively warming up outdoors for their own pleasure and for the happiness of zookeepers

Subscribe to @sputnik_africa

Italian Lady Held for Punching Crew, Walking Half-Naked on Abu Dhabi-Mumbai Flight

✈️ Police told media that the woman, identified as Paola Perruccio, had an economy class ticket, but demanded she be transferred to the business class. After getting a 'no', she allegedly punched a crew member and spit on another one.

Learn more 👉

📹 Russia’s MoD has revealed footage showing Russian 152mm Giatsint self-propelled guns in combat as part of the special military operation

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

UK Authorities Readying Plans for Troops Deployment During Firefighters Strike, Reports Say

The UK authorities are preparing plans for troops deployment during firefighters strike over wage raise amid skyrocketing cost of living, UK media reported on Tuesday.

On Monday, the Fire Brigade Union (FBU) announced that majority of its members had supported protest actions. The FBU gave the authorities 10 days to come up with a new offer regarding the wage raise, otherwise firefighters across the country will go on strike, their first since 2003.

Read more