Putin Instructs Gov't to Sign Agreement With Belarus on Creation of Joint Combat Centers

Russian President Vladimir Putin issued an instruction on Tuesday to negotiate and sign an agreement with Belarus on the creation of combat training centers for joint military training.

The document was published on the Russian government's official legal information portal.

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Kiev's Persecution of Orthodox Church May Cause Major Sectarian Conflict in Europe -Moscow

Kiev's persecution of the canonical Orthodox Church could result in the biggest intra-confessional conflict in Europe's modern history, Gennady Askaldovich, the special representative of the Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry on cooperation in the field of observance of the right to freedom of religion, has told Sputnik.

In January, Russian Ambassador to the UN Vassily Nebenzia told a UN Security Council meeting that Russia had information about a number of initiatives in Ukraine aimed at the complete liquidation of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

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German Chancellor in Latin America: Just a Visit or Attempt to ‘Seduce’ Against China, Russia?

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's trip to Argentina, Chile, and Brazil between January 28 and 31 was obviously aimed at deterring China's advance in the lithium race and uniting these countries against Russia, experts told Sputnik.

In particular, the visit is an attempt by the German authorities to involve the countries of the Southern Cone in the conflict in Ukraine and to create a counterweight in the region to China's growing influence.

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❗️ Spain plans to transfer 4 to 6 Leopard 2A4 tanks to Ukraine, El Pais newspaper reports, citing government sources

US Prepping $2Bln+ Ukraine Weapons Package, Including Longer-Range Rockets, Report Says

The United States is preparing to provide Ukraine with a new weapons package valued at more than $2 billion, which will include longer-range rockets for the first time, a British news agency reported, citing two US officials familiar with the matter.

The US will provide Ukrainian forces with longer-range rockets despite previous concerns by the Biden administration about giving Kiev systems capable of striking deep into Russian territory, according to the report.

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Drone Attack on Isfahan Won't Go Unanswered, Iranian Lawmaker Says

Iran will not let the attack on the Defense Ministry's facility in Isfahan go unanswered, Mahmoud Abbaszadeh Meshkini, the spokesman for the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of the Iranian parliament, told Sputnik.

On Saturday night, an explosion occurred in Isfahan's northern neighborhood. Authorities said that three mini-drones attacked one of the military enterprises of the Iranian Defense Ministry in the city, and one of them was successfully shot down by the air defense systems. No casualties were reported.

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Turkish Hackers Threaten to Release Swedes' 'Sensitive Data' After Quran-Burning

A Turkish hacker team has claimed responsibility for the recent spate of attacks against several major Swedish websites, which had been downed temporarily using data overloads, and threatened further revenge if the Nordic country proceeds to burn copies of the Quran.

"If you desecrate the Quran one more time, then we will start spreading Swedes' sensitive personal data," Türk Hack Team told Swedish media, claiming to have gained access to "large amounts of data" complemented by data provided by "other hacker groups."

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📹 Russia's MoD has published footage showing how Russian Railway Troops operate a special train

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Putin’s Decree on Russia's Retaliatory Steps Over EU’s Oil Price Cap Enters Into Force

Under the decree that will expire on July 1, 2023, Russia bans the supply of oil to countries and legal entities that require compliance with the price cap in contracts. The ban on petroleum products is due to be announced by government ministers later this year.

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❗️Mukesh Ambani overtakes Gautam Adani as the world's richest Indian, according to Forbes real-time billionaire list.

This means the Adani Group chairman is no longer Asia's richest person. But how did Adani manage to lose billions of net worth in such a short time?

Find out in our explainer

🧊 Amazing footage of how Russia’s Lake Baikal looks under ice

After a -50 degree frost, a thaw hit Russia’s Irkutsk region and a large crack formed on the thick ice of Lake Baikal. Let’s take a quick look at what’s going on below the water's surface!

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Swedes' Debts Reach Record Highs Amid Spiking Interest Rates, Inflation

For the first time in history, the total amount of debt has exceeded the symbolic threshold of SEK 100 billion ($9.6 billion).

The majority of the debts are made up of what the authority classifies as "individual cases." These include consumer debts, loan and credit debts to banks and various types of subnoscription debts.

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🗣 Kremlin on US aid to Kiev: Direct path of escalation that will not change course of events

⚡️ Latest statements by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov:

▪️ There are no plans for negotiations between Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden, now the main goal for Russia is its special operation and the fulfillment of the tasks that were designated by the president;

▪️ Housing and infrastructure destroyed in the border regions needs to be restored, and Putin will hold a meeting on this matter;

▪️ Russia considers the commitment to New START very important; now the entire military infrastructure of NATO, including satellites, is working around the clock against Russia and in the interests of Ukraine.

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🇫🇷 Pierre de Gaulle, the grandson of former French statesman Charles de Gaulle, has criticized the French President Emmanuel Macron for reportedly considering sending tanks to Ukraine and not ruling out sending fighter jets as well.

Slamming Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for ”selling” himself and the Ukrainian people to ”the Americans”, de Gaulle said: “The time has come to achieve peace, to bring the Americans to see reason and to come to a lasting and stable peace with Russia.”

Unfortunately, he said, President Macron and many other European leaders have also been blinded by subservience to US interests – a tendency fraught with disaster, in de Gaulle’s view.

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

🔺 To kick things off, we’ll be discussing Hunter Biden’s allies setting up a defense fund for their associate, while press obtained the latest details on his relationships with lawyers
🔺 Next, Biden senior telling the same untrue story publicly for the eighth time
🔺 And, another wave of massive strikes hits Europe

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

Former French President Criticizes Macron's 'Brutal' Draft Pension Reform

Former French President Francois Hollande has criticized the draft pension reform proposed by the government of current President Emmanuel Macron, calling it "unfair and brutal" in an interview with a US newspaper published on Wednesday.

"Did the president choose the right time? Given the succession of crises and with elevated inflation, the French want to be reassured. Did the government propose the right reform? I don't think so either — it's seen as unfair and brutal. But now that a parliamentary process has been set into motion, the executive will have to strike a compromise or take the risk of going all the way and raising the level of anger," Hollande told the newspaper.

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Beijing Hopes NATO, Japan Will Stop Inflating 'Chinese Threat' Issue

On Tuesday, during a joint press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that China's behavior is "a matter of serious concern" for both Japan and the alliance, adding that China is significantly increasing its military forces, including nuclear weapons, "bullying its neighbors and threatening Taiwan."

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📹 🇬🇧 Participants of the largest demonstration in 10 years began a march in the center of London.

▪️ People are demanding higher wages amid record cost of living increases.

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