❗️ Lavrov: Relations between Russia and China are superior in quality to a military alliance; they have no restrictions, limits or taboo topics

📹 Russia’s Lavrov commented on Jake Sullivan’s words about American exceptionalism

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❗️ Lavrov: I am for peace. If you want peace, be ready to always defend yourself

❗️ Key statements made by Russia’s FM Sergei Lavrov in his interview to Sputnik:

▪️ The United States deprives nations of the right to remember their own history; their task is to melt everyone into "Americans";

▪️ The US conviction of its own superiority and infallibility is the main reason for Russia's current confrontation with the West;

▪️ The more long-range weapons are supplied to the Kiev regime by the West, the further they need to be moved away from Russian territory;

▪️ The West is hoping for a strategic defeat for Russia so that it cannot recover for decades;

▪️ Russia wants the conflict with Ukraine to end, but the time factor is not the main issue;

▪️ Nobody is trying to convince Kiev to return to negotiations with Moscow; Zelensky himself does not feel like an independent figure, he is being manipulated;

▪️ The West is now "eyeing" Moldova for the role of "next Ukraine"; its president is ready for almost anything;

▪️ The West, on an almost "daily" basis, forces developing countries, including those in Africa, to implement sanctions against Russia;

▪️ The ideas of different countries increasing trade in national currencies are emerging because of US actions, which violate all the boundaries of decency with the US dollar;

▪️ Relations between Russia and China are superior in quality to a military alliance; they have no restrictions, limits or taboo topics;

▪️ Nuland made a confession, rejoicing at the explosions on the Nord Stream pipelines; her words reflect the direct participation of the United States in the terrorist attack;

▪️ The United States "crushed" the European Union under itself, depriving it of the last signs of independence;

▪️ The presumption that Russia refuses to negotiate on Ukraine is a lie.

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The Russian city of Volgograd marks the 80th anniversary of the encirclement and destruction of the Nazi German 6th Army and units of its Romanian, Italian and Hungarian allies by the Red Army on February 2, 1943, marking an end to a battle widely considered by historians to be the turning point in WWII.

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'Can't Make S**t Up': Norwegians Jeer as NATO Boss Nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

As the deadline for nominating candidates for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize expires, a Norwegian MP from the populist Progress Party, Christian Tybring-Gjedde, has admitted that he was the one who proposed NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg for the award.

Justifying his choice, Tybring-Gjedde claimed that Stoltenberg "managed to bring NATO together at a very important and demanding time, which is perhaps the biggest crisis since the Second World War." He also lauded Stoltenberg for "acting diplomatically" in defending Swedish and Finnish membership, while at the same time "showing an understanding" of Turkey’s objections.

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Israel bears responsibility for last week's attack on a facility of the Iranian Defense Ministry in the city of Isfahan, the Iranian Ambassador to the United Nations Saeed Iravani has said.

"Early investigations suggest that the Israeli regime was responsible for this attempted act of aggression," Iravani said in his letter to President of the UN Security Council Vanessa Frazier and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday, as quoted by the Iranian news agency.

The Iranian diplomat also accused Israel of violating international law and the UN Charter through its "threats to use force against Iran's critical infrastructure, including Iran's peaceful nuclear facilities," the news outlet reported.

In accordance with international law, Tehran has a right to respond to any actions and threats by Israel, "wherever and whenever deemed necessary," Iranian media quoted Iravani as saying.

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Shell Sells Salym Venture Share to Gazprom Neft

The UK multinational oil and gas company Shell has signed transaction documents with Gazprom Neft, the subsidiary of the Russian energy giant Gazprom, for the sale of a 50% share in Salym Petroleum Development in Russia's western Siberia. Shell is now awaiting approval from Russia, a report released by the company showed on Thursday.

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📌 Russian President Vladimir Putin will speak today in the city of Volgograd at a gala concert dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi troops in the Battle of Stalingrad, February 2, 1943.

Stay tuned!

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

▪️ In the LPR, air and artillery strikes inflicted damage on units of the 92nd Mechanized Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. More than 25 Ukrainian troops, an armored combat vehicle and two vehicles were destroyed. In addition, in the Kharkov region, three Ukrainian military vehicles of the Grad MLRS were defeated.

▪️ As a result of artillery fire and the offensive of the Russian troops, units of the 95th Airborne Assault Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were defeated near the village of Karmazinovka of the LPR, as well as Serebryansky forestry. Enemy losses in this area per day amounted to over 100 Ukrainian troops, six armored combat vehicles and a D-30 howitzer.

▪️ Russian aviation, missile forces and artillery defeated units of the 59th Motorized Infantry Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the 3rd Brigade of the National Guard in the DPR. Up to 50 Ukrainian soldiers, one tank, an armored personnel carrier, two pickup trucks, an Msta-B howitzer and a D-30 howitzer were destroyed.

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▪️ As a result of artillery fire and the offensive of Russian troops, more than 65 Ukrainian troops of the 110th Territorial Defense Brigade in the Zaporozhye region and the 72nd Mechanized Brigade in the Donetsk People's Republic were destroyed. Also, four armored combat vehicles and two vehicles of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were destroyed during the day.

▪️ In the Kherson region, as a result of artillery fire, two ammunition depots of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were destroyed.
Russian aviation, missile forces and artillery defeated 78 artillery units in firing positions, as well as manpower and military equipment in 105 districts.

▪️ US-made M-142 HIMARS and M-270 MLRS launchers were destroyed in the Donetsk People's Republic. Also in the Zaporozhye region and the DPR, three depots of missile and artillery weapons of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were defeated.
Russian aviation in the Zaporozhye region destroyed a 35D6 low-altitude target detection radar, as well as an AN / TPQ-37 counter-battery radar made in the USA.

▪️ Air defense systems shot down four HIMARS multiple rocket launchers and five Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles.

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Details of Attack on Sputnik Journalists' German House Revealed

The head of Rossiya Segodnya media group's Berlin office has revealed details about the attack on Sputnik journalists' residence last May, alleging police inaction.

"This guy [the suspect] was seen near our house a few days, about a week before this incident. That's him. This is supposedly Dmitry Bagrash, who, with three other creeps, organized tent cities for LGBT rights against [President Vladimir] Putin," Sergei Feoktistov said.

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Ankara Says West Waging 'Psychological War' Against Turkey by Closing Istanbul Consulates

The United States and other Western countries are waging a "psychological war" against Turkey by closing their consulates in Istanbul amid US warnings about possible terrorist attacks there, Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said on Thursday.

On Monday, the US Embassy in Turkey warned about possible terrorist attacks in the center of Istanbul after recent cases of Quran desecration in Europe. The Consulate General of the Netherlands in Istanbul switched to working online due to a potential terrorist threat. On Wednesday, the consulates of the United Kingdom and Germany in the Turkish city followed suit and stopped receiving visitors.

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📹 Putin visited Mamaev Kurgan and laid flowers at the Eternal Flame in the Hall of Fame and at the grave of Vasily Chuikov, commander of the 62nd Army

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❗️ Putin congratulated Russians on the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Battle of Stalingrad: it was a battle for the existence of a tormented but unconquered country.