Kremlin: New Reports on Nord Stream Attacks Are Part of a Coordinated Disinformation Campaign

Media reports about the attacks on Russia's Nord Stream pipelines are a coordinated spread of disinformation and an attempt to divert attention from the real perpetrators, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Sputnik on Wednesday.

“Obviously, the authors of the terrorist attack want to divert attention. This is obviously a coordinated spread of disinformation in the media,” Peskov said, commenting on the Western media reports.

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Lockheed Martin is developing a robust escalating program in developing hypersonic glide strike technology in cooperation with the US Air Force and its industry partners, the company's Vice President for Air Dominance and Strike Operations, Jay Pitman, announced.

🗣 "We have strong partnerships and we are getting ready for production," Pitman told a podcast press conference on Tuesday. "We're ready to go."

▪️ Lockheed Martin and the US Air Force carried out the first operational test flight of the AGM-183A air-launched rapid response weapon on December 9, Pitman said.

▪️The test had been successful and at least two more tests were planned for the coming months, Pitman added.

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❗️ Russian diplomats see Western media reports about the involvement of a pro-Ukrainian group in the terrorist attack on Russia's Nord Stream gas pipelines as an attempt to mislead the probe into the incident, Andrey Ledenev, Minister Counselor of the Russian Embassy in the United States, said.

🗣 "We have no faith in the "impartiality" of the conclusions of the U.S. intelligence. We perceive anonymous "leaks" as nothing more than an attempt to confuse those who are sincerely trying to get to the bottom of things in this egregious crime. Shift the blame from the statesmen who ordered and coordinated the attacks in the Baltic Sea to some abstract individuals," Ledenev said in a statement posted in the embassy's Telegram channel.

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Make Love, Not War: US Should Focus on Peace & Stability Instead of Egging on Conflict With China

Michael Gordon, former national security correspondent for the New York Times and now with the Wall Street Journal, penned a piece published on Monday that said the United States is not ready for a conflict with China, with a focus on that country attempting to take Taiwan or control the South China Sea.

According to Gordon, who cites classified Pentagon wargame simulations and quotes from former military personnel and officials, the United States has been too preoccupied with the war on terror to prepare for a potential battle with a more well-armed foe, like China.

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Europe's Energy Crisis Not Over, May Get Worse, Says Energy Investment Banker

"Europe may have got through this winter surprisingly well but I don't think we're out of the woods yet. It's actually going to get worse before they get better," Guggenheim Securities Senior Managing Director Michael LaMotte said.

LaMotte mentioned that currently there is no functionality in the gas market because of infrastructure constraints, which may take years to solve.

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🇷🇺🇸🇾 Servicemen from the Russian troops deployed in Syria delivered humanitarian aid to children from an orphanage in the city of Latakia (video by Russian MoD)

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▪️ The Taiwanese armed forces have detected an approach of seven aircraft and three vessels of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) over the last 24 hours, responding with air and maritime patrol to monitor the situation and deploying ground-based missile systems, the Taiwanese Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.

🗣 "7 PLA aircraft and 3 PLAN vessels around Taiwan were detected by 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. R.O.C. Armed Forces have monitored the situation and tasked CAP aircraft, Navy vessels, and land-based missile systems to respond these activities," the ministry tweeted.

▪️ The ministry added that there has been "no trace of PLA aircraft crossing the middle line of the Taiwan Strait" or entering the island's southwestern air defense identification zone during the time frame.

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China Concerned Over Germany's Plans to Ban Use of Chinese 5G Components

«If reports are correct, the Chinese side is very concerned and extremely dissatisfied with a hasty decision made by the German governmental agency in charge with no factual support," the Chinese Embassy in Germany said.

Earlier in the week, German newspaper reported, citing sources, that Berlin intends to ban components manufactured by Huawei and ZTE used for the expansion of wireless coverage in the 5G mobile standard over security concerns.

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Moscow Blasts West for Hypocrisy Over Criticism of Georgian Bill on Foreign Agents

The United States has had a law since 1938 mandating registration of entities lobbying foreign interests, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday, commenting on the European Union's criticism of a similar draft law in Georgia.

Earlier in the week, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Georgia's controversial draft law on foreign agents was incompatible with EU values and contradicted the country's goal to join the European Union.

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🇷🇺 A 6.1 magnitude earthquake struck the southern coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia’s Far East on Wednesday, with two subsequent aftershocks hitting the area within three hours after the initial quake, according to the map of the geophysical service of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

▪️ The initial earthquake was registered at 6:03 p.m. local time (06:03 GMT) near the southern part of the peninsula, with seismic shocks felt in the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy.

▪️ Two aftershocks followed the earthquake later in the day, with the latest 4.1 tremor registered at 8:44 p.m. local time. Its epicenter was located at a depth of 41 kilometers (25 miles), 205 kilometers away from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy.

📍 Kamchatka is located in the northeastern part of a seismically active zone in the Pacific Ocean known as the Ring of Fire and regularly suffers from powerful earthquakes.

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📹🐊 A female alligator named Tewa stolen from a Texas zoo by a woman 20 years ago, has finally been safely returned home after a neighbor reported the alligator to the police.

▪️ After officers from Texas Parks and Wildlife seized the alligator, they called Animal World and Snake Farm Zoo in New Braunfels to see if they could take the animal into custody there. It was then that officials discovered that the gator had actually been stolen from that very zoo.

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

▪️ In the Kharkov region and the Lugansk People's Republic, Russian troops defeated the enemy's soldiers and equipment. In addition, the actions of ten sabotage and reconnaissance groups of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were suppressed in the LPR. Up to 60 Ukrainian troops, two armored combat vehicles, three other vehicles, and an Akatsiya self-propelled howitzer were destroyed;

▪️ Near Krasny Liman in the DPR, the total losses of Ukraine amounted to 130 Ukrainian soldiers, two infantry fighting vehicles, three armored fighting vehicles, three other vehicles and a Gvozdika self-propelled howitzer;

▪️ In the DPR, over 180 Ukrainian soldiers, two tanks, three infantry fighting vehicles, five vehicles, an Akatsiya self-propelled howitzer and a Gvozdika self-propelled howitzer were destroyed by Russian aviation and artillery strikes;

▪️ In the Zaporozhye region and in the south of the Donetsk People's Republic, up to 65 Ukrainian soldiers, one tank, two armored combat vehicles, three pickup trucks, and an Msta-B howitzer were destroyed;

▪️ In the Kherson region, as a result of artillery fire, over 50 Ukrainian troops, two cars and a D-30 howitzer were destroyed in a day;

▪️ Russian aviation and artillery defeated 87 artillery units in firing positions, soldiers and equipment in 207 districts;

▪️ In the Donetsk People's Republic, a Ukrainian radar station for detecting low-flying air targets 36D6 was destroyed. The headquarters of the 59th Motorized Infantry Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was also hit;

▪️ Air defense systems shot down five Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles in a day.

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🇬🇷📹 A massive wave of protests is taking place all over Greece due to the train collision tragedy in Tembi.

▪️ According to media reports, 30,000 protesters have taken to the streets in Athens. Protesters demand an investigation into the tragedy and the resignation of the government.

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🇸🇪 Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom pledged not to deploy nuclear weapons in the country after Sweden joins NATO, following the example of other Scandinavian states.

💬 "No, it will not," Billstrom said, responding to a related question from the Swedish newspaper.

▪️ The Swedish government will "follow what the other Nordic countries have said," the minister noted, referring to Norway and Denmark, which, as an exception, also do not host nuclear weapons of any third power, according to the report.

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