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

▪️In the Kupyansk direction, Russian forces destroyed up to 75 Ukrainian troops, two armored vehicles, a D-20 howitzer, and one ammunition depot;

▪️In the Krasny Liman direction, Ukrainian losses amounted to 85 servicemen and one Akatsiya self-propelled howitzer;

▪️In the Donetsk direction, Russian forces destroyed more than 300 Ukrainian troops;

▪️In the South Donetsk and Zaporozhye directions, Ukrainian losses amounted to 40 soldiers and a D-30 howitzer;

▪️In the Kherson direction, Russian forces neutralized up to 65 Ukrainian troops, an Akatsiya self-propelled howitzer and a D-30 howitzer;

▪️The actions of two Ukrainian sabotage groups were thwarted in the Kupyansk direction in the Kharkov region;

▪️Russian air defense systems also intercepted eight HIMARS and Uragan missiles, as well as five Ukrainian UAVs in the LPR, DPR, and Kharkov region.

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🚁 The Russian National Guard recently upped the ante on their training regime by taking to the skies for a heart-pumping skydiving session

These skilled fighters took their training to new depths by completing underwater tasks after landing in the designated drop zone. They even tackled the challenge of descending from a helicopter via rope and put their diving prowess to the test.

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Thousands of Afghans ennoscriptd to UK asylum left behind after pullout

A House of Commons Defence Select Committee report has revealed that more than 3,000 Afghan citizens who qualified for refuge in the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy are still in Afghanistan almost two years after the Western military withdrawal.

The report highlights concerns that those who collaborated with British forces during the 20-year occupation of Afghanistan may face retribution from the Taliban, which is under UN sanctions for terrorist activities. The committee chairman, Tobias Ellwood, has called for a thorough public inquiry into the chaotic and bloody pullout from Kabul and the UK's involvement in the conflict.

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'Formation of new multipolar world causing drastic, dynamic & irreversible changes opposed by collective West, Shoigu 🇷🇺 told SCO meet on Friday

Watch our video for details.

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Scientists extract oxygen from simulated lunar soil under vacuum

NASA researchers have successfully extracted oxygen from a simulated lunar regolith material in conditions similar to those found on the Moon.

The experiment, conducted in a vacuum, used a carbon-thermal reactor to extract oxygen through a carbothermal reduction process.

The reactor was tested under conditions that would be encountered on the Moon, and has shown it can hold pressure and function effectively in a vacuum. The next step is to test the prototype reactor in space.

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🗣️”Think about what money is – one of the big functions – it's a unit of account. You can't have a unit of account that's a roller coaster. It doesn't have to be way highly valued. It has to be stable”: economist and professor Mark Frost speaks about the state of the US economy

🎧Listen to more of Frost’s analysis in our podcast Fault Lines

Mark Frost, an economist and professor, has expressed skepticism about reports in The Wall Street Journal regarding the congressional debt ceiling bill.

🗣️"I can smell the BS kactually through the monitor as I read about it," Mark Frost said of Wall Street Journal reports that the congressional debt ceiling bill would cut the US Treasury deficit by almost $5 trillion over 10 years. "Are there any real journalists left?”

US Debt Ceiling Bill Won't Stop Government Deficit Soaring by Tens of Billions

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🚢 New Mozhaisk submarine launches in St. Petersburg

Just like a hundred years ago, St. Petersburg remains at the center of naval engineering. Today, a new submarine was launched at the Admiralteyskie Verfi shipyard in St. Petersburg.

The diesel-electric submarine is called Mozhaisk, named after a city located near Moscow that holds the noscript of City of Military Glory.
It is the fifth submarine in the series and is intended for the Russian Pacific Fleet.

WATCH THE VIDEO!

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🇷🇺Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu has warned Moscow’s Shanghai Cooperation Organization partners about US efforts to undermine steps to create a multipolar world, with a particular focus on the Asia-Pacific region.

Commenting on these developments, Dr. Alexey Kupriyanov, a senior fellow at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Center for Asia-Pacific Studies, told Sputnik that the strength of the SCO lies in its political elites’ “sensible and sober assessment” of military, economic and political realities and the understanding “that their main task is to preserve what they have now, and, if possible increase confidence-building measures to leave the situation in Eurasia more stable and calm for future generations than it is right now.”

To read more of the academic’s assessment of the SCO and its prospects for challenging US-led hegemony, both in Asia and globally, click here.

Brand new episode of the #AfroVerdict podcast from our friends at Sputnik Africa – enjoy!

🗣️”If we face another true crisis in this country, where we have to print some money, the pain of printing that money is going to be so bad, because we're at that point of diminishing returns with respect to printing money”: economist and professor Mark Frost speaks about the US monetary gun machine

🎧Listen to more of Frost’s analysis in our podcast Fault Lines

🦌🇺🇸 Cinema workers in Alaska were shocked when a moose wandered into the building to indulge in some treats

The animal entered the theater lobby, rummaged through the trash, ate some popcorn, and stuck its snout into a Happy Meal box before leaving. An employee immediately called the manager, who was working upstairs at the time.

The cinema workers yelled at the moose and banged on the walls until it left with the box still on its snout.

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Scott Ritter, a former United Nations weapons inspector and retired US Marine Corps intelligence officer, has lambasted the "Ukraine Victory Resolution" introduced in the US Congress as a delusional step towards further escalation, which may result in a global nuclear war.

Read his analysis on Sputnik’s website to understand the prospects of the ongoing conflict

US setting up sensors across Ukraine to detect potential nuclear blasts

In a statement for the newspaper, the Nuclear Emergency Support Team said that the network of atomic sensors was being deployed "throughout the region" and would have the ability "to characterize the size, location and effects of any nuclear explosion."

The sensors will be able to detect radiation from both a dirty bomb and a nuclear weapon activated in Ukraine, the report said.

The move would allegedly deny Russia any opportunity to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine without attribution. The sensors will presumably serve as deterrence because they would make Russian decision-makers aware the United States can expose the use of a nuclear weapon as a false-flag operation.

"Scientific analyses would be rapidly provided to US government authorities and decision-making centers in Ukraine and the region to make actionable, technically informed decisions to protect public health and safety."

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IAEA notes intensified military activity near Zaporozhye nuclear power plant

"The increased military presence and activity in the region again underlines the importance and urgency of agreeing on the protection of the plant," the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency Rafael Grossi said in a statement.

This week, the IAEA experts present at the station were once again forced to take cover after a shelling warning. Meanwhile, sounds of bombing in the distance were heard, the agency's statement added.

"In addition, one landmine exploded near the site," Grossi said.
On Thursday, the IAEA said that a regular, seventh rotation of the agency's specialists had taken place at the power plant on schedule. For the next month, two IAEA officers will work at the ZNPP. The IAEA mission has been stationed at ZNPP since September.

Grossi also expressed the hope on Thursday that a safety zone around the ZNPP will be created before the end of this year.

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📹 Biden presents Commander-in-Chief trophy to Air Force Falcons (for winning football games against its rival US service academies) in the White House

"Where I'm going tonight, I might need that helmet," Biden told the team during the ceremony.

What does that even mean? Any idea what's happening tonight? 🫠

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🇷🇺Russian airborne troops will receive new automated artillery control vehicles called Zavet-D by the end of 2023, which will double the efficiency of artillery, according to the press service of the Rostec state corporation. The first batch of the systems will be delivered to troops by the end of 2023, the corporation statement reads.

The complex is equipped with a reconnaissance optical-electronic system and an external radar. It can detect a target at a distance of up to 7,000 meters and identify it at a distance of up to 5,000 meters. The vehicle determines the direction and speed of enemy movement, identifies targets, and distributes them according to the degree of danger, after which it provides targeting to artillery crews in real time.

The Zavet-D is capable of increasing the effectiveness of artillery systems used by the airborne forces, such as the 2C9 Nona-S self-propelled guns, 2C9-1 Sviristelka, and 2C9-1M Nona-SM, by 1.5-2 times.

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GOP lawmakers 'Free' IRS whistleblower to testify about Hunter Biden

Republican members of Congress are backing an IRS whistleblower who has alleged a cover-up of the Hunter Biden tax evasion investigation.

The whistleblower claims that IRS agents were blocked from delving deeper into the Biden family's tax affairs. The House Ways and Means Committee has authorized two lawyers to collect information from the whistleblower about the alleged wrongdoing.

The whistleblower's identity remains secret, but his lawyer has said that he can provide documents and witnesses to back his claims. The GOP has called for the appointment of a special counsel to investigate Hunter Biden's tax affairs, which they claim were given preferential treatment.

Attorney General Merrick Garland's sworn testimony to Congress on the matter is being challenged.

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Largest Buddhist monastery opens in Russia's Siberia 🇷🇺

🙏 The main Buddhist monastery was erected at the initiative of Russian Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu, who was born in Tuva, on a site blessed by the 14th Dalai Lama during his only visit to Tuva on September 21, 1992.

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This brain-hijacking parasite drives wolves toward pack leadership

New research suggests that the parasite Toxoplasma gondii, which is known to affect the behavior of animals, can also alter the dynamics of entire ecosystems.

In a study of gray wolves in Yellowstone National Park, infected wolves were found to be more likely to take risks and become pack leaders.

The parasite is thought to raise testosterone levels, triggering aggression and a desire for dominance, which are traits needed in a pack leader.

The study also revealed a feedback loop, in which an infected pack leader could influence the behavior of the rest of the pack, potentially increasing the rate of infection.

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