🇮🇱🔫 Where does Israel buy its weapons from?

The Israel-Hamas ceasefire and hostage exchange agreement was extended on Tuesday, calling into question whether the $14.3 billion in US aid requested by President Joe Biden will even be relevant by the time it passes through Congress.

What share of its arms does Israel get from its top ally? Who else chips in?

👉 We’ve sorted through the data

🇭🇺 Hungary has not supplied - and will not supply - weapons to Ukraine, as this prolongs the conflict, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said in an interview with an American television channel.

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📹 Russian paratroopers captured a Ukrainian stronghold north of Artemovsk (Bakhmut)

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🇰🇵🛰 North Korea’s spy satellite makes Pyongyang ‘full-fledged member of space club’

North Korea’s new reconnaissance satellite has placed it among an elite group of nations with autonomous space capabilities, but the device will have powerful strategic effects, too, such as increasing the deterrence powers of the country’s nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles, Moscow-based military expert Alexey Leonkov told Sputnik.

“The DPRK's space program has a long history. They have twice launched telecommunications satellites into space. One of them turned out to be successful, the other not so much. But they corrected their mistakes and created an optical-electronic reconnaissance satellite, which took these pictures. And when they showed how the rocket was launched, it was a completely normal space rocket, a three-stage rocket, very reminiscent of the [Soviet] Zenit rocket,” he said.

👉 Follow the link to learn morea

❗️ A Russian Aerospace Forces fighter shot down a Ukrainian MiG-29 aircraft in the Mezhevoy settlement region, and an air defense crew shot down a Ukrainian Su-25 in the area beyond Novoolenovka in the DPR, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.

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🇷🇺 Russia has developed compact 'friend or foe' system to identify drones

It is a compact and lightweight new transponder that automatically marks “friendly” drones at an altitude of up to 5 km and a distance of up to 100 km.

The transponder was recently unveiled by the Ruselectronics holding of the Rostec State Corporation at the Electronics of Russia exhibition.

“Today drones are actively used on the battlefield, where they act as fire spotters, as well as means of surveillance and fire support weapons. However, the same models are often used by both sides of the conflict, which makes their visual identification challenging. The use of such identification means will allow us to distinguish our drones from enemy ones,” said Sergey Borovoy, general director of the Pulsar Research and Production Enterprise, which is part of Roselectronics.

👉 Follow the link to learn more

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🇪🇺 The possible use of frozen Russian assets to finance Ukraine by Europe could dent the euro's reputation as a safe currency, Vice-President of the European Central Bank (ECB) Luis de Guindos has said.

"Our position on utilising the dividends and interest from the frozen assets is clear. First: this should be a global decision, ideally involving all members of the G7. In addition, we have to be careful because this could lead to reputational damage. We have to look beyond this conflict in isolation, and there could be implications for the euro as a safe currency," de Guindos said in an interview with De Standaard and La Libre Belgique published on Wednesday.

The ECB should consider the long-term reputation of the euro since it is "the second most important" currency in the world, the ECB vice-president added.

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🇷🇺🪖 Key points of Russian MoD briefing on the progress of the special military operation in Ukraine:

▪️ Russian Armed Forces repelled an attack by assault groups of a motorized infantry brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Kupyansk direction;

▪️ Russian troops liberated the village of Artemovskoye in the DPR;

▪️ Russian air defense shot down a Ukrainian Su-25 plane in the DPR;

▪️ Russian Armed Forces repelled three attacks by Ukrainian assault groups in the Donetsk direction;

▪️ Ukrainian forces lost up to 250 troops and five tanks in the Donetsk direction;

▪️ In the Zaporozhye direction, Russian Armed Forces defeated three Ukrainian brigades near Kamensky and Rabotino;

▪️ Fighter aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces shot down a Ukrainian MiG-29 aircraft and intercepted a HARM missile in the DPR;

▪️ Russian air defense intercepted 11 Ukrainian HIMARS and Uragan MLRS shells within 24 hours and destroyed 38 drones;

▪️ The Russian army destroyed six Ukrainian artillery systems, an electronic warfare station and an ammunition depot in the Donetsk direction;

▪️ Russian military defeated two Ukrainian brigades in the areas of Ugledar, Antonovka and Nikolsky in the DPR causing the enemy losses of up to 160 military personnel and a Grad MLRS.

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🇷🇺🛰🇨🇳 Russia approves a joint lunar research station project with China

Russia and China first came up with a roadmap for the joint construction of a lunar base back in the summer of 2021. The following year, they signed a memorandum of understanding on joint exploration of the Moon, and pledged to work together to build a base there by the 2030s.

The project is to be implemented in three stages.

▪️Stage 1:

- Russian and Chinese lunar missions explore the Moon together
- Best locations determined
- Safe landing ensured by new equipment

▪️Stage 2:

- Control center for the Lunar base set up
- Bulk cargo to Earth’s natural satellite delivered
- Orbital modules set up for supply of power, communications, and provision of transport services

▪️Stage 3:

- Exploration of Moon’s surface
- Expanding functionality of lunar station modules
- Helping international partners land a human being on the Moon.

👉 Follow the link to learn more about the project

🇷🇺 Russia did not win a seat on the executive board of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, voting results show.

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‘The American People are Clueless about the Evil Unleashed in Our Name’

Former US Army officer Scott Bennett just completed a tour of the Donbass. He shared his impressions with Sputnik’s Russell Bentley (@TXDPR);

“I saw prisoners of war, I've seen the front lines up in Soledar, I've seen cities ruined. I've seen old people living in one bedroom apartments surrounded by cushions to keep out the concussions from bombs. I've seen destroyed buildings. I've seen things that are just like right out of World War Two. And it's it's been very unnerving because all of this has been done by American dollars and American weapons. And the American people have been completely clueless about the evil that we've unleashed in our name.”

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🐶A four-legged crew member helps Russian servicemen

A crew member of a Russian SAM system told a touching story about how a dog named Zhuzhik appeared in their unit. The pet not only lives with the servicemen, but also helps them both in everyday life and in detecting drones.

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Dying for Zelensky? No, thank you!

A man escaped from a recruitment center in Western Ukraine through a barred window on the second floor.

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WATCH LIVE: Russian President Vladimir Putin participates in the III Congress of Young Scientists at the Sirius Park of Science and Art.

Watch the live stream here or follow the link to the Sputnik's website for more details

The Congress plays a crucial role in fostering dialogue between advanced and basic science, the government authorities, and the real sector of the economy. It also sets the direction for Russia's scientific and technological development.

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🇷🇺👕 What is the clothing brand Putin Team Russia that will enter international markets next year? Find out in our video.

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🇷🇺🚏 Only in Russia: A bus stop on the wheels

The next time you try to catch a bus, you will definitely remember this invention.

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🛰 Has power of Starlink turned Elon Musk into tech oligarch?

Elon Musk traveled to Israel this week to put a spat with Israeli officials over the use of SpaceX’s Starlink satellites in Gaza to bed, reaching a preliminary deal on the matter. This was the second time the tech billionaire’s satellites have become the focal point of attention in a global hotspot, with his on-again/off-again support for Starlink’s use in NATO’s war against Russia in Ukraine serving as another example.

With roughly 5,500 satellites in its inventory and more being launched all the time, Starlink currently accounts for nearly half of the global total of 11,300+ satellites in orbit, providing its owner with a level of geopolitical power unrivaled by any other businessman on the planet. Because Starlink’s use by militaries can be a game changer on the battlefield, Musk’s decision to approve or block its operation can literally become a matter of life and death.

🇷🇺 Russia recognizes this, and relies on an array of electronic warfare tools, rather than Mr. Musk’s goodwill, to ensure the security of its forces in the Ukrainian battleground.

But amid Musk’s quest for monopolization of space-based internet solutions, questions worth asking include whether it’s sustainable, or safe, to put humanity’s collective eggs in one basket by entrusting them in the hands of one, private US-based businessman.

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🇮🇱⚔️🇵🇸 Latest updates on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict:

▪️Israel will resume the fighting in the Gaza Strip as soon as all the current possibilities for the return of hostages are exhausted, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu says.

▪️China hopes that the last days of the current ceasefire in Gaza will not be a hiatus before a renewed Israeli offensive, but will lay the groundwork for diplomatic efforts for a comprehensive ceasefire, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said.

▪️China will soon send additional humanitarian aid to Gaza, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi announced.

▪️111 UN personnel have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the war started between Israel and Hamas in October, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said.

▪️Over 80% of Gaza residents have been forced to leave their homes amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said.

▪️The Hamas military wing says it released two Russian citizens in response to a request from Moscow.

▪️Palestinian Foreign Affairs Minister Riyad Al-Maliki called for international protection of Palestinians and for undertaking action to end Israeli impunity as well as prevent future war crimes and crimes against humanity that are taking place daily amid Israel's invasion of the Gaza Strip.

▪️The level of humanitarian assistance and fuel that is being delivered to the Gaza Strip is "utterly insufficient" to meet the needs of the 2.3 million Palestinian residents, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said.

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🇬🇧🇪🇺 The United Kingdom's departure from the European Union in 2016 was a mistake the next generation would have to remedy, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said.

"I must say, I keep telling my children: 'You have to fix it. We goofed it up, you have to fix it.' So I think here too, the direction of travel — my personal opinion — is clear," she told Politico.

Polls show that the majority of Brits would support rejoining the EU, Politico reported, citing the latest survey by consulting research agency Deltapoll released in late November. Forty-eight percent of the respondents said they were in favor of returning to the bloc, while only 36% said they were against it.

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🇵🇸🇷🇺 Hamas released two hostages with Russian citizenship from captivity, including a doctor from Rostov Irina Tatti, Israeli media report

Doctor Tatti, who worked most of her life in Rostov-on-Don, was captured on October 7 along with her daughter Elena, grandson Sasha and his girlfriend Sapir. Irina's son-in-law was killed by militants.

Hamas said that two Russian citizens, who also have Israeli citizenship, were released outside the deal with Israel, as a sign of gratitude for the position of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

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