🇷🇺 Latest statements by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov:

▪️ On the prospects of financing Kiev from Europe: ''This is a question for the Europeans themselves, it is becoming more difficult for them to burn money in a bottomless barrel.''

▪️ On the Russian economy: ''It has adapted to the conditions of the special military operation and provides a regime for its continuation.''

▪️ On the US destroyer in Chinese waters incident: ''We do not welcome any provocative actions.''

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🇮🇱 Israel shelled Lebanon in retaliatory strike

“A number of mortar shell launches from Lebanon toward an IDF post in the area of Yiftah were identified. In response, IDF artillery struck the sources of the fire,” the Israeli army announced on its official Telegram channel.

The situation in southern Lebanon heated up after Israel launched its military operation in the Gaza Strip against Hamas. The Lebanese militant organization Hezbollah began shelling Israeli territory, with the IDF responding in kind.

The death toll in the West Bank as a result of clashes with Israeli forces has reached 464 since the beginning of 2023, including 256 since October 7, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.

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Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Valery Zaluzhny has asked the US Secretary of Defense for 17 million shells, Ukrainian media has reported.

According to the reports, the Pentagon chief was very surprised, “because the whole world cannot collect so many shells.”

Zaluzhny also allegedly told the American minister that $350-400 billion is needed for the “de-occupation” of all "Ukrainian" territories.

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🇧🇬 Bulgarian President Rumen Radev vetoes free transfer of 100 decommissioned armored vehicles to Ukraine

"The justification for the veto notes that the lawmakers were not sufficiently familiar with the specific parameters of the donation, which deprives them of the opportunity to objectively assess whether the equipment provided is no longer necessary," the office said in a statement.

Last month, the parliament ratified the agreement between the Bulgarian Interior Ministry and the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense on the free provision of a batch of old armored personnel carriers to Kiev.

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"Titanic changes are taking place in the modern world"

🇨🇳🇧🇾 The Chinese President Xi Jinping made this remark during his Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko's visit to China. He also stressed that China is ready to strengthen strategic cooperation in the name of creating a community with a shared future for mankind.

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🇺🇸 The United States will completely run out of resources to provide assistance to Ukraine by the end of the calendar year, the White House told Congress, according to Bloomberg.

“There is no magical pot of funding available to meet this moment,” Shalanda Young, who leads the Office of Management and Budget, wrote in a letter to congressional leaders. “We are out of money — and nearly out of time.”

According to Bloomberg, the vote in the Senate on finances for Kiev will take place no earlier than December 11.

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📹🇷🇺 Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived at the RUSSIA EXPO in Moscow.

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📹 Putin left a message hoping 'your wishes come true' on the wall at the RUSSIA EXPO

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The Israeli Air Force carried out strikes on Hezbollah's command center, infrastructure and facilities in Lebanon, the Israeli Army said

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🇷🇺 Russia’s Rostec ranked 10th in new SIRPI report on top 100 arms producers

The Russian state corporation Rostec has been put on the top 100 ranking list of arms producers and military services providers released by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) for the first time.

According to a new fact sheet published on the SIPRI website, Rostec holds the tenth position in the list, with $16.8 billion in arms revenue in 2022.

Aside from Rostec, Russia is also represented in the SIRPI ranking by the United Shipbuilding Corporation in 36th position with $3.8 billion.

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Sputnik correspondent Russell Bentley awarded film prize

Bentley's short (14 minute) film, "The Monastery" won the "Immortal Regiment Award" at the Front Line International Film Festival in Rostov-on-Don, which showcased over 120 patriotic films about Russia's wars, history, and culture from around the world. The film is dedicated to the Donetsk militiamen who gave their lives to defend the Iversky Monastery during a January 2015 battle.

Here’s what Bentley had to say about his film: “The information war is simply the political/cultural variant of the economic and military wars that Russia is currently embroiled in. In order for Russia to defend itself and its future, and to bring about a new multipolar world, we must win on all three Fronts. As Pablo Picasso once said, ‘Art is a weapon.’”

Full film can be viewed here.

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

▪️In the Kupyansk region, Russian forces repelled the attack of Ukrainian assault groups; Ukrainian losses amounted to 35 soldiers and three armored vehicles;

▪️In the Donetsk and South Donetsk areas, Russian troops carried out attacks on clusters of Ukrainian forces. Ukrainian losses amounted up to 400;

▪️In Krasny Liman region, five attacks were repelled. Ukrainian losses amounted to up to 280 soldiers;

▪️In Zaporozhye, Russian forces repelled an attack by Ukrainian troops in the Nesterenka area. Ukrainian losses amounted to up to 40 soldiers;

▪️The Russian air defense systems shot down 30 Ukrainian drones and a HIMARS MLRS projectile during the day.

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What do we know about Southern Gaza, which is currently being invaded by IDF troops?

◾️ The conventional boundary separating the northern and southern regions of Gaza is defined by Wadi Gaza, which happens to be the sole coastal wetland in this area.

◾️ There are 3 provinces: Deir al-Balah, Khan Younis and Rafah;

◾️ The total population of Southern Gaza's provinces in 2022 exceeded 1 million (out of 2.2 million in general), according to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics;

◾️ The latest UN update states around 1.8 million people are internally displaced in Gaza, most of them are in the south, living in overcrowded shelters;

◾️ Gaza's sole functioning power plant is situated along the Deir al-Balah boundary with Gaza City. It was forced to shut down on October 11th due to Israeli bombardment and a shortage of fuel.

◾️ There are 9 hospitals, 4 universities, 54 UNRWA schools, 66 PA schools and 15 private schools;

◾️ There are three border crossings: Salah al-Din (to Egypt, currently closed), Rafah (to Egypt, currently functioning as the sole exit point from Gaza), and Kerem Shalom (to Israel, presently closed).

◾️ Israeli officials have been urging Gazans to seek refuge in a designated "safe area" for the past few weeks. This area, known as al-Mawasi, is a narrow strip of land located along the Mediterranean coast, near the southern border with Egypt.

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Iran has received all the necessary guarantees regarding the release of funds frozen in the United States, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said.

"Since the United States has shown that it is not reliable, we have acquired the necessary guarantees in this regard," Kanaani told reporters, as quoted by the local news agency, commenting on attempts by the US Congress to block Iran’s released funds once again.

Iran was sanctioned by US government that denied its sovereign right to develop national nuclear program. The sanctions restricted oil exports from Islamic republic and blocked Iranian governmental accounts. In 2023 due to efforts of Iranian diplomats, part of funds was unfrozen.

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🇺🇸🇦🇺 US plans to carry out joint hypersonic missile tests with Australia in 2024

"We're already in the process of working very closely with them [Australian Defense Department] to figure out [to] who do we integrate some of our [hypersonics] experimentations in Australia," Heidi Shyu, undersecretary of defense for research and engineering, said.

She added that the countries had intensified their partnership in hypersonic technologies over the past year and the tests are to be conducted next year. Technology is being developed as part of cooperation in terms of the AUKUS partnership between Australia, the US and the UK.

The news about hypersonic experiments came after the US Armed Forces admitted that a hypersonic weapon test failed in March, the website wrote.

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⚡️Russia pursues an independent policy and is open to cooperation, while not accepting bloc status, Putin told foreign ambassadors in the Kremlin

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📈💸 The price on gold grew almost 1% on Monday morning, surpassing $2,100 per troy ounce for the first time in history, the trading data showed.

As of 05:34 GMT, the price of the December gold futures on New York Comex exchange increased by $17.7, or 0.85%, to $2,107.15 per troy ounce. The December silver futures increased in price by 0.09% to $25.317 per troy ounce.

Gold prices historically grow on the eve of recession. Markets and investors are following the situation around unemployment and other indicators in the United States, counting on the US Federal Reserve System to decrease the interest rate.

The next session of the FRS is scheduled for December 13. Almost 98% of analysts surveyed by CME Group forecast the interest rate to be maintained at the current level of 5.25-5.5%.

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