❗️Key points from the Russian MoD's statement on the retaliatory strike against the shelling of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF) in Belgorod: 

▪️In response to the terrorist attack in Belgorod, the Russian Armed Forces struck decision-making centers and military facilities in Kharkov, used by the criminal Kiev regime

▪️A high-precision missile strike on the former Kharkov Palace hotel complex killed representatives of the Main Intelligence Directorate (SBU) and the UAF who were directly involved in the planning and execution of the terrorist attack in Belgorod

▪️There were also up to 200 foreign mercenaries who were planned to be involved in terrorist raids on the Russian territory bordering Ukraine

▪️High-precision missile strikes on the building of the SBU in the Kharkov region and the temporary deployment point of the nationalist formation “Right Sector” (an organization banned in the Russian Federation) eliminated representatives of the leadership of the SBU, foreign mercenaries and militants of the “Kraken” unit, who were directly preparing sabotage on Russian territory

▪️High-precision strikes hit a branch of the national space control center in the Khmelnitsky region, which is used by the UAF for reconnaissance

▪️Fuel bases in Kharkov and Zaporozhye were destroyed, from which supplies were supplied to Ukrainian troop groups in the Kharkov and Orekhov directions

▪️Rocket strikes were carried out on temporary deployment points of units of the 59th motorized infantry, 79th airborne assault brigades of the UAF and foreign mercenaries with a total number of up to 600 militants, as well as parking areas for military equipment and artillery systems in Selidovo, Kurakhovo and on the territory of the Korotchenko mine in DPR. As a result, the enemy suffered significant losses.

▪️Two HIMARS MLRS launchers were destroyed, with the help of which the Kiev regime planned to launch missile attacks on Donetsk during the New Year holidays

▪️It is emphasized that the Russian Armed Forces strike only at military targets and directly related infrastructure.

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Donbass: Unbreakable Spirit

There are three 3rd degree Black Belts in Donetsk. Two of them, Sergey and Magomed, teach Karate in the Petrovsky District of Donetsk, one of the most heavily shelled areas of the city.

Sergey wrote a poem about one night after class, when the kids were leaving, and incoming Ukrainian shelling targeted the area near the school.

Exclusive report by Sputnik correspondent Russell Bentley (@TXDPR).

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💥The crew of the "Rapier" anti-tank gun strikes at identified enemy positions.

Artillerymen use data received from an unmanned aerial vehicle to adjust fire.

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⚡️Putin in his New Year's address to Russians: Russia firmly defended its interests and security in 2023, we are all united by the fate of the fatherland.

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⚡️Putin in his New Year's address to Russians: the Russian Federation has to move forward and create the future.

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⚡️Putin: we will never retreat, there is no force that can divide us and stop our development

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⚡️Putin wished all Russian families all the best: we decide the fate of Russia, we are one big family, we are together

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🇨🇳 China will “definitely be reunited” – President Xi Jinping in New Year’s speech

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

▪️The Russian Armed Forces repelled four attacks in the Kupyansk direction; the total losses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF) amounted to 120 servicemen.

▪️The Russian Armed Forces repelled a Ukrainian attack in the Krasny Liman direction, with enemy losses amounting to up to 50 servicemen.

▪️A Ukrainian fuel and lubricants warehouse was destroyed on the northeastern outskirts of Kharkov.

▪️The Russian Armed Forces destroyed three HIMARS MLRS and one Alder MLRS.

▪️Ukrainian losses in the Donetsk direction amounted to up to 300 servicemen; three attacks by Ukrainian assault groups were repelled.

▪️The Russian Armed Forces repelled one attack by a Ukrainian assault group in the South Donetsk direction; enemy losses amounted to up to 100 servicemen.

▪️Ukraine lost up to 75 servicemen killed and wounded in the Zaporozhye direction.

▪️The Russian Armed Forces destroyed Ukrainian aircraft in hangars at airfields in the Dnepropetrovsk and Odessa regions.

▪️Russian air defense systems intercepted 14 Ukrainian HIMARS and Alder missiles and 31 UAVs.

▪️The Russian Armed Forces destroyed an S-300 radar in the Odessa region.

▪️The Russian Armed Forces struck Ukrainian fuel and ammunition warehouses in the Zaporozhye and Kiev regions.

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🇮🇱 The Israeli government has approved a portfolio swap between the top diplomat, Eli Cohen, and Israel Katz, the current energy minister, the prime minister's office said.

"The Government has, this morning, approved the appointment of Minister Eli Cohen as Minister of Energy and Infrastructure instead of Minister Yisrael Katz, and the appointment of Minister Yisrael Katz as Minister of Foreign Affairs instead of Minister Eli Cohen," the office said in a statement.

Both decisions are subject to parliamentary approval, the statement added.

It also wrote on X that Cohen "will continue to serve as a member of the Security Cabinet," despite the change of portfolio.

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🇪🇬 An Egyptian intelligence delegation paid a visit to Israel on Thursday to reconcile positions on a possible deal to end the hostilities in the Gaza Strip, but Israel is yet to respond, Al Araby Al Jadeed newspaper reported, citing a source in Egypt, and adding that Israeli officials confirmed that these issues will be discussed at a military council and then Egypt will be provided with a response to them.

One of the delegation's goals was to understand whether Israel was ready to pull its troops from Gaza in the event that a comprehensive agreement is reached, the newspaper added.

Meanwhile, Palestinian factions continue internal consultations on a prisoner exchange and ceasefire agreement. However, no final formula of the deal has been worked out yet, the newspaper wrote, adding that "Hamas needs an official promise from the agreement's sponsor countries that firing will not resume under any circumstances."

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⚡️Russian Defence Minister in New Year's address: Russian army has shown invincibility, ability to crush enemy in any conditions

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🪖The Russian Ministry of Defense announced the destruction of three Ukrainian UAVs over the territory of the Rostov region by air defense systems on duty.

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Scott Ritter: Belgorod attack meant to provoke Russian overreaction to prevent West from dumping Kiev

💬“The Ukrainians claim to fire against military targets, but the use of cluster munitions and the targets they hit clearly indicate that this was a clear-cut case of the indiscriminate use of military weapons against exclusively civilian targets – a war crime in the extreme,” Ritter told Sputnik in a video commentary responding to Saturday’s Ukrainian cluster bomb attack on Russia’s Belgorod.

“The timing of this, on the eve of a new year - one of the most widely celebrated holidays in Russia, I think is designed to be both a psychological blow against the Russian people, and in striking such a blow to generate some sort of reaction by the Russian government that would allow Ukraine to create the case or restate the case to their Western allies for the need for continued financial and military support,” the former Marine and UN weapons inspector said.

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With 2023 having come to an end, Sputnik has made a list of the top cringeworthy moments in politics of the past year. Let's hope that in 2024, far fewer people will be embarrassed by their political leaders.

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👑🇩🇰 Queen Margrethe II of Denmark announced in her New Year's address that she will abdicate the throne on January 14, 2024.

"I will leave the throne to my son, Crown Prince Frederik," she said during her traditional New Year's Eve speech broadcast on Danish television.

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

▪️The death toll from Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip has reached 21,822, and the number of injured people has grown to 56,451, Gaza Health Ministry spokesman Ashraf Al-Qudra said.

▪️Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused South Africa of "cowardice" and lying for filing a genocide lawsuit against Israel, saying the Israeli military is the most "moral" in the world.

▪️At least 68 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza City on Sunday, Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.

▪️The Israeli government has approved a portfolio swap between the top diplomat, Eli Cohen, and Israel Katz, the current energy minister, the prime minister's office said.

▪️ Iran will continue negotiations and consultations with the UN Security Council members in an effort to achieve a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani told Sputnik.

▪️The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it had suspended military activity in a neighborhood of the city of Rafah, located in the southern Gaza Strip near the border with Egypt, for humanitarian purposes until 12:00 GMT on Sunday.

▪️An Egyptian intelligence delegation paid a visit to Tel Aviv on Thursday to reconcile positions on a possible deal to end the hostilities in the Gaza Strip, but Israel is yet to respond, Al Araby Al Jadeed newspaper reported, citing a source in Egypt.

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🛰 New Year’s greetings from orbit

Greetings from space! Russian cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko, Nikolai Chub, and Konstantin Borisov aboard the International Space Station (ISS) have beamed down heartfelt New Year wishes to all their compatriots on Earth!

"From the ISS, we wish you health, success and prosperity," Kononenko said, while Chub encouraged sharing warmth and creating miracles. Despite being far from their loved ones, the Russian cosmonauts said they felt their support.

The ISS, home to a diverse crew including American, European and Japanese astronauts, is in a festive mood. Despite the distance, the crew plans to exchange gifts and visit different segments of the station for their New Year's celebrations. With the ISS completing an orbit every 90 minutes, they can experience the New Year 15 or 16 times a day.

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