A British journalist in Ukraine from The Economist, Oliver Carroll, wrote on his X (Twitter) account that Zaluzhny's firing looks to be true.

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Zaluzhny’s downfall: A brief overview

▪️Following the failure of Ukraine’s counteroffensive last year, a number of media outlets started reporting an apparent falling out between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his Commander-in-Chief Valery Zaluzhny. The situation was apparently further complicated by the fact that Zelensky may regard Zaluzhny as a potential rival in the upcoming Ukrainian presidential election (assuming, of course, that it takes place).

▪️Zaluzhny was appointed commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s armed forces in July 2021. By the fall 2022 he became the darling of Ukrainian and Western media outlets as territorial gains made by Kiev regime forces at that time were largely attributed to his strategic acumen.

▪️Zaluzhny’s image as a capable general took a hit during the second half of 2023 when the much-anticipated counteroffensive ended in utter disaster, with thousands of troops dying for nothing. Zaluzhny’s remarks that the Ukrainian conflict may have reached a stalemate, published in November 2023, elicited savage criticism from Zelensky who challenged the general’s assessment of the situation.

▪️In November, Zaluzhny's close aide Gennady Chastyakov was killed under suspicious circumstances while celebrating his 39th birthday: allegedly, one of the birthday presents he was unpacking contained a live grenade that Chastyakov ended up setting off.

▪️In December, inactive listening devices were allegedly discovered in Zaluzhny’s office.

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Volodymyr Zelensky's press secretary, Sergei Nikiforov, denied rumors about the possible resignation of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny in a comment to the Ukrayinska Pravda publication.

According to the publication, Nikiforov said: “Definitely not. The president did not fire the commander in chief.”

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❗️ The EU ambassadors have agreed on the preliminary proposal of the European Commission on the use of income from the frozen Russian assets, the Belgian Presidency said in a statement on Monday.

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A protester in South Carolina interrupts neocon Nikki Haley

“No new wars, down with the military industrial complex,” a man vented. “We're sick of the wars, we want America first,” the citizen insisted.

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The EU permanent representatives agreed on the preliminary proposal of the European Commission on the use of income from Russian frozen assets, the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU said on Monday.

"EU Ambassadors just agreed in principle on a proposal on the use of windfall profits related to immobilised assets to support Ukraine’s reconstruction," the Belgian Presidency said on X (Twitter).

Earlier this month, Belgian Deputy PM and Finance Minister Vincent Van Peteghem said that the EU has began technical work on the implementation of the proposal put forward by the European Commission at the end of last year to use the proceeds from Russia's frozen sovereign assets in the interests of Ukraine.

Russia has repeatedly warned that any attempt by the EU to confiscate Moscow's frozen assets would violate international law.

In December, 2023, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned that the Western countries would face repercussions if they used Russia's frozen assets to assist Ukraine.

26 Republican state attorneys general sent letters to Biden and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to affirm their support for the actions Texas has been undertaking to repel the record number of illegal immigrants on its portion of the US border with Mexico, Fox News reported on Monday.

Last Monday, the US Supreme Court ruled that federal agents can cut razor wire fencing Texas installed on swaths of the border, but it does not require the state to remove it. The Texas National Guard placed razor wire fencing along the state's border with Mexico to deter the record level of migrants coming into the United States illegally and overwhelming local resources and communities struggling to cope with the crisis.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott said on Friday that he was prepared for a conflict with the federal authorities over the border protection dispute.

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❓Can secession from ECOWAS "alleviate the multiple sufferings" of the Sahelian population?

The "ECOWAS member countries [...] don't play their role properly because, above all, they have the obligation to assist
people, that is, to help the people of countries that are in difficulty. We currently have three countries that are going through security crises, even economic crises. But we did not feel ECOWAS alleviate suffering of these populations," Iba Karim, doctoral student in Economics and Management Sciences, told Sputnik Africa.

He also recalled the "inhumane, irresponsible and thoughtless" sanctions.

👉🏽 Moreover, this exit of Mali, Niger and Burkina could also lead to the transition to the common currency of the Alliance of Sahel States. It could "perhaps even alleviate the cost of living" and reduce the suffering of the people concerned, according to the scholar.

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US national security advisor John Kirby commented on the reports the drone that killed three servicemen was "mistakenly identified" as an American unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) by saying he will let the Pentagon "talk about the forensics."

"I'm sure that they are already picking it apart and trying to figure out how this happened," Kirby highlighted.

Earlier on Monday, citing unnamed officials told the Wall Street Journal that US forces failed to stop an enemy drone attack on its base on the Syria-Jordan border because the aircraft's approach coincided with the return of a US drone to the military outpost.

According to the paper, a militia backed by Tehran launched the enemy drone towards the Al-Tanf base, an outpost near the Syria-Jordan border.

The report added that US officials have not found evidence indicating that Iran directed the attack.

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NATO‘s door remains open to Ukraine and the country will become a member the military alliance, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said during a joint press conference with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in Washington.

"NATO’s door is open, remains open, including to Ukraine which will become a member of NATO," Blinken said on Monday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that NATO expansion to include Ukraine creates a direct national security threat for Russia and Moscow considers the non-aligned status of Ukraine to be extremely important. Putin also said that Russia has always stood against Ukraine's membership in NATO due to its national security concerns, but never opposed its aspirations to join the European Union.

Regarding the deadly drone attack against US forces in the Al-Tanf base, an outpost near the Syria-Jordan border, Blinken clarified that Washington's response "could be multi-leveled, come in stages, and be sustained over" time.

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US direct attack on Iran would unleash hell on Mideast region

"An attack inside Iran would undoubtedly widen the war with the end game becoming even murkier, and [an attack] inside Iraq would further damage US-Iraq relations," Professor Hossein Askari, emeritus professor of business and international affairs at George Washington University, told Sputnik.

Three US soldiers were killed and 34 wounded in a drone attack on an American military base over the weekend, ramping up the pressure on Joe Biden ahead of the 2024 elections, according to the US press.

Even though Tehran made it clear that it had nothing to do with the attack, Washington pinned the blame on Iran and is reportedly planning to either conduct a covert strike on the nation while later denying it, or resort to extraterritorial assassination of Iranian officials.

"The US would try to avoid any and all US casualties," the expert said when asked how the US could implement the alleged plan. "So only cruise missiles and no planes or Special Forces. No regional player would join the US. The only country who would like to get in on the action is Israel."

"I believe the US will take on limited retaliatory attacks against [Islamic] Revolutionary Guards targets in Iran or Iraq without engaging in a wide-scale war," Dr. Imad Salamey, associate professor of political science and international affairs at the Lebanese American University, told Sputnik. "It remains too early in this conflict for the US to target strategic positions such as nuclear facilities. I do not think the allies will join the US in the standoff against Iran, as none have a reason to join rank."

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Weapons for Ukraine are "the way to peace," NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg claimed during a visit to the United States.

"Supporting Ukraine is not a charity, it is an investment in our own security," Stoltenberg said during a press briefing on Monday.

Stoltenberg also suggested that arms for Ukraine are "the way to peace."

Moscow has repeatedly stated that Western military supplies do not bode well for Ukraine and only prolong the conflict. In addition, vehicles carrying supplied weapons are a legitimate target for the Russian Army.

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UNRWA may run out of money past February, spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Monday.

"Right now, I think past February looks like they will run out of money," Dujarric told a briefing.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East has 13,000 staff who serve over 2 million people in Gaza, he added.

On Friday, UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini said that Israel shared with UNRWA data on the alleged involvement of some of the agency’s staff members in the Hamas attack, and promised to hold accountable anyone who was implicated in acts of terrorism. The United States, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Canada, and some other countries swiftly responded by suspending funding for UNRWA.

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Security analyst Mark Sleboda joined Sputnik’s Fault Lines program Monday to discuss a massive new corruption scheme just uncovered in Ukraine.

Key points from the interview:

🔸 $40 million in funds were allegedly embezzled from the procurement of 100,000 mortar shells that were never delivered

🔸 US sources previously reported only 30% of weapons supplied by the West are reaching Ukraine’s front lines

🔸 The US itself is facing shortages of crucial air defense missiles amidst attempts to arm Ukraine and Israel and defend dozens of bases in the Middle East

Nevertheless, the Biden administration is set to continue to support the Zelensky regime through 2024.

👉 Follow the link for more details

BRICS countries' share of global GDP increased from 31% to 35%, exceeding the share of the G7 by the end of 2023, Russian Central Bank Head Elvira Nabiullina told Sputnik.

"The economies of the BRICS countries are developing quite rapidly. With the accession of new members, the share of BRICS in the global economy increased from 31% to 35% if we look at the results of 2023 in terms of purchasing power parity. And these figures are slightly higher than the share of the G7 countries. So the role of BRICS in the world is significant," Nabiullina said.

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