💥 Russian “birds” destroy the enemy even underground

Attack drone operators destroyed several firing points and a Ukrainian Armed Forces vehicle.

📹 Footage from the area near the Spornoye settlement

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The White House is refusing to release Joe Biden's draft speeches concerning decisions tied to the dismissal of Ukrainian prosecutor Victor Shokin, prompting the Oversight Committee to demand the release of drafts by February 7, several US Representatives wrote in a letter to the White House.

"For more than five months the White House has declined to authorize the production of these draft speeches to the Oversight Committee or to assert a valid privilege over them... The Committees now demand that the White House permit NARA [National Archives and Records Administration] to produce the following information no later than February 7, 2024," the letter said on Wednesday.

The letter added that if the White House doesn't provide the information by February 7th, the Oversight Committee will consider using compulsory processes to ensure the release of the speeches.

The letter comes amid investigations by US House lawmakers into alleged foreign bribery and influence peddling by Hunter Biden and then-Vice President Joe Biden. Lawmakers allege that the Bidens received millions of dollars to help pressure Ukraine to fire Shokin and end his probes into Burisma.

In late August 2023, Shokin in an interview with Fox News says he personally believed Biden family members received bribes from sources in Ukraine to help shut down his corruption investigations.

Joe Biden has repeatedly denied discussing foreign business matters with his son.

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❗️ Russian air defence destroyed 4 Ukrainian drones over the Belgorod region and 1 over the Kursk region, according to the Russian Defense Ministry

The farmer blockade protests that are spreading across Europe are the result of the EU’s support of Ukraine in the NATO-proxy war against Russia, veteran war correspondent Elijah Magnier told Sputnik’s Fault Lines on Wednesday.

“We shot ourselves in the foot, basically that’s very soft – we shot ourselves in the head and now we are paying the price,” Magnier said.

The EU prevents the individual leadership in EU member states from properly responding to the concerns of their population, Magnier added.

“It's a serious issue today in Europe, where the European leaders are no longer able to rule Europe as it used to be, and we see how the [countries in the union are] going really down the slope and nobody's stopping it,” Magnier explained.

Magnier believes European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen should speak with the farmers and come to an agreement, but that she should first suspend all New Green Deal regulations. “You don't negotiate with the knife at the throat of the farmers saying, 'Well, now I have to think what I can lift, what I cannot lift,’” he said.

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📹 Russian operators of UAVs and FPV drones eliminate Ukrainian manpower and armored vehicles in the south of the DPR

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Gaza negotiators are insisting on a six-week ceasefire, after which it will be difficult for Israel to resume hostilities with the same force, the WSJ reports, citing sources.

Israel and Hamas are now considering an agreement under which the release of hostages in Gaza will begin with a truce.

The conflict has killed over 26,000 people in Gaza and about 1,200 in Israel. There are still over 200 hostages in Gaza who were kidnapped by Hamas during the October 7 attack on Israel.

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A decree from Volodymyr Zelensky’s on the dismissal of Valery Zaluzhny as commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces is expected by the end of this week, CNN reports, citing sources.

The Financial Times previously reported, citing people familiar with the situation, that Zelensky had informed Zaluzhny about his dismissal.

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The US struck 10 drones that were preparing to launch in Yemen, CBS reported, citing a Bahraini Defense Ministry source.

The strike was carried out by F-18 fighter jets, the report added.

Earlier, US destroyer the USS Gravely shot down a Yemeni Houthi missile over the Red Sea at a distance of one mile. The report says this was the closest the Houthis have come to a US ship; previously, Houthi missiles have been shot down by the USS Gravely at a distance of 7-8 miles.

The Houthi group behind the recent attacks on Red Sea shipping has justified its actions as an attempt to support the Palestinians in Gaza, and denied interfering with freedom of navigation in the region. Arab and Muslim nations have warned that unchecked Israeli actions in Gaza could escalate into a wider conflict. The US and UK have been responding with airstrikes since mid-January, citing a threat to freedom of navigation.

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▪️ The US strikes 10 drones that were preparing to launch in Yemen – report

▪️ Joe Biden might be helping Russian gas producers...

▪️ … while harming US economy

▪️ Is there a link between NATO’s proxy war against Russia and mass farmers’ protests in Europe?

▪️ Why is the EU punishing Hungary?

▪️ Ukrainian armed forces are experiencing a "critical shortage" of artillery shells

▪️ Watch Russian “birds” destroy the enemy even underground

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Sputnik Afghanistan journalist seriously wounded by Ukrainian drone, recovering from injuries

Sputnik Afghanistan journalist Khaibar Akifi, who was wounded in a Ukrainian drone strike in Belgorod, sustained serious injuries that raised fears whether he would survive, but today his life is not in danger and he is recovering, Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said in an interview with Sputnik

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“Neither Putin nor the world nor the fictional climate catastrophe can be blamed for our predicament,” Alice Weidel, chairwoman of the Alternative for Germany party in the Bundestag, said, criticizing the German government.

During her speech, she accused the government of wasting public money and hating Germany, and called for new elections.

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Kiev will most likely not use GLSDB glide bombs transferred by the US in combat, but to create a “nightmare” for the civilian population, military expert Alexey Leonkov told Sputnik.

Earlier, President Vladimir Putin said that Russia would extend the demilitarized zone to such a distance from the border that it would ensure security from long-range weapons that the West supplies to Ukraine and which the Ukrainian authorities use to shell peaceful cities.

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⚡️ Ukrainian forces used an MIM-104A anti-aircraft guided missile fired from a Patriot missile system to shoot down the Il-76 plane near Belgorod - Russian Investigative Committee

⚡️ In the area of the plane crash, 116 fragments of two anti-aircraft missiles with innoscriptions in English were found, the Russian Investigative Committee said

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❗️ Americans should know where their money is going, Biden has made them accomplices in the tragedy, Zakharova said, commenting on reports that the Il-76 was shot down by a Patriot missile

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❗️The Investigative Committee of Russia conducted an investigation into the crash of the Il-76. Here are the key points from the committee’s statement:

▪️The Ukrainian Armed Forces used a US-made MIM-104A anti-aircraft guided missile from the Patriot complex to destroy the Il-76 aircraft, which was carrying 65 Ukrainian PoWs and also three accompanying Russian officers and six crew members.

▪️Experts found at the crash site 116 fragments of the bodies and mechanisms of two missiles with innoscriptions and markings in English.

▪️The fragments taken from the scene of the incident, according to their design features, geometric characteristics, and available markings, are structural elements of the MIM-104A anti-aircraft guided missile of the US Patriot complex.

▪️Markings found on the seized fragments include: “Raytheon”, “CONFIDENTIAL classified by PATRIOT SECURITY CLASSIFICATION GUIDE DATED: 9/22/83

▪️It was established that traces of the explosive hexogen with impurities of up to 10 percent octogen were found in washouts from the objects, which is typical for foreign-made explosives.

▪️The criminal investigation into the terrorist attack continues.

🇪🇺 The leaders of EU member countries agreed to discuss assistance to Kiev annually and, if necessary, to review it after 2 years, the Guardian writes.

That is, this is the same compromise option that Hungarian Prime Minister Orban insisted on.

Reuters reports that there are no plans to unfreeze the funds frozen by Brussels for Budapest.

EU leaders concurred to allocate 50 billion euros of macro-financial assistance to Ukraine. A 50 billion euro aid package for Ukraine was agreed upon by all 27 EU leaders, the press service of the European Council reports.

The allocation of 50 billion euros of assistance for Ukraine has been agreed upon, however, reports suggest that EU funds for Hungary continue to be frozen, according to diplomats.

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❗️The investigation has identified the remains of those killed in the Il-76 crash in the Belgorod region, the Russian Investigative Committee reports

In total, more than 670 body fragments of the victims have been discovered and gathered in the area where the plane crashed. Because genetic material was taken from all prisoners, the investigative committee has data on everyone who was there.

The results of the genetic examinations have made it possible to draw the unequivocal conclusion that the body fragments belonged to six crew members, three military police officers, and 65 Ukrainian servicemen who died in the crash.

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