▪️Key points from Putin's address to the Russian parliament

▪️What are the five new Russian national projects announced by Putin during his address?

▪️The most striking figures in Putin's address to the Russian parliament

▪️Russia on a 'multipolar path' to rapid economic growth

▪️From ‘Scout’ to ‘Warrior’: meet Russia's amphibious vehicles

▪️Meet Russia's new amphibious vehicle: The Triton

▪️US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says if Ukraine falls he really believes NATO will be in a fight with Russia

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Ukrainian military is intentionally targeting Donbass civilians

Sputnik correspondent Russell Bentley explains why the recent wave of Ukrainian strikes against civilian buildings in Donetsk is no accident or mistake, but a deliberate effort to kill unarmed men, women, and children.

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The US does not see that Moscow is about to resort to nuclear weapons, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.

"We do not have any sign that Russia is preparing to use a nuclear weapon," Miller said during a briefing for reporters.

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The head of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), Alexander Bortnikov, has confirmed that there are many CIA bases on the territory of Ukraine.

"A lot," he said when asked by a journalist how many CIA bases there actually are in Ukraine.

Earlier, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that there were probably many more bases than the 12 reported by the mass media.

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‘These are the kind of operations the Ukrainians do’

Back in March 2022, the Ukrainian military sent out fake text messages to the female relatives of Donetsk militiamen, urging them to gather near the administration building at a certain day and time. The Ukrainians planned on firing a missile into the crowd of civilian women.

The plot ultimately failed, but the attack nevertheless ended up killing two dozen innocent bystanders in Donetsk.

Sputnik correspondent Russell Bentley (@TXDPR) recounts the chilling story.

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US arms race against Russia will backfire and lead to self-destruction

"China and Russia perfectly understand the fact that the West, specifically the United States, wants to put pressure on Russia and on China to participate in this artificially created arms race," Adriel Kasonta, a London-based foreign affairs analyst, tells Sputnik.

During his address to the Russian Federal Assembly, President Vladimir Putin lambasted the West for attempting to drag Russia into an arms race, stressing that similar tricks were used against the USSR in the 1980s to economically exhaust the Soviet Union and facilitate its collapse.

Russia has learnt its lesson well and won't engage in the US-led arms race, but will develop all sectors of its economy efficiently despite sanctions, Kasonta says, referring to impressive economic growth indicators mentioned by Putin.

"Since the illegitimate coup in Kiev in Ukraine, [Russia] understood that it can't rely any longer on the West," the expert notes. "Since 2014, Russia has been changing its economy and adapting economy to the multi-polar world."

For its part, "the American empire is destroying itself by simply putting more money in the military" whereas its economy and its border security is in decline, Kasonta argues, warning that a "never ending arms race" could ultimately lead the US to a civil war.

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Republican Congressman Matt Rosendale has accused opponents of the Democratic Party of spreading pro-Ukrainian propaganda using US taxpayers' money that should have been spent on solving domestic problems in the US.

"Members of the other side (Democratic Party - ed.) of the aisle are wasting taxpayers' dollars on Zelensky's propaganda. Our borders are wide open, and our national debt is skyrocketing. We must put America FIRST!," Rosendale said.

This was his respond to a letter from Democratic Congressman George Nickel, who said that "House Republicans surrendered Ukraine to Russia".

68% of the French do not approve of Macron’s position on the possibility of sending troops to Ukraine, according to Le Figaro.

The statistic was provided by a survey conducted by Odoxa-Backbone Consulting for the newspaper. 31% supported Macron. In addition, the majority of French people (51%) believe that it is necessary to remain neutral towards Russia. 37% of respondents consider Moscow as an enemy, and 11% consider it an ally.

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White House does not reciprocate Russia’s calls for dialogue on nuclear weapons in space

While Russian President Vladimir Putin is open to “frank and genuine negotiation with the US on the placement of nuclear arms in outer space,” he is yet to receive “any signal" from his counterpart on the matter, says Dr. Marco Marsili, a researcher at Cà Foscari University of Venice who holds research positions in major civil and military institutions in Portugal, the UK and Italy.

Commenting on Putin’s recent address to the Russian parliament, Dr. Marsili acknowledged that while Russia previously brought “some solutions within the UN Conference on Disarmament to avoid the placement of nuclear arms in space,” the US and its European allies have always “refused to negotiate them as international legally-binding instruments” in order to maintain their technological advantage.

“Today, Russia is in a stronger position due to its technological advances in missile defence, and has developed hypersonic capabilities, like the Avangard rocket cited by President Putin in his speech, which place the country far away from its Western competitors. Notwithstanding, President Putin is still seeking a dialogue with the White House, but does not receive any response,” the scholar remarked.

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📹 A Russian crew operating Zala reconnaissance drones spotted a Ukrainian tank and self-propelled guns on the right bank of the Dnepr River. They then successfully pinpointed the targets' positions in preparation for an attack using Lancet drones.

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Google stock pictures of shoplifting are highly likely to depict white people only

While searching for "Shoplifting stock photo" it is nearly impossible to find even a single stock photo of a non-white shoplifter on Google.

The netizens on X, formerly known as Twitter, roast Google:

“They will gaslight us in every way possible as we can see here.”

“So no white people in important eras in history but shoplifting...”

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Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has arrived in Turkiye to participate in the Antalya Diplomacy Forum.

Lavrov is expected to hold talks with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan, as well as with the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and King of Eswatini.

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The heads of the G20 finance ministers and central bankers failed to agree on a joint statement at a meeting in Brazil due to disagreements over Ukraine, DPA reported.

The US armed services are spending more money than they are permitted to do by law in their efforts to maintain and continue to operate many weapons systems, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) warned in a report.

"The GAO looked at DOD [the Department of Defense]'s Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 sustainment reviews, and found that seven out of 16 weapon systems had sustainment cost growth above the thresholds identified in law," the report said.

The GAO recommended that the Defense Department address the issue, the report stated.

"The Department of Defense spends billions of dollars a year to operate and maintain its weapon systems. These "sustainment" costs - such as for repair parts or personnel - account for about 70% of a weapon system's total cost, the GAO said.

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The International Monetary Fund has released its updated World Economic Outlook, which projects global economic forecasts for the next two years.

The IMF's data clearly illustrates that the steady rise of the Global South is not a mirage or an overstatement, but, in fact, a locomotive that has taken off. The estimates suggest that the global growth (3.1% in 2023) is likely to stay the same this year and rise to 3.2% in 2025. The 2024 forecast reflects upgrades for China, the US, as well as receptive emerging markets and developing economies.

As for the impacts of the developed economies and emerging markets, view Sputnik’s infographic to learn more.

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"A new multipolar world is rising"

The US is doing everything it can to counter China and Russia to prevent “economic inevitabilities,” but a multipolar world is rising, Mark Sleboda, an international relations and security expert told Sputnik’s Fault Lines.

The West has continued its domestic propaganda war against Russia even as the message has become increasingly muddled.

“At the same time [they say] Russia is losing and it’s Nigeria with snow and they’re fighting with shovels,’ on the other hand ‘Russia is building doomsday weapons in space and it’s about to take over everything.’”

The reason for this contradictory propaganda stems back to the loosening grip of Western countries on the global economy. “Since 2014, but especially since 2022, Russia’s economy grew faster than the American economy… there is an argument to be made that in the medium to long term, these [Western] sanctions [on Russia] have made Russia stronger.”

“A new multipolar world is rising and these are economic inevitabilities. However, the US doesn’t take to competitors well, and they’re doing everything possible – not just economically but politically and militarily – to stop, in particular, China and Russia [and] do everything possible to reverse that economic decline.”

Follow the link to learn more

The past and future of BRICS and G7 economics

The share of BRICS in the global economy at purchasing power parity will increase to 36.6% by 2028, while the G7's share will drop to 27.8%, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during his 2024 address to the Federal Assembly.

"Ten to 15 years ago, the situation was completely different ... Global trends are objective in nature ... By 2028, the situation will change even more toward the BRICS, it will be 36.6%. For the G7, the forecast for 2028 year is 27.8%. This has to happen. This is an objective reality. And so it will be. No matter what happens, including even in Ukraine," Putin stated.

View Sputnik’s infographic to learn a bit more

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There has always been “an awareness of veterans coming out of military engagement and seeing things differently,” Garett Reppenhagen, a former US Army sniper and peace activist, told Sputnik’s Political Misfits.

“You certainly don’t usually think the same things going in as you do coming out, and yeah, I think it’s [a part of] a hidden history of veterans and military service members protesting," stated Reppenhagen.

Last week, US Air Force active duty member Aaron Bushnell self-immolated in front of the Israeli embassy in Washington D.C. to protest what he called Israel’s genocide in Gaza with several US military veterans burned their uniforms at a vigil held for Bushnell in Portland, Oregon, on Wednesday.

The change in soldiers shouldn’t be attributed solely to PTSD, but also a “moral injury” that co-host Michelle Witte suggested there is “nothing in place” to help veterans heal from.

Reppenhagen agreed. “It’s been hidden there all along, if you look all the way back to the Civil War, PTSD was called ‘soldiers’ heart,’ that doesn’t sound like just someone who’s experienced trauma,” he explained.

“We’re told about these myths that we’re defending out neighbors in our communities and that we’re fighting for democracy and freeing people. But we see Exxon and Halliburton and Lockheed Martin getting rich and all of our families and friends suffering,” Reppenhagen said.

Read more in the full article

Russia is ready to hand over to Ukraine the bodies of those killed in the crash of the Russian cargo plane Il-76 in the Belgorod Region, Russian human rights commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova told Sputnik.

"Yes, we are ready, everything necessary in terms of the procedure is in place ... The bodies can be handed over in accordance with the existing procedures," she said.

Moskalkova has told Sputnik earlier that she maintains contact with her Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Lubinets, on the downing of the Il-76 aircraft.

On January 24, six Russian crew members, three Russian servicepeople and 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war aboard the airplane were killed after a missile hit the Il-76 airplane. The aircraft was en route for a planned prisoner exchange that was subsequently canceled.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said following the incident that Ukrainian intelligence knew that there were Ukrainian prisoners of war on board the Il-76 military transport plane, but struck it anyway. The Russian Investigative Committee said that the Ukrainian armed forces used the MIM-104A guided missile of the Patriot system to shoot down the plane.

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Russian air defense systems destroyed one Ukrainian drone over the territory of the Belgorod region, and three drones were intercepted over the territory of the Nizhny Novgorod region, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

The pace of Russian economy's growth

Russian President Vladimir Putin noted in his 2024 address to the Federal Assembly that in 2023 Russia's economy was growing at a rate higher than the global economy, outperforming not only the leading countries of the EU, but also all the G7 states.

According to the President, a colossal role in this was played by the fundamental margin of safety, which was made over the past decades, and the Russian economy itself has become more complex, technological, and therefore much more sustainable.

To find out more details about the growth rates shown by the Russian economy in the last 10 years, see Sputnik's infographic.

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