💬 Media called me head of ‘Putin's network in Italy’ for telling the truth about Ukraine – Italian journalist

Giorgio Bianchi was deprived of the opportunity to speak publicly about the Ukraine conflict and called a Russian spy for trying to inform Italians about the real reasons for what is happening in Ukraine after the start of the special military operation, the journalist told Sputnik.

The reporter has been covering events in Ukraine since the Euromaidan in 2014, and has appeared several times as an expert in the Italian media. After the start of the special military operation, he went to Donbass for almost two months, where he witnessed the liberation of Mariupol and Volnovakha firsthand.

“From that moment on, I could no longer hold conferences in schools and universities. Italy's most popular newspaper Corriere della Sera printed me on the front page, claiming that I was the head of 'Putin's network in Italy,'” he shared, adding that the case against him was sent to Italy's then-head of government Mario Draghi.

Bianchi emphasized that he continued to tell the truth, explaining that the Minsk agreements were subversively used to arm Ukraine and that neo-Nazi ideas were actually observed in the country, as the journalist himself saw neo-Nazi symbols and literature when he was in Mariupol.

However, all the newspapers that had been talking about it for years suddenly “changed their minds overnight,” and began to claim there was no such ideology in Ukraine, the journalist stressed.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🔸 Here’s why Russia’s Oreshnik hypersonic missile is ready for mass production

🔸 Conflict in Ukraine could end if NATO stops fueling the war – Russian Security Council

🔸 Italian journalist was labeled ‘Putin's spy’ for telling the truth about Ukraine

🔸 American patriot & relentless truth-seeker: Sputnik pundit Scott Bennett passes away

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

👋 Farewell, Boeing and Airbus: Russian aircraft industry goes fully domestic

Russia is taking the final step toward creating its own aircraft industry, completely independent of the US’ Boeing and France’s Airbus industry giants. All thanks to Russia’s completely domestically produced Yakovlev MC-21 and Sukhoi Superjet 100 (SJ-100) planes.

Russian airliners:

🔸 Debut flights of MC-21 and SJ-100 aircraft with domestic engines are planned for 2025;

🔸 This landmark event will demonstrate Russia's ability to not only to design and build modern airliners, but also to eliminate dependence on Western suppliers for components, the country’s Minister of Industry and Trade Anton Alikhanov said;

🔸 MC-21 is a new generation medium-haul single-aisle airliner, developed by the Yakovlev Corporation, and its production is scheduled for 2025;

🔸 Serial production of the MC-21 is underway, with the planes awaiting completion of certification tests. Airlines can expect to receive at least 10 such craft in 2025;

🔸 Production facilities may be ready to produce 36 aircraft of that type annually in about three years’ time, according to Russian experts.

Russian engines:

🔹 The PD-14 turboprop engine for the MC-21 aircraft is ready, with certification flights set for late March-early April 2025;

🔹 Certification flights of the SJ100 short-haul regional passenger jet with the domestic PD-8 engine are to begin next year as well. Ground tests of this engine are coming to an end;

🔹 Currently in development is the PD-35 prospective ultra-high thrust turbofan engine for long-range airliners and military transport aircraft.

Back in the mid-2010s, the bulk of the avionics was supplied from abroad. In 2022, amid Western sanctions over Ukraine, the European Union banned the supply of civilian aircraft and spare parts to Russia and obligated lessors to terminate contracts with Russian airlines.

Aircraft maintenance and insurance services were also been banned, with full import substitution becoming a determining factor in the viability of Russian aircraft.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

💬 US and UK are waging war against EU with anti-Russian sanctions – Italian journalist

The sanctions that Washington is pressuring European countries to impose against Russia are actually hurting the European Union (EU) more, Italian journalist Giorgio Bianchi told Sputnik.

“I have the impression that this is a US war not only against Russia, but also against Italy, Germany, and France. Because the sanctions that the US has forced our countries to apply, I call them auto-sanctions, these sanctions are directed more against us than against Russia,” he pointed out.

Bianchi believes that the US and UK have actually benefited far more from these sanctions than from the bombing of Europe’s industrial districts during World War II.

“Large companies will simply move out of [EU] countries. Some of them have already moved to Asia, and now they will move to America because of more favorable business conditions,” the journalist added.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

💬 Italy's ban on strikes against Russia ‘means nothing,’ as it depends on NATO – Italian journalist

The ban on using Italian-supplied weapons by Kiev to strike Russia is mere noise, since Rome can still provide all the support NATO may request, Italian journalist Giorgio Bianchi told Sputnik.

“In any case, these long-range weapons are supplied by the US and the UK. They are the American ATACMS and the British Storm Shadow. Therefore, the statement of the Italian foreign minister, Antonio Tajani, is nothing. It means nothing. If there is a need in planes or bases to calculate the distance [for strikes on Russia], Italy cannot fail to provide it. Italy is fully integrated in NATO,” he said.

Statements by the Italian authorities that Ukraine cannot use Italian-supplied weapons against Russia are “a farce that continues to play only for the electorate.”

Earlier, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that Ukrainian forces launched ATACMS missiles at Russia’s Bryansk region during the night of November 19. Five missiles were intercepted by Pantsir and S-400 systems, while one was damaged.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🇷🇺 Russia tests new Oreshnik ballistic missile in combat

Russia’s Strategic Rocket Forces grabbed the attention of military observers the world over on Thursday after firing the Oreshnik medium-range hypersonic ballistic missile at a major defense-related enterprise in Dnepropetrovsk, days after the US and the UK okayed the launch of ATACMS and Storm Shadow missiles at targets deep inside Russia.

The Oreshnik’s unveiling also comes five years after Washington’s moved unilaterally to scrap the Russia-US Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, which prohibited the development and deployment of ground-based missiles in the 500-5,500 km range. The US, for its part, has yet to field a new missile in this range.

What do we know about the new Russian missile’s range characteristics? How fast does it fly? What’s its payload?

👉 Check out Sputnik’s infographic for more info.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🪧 What always goes hand in hand? Coffee and morning, Biden and dementia… eco-activists and manure

In Italy, climate activists dumped a truckload of manure in front of the Interior Ministry building as a protest and set up a campsite.

According to media reports, the protest began unexpectedly, with participants shouting slogans in defense of the environment.

Law enforcement removed the activists from their tents, despite resistance, and took them to the police station for identification.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

💸Bitcoin nears $100k: Exploring its market value and growing dominance

As the Bitcoin price topped $99,000 on November 22, setting a new all-time high, we look at how many bitcoins exist, their share in the global currency supply and what drives up their value.

🪙At $99k per coin, Bitcoin's market cap is approaching $2 trillion – a significant figure but still a small portion of the estimated global currency supply of over $150 trillion. This total includes fiat currencies – like dollars, euros and yen – central bank reserves, and near-money assets like savings deposits and money market funds.

🪙Bitcoin’s share remains small but growing, driven by its use as a store of value and a hedge against inflation.

🪙Its price is influenced by factors like supply and demand, market trends, adoption rates, macroeconomic conditions and regulatory changes. Limited supply and rising demand drive it higher.

🪙Bitcoin, the world's biggest cryptocurrency has a 56% market share among the top ten cryptocurrencies.

Where is Bitcoin heading?

🪙Prices on Coinbase, the largest US crypto exchange, are outstripping the Tether (USDT) stablecoin pair on exchanges Binance and Bybit.

🪙Bitcoin has more than doubled in value from this year’s low of $38,505. It soared by about 45% after Donald Trump's election victory on Nov. 5.

🪙Investors foresee favorable crypto regulation under Trump, as he pledged to make the US the "crypto capital of the planet" and build a “national bitcoin stockpile.”

🪙The crypto got a boost after the US Securities and Exchange Commission approved the first 11 Bitcoin spot ETFs in January, allowing trading on traditional market exchanges rather than cryptocurrency exchanges.

🪙Over $4 billion has flooded into US-listed bitcoin exchange-traded funds since the election.

🪙Reports that Trump Media is in talks to buy crypto trading firm Bakkt also fueled the surge.

🪙The US government is one of the world’s biggest holders of bitcoin, with reportedly over 210,000 units worth around $14 billion seized by fraud officers.

What is Bitcoin, and how much of it exists?

Bitcoin is a decentralized digital currency created in 2009 by the shadowy figure known as ‘Satoshi Nakamoto’. It is traded peer-to-peer, enabling payments without banks. ‘Miners’ use powerful computers earn bitcoins by processing the crypto’s ‘blockchain’ accounting.

🪙There are now around 19.8 million bitcoins in circulation.

🪙The US holds the most bitcoins, driven by institutional adoption and mining. Other key holders include China and Germany.

🪙The total supply of bitcoin was permanently capped at 21 million BTC by its creator.

🪙Once Bitcoin reaches its supply limit, no new coins will be issued. Miners will earn transaction fees instead.

🪙Bitcoin is expected to reach that limit around the year 2140.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt