🇷🇺🪖Key statements from the Russian Defense Ministry's daily briefing on the special military operation's progress:

🔸 The Russian Armed Forces hit military airfield and Ukrainian energy facilities.

🔸 Ukraine lost up to 300 servicemen in the Russia's Battlegroup Yug area of responsibility.

🔸 Russia's Battlegroup Zapad repelled five counterattacks, enemy lost up to 400 militants

🔸 Ukraine lost over 440 troops in the Russia's Battlegroup Tsentr area of responsibility.

🔸 Russian aviation shot down six JDAM bombs and 44 Ukrainian drones.

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Russia is considering possibility of deploying medium-range, short-range missiles in Asia if US missiles appear there, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said.

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China builds system capable of laying submarine cables in deepest ocean - report

Chinese engineers have built the first cable-laying system capable of reaching the deepest known part of the ocean – the Challenger Deep, located in the Mariana Trench in the western Pacific Ocean, Chinese media reported.

The new Haiwei GD11000 system, created by Dalian Maritime University in collaboration with tech companies, is capable of deploying cables to a maximum depth of more than 11,000 meters (36,000 feet), the depth of the Challenger Deep. It supports a safe working load of over 15 tonnes and can lay of 393,7 feet of cable per minute.

The design has already conducted two successful operations at depths of over four kilometers in the South China Sea, the media reports.

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🇷🇺 Other statements by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov:

🔸 The fate of Russia's moratorium on the deployment of medium- and shorter-range missiles depends entirely on the US’ approach.

🔸 There are no restrictions on Russia deploying new medium-range systems, such as the Oreshnik, under existing international obligations.

🔸 The memorandum between Russia and the US on missile launches remains in effect, and the US was notified within its framework of the Oreshnik’s test launch.

🔸 When asked if US bases could become targets in the event of a conflict: US tactical nuclear weapons in Europe are not excluded from consideration.

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Iran's supreme leader insists ICC arrest warrant for Netanyahu is not enough

Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei said in a speech that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu deserves the death penalty for what he has done.

After the Ayatollah's comments, the audience began chanting slogans in support of the Palestinian resistance, as well as "death to America" and "death to Israel".

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💬 British hired gun who 'lost everything' in UK captured in Kursk Region

Russian forces have captured a UK mercenary from the Ukrainian International Legion in the Kursk region. In several videos of his interrogation circulating on social media, he revealed his reasons for coming to Ukraine. The prisoner of war also noted that he was coerced into going to the Kursk region after his commander deprived him of his belongings.

What is known about the UK mercenary?

🔸 His name is James Scott Rhys Anderson, born on May 27, 2002 (22 years old).

🔸 He is a former UK Army soldier, having served from 2019 to 2023. He held the position of signalman in the One Signal Brigade, 22 Signal Regiment, 252 Signal Squadron.

🔸 According to the official British Army webpage, this unit is based at Imjin Barracks in Innsworth, Gloucestershire. This squadron provides “direct close support in the delivery of Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC)” for its permanent headquarters in Gloucestershire and serves as “a Falcon Anchor Point responsible for service management and strategic reach-back communications.” In general, the 22 Signal Regiment delivers special information “to support NATO’s Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC).” The ARRC is a UK-formed NATO unit dedicated to special operations and 'crisis response.'

🔸 Anderson stated that he was sacked from his position in the UK Army and subsequently decided to apply to the Ukrainian Foreign Legion's webpage after hearing about it on local TV. He indicated that the primary reason for his decision was that he “had just lost everything” and his father was in prison.

🔸 He also revealed how he journeyed to Ukraine: First, he flew from London to Krakow, and from there he was got a ride to the Polish village of Medyka, near the border with Ukraine, where he crossed into the country.

🔸 During his interrogation, Anderson claimed he was compelled to participate in the incursion into the Kursk region as his commander confiscated his phone, passport, and other personal belongings.

🔸 Scott Anderson, the father of the captured mercenary, expressed his shock when he learned about his son's captivity in Russia. He added that he had tried to persuade James not to join Ukraine’s Foreign Legion and now fears for his son's fate.

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📹 THROWBACK: Liz Truss encourages Britons to fight for Kiev regime

Back in 2022, then-foreign secretary Liz Truss said she 'absolutely' backed British citizens going to Ukraine fighting against Russia.

"Absolutely, if people want to support that struggle, I would support them doing that," she said.

We guess she might regret it now.

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🗳 Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu says he will not challenge the results of the presidential election, and has announced his resignation as chairman of the Social Democratic Party after his defeat.

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🇷🇺 🪖 Key statements from the Russian Ministry of Defense's daily briefing on the situation in the Kursk region:

◻️ Russia’s Battlegroup Sever hammered 15 Ukrainian formations in its combat zone.

◻️ In total, Ukrainian losses over the day amounted to more than 200 militants, with three armored vehicles destroyed.

◻️ Since the beginning of combat operations in the Kursk region, Ukraine has lost more than 35,510 troops.

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💬 Russia 'can smack you anywhere with nukes' – Blackwater founder

Ukraine should give up on any hopes of reclaiming its lost territories from Moscow if it wants an end to the conflict, said Erik Prince, founder and former CEO of private military company Blackwater, in an interview with Fox News.

"The fact is, the Russians fired a ballistic missile," Prince noted. "They carried nine warheads, going Mach 9, that there is no means to shoot down, and even with non-nuclear [weapons], the kinetic force is enormous."

"It was a reminder by the Russians: we can smack you anywhere with nukes, and maybe that's what's coming next," he stressed. "This is not a game that needs to be played any longer."

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Right-wing candidate Georgescu leads in Romania presidential election: Why is the West trembling?

Independent candidate Calin Georgescu has pulled off a shock victory in the first round of Romania's presidential election. Georgescu, who mostly campaigned on TikTok, will face off against center-right contender Elena Lasconi in the second round on December 8.

What are his views?

🔸 On NATO:

A professed champion of national sovereignty, Georgescu has often criticized what he called his country’s “subservience” to the European Union and NATO.

In interviews and public appearances, he has questioned the benefits of Romania’s membership in NATO, arguing that the alliance will not protect any of its members should they be attacked.

He criticized the presence of an American missile defense facility at a NATO-controlled base in the village of Deveselu, calling Romania’s agreement to host it a “diplomatic shame.” He has also called NATO's ballistic missile defense shield in Romania a confrontational measure.

🔸 On Ukraine:

Georgescu has questioned military aid being pumped by Romania to Ukraine. The social media-savvy candidate recently launched a viral TikTok campaign calling for an end to supporting the Kiev regime that appeared to have struck a chord with voters. “Tonight, the Romanian people cried out for peace. And they shouted very loudly, extremely loudly”, Georgescu said after his win.

🔸 On Russia:

Georgescu has described Russian President Vladimir Putin as a genuinely great leader who loves his country in a 2020 interview. Romania’s best chance lay with "Russian wisdom," media reports cite him as saying in another interview.

🔸 On Moldova:

Georgescu started out as a member of the right-wing Alliance for the Unity of Romanians (AUR) party, which advocates for the integration of Moldova into Romania, but eventually broke with it to campaign as an independent.

Georgescu’s success feeds into the barometer of right-wing political successes across Europe amid dissatisfaction with Brussels’ policy and eroding public support for Ukraine. Similar sentiments fueled Ukraine critic Peter Pellegrini’s win in the presidential election in Slovakia this summer, and the success of the right-wing Freedom Party (FPO) in Austria’s parliamentary elections.

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