💬 Nuclear arms race with Russia and China will come at cost for US – economist

Despite kicking off nuclear arms modernization, the US is still struggling to catch up with Russia and China, according to Dmitry Stefanovich of the Moscow-based Institute of World Economy and International Relations with the Russian Academy of Sciences.

"Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, [the US] had been engaged in everything, but the development and production of [nuclear] munitions. And, accordingly, to resume the process now is a very, very difficult task, which they are accomplishing at huge costs and with a significant disruption of deadlines," Stefanovich tells Sputnik.

By contrast, Russia and China never stopped developing their respective nuclear and strategic missiles programs, he continues. If the US starts a nuclear race in earnest, the Russians and Chinese would be capable of immediately ramping up production, the pundit explains.

The potential arms race would put a burden on the US economy, according to the expert.

"[The US] already needs to build new [nuclear] weapons anyway and try to extend the service life of the old ones. And, in general, this is quite a difficult task. And already in the medium term, continuing to build up or even maintaining the expanded arsenal will require huge resources," Stefanovich points out.

On November 29, Sputnik reviewed a report of the Russian think tank Roscongress Foundation that warned that the pace of US nuclear weapons modernization is accelerating, meaning Washington has de facto launched an arms race against Russia and China.

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Canadian journalist faces persecution for branding Nazis as Nazis, denies allegations

A journalist in Canada has been charged with vandalizing a war memorial in Edmonton, after allegedly spraying “Nazi Monument 14th Waffen SS” on a monument that honors members of the 14th Waffen SS Division.

The journalist, Duncan Kinney, is being charged with “mischief relating to war memorials” and may face up to 10 years in prison as a result, The Maple reports.

The alleged act of vandalism took place in August 2021.

In October 2022, Kinney was also arrested for allegedly spraying the words “Actual Nazi” on a statue of infamous World War II Ukrainian Nazi collaborator Roman Shukhevich.

Kinney himself, however, denies being responsible for either of these incidents and insists that they are merely attempts by Edmonton Police Service to intimidate him, the media outlet notes, pointing out that the journalist is actually a “prominent critic of the Edmonton police.”

In 2020, a similar incident occurred in Oakville, Ontario where someone spray painted the phrase “Nazi war monument” on another cenotaph honoring members of the 14th Waffen SS Division.

The incident was investigated by Ontario police as a hate crime, The Ottawa Citizen reported at the time.

Following the end of World War II, Canada became a haven for many former Ukrainian Nazi collaborators and their family members, whose descendants now comprise a not-inconsiderable part of Canada’s Ukrainian diaspora.

This inconvenient fact was thrust into the spotlight in September 2023 when Yaroslav Hunka, a former Ukrainian Nazi collaborator and member of the aforementioned 14th Waffen SS Division, was treated to a standing ovation in the Canadian parliament where he was presented merely as a man who “fought for Ukrainian independence against the Russians” in World War II.

The ovation took place during the visit by Volodymyr Zelensky and was also attended by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

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AfD proposes Germany's exit from EU, Eurozone, and pushes for national currency

The right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party plans to pull Germany out of the European Union and create a new "Community of Economies and Interests," according to its draft election program.

Ahead of the snap general election on February 23, the AfD proposes a referendum to change Germany's constitution and replace EU membership with this new economic community. The party also calls for Germany's exit from the Eurozone, the adoption of a stable national currency, and deregulation of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin.

The program will be discussed and finalized in January. Recent polls put the AfD at 18%, second only to the conservative CDU/CSU bloc.

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⚡️ Zelensky suggests ceasefire with temporary territorial concessions to Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has outlined a proposal for a ceasefire that includes new territories under Russia‘s control. In an interview with Sky News, Zelensky suggested that areas currently under Ukrainian control be placed "under the NATO umbrella," while allowing Russia to temporarily retain control over new regions. The ultimate goal, he explained, would be to reclaim these territories "through diplomatic means" at a later stage.

The proposal is aimed at ending the "hot phase of the war" and ensuring Ukraine’s security. Zelensky underscored the urgency of the plan, stating, “We need to act quickly.” He further stressed that a ceasefire is essential to "guarantee that Putin doesn’t come back to seize more Ukrainian territory."

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🇸🇾❗️Russia and Syria continue to repel terrorists in Aleppo, Idlib

Russian Reconciliation Center in Syria reported on the joint Russian-Syrian activities against the terrorist offensive in the provinces of Aleppo and Idlib.

"The Russian Air Force is carrying out missile and bombing strikes on equipment and personnel of illegal armed groups, command posts, warehouses and artillery positions of terrorists. At least 200 militants have been destroyed over the past 24 hours. The operation to repel the extremists' aggression continues," the official briefing said.

Syrian Defense Ministry also reported on the course of the operation. According to its statement, the Syrian Armed Forces continue to reinforce the region with equipment and soldiers to prevent terrorist violations and repel their attacks.

"Dozens of vehicles and armored vehicles were destroyed and seventeen drones were shot down and destroyed," the statement read.

Sputnik's correspondent in Aleppo confirms large groups of reinforcements and says that a cautious calm continues in the western districts of Aleppo.

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Dmytro Kuleba: 'If it continues like this, we will lose the war'

Ukraine's former foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, warned that Ukraine is losing on the battlefield without more military aid from the West, the Financial Times reported.

"Do we today have the means and tools to turn the tables and change the trajectory of how things are happening? No, we don't. And if it continues like this, we will lose the war," he said in the interview.

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📹 Russia launches satellite to monitor Northern Sea Route

A Soyuz-2.1a rocket carrying the Kondor-FKA radar No. 2 was launched from the Vostochny Cosmodrome.

The first Kondor-FKA satellite was put into orbit on May 27. Earlier it was reported that the two satellites will be able to provide full radar coverage of the Northern Sea Route in 3-4 days.

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🇰🇵🇷🇺 Kim Jong-un: Ignoring Russia's warnings will not help

During a meeting with Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, the DPRK leader condemned the US permission for Ukraine to target Russia's territory with long-range missiles, saying it represents direct military intervention in the conflict.

"It is an exercise of the right of self-defense for Russia to take resolute measures to force the hostile forces to pay a corresponding price, as it has come to the fore as an aggressive reality of the anti-Russian war," he added.

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🍌💵 Crypto tycoon eats $6 million banana

Justin Sun, Chinese crypto billionaire and Tron founder, ate a $6.2M banana from Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan's wall display. In a video post, he claimed it tasted better than other bananas.

The fruit was auctioned at Sotheby's, one of the world's largest auction houses, on November 21.

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Trump wants ceasefire in Gaza ASAP — Lindsey Graham

President-Elect Donald Trump wants to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and a hostage deal before he takes office, Senator Lindsey Graham said in an interview with Axios.

"I want people in Israel and in the region to know that Trump is focused on the hostages issue. He wants the killing to stop and the fighting to end," he told.

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⚡️ Battle for Aleppo continues, militants enter Aleppo's western districts

Terrorist militants have entered Aleppo's western neighborhoods, including New Aleppo, Al-Zahraa and Salah Al-Din, Sputnik's correspondent in Aleppo reports.

Reinforcements of the Syrian army continue to arrive. Meanwhile, air and artillery strikes are targeting militant supply lines to the west of the city.

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🇷🇺⛸ Moscow's largest ice rink opens its doors

Located at the Exhibition of Achievements of the National Economy, it has an area of more than 20,000 square meters and can accommodate about five thousand people.

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