EU boosted oil imports from Russia to 8-month high in October

The European Union increased oil imports from Russia to 687.5 million euros ($717 million), the highest since February this year, according to Sputnik's analysis of Eurostat data.

In February, Russia supplied 690 million euros worth of oil to the EU. The increase in October was mainly due to a doubling of exports to the Czech Republic to 185.9 million euros from 91.3 million a month earlier.

Supplies to Hungary also increased significantly, by half to 233 million euros. In addition, the Netherlands increased its imports to 60.7 million euros from 40.5 million a month earlier.

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US fighter jet shot down by 'friendly fire'
 
A US Navy F/A-18 fighter jet was shot down by friendly fire over the Red Sea, the Associated Press reported, citing the US Central Command (CENTCOM).
 
The F/A-18 fighter jet that took off from the deck of the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier during an attack on Houthi targets reportedly came under fire.
 
The two pilots ejected and survived; one of them sustained minor injuries, it said.

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🔸Rudeness and blackmail: How Ukraine treats Slovakia

🔸EU boosted oil imports from Russia to 8-month high in October

🔸Pokémon: new way of money laundering

🔸The Week's faces of the year for the UK and US public

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Western financing of Ukraine makes up almost 90% of its spending in past 3 years

From February 2022 to early December of this year, the West pumped a total of $238.5 billion into the Kiev regime. Meanwhile, Ukraine's expenditures for the same period are estimated at $274.6 billion.

At the same time, Western aid is 43% less than promised, at $238.5 billion versus $416 billion.

Earlier, the head of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, Sergey Naryshkin, noted that Ukraine, tempted by the so-called European integration, has today turned into a "failed state" that is unable to maintain its existence as a viable political and economic unit.

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❗️When Russia's opponents realize its readiness to respond to any challenges, they will understand it is time to look for compromises — Putin

More statements by the Russian President:

💬When Russia's potential was reduced by the actions of previous politicians, they began to finish it off, instead of making Russia a participant in the civilized world.
 
💬If Moscow is going to build relations with someone, it will be based only on the interests of Russia.
 
On the question of whether there will be a Third World War:
 
💬The dangers are increasing, but there is no need to frighten anyone.

On the question of possible prospects for improving relations between Russia and the US: 
 
💬If there is a desire, everything can be done; we have never lost it.
 
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❗️Russian troops have liberated the settlements of Krasnoye in the Donetsk People's Republic and Lozovoye in the Kharkov region, the Defense Ministry said.

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Putin called the creation of Oreshnik a historic event in the rocket and space field

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🇷🇺🪖More statements from the Russian MoD daily briefing on the special military operation's progress:    

▪️Ukrainian forces lost up to 300 servicemen in the Russian Yug Battlegroup's combat zone.

▪️Ukrainian forces lost up to 130 soldiers in the areas of responsibility of Russia's Battlegroup Dnepr and Sever.

▪️Ukrainian forces lost up to 480 militants in the Russian Tsentr Battlegroup's combat zone.

▪️Ukrainian forces lost up to 185 militants in the Russian Vostok Battlegroup's combat zone.

▪️Russian air defence systems shot down a Neptune missile and 100 Ukrainian drones.

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❗️The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost more than 260 soldiers in Russia's Kursk region over the past day and two tanks were destroyed, including a German-made Leopard, the Russian Defense Ministry has said.

The total losses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Kursk region now exceed 43.000.

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❗️Putin spoke about the drone attack on Russia's city of Kazan

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🇬🇧❌🪖 UK soldiers are quitting the armed forces "at an alarming rate," despite a record pay raise in the summer, the Telegraph newspaper has reported.

The report said that there were now just two servicepeople per thousand people in the United Kingdom for the first time in history. Over the past 12 months, over 15,000 soldiers have reportedly quit the armed forces, despite the government's efforts to address the crisis by raising wages by 6%, which is the largest increase in the past 22 years.

The UK parliament's Defense Committee has earlier urged the government to make a choice between either increasing investment in the military or recognizing that properly prioritizing combat operations will lead to a reduction in the overall number of tasks.

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🤔 X owner Elon Musk has called for US officials to undergo a cognitive test after 81-year-old Congresswoman Kay Granger of Texas ended up in a nursing home for dementia patients after getting lost on the street.

The WSJ previously reported that Joe Biden's inner circle had tried to shield the US president from lengthy, unprepared conversations during his four years in office. Former administration officials said Biden, who regularly gave his political opponents reasons to doubt his cognitive abilities, often seemed out of touch with events.

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Incident with US fighter jet shot down by friendly fire 'puts a cap on the worst Presidency of modern history' — Former Pentagon adviser

"Yes, we shot down our own plane. If this doesn't put a cap on the worst Presidency of modern history, I'm not sure what does," retired Colonel Douglas MacGregor wrote on X.

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Poland to arrest Netanyahu if he comes to country

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, fearing arrest, will not attend the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz in Poland, the Times of Israel reports. 

The newspaper adds that Israeli President Isaac Herzog will not attend the event either, so only Israeli Education Minister Yoav Kish will be present.

Earlier, Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Wladyslaw Bartoszewski said that if Netanyahu comes to Poland, he will be arrested in accordance with the country’s commitment to the International Criminal Court, the Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita wrote.

The ICC has issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes in the Gaza Strip.

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Yemen's Houthis claim to have shot down a US Navy F/A-18 fighter jet in an attack in the Red Sea

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Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei blames US for riots in Syria, says Tehran won’t fall for such tactics

Tehran has lambased Washington's foreign policy and addressed accusations regarding Iran’s role in the region in a series of tweets on X.

"The US’s plan to dominate countries involves one of two things: to establish a dictatorial regime with which they can negotiate and divide the country's interests, or to create chaos and riots. In Syria, [events] led to riots," Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei wrote.

Commenting on US claims about Iran’s influence in the region, rejecting the notion of it operating proxy forces, Khamenei said that "they say that the Islamic Republic has lost its proxies in the region. The Islamic Republic doesn’t have proxy forces.”

He argued that groups like Hezbollah, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad act independently, driven by their beliefs rather than Iranian control. “If we decide to take action [against the enemy] one day, we don’t need proxy forces,” he added.

Referring to US statements about Washington supporting unrest in Iran, Khamenei warned against interference, declaring, “The Iranian nation with their strong steps will trample underfoot any US mercenary who accepts this role.”

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Has Disney finally learned what ‘go woke, go broke’ means?

In a move that may seem out of place in the ‘woke’ US today, Disney has ordered the removal of a transgender storyline from Pixar's “Win or Lose” animated series, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

This isn’t the first instance of Disney removing ‘woke’ bits from its works recently, which may or may not suggest that the studio might realize that pandering to the ‘woke’ crowd might not be the best recipe for a good film:

▪️Last month, the “Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur” animated series episode that focused on a transgender character also got shelved from the Disney Channel, with artists who worked the series claiming it was “because of which party that won the recent election,” Polygon noted.

▪️These developments occurred after a number of Disney’s productions that were deemed ‘woke’ by a not-inconsiderable portion of the audience flopped, with the company’s losses being estimated at around $900 million last year.

▪️Some of Disney’s more notable box office failures included Strange World and Lightyear, two animated series that both featured same-sex romance and relationships.

▪️Disney’s 2023 The Little Mermaid live-action remake, whose titular protagonist was played by a Black actress even though the character in the animated original was White, also failed to meet the studio’s expectations despite not flopping at the box office.

To be fair, it is difficult to tell whether Disney’s woes are the result of the ‘woke’ agenda, the quality of its recent productions, or both.

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❗️🇷🇺🇸🇰 Vladimir Putin holds talks with Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico, Russian media report

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🇷🇺🇸🇰 Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico's visit to Moscow was planned several days ago.

Peskov suggested that discussions between Fico and Russian President Vladimir Putin could touch on the topic of Russian gas transit but emphasized the need to wait for the meeting's conclusion to confirm the agenda.

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❗️US President-elect Donald Trump says he will wait for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin to resolve the conflict in Ukraine

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NATO plans to use Russian Empire’s legacy against Moscow

NATO plans to utilize the Rail Baltica project, built on railway infrastructure originally developed during the Russian Empire, in the event of a conflict with Russia, according to The Telegraph.

The 805-kilometer high-speed rail line is designed to connect the Baltic states with Central Europe, significantly enhancing the region’s transport capabilities.

"If war breaks out between Moscow and NATO, it will be used to rapidly transport troops and equipment from the heart of Europe to the Russian border," the publication noted, highlighting its potential military significance.

Rail Baltica, envisioned as a symbol of Estonia’s pro-European orientation after the collapse of the Soviet Union, could drastically reduce military logistics time.

"It could cut the transport time for military machinery and equipment from a week to 24 hours," said Priit Pruul, Rail Baltica’s head of communications.

He emphasized that the railway is poised to become NATO’s logistical backbone in the region.

Meanwhile, Russia has repeatedly expressed concern over NATO’s unprecedented activity near its western borders, urging the West to abandon its militarization efforts while maintaining openness to dialogue on equal terms.

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