🇷🇺🇹🇭Thailand accepts BRICS invitation to join as partner country – Foreign Ministry

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⚡️Lavrov stated that France has repeatedly suggested through closed channels that a dialogue on Ukraine be established with Russia, without the involvement of Kiev.

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Lavrov: Russia to open a full functioning embassy in the Dominican Republic

Russia will be happy to see guests from friendly Latin American nations at the St. Petersburg Economic Forum, Eastern Economic Forum, Russian Energy Week, St. Petersburg International Cultural Forum and many others, stressed Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

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🗣Decision-making centers in Kiev could be targets for Russia - Lavrov

Moscow selects the targets for destruction on Ukrainian territory based on threats to Russia, and these could also be decision-making centers in Kiev, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Thursday.

"We aim exclusively at military facilities, military-industrial complex and other facilities related to the provision of the armed forces of Ukraine," Lavrov stressed.

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France proposed to Russia through closed channels to establish a dialogue on Ukraine without Kiev's participation - Lavrov

Russia is ready to hear what its French colleagues have to say about resolving the Ukraine conflict, but its hard to take their initiatives in earnest, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

“France has been the main champion of sending so-called peacekeeping troops to Ukraine, they have been training Ukrainian troops on their soil, and they keep saying in public that Russia should be hit further and Ukraine should have stronger positions when talks begin,” reminded Lavrov.

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❗️Russian troops liberated the settlement of Gigant in the Donetsk People's Republic, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

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

▪️Ukraine lost up to 530 militants in the Russian Zapad Battlegroup's area of responsibility.

▪️Russian forces hit the infrastructure of Ukrainian military airfields, drone production workshops and drone storage depots.

▪️Russian air defence systems shot down 11 HIMARS missiles and 56 Ukrainian drones.

▪️Ukraine lost up to 490 militants in the Russian Tsentr Battlegroup's combat zone.

▪️Ukraine lost up to 160 troops and two ammunition depots in the Russian Vostok Battlegroup's combat zone.

▪️Ukraine over to 95 soldiers in the areas of responsibility of Russia's Battlegroup Dnepr and Sever.

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🎥🎥 Vladimir Putin attends Supreme Eurasian Economic Council meeting

👉 Watch the livestream here or follow the link to the Sputnik's website

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Finland-Estonia underwater power cable cut: Helsinki claims sabotage possible

Finland is weighing the possibility of sabotage following damage to an underwater power cable between the Nordic country and Estonia on December 25, which resulted in a disruption of electricity supply, according to Finnish public broadcaster Yle.

At least two vessels were spotted in the vicinity where the cables are located, claimed Arto Pahkin, the head of operations of the Finnish electricity grid.

The EstLink 2 cable, which transmits electricity to Estonia, experienced a power cut, as confirmed by Fingrid. This left only the EstLink 1 cable operational, but with a reduced capacity of 358 megawatts compared to the 658 megawatts being transmitted prior to the disconnection.

Earlier, the underwater C-Lion1 data cable connecting Finland and Germany and running near the Nord Stream gas pipeline was severed in November, in Sweden's special economic zone.

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Vladimir Putin's Statements at the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council Meeting:

◻️ The EAEU has established itself as one of the independent and self-sufficient centers in the emerging multipolar world and continues to develop

◻️ EAEU activities contribute to the expansion of trade and deepening of cooperative ties, ensuring stable economic growth in the region

◻️ Russia values its cooperation with its EAEU partners and is interested in intensifying its work

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🗣Lavrov: Instead of preserving Syria’s unity, West selfishly scrambles for influence there

Instead of working to preserve Syria’s unity, the West wants to secure influence or maybe territory there, noted Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

It is emblematic how their representatives stoop to “habitual diplomatic rudeness,” he said, demanding that Syria stop cooperating with Russia, and threatening to deny Damascus support unless the new authorities oust Russia’s military bases from Syria.

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🎄Christmas even in space!

NASA shared stunning image of cosmic 'Christmas Tree' formed by Young Stars. The image is a composite visualization based on data from two telescopes.

The "Christmas Tree" cluster, first discovered in 1784, is a nebula made up of dust and gas located approximately 2,500 light-years from Earth.

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South Korea's acting president refuses to appoint judges to the Constitutional Court

Acting South Korean President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo refused to appoint the missing judges to the Constitutional Court on Thursday in the absence of a political consensus, saying it was beyond his mandate as acting president.

Han said the ruling and opposition parties have "diametrically opposed positions" on the appointment of Constitutional Court judges.

On Tuesday, the opposition Democratic Party vowed to impeach Han over his refusal to ratify two bills to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate allegations against suspended President Yoon Suk-yeol and his wife Kim Keon-hee.

South Korea's parliament voted on December 14 to impeach Yoon over his controversial declaration of martial law. The Constitutional Court will make a final decision on the matter by June 11, 2025.

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🎄Amber wonderland: 200,000 shimmering 'needles' shape stunning Christmas tree

Craftsmen from Rostec's Amber Plant in Russia's Kaliningrad region have been working on the decorative tree since July, using a total of 43 kg of amber to complete the masterpiece.

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📉 CNN loses chunks of viewership as ratings dive into death spiral

CNN, just like a bunch of other liberal news networks, has been hemorrhaging viewership at lightning speed since Donald Trump’s electoral victory.

◾️ The Cable News Network has seen overall prime-time viewership plummet by 45% scooping up only 394,000 total viewers since November 5, according to Nielsen Media Research.

◾️ When it comes to the prime 25-to-54 age demographic, CNN suffered a 52% decline, with just an average audience of 77,000 having tuned in after Trump’s win. Overall, CNN witnessed its worst-ever performance among viewers in this key demographic.

◾️ Audiences feel that CNN “didn’t meet the mark” when covering Trump during the campaign, The Washington Post cited one journalist as saying.

◾️ Trump’s campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt had repeatedly criticized the “hostile environment” the network offered to the Republican contender.

◾️ CNN is also reportedly heading for major layoffs as part of an overhaul by its corporate parent Warner Bros. Discovery, which is up to its eyeballs in debt after its Warner Brothers and Discovery merger deal in 2022. By the end of the third quarter of 2023, WBD's gross debt stood at $45.3 billion, according to Forbes.

◾️ MSNBC’s ratings have also collapsed post-election, with the audience down 46% compared with the first 10 months of 2024, according to Nielsen.

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✨ Shenzhen’s sky-high extravaganza: Check out how Chinese drones perform their stunning aerial artistry

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❓What caused the unrest in Mozambique?

The Russian Embassy in Mozambique has called on fellow citizens to postpone or cancel their trips to the country due to the "difficult socio-political situation" in the region.

What happened in Mozambique?

▪️More than 1,500 prisoners have escaped from the main maximum-security prison in Mozambique's capital Maputo, taking advantage of ongoing political unrest over disputed election results

▪️Thirty-three people were killed and 15 injured in clashes with guards; about 150 fugitives have been recaptured, police said

▪️ The protests erupted earlier this week after the country’s highest court confirmed that the ruling Frelimo party, in power since 1975, won October’s presidential election

▪️ The opposition insists that the elections were rigged

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