❗️Russian troops have liberated the settlement of Peschanoye in the Donetsk People's Republic, Russia's Defense Ministry announced

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🇷🇺🪖 Key statements from the Russian MoD daily briefing on the special military operation:
 
◻️ Ukrainian forces lost up to 515 militants in the Zapad battlegroup’s combat zone
 
◻️ Russian forces hammered the enemy's military aerodromes and manpower
 
◻️ Ukrainian losses in the Yug battlegroup area amounted up to 285 soldiers
 
◻️ As a result of the actions of the Russian Sever and Dnepr battlegroups, Ukrainian forces lost up to 115 servicemen
 
◻️ Russian air defenses shot down six HIMARS missiles and 83 Ukrainian drones
 
◻️ Ukrainian forces lost up to 210 servicemen and a tank in the Vostok Battlegroup area

◻️ Russian forces have destroyed more than 20.5 thousand Ukrainian tanks since the beginning of the special operation

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❗️There are no substantive preparations for the meeting between Trump and Putin right now. There is a feeling that such a meeting would be necessary and useful, the Kremlin says.
 
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that many countries have offered "their services" in providing a platform where these contacts can take place. However, Moscow considers it premature to talk about this before the arrival of the new administration in the United States.

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Film creators of 'The Wizard of the Kremlin' have not contacted Kremlin; project details unknown — Kremlin spokesman
 
Earlier, the Deadline reported that British actor Jude Law will play the role of Russian President Vladimir Putin in French director Olivier Assaya's new film "The Kremlin Wizard," based on the bestseller of the same name by Giuliano da Empoli.
 

"We have indeed seen such reports, but we don't know anything about it. And of course, we don't know exactly what it might be about, what the plot is, and so on. And no one has contacted the Kremlin," Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un may visit Russia in the first half of the year, the Yonhap news agency reports, citing South Korean intelligence

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UK deep state outing itself? Britain unveils 1984-themed coins

Paying tribute to a literary work that many have called a blueprint for today’s "post-modern" world, the UK has issued a commemorative coin with quotes from George Orwell's renowned dystopian novel "1984".

The coin was minted to mark the 75th anniversary of the author’s death. Featuring eerie quotes like "Big Brother is watching you" and "there was truth and there was untruth," these coins serve as a chilling reminder of the ongoing relevance of Orwell's warnings in today's world.

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No stealing from us - Belgian workers protest benefits cuts
 
Thousands of Belgians are protesting in Brussels, Belgium, against the plans of the next government to save on pensions and social benefits.
 

"Wage freezes, indexation reform, longer working hours and more precarious contracts, austerity, and cuts to public services and ecological investments: nothing will be spared for Belgians, not even pensioners," the trade union said.

 
Strike participants gathered at Place de l'Albertine in Brussels, having started to protest from Sunday morning. Multiple services across the country were stopped as a result of the demonstration.

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President of Central African Republic (CAR) Faustin Archange Touadera to visit Moscow on January 14 - presidential spokesperson
 
CAR president expects to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin during his visit to the Russian capital, the presidential spokesperson of CAR told Sputnik.

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US imposes new restrictions on export of advanced AI technologies
 
In order to "protect national security" and prevent the use of advanced AI technologies by countries perceived as "threats", the United States is imposing new restrictions on the export of advanced chips and artificial intelligence (AI) models, according to a document by the US Department of Commerce.
 
According to the department, the restrictions will help prevent the use of AI technologies for weapons development, cyber attacks, or mass surveillance by hostile states. At the same time, Washington's trusted partners and allies will have access to cutting-edge technologies.

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

◻️ Russia’s Battlegroup Sever hit 11 Ukrainian formations in its combat zone.

◻️ Ukrainian forces lost more than 230 servicemen over the day in the Russian Kursk region, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

◻️ Since the beginning of combat operations in the Kursk region, Ukraine has lost more than 51,430 servicemen.

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Saudi Arabia to sell enriched uranium, expanding nuclear program
 

"We will enrich it [uranium] and we will sell it; and we will do a 'yellowcake,'" Prince Abdulazi said of the powdered mineral concentrate used for preparing uranium fuel for nuclear reactors.

 
According to Reuters, Saudi Arabia is developing and expanding a nuclear program that would eventually include uranium enrichment. Riyadh has stated that it wants to use nuclear energy to diversify its energy mix.

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What the US wants, the US gets? Denmark set to talk American Arctic security as Trump’s Greenland gamble heats up

Denmark is ready to discuss security interests in the Arctic with the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said.

"We agree that the Americans have certain concerns about the security situation in the Arctic, which we share and therefore in close cooperation with Greenland, we are ready to continue talks with the incoming U.S. president, in order to ensure legitimate American interests," FM said at a news conference.

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It's official: Kremlin confirms Putin-Pezeshkian talks to be held on 17 January
 
Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold talks with President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Masoud Pezeshkian during the latter's official visit to Russia.
 
The leaders will discuss prospects for further expansion of bilateral cooperation in the spheres of trade, investment, transport, logistics, and humanitarian issues, as well as key matters on the regional and international agenda.

After the talks, Putin and Peseshkian will sign a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement between Russia and Iran and offer statements to the press.

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❗️Kiev's assault on the Russian TurkStream compressor station should be viewed as an attack on the sovereignty of countries that receive energy, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said.

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🦊 What does a fox do? Steal camera-drones

A tourist tried to film a beautiful fox with a drone but the animal decided to take matters into its own paws, grabbing the camera and running away.

Dare you catch it now!

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Zakharova on transfer of RCH 155 self-propelled artillery system from Germany to Ukraine

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Waging wars and reshaping Middle East? What Israel plans to do in 2025

2024 proved a challenging year for Israel, marked by prolonged engagements in Gaza and Lebanon and significant setbacks due to missile strikes from Houthi forces and Iran. Sputnik reached out to Dr. Hassan Nafaa, professor of political science at Cairo University, to gain insights into Israel's potential goals for this year.

1. Opposing Iran and its nuclear program is going to be at the top of Israel’s agenda this year, Dr. Hassan Nafaa tells Sputnik.

“The main challenge in 2025 is to prevent Iran at all costs from producing an atomic bomb,” he claims.

Though Israel has been accusing Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons for years, Tehran repeatedly denies these allegations, pointing out that the Iranian nuclear program is strictly peaceful.

2. Next on Tel Aviv’s agenda this year will be securing the release of the hostages taken by Hamas during the October 7, 2023, raid, or recovering their bodies if these people have already met their end.

3. Dr. Nafaa also predicts that Israel will continue waging its campaign in Lebanon, ostensibly in a bid to drive Hezbollah from the southern parts of the country.

4. Finally, Israel is likely going to try to “build a broad coalition with the Gulf states” such as Saudi Arabia and to create a “new Middle East through and with the support of Trump and the United States,” the scholar suggests.

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🤡 French submarine crews accidentally turn off stealth mode with fitness app

French nuclear submarine crew members unknowingly revealed patrol schedules by sharing fitness activities on the Strava app, according to French media. Strava is an app for tracking the activity of athletes using mobile devices.

The Longue Island base near Brest, housing four nuclear-armed ballistic submarines, is the most secretive in the French Navy. These "black boats" have maintained continuous patrols since 1972, ready to deliver nuclear strikes on presidential orders. Strict security measures—ID checks, facial recognition, and electronic bans—protect the base and its 2,000 staff.

Despite this, sensitive details about submarine patrols were leaked. An investigation revealed that crew members’ use of Strava inadvertently disclosed their activities, echoing 2024 "StravaLeaks," where global leaders’ movements were similarly exposed.

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Hamas-Israel ceasefire deal: Is it possible to avoid ‘hell’ in Mideast?

Donald Trump threatened there would be "hell to pay in the Middle East" if Hamas does not release Israeli hostages by his January 20 inauguration. How are the developments unfolding?

How are Hamas-Israel talks proceeding?

Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, reportedly met Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu to stress Trump’s demand to clinch the Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal between Hamas and the Jewish state by January 20.

The meeting came amid the indirect Hamas-Israel negotiations with Qatari, Egyptian, and US mediation in Doha. Qatar gave Hamas and Tel Aviv a final draft of a deal as media reports said that the next 24 hours “will be pivotal” to arriving at a consensus.

Is US optimistic?

WH spokesman John Kirby said that the Gaza deal is possible before the inauguration but that “more compromises are needed."

CIA director Bill Burns stressed that there's “every reason for political leaders to recognize that enough is enough” and that “it's time to make a deal.”

What is Israel’s stance?

Israeli officials believe "there is a chance of reaching an agreement, but it is a serious challenge.” On conditions of the deal, Tel Aviv wants a 2,000-meter depth buffer zone inside Gaza, while Hamas insists on the size of 300-500 meters.

Israel also rejects its withdrawal from the Philadelphi corridor, a narrow strip of land along the Egypt-Gaza border, plus commitment to a permanent rather than temporary ceasefire.

What is Hamas’ position?

Hamas earlier signaled its readiness to release 34 captives “whether alive or dead as part of the first phase” of the deal, which is also expected to include a ceasefire in Gaza for a period of between six and seven weeks and the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

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❗️Ukrainian forces' attempt to attack the Russian Gai-Kodzor compressor station of the Turkstream gas project is a continuation of Kiev's energy terrorism under the supervision of "overseas friends," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said.

According to him, the United States, which is significantly increasing LNG supplies to European markets at inflated prices, is the beneficiary of such terrorism.

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'For us, Ukraine is our organic territory, it’s us' - Russian philosopher Dugin

Donald Trump has “absolutely no understanding” of the Ukrainian issue, Russian philosopher Alexander Dugin tells Sputnik while weighing in on the odds of the new US administration helping resolve the conflict.

“For us, Ukraine is our organic territory, it’s us, our people, and our nation,” Dugin points out, whereas, he alleges, for Trump, it is just some "distant entity" that poses little interest to him.

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