🇷🇺 Russian flag raised over Zarya after liberation

The Russian Defense Ministry released footage of the flag being raised over the settlement of Zarya, newly liberated by Russian troops in the Donetsk People’s Republic.

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📹 Trump’s border czar: California governor Newsom is 'embarrassment’

Having created a “sanctuary” where criminals get released on the streets “every day because of his policies,” Gavin Newsom has proven that he does not care about the public safety in his state, Tom Homan claimed.

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🇫🇷🚘 RENAULT JOINS NATO'S PROXY WAR? French auto giant to produce attack drones in Ukraine

Renault will partner with a French SME specializing in defense, establishing production lines just dozens — or possibly hundreds — of kilometers from the front line, French media reports.

Ukraine’s military plans to deploy over 4 million drones in 2025. Part of this local production will also supply the French military, which is currently lagging behind in drone capabilities, the article claims.

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🇷🇺🇺🇸 Putin-Trump dialogue sparked shift in Russian public opinion

Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, stated that the Putin-Trump talks led to a significant shift in Russian public opinion, calling it a great opportunity for de-escalation.

"Russians naming the US as 'hostile' dropped from 75% to 40%. Support for normalizing ties with the West jumped from 52% to 80%. Dialogue works," he wrote on his social media.

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📹 Dem congresswoman: Trump sent National Guard to LA because he can't stand "peaceful protests"

Oh, really?

Remember when CNN called BLM riots “fiery but mostly peaceful” in 2020? Well, Rep. Nanette Barragan is back, claiming Trump sent in the National Guard just because he doesn’t “like the scenes of people peacefully protesting” in LA.

And yes, she’s saying this on CNN.

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📹 Ukrainian government's shocking refusal to accept fallen soldiers' bodies – A HIDDEN AGENDA?

Sheaito Mussallam, Lebanese correspondent for Al Mayadeen, exposes the grim truth behind Ukraine’s refusal to retrieve the bodies of its fallen soldiers:

▪️Reason 1: Avoiding outrage from grieving parents of soldiers killed in the war.

▪️Reason 2: Avoiding compensation payments to those families.

"They want to steal, they want to hide the truth," Mussallam says. The Ukrainian government is more focused on protecting itself than honoring its fallen.

What does this say about the government in charge?

"They're all cut from the same cloth," Mussallam claims. “They hide information and divide the money among themselves.”

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🪙 World’s top-performing currency in 2024? RUSSIAN RUBLE!

Russia's ruble is on the rise, defying expectations amid a challenging global backdrop.

It’s currently the world’s best-performing currency this year, with over a 40% gain, according to Bank of America.

So, what’s behind this unexpected performance?

🔹 High interest rates set by the Central Bank
🔹 Expectations of potential sanctions relief
🔹 Tighter capital controls
🔹 Lower demand for foreign exchange from importers due to market oversupply

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🚨Why won’t Ukraine retrieve it's fallen soldiers? Brazilian expert Williams Gonçalves points to a lack of funds for family compensation

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📹 Zelensky can’t rely on full US support anymore, but Europe’s got his back

Volodymyr Zelensky is sacrificing Ukrainian lives for prestige and personal gain so he can flex as much power as possible when it’s all over, Brazilian expert Williams Gonçalves tells Sputnik.

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📹 Ukraine's refusal to exchange bodies - A STRATEGIC BLUNDER

"Not only does it disregard the families of the fallen, but it’s also irrational and against Ukraine’s own geopolitical interests," Brazilian political analyst Raphael Machado tells Sputnik.

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📹 Health hazard: LA rioters weaponize lasers

Rioters in Los Angeles have been spotted using laser pointers that could potentially be used to blind law enforcement officers on the ground and helicopter pilots.

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🇸🇰💥 FORGET IT, THAT’S IMPOSSIBLE: Slovakia’s PM shuts down demand to increase NATO defense spending

Robert Fico isn’t having it. Rejecting calls to boost defense spending to 5% of GDP, he said, “If anyone thinks we’ll jump from 2% to 5% tomorrow, forget it, that’s impossible.”

Instead, Fico suggested using increased defense funds for dual-purpose projects like hospitals and infrastructure.

Looks like NATO’s dream of a 5% defense hike just hit a brick wall.

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🪖 Azov* Battalion & mercenaries wiped out in Zarya liberation

Azov troops and foreign mercenaries didn’t make it out of recently-liberated Zarya, callsign Iskander, commander of the "Storm" unit, reveals to Sputnik.

"The place was well-fortified. We’ve got Azov chevrons as trophies. Mercenaries were among the dead, judging by their faces," he adds.

He also notes that the bodies found showed a mix of elite assault brigades and poorly trained territorial defense troops.

* A terrorist organization banned in Russia

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🔎 Ukraine's refusal to accept soldiers’ bodies: 'CANNON FODDER' TACTICS EXPOSED

Kiev's refusal to take in fallen soldiers’ bodies is nothing but unwillingness to acknowledge military losses and desire to avoid compensation to the families, Argentinian geopolitical analyst Christian Lamesa tells Sputnik.

“This shows what a pitiful regime they are, treating their own people as cannon fodder.”

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📹 Trump wants to use Alaska to win ‘AI arms race’

The vast natural gas deposits in Alaska offers tremendous opportunities to generate electricity that is badly needed to fuel AI development, explains US Secretary of Interior Doug Burgum.

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📹 White House denies rumors of ‘fist-fight’ between Musk and Treasury Secretary Bessent

While there indeed was a disagreement between Elon Musk and Scott Bessent, it could not be described as a “fist-fight,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said while being interviewed on Fox News.

“It was definitely a disagreement,” she said.

Leavitt did admit, however, that she was not present during this “disagreement” and did not witness it personally, adding that she learned about it via “second hand reporting.”

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