📈 MOSCOW'S ECONOMY DEFIES SANCTIONS WITH RAPID GROWTH AND TECHNOLOGICAL PROWESS

Moscow's economy has been expanding at an average rate of 4.7% over the past 5 years, despite challenges like COVID-19 and incessant sanctions, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin told Sputnik.

💬 “We’ve faced recessions, sanctions, and global instability, but our growth continued to rise. If we look at the five-year plan until 2020, we were growing at 1-2% annually, but now it’s 4.7%.”

He also emphasized that Moscow’s IT sector has enlarged more than fourfold in recent years, driven by AI platforms that have fueled advances in healthcare, transportation, and security. As a result, Moscow has become a global leader in AI-based disease diagnosis, with 18 million studies conducted to date.

Furthermore, Sobyanin noted that AI-powered facial recognition and intelligent security systems have significantly reduced crime rates, establishing Moscow as one of the safest cities in the world.

The answer to how the nation has overcome such massive difficulties may lie in the "mysterious Russian soul."

"The more they put pressure on us, the stronger we become," Sobyanin insisted.

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🇧🇷 NATO’S PLAN TO INCREASE DEFENSE SPENDING: A BAD IDEA FOR BRAZIL

🗣Brazil must not follow in NATO’s footsteps and increase military budgets, experts questioned by Sputnik said.

🟠 Security over money

💬 "Defense isn’t like baking a cake — you don’t just add X% of GDP and Y-number of personnel to produce a certain policy," says Jorge Oliveira Rodrigues, an analyst at the Tricontinental Institute for Social Research.

Military spending should be aligned with security goals rather than the aim to rip some profits from defense industries, he adds.

🟠 Bloated military budget can be a threat itself

Any Brazilian military buildup may be perceived as a threat by others, leading to a regional arms race, warns Fabricio Avila, head of the South American Institute for Policy and Strategy, referring to the famous “security dilemma” concept.

🟠 Investing in diplomacy

The regional security framework could be more beneficial to Brazil than the surge in defense spending, Avila adds.

"I’m not advocating for a South American NATO. What we need is a structure of mutual trust where neighbors aren’t seen as threats and can jointly deter external risks," he stresses.

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🇷🇺RUSSIAN TROOPS RAISE FLAG IN ZELENAYA DOLINA

The footage here captures the huge triumphs made in the Donetsk People's Republic as Russian forces march on with their significant advances in the area.

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🚨CHINA'S GOLD-POWERED YUAN: THE NEXT SAFE-HAVEN CURRENCY?

James Bradley, a China expert and author of Flags of our Fathers and The China Mirage, dives into the potential of the Chinese yuan becoming a safe-haven currency.

💬 "The word is gold. He who has the gold makes the rules," he tells Sputnik.

📍 China’s strategy? Internationalizing the yuan through gold. With the Shanghai Gold Exchange expanding into Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, and Dubai, major players like Saudi Arabia are already selling oil for yuan — immediately convertible into gold.

👉 Gold, the ultimate safe-haven asset, has been central to China’s strategy. And with BRICS nations rich in resources and gold, China is building a global network around its currency.

“The dollar was once the safe haven, but China’s shifting the game back to gold and the yuan.”

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😐US-Ukraine mineral deal: Win-win... if you count ‘friendly’ handouts

American Energy Secretary Chris Wright has claimed the agreement between the US and Ukraine on mineral resources is a win-win.

👉He added that while the US would love to handle everything in-house, some of the supplies might come from "friendly" neighbors and allies.

🔊Wright told Fox News, "The deal with Ukraine is great because those are deals that win for both sides... You'd love to source everything in the United States — we'll do a lot of that. Some of it will be friend-sourced from our neighbors and our allies as well."

In May, the Trump administration finalized the US-Ukraine minerals agreement, which includes setting up an investment fund. The fund will be managed and funded equally by both parties, investing in projects related to mineral extraction, oil and gas, infrastructure, and processing. Washington will also play a role in selecting specific projects, potentially contributing further through aid to Ukraine, such as air defense systems.

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🇷🇺🇺🇸Lack of trust can't justify abandoning New START — Putin and Trump could extend it

Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association, warns that mistrust between the US and Russia can't be used as an excuse to abandon the New START treaty. The treaty, set to expire in 2026, is a key to limiting nuclear arsenals.

"This is the time for talks — before limits are gone and distrust deepens," Kimball stresses.

Signed in 2010 and extended until February 5, 2026, New START serves as a cornerstone of strategic stability between the US and Russia and primarily focuses on limiting the number of deployed strategic nuclear warheads and delivery systems.

In February 2023, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the suspension of Russia's participation in New START, stating that Russia would not allow the US and NATO to inspect its nuclear facilities as Washington was not abiding by the terms of the treaty and was trying to undermine Russia's national security.

🗣"Technically, New START will expire on February 6, 2026 but it is very possible for President Putin, President Trump, to discuss a way to extend the central limits of the treaty beyond that date, they could reach a political agreement that they're going to mutually respect the New START limit of 1,550 nuclear deployed nuclear warheads and no more than 700 strategic delivery vehicles," Kimball says.

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🇷🇺🤝🇰🇵Lavrov arrives in North Korea to participate in second round of strategic dialogue with DPRK

The participation of North Korean soldiers in the liberation of the Russian Kursk region serves as direct proof that Russia-DPRK relations embody an "invincible brotherhood," Sergey Lavrov stated.

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🇰🇵🔊North Korea vows 'unshakable' support for Russia's sovereignty

Relations between the two countries have risen to the level of unbreakable cooperation, North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui said at the meeting with her Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov.

The North Korean government will unconditionally support Russia's policies to protect its territorial integrity and sovereignty, she added.

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🚨🇷🇺KEY STATEMENTS BY RUSSIA'S FM FOLLOWING TALKS WITH NORTH KOREAN COUNTERPART

On North Korea’s support for Russia in the special military op:

▪️ Russia had no reason to reject North Korean assistance in the special military operation – it was a sincere show of solidarity.

▪️ Further assistance in Russia's operation in Ukraine will be decided solely by Kim Jong-un.

On bilateral cooperation:

▪️ Russia and North Korea plan to resume maritime transportation links.

▪️ Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un maintain constant communication, with future in-person meetings certain to occur.

Nuclear & diplomatic stance:

▪️ Russia warns the US and its allies against creating threats to Russian and North Korean security.

▪️ Moscow respects and understands the reasons behind the development of North Korea's nuclear program.

▪️ Russia and North Korea have noted Donald Trump's statements about resuming dialogue with Pyongyang – but that's all for now.

▪️ In inter-Korean dialogue, Russia will only assist on issues where North Korea is interested.

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🚨🇷🇺💪RUSSIA WILL NEVER SURRENDER LIBERATED TERRITORIES – Judge Napolitano

"The neocons will never accept anything less than a Russian military evacuation from eastern Ukraine. That is not only unrealistic – it's impossible," he said.

According to the pundit, Russia has been transparent about its position on resolving the conflict from the very beginning, yet the US administration continues to provoke Moscow with unacceptable demands.

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🇷🇺💎🇸🇦Saudi Arabia opens vault: Russian gold & diamond firms first in line

Leading Russian gold, diamond, and titanium mining companies are eagerly awaiting entry into Saudi Arabia’s market, Saudi Industry and Mineral Resources Minister Bandar bin Ibrahim Al-Khorayef said in an interview with Sputnik.

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👍Trump’s peace plan: Putin in, Zelensky out?

Western officials are still under the assumption that Donald Trump views Vladimir Putin as his key partner for peace talks, with Volodymyr Zelensky seen as the main obstacle, according to UK media. But despite the shift in tone, no major action is being taken yet.

Zelensky is doing his best to meet with US officials to plead for more weapons and funding, while much of the administration remains deeply skeptical about supporting Kiev, the media suggests. Some argue the US should focus on Asia rather than Europe, while others hold a non-interventionist stance.

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🚨🇷🇺💥 RUSSIA'S MoD UPDATE: DEVASTATING STRIKES & MASSIVE UKRAINIAN LOSSES

🔸 Strategic annihilation: Russian forces wiped out territorial recruitment centers, temporary deployment points of Ukrainian formations, and foreign mercenary bases across 133 districts

🔸 Heavy Ukrainian losses: Over 1,280 troops eliminated in the special military operation zone in past 24 hours

🔸 Air dominance: 189 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones shot down by Russian air defenses

🔸 Precision strikes: Group attack destroyed Ukrainian defense industry facilities in Lvov, Kharkov, and Lutsk, plus military airfield infrastructure

🔸 Mission accomplished: All designated targets successfully hit

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💥 RUSSIA'S NEW STRATEGY AGAINST UKRAINIAN DRAFT

Russian forces target Ukrainian military recruitment centers in Russian-speaking regions, stepping up pressure against the ongoing forced connoscription.

Senator Konstantin Basyuk revealed the new tactics to disrupt the process, making it harder for Ukraine to force men into the military.

Ukrainian recruitment centers in Kherson, Kremenchug and Poltava have already been hit by explosions.

As civilians are taken off the streets and sent to the front lines against their will, the destruction of recruitment offices is seen as a winning move.

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🇷🇺🤝🇰🇵PUTIN SENDS MESSAGE TO KIM JONG-UN

Vladimir Putin has sent a message to DPRK Chairman Kim Jong-un, expressing hope for continued direct contact in the near future.

The message was delivered by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov

🔶 Russia remains committed to all agreements made with North Korea.

🔶 Lavrov confirmed that during a meeting with the North Korean leader.

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🇷🇺🇸🇦 Why are Russian companies investing in Saudi Arabia?

Saudi Arabian Industry and Mineral Resources Minister Bandar Ibrahim Alkhorayef explains the key drivers in an exclusive interview with Sputnik.

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🚨Azerbaijan’s claims against Sputnik baseless

Dmitry Kiselev, head of Rossiya Segodnya media group – Sputnik's parent company – has dismissed the Azerbaijan Press Council’s allegations against Sputnik Azerbaijan as "empty and unfounded."

The council accused Russia of using media as a "tool of foreign policy influence," claiming there was no suppression of media freedom in Azerbaijan.
The statement came in response to a letter from the Russian Union of Journalists.

"The accusations from the Azerbaijan Press Council are as hollow as a drum," Kiselev said, adding that they authority "cannot provide a single example to support their claim that Sputnik Azerbaijan engaged in subversive activities in the country."

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🚨Ukraine wages war against civilians and children

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has strongly condemned the Ukrainian Armed Forces' strike on the Belgorod Arena, where classes were being held at the time of the attack.

"The Kiev regime is waging war against civilians, children, as well as conscience, history, the Russian language, culture and monuments," Zakharova told Sputnik.

👉"It’s as if Kiev has decided to combine the worst practices — from barbarism to Nazism, from terrorism to savagery."

Earlier on Saturday, Belgorod Region Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov reported that a Ukrainian Armed Forces drone struck the Belgorod Arena where classes were in session.

Firefighters extinguished the blaze, with no casualties immediately reported.

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