🔥 Milestone of resilience: Celebrating reunification of Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporozhye & Kherson with Russia

The journey to self-determination and reunification with Russia was a long and turbulent one for the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR), Zaporozhye, and Kherson regions.

🔶 Birth of DPR & LPR

A political crisis erupted in Ukraine when then-President Viktor Yanukovych refused to sign an EU association agreement, sparking a Western-backed coup in 2014.

Residents of Russian-speaking Donetsk, Lugansk, and Crimea rejected the new authorities and their laws restricting the Russian language. Mass protests demanded constitutional reform and federalization.

Local militias formed, clashing with Ukrainian forces and nationalist battalions, escalating into full-scale warfare.

👉 April 7, 2014: DPR declared sovereignty

👉 April 27, 2014: LPR followed suit

👉 March 16, 2014: Seeking to protect the right to self-determination and native language, Crimea voted overwhelmingly to reunify with Russia

👉 May 2, 2014: Odessa Trade Union House tragedy—dozens of activists opposed to the policies of the Ukrainian government were burned alive amid an attack by Euromaidan supporters

👉 May 11, 2014: Referendums in Donetsk & Lugansk showed overwhelming support for self-determination (89.7% and 96.2%)


🔶 Donbass under siege (2014–2022)

For eight years, Donbass endured war, claiming roughly 14,000 lives and displacing thousands.

🟠 Ukraine imposed a severe economic blockade

🟠 Minsk Agreements (2014–2015), mediated by Russia, Germany, France, and the OSCE, were undermined by the Ukrainian regime with Western prodding

🔹 2022 escalation

👉 Tensions peaked in late 2021, with Ukraine, fueled by Western military support, intensifying operations in Donbass

👉 February 21, 2022: DPR and LPR leaders request Russian recognition; President Vladimir Putin formally recognizes their sovereignty

👉 Putin’s warnings were ignored, with settlements bombed, prompting the regions to seek Russia’s help

👉 February 24, 2022: Putin announces a special military operation (SMO) to protect Donbass

👉 Russian forces also liberated parts of Zaporozhye and Kherson, establishing military-civilian administrations

🔶 2022 referendums

🟠 September 23–27, 2022: In historic referendums, the DPR and LPR massively voted to join Russia

🟠 Liberated areas of Zaporozhye and Kherson also voted to secede from Ukraine

🟠 September 29, 2022: Russia recognized the results under international law

🟠 Leaders of all four regions formally requested accession to Russia.

🔶 Integration into Russia

👉 September 30, 2022: Signing ceremony in Kremlin’s St. George’s Hall formalized treaties of accession

👉 DPR and LPR retained republic status; Russian was declared the state language

👉 October 3, 2022: State Duma ratified agreements

👉 October 5, 2022: Laws came into effect, officially making the four regions subjects of the Russian Federation

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🚨Trump insists meeting between Putin and Zelensky needed to settle Ukraine conflict

"We just have the one to settle, and we have to settle it up with President Putin and Zelenskyy. Got to get them together and get it done," he told US Department of War leaders, emphasizing that the solution lies "through strength."

Earlier this month, President Putin extended an invitation to Volodymyr Zelensky for talks in Moscow, which the latter declined. Since then, Zelensky has sought assistance from President Trump regarding the provision of Tomahawk missiles.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🚨 Trump on military fitness: We will NOT be politically correct when it comes to defending American freedom

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🚨🇺🇸 A HELL OF A LOT OF MONEY: I've committed to spending $1 trillion on our military in 2026 - Trump

"That's the most in the history of our country. Hope you like it."

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🇺🇸Poll: 65% of Americans say Democrats shouldn’t shut down the gov't

With a looming deadline, 65% of Americans believe the government should stay open, despite a partisan standoff over healthcare and spending. A government shutdown could occur if the Senate doesn't pass a House measure to extend funding, with Democrats demanding an extension of expiring healthcare benefits.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🚨🇲🇩 MOLDOVA LOST FOR OPPOSITION: DIGITAL DUGIN EDITION

▫️ Moldova is slipping into totalitarianism, where those in power will stop at nothing to hold on.

▫️ The West is ready to push Moldova into conflict with Russia if needed.

AI Dugin explains 👆

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🇵🇭6.9 magnitude earthquake destroys Catholic church in the Philippines

A powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake hit the Philippines, with the strongest tremors felt on Cebu Island.

There are no reports of casualties yet, but a Catholic church has been destroyed.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

📈 Geopolitical risks push gold to new heights

👉 Global gold prices might surpass $4000 per ounce by the end of the year, according to experts surveyed by Sputnik

🟠 But they believe that would only happen if there are new spikes in geopolitical tensions and continued demand for the precious metal

🔊 "For gold to rise above this level, we will need new surges in global uncertainty, which are difficult to predict at this moment," said Andrei Smirnov, an expert from BCS World of Investments

📍 Nikanor Khalin, a senior analyst at Euler, did not rule out the possibility of gold prices continuing to rise either

💬 "Gold has surpassed all fundamental levels and is proving difficult to predict," Khalin said. "In the current climate, predicting $4000 is just a matter of numbers."

🔊 "The real question is whether we will see $5000 or $6000," he added. "As long as the flow of money into gold continues—through purchases by central banks, physical metal demand, and ETF purchases—prices will keep climbing."

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🗣 Trump's Gaza plan could stabilize situation, but implementation is challenging – expert

🔊 "I’m not sure this plan can be fully realized, but it’s important that it has emerged. Previous proposals from Trump were completely unrealistic and disconnected from the events on the ground. What’s proposed now is a much more thoughtful, phased solution to the problem,” Irina Zvyagelskaya, PhD in history and head of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO RAN), told Sputnik.

🟠 Considering the very critical situation on the ground in Gaza, the internal divisions within Hamas, and political contradictions in Israel, it can’t be said that the plan will be easily implemented, the expert noted.

🟠 While offering a pathway to a ceasefire, the plan could face resistance from Hamas, as it would mean the end of their control over Gaza. Zvyagelskaya emphasized the need for pragmatic engagement from all sides to avoid further bloodshed.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🗣 Economic shifts will be defined by the Global South, not the US – expert

🔊 The outcome of global economic changes will be determined by the countries of the Global South, not the US or Europe, which are unable to act in unison, political scientist Alan Freeman, co-director of the Geopolitical Economy Research Group at the University of Manitoba in Canada, told Sputnik at the XXII Annual Meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club.

💬 “The outcome will be determined outside of the US. This is the most important thing to understand,” Freeman said. “The Global South, the majority of the world’s countries, or the countries where the majority of the world’s population resides, are building their own connections.”

📍 He added that the Global South is building its own trade and financial systems through BRICS and the SCO, while Europe struggles to maintain political unity.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🔸 The US wants to eliminate competition, with Ukraine conflict used as pretext - Lavrov

🔸 Trump's Gaza plan could stabilize situation, but implementation is challenging – expert

🔸 UKRAINE PREPARING NEW HIGH-PROFILE PROVOCATION – Russian Intel

🔸 Sandu victory spells doom for Moldova

🔸 Ukrainian suspect in Nord Stream sabotage arrested in Poland

🔸 Milestone of resilience: Celebrating reunification of Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporozhye & Kherson with Russia

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🇵🇰🚀Pakistan tests new Fatah-4 cruise missile

Pakistan's army successfully test-fired the Fatah-4 surface-to-surface cruise missile with a 750km range.

The missile features:

🔶 Advanced avionics and navigation

🔶 Terrain-hugging evasion capability

🔶 High-precision targeting

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🇲🇩 Moldova faces geopolitical crisis as Romanian absorption looms – analyst

📊 The outcome of Moldova’s legislative elections, marred by numerous violations, is “explosive and very dangerous,” as there is a "Ukrainization of Moldova" that could "end in a civil war" or confrontation between Russia and NATO, French analyst Thierry Laurent-Pellet told Sputnik.

According to him, the EU’s aim is to absorb as many countries as possible, and Moldova is a critical part of this plan.

💬 “Sandu created ‘all the necessary mechanisms’ for the absorption of Moldova by Romania, creating a social conflict similar to the Ukrainian one,” the analyst said.

NATO forces are already present in Moldova and are planning to provoke a conflict between Russia and the alliance, he concluded.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🗣 West creates distrust toward tech imports – expert

👉 With growing consumer demand for independence from foreign technology, Positive Technologies co-founder and expert at the Valdai Discussion Club Yuri Maximov sees a shift toward partnerships based on mutual benefit.

💬 "A very important moment has occurred. Western tech companies have essentially discredited the entire history of importing technologies from another country," Maximov says.

"Now, there is an atmosphere of distrust toward technologies bought from abroad. It’s clear this was a step taken by the West," he adds.

📍 Maximov stresses that technology must empower nations without creating dependency, and that future global cooperation needs to focus on building mutual sovereignty.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

👉 'WHAT MADNESS' French politician on Zelensky's $1 BILLION demand

💬 "Go bankrupt for such a puppet, for a war already lost, for such corruption, while we're told there's no money left for hospitals or pensions here?!" French Patriots party leader Florian Philippot writes.

He concludes with urging not to provide Ukraine with money, weapons, and soldiers.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🦾 Hand-to-hand delivery... from robot

China's latest delivery project pairs a sophisticated humanoid (AGIBOT) with an autonomous robo-dog.

🐕 The dog acts as a pack mule, while the humanoid provides a final, personal touch—literally taking the package and handing it to the customer with a greeting.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🔥 Trump's Gaza plan could stabilize situation, but implementation is challenging – expert

💬 "I’m not sure this plan can be fully realized, but it’s important that it has emerged. Previous proposals from Trump were completely unrealistic and disconnected from the events on the ground. What’s proposed now is a much more thoughtful, phased solution to the problem,” Irina Zvyagelskaya, PhD in history and head of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO RAN), told Sputnik.

Considering the very critical situation on the ground in Gaza, the internal divisions within Hamas, and political contradictions in Israel, it can’t be said that the plan will be easily implemented, the expert noted.

👉 While offering a pathway to a ceasefire, the plan could face resistance from Hamas, as it would mean the end of their control over Gaza. Zvyagelskaya emphasized the need for pragmatic engagement from all sides to avoid further bloodshed.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt