🏀 Al-Sharaa plays basketball with CENTCOM commander

Interim President of Syria Ahmad al-Sharaa, currently on an official visit to the United States, played basketball with CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper and Brig. Gen. Kevin Lambert, head of the international anti-ISIS* coalition in Iraq.

The video was shared by Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani on his Instagram** account. The time and location of the recording were not specified.

A meeting between al-Sharaa and US President Donald Trump is expected to take place soon, during which Syria’s accession to the US-led anti-ISIS coalition may be formalized.

Earlier on Friday, the US lifted sanctions on al-Sharaa ahead of his visit to Washington, as well as on Syrian Interior Minister Anas Khattab, according to the US Treasury website.

*ISIS is a terrorist organization banned in Russia
**Meta is banned in Russia for extremism

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🚔 Nearly 10 people, including foreigners, arrested in Russia for cooperating with Ukrainian intelligence

About ten people — both Russian and foreign citizens — have been detained in a criminal case over alleged participation in a terrorist group linked to the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), a source familiar with the investigation told Sputnik.

💬 “A foreign citizen is one of the main defendants; according to the investigation, he established contact with the SBU. The case also involves several unidentified individuals,” the source said.

The accused are being held in pretrial detention centers in Moscow, the source said.

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🗣 Stoltenberg admits NATO won’t start World War III for Ukraine — reports

NATO’s former secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg told The Times he refused Volodymyr Zelensky’s February 2022 plea for a no-fly zone over Ukraine because it would have meant striking Russian and Belarusian air-defences — a step that would have triggered a direct war with NATO.

💬 “If there is a Russian plane or helicopter in the air, we have to shoot it down and then we are in full war between NATO and Russia. And we’re not willing to do that,” Stoltenberg said — adding Biden’s decision was the same: “we will not risk a third world war for Ukraine.”

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⚔️ B-52s touch down in Spain — another US arms flex in Europe

The US Air Force’s B-52s arrived at Morón air base on November 8 for Bomber Task Force Europe 26-1, training alongside Finland, Lithuania, Sweden, and other partners, the US Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa reported.

The command says the deployment “strengthens deterrence along Europe’s Eastern Flank and the High North” — in practice, more heavy bombers spinning up near Russia’s borders.

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🏳️ Stoltenberg calls Afghanistan the biggest defeat in NATO’s history — reports

Former NATO Secretary General and current Norwegian Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg admitted in an interview with The Times that the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan was “NATO’s biggest defeat.”

💬 “It’s NATO’s biggest defeat. But I continue to believe that even though it was painful and many people suffer, it was the right thing to do to leave Afghanistan,” The Times quoted Stoltenberg as saying.

In August 2021, the Taliban entered Kabul, ending the war within hours. American troops left the country on August 31, marking the end of nearly 20 years of US military presence.

While Washington called the withdrawal an “orderly exit,” many in the US described it as a humiliating collapse — the final chapter of a failed Western intervention.

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🇨🇳 How does the Fujian’s electromagnetic catapult redefine China’s naval power?

China has commissioned the Fujian, its first carrier equipped with electromagnetic catapults.

Why does it signal China’s naval ascent? 

Equipping an aircraft carrier with an electromagnetic catapult is a marker of China’s rapid military-technological development, according to retired Russian Navy Captain First Rank Vasily Dandykin.

💬 "The fact that the Chinese achieved this shows how far they’ve advanced. It demonstrates that they are developing their navy at unprecedented speed, using the most modern technologies – including in their aircraft carriers," Dandykin tells Sputnik.

What are the advantages?

🔹 Faster and smoother launches – Aircraft reach takeoff speed more quickly
 
🔹 Reduced deck space needs – Tighter carrier deck layouts

The news comes as the Trump administration hinted at scrapping the electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS) for Gerald R. Ford-class carriers, calling it too complex and costly – despite navy officials insisting EMALS could save billions in maintenance. 

After the Fujian’s commissioning, Americans may have second thoughts, according to Dandykin.

💬 "It signals that China is moving into the ranks of the world’s leading naval powers," the retired captain says.

Technological innovations are enabling China to use its aircraft carriers far more effectively – not just around Taiwan or in the Japanese and Yellow Seas, but across the world’s oceans. 

💬 "They’ve entered the Mediterranean, conducted exercises with us [the Russians] in South Africa and the Persian Gulf, and came to St. Petersburg for the main naval parade," he notes.  

The Chinese navy is rapidly evolving into a formidable, blue-water fleet, the expert concludes.

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🗣 Ex-US official slams Ukraine as criminal country

Lawrence Wilkerson, former chief of staff to then-US Secretary of State Colin Powell, told Sputnik that when he had to deal with figures from oligarchic circles in Ukraine between 2002 and 2005, he could not find a single person in the country’s leadership who wasn’t corrupt.

👉 He pointed out that Ukraine’s entire political structure was corrupt and that he even told Powell about it.

Wilkerson also insisted that when it comes to political figures, whoever he spoke to in Ukraine—they were all criminals.

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🔸 Stoltenberg calls Afghanistan the biggest defeat in NATO’s history — reports

🔸 How does the Fujian’s electromagnetic catapult redefine China’s naval power?

🔸 England scrambles for water while no new major reservoirs have been built in 30 years — reports

🔸 Stoltenberg admits NATO won’t start World War III for Ukraine — reports

🔸 Trump administration weighs ‘mega detention centers’ for immigrants — reports

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🚨Russia–US dialog on bilateral issues ongoing, though not as quickly as Russia would like – Lavrov

💬 “There are many irritants in Russian–American relations, inherited from the previous US administration. It will take a long time to clear the debris. With the arrival of the new administration, we have felt its willingness to resume dialogue. It is underway, but not as quickly as we would like,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told Sputnik.

He recalled that two rounds of consultations were held in the spring, during which a number of agreements were reached to improve the operating conditions of diplomatic missions.

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❌🤝 Ukraine conflict resolution impossible without addressing root causes & taking Russia’s interests into account - Russian FM to Sputnik

Sergey Lavrov stressed that the question of Crimea’s status is closed for Russia.

💬 “As for Crimea and Sevastopol, the residents of the peninsula exercised their right to self-determination in the March 2014 referendum, voting in favor of reunification with Russia,” he said.

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❌💸 There's NO legal way to seize frozen Russian assets – Lavrov

💬 “It’s no longer surprising how cynically the European Commission interprets the UN Charter and other international legal norms, including the principles of sovereign immunity and the inviolability of central bank assets,” the Russian foreign minister said.

He called such actions "deception and theft,” adding that "it seems the old instincts of colonizers and pirates have been awakened in the Europeans.”

💬 “No matter how they try to dress it up, there is no legal way to seize Russia’s money,” he concluded.

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🚨🇷🇺🗣Key statements by Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov to Sputnik

🤝🇺🇸On Russia–US relations:

💬Russia–US dialog on bilateral issues is ongoing, although not as quickly as Russia would like

"There are many irritants in Russian–American relations, inherited from the previous US administration. It will take a long time to clear the debris."

💬Lavrov & Rubio regularly communicate and are prepared to hold in-person meetings when necessary

💬Russia expects the US to reaffirm the agreements on Ukraine reached at the presidents’ summit in Alaska

💬Russia has no intention of persuading the US to accept President Vladimir Putin’s proposal to extend the restrictions outlined in the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) for another year beyond February 2026

“We’re not going to persuade anyone. We believe our step serves the interests of both sides and the entire international community. We are ready for any turn of events.”

⚔️On the Ukraine conflict:

💬Ukraine conflict resolution is impossible without addressing the root causes and taking Russia’s interests into account

"As for Crimea and Sevastopol, the residents of the peninsula exercised their right to self-determination in the March 2014 referendum, voting in favor of reunification with Russia."

💬Russia–US discussions on the Ukraine issue cover a wide range of topics, not limited to a single aspect

💬US appears to be struggling to persuade Zelensky not to obstruct a peaceful settlement in Ukraine

💸🇪🇺 On EU seizure of Russian frozen assets:

💬 There's NO legal way to seize frozen Russian assets

"Such actions are nothing but outright deception and theft. It seems the old instincts of colonizers and pirates have been awakened in the Europeans.”

💬 Confiscation of Russia’s frozen assets will not save Ukraine and will not help Kiev repay any of its debts

💬 If the West transfers Russia’s frozen assets to Ukraine, Russia will respond appropriately and according to the principle of reciprocity

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⚔️❌ Ukrainian Army in hot water as Western aid shrinks

Ukrainian forces can’t stop the advancing Russian troops, as “firstly they don’t have enough personnel” because “the mobilization is insufficient,” German political analyst Hendrik Remmel told ZDF.

He noted that the Ukrainian front is becoming increasingly patchy, which means Ukraine’s military is no longer defending along the entire line.

💬 “And what also contributes to this is that the support from the West is simply insufficient. There is a lack of large military equipment, a lack of long-range weapons systems and a lack of air defenses,” Remmel underscored.

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🪖Ukraine sets new desertion record

💬 “Around 21,600 Ukrainian soldiers deserted in October, [while] since the beginning of the year, approximately 180,000 men are said to have deserted. These are considerable numbers,” Die Welt’s Christoph Wanner reported.

He pointed out that with around 10,000 Ukrainian soldiers monthly killed and injured, the Ukrainian Army is likely to shrink further.

💬 “The Ukrainian army is therefore trying to mobilize and recruit and these recruitment units are still resorting to these unspeakable methods. Violent recruitment is unfortunately commonplace here in Ukraine,” Wanner stressed.

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🚨🇷🇺💥RUSSIAN MOD UPDATE: HUGE GAINS AND DEVASTATING UKRAINIAN LOSSES

⚡️RYBNOYE IN ZAPOROZHYE REGION LIBERATED

The liberation of Rybnoye allows the Russian Army to advance westward in the Zaporozhye region

🔸 Russian troops hit energy facilities powering Ukrainian defense industry enterprises

🔸 Russian forces repelled six attacks by Ukrainian troops in the Kharkov region aimed at breaking the encirclement of Ukrainian Army formations

🔸 Air defense superiority: 7 HIMARS rockets and 247 drones shot down

🔸 Ukrainian losses: 1,330 troops killed or wounded

Read about origins of Russia's special military op HERE

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🚨🇷🇺Peskov: Putin hasn’t ordered preparations for nuclear tests — any such decision must be justified and carefully weighed

Russia remains committed to the test ban, the Kremlin Spokesman said — but if another country breaks it, Moscow will act for the sake of parity.

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🚨🇷🇺 Kremlin spox Peskov: Burevestnik and Poseidon tests aren’t nuclear explosions—they’re nuclear-powered breakthroughs

He called claims equating them with nuclear tests “shallow and wrong,” adding that such technologies won’t appear elsewhere anytime soon.

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🚨🇷🇺 Kremlin spox Peskov: Moscow seeking clarification from Washington on Trump’s nuclear testing statements

He said Russia will try to understand what exactly Trump meant—but noted that his remarks “sounded quite unambiguous”: The US appears poised to resume nuclear tests in the near future.

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✍️🙅 BBC ‘100 percent fake news’ – Leavitt

British taxpayers are being “forced to foot the bill for a leftist propaganda machine,” Donald Trump’s Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told The Telegraph referring, to the BBC.

💬 “Every time I travel to the United Kingdom with President Trump and am forced to watch the BBC in our hotel rooms, it ruins my day listening to their blatant propaganda and lies about the president of the United States and all that he’s doing to make America better and the world a safer place,” Leavitt added.

The BBC was earlier accused of “completely” misleading viewers in a Panorama episode by selectively editing a speech made by Trump ahead of the US Capitol riots on January 6, 2021.

The program showed Trump calling on his supporters to “fight like hell” before the riots, but removed a section where he told the crowd “to peacefully and patriotically” make their voices heard.

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😰 Stoltenberg's worst nightmare? Trump collapsing NATO!

💬 "At the NATO summit in 2018, where President Trump actually said that he was considering leaving the alliance, I was concerned that I was going to be the secretary-general who oversaw the end of NATO,” Stoltenberg told The Times.

He added that tensions were defused after European allies at the time promised to step up to do more to keep NATO afloat.

Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized NATO members who are unwilling to pay contributions to the alliance amounting to 2% of their GDP.

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🇫🇮 Stop Ukraine aid or else: Finnish politician warns NATO chief of nuclear war danger

🗣 Russia could “use nuclear weapons if [its] national security is at risk. Secretary Rutte should stop sending weapons to Ukraine if he is truly concerned about a nuclear war. NATO should stop expanding to Ukraine, if we don't want to end up in a nuclear war,” Armando Mema, member of the Finland’s right-wing Freedom Alliance party, wrote on X.

📍 He also pointed out that Mark Rutte, despite his concern over Russia’s alleged nuclear rhetoric, “forgot to rebuke” Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken for his threats to “wipe Moscow off the face of the earth.”

🟠 The Russian Embassy in Belgium stressed that Francken’s remarks, which he later denied were a threat, were utterly abnormal, pose a threat to Europe’s future, and could plunge it into a new war

🟠 Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier stated that Russia pursues a policy of deterrence rather than saber-rattling with its nuclear weapons

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