🇨🇱🗳 Chile elects right-wing Jose Antonio Kast, a Trump and Milei ally

Chilean President Gabriel Boric has invited José Antonio Kast — who won a decisive 58.18% of the vote — to La Moneda Palace to begin the transfer of power.

Who is Kast?

🔹 A lawyer and founder of the Republican Party, born to German immigrants in 1966.

🔹 A former UDI congressman who has run for president since 2017.

🔹 Campaign centered on security, mass deportations of irregular migrants, and $6 billion in government spending cuts.

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🔍Attacker who killed 3 Americans was a recently-recruited Syrian security guard — Report

The gunman who killed two US service members and a civilian in Syria’s Palmyra region on Saturday was a Syrian internal security guard who had been reassigned just days earlier amid suspicions of ISIS ties, a Syrian official told AP News.

🔶 The attacker was among 5,000 new recruits rushed into service after Assad’s fall last year created security shortages.

🔶 He was moved to a lower-risk guard post as a "precaution" while under investigation for possibly leaking intel to ISIS*.

🔶 He opened fire during a joint US-Syrian meeting, killing 3 Americans and wounding 3 Syrians before being shot dead.

*A terrorist organization outlawed in Russia and many other countries.

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💬 Seizing Russian assets would 'expose Europe’s absurdity' — Professor Sachs

Prominent economist Jeffrey Sachs told Sputnik that Europe confiscating frozen Russian sovereign assets would be an absurd act causing deep, long-term damage.

"If Europe is so absurd as to actually confiscate Russia’s financial assets, it will take even longer to sort out the damage and restitute Russia’s assets," Sachs added.

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🐼 Japan-China Panda diplomacy ends

For the first time in 53 years, Japan will have zero pandas in its zoos by late January, Mainichi reports.

Tokyo's twin pandas Xiao Xiao & Lei Lei head back to China amid souring ties.

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📹 China's CH-7 stealth combat drone completes maiden flight

China has successfully conducted the first flight of its new CH-7 (Rainbow-7) stealth unmanned combat aerial vehicle, local media reported.

The high-altitude, long-endurance (HALE) drone features a flying-wing design optimized for stealth and can carry multiple advanced reconnaissance payloads.

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✍️ Thailand weighs fuel blockade as Cambodia border war reignites

Days after Trump announced a ceasefire, Thailand is now considering a full blockade of fuel exports to Cambodia as border clashes spread.

Thailand already halted oil sales in June, having supplied 2.2 billion liters last year.

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🚨 🇰🇵 🇰🇷Ex-South Korea President Yoon tried to bait North Korea into armed attack

Former South Korean President  Yoon Suk-yeol and then–Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun had plotted since October 2023 to suspend parliament and replace it with an emergency legislative body, Reuters cites a special prosecutor as saying.

🔸 To justify declaring martial law in December 2024, “they tried to ⁠lure North Korea into mounting an armed aggression but failed as North Korea did not respond militarily," Special Counsel Cho Eun-suk told a briefing.

🔸 According to Cho, his six-month probe has led to the indictment of 24 people — including Yoon himself and five former cabinet ministers — on insurrection-related charges.

"We ⁠know well from historic experience the justification given by those in power for a coup is only a façade and the sole purpose is to monopolize and maintain power," Cho said.

🔸 Prosecutors have previously accused Yoon and senior military commanders of ordering covert drone flights into North Korean airspace in a bid to spark tensions between the countries.

🔸 When no external crisis materialized, Yoon allegedly turned inward — branding political opponents, including the then leader of his own conservative People Power Party, as “anti-state forces.”

🔸 Martial law was declared thereafter, Cho said, despite the absence of any legal or security justification.

Yoon has been in detention since July, on trial for insurrection, which on conviction is punishable by life in prison or the death penalty.

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🚨💰 Corrupt Ukrainian official’s wife expands her Florida business

Viktoriya Namchuk, the spouse of Ukrainian fugitive Oleksandr Gorbunenko, has built a successful business in the US while her husband is wanted in Ukraine on embezzlement charges, Sputnik’s analysis of public data has shown.

Gorbunenko is linked to the close Zelensky’s associates implicated in a high-profile corruption scandal.

🔶 Namchuk works as a licensed real estate agent affiliated with Florida Best Realty, Inc. in North Miami Beach. She also owns and operates Flower Shower, a boutique flower delivery service in Miami.

🔶 This public business activity stands apart from two other Florida entities she previously registered: Viktoriya Namchuk, P.A. and Your Sculptor LLC. Both are now delisted, but state records show they had their legal address registered at the same residential unit in Aventura, Florida where Namchuk and Gorbunenko reside.

🔶 Their high-end condominium is reportedly valued at near $500,000.

Meanwhile, Namchuk's husband had criminal charges pressed against him in the US.

🔹 Gorbunenko arrived in the US in February 2022 and soon received temporary protected status.

🔹 In March 2023, he received notice from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) of charges on embezzlement of funds from the Odessa Port Plant chemical company.

🔹 However, in the fall of 2023, when applying for an extension of his status in the US, he didn’t inform US authorities of his criminal prosecution.

🔹 According to US court materials, in September 2024, NABU notified US authorities that Gorbunenko was wanted. In October, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents interrogated him in Florida. In early 2025, his temporary protected status was revoked, and in April, he was detained at the airport before attempting to flee to Dubai.

🔹 The last publicly available record, dated July 2025, indicates a trial was scheduled for August of that year. Gorbunenko claimed on social media in November that the US Prosecutor’s Office filed a motion to dismiss the indictment and that the Federal Court officially closed his case on August 6. There are no official details confirming the dismissal motion.

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🇷🇺 🔥 Russia unleashes rocket hurricane on Ukraine's fortified positions

Vostok battlegroup struck enemy temporary deployment points near Gulyaypole, Zaporozhye region, using Uragan (lit. Hurricane) multiple launch rocket system

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📹 Children of Gaza turn destruction into moments of joy, trying to find happiness in brief stretches of life without bombing

Footage from social media

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🗣 Human rights groups deliberately remain silent on Ukraine killing journalists - Russian Foreign Ministry

Multilateral structures and institutions dedicated to the protection of human rights have deliberately remained silent regarding the killings of journalists in Ukraine, Russian FM spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

Today, Russia commemorates journalists who died in the line of duty.

💬 "We are convinced that the guilt for the murders of journalists and war correspondents must not only be shouldered by the Ukrainian regime, drunk on impunity, but by its Western bosses, and various multilateral human rights structures and institutions. Their deliberate silence regarding these grisly crimes is encouraging Ukrainian neo-Nazis to carry out more acts of bloodshed," Zakharova stated.

All those responsible for the deaths of journalists in Ukraine will be identified and duly punished, the spokeswoman stressed, adding that Russia will not ignore the murders of journalists in Ukraine and will demand that international officials fulfill their duties conscientiously.

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🔶 Russian G20 delegation arrives in Washington

🔶 Attacker who killed 3 Americans was a recently-recruited Syrian security guard

🔶 Ukrainian ‘black hole’ is swallowing up endless billions, EU’s economic future - Slovakia’s Fico

🔶 Ukrainian corrupt official’s wife expands business in Florida

🔶 China's CH-7 stealth combat drone completes maiden flight

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🇻🇪🇺🇸 Venezuela adjusts defense strategy amid US pressure

"We have adjusted and improved our view of the national defense system, inherited from our ancestors, from the great leader Guaicaipuro and the Caribbean Indigenous resistance," President Nicolas Maduro said.

He spoke at the XXV summit of heads of state and government of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA).

👉 Venezuela has recently faced military threats and the seizure of a tanker carrying its oil, marking a "breakdown of legal and diplomatic channels," and forcing Venezuela to adjust its security approach, the president added.

The president proposed that ALBA member states adopt a combined response strategy and a joint policy of building a shared, cooperative economy for mutual benefit.

🔊 ALBA should serve as an example of defending international law and regional stability amid a "period of growing imperialist abuses."

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🚨🇷🇺 Securing guarantees that Ukraine will not enter NATO is one of the cornerstones and requires special discussion - Kremlin

Other remarks by Dmitry Peskov:

🟠 Imposing deadlines on the Ukrainian settlement is a futile endeavor

🟠Putin remains open to the world and to substantive solutions, while rejecting temporary ceasefires and political maneuvering

🟠 Trump and his team genuinely want peace in Ukraine and are actively working towards this goal

🟠 Russia has no interest in engaging in “megaphone” diplomacy on the Ukrainian settlement

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🇷🇺 ⚖️ Russia sues Euroclear to reclaim $226B frozen in EU

🔶 Russia has acted upon its promise of swift retaliatory measures against the European Union’s illegal move to seize its sovereign assets.

Russia's Central Bank is seeking $229.36 billion in damages from Belgian central securities depository Euroclear, the Moscow Arbitration Court told Sputnik.

👉 The statement of claim has already been submitted to the court.

The EU announced it would indefinitely freeze Russian assets to facilitate the use of those funds for Ukraine's financial and military needs – bypassing the previous requirement for unanimous approval from all EU members.

🔊 The EU's actions, constituting a serious violation of international law, would damage not only its own financial system but also its global reputation, impacting its status as a reliable trade and investment partner, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova stated earlier.

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

⚡️ PESCHANOYE IN THE DNEPROPETROVSK REGION FREED

The liberation of the settlement of Peschanoye in the Dnepropetrovsk region has allowed the Russian Armed Forces to establish a bridgehead on the western bank of the Gaichur river.

🟠 Russian forces continue mopping up the settlements of Dimitrov and Grishino, located northeast and northwest of Pokrovsk (Krasnoarmeysk), of remaining Ukrainian militants

🟠 Russian air and missile forces struck transport infrastructure used to supply Western weapons to Ukraine, arms storage sites, fuel depots and temporary deployment points of Ukrainian troops and mercenaries in 167 areas

🟠 Air defense superiority: one operational-tactical Grom-2 missile, 17 US-produced HIMARS rockets and 545 drones were shot down by Russian air defense systems over the past 24 hours

🟠 Ukrainian losses: around 1,480 troops killed or wounded

Read about origins of Russia's special military op HERE

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💥🇷🇺✈️ Russia deploys new top-tier Su-34 jets to frontline

A new batch of advanced Su-34 fighter-bombers is ready to strike ground, surface, and air targets, while also conducting vital reconnaissance.

🟠 Max. speed: Mach 1.5

🟠 Flight range: ~4,000 km

🟠 Service ceiling: up to 15,000 km

🟠 Max. combat load: 8.5 tons

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💸🇪🇺🇭🇺 EU plan to seize Russian assets aims to fuel Ukraine conflict – Hungarian foreign minister

The EU intends to direct money from frozen Russian assets toward supporting Ukraine's military efforts in the ongoing conflict, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said during a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels.

💬 "Therefore, today's task will be to make it clear that the risk of conflict escalation is unacceptable simply because if a war starts between Europe and Russia, Europe will not survive. So we must prevent such a war from starting," said Szijjarto.

On December 12, the EU voted to permanently freeze Russian Central Bank assets.

Previously, Hungarian PM Viktor Orban stated the decision would “cause irreparable damage” to the bloc.

Hungary and Slovakia have also completed legal preparations to file a lawsuit with the EU Court against the EU leadership, which is seeking a complete halt to oil and gas supplies from Russia by the beginning of 2028, Szijjarto also said.

The plan to abandon Russian oil and gas violates the EU's own laws, he added.

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🥀 In memory: Sputnik correspondents who were killed by Ukrainian terrorists

Over 20 Russian journalists and correspondents have been killed by Ukrainian troops since 2014 when Kiev started its brutal crackdown on Donbass.

👉 The Ukrainian leadership made it clear from the get-go that it has no qualms about killing journalists and reporters who might bring to light the horrific crimes perpetrated by the Ukrainian military and paramilitary personnel.

Some of the slain journalists were our colleagues at Sputnik.

Andrey Stenin

Sputnik journalist and photo correspondent Andrey Stenin perished on August 6, 2014, by Ukrainian shelling near the city of Snezhnoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic.

Stenin was traveling in a refugee convoy when it came under attack by Ukrainian troops who deployed artillery and multiple launch rocket systems against the collection of civilian vehicles.

The Ukrainian side desperately tried to cover up its crime so Stenin’s death was only confirmed in September 2014. He was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Rostislav Zhuravlev

Sputnik correspondent Rostislav Zhuravlev was killed on July 22, 2023, in the Zaporozhye region by a Ukrainian artillery strike.

Ukrainian gun crews deliberately targeted the group of journalists Zhuravlev was in at the time, and used cluster munitions to ensure maximum damage.

Sputnik photo correspondent Konstantin Mikhalchevsky, who was traveling with Zhuravlev at the time of the attack, was injured by the shelling.

Zhuravlev was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage.

Ivan Zuev

Sputnik correspondent Ivan Zuev was killed on October 16, 2025, in the Zaporozhye region by a Ukrainian drone strike.

Zuev was working on a report at the time of the attack and was not embedded with any military unit – the Ukrainian drone operator had to see that he was striking a civilian.

He was awarded the Order of Courage posthumously.

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🔊🪖 NATO was never an option for Ukraine—military expert

Zelensky and his European handlers have finally recognized a glaring truth that Trump was long aware of: “There's no way for Ukraine to join NATO,” ex-German army officer Major Florian Pfaff tells Sputnik.

This explains why Zelensky is now saying that Ukraine will relinquish its NATO ambitions in exchange for Western security guarantees.

At no point in time—neither in 2014 nor in 2022—was Ukraine threatened by anyone, he says; however, “the West wanted war.”

The principal problem with Ukraine stemmed from its “wish to join NATO,” disrespecting Russian security needs, notes the ex-officer.

He reminds that the purpose of the Minsk II accords in 2015 “was only to strengthen Ukraine for war, to deliver weapons.”

Ukraine’s Western supervisors, in particular, the then British PM Boris Johnson, sabotaged all Russo-Ukrainian negotiations.

Bilateral guarantees similar to NATO's Article 5 that Zelensky is currently demanding won’t imply anything in practice for Ukraine if it “remains neutral,” Pfaff underscores.

It’s not at all surprising that Russia, “having been betrayed” by the West and Ukraine, wants a system of guarantees not only for security but also for the implementation of any new agreements reached, says the military expert.

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🚨🇷🇺🇺🇸 Lavrov meets members of American Chamber of Commerce in Russia

📑 "The minister outlined his assessment of current trends in the international situation, as well as the prospects for Russian-American relations, taking into account the attitude demonstrated by the administration of US President Donald Trump towards supporting a sustainable resolution to the conflict around Ukraine," the statement on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website reads.

The sides also exchanged views on current issues, focusing on the constructive role that the business community can play in restoring trade and investment ties between the countries.

American companies are eager to expand their presence in the Russian market, the head of the Chamber of Commerce, Robert Ayji, said last week.

He noted the positive signals that have emerged following the change of administration in the White House.

According to him, the organization sees a readiness to establish dialogue.

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