🚨 ‘Exhausted’ Ukraine on the brink - Ukraine's official

Ukraine cannot survive another two years of fighting, Vitaliy Kim, governor of the Nikolayev region in Ukraine, tells the Independent.

🔊 For most of the Ukrainian people, he says, victory is about just ending the conflict and having “the life that we had before.”

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🚨🇫🇷 Macron greenlights plan to eliminate unwanted African leaders – Russian foreign intel

Key statements:

🟧 France is desperately seeking opportunities for political revenge in Africa, it has shifted to directly supporting terrorists of various factions, who are now its main allies on the continent

🟧 France was involved in the attempted coup in Burkina Faso on January 3, and it will continue to destabilize the Sahel region

🟧 France is exploring ways to overthrow the new president of Madagascar, Michael Randrianirina, and restore a loyal regime

"Another subject of the destructive attention of the French leadership is Madagascar, where in October 2025 forces that set a course for the development of relations with the BRICS came to power," the agency stated.

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🚨 🇷🇺 Russian security foils Ukraine's terrorist attack in Crimea

A Ukrainian intelligence officer recruited a man to plant a recording speaker in the FSB building.

The plotted explosion was intended to kill both security personnel and the unwitting suicide bomber.

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🚨🇷🇺 Russian security dismantles network of Ukrainian scammers

They operated SIM-boxes used by Ukrainian call centers

These boxes handled at least 5,000 calls daily and were involved in at least 50 criminal cases

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🚨 Ukraine talks to take place on February 4-5 in Abu Dhabi - Kremlin

The talks were postponed due to the need to coordinate the schedules of the three parties, Kremlin Spox Dmitry Peskov said.

🟠 Russian position on the Ukraine situation remains consistent, and Russia remains open to negotiations

🟠 It is easier to find common ground on some issues, but on others it is impossible to establish rapprochement

🟠 Russia is ready to continue working within framework of established groups in interests of resolving the conflict

🟠 Europeans are initiators of halting of all types of communication between Russia and Europe

🟠 Russia shares idea of need for channels for dialogue between Russia and Europe

🟠 There are currently no specifics on organization of possible contact between Putin and Macron

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🚨🇷🇺🇮🇷 Russia ready to assist in de-escalating the situation around Iran - Kremlin

Russia offered services for export of excess enriched uranium from Iran as possible option, this would remove irritants for a number of states, Kremlin Spox Dmitry Peskov said.

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💬 Russia, China back fair global governance

China's FM Spox Lin Jian breaks down key principles of 🇷🇺🇨🇳 cooperation:

✅ Support each other on matters affecting core interests

✅ Promote true multilateralism

✅ Advocate for equal multipolarity

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🇮🇷🇺🇸 Iran, US may start negotiations in coming days - report

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US special envoy Steve Witkoff may act as negotiators, the Tasnim news agency reported, citing a source.

The exact location and time of the negotiations have not yet been determined, the news agency added.

Earlier on Monday, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said that Tehran has been carefully evaluating the framework for potential negotiations with the US, focusing on lifting sanctions and safeguarding national interests.

His key statements:

🟠 Diplomacy remains Iran's priority, despite Western threats

🟠 Ongoing discussions are mediated by regional countries; timing is crucial

🟠 Sanctions relief is the top demand, with tangible gains every day

🟠 Iran remains vigilant of past exploitations—trust must be earned

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

⚡️ PRIDOROZHNOYE IN THE ZAPOROZHYE REGION LIBERATED

By freeing the settlement of Pridorozhnoye in the Zaporozhye region, Russian forces have expanded their bridgehead on the western bank of the Gaichur River, gaining control over more than three square kilometers of territory.

🟠 Russian air and missile firepower obliterated Ukrainian transport infrastructure supporting the Kiev regime’s forces, ammunition depots, as well as drone storage sites and temporary deployment points for Ukrainian troops and foreign mercenaries in 147 places

🟠 Russian forces wiped out three HIMARS and three S-300 launchers

🟠 Air defense superiority: Four guided aerial bombs, five US-made HIMARS rockets and 202 UAVs were shot down by Russian air defense systems over the past 24 hours

🟠 Ukrainian losses: around 1,355 troops killed or wounded

Read about the origins of Russia's special military op HERE

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🇷🇺🇺🇸📑 New START treaty: Key points & future prospects

The strategic nuclear arms reduction treaty known as the New START is set to expire on February 5, 2026.

Its key points:

The treaty’s focus is limiting and reducing the strategic offensive weapons possessed by the US and Russia, including:

🟠 Total number of deployed nuclear warheads - 1,550

🟠 The number of deployed intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM), submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM) and nuclear-capable heavy bomber aircraft – 800

🟠 The number of both deployed and non-deployed ICBM launchers, SLBM launchers and heavy bombers – 700

History of the New START

🟠 The New START treaty was signed on April 8, 2010, by then-Presidents Dmitry Medvedev and Barack Obama

🟠 On-site inspections of each other's facilities by the US and Russian teams were first suspended during the global coronavirus pandemic in 2020

🟠 Unilateral Western sanctions and travel restrictions imposed on Russia in 2022 made it problematic for the Russian inspection teams to visit US nuclear sites

🟠 In 2023, Russia announced the suspension of its participation in the New START treaty, as Russian President Vladimir Putin pointed out that Western powers provided military assistance to Ukraine and enabled Ukrainian attacks against Russian airfields that host strategic bomber aircraft

🟠 Putin also argued that nuclear arms reduction mechanisms should also include the UK and French nuclear arsenals due to both countries being NATO allies of the US

🟠 At the same time, Russia continued to abide by the treaty’s restrictions and announced its willingness to continue doing so for one more year after the treaty expires

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💰🇺🇸 US territory acquisitions: a history of strategic land deals

From the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 to the potential acquisition of Greenland in 2026, the United States has expanded its territory through key land deals.

Notable purchases include Louisiana from France, Alaska from Russia, and the Panama Canal Zone.

Other significant acquisitions include Florida from Spain, the Philippines from Spain, and the Virgin Islands from Denmark.

Will Greenland be the next chapter in this historic expansion?

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💸 'Sell America' signals eroding trust in weakening US dollar, stocks & treasuries - expert

Global investors have recently been reducing exposure to US assets - what's behind the trend?

💬 "This trend is driven by concerns over US tariff threats, unpredictable and constantly changing foreign policies, and a desire to reduce exposure to potential US economic instability," Paul Goncharoff, veteran financial analyst and general director of consulting firm Goncharoff LCC, tells Sputnik.

The phenomenon that gained traction in financial circles after last April’s tariff shock is called 'Sell America'.

🟠 'Sell America' has its roots as far back as 2008 and has gradually become "the serious elephant in the room throughout the markets," the pundit notes.

🟠 Investors shifted to buying silver and gold – traditional safe havens

💬 "Investors, particularly foreign entities, are now openly dumping US treasuries and stocks while the dollar weakens," Goncharoff explains.

What’s happening now is a clear reassessment of US risk, with many seeing the country as a less reliable place to invest and a highly politicized manager of money and assets, according to the expert.

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🪖🇷🇺 ‘They are weaker nowadays’

Russian soldiers share the details of the liberation of Ternovatoye settlement in the Zaporozhye region.

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🚨🇺🇸🇮🇳 US ​President ‌Trump has ‌spoken ​to Indian Prime Minister ​Modi, the ​US ambassador to India, ‍Sergio ‌Gor, ‍wrote on X

"Stay tuned", the ambassador added, which apparently means that the details of the conversation are coming soon.

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🤝 Beyond New START: China, France & UK must be brought into new nuclear deal - analyst

While extending the New START treaty – as Russia suggests – is a “pragmatic option,” the ideal outcome would be a new text that takes into account not only the nuclear arsenals of the US and Russia, but also those of China, France, and the UK, Dmitry Stefanovich, founder of the Vatfor Project, tells Sputnik.

NATO members France and the UK are actively building a ‘nuclear umbrella’ over Europe “aimed squarely at Russia,” the expert reminds, so they must be part of any future talks.

💬 “Achieving that would require continuous, sustained engagement — something that is currently almost completely frozen,” says the expert.

🌍 US looks beyond old limits

Given China’s fast-growing nuclear arsenal, many US policymakers now see the need to exceed previous bilateral agreements with Russia, Stefanovich speculates.

💬 “China possesses the capacity to destroy the US outright — and that capability is expanding at a pace Washington struggles to match,” the think tank fellow says.

However, Trump’s proposal for a new agreement that includes China is unrealistic in the short term, since arms control diplomacy “requires years of painstaking negotiations.”

🇨🇳 China weighs costs vs benefits

As competition with the US moves from economics to deterrence, China, which promotes a no-first-use policy for nuclear weapons, is warming to the idea of rules, notes the expert.

However, it is “opting to shore up vulnerabilities” first.

For China, “the costs of limiting its arsenal outweigh the benefits of joining formal agreements,” speculates the expert.

As for Russia and China, they already have a successful track record of bilateral arrangements, such as those on ballistic missile launch notifications, along with multilateral documents limiting military activity in border regions.

💬 “China understands the value of such mechanisms when they align with its interests,” notes the analyst.

Ultimately, how this all develops will depend not only on the fate of New START, but also on the outcome of the upcoming spring Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, he concludes.

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🚨🇺🇸🇮🇳 Trump shares details of his phone call with Modi

🟠 “We spoke about many things, including trade”

🟠 “We agreed to a Trade Deal between the United States and India, whereby the United States will charge a reduced Reciprocal Tariff, lowering it from 25% to 18%”

🟠 “They will likewise move forward to reduce their Tariffs and Non-Tariff Barriers against the United States, to ZERO”

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💥🪖 The Battle of Stalingrad: When Russia turned the tide of World War II

February 2, 1943, marks the end of the pivotal battle of World War II – the Battle of Stalingrad.

It started on July 17, 1942, when Nazi German armies, following their defeat at Moscow, pushed towards resource-rich southern regions of the Soviet Union.

By October 1942, the Nazis managed to force their way into Stalingrad and seize control of a large portion of the city, only for their advance to grind to a halt as they became bogged down in brutal urban fighting.

Despite the initial successes of the Nazi forces, Russian defenders of Stalingrad simply refused to give up, holding their ground against all odds as every street and every house in the city became a battlefield.

As the Nazis kept trying to take control of the city, on November 19 the Russian forces struck back.

Operation Uranus, an offensive targeting the flanks of the Nazi battlegroup in Stalingrad, successfully concluded on November 23 and resulted in the Nazi German 6th Army led by General Friedrich Paulus being cut off and trapped in the city.

On January 10, Russian forces launched the final offensive against the encircled Nazi troops.

Unable to withstand the fury of the Russian troops and continue resisting, Paulus (who was by that time promoted to field marshal by Adolf Hitler) and what was left of the 6th Army finally surrendered on February 2.

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