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💸🇭🇺🇪🇺 Hungary blocks $106B loan to Ukraine – Szijjarto
Hungary has blocked the EU’s 20th package of anti-Russia sanctions and a $106B loan to Ukraine, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said after the EU Council of Foreign Ministers meeting.
💬 “Ukrainians cannot blackmail us, they cannot jeopardize the security of Hungary's energy supply by conspiring with Brussels and the Hungarian opposition," Szijjarto said.
🚨🇷🇺 'Motherland will always be by your side'
Putin meets widows of Russian servicemen who died heroically during the special military operation in Ukraine.
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🔥 🇷🇺 ✈️ Russian-made engine powers first test flight of new Baikal aircraft prototype
The fifth prototype of the Russian LMS-901 Baikal light multipurpose aircraft has successfully completed its first test flight, Russia’s Ministry of Industry and Trade announced.
🔹 The aircraft, equipped with a Russian-made VK-800 engine and AV-901 propeller, performed a full circuit over the airfield and landed normally.
The 10-minute flight saw the plane reach an altitude of 300 meters (≈984 feet) and a speed of 190 km/h (≈118 mph).
👉 Initial ground tests of the Baikal fitted with the VK-800 engine and AV-901 propeller were successfully completed in late December 2025. The nine-seat Baikal is being developed for regional air routes, aimed at strengthening domestic aviation capabilities.
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🚨🇮🇷 Red line set: Iran issues another warning to US
Iran will treat any US military strike—even a so-called “limited” one—as outright aggression, Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said on Monday.
🔊 “An act of aggression will remain an act of aggression,” he stated during a briefing.
🇪🇺 NATO rollback needed for peace in Ukraine – Finnish politician
Lasting peace in Ukraine requires NATO to roll back to its pre-1997 borders, Armando Mema, member of Finland’s national-conservative Freedom Alliance, said.
🔊 European leaders should focus on de-escalation and respect what he describes as NATO’s historical pledge not to expand “one inch” eastward toward Russia, Mema added. He warned that continued enlargement and rapid rearmament could carry serious consequences for Europe.
🗣 Russia has repeatedly voiced concerns over NATO’s military buildup near its western borders. The Kremlin maintains that Russia poses no threat, but will respond to actions it considers dangerous to its interests. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Russia has no intention of attacking NATO members and has accused Western politicians of fueling unnecessary fear.
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🚨 🇷🇺 Putin lays wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on Defender of the Fatherland Day
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🚨🇷🇺 Russia is fighting for its future, independence, truth and justice — Putin
The Russian president delivered a speech at the state awards ceremony on the occasion of Defender of the Fatherland Day:
🔹 The Russian military personnel are operating in a coordinated and precise manner in the special military operation zone
🔹Heroes of the special military operation stand firmly for Russia
🔹 Today we honor all those who, risking their lives and with love for Russia, fulfill their military duty in the special military operation zone
🔹 Competent and courageous actions of the heroes of the special military operation helped brilliantly carry out operations in the most intense sectors and directions
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🇰🇵 🇨🇳 Xi congratulates Kim on re-election as Workers’ Party leader
💬 "Comrade Kim Jong-un's re-election as General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea reflects the high trust and firm support for Comrade General Secretary from the party, the government and the people of North Korea," Xi said.
🔊 "China and North Korea are friendly neighboring socialist states that aid and support each other. Maintaining, consolidating, and advancing relations between China and North Korea has always been the steadfast policy of China's party and government," he said.
🇺🇸 🇮🇷 US unlikely to launch Iraq-style ground operation in Iran – expert
🔊 The US strategy could instead involve “air and naval strikes aimed at weakening Iran and strengthening Washington’s negotiating position,” retired Turkish Air Force Colonel Ihsan Sefa tells Sputnik.
The US may be seeking to resolve issues related to the terms of future agreements with Iran and control over oil supplies through the Strait of Hormuz, according to Sefa.
💬 “A direct ground invasion [of Iran] would require significantly more resources and could have serious geopolitical consequences, while limited strikes allow for better escalation control,” he concludes.
🎤 China calls US to lift all tariffs
The Chinese Ministry of Commerce seizes on the Supreme Court ruling to demand the US roll back unilateral trade measures against its partners.
"China calls on the US to lift the corresponding unilateral tariff measures against its trading partners," the ministry said in a statement.
🗣 White House thanks Mexico for eliminating El Mencho
Karoline Leavitt announced the elimination of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader—with direct American support.
"The Trump Administration commends and thanks the Mexican military for their cooperation and successful execution of this operation."
🍕Pentagon pizza spike revives "Doughcon" index as Iran speculation grows
A sudden spike in pizza deliveries near the Pentagon is reviving an old Washington ritual: watching what staffers eat to predict what the government might do.
Data shows Domino's and Extreme Pizza both seeing surges of over 120% in business, pushing the informal "Doughcon" scale to level 4.
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🇬🇧Charles III grants access to Andrew's Epstein documents
King Charles has given the green light for police access to documents in their investigation into his brother, the former Prince Andrew and Epstein, the Observer reports.
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🇨🇳📡How China's satellite constellation reached the global level
📹The footage of Atlanta's congested airport, obtained from China's Jilin-1 satellite system, highlights the country's capacity to keep any point in the world under surveillance.
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🇺🇸⚔️🇮🇷US masses unprecedented firepower near Iran as Trump issues warning
The US is amassing a massive military presence in the Middle East, with air power levels far exceeding those seen during Operation Midnight Hammer earlier last year.
According to reports, over 100 aerial refueling aircraft are now positioned across Europe and the region — double the number used during the June B2 strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. Fifteen of those tankers are currently stationed in the Azores, a key refueling point for long-range bombers.
"They better negotiate a fair deal. The people of Iran are a lot different than the leaders of Iran. It's a very, very sad situation," President Trump stated, adding that 32,000 people have been killed over a relatively short period.
🇷🇺🇱🇧 Russian tricolors fill Beirut streets on Defender of Fatherland Day
Lebanon’s capital hosted a motor rally.
Cars with Russian tricolors drove through the city’s streets.
The procession ended at the Russian House, where a festive event marked the holiday.
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🪖🇺🇸🇸🇾 US-led coalition continues troop withdrawal from Syria’s Qasrak base – report
The pullout of coalition troops from the Qasrak base in northeastern Syria kicked off without an official statement by US Central Command and is due to continue for about a month, Syrian media reports.
The base’s personnel and military equipment are reportedly being relocated to Iraq’s Kurdistan region.
The Qasrak base is located between the towns of Tell Tamer and Tell Baydar, south of the M4 international highway in Hasakah province.
US Central Command earlier announced the withdrawal of American troops from the al-Tanf base in eastern Syria and its handover to Syrian authorities.
Previously, the Syrian Army took control of the al-Shaddadi military base in Hasakah province following coordination with US officials, according to SANA.
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🪖 Zelensky's push for extended conflict tied to ‘personal survival’
Zelensky reportedly announced Ukraine’s readiness to fight Russia “for another three years" just as “the repercussions of the corruption investigations are increasingly hitting him,” Junge Welt writes.
It remains unclear what Zelensky hopes to gain from this, the newspaper reports, suggesting that the leader of the Ukrainian regime apparently hopes to “politically outlive Trump and find a more supportive US administration.”
💬 “This speculation could, of course, backfire—for example, if the current Vice President JD Vance were to succeed Trump. Or if the Ukrainian army's capacity and willingness to resist don't last another three years,” Junge Welt sums up.
🚨🇷🇺💥 RUSSIAN MOD UPDATE: HUGE GAINS AND DEVASTATING UKRAINIAN LOSSES
🟠 Russian air and missile firepower obliterated transport, energy, and fuel infrastructure supporting the Kiev regime’s forces
🟠 Air defense superiority: seven guided aerial bombs, 21 HIMARS rockets, one guided Neptune missile, and 541 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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🚨🇬🇧 Scandal over ex-Prince Andrew’s ties to Epstein is ‘freak show’ – MFA spox
💬 “Look at what is happening in Britain right now. This is truly some kind of freak show, for God’s sake,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Russian media.
🚨 ‘Starmer has to go’
Russian special presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev has commented on a report by the British television channel GB News.
👉 The channel stated that when British PM Starmer headed the UK’s Crown Prosecution Service, offenders who committed violence against children were let off with warnings.
According to documents cited by GB News, the prime minister “developed and agreed” with police chiefs the caution notices that were issued to suspects.
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🇩🇪 🇮🇷 Germany should scrap anti-Iranian sanctions to avert further escalation – Sahra Wagenknecht
💬 “The German government must now use all diplomatic means to prevent a war [in the Middle East] and work towards a negotiated solution,” the leader of the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) wrote on X.
🔶 Armed clashes erupt with federal agents in Mexico
🔶 Slovakia to stop electricity supplies to Ukraine in respond to energy blockade
🔶 Kim Jong-un gets re-elected as WPK General secretary
🔶 Greenland to Trump: 'No, thank you' on hospital ship
🔶 Army modernization is ongoing as nuclear triad remains priority — Putin
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🔥 🇷🇺 BMPT ‘Terminator’ crews sharpen combat skills
During live-fire exercises, the crews of the ‘Tsentr’ battlegroup train to eliminate fortified positions, strongholds, armored vehicles, and enemy personnel using the vehicle’s full combat capabilities.
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⚔️ Army modernization is ongoing as nuclear triad remains priority — Putin
In his Defender of the Fatherland Day address, the Russian president laid out the roadmap for military development—combat experience, industrial power, and the nuclear shield.
"I am confident—this equipment will always be in safe hands," Putin stressed.
💬 Greenland to Trump: 'No, thank you' on hospital ship
Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen rejects the US offer of a floating hospital, pointing out that Greenland already has free public healthcare—unlike America.
Donald Trump announced the vessel was "already on its way." Denmark says it knows nothing about it.
"We are always open to dialogue and cooperation, including with the United States, but instead of posting more or less random comments on social media, just talk to us," Nielsen urged.
🚨🇺🇸🇷🇺 Witkoff promises good news on Ukraine settlement soon
"Hopefully you'll be hearing some good news in the coming weeks," US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff said in an interview with Lara Trump on Fox News.
"He's never been anything other than straight with me," Witkoff added.
🚨Nine C-17 military transport aircraft are heading to the Middle East
The transfer of weapons and military equipment to the region continues.
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🚨US has parked an army at Iran's door
The US is positioning a monster military footprint right on Iran's doorstep. More than 50 fighter jets, heavy bombers, carrier strike groups and squadrons of tankers. And it's still growing.
This is the biggest American buildup in the Middle East since the 2003 Iraq invasion — nearing Gulf War '91 scale.
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⚡️Pakistan launches air strikes at Afghan border, officials confirm
Pakistan has carried out “intelligence based selective targeting of 7 terror camps & hideouts belonging to Pakistani Taliban and its affiliates” at the border region of Pakistan Afghan border.
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