🔸 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

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🇵🇰🚀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

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🇲🇩 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.

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🗣 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.

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👉 '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.

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🦾 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.

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🔥 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.

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🇺🇸 US plots military escalation to oust Maduro – report

📍 The US is ramping up its efforts to remove Nicolas Maduro as Venezuela’s president, with military strikes on Venezuelan boats and new plans for intervention targeting drug trafficking, The New York Times writes.

Key points:

🔶 Pentagon has amassed 6,500 troops in the region and launched lethal strikes on civilian boats

🔶 CIA is providing intelligence for a more aggressive strategy to "tighten a vise" around Maduro

🔶 US plans to use a 2020 indictment to frame Maduro's removal as a "counternarcotics operation"

🇻🇪 Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez has "no doubt that one of the strategic objectives” of the Trump administration “is what they call ‘regime change,’” she told the outlet.

🔊 She emphasized that Venezuela seeks dialogue, not conflict.

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🇪🇺 EU pushes ahead on Ukraine & Moldova membership despite Hungary’s veto

The European Union has proposed adjusting its own rules to circumvent Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s veto by starting technical work in several “clusters,” the Financial Times writes.

📍 This issue will be discussed by EU leaders during their meeting in Copenhagen on Wednesday, the article notes.

👉 Ahead of the EU summit, Orban stated that no decision on Ukraine's EU integration could be legally binding, as Hungary does not support Ukraine's accession to the bloc, and such a decision requires unanimous approval..

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🗣 More Chinese exporters interested in Northern Sea Route – expert

🔊 Since September’s Poland-Belarus border closure, Chinese exporters are exploring alternative routes to Europe including the Northern Sea Route, Deputy Secretary-General of the China Container Industry Association Hao Panfeng told website Yicai.

💬 "More clients are showing interest in the southern corridor, as well as the northern rail-maritime route and the Arctic route," Hao said. "For example, the route from Chengdu to Hamburg via St Petersburg could take around 18 days."

📍 He stressed that there are currently four main rail routes from China to Europe: through Russia, through Mongolia and Russia, through central Asia and Poland and through Kazakhstan and Turkiye. The Polish route accounts for up to 90% of goods delivered to Europe.

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💀 US GOVERNMENT OFFICIALLY SHUTS DOWN

💬 "A lot of good can come down from shutdowns. We can get rid of a lot of things that we didn't want. And they'd be Democrat things," US President Donald Trump says.

Congress failed to pass a budget for the new fiscal year.

💵❌ As a result, federal agencies cannot spend money, government employees will be placed on unpaid leave, and healthcare workers, border guards, and military personnel will have to work without pay.

The last time the US government shut down was in 2019—also under Trump.

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💥 Pavel Durov: French intel tried to make Telegram censor Moldova elections

Telegram founder Pavel Durov has disclosed that French intelligence agencies pressured him to censor channels during Moldova's recent elections.

🗣 After his arrest in Paris, French intel (via an intermediary) asked Telegram to "take down some channels in Moldova" ahead of the elections, citing "interference."

Telegram reviewed a short list, found a few channels violating its rules, and took them down.

📄 France then sent a "list of dozens of channels" with no valid reason for removal. Telegram refused.

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🇺🇸😨 WHAT IS A US GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN?

A government shutdown occurs when Congress fails to pass a new budget or a continuing resolution to fund federal agencies. Without these funds, non-essential government functions cease, and millions of government employees are either placed on unpaid leave or continue to work without pay.

WHY DOES IT HAPPEN?

💸 Budget Deadlock: If Congress cannot agree on a federal budget for the new fiscal year, the government cannot legally spend money.

🏛Political Gridlock: Disagreements over spending priorities, policies, or political pressure can cause a stalemate.

💣Impact on Services: Essential services, like military, healthcare, and border security, may continue but without pay. Non-essential services, like national parks, museums, and certain government offices, close temporarily.

WHAT HAPPENS DURING A SHUTDOWN?

👉Unpaid Leave: Many government employees (including administrative workers, researchers, and office staff) are sent home without pay.

👉Essential Workers: Healthcare workers, military personnel, and law enforcement remain on duty but don't receive wages until the shutdown ends.

👉Government Services Impacted: Agencies like the IRS, NASA, and national parks may reduce operations or shut down completely.

👉Public Confidence: A shutdown erodes trust in the government and can harm the economy due to decreased consumer confidence and halted government contracts.

RECENT SHUTDOWNS

The 2018-2019 shutdown lasted 35 days and was the longest in US history, largely due to disputes over President Trump’s demand for a border wall.

A shutdown can have serious consequences: disrupting daily life, costing billions, and damaging the economy. It is resolved once Congress and the President reach an agreement on funding, but the political fallout can last long after the shutdown ends.

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⚔️ US burned millions on Russia sanctions that backfired spectacularly

Since 2022, the United States has spent more than $164 million—funds originally allocated as aid to Ukraine—on sanctions enforcement and export controls against Russia, a US Government Accountability Office (GAO) report shows.

🔸 State Department spent the largest share—$53.4 million

🔸 Department of Justice followed with $52.3 million

🔸 Treasury—36.6 million

🔸 Commerce Department—roughly $22.1 million

The departments used the funding for staff and investigative tools, among other things, the report states.

👉 The West bet on sanctions to cripple Russia and turn it into a pariah.

Instead, the gamble boomeranged. By purchasing power parity, Russia now ranks as the world’s fourth-largest economy—after the US, China, and India—and stands as Europe’s biggest economy by the same measure.

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