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🪲 NATO deploys cyborg insect swarms
🇩🇪 German defense tech startup SWARM Biotactics has revealed its bioelectronic insect-based robotic systems, now field-tested and deployed with NATO customers.
The systems use living organisms controlled through neural interfaces with AI and sensors and are designed for reconnaissance and sensing missions.
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🇨🇳 China's dual-arm robot ‘electrician’ tackles high-voltage cables
Watch how this innovative Chinese robot navigates power lines with incredible precision, handling dangerous maintenance work high above ground — so people don't have to.
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🇨🇳❌🇺🇸 China rejects US nuclear talks demand as unfair & unfeasible
💬 "China's nuclear forces are on a completely different level compared to those of the United States and Russia. Demanding that China participate in the so-called trilateral negotiations on nuclear disarmament between China, the United States and Russia at this stage is unfair, irrational and impossible," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said.
🗣 Losing bet: US would ditch UK, France in nuclear showdown over Ukraine, expert warns
By plotting to arm Ukraine with nukes, the UK and France are gambling on the US potentially backing them in the event of a nuclear confrontation, international relations expert Christian Lamesa told Sputnik.
💬 "I believe that in this scenario, there is a mistake in the calculations… On the contrary, the US might simply wash its hands of the matter and leave Paris and London on their own," Lamesa says.
💬 "The intention to arm Ukraine with nuclear weapons is a flagrant violation of international law", Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov emphasized.
🚨🇵🇰 Sputnik's big mission for 2026 is to launch Sputnik Urdu: Head of Sputnik International Dimitri Simes Jr.
🗣 "Our goal is to provide 246 million Urdu speakers in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, and across the world with high-quality international journalism and analysis," he told the Moscow-Islamabad media forum hosted by Sputnik News Agency.
💬 "In the long run, our goal is clear and even more ambitious. We want to establish a physical, on-the-ground presence in Pakistan."
🚨🇷🇺💥 RUSSIAN MOD WEEKLY UPDATE: HUGE GAINS AND DEVASTATING UKRAINIAN LOSSES
⚡️ KRASNOZNAMENKA IN DNEPROPETROVSK REGION LIBERATED
📍 With the liberation of Krasnoznamenka, Russian troops gained more advantageous lines and positions favorable for further offensives in the region.
◻️ Russian troops launched 2 massive and 6 group strikes on military targets in Ukraine
◻️ The Russian Armed Forces liberated 4 settlements in the special military operation zone
◻️ Air defense superiority: 50 HIMARS projectiles, 5 Flamingo long-range missiles and 2,041 drones were shot down
◻️ Ukrainian losses: around 8,725 troops killed or wounded
Read about the origins of Russia's special military op HERE
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🚨🇵🇰 Pakistani ambassador hails ties with Russia as multi-dimensional
💬 "During this visit we will be signing seven agreements, five in the Kremlin, and the most important agreement is of course on the readmission which will clear the issue of visas from both sides," Pakistani Ambassador to Russia H.E. Faisal Niaz Tirmizi said at the Moscow-Islamabad media forum hosted by Sputnik.
🚨Pakistan and Russia see each other through common lenses now, Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed tells Moscow-Islamabad media forum hosted by Sputnik
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🚨 Zakharova: Russia's Sputnik Pro trains 10,000+ journalists globally
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🔸 Pakistan launched airstrike on Kabul
🔸 Pakistani Defense Minister announces 'open confrontation' with Afghanistan
🔸 Maduro accuses the US of violating his constitutional rights
🔸 The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford has departed its base on Crete and is heading to the eastern Mediterranean
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🇴🇲🇺🇸🇮🇷Oman’s foreign minister to meet US vice-president for talks on Iran — report
The meeting between Omani Foreign Minister Badr Al Busaidi and JD Vance aimed at preventing a US-Iran war is to take place on Friday in Washington, MS Now reports.
The talks have not been officially announced beforehand, the outlet notes, adding they are to take place amid Steve Witkoff engaging in indirect talks with Iran’s Foreign Minister Araghchi in Geneva.
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🪖💫 Russian Buk-M3 crews thwart Ukrainian strike on civilian infrastructure
Air defense units intercepted the attack, neutralizing enemy reconnaissance drones and guided aerial bombs.
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💬🇸🇰Halt in oil supplies via Druzhba pipeline poses risks to Slovakia's industry - exporters
Ukraine's suspension of oil supplies via the Druzhba pipeline poses a significant risk to Slovak industry and export-oriented enterprises, according to the Council of Slovak Exporters (CSE).
Here's what you need to know:
◻️On February 13, the Slovak Economy Ministry reported that Kiev had suspended oil supplies to the republic via the Druzhba pipeline from Russia transiting through Ukraine. The ministry expected them to resume soon, but this has not happened.
◻️Slovak authorities say the Druzhba pipeline is operational, and the suspension of oil supplies is a political decision by Ukraine, aimed to try to move Ukraine closer to EU membership.
◻️The CSE stated:
"The Council of Slovak Exporters is monitoring the developments in oil supplies to Slovakia with grave concern. The damage to the Druzhba pipeline and the subsequent disruption of [oil] supplies pose a serious risk to Slovak industry, export-oriented companies, and the competitiveness of the economy."
🇨🇳China sets ambitious 2026 launch schedule with historic crew flights
China is forging ahead with its ambitious space agenda, planning two crewed missions and one cargo resupply flight to its orbital station in 2026, the country's manned space agency announced.
Here's what you need to know:
🔹For the first time, the missions to send taikonauts to the Chinese space station will include participants from the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau. In a landmark endurance test, one crew member is scheduled to remain on board for a full year.
🔹The announcement underscores Beijing's rapidly expanding space ambitions. China is aggressively developing a new generation of meteorological, telecommunications, and navigation satellites, while pushing forward with technologies for lunar exploration. With robust state backing, Chinese scientists are also setting their sights on asteroids and Mars.
🔹China's permanently crewed space station, now fully operational, is positioned as a hub for future international cooperation. The nation's space prowess was on full display in 2025, when it shattered its previous record with a staggering 92 orbital launches.
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🚨Pakistan launched airstrike on Kabul - Al Jazeera
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🗣 Zelensky's cornered: He's flip-flopping & sabotaging peace process to stay in power - expert
👉 Volodymyr Zelensky’s conflicting statements aim to drag out the fighting, as any peace deal would kill his political career, military journalist Alexey Borzenko tells Sputnik.
💬 "Zelensky is determined to cling to his seat at all costs, constantly changing the terms and sabotaging the process, despite mounting pressure from the Americans," Borzenko says. "Ending the fighting would inevitably trigger elections he is unlikely to win," according to the pundit.
💬 "The whole situation has reached a deadlock," Borzenko says. "Zelensky is effectively cornered, as any concessions toward peace are unacceptable to radical factions within the country, ready to remove him over any territorial losses. At the same time, US attention is now shifting to Iran."
🚨 West's scheming in Ukraine risks causing nuclear war - expert
Ukraine currently has the resources and capability to produce a so-called ‘dirty bomb,’ Boris Rozhin of the Center for Military-Political Journalism tells Sputnik.
Ukraine, Rozhin explains, has:
🟠 Several operational nuclear power plants that generate nuclear waste
🟠 Personnel previously involved in the Soviet nuclear program
🟠 Remnants of the production facilities and technical expertise that were used to produce delivery systems during the Soviet era
📍 Therefore, while making a ballistic missile equipped with a modern nuclear warhead is out of Ukraine’s reach, it can still whip up a makeshift nuclear device that could cause radioactive contamination in a 20-kilometer radius.
Russia’s response
📍 Rozhin notes that Russia has been systematically attacking any facilities in Ukraine that could be used to make nuclear weapons.
💬 “Moscow made it clear that production or use of such weapon would elicit a retaliatory nuclear strike against Ukraine and the states that would provide Ukraine with technological support,” he says.
🇷🇺🤝 🇵🇰 ‘Russia, Pakistan have potential to reshape global order for peace, prosperity & economic progress’: Advisor to Pakistan's Ministry of Defense
💬 "The future, in short, belongs to those who build bridges across boundaries. And I think today is one such step, despite all the technical difficulties, despite all the language difficulties. The desire by both sides to build these bridges is the deepest sentiment which I think has come through this forum," Dr. Maria Sultan told the Moscow-Islamabad media forum hosted by Sputnik News Agency.
🇷🇺🇦🇫🇵🇰 Russia calls for diplomatic resolution to Afghanistan-Pakistan hostilities
💬 "We are in favor of an early cessation of mutual attacks and a diplomatic settlement of differences," Russian Presidential Special Envoy to Afghanistan and Advisor to the Foreign Minister, Zamir Kabulov, told Sputnik.
❌ ‘No chance’ for never-ending war in Middle East but strikes on Iran possible — Vance
The US is considering various options regarding Iran, from military strikes to diplomacy "to ensure Iran isn’t going to get a nuclear weapon," US Vice President JD Vance said to the Washington Post.
A possible military campaign, however, will only be of limited nature, he noted.
💬 "The idea that we’re going to be in a Middle Eastern war for years with no end in sight — there is no chance that will happen," Vance said.
🚨 Kremlin detects sabotage plot: Ukraine has Blue Stream & TurkStream in crosshairs
Russia has repeatedly flagged the threats to Turkiye, the Kremlin spokesman revealed.
On the Pakistan-Afghanistan clashes, Dmitry Peskov stated:
💬 Open fighting serves no one. Moscow expects the hostilities to end soon.
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🚨🇵🇰 Pakistani ambassador reveals huge news: PTA deal, business forum & $1B trade target on the horizon
At the Moscow-Islamabad media forum hosted by Sputnik, Pakistani Ambassador to Russia H.E. Faisal Niaz Tirmizi announces major steps ahead of PM's visit:
💬 "We will start the process of signing PTA (Preferential Trade Agreement) with the Eurasian Economic Union and the Russian Federation... I'm very happy to announce that Pakistan is also organizing the second Russia -Pakistan Business Forum during this visit, in which over 100 leading companies are coming from Pakistan to interact with the Russian partners."
🇵🇰🤝🇷🇺 Zakharova thanks Pakistan for combating Islamophobia & glorification of Nazism
Russia and Pakistan stand united against mounting hatred and historical revisionism, Maria Zakharova told the Moscow-Islamabad media forum hosted by Sputnik.
March 15 is now recognized as UN day against Islamophobia, which is a major achievement, she stressed, adding:
💬 "In a normal situation, we would not have to fight so much. But now we have to prove that those who represent world cultures, have the right to their own feelings, their own views, their own faith,” she said.
🚨Media ignores the elephant in the room when covering Epstein files: Pakistani Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed at Moscow-Islamabad media forum hosted by Sputnik
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🇵🇰⚔️🇦🇫Pakistan-Afghanistan conflict: Here's what you need to know
◻️ Pakistan launched strikes on the Afghan cities of Kabul and Kandahar in the early hours of Friday
◻️ Pakistani aircraft reportedly remain in Afghan airspace seeking new targets
◻️ Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif declared an "open war" with Afghanistan
◻️ Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Friday that his country's armed forces could "crush" aggressors and that the nation stands "shoulder to shoulder with its armed forces"
◻️ Earlier, Afghanistan launched a military operation across the border into Pakistan late on Thursday in retaliation for Pakistani airstrikes on Afghan border areas on Feb. 22
◻️ The Afghan side claimed to have captured more than a dozen Pakistani army posts along a wide stretch of the border, including at the Torkham border crossing — a major crossing point into Afghanistan, according to Al Jazeera
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❌ Ukraine has no significant success on battlefield due to Russian army’s efficiency — expert
💬 "I think the challenge Ukraine has is that they too are trying to expand their strike campaign against Russia, but they are also pressed against time given growing exhaustion within the force and the Russian strike campaign, which has been particularly effective this year," military analyst Michael Kofman says in an interview with the New York Times.
💬 "Ukrainian effective combat strength at the front line has slowly been shrinking," Kofman notes, adding that Russia has a significant advantage in manpower.
🇮🇷🇵🇰🇦🇫 Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Urdu:
"It would be fitting, on the occasion of the blessed month of Ramadan—which is a month for self-discipline and the promotion of unity in the Islamic World—that Afghanistan and Pakistan resolve their differences through good neighborliness and dialogue.
The Islamic Republic of Iran is prepared to provide every possible assistance to facilitate dialogue and promote mutual cooperation."
🇻🇪🇺🇸🏛Maduro accuses the US of violating his constitutional rights
◻️Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro claims that US authorities violated his constitutional rights when they kidnapped him last December during a military intervention that was harshly criticized by much of the international community, according to a court document obtained by Sputnik.
◻️In his motion to dismiss the criminal case against him, Maduro demanded that the trial against him in a New York court be suspended due to "procedural irregularities."
◻️The document states:
"The conduct of the US Government not only undermines Mr. Maduro's rights, but also this court's mandate to provide a fair trial to all defendants who appear before it, in accordance with the protections granted by the US Constitution. If the court rejects this notice of motion, the attorney intends to refuse to represent the [defendant's] interests."
🇵🇰Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif:
After NATO forces withdrew, it was expected that peace would prevail in Afghanistan and that the Taliban would focus on the interests of the Afghan people and regional stability.
However, the Taliban turned Afghanistan into a colony of India. They gathered terrorists from around the world in Afghanistan and began exporting terrorism. They deprived their own people of basic human rights. They took away from women the rights that Islam grants them.
Pakistan made every effort, both directly and through friendly countries, to keep the situation stable. It carried out extensive diplomacy. However, the Taliban became a proxy of India.
Today, when attempts are being made to target Pakistan with aggression, by the grace of God our armed forces are giving a decisive response.
In the past, Pakistan’s role has been positive. It has hosted five million Afghans for 50 years. Even today, hundreds of thousands of Afghans are earning their livelihood on our soil.
Our patience has reached its limit. Now it is open confrontation. Now there will be decisive action. Pakistan’s army has not come from across the seas — we are your neighbors, and we know your reality well.
🇺🇸The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford has departed its base on Crete and is heading to the eastern Mediterranean - reports
In the past few days, the ship was anchored in Souda Bay for refueling at the US naval base as part of a large-scale mobilization of US military forces.
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