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🚨🇷🇺💥 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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🇵🇰⚔️🇦🇫 Pakistan and Afghan trade fire: What both sides are saying
🔹The Pakistani military launched an “immediate and effective response” against Afghan forces on Thursday after the latter reportedly opened fire on multiple Pakistani positions along the border in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
🔹Pakistan Ministry of Information and Broadcasting reported strikes against Afghan positions across the Chitral, Khyber, against Mohmand, Kurram, and Bajaur sectors.
🔹At the same time, the Taliban official spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid took to X to declare a major victory, claiming to have inflicted damage on Pakistani forces in Kunar province.
🔹Mujahid added that the Taliban has activated specialized units equipped with advanced "laser" technology. He claimed these forces, operating under the cover of darkness, can "easily strike all moving enemy forces."
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🚨The Iranian Foreign Minister called the third round of negotiations with the US one of the most serious
After the lengthy session concluded on Thursday evening in Geneva, Abbas Araghchi stated live on Iranian television:
"These were some of the most serious and longest negotiations. In these long hours, we have achieved good progress."
💬 Conflict for profit: Zelensky and EU turn Ukraine into disposable asset - military analyst
Volodymyr Zelensky’s chaotic rhetoric is a survival tactic shaped by his current predicament, veteran Russian military analyst Viktor Litovkin tells Sputnik.
"He is forced to twist and turn, trying on the one hand not to offend his chief patron — the president of the US — and on the other to stay in power and keep the backing of his EU sponsors," Litovkin says.
"Using his artistic flair and inner hysteria, he creates a storm of information that blocks any prospect of a change of power in Ukraine and makes constructive dialogue impossible, turning every peace initiative into an object of endless manipulation," Litovkin notes.
"A peaceful resolution to the Ukrainian conflict today proves to be an extremely undesirable outcome both for Zelensky and for the EU leadership," the pundit says.
"Unable to achieve real victory, they fuel aggression, using Ukraine as a disposable asset to maintain their influence and profits," Litovkin concludes.
🚨 Abu Ghraib playbook in action? CIA rendition architects now funding Ukraine’s secret prisons
Ukraine has established and is actively maintaining a network of clandestine prisons where the provisions of the Third Geneva Convention of 1949—which governs the treatment of prisoners of war—are being completely ignored, stressed Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.
💬 "And who is financing the Kiev regime in these efforts?" Zakharova asked.
💬 "The money for the Kiev regime’s secret prisons is coming from the very same people who invented the CIA's 'rendition' aircraft and for instance, Abu Ghraib. I think you all know what happened there. And if you don't, just look at the Wikileaks materials published by Julian Assange—the very same man who was tortured by these Westerners for years, in countless ways. He knew exactly what he was doing, he stayed the course and persisted in his investigations," she told reporters.
🌍 Zimbabwe’s lithium export ban aligns with Global South's resource power shift
Zimbabwe intends to channel the value of the powerhouse mineral lithium – a critical metal fueling aviation, space tech, rechargeable EV batteries, and cutting-edge electronics - back into its own soil.
As one of the world's top lithium producers — ranking fourth globally — the African country ’s move to ban exports of raw lithium signals a strategic pivot to domestic processing.
Promoting value addition
👉 While most raw lithium goes abroad, where others make the big profits, Zimbabwe is pushing for local factories to turn the ore into processed forms like lithium sulfate.
👉 The country’s struggling economy will be able to sell higher-value processed lithium, collecting more taxes and fees to help pay for schools, roads, and hospitals.
👉 Building and running factories will generate more skilled jobs for locals instead of just low-paying mining jobs.
Investments ignite
🟠 Chinese firm Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt invested $400 million in the Prospect Lithium Zimbabwe plant, set to process 400,000 tons annually (per broadcaster ZBC)
🟠 Mutapa Energy Minerals' is a $270-million facility, funded by Chinese partners, set to handle 600,000 tons yearly
🟠 Bikita Minerals' Expansion owned by Sinomine Resource Group is a major mine advancing a $500-million phased lithium sulfate plant
Global South sheds its yoke
🟠 The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) did the same with cobalt, imposing a 2025 ban that evolved into quotas capping exports to prioritize local refining
🟠 Indonesia enforced a raw nickel ore export requiring onshore processing to add value and compete globally
This long-term play fits the bigger picture of countries in the Global South taking charge of their resources for their own people’s wellbeing.
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🚨 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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💥🇷🇺 Russia’s S-500 Prometey: The death knell for British and French nuclear ICBMs
Russian missile defenses are becoming increasingly sophisticated and may render British and French nuclear weapons ineffective, states the UK-based defense think tank RUSI.
💬 "The nuclear forces of the UK and France consist of strategic submarines armed with intercontinental ballistic missiles that are on operational patrol," Igor Korotchenko, editor in chief of National Defense magazine, tells Sputnik. "The S-500 [Prometey system] is specifically designed to intercept targets of this type."
💬 "The S-500 is capable of intercepting and destroying intercontinental ballistic missiles during the terminal phase of their flight," Korotchenko says.
💬 "The system’s mobility allows its components to be concentrated on threatening directions or around priority assets for protection," Korotchenko explains.
💬 "To date, it is the world’s only fifth-generation mobile missile defense system."
🟠 Conflict for profit: Zelensky and EU turn Ukraine into disposable asset - military analyst
🟠 UK, France plotting nuclear false flag against Russia – analyst
🟠 Clashes erupt on Afghan-Pakistani border
🟠 Zimbabwe’s lithium export ban aligns with Global South's resource power shift
🟠 Great American exodus: Citizens flee high costs & chaos for safer shores
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🚨 Pakistan confirms Afghan forces opened fire at several points on the border
Pakistan will take all necessary measures to ensure its territorial integrity, security of its citizens, the Ministry of Information said.
There were heavy casualties on the Afghan side during the border clash, it added.
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🚨 Clashes erupt on Afghan-Pakistani border
Afghan armed forces have announced the launch of a 'retaliatory operation' in response to the bombing of their territory by Pakistani air force last week, a representative of the 201st army corps "Khalid ibn Walid" told the Telegram channel TOLOnews Plus.
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🎥🎥 Sputnik to Host Moscow-Islamabad Media Forum
🕗 The Moscow-Islamabad media forum is taking place on February 27, with a live feed from the Rossiya Segodnya media center starting at 08:00 GMT.
Russian and Pakistani journalists, diplomats and political analysts are going to discuss relations between the two countries and the prospects of further rapport between Russia and Pakistan.
📍 The event will be held ahead of Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to Moscow, which is scheduled to take place on March 3-5.
Stay tuned!
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