Away from politics: world leaders on vacation

Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered a televised address to the nation on November 21, announcing that in response to the West’s decision to authorize strategic-depth strikes on Russia, Moscow used its new Oreshnik medium-range hypersonic ballistic missile for the first time

Over the day, the enemy lost more than 150 people, while five Ukrainian servicemen surrendered

"Ukraine should be forever grateful that President Putin is calm, rational and kind - because Zelensky is practically begging for his country to be flattened," American political commentator Jackson Hinkle said

"There is more in the Russian arsenal than many believe," said Karin Kneissl, the former Foreign Minister of Austria

The journalist also criticized US House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson (a Republican representing the state of Louisiana) for "not even mentioning it in public or in leadership meetings" with factions in the lower house of Congress

Igor Kimakovsky said that "if the West is not physically involved in this war, that is, if NATO is not involved, then Ukraine is actually losing"

The important message in Vladimir Putin’s speech was that "Russia does believe that the West has shifted from a proxy-war to direct war" and that the parties find themselves in "a global conflict" now, Dmitry Suslov said

Andrey Kelin also recalled that the policy of the Russian leadership enjoys the full support and confidence of the country's population

Progress MS-29 will deliver 2,487 metric tons of cargo to the orbital outpost, including fuel, drinking water, compressed nitrogen, various equipment, food and clothing

According to the Russian foreign minister, the West is directly involved in the use of long-range weapons against Russia, as not a single missile could be launched without its involvement

Andrey Belousov stressed that Russian troops have accelerated their advance in the special military operation zone and have effectively disrupted Kiev's 2025 military campaign

Previously, Elon Musk said on the X social platform, commenting on Zelensky’s supposition that the United States cannot force Ukraine to "sit and listen" at the negotiating table because Ukraine is an independent country, that Zelensky has an "amazing sense of humor"

According to it, the 1,000-page "Operation Germany" plan lists all infrastructure facilities that deserve special protection, and also contains a procedure for defense or "measures to deter Russia on NATO’s eastern flank"

Olaf Scholz stated that only the Social Democratic Party of Germany could maintain a balance between caution and clear support for Ukraine

Earlier, Tucker Carlson said that Joe Biden's approval of long-range missile strikes by the Ukrainian army deep inside Russia could threaten US people

"There is no equivalence - none - between Israel and Hamas," US president said

Wu Qian stated that the United States must immediately correct its mistakes, "honestly respect China’s main interests, and seek to create favorable conditions for high-level contacts between the military of the two countries"

The Department of State and other US agencies "should continue to engage our competitors in real and substantive dialogue," Rear Admiral Thomas Buchanan said

According to the Russian foreign minister, this represents the "confrontational logic" of the West

People are refusing to go to safer places because of Ukraine's unwillingness to provide basic sanitation for refugees

According to former US intelligence officer Scott Ritter, the United States "is a direct party to the invasion and occupation of Russian soil," because it helped Kiev plan its incursion into the Kursk Region

"Democratic institutions in the country have been destroyed, rendering dialogue between the government and the people impossible," Viktor Medvedchuk said

US officials believe that ramping up weapons supplies to Ukraine is unlikely to change the situation in the combat zone short term, but it may help Kiev strengthen its stance in case a truce is reached

The Russian president said that "all the goals we set for ourselves are being achieved"

These missiles pose a threat not only to Ukraine but also to the entire Western world, including continental Europe and Great Britain, Abdullah Agar stressed

Col. (Ret.) Lawrence Wilkerson confirmed to TASS that the launch of ATACMS missiles would be impossible without "US/NATO satellite feeds and/or personnel"

Alexander Lukashenko also emphasized that a real information war has been underway for a long time

Viktor Orban recalled that Russia has "one of the most powerful armies in the world, which boasts the most advanced, most powerful weapons"

Top stories from the Russian press on Thursday, November 21st

According to Lisnyak, local residents report that Ukrainian military personnel are stealing furniture, transformers, construction materials and humanitarian aid remaining in the settlements, and then selling it to private business owners

"There will always be an answer," the president said

"By authorizing long range missiles to strike inside Russia, Biden is committing an unconstitutional Act of War that endangers the lives of all US citizens," Thomas Massie said

Speaking in a televised address, the head of state assured that Russia will issue notifications before using this type of missile

According to the experts, Ukraine’s incursion into Russia’s borderline Kursk Region turned out to be a "strategic catastrophe" amid "manpower shortages"

The Israeli side's objections concerned the court's jurisdiction over the situation in Palestine in general and Israeli citizens in particular, as well as the right of states to conduct investigations independently before referring cases to the ICC

Top EU diplomat Josep Borrell confirmed that the US administration had lifted restrictions for US-supplied missiles to be used for strikes up to 300 kilometers inside Russia

"No, there have been no notifications, for Russia has no such obligation with regard to intermediate-range missiles," Dmitry Peskov emphasized

Lin Jian also reaffirmed Beijing's position on the Ukrainian issue

According to the Russian foreign minister, such behavior is "typical of the Democrats"

According to Daniel Davis authorizing US long-range weapons to be used against Russia is "foolhardy to the highest order," "especially because there is no military upside for doing so"

Foreign Policy pointed out that Western officials should stop insisting in public speeches on the need to achieve a strategic defeat for Russia

According to Igor Kimakovsky, the only road the Ukrainian armed forces could use to leave the city is under Russia’s control

Top stories from the Russian press on Friday, November 22nd

"An automated warning was sent 30 minutes before the launch," Dmitry Peskov said

Earlier this month, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko handed over the Russian president’s invitation to Maduro during his visit to Venezuela

Dmitry Suslov pointed to a crucial message in the President's speech: "Russia firmly believes that the West has moved from a proxy war to a direct war" and that the sides are already "in a state of global conflict"

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on November 21 that the United States and its NATO allies had earlier announced that they would authorize Ukraine’s use of long-range weapons to hit inside Russia, after which American and British missiles struck Russian military facilities in the Kursk and Bryansk regions

Former Florida attorney general is smart and tough, and she "will do a terrific job as Attorney General," US president-elect said

"A diplomatic search for balance and mutual understanding should be the goal, instead of further escalation," Alice Weidel said

Department of Defense Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh also claimed that Washington, while helping Ukraine, is not attempting to turn the conflict into a large-scale regional confrontation that spills beyond the country’s borders

"Experts are well aware - and the Russian side has repeatedly underscored this - that it is impossible to use these weapons without direct participation of military specialists from the countries that produce these weapons," the president said

According to the security services, Ukrainian troops still have access to several unpaved roads, which are also under Russian fire control

It is reported that the Russian Armed Forces carried out a combined strike at a Ukrainian military-industrial complex on November 21

The company stated it would seek damages amounting to 230 million euro for failing to receive the contracted volume of gas from the Russian company for delivery to Germany

According to the report, at least 15 Ukrainian servicemen were killed as a result of the attack

The Russian leader stressed that the United States made a mistake by unilaterally destroying the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty in 2019 under a far-fetched pretext

According to the report, the use of Oreshnik has become "part of a new era of missile warfare"

The New York Times reported on November 17 that US President Joe Biden had authorized the use of US-supplied ATACMS tactical ballistic missiles for strikes inside Russia

Two underwater cables were damaged in the Baltic Sea on November 17 and 18

According to Yevgeny Lisnyak, the Ukrainian authorities supply water for a short time, once every three days

Turning to the Labour Party’s domestic policies, Andrey Kelin said Starmer’s plans to spur the economy were "not met with applause by the population

Maria Zakharova stated that the US-NATO construction project, ongoing for nearly a decade with complete disregard to Russian security concerns, has consistently been a focus of Russia's attention

Russian air defenses repulsed all attacks, the Russian president said

"As a result, the goals that the enemy apparently set have not been achieved," the Russian leader said

According to the president, the missile is code-named Oreshnik, which can roughly be translated as hazel bush

The New York Times reported earlier, citing sources, that US President Joe Biden had authorized the use of US-made ATACMS tactical ballistic missiles for strikes inside Russia

The Belarusian leader noted that they want to go to Warsaw

Robert Fico also rejected the belief that this escalation would not impact "those living far away, in Spain, England, or America"

According to th statement, London is promoting new rounds of escalation

"Once again, a chance to free the hostages, who include Russian nationals, has been missed," the statement reads

Russia got the support of 129 countries in a November 20 vote in New York at the 40th plenary session of the UN General Assembly

"The enemy positioned in the fortified area in Velikaya Novoselka in the south of the DPR is already trapped in a kill zone," the source said

It will be held on November 25

Robert Fico pointed out that "more and more evidence show that the West seeks to prolong the war in Ukraine for various reasons"

Kim Jong Un added that negotiations with the US only confirmed the North Korean view that Washington’s hostile policy remains unchanged

Department of Defense Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh gave no answer to the question of how could Ukraine prepare for this kind of attack

"In my opinion, as long as Russia has an advantage on the battlefield, and at this point it does, the risk of nuclear escalation is low," Jean de Gliniasty poited out

The measure is taken in response to the anti-Iran resolution adopted by the International Atomic Energy Agency Board of Governors on Thursday

"The US continues to benefit from the Ukrainian crisis, regardless of which administration is in power," Andrey Sushentsov said

"It is important to ensure a thorough investigation and clarify the reasons why underwater cables in the Baltic Sea are now out of order," embassy said

Trump’s inauguration will take place on January 20, 2025

According to Al Arabiya, US warships fired at least four missiles at Houthi-operated facilities in the Al-Matina area around 90 km south of the province’s administrative center

Sergey Lavrov plans to meet with his Belarusian counterpart Maxim Ryzhenkov to exchange opinions on key issues of Russian-Belarusian cooperation and the international agenda, as well as on foreign policy coordination at international platforms

"We haven't seen any adjustments that we've observed in their nuclear posture, and we haven't adjusted our nuclear posture in exchange," Department of Defense Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said

Earlier, Putin stressed that the Ukrainian army is unable to fire the latest Western-made long-range missiles on its own without support from NATO satellite feeds and the involvement of the bloc’s military

At the same time, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi once again criticized Russia’s actions in Ukraine

Earlier, the Russian Armed Forces carried out a precision strike on Ukraine’s Yuzhmash defense industry facility in retaliation for the use of US-and UK-made weapons for strikes on Russia

It is reported that the conflict in Ukraine, provoked by the West, has acquired elements of global nature

The North Korean leader explained that the "shameless tricks" of the US to establish its hegemony and "the resulting discord and confrontation of all kinds" have passed the "critical point of explosion" and escalated into "unjust and terrible wars" and "catastrophic disasters"

Moscow used its new Oreshnik medium-range hypersonic ballistic missile in response to the West’s decision to authorize strategic-depth strikes on Russia

Angela Merkel added that another fallacy was the belief that the status "would act as a deterrent," and that Moscow "would accept these developments without taking action"

The former Austrian foreign minister stressed that she "counted on rational Western decision-makers, but irrationality is unfortunately on the rise among them"

Department of Defense Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh gave no direct answer to the question of how Washington was planning to control Kiev’s use of US landmines

According to Maria Zakharova, the Estonian minister is inciting other NATO members to engage in a venture that is "bound to fail"

According to the Russian president, it can install a nuclear warhead on this missile, if necessary, Deputy Chairman of Turkey’s Patriotic Party Hakan Topkurulu said

Earlier, Muneo Suzuki emphasized on his blog that the decision that this decision by Biden on the tail-end of his presidency looked like "a last gasp"

It is pointed out that Simion’s popularity has propelled him to number two in the polls after Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu

Andrey Marochko noted that the Russian forces' advances along this stretch of the front are facilitated by their control over an earlier seized strategic position, as "the activities of the assault groups are provided with cover," and "the Russian Armed Forces outnumber Ukrainian units"

Andrey Kartapolov added that the special military operation in Ukraine "will continue its course until all tasks are completed"

The decision was reportedly made in response to the anti-Iran resolution of the International Atomic Energy Agency