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Developments in Afghanistan

Ex-Afghan President Karzai to join 12-member council to rule Afghanistan — TV

Head of the country’s High Council for National Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah and leader of the Islamic Party Gulbuddin Hekmatyar will also join the council

MOSCOW, August 25. /TASS/. Afghanistan’s former President Hamid Karzai, head of the country’s High Council for National Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah and leader of the Islamic Party Gulbuddin Hekmatyar will join a council to rule Afghanistan that the the Taliban (outlawed in Russia) leadership intends to establish, Afghanistan’s Ariana News TV channel reported on Wednesday.

Right after the Taliban had entered the Afghan capital of Kabul, the three politicians created a coordination council for the peaceful transition of power. They held a series of meetings with Taliban members on the formation of new government agencies, including a cabinet representing the entire Afghan society.

Foreign Policy reported on Monday, citing sources close to the Taliban leadership, that "Taliban leaders will form a 12-man council to rule Afghanistan and will offer some pliant members of the former US-supported government the ministries of their choice as they strive to form an administration that is acceptable to the international community." According to the news outlet, "the three most powerful men in the leadership council will be Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, co-founder of the Taliban; Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob, son of the group’s founder, Mullah Mohammad Omar, and the man behind the victorious military strategy; and Khalil Haqqani, a senior figure in the Haqqani network." "This strategy for governing Afghanistan avoids the recreation of such positions as president, or even that of emir," Foreign Policy added.

Taliban fighters swept into Afghanistan’s capital of Kabul on August 15, without encountering any resistance and seized control of the entire city within a few hours. Later, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani stepped down and fled the country. Subsequently, Vice President Amrullah Saleh declared himself caretaker president, calling for armed resistance against the Taliban. Western nations are now evacuating their citizens and diplomatic personnel from Afghanistan.

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Power transfer in Afghanistan

US Navy cruiser mistakenly downs F/A-18 fighter over Red Sea

According to US Central Command, the incident occurred during airstrikes on Houthi facilities

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Kiev Mayor Vitaly Klitschko reported the fires in Solomensky and Shevchenkovsky districts

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According to Andrey Kelin, the UK’s official reaction to the launch of the Oreshnik missile was rather vague

Ukrainian shelling of Russia’s Rylsk damages 12 buildings — governor

Three of them are not subject to restoration, Alexander Khinshtein said

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TASS has compiled the key facts behind the deadly attack

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Mourhaf Abu Qasra becomes top Syrian defense official in transitional government — TV

According to Al Watan newspaper, Abu Qasra was the commander of the military wing of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham movement

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Israel’s Ynet media outlet reports that at least 30 people suffered injuries after a missile fired from Yemen fell in central Israel

Airborne troops from Russia’s Battlegroup Dnepr wipe out enemy position in Kherson region

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NATO spies study damage from Oreshnik at Yuzhmash — expert

Alexander Stepanov emphasized that both Kiev and its Western allies are closely scrutinizing the consequences of the strike on the plant

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Key rate, inflation and criticism of Central Bank: statements by regulator’s chief

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Oreshnik’s launch is sudden, undetectable by satellites — analyst

The range of the Oreshnik system is up to 5,500 kilometers

Putin to extend New Year greetings to peoples of several unfriendly countries — Kremlin

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Press review: Putin outlines Russia's future goals and Tehran faces energy blackout riots

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US confirms strikes on Houthi command posts in Yemen

CENTCOM forces also shot down several Houthi unmanned aerial vehicles and an anti-ship cruise missile over the Red Sea

Magdeburg attacker may be charged with murder of 5, attempted murder of 205 — prosecutor

The motive for committing the crime could have been dissatisfaction with the treatment of Saudi refugees in Germany, Dr. Horst Nopens, Head of the Magdeburg Public Prosecutor’s office, said

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Syria's new authorities appoint Asaad Hassan al-Shibani as foreign minister

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"The enemy lost up to 285 troops, two armored combat vehicles, two motor vehicles, a D-30 122 mm howitzer, a US-made M119 105 mm howitzers and five field ammunition depots," the ministry added

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No injuries or damage were reported

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The married couple, Artyom Dultsev and Anna Dultseva, returned home as a result of an exchange

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US Navy cruiser mistakenly downs F/A-18 fighter over Red Sea

According to US Central Command, the incident occurred during airstrikes on Houthi facilities

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Embassies of 12 countries closed in North Korea amid shortage of goods

All foreign personnel of international humanitarian organizations have also left, the Russian Embassy in Pyongyang said

Russia to retaliate against Ukrainian strikes, just as Putin said — Kremlin

"Russia’s position is well known, it was voiced by Putin back in St. Petersburg," Dmitry Peskov stressed

West should consider Putin's words on Oreshnik missile duel — diplomat

Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova emphasized that the rhetoric about "inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia" is firmly rooted in the mentality of the NATO regimes not at all as hypothetical assumptions

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According to Russia's Defence Ministry, attempts to conduct attacks against facilities on Russian soil were thwarted

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"It is very important to talk about these statements by the president in the context of the question he was asked," Dmitry Peskov pointed out

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Putin challenges West to try to intercept Oreshnik missile in Kiev

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Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov also stressed that the recent developments had shown that the US policy of establishing a system of increasingly layered missile defenses was wrong

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Project 885M nuclear-powered submarines carry Oniks and Kalibr-PL cruise missiles as their basic strike weapons

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Assad allegedly hands list of military targets over to Israel before leaving Syria — media

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Perm sub with Tsirkon hypersonic missiles to enter service with Russian Navy in 2026

Test launches of the Tsirkon missiles from the Project 885 Sverodvinsk submarine were conducted in the White Sea on October 4, 2022

Series of explosions rock central Kiev — eyewitnesses

Earlier, Ukrainian media reported about explosions in the capital, and local authorities informed about the work of air defenses

Russia-US dialogue on Ukraine can be conducted on different platforms — senior diplomat

Everything depends on its content and the approach of the team of US President-elect Donald Trump are important, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said

Kremlin mum on reports about Slovakian prime minister's plans to visit Moscow

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said earlier that the Slovak prime minister intended to hold talks with Putin on December 23 amid Vladimir Zelensky's refusal to extend gas transit through Ukraine

BRICS is approaching G20 format, Brazilian foreign minister says

According to Mauro Vieira, during Brazil's BRICS chairmanship in 2025, the country's leadership plans to organize several important high-level meetings and events, including negotiations between foreign ministers and heads of state

Russian troops liberate 10 communities in Donbass region over week — top brass

Russia’s Battlegroup West inflicted more than 3,610 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed six enemy ammunition depots in its area of responsibility over the week

Ukraine to halt Russian gas transit on January 1, 2025 — Ukrainian PM

The restart of transit via the Ukrainian gas transportation system is possible at a request of the European Commission if this is not Russian gas, Denis Shmygal said

Ukrainian lawmaker slams Zelensky for trying to bribe Slovak PM

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Slovak PM to visit Moscow for talks with Putin, Serbian president says

"Robert Fico will travel to visit Putin as a European countries leader," Aleksandar Vucic said

Air raid alert issued in six Ukrainian regions

Earlier, an air raid alert was declared in the Kiev, Sumy and Chernigov Regions

Civilian manufacturers ramp up drone production to 40,000 units per month

The Russian Defense Ministry has also purchased more than 100,000 units from small design bureaus and civilian manufacturers, the statement said

Aleppo taken by 350 militants while 30,000 gov’t troops retreated without fight — Putin

The Russian president recalled that no Russian land troops had been deployed to Syria, with Russia having only an airbase and a naval base

Baltic states threaten mass deportation of Russians, take lead in Russophobia — statement

The Foreign Ministry noted that the facts of discrimination and persecution of Russians are often ignored by the official leadership of countries and international human rights agencies, leading many victims to remain silent

Putin meets with Federation Council Speaker Matviyenko in Kremlin

The upper chamber of the parliament wrapped up its autumn session

Banks find opportunity to work under sanctions — Central Bank chief

It does not mean there will be no such risks in the future but it is very important in this regard for the financial stable to remain stable, Elvira Nabiullina said

‘Arkhangelsk, ’ ‘Knyaz Pozharsky’ nuclear submarines to join Russian Navy soon — commander

Admiral Alexander Moiseyev noted that the construction of nuclear submarines is Sevmash’s main purpose, which is performs successfully

Eight people killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza Strip — TV

According to Al Jazeera, Israeli forces shelled a residential building in Deir al-Balah and a downtown Khan Yunis

Russia to invite World War II allies to next year’s Victory Day parade

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova made the comment following a statement on the subject by Vladimir Putin

Russia to raise issue of Ukrainian strikes on Rylsk at UNSC meeting on Friday — diplomat

Acting Kursk Region Governor Alexander Khinshtein said earlier that the town of Rylsk, located some 120 kilometers west of Kursk, had come under Ukrainian fire

Russia manages situation in Ukraine, while West in big trouble — US political scientist

According to John Mearsheimer, Russia has become much stronger over the past two to three years because it has managed to become "a truly sovereign country"

Scholz, German Interior Minister booed during visit to terrorist attack site — newspaper

A protest broke out during the chancellor's and minister's visit, with demonstrators whistling and shouting "Get out!"

Biden signs bill to fund US government until March 14, 2025

The US Senate and House of Representatives approved the bill a day before

Ukraine's refusal to transit Russian gas will hit EU economies hard — French expert

According to Jacques Sapir, the decision not to extend transit contracts was no surprise given the political landscape

Kiev takes out its anger for military defeats on Russian people — diplomat

Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova also emphasized that Moscow is outraged by the hypocritical silence of the West and its media on the terrorist attacks in Russia

IN BRIEF: What is known about drone attack on residential buildings in Kazan

TASS has gathered the main information about the incident

Three of eight drones that attacked Kazan targeted defense industry facilities — head

The Tatarstan head Rustam Minnikhanov also noted that all operational services worked well when dealing with the aftermath of the drone attack

US defense companies capitalize the most on Ukraine conflict — Russia’s UN envoy

Vasily Nebenzya referred to data from the SIPRI which put last year’s revenues from sales of arms by the world’s top 100 largest businesses in the industry at $632 billion

Russian forces control more than half of Chasov Yar in DPR — expert

Andrey Marochko noted that Russian forces had "slightly advanced" in the northern and southern parts of Chasov Yar

Ukraine loses over 300 troops, two Bradley vehicles in Kursk Region in past day

Eight motor vehicles and two electronic warfare stations were also destroyed? the ministy added

Zelensky actually flips the bird to Trump by insulting Putin, Medvedev says

The politician emphasized that "the president of a major country should be extremely polite and amiable"

Civilian industrial complex supplies Russian army with over 65 types of units — top brass

Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov praised the new mechanisms for accelerating the introduction of advanced weapons and equipment developed by the civilian defense industrial complex in the interests of the Russian army

Putin responds to question about Russia's weakness by quoting Mark Twain

The president noted that Russia had become much stronger over the past two or three years as it became a truly sovereign country

Proposal to duel with West response to claims of Oreshnik missile vulnerability — Kremlin

Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin thus meant that the Oreshnik missile is a generation ahead of all existing weapons, while not being a nuclear weapon itself

PREVIEW: Putin expected to unveil several transport facilities

According to Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Putin has several closed-door meetings slated for December 22

Damage to Portuguese Embassy in Kiev caused by Ukrainian air defense — Russian diplomats

Reporters are ramping up Russophobia, distorting the facts while writing on this matter, the Russian Embassy in Portugal said

Press review: Who benefits from Russian general's murder as Trump lacks Kremlin strategy

Top stories from the Russian press on Wednesday, December 18th

Artyom military plant reportedly on fire after explosions in Kiev

The Artyom plant is known for producing air-to-air missiles, as well as equipment for aircraft

Hungarian PM highlights need to lift sanctions on Russia once Ukraine conflict is resolved

Viktor Obran added, however, that only a couple of EU countries shared Hungary’s position

An-2 plane missing in Kamchatka located, survivors found — regional emergencies ministry

According to the press service of the regional Emergencies Ministry, all three people onboard the plane survived the emergency landing

Yemeni capital city subjected to massive airstrike - TV channel

According to the Al Hadath TV channel, at least three strikes hit Ansar Allah military facilities located in Sanaa, including rebel locations