NATO’s report on operation in Afghanistan doesn’t show actual situation — Russian diplomat

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

All restrictions that Western countries impose affect themselves in the first place, Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov added

The top Russian diplomat will also hold an official meeting with his Belarusian counterpart Maxim Ryzhenkov

The last Direct Line Q&A session and year-end press conference was held on December 14, 2023

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

Dmitry Peskov chose not to respond to a question about whether Russia has proof that UK-made Storm Shadow missiles had been used against it

"We need to bring together more voices of peace and pave the way for a political solution to the Ukrainian crisis," Chinese president said

"The nuclear forces is ready on January 19, just like it will be ready on January, 20," Rear Admiral Thomas Buchanan said

Russian army units have advanced much farther into the city’s northern part, in particular, along the southern bank of the Kurakhovo reservoir, Vladimir Rogov specified

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

According to Josep Borrell, the situation in the Gaza Strip "is apocalyptic," and "there are no more words" to describe it

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

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

Earlier, Vladimir Rogov stated that a successful offensive by the Russian Armed Forces north of Velikaya Novoselka could allow them to encircle the settlement

The mood in international markets was mainly neutral

"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

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

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

Previously, the media reported that the International Criminal Court had issued an arrest warrant for former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for presumed war crimes and crimes against humanity committed between October 8, 2023, and May 20, 2024, in Palestine, including in the Gaza Strip

Russian envoy to international organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov pointed out that from September 23 to November 12, the Russian servicemen suppressed 556 drones near the plant and Energodar

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

Russia’s Battlegroup South inflicted roughly 380 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed a British-made howitzer and four US-made artillery guns in its area of responsibility over the past day

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

Top stories from the Russian press on Tuesday, November 19th

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

Kiev has not accepted the legitimate results of the 2014 referendum, in which the people of Crimea and Sevastopol voted to become part of Russia, and is displeased by the operation of the Crimean Bridge, which connects the Kerch Strait with the Krasnodar Region

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

"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

The likelihood of a direct armed conflict with NATO is increasing because some individuals in the alliance are ready to raise the stakes ahead of Trump’s inauguration, Andrey Bystritsky emphasized

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

During the night, air defenses intercepted and destroyed two Ukrainian UAVs in the skies over the Rostov and Volgograd regions

According to Sumantra Maitra, Washington’s move will not improve Kiev’s situation

Russian air defenses repulsed all attacks, the Russian president said

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

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

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"

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

According to the report, the Ukrainian military has sufficient launchers that are capable of firing them

Sergey Naryshkin observed that the military and political elites in the West are increasingly recognizing the gravity of Russia's intentions and the need for greater caution in their actions

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"

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

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

"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

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

Nikolay Patrushev agreed that Trump, when he was still a candidate, "made many statements critical of the destructive foreign and domestic policies pursued by the current administration"

According to Yevgeny Lisnyak, the special services threaten people with criminal charges of collaborationism if they refuse to join the unit

Tit-for-tat measures will be implemented after receiving information about unfriendly actions of Western countries, Anton Siluanov noted

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"

"This will make it possible for them to be more independent in oil supplies and significantly increase volumes of oil delivered to the territory of Serbia for internal consumption," Vice President Vladimir Kalanda said

Top stories from the Russian press on Wednesday, November 20th

Russian troops have taken new lines and positions northwest of Zolotaryoka as a result of successful operations

According to Oleg Stepanov, since the authorities of the country have long acted, "especially in security matters, according to the rule 'what Uncle Sam says, so Ottawa will do' and don’t blush about this."

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

Daniel Davis also noted that "continuing to ignore reality" would only increase "the ultimate cost of losing" the conflict for Ukraine

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

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

The RS-26 Rubezh missile based on the previous RS24 Yars is expected to be put on combat dutiy in 2015.

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

The head of the financial monitoring and currency control service of the Russian Central Bank was also added to black lists

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

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"

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

Governor Mikhail Razvozhayev said that all emergencies services currently work in the high alert mode

"The new strike targeted districts of Al-Tuhayta, Al-Ghuwarraq and Al-Jabana in the north of the province," the source 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"

According to the document, federal budget revenues are forecast to be 40.296 trillion rubles ($404.8 bln) in 2025, 41.84 trillion rubles ($420.3 bln) in 2026, and 43.154 trillion rubles ($433.5 bln) in 2027

The Belarusian leader noted that they want to go to Warsaw

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

Boris Ruge argued that NATO now has hundreds of thousands of troops that could be deployed to the alliance's eastern flank or elsewhere within ten days

According to Andrey Sushentsov, Biden is under pressure from Washington’s allies and "the hawks" in his government who believe that the US is not providing enough support to Kiev

According to Dmitry Suslov, retaliatory measures may include the handover of more advanced weapons to the forces "that are directly fighting against the US, particularly, in the Middle East"

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"

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

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

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

"The direct line and press conference are being prepared," Dmitry Peskov said

Vladimir Zelensky also talked about the Crimean Peninsula, stating that Kiev is ready to "bring Crimea back diplomatically"

The United States continues to modernize its nuclear triad, Lin Jian noted

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

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

Jeremy Corbyn called for de-escalation of the situationin Ukraine and the search for a diplomatic solution to achieve peace

According to Andreas Kluth, the decision on ATACMS may have been another attempt by the current Washington administration to provide Ukraine with support until the president-elect comes to power

The United States introduced sanctions against Gazprombank earlier today

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

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

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

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

The United States introduced sanctions against Gazprombank earlier today

"It was underscored that Russia has always been committed to its treaty and contractual obligations in the energy sector and is ready for mutually beneficial cooperation if the German side shows interest in this," the statement says

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

The Russian Armed Forces have completed the destruction of a Ukrainian battlegroup blocked in the area of the Olgovskaya wood

According to Vasily Nebenzya, the Security Council should "bring peace, stability and prosperity to the Middle East"

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

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

"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

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

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

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