1/5 Ex-US intel officer Scott Ritter: “when we talk about Israel's defence, Israel cannot defend itself. There has been proof of that: Iranian missiles hit Israeli bases. What we also have to understand is the amount of money spent to defend Israel against drones & cruise missile 2/5 “It’s billions of dollars. This is an unrepeatable event. How many days in a row will Israel and its allies be able to use high-tech, multi-billion dollar missile defenses?… The answer is three or five days.

1/5 Russia’s Security Council Deputy Chairman & former president Dmitry Medvedev on Crocus City Hall attack: “despite the multiple references to their belonging to ISIS, these scum are by no means religious fanatics who are ready to die for their faith. 2/5 “They did not show any external or internal attributes. They are primitive assassins hired for relatively little money and trained to shoot. Just animals, human scum… the true organizers are still hiding in the shadow of ISIS…

1/4 Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs: “Traces” of all terrorist attacks in recent times “lead to Ukraine… In this regard, Russian Foreign Ministry handed over to Ukrainian authorities
mid.ru/ru/foreign_pol… 2/4 “the requirements under the International Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings and the International Convention for Suppression of Financing of Terrorism on the immediate arrest and extradition of all persons involved in these terrorist attacks.

1/5 Sergey Lavrov to Tass: “All the statements by … Macron over the past few years — and he periodically revived them in the media space about creating some kind of strategic autonomy — all this turned out to be nothing. No one is thinking about this now. 2/5 Now, Macron insists that it is still possible that they will send ground troops to Ukraine, but this is no longer about strategic autonomy, but about how to please the US, and at the same time provoke allies in the North Atlantic Alliance itself…

1/4 Russian Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya at the Security Council: “You are starting to get cold feet, tossing and turning as your attempts to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia or at least weaken it have failed to produce the desired result. 2/4 “Do you realize that by using irresponsible rhetoric, you are raising the stakes and creating the risk that the conflict will enter a new acute and unpredictable phase?

1/4 Putin addressing top officials of FSB: “I would like to note at this point that at one time the West actively used various cross-border radical and terrorist groups and, in part, encouraged their aggression against Russia… I would also like to recall... 2/4 “…the recent provocative statements by a number of official Western structures regarding potential terrorist attacks in Russia. All these actions resemble outright blackmail and the intention to intimidate and destabilise our society.

1/4 Ravages of capitalism! Wall Street on the prowl in the killing fields of Ukraine mopping up business out of Ukrainian blood! FM Lavrov’s shocking disclosure at UN Security Council: 2/4 “US Secretary of State Blinken focuses attention on continuation of aid to Ukraine being the guarantee of creating new jobs in the United States, like a certain profitable business project is meant and not the war that already claimed hundreds of thousands of lives...

1/5 Russian MFA: “On January 19, French Ambassador P. Levy was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry, who was presented with the facts about Paris' increasing involvement in the conflict over Ukraine. 2/5 “As a result of a high-precision strike by Russian forces on the temporary deployment point of foreign fighters in Kharkov on Jan. 16, a group of French mercenaries was destroyed… about 60 militants killed and 20 injured. Most of them were French citizens.

1/5 MUST READ... Thomas Friedman: “U.S. is working on a two-stage process… first stage would be a short-term cease-fire in Gaza that would bring about return of all 100-plus Israeli hostages held by Hamas in return for Hamas securing Palestinian prisoners
nytimes.com/2024/01/19/opi… 2/5 “while allowing for emergence of local Palestinians to assume administrative governing functions there… as Israeli troops moved out — with the promise of eventual Palestinian control — some kind an Arab multinational force would be prepared to move in…

1/4 A kick in the butt of the government? We are wallowing in a world of illusions created by our self-serving talk about being Vishwa guru and all that bunkum. theprint.in/world/maldives… 2/4 We are being taught a bitter lesson by a tiny island of half a million people about the hidden charms of a multipolar world! Sad part is, there are no takers in our neighbourhood for our passion for QUAD and US-led maritime strategy in the Indian Ocean.

1/7 Belarus' Lukashenko to western media: “The situation should change by autumn and we will start talking at the negotiating table. Possibly. Maybe not in September but slightly later than that. I don't want to reveal this information but Europeans are already talking about it. 2/7 “France. Germany. Europeans stand to lose the most from this war in material terms. And essentially one country benefits from it. Nobody should be surprised that the powerful and strong Russia is ready for negotiations with Ukraine. Well, Russia doesn't want people to die.

1/4 Ex-US intelligence officer and UN weapons inspector Scott Ritter after return from recent visit to Russia: “Russia recently launched the first of several radar surveillance satellites that have a resolution of up to one meter, which means it can see everything." 2/4 “It can see through clouds, it can see through rain. It can see through everything. High resolution radar, and they are seeing everything right now. You can't hide anything from the Russians anymore.

1/4 Larry Johnson, former CIA analyst & American blogger: “Let us start with some facts. Zelensky called Xi, not the other way around. And Zelensky reportedly did this without consulting Washington, which left the Biden foreign policy team fuming.... 2/4 "More telling is that Xi did the conversation with a Russian translator. Got it? China supposedly couldn’t find a single Chinese linguist who spoke Ukrainian. Are you buying that? I'm not. China, a nation skilled at diplomacy...

1/4 US’ lobbyists among Indian elites combined with entrenched Sinophobes in Delhi to inflict incalculable damage to India’s long term interests by undermining its prioritisation of development in foreign policies, by shutting out Chinese investments. Himalayan Blunder? 2/4 Lula lands in Beijing on 5-day visit! Lula opts for Huawei’s 5G technology; BYD to make electric cars in Brazil (at former Ford factory). scmp.com/news/world/ame…

1/7 Putin: “Even out of the context of these events, this statement (about possible supply of depleted uranium shells by the UK to Ukraine), Alexander Grigorievich Lukashenko has long raised the issue of deploying Russian tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus. 2/7 “There is nothing unusual about this. The United States has been doing this for decades. They placed their tactical nuclear weapons on the territories of their allied countries, NATO countries, in Europe a long time ago.

1/4 On depleted uranium rounds supplied by Western powers to Ukraine, Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev: “I think that at the moment, it’s upto the people who still remain in the state of Ukraine to ponder whether they want such weapons to be used. 2/4 “It is them who're opening a Pandora’s box…There have been no final assessments & no ban on those weapons. But long-term consequences may be very severe, because people of Serbia, residents of former Yugoslavia, are now reporting significant increase in cancerous diseases.

1/8 On US Sen Lindsey Graham’s threats to shoot down Russian planes approaching US aircraft in international airspace, Amb. Anatoly Antonov: "Some lawmakers’ calls go far beyond common sense. The Russian MOD explained in detail the reasons & course of actions of Russian pilots… 2/8 “I repeat… Our fighters did not come into contact with the American UAV. Russia did everything possible to prevent this kind of incident; it informed international community in good time about boundaries of temporary airspace regime established for special military operation

1/4 Xi Jinping visit to Moscow likely next week… Russian FM Lavrov: “The Anglo-Saxon world is making a serious bid to engage in a confrontation for years to come by establishing AUKUS-like blocs and promoting NATO’s military infrastructure in Asia. 2/4 “For I cannot imagine the great Asian civilisations snapping a salute, as the European Union unfortunately did, and carrying out the plans of Washington and its Anglo-Saxon allies. We are not trying to prevent anyone from pursuing their legitimate interests.

1/6 Russian FM Lavrov in TV interview: “We proceed from the fact that the more they (India & China) communicate, the more useful it is for everyone and the better for these two great powers, two great civilisations, and the settlement of all their problems. 2/6 “In the meantime, the West takes a completely opposite position. It pursues directly opposite aims - to set India against China. Our Indian friends understand this very well. They have been telling us frankly that they see these attempts.

1/5 Russian FM Lavrov: “We [Lavrov and Blinken at Delhi during G20] spoke constructively, setting all emotions aside. We shook hands both when we met and when we parted. It was a standard talk. 2/5 “I don't know to what extent this reflects the United States' understanding of how truly strange this situation is, where they have closed off all channels for dialogue, but it has never been a big deal to speak sincerely on the sidelines of a formal event.

1/4 Top Kremlin politician, Chairman of Russian State Duma Committee on International Affairs Leonid Slutsky: “[Saudi-Iran] have achieved a most important agreement to restore diplomatic relations, which I consider to be a fundamental step towards normalisation... 2/4 “This corresponds to the spirit of Russia’s Collective Security Concept for the Persian Gulf Region and it will contribute to settlement of regional conflicts.Russia plans a number of steps in the development of these agreements, including economic ones.