Should its territory be threatened, Russia will retaliate with “more powerful weapons,” the Duma speaker has said
A “global tragedy” could be in store for humanity if the West keeps supplying weapons to Ukraine, Russia's most senior lawmaker has warned. Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of the State Duma, also suggested that Moscow could retaliate with more powerful arms, should its territory be threatened.
Volodin’s remarks came days after a meeting at US Ramstein air base in Germany at which Western powers pledged to continue supporting Kiev.
On Sunday, Volodin took to Telegram to point out that should the weapons provided by the US and fellow NATO member states be used to “strike civilian cities and to attempt to seize our territories, as they threaten [to do],” Moscow would respond with “more powerful weapons.”
The Russian lawmaker went on to argue that Western officials should be aware of their responsibility to avert such a scenario.
“Taking into consideration the technological superiority of Russian weapons, foreign politicians making such decisions need to understand: this could end up being a global tragedy that would destroy their countries,” Volodin warned.
Western tanks won’t be game changer in Ukraine – KremlinREAD MORE: Western tanks won’t be game changer in Ukraine – Kremlin
The Ukrainian leadership insists on regaining control of all the territories that were within the country's borders established following the collapse of the Soviet Union back in 1991. Kiev says it is prepared to retake those regions by force if Moscow refuses to relinquish them. Crimea became part of Russia following a referendum back in 2014, while four other regions followed suit last year.
On Wednesday, the New York Times, citing several anonymous US officials, reported that the Biden administration is now more likely to consider providing Ukraine with striking capabilities needed to hit targets in Crimea.
Right before the Ramstein meeting on January 20, the US announced a new defense aid package for Ukraine to the tune of $2.5 billion. It includes, among other things, Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles, Stryker armored personnel carriers, mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicles, Humvees, as well as 20,000 rounds of regular artillery rounds and 600 precision-guided 155 mm shells. On top of that, Washington pledged to supply Kiev with more missiles for the HIMARS M142 and MLRS M270 multiple launch rocket systems.
Earlier this month the UK confirmed plans to provide Ukraine with a number of Challenger 2 main battle tanks. However, the Western allies failed to secure an agreement from Germany to send its Leopard 2 tanks to Kiev.
Apart from the American Bradleys and Strykers, Ukraine is set to receive French AMX-10 RC armored fighting vehicles, which some experts describe as ‘light tanks.’ President Emmanuel Macron announced plans to deliver the hardware earlier this month.
Sweden has also promised to make a contribution that will include CB-90 infantry fighting vehicles and Archer self-propelled howitzers.
https://www.rt.com/news/570282-russian-parliament-chair-warns-west/
Accepting the Washington-based lender’s plan would be a “disgrace” for Dakar, the African state’s prime minister has said
Senegal has rejected a debt-restructuring proposal put forward by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The West African country’s prime minister, Ousmane Sonko, said following the plan would amount to a national “disgrace.”
Sonko made the remarks at a rally in the capital, Dakar, on Sunday, days after the Washington-based lender concluded a two-week mission to Senegal without a new financing deal.
Senegal’s public debt has risen to over $11 billion amid the discovery of $7 billion in undeclared loans. The IMF has since frozen a $1.8 billion lending facility to the former French colony, citing misreporting and hidden debt.
Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who came to power in April 2024, has blamed his predecessor, Macky Sall, for the debt crisis.....more here
https://www.rt.com/africa/627581-senegal-rejects-imf-debt-restructuring-proposal/
While Washington dreams of a Golden Dome, Beijing is quietly building one that actually works
When Donald Trump unveiled the Golden Dome in May 2025, he promised nothing less than a revolution in American security – a $175-billion missile defense shield designed to intercept any threat to the United States.
Modeled on Ronald Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative, the new project envisions an integrated network of satellites, next-generation interceptors, radars, and laser weapons extending from the Earth’s surface to outer space. The ambition is clear: complete, preemptive, and absolute protection by 2029.
Yet behind the spectacle of technological grandeur lies a troubling pattern. No concrete system architecture has been presented, and early projections suggest the true cost could triple the official figure. More importantly, the concept of “absolute security” signals an enduring American desire for unipolar dominance – one that undermines, rather than reinforces, global ...
The overthrow of PM Sheikh Hasina in 2024 was funded by USAID and Clinton family money, Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury told RT
The unwillingness of Bangladesh to condemn Russia over the Ukraine conflict was one of the reasons the US wanted to oust Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, former cabinet minister and chief negotiator Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury has said in an interview with RT.
Hasina, who led Bangladesh for 15 years, fled the country in August 2024, following weeks of violent student-led protests which claimed 700 lives, according to some estimates.
Chowdhury, who served as the country’s shipping minister, was at the heart of negotiations between the authorities in Dhaka and demonstrators during the crisis. The country has been led by an interim government since then, which pledged to hold an election in 2026.
Chowdhury told RT in an exclusive interview to be aired on Monday that the uprising was instigated by NGOs linked to the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the ...