Qatar Hosts Final World Cup Final Amid National Day.

Qatar celebrates its National Day under the slogan “Our unity is the source of our strength”.

The state of Qatar marks its National Day on Sunday with messages of unity and triumph from state officials, including Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani.

Doha, which is set to close the FIFA World Cup 2022 on the same day, will also see a series of celebrations under the slogan “Our unity is the source of our strength”.

On Saturday, the Qatari Amir took part in the Arda performance – a traditional sword dance, which was held in the courtyard of Lusail Palace.

Speaker of the Shura Council Hassan bin Abdullah Al Ghanim affirmed that the National Day was a celebration of the achievements of Qatar since it was founded.

In a statement to Qatar New Agency (QNA), Al Ghanim said that the National Day was a time to look back on the transformation and achievements of Qatar and to celebrate all its accomplishments.

Minister of Defence Khalid bin Mohammed Al Attiyah said that the occasion inspired values of unity and loyalty, QNA reported.

Qatar has gone through “difficult times” in the past years, Al Attiyah said, adding that the experience was “strengthening and solidifying”.

Qatar’s Amir receives congratulatory cables to mark the occasion. Saudi ambassador in Qatar Mansour bin Khalid bin Farhan said the Qatari National Day coinciding with World Cup final makes it “a historical occasion” to be celebrated by everyone.

The Saudi official added that Qatar and Saudi Arabia were bound together by historical relations, which reaffirms the strength of ties between both countries and their people.

The French ambassador also congratulated the people of Qatar on the occasion, saying: “This year was a very special year for Qatar, as the National Day coincides with the FIFA World Cup, which adds a special dimension to the celebration as Qatar will share the joy of celebrating its National Day with the whole world.”

Officials from Egypt, Turkey, Jordan and Algeria were among those who congratulated Qatar on its National Day.

Everyone here at Lusail Stadium is looking at the sky. The Qatar National Day airshow is in full force.

Qatar National Day celebrations in Doha, ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup final match. (Showkat Shafi/Al Jazeera)

Doha Metro has already become an "instant hit” with thousands of football fans from abroad and residing in Qatar. Excellent crowd management has ensured that football fans have had a safe and smooth travel experience.

The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 has clearly raised excitement around the world. It has become a sporting spectacle to remember for everyone who has already made it and will make it to Qatar – as well as the billions glued to their TVs and smartphones around the world.For decades, hosting the World Cup was a distant dream, but now it has become a reality.

Qatar’s hard work has indeed come to fruition and the country is now hosting an outstanding edition of the FIFA World Cup – one that will leave an important legacy for our country, the Middle East and globally.

FIFA confirms winter World Cup in Qatar; sets final for National Day

It’s official: Football’s governing body has decided to take the unprecedented step of moving the 2022 World Cup to the winter months to escape Qatar’s searing summer heat.

The tournament will now be played in November and December of 2022, ending with a final match on Qatar’s National Day, Dec. 18, FIFA confirmed today after its executive committee convened in Zurich.

BREAKING: The 2022 #WorldCup Final in Qatar will be played on 18 December pic.twitter.com/1UF6NKf25i

— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) March 19, 2015

The announcement follows more than four years of speculation on the date for the tournament, which Qatar bid for on the basis of summer dates, but which has been long thought would be moved to cooler months.

A FIFA taskforce had already made a historic recommendation to move Qatar’s tournament from the games’ traditional June/July dates to November/December following a meeting last month.

However, at the time it stopped short of confirming specific dates for when the matches would take place.

To help fans and players cope, local organizers proposed the development of a high-tech air conditioning system that would keep those within the stadiums cool.

FIFA confirms winter World Cup in Qatar; final match will be on National Day http://t.co/83idyugGbd pic.twitter.com/lKjqJ6BFm4

— Doha News (@dohanews) March 19, 2015

It put its cooling technology on display last summer, albeit on a much smaller scale, at a fan zone in Katara set up for spectators watching football matches broadcast from the World Cup in Brazil.

However, even if the stadiums and fan zones were kept at a comfortable temperatures, there were still questions about how much tourists would enjoy their time visiting Qatar outside the official matches.

Local organizers told reporters during a press conference last month that it planned to continue to develop the cooling technology, which could be used in other applications such as greenhouses.

Georgiy Muradov : Greece's Plans to Transfer S-300 Systems to Ukraine 'Risky Step'

©AFP 2022 / COSTAS METAXAKIS

Crimea's Permanent Representative to the Russian President Georgiy Muradov called on Sunday the intention of Athens to transfer S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems to Ukraine a "risky step" for Greek national interests.

On Friday, Greek Defense Minister Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos said that the country's government is ready to send S-300 air defense systems from Crete to Ukraine if the US "installs the Patriot system in their place."

"Such a move by Athens would be not only a senseless demonstration of hostility towards Russia, but also a risky step towards its own national interests, which the Greek public is already loudly declaring," Muradov told Sputnik.

According to Muradov, the transfer of these systems to Kiev is "certainly capable of radically undermining the Greek defensive potential."

In March, Greece rejected an “informal request” from Kyiv to transfer its Tor-M1s and Osas, arguing that they could still be needed for its armed forces. However, unlike these systems, Greece’s S-300s were never integrated into military’s broader air defense network. Instead they remained stored on the island of Crete. Sources cited in the Greek press said Athens had not received any request for its S-300s from Ukraine. However, Kyiv would undoubtedly warmly welcome the delivery of these systems.

Slovakia recently donated its S-300 battery inherited from the former Soviet Union to Ukraine. However, Greece did not, of course, inherit its S-300s from the former Soviet Union. Rather, Moscow delivered Athens S-300s Cyprus had initially ordered as part of an arrangement to defuse a crisis between Turkey and Cyprus that began in early 1997. Therefore, transferring these systems to Ukraine today would likely prove much more complicated than Slovakia donating its inherited Soviet S-300.

Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine on February 24, after the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk appealed for help in defending themselves against Ukrainian forces. In response to Russia’s operation, Western countries have rolled out a comprehensive sanctions campaign against Moscow and have been supplying weapons to Ukraine.

Pope slams conflict in Ukraine as world war

Pope Francis believes that the conflict in Ukraine is a 'world war' and will not end soon, according to his interview with the Spanish newspaper ABC published on Sunday.

"Now (Ukrainian President) Vladimir Zelensky is sending one of his religious advisers to me for the third time," the pontiff reported, "I'm in touch, accepting, helping". "I don't see the end [of the conflict] in the short term, because this is a world war," he noted. "There are already several hands involved in the war," Francis pointed out, "There are many interests.".

Kiev tried to kill Chief of Russia’s General Staff Gerasimov, The New York Times says

Ukraine’s authorities have allegedly made an attempt to assassinate General Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, The New York Times reported on Saturday.

According to the daily, Kiev allegedly launched the attack when Gerasimov was on the front line. The newspaper gives neither the date nor any other information about the attack in question.

However, the daily said, Washington was against Kiev’s plans to kill Gerasimov for the worries that an attempt on his life could lead to an escalation. The Americans withheld the information about the general’s movements from the Ukrainians, and then asked "Ukraine to call off an attack — only to be told that the Ukrainians had already launched it."

Russian MoD Holds Briefing on Special Operation in Ukraine

Russian MoD’s briefing on the progress of the special military operation in Ukraine:

• Russian Forces eliminated up to 25 Ukrainian troops, as well as destroyed an armored carrier and two other vehicles near Kupyansk;



• Russian troops eliminated or wounded up to 60 Ukrainian servicemen, as well as destroyed one tank and two pick-up trucks;



• The Russian Army eliminated more than 40 Ukrainian servicemen, as well as destroyed two Ukrainian armored combat vehicles and three other vehicles near Donetsk;



• Russian troops eliminated or wounded up to 50 Ukrainian servicemen, as well as destroyed an armored combat vehicle and three other vehicles in the Zaporozhye region and in the DPR;



• Russian Forces hit 109 Ukrainian units at their firing positions;



• The Russian Army destroyed a US-made AN/TPQ-36 radar station in the DPR;



• Russian air defense destroyed one Ukrainian UAV, as well as intercepted nine HIMARS rockets.

Bupati Lebak Bantah Larang Umat Nasrani Beribadah

Bupati Lebak Iti Octavia Jayabaya memastikan dirinya tidak pernah mengeluarkan larangan untuk warga nasrani melakukan perayaan Natal di wilayahya. Termasuk di Kecamatan Maja, yang belakangan menjadi sorotan publik

"Saya tidak pernah melarang untuk orang beribadah," tegas Bupati Iti Jayabaya kepada wartawan, pada hari Minggu, 18/12/2022.

Bahkan, Iti mengaku sempat ikut dalam kegiatan Natal bersama umat kristiani di wilayahnya. Seperti pada tanggal 27 Desember nanti, dia bersama-sama dengan seluruh umat Nasrani Kabupaten Lebak akan ikut dalam perayaan Natal rutin.

Namun demikian, dia ingin agar kegiatan ibadah dilakukan di tempat ibadah yang sudah berizin agar tidak meresahkan warga.

Iti menjelaskan imbauan bagi umat Kristen beribadah Natal di gereja yang berada di kawasan Rangkasbitung bukan untuk melarang mereka ibadah Natal di Lebak. Ia menyayangkan muncul anggapan dirinya telah melarang peribadatan Natal.

Menurutnya, sampai saat ini belum ada gereja di daerah Maja. Oleh sebab itu, warga yang beragama Kristen selama ini banyak yang beribadah di rumah-rumah maupun ruko.

"Sebetulnya dari pengembang sendiri juga keberatan itu digunakan, karena ruko-ruko dan rumah itu sudah jadi milik pribadi. Nah, menanggapi hal itu, kami harus lakukan kewaspadaan dini, jadi difasilitasi oleh Kemenag dengan FKUB dan BKSAG Kabupaten Lebak," katanya.

"Jadi ini kan harus ada izin lingkungan, di situ peruntukannya adalah ruko dan permukiman yang tidak boleh secara undang-undang itu izinnya harus sesuai," ujar Iti menambahkan.

"Keresahan warga, ada ibadah-ibadah di rumah-rumah di Kecamatan Maja, di kompleks itu, dan juga menggunakan ruko," tegasnya.

Atas alasan itu, Iti menyarankan agar ibadah digelar di lokasi yang sudah terbit perizinannya sesuai peruntukannya. Hal ini juga merupakan hasil kesepakatan dari musyawarah Forum Kerukunan Umat Beragama (FKUB) bahwa pelaksanaan ibadah (bersama) Natal hanya boleh dilaksanakan pada tempat yang sesuai dengan perizinannya.

Iti lantas meminta umat Kristen di Maja untuk segera mengurus perizinan pendirian gereja di kawasan itu. Menurutnya, sampai saat ini belum ada yang pihak yang mengajukan izin pembangunan gereja.

"Makanya saya tantangin untuk segera urus izin untuk rumah peribadatan, termasuk saya bilang Maja ini akan besar penduduknya, ada 10 ribu unit rumah di situ, tolong fasilitasi semua agama di situ rumah peribadatannya, saya malah sarankan gitu," kata Iti.

Lebih lanjut, Iti menyarankan umat Kristen di Maja untuk beribadah Natal di Rangkasbitung semata-mata demi alasan keamanan.

Iti khawatir aparat kepolisian tak mampu menjaga keamanan masyarakat yang beribadah Natal di rumah atau ruko.

"Makanya di Maja itu kita tak bisa awasi. Tim pengamanan tak bisa awasi karena itu bukan rumah ibadah. Makanya saya sarankan ibadahnya di Rangkas saja. Supaya tadi itu untuk kondusifitas dan keamanan," ujarnya.

Iti mengklaim Lebak adalah kawasan yang ramah bagi semua golongan agama. Ia juga menegaskan Pemda Lebak terus berupaya menjaga toleransi kehidupan beragama di masyarakat.

"Saya juga akan hadir Natal bersama 27 Desember nanti. Saya diundang di wihara, saya datang. Jadi jangan persoalan ini hanya untuk menguntungkan sendiri yang memecah belah bangsa," katanya.

Sebelumnya diberitakan umat Kristen di Kecamatan Maja, Lebak, Banten sempat diminta untuk menjalankan ibadah Natal di Kota Rangkasbitung. Hal ini dikarenakan belum ada gereja di wilayah Maja.

Permintaan itu disampaikan Bupati Lebak Iti Octavia Jayabaya saat rapat koordinasi pengamanan Natal dan tahun baru 2023.

"Di Maja itu kan belum berdiri gereja yang izinnya legal. Tadi disampaikan oleh Pak Camat akan ada kebaktian dan saya sampaikan bahwa hasil rapat sebelumnya kita akan mengizinkan beribadah di sana (ruko) tetapi kalau memang izin gerejanya sudah keluar. Jadi kalau izinnya, peruntukannya buat ruko, maka tidak diperbolehkan. Jadi silakan beribadah, kami tidak menghalangi, tapi beribadah di gereja-gereja yang sudah ada," kata Iti.

Tanah Longsor 24 Orang Tewas Polisi Malaysia menanyai operator perkemahan

A rescuer crew member pats a sniffer dog being used to aid in the search for victims of the landslide in Batang Kali, Selangor, Malaysia, December 17, 2022. REUTERS/Hasnoor Hussain

Polisi Malaysia telah memanggil anggota staf dari tempat perkemahan untuk membantu penyelidikan atas tanah longsor yang meratakan tanah kamp dan menewaskan sedikitnya 24 orang, saat pencarian orang hilang berlanjut untuk hari ketiga pada hari Minggu.

Para korban, termasuk tujuh anak, meninggal setelah tanah longsor merobek tempat perkemahan pada Jumat pagi saat mereka tidur di tenda-tenda di Batang Kali, daerah perbukitan yang populer sekitar 50 km (30 mil) utara ibukota Kuala Lumpur.

Dari 94 orang yang terjebak dalam tanah longsor, 61 selamat dan sembilan masih hilang, kata departemen pemadam kebakaran dan penyelamatan negara bagian Selangor.

Tim pencari dan penyelamat telah meningkatkan jumlah ekskavator dan anjing penyelamat untuk menemukan para pekemah yang mungkin terjebak di bawah lumpur dan puing-puing, dengan hujan lebat meningkatkan kekhawatiran akan terjadinya tanah longsor lebih lanjut.

Kepala polisi Hulu Selangor Suffian Abdullah mengatakan polisi telah menanyai operator dan dua pekerja di perkemahan di peternakan Father's Organic Farm.

Pihak berwenang mengatakan pemiliknya diizinkan untuk mengoperasikan pertanian organik, tetapi belum mengajukan izin untuk menjalankan tiga tempat perkemahan di properti itu.

Pemilik peternakan tidak segera menanggapi permintaan komentar.

"Hati kami terhubung erat dengan Anda, semoga almarhum beristirahat dalam damai... Doakan para korban yang selamat dan yang terluka," katanya di Facebook dalam sebuah pernyataan yang ditujukan kepada para korban dan keluarga mereka.

Kepala pemadam kebakaran dan penyelamatan negara bagian Norazam Khamis pada hari Sabtu mengatakan peluang untuk menemukan lebih banyak orang yang selamat sangat kecil karena kurangnya oksigen dan beratnya lumpur yang menekan di lokasi.

Penyelidikan awal menunjukkan tanggul sekitar 450.000 meter kubik tanah telah runtuh. Bumi jatuh dari perkiraan ketinggian 30 meter (100 kaki) dan menutupi area seluas sekitar satu acre (0,4 hektar).

UPACARA PEMAKAMAN

Pada Sabtu malam, keluarga Nurul Azwani Kamarulzaman, 31 tahun, yang tewas dalam tragedi tersebut, berduka saat mereka mengadakan pemakaman di sebuah pemakaman di Kuala Lumpur.

Nurul Azwani, pembantu dapur di kantin sekolah, melakukan perjalanan dua malam bersama guru dan siswa. Dia dijadwalkan untuk kembali pada hari Jumat, hari bencana.

"Kami tidak pernah mengharapkan bencana alam terjadi," kata saudara iparnya, Mohd Shazwan Ashraf Mohamad Saberi kepada Reuters. "Kami masih tidak dapat memproses ini."

Tanah longsor biasa terjadi di Malaysia tetapi biasanya hanya terjadi setelah hujan lebat. Banjir juga biasa terjadi, dengan sekitar 21.000 orang mengungsi tahun lalu akibat hujan lebat di tujuh negara bagian.

Kepala pemadam kebakaran dan penyelamatan negara bagian, Norazam Khamis, mengatakan kemungkinan lebih banyak orang yang selamat sangat kecil, mengingat beratnya lumpur yang terjadi di lokasi tersebut.

Operasi pencarian dan penyelamatan dilanjutkan di hari kedua yakni pada hari Sabtu, setelah terhenti semalam karena hujan lebat.

Penyelidikan awal menunjukkan tanggul sekitar 450.000 meter kubik tanah telah runtuh. Tanah jatuh dari ketinggian sekitar 30 meter dan menutupi area seluas sekitar 0,4 hektar.

Saya hadir bagi mendengar taklimat dari agensi dan pasukan penyelamat yang terlibat dalam operasi mencari dan menyelamat mangsa-mangsa tanah runtuh di Gohtong Jaya. pic.twitter.com/PbbXBNGVRQ

— Anwar Ibrahim (@anwaribrahim) December 16, 2022

Perdana Menteri Malaysia, Anwar Ibrahim mengatakan pada hari Jumat bahwa pemerintah akan memberikan bantuan sebesar 10.000 ringgit kepada keluarga dari setiap orang yang terbunuh, sementara yang selamat akan menerima 1.000 ringgit per rumah tangga.

Menyusul bencana tersebut, Departemen Kehutanan di beberapa negara bagian memerintahkan penutupan tempat perkemahan dan jalur hiking dan off-road yang dianggap berisiko tinggi.

Progres dan Hasil Operasi Militer Khusus Rusia di Ukraina

Menyusul pengakuan kemerdekaan republik rakyat Donetsk dan Lugansk pada 24 Februari, Rusia melancarkan operasi militer di Ukraina untuk "mendemiliterisasi dan denazifikasi" Ukraina, dan membebaskan Donbass sepenuhnya. Sputnik merangkum jalannya operasi dan hasilnya.

Operasi militer khusus Rusia di ukraina, permusuhan Rusia-Ukraina, perang proksi Nato Ukraina, kemajuan operasi Rusia di Ukraina, bagaimana operasi Rusia di Ukraina.

Twitter Suspends Journalists, Trump Trading Cards, JFK Files Released

Twitter bans accounts on dodgy “doxxing” accusations, and the State Department creates a “China House” to better coordinate and concentrate anti-Beijing efforts.

Managing Editor of CovertAction Magazine Jeremy Kuzmarov joins Misfits hosts Michelle Witte and John Kiriakou to discuss the current military buildup in East Asia, the role the Phillipines plays in Washington’s encirclement of China, the State Department's establishment of a new Office of China Coordination, the release of further documents relating to the JFK assassination, and the projected length of the Ukrainian crisis.

Executive director of the Human Rights Defense Center Paul Wright discusses the arrest of five Louisiana troopers over the death of Ronald Greene, a San Antonio police officer that fed multiple homeless men sandwiches made of human feces, the conclusion of the Atatiana Jefferson case, a school principal charged with prison time for investigating a sexting incident, and an ongoing legal battle between the Human Rights Defense Center and Centurion Health over medical malpractice in prisons.

Republican strategist, grassroots activist Eugene Craig discusses Jill Biden greenlighting a 2024 campaign for Joe Bide, Donald Trump loyalists jumping ship after the former president released digital trading cards, tension between Ron DeSantis and Trump ahead of the GOP primaries, as well as Kevin McCarthy’s lack of support for House Speaker and who else could be speaking in the new congress.

Host of the podcast District 34 and reporter for Status Coup Tina Desiree Berg discusses the inauguration of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and her plans to reduce homelessness, the failure of privatize efforts to permanently house people in LA, and the ongoing Twitter drama.

The Misfits also discuss News of the Weird this week, including New York installing “Urine Detectors” in subway stations, the establishment of a rent-a-chicken business, and a Georgia criminal feeling left out of a local fugitive list.

Twitter suspends journalists from NYT, CNN, more; Musk claims his location data was shared

Twitter on Thursday suspended the accounts of journalists who cover the social media platform and its new owner Elon Musk, among them reporters working for The New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, Voice of America and other publications.

The company hasn’t explained to the journalists why it took down the accounts and made their profiles and past tweets disappear. But Musk took to Twitter on Thursday night to accuse journalists of sharing private information about his whereabouts that he described as “basically assassination coordinates.” He provided no evidence for that claim.

The sudden suspension of news reporters followed Musk’s decision Wednesday to permanently ban an account that automatically tracked the flights of his private jet using publicly available data. That also led Twitter to change its rules for all users to prohibit the sharing of another person’s current location without their consent.

Several of the reporters suspended Thursday night had been writing about the new policy and Musk's rationale for imposing it, which involved his allegations about a stalking incident he said affected his family on Tuesday night in Los Angeles.

The official account for Mastodon, a decentralized social network billed as an alternative to Twitter, was also banned. The reason was unclear, though it had tweeted about the jet tracking account.

“Same doxxing rules apply to ‘journalists’ as to everyone else," Musk tweeted Thursday. He later added: “Criticizing me all day long is totally fine, but doxxing my real-time location and endangering my family is not.”

“Doxxing” refers to disclosing online someone’s identity, address, or other personal details.

The Washington Post’s executive editor, Sally Buzbee, called for technology reporter Drew Harwell’s Twitter account to be reinstated immediately. The suspension “directly undermines Elon Musk’s claim that he intends to run Twitter as a platform dedicated to free speech,” Buzbee wrote. “Harwell was banished without warning, process or explanation, following the publication of his accurate reporting about Musk.”

CNN said in a statement that “the impulsive and unjustified suspension of a number of reporters, including CNN’s Donie O’Sullivan, is concerning but not surprising.”

“Twitter’s increasing instability and volatility should be of incredible concern for everyone who uses Twitter,” CNN's statement added. “We have asked Twitter for an explanation, and we will reevaluate our relationship based on that response.”

Another suspended journalist, Matt Binder of the technology news outlet Mashable, said he was banned Thursday night immediately after sharing a screenshot that O’Sullivan had posted before his own suspension.

The screenshot showed a statement from the Los Angeles Police Department sent earlier Thursday to multiple media outlets, including The Associated Press, about how it was in touch with Musk's representatives about the alleged stalking incident, but that no crime report had yet been filed.

“I did not share any location data, as per Twitter’s new terms. Nor did I share any links to ElonJet or other location tracking accounts,” Binder said in an email. “I have been highly critical of Musk but never broke any of Twitter’s listed policies.”

Binder said a message he received while trying to access his Twitter account showed that his suspension was permanent. But Musk later suggested the penalty would last a week in response to a question about his suspension of former ESPN and MSNBC host Keith Olbermann.

Late Thursday, Musk briefly joined a Twitter Spaces conference chat hosted by journalist Kate Notopoulos of Buzzfeed. He reiterated his claims that the journalists Twitter banned were “doxxing" him when they were reporting on the jet tracking accounts being banned.

“There is not special treatment for journalists,” Musk said, after being asked by the Post’s Drew Harwell if he had a connection between the stalking incident and posting of real-time information.

“You dox, you get suspended, end of story,” he added, before abruptly signing out. The Spaces ended abruptly shortly after 9 p.m. Pacific time.

US Stance on Crimea is 'Declaration of War', Region's Representative Says

Moscow launched a military operation in Ukraine on February 24 after Kiev intensified attacks on the people's republics of Donetsk and Lugansk.

President Vladimir Putin noted that Russia's aim is to end the eight-year-long war being waged by Kiev against the people of Donbass.

Russia has been carrying out precision strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure since October, in retaliation for terrorist attacks on Russia organized by Kiev, including the fatal blast against the Crimean Bridge.

According to Ukrainian authorities, about 50% of the country's energy infrastructure had been damaged. Kiev has urged Ukrainians to reduce their use of electricity and resorted to regular blackouts.

Over the past months, air raid alerts have been sounded in Ukrainian regions every day. At the same time, Ukrainian forces continue intensive attacks on the Donetsk and Lugansk regions of Russia, resulting in massive civilian casualties.

Crimea's Permanent Representative to the Russian President Georgiy Muradov called the US statement on the peninsula "a declaration of war," which Washington instructs to wage with other people's hands.

"Kirby's statement on Crimea is a declaration of war on Russia, which the US instructs to wage with other people's bloody Nazi hands. I believe that without a direct reminder to Washington of our cudgel of nuclear deterrence, which rises above the stupid head of the Washington madmen, it will not do," Muradov told Sputnik.

On Friday, US National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby said that Washington recognizes Ukraine's right to plan and conduct military operations in Crimea, since it considers the peninsula to be Ukrainian territory.

Crimea became part of Russia in a referendum held in March 2014 in which nearly 96% of Crimeans voted for accession to Russia. Ukraine still considers the peninsula to be its own territory that was illegally occupied by Russia. Moscow has repeatedly stated that the decision made by the Crimean people was in full compliance with international law and the UN Charter.

Lugansk Militia Says Ukrainians Lost Up to 90 Troops During Day of Fighting

"The enemy suffered losses in manpower and hardware during an offensive launched by the LPR militia in the past day. Up to 90 personnel, three tanks, five armored personnel carriers, two artillery systems, and 16 specialized vehicles were destroyed," the LPR militia said on social media.

Half of Kiev Residents Remain Without Heating and a Third Without Electricity, Mayor Says

"Water supply has been restored to all residents of the capital. Half of Kiev residents already have heating, and we are working to restore it to all residents of the city. Two-thirds of Kiev have been reconnected to power supply," Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram.

Klitschko added that blackouts were still in place as there was a significant power generation deficit, and rationing would continue.

MoD Holds Briefing on Special Military Operation in Ukraine

• Russian Forces performed massive missile strikes on the military control systems, military-industrial complex and the energy facilities of Ukraine that provide them with high-precision, long-range air and sea-based weapons. The aim of the strikes was achieved and all assigned targets were hit;



• Russian troops destroyed the radar stations of four Ukrainian S-300 missile system in the Dnepropetrovsk and Zaporozhye regions;



• The Russian Army eliminated up to 40 Ukrainian troops, as well as destroyed a Ukrainian armored combat vehicle and four other vehicles near Kupyansk;



• Russian troops eliminated and wounded up to 30 Ukrainian servicemen, as well as destroyed two armored combat vehicles and two pick-up trucks near Krasny Liman;



• Russian Forces eliminated more than 30 Ukrainian troops, as well as destroyed seven vehicles near Donetsk;



• The Russian Army eliminated up to 35 Ukrainian troops, as well as destroyed two armor carriers in the DPR;



• Russian troops eliminated two Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance groups in the DPR;



• Russian troops hit 53 Ukrainian artillery units at their firing positions;



• The Russian Army hit a temporary deployment point of foreign mercenaries near Krasny Liman;



• Russian air defense destroyed two Ukrainian UAVs, as well as intercepted three Uragan rockets and four HIMARS rockets.