Russian President Vladimir Putin said: “Alexander Ivanovich, I know that the Investigative Committee has been, for more than a day, investigating the event that happened early yesterday morning on the Crimean Bridge. There is already preliminary data from the investigation, and I would ask you to report on the results.”

Alexander Bastrykin, Chairman of Russia’s Investigative Committee, said: “Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich, our investigation team of the Main Investigation Department, experts, and forensic experts arrived at the scene of the incident very quickly. Together with specialists from the explosions department, forensic experts, examined the scene in detail, and made preliminary, reasonable conclusions. We opened a case under the second part of Article 205 ‘Terrorism,’ and this is confirmed by the data from the initial stage of the investigation.”

He continued, “With the help of FSB operational officers, it was possible to identify suspects from those who could prepare a terrorist attack…we continue to carry out expert research to clarify the goals and objectives of this attack. It is an act of terrorism. All our data from the initial stage of the investigation today brought us to the unambiguous conclusion that this is a terrorist attack, which was prepared by the Ukrainian special services…. Citizens of Russia and foreign countries helped them in preparing this terrorist attack.”

An explosion on the Crimean bridge thundered early Saturday morning. A truck filled with explosives blew up. The bomb was powered with several tons of TNT. The terrorists waited until a freight train carrying fuel was driving along the bridge. Clearly, the aim was to destroy the bridge, but it survived. The bridge was designed to withstand an earthquake with a magnitude of 9.0.

Russian Investigative Committee spokesperson Svetlana Petrenko said: “The bodies of a dead man and woman were raised from the water, their identities are being established. In addition, the investigators of the investigative committee confirmed information about the truck and its owner. This is a resident of the Krasnodar Territory and investigations are being carried out at their residence.”

According to the FSB [Russia’s Federal Security Service] over the past week, 32 settlements in the Bryansk, Kursk and Belgorod regions have been attacked more than 100 times with multiple launch rocket systems, cannon artillery, mortars and drones. One person died and five were injured, including a child. Two electrical substations, 11 residential buildings and two administrative buildings were destroyed. Eight checkpoints across the state border were damaged.

This week, by decree, Zelensky approved the decision of the Ukrainian Security Council to refuse negotiations with Vladimir Putin. Zelensky is appealing to the West. Only on Wednesday, U.S. President Joe Biden gave Kyiv a new arms package, taking another step in moving his country towards conflict. 

Look how the Kyivites have attacked the richest man on the planet on social networks over a couple of Tweets. The fact that an American businessman of his level put forward a plan to resolve the situation in Ukraine means people should give it some serious thought. Musk tweeted: “Redo elections of annexed regions under UN supervision. Russia leaves if that is the will of the people. Crimea formally part of Russia, as it has been since 1783 (until Khrushchev’s mistake). Water supply to Crimea is assured. Ukraine remains neutral.” 

A Ukrainian diplomat responded, “F**k off is my very diplomatic reply to you.” [Kyiv-based English language news outlet] the Kyiv Post tweeted, “The Elon Musk situation is clearly getting out of hand, and it seems like pride and vanity play a behemoth role in his attempt to pose as an expert on Ukraine. Just stop, Elon. It’s ok to admit that you overdid smth. Just stop.” Musk replied, tweeting, “I’m a big fan of Ukraine, but not of WW3.”

It is obvious that no one is a fan of a nuclear apocalypse. But how are we supposed to view the Ukrainian president’s statement? Zelensky said: “What must NATO do? Make it impossible for Russia to use nuclear weapons. The important thing is that I am addressing the international community. As it was before the 24th – use preventative strikes, so that they will know what will happen to them, if they use them, and not to wait for nuclear strikes by Russia.”

[The segment features a clip of Tucker Carlson on Fox news, saying:] “Now, if Russia even thinks about it — that means before Russia launches missiles — the United States should launch missiles on Russia. The Ukrainian government is calling for an immediate nuclear attack on Russia, which will undoubtedly lead to the destruction of New York, Washington, Los Angeles. The deaths of tens of millions of Americans.”

This is just one section of a frontline that stretches for thousands of kilometers. In all directions, Kherson, Zaporizhia, Donetsk, and Artemivsk, there is incessant shelling and attempts by Ukrainian troops to break through, regardless of losses or of our powerful response, which continues with all our forces and means.

Yesterday, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu appointed the commander of the troops in the area of ​​the special operation. He is General of the Army, Hero of Russia, Alexander Surovikin, who was previously Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces. Previously, he led our forces in Syria, and managed to organize the defeat of terrorist groups there. But let’s get back to tactics in the special operation zone, where there are offensives and mobile defense.

Military expert and editor of the magazine Arsenal of the Fatherland, Alexei Leonkiv, said:

“On the Northern front of the line of contact, the enemy is trying to concentrate its forces, in order to build on the technical success they achieved earlier. The Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation, and those units that аre supporting the front lines, have been notified of this, and for several days have been preparing the lines of defense. Engineering equipment has been working at the front lines in order to prevent any repetition of the previous technical success, and to bleed dry the units that the enemy has gathered in the Northern direction. Currently, we are observing some calm on the frontlines, however a sabotage reconnaissance group is actively working, as are the enemy battalion-tactical groups which are supposed to carry out the breakthrough. Mobile units are looking for gaps on the line of contact, in order to break these and enter the operational space.

The will of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, and Kherson and Zaporozhye regions to go into the future as part of Russia on Thursday is now in the Constitution.

The text of the Constitution has been published, and now includes these regions as subjects of the Federation. The number of subjects is now 89. Prior to this, all the necessary documents were ratified by the State Duma, approved by the Federation Council and signed by Vladimir Putin, thus completing a complex process; the only correct and legal process.

By a separate decree, the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant, the largest in Europe, was transferred to Russian control. The area of ​​the nuclear power plant and the satellite city of Energodar is still being shelled by Ukrainian forces, despite the fact that observers from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) are working there. Ensuring the safety of the station is now our direct responsibility, as is ensuring the security of the new territories, where people made their historical, momentous choice. 

The Russian Public Opinion Research Center polled a thousand residents in the four regions last week. Everywhere, the absolute majority of people considers the referendums on joining Russia, which were held from September 23 to 27, to be fair. Their results are not being doubted, the Russian President stressed in a conversation with a teacher from the city of Makeevka in the Donetsk People’s Republic.

A history and social studies teacher at school No. 83 in Makeevka, said: “Russia is the only country to have helped us all this time, and was not afraid to step in when we were afraid for our lives. Today our schools are open, children are studying with new textbooks. Regarding the results of the referendum, I saw that I am not alone, we are together, there are many of us, and I am sure that we will withstand and no one will deprive us of our common history.”

Our people need reliable protection; partial mobilization. Those drafted into the armed forces undergo training at training grounds throughout the country. 

They remember the equipment they once served with, and master new types of weapons. As the army says, they coordinate with those already performing tasks on the front line. They have temporarily changed professions, from civilians to soldiers.

But even during this period, households should not face problems. This is taken care of on a local level; draftees are personally reporting any problems to local authorities, in some cases directly to regional governors.

Aleksei Dyumin, Governor of Tula Oblast, spoke to draftees, saying: “Throughout time, men have always protected their families, protected their homes, and remained true to their promises and to their people. We are going to do everything so that you don’t lack for anything. It’s necessary to understand: your relatives and friends, we will do everything so that all domestic issues are under control, and we will help and provide for each individual family of every guy, every real man, who fulfills his military duties, who is true to his people, and to his country.”

A new price cap for oil, by which the Old World expects to achieve political gains, is, of course, not the only item in the sanctions package…The EU “black list” includes seven legal entities and 30 individuals. Among them are musicians Oleg Gazmanov, Nikolai Rastorguev and Yulia Chicherina, head of the Central Election Commission Ella Pamfilova and philosopher Alexander Dugin.

As for the economic component, the next anti-Russian sanctions package, as shown by previous ones, does not bode well for Europe itself.

[The segment features footage from an alleged anti-sanctions protest held in Germany.]

Correspondent Ivan Blagoy reports: “It was in these conditions that the eighth packet of anti-Russian sanctions came into force. In Germany, protests continue; people are scared of price increases and do not want a confrontation with Russia. This is what participants told me at the protest in the center of Berlin, where more than 10,000 people were brought together by the opposition party, Alternative For Germany. A protester said: “We need to think about our own country. Anti-Russian sanctions are harming us.”

Anti-government protests are taking place not just in Germany; on Saturday, dissatisfied citizens once again took to the streets in Prague. One protester said: “They should limit prices on energy carriers and on food products; this is unbearable. We can’t continue like this.”

[The segment features footage and interviews from similar protests in Greece. It also features an article by Le Monde, which states:] “The impact of sanctions on the Russian economy turned out more limited than expected. Restrictions imposed as early as 2014 had transformed the economy, strengthening its autonomy in certain sectors and triggering the development of trade partners outside the spheres of Europe and America.”