Chinese performers presented a captivating puppet show in the coastal Chilean city of Vina del Mar, as part of the celebrations for the upcoming Chinese Year of the Horse.
Titled "the Charm of the Oriental Puppet," the show was presented on Tuesday by the renowned Rugao Puppet Art Troupe, whose purpose is to preserve and promote one of the oldest and most representative performing arts of China's cultural tradition.
Through music, movement and visual storytelling, the performances recreated a journey that transcend time and space through classic stories, scenes from Chinese opera and pieces full of humor and poetry. The high artistic standard left a strong impression on the audience.
"It was really amazing and wonderful. The rich and splendid performances were truly eye-opening. It was really special," said Lucila Gomez, a spectator.
Vanessa Grondona, director of the Municipal Theater of Vina del Mar, noted the overwhelming enthusiasm from the audience.
"Our theater was completely packed today, with some people even unable to get in. A full house is a testament to the audience's strong interest in Chinese culture," said Grondana.
The event also featured a promotional video for China Media Group (CMG)'s upcoming 2026 Spring Festival Gala, which has sparked anticipation for the cultural spectacle.
"Through today's Spring Festival Gala promotional video, we witnessed the fusion of traditional and modern culture, making Chinese culture more accessible to the people of Chile," said Roberto Lafontaine, director of the Latin America and the Caribbean Regional Office of the Center for Language Education and Cooperation Foundation.
Chinese puppet show staged in Chile in celebration of Year of Horse
Chinese puppet show staged in Chile in celebration of Year of Horse
Russia said on Thursday that it had taken control of another settlement in Ukraine’s Sumy region, while Ukraine, on the same day, reported precision strikes on multiple Russian targets.
Russia's Defense Ministry said in its Thursday report that over the past 24 hours, Russian forces continued striking Ukrainian military positions across multiple fronts.
Russian tactical aviation, attack drones, missile units, and artillery targeted 153 Ukrainian sites, including military-industrial facilities, radar stations, ammunition depots, and temporary deployment points for Ukrainian troops and foreign mercenaries, the ministry said, adding that Russian air defense forces shot down 111 fixed-wing drones.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Thursday reported 117 combat engagements in frontline areas in the past 24 hours.
Ukrainian forces conducted precision strikes against multiple Russian military targets, including one radar system, four drone command centers, and an ammunition depot. Additionally, 955 Russian drones were shot down, it said.
Ukrainian media cited military sources reporting that Ukrainian forces used Patriot air defense missiles to shoot down a Russian fighter jet over the Black Sea.
Also on Thursday, in a statement released by the Russian Foreign Ministry, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov outlined Russia's position on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Ukraine-related commitments, international security guarantees, and the construction of a multipolar world.
Lavrov said Russia regards this conflict as "a major confrontation between Russia and the West", adding that Ukraine is "a pawn and a tool used by the West to build up a bridgehead right on the borders of the Russian Federation" in order to create direct security threats.
"We have mentioned it many times, and President Putin has often let everyone know that we find unacceptable even a 60-day ceasefire Zelensky is once again looking for," Lavrov said, stressing that each diplomatic effort during the special military operation ended with ceasefires being instantly leveraged to bring more weapons to Ukraine, to give the regime a respite.
Russia has not seen the document that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky constantly refers to as a 20-point plan, according to Lavrov.
"As far as we understand, the Ukrainians and Europeans have rehashed the original U.S. plan and are now trying to sell their own 'vision' of this 'world' to the U.S. administration." said the minister.
Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky said Thursday that Russia and Ukraine have conducted another exchange of fallen soldiers' bodies.
"As part of the Istanbul agreements, the bodies of 1,000 deceased Ukrainian soldiers were handed over to Ukraine, and the bodies of 38 deceased Russian soldiers were handed over to Russia," Medinsky said in a Telegram post, without mentioning the date of the exchange.
Ukrainian investigators would conduct necessary examinations to identify the repatriated bodies, said Ukraine's Coordinating Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.
Petro Andryushchenko, head of the Center for the Study of Occupation, said Ukraine transferred 38 bodies to Russia as part of the exchange.
Russia and Ukraine agreed on an "all-for-all" exchange of seriously ill and wounded prisoners, soldiers under the age of 25, and the bodies of fallen soldiers during their talks in Istanbul on June 2, 2025.
Russia claims control of settlement, while Ukraine reports precision strikes on Russian targets
